brilliantcat

In-bottle it's rich, buttery caramel with little to no chocolate and no smoke or pepper. It's a completely different story on my skin: nearly all smoky pepper with a hint of tooth-rotting caramel. In a good way. Usually caramel (see Red Lantern) quickly turns TOO sweet and makes me nauseous. The smoked pepper is keeping that sweetness in check. Sweet without being syrupy and surprisingly non-foody thanks to the smoked pepper.

In bottle I get foody, buttery pumpkin, almost cake-like, with just a hint of cologne from the black musk. On my skin, it's a fluffy pumpkin cupcake! Soon the resinous myrrh steps in with the clove and it's more of an evil cupcake. A bit of dustiness creeps in from the musk, and the cupcake fell into the dirt. But the five-second rule still applies so it's ok Whoa, curve ball! The wonderfully evil dirty cupcake has morphed into sweet myrhh and clove o.O Where did my cupcake go?! It's still a lovely scent for fall but I preferred my dirty, dirty cupcake.

2010 version In-bottle, it has a slightly medicinal smell but once it gets on my skin, magic happens! A lushly smooth patchouli with the essence of fresh leaves and something almost creamy. Earthy but not dirty, yet refined. Autumn in a bottle! I don't get apple or pumpkin or anything else fruity but I think those notes are lending a bit of sweetness. It's incredibly well-blended and I love it.

Another one I thought I'd reviewed. This destash is being quite helpful Ok, so I adore vanilla and the like (tonka/benzoin) and lilac is one of my very favorite florals so I got myself a bottle of this unsniffed. Lilacs are very evocative for me, my great-grandmother had a huge lilac bush in her yard that I used to play in. It was a castle, a secret hideout, anything my little mind could dream up. When she died, my mother took a cutting of that bush for our yard. Now that my mother is gone as well, I'm going to take a cutting from her plant for my yard. It's a living heirloom. In bottle, it's very creamy and vanillic, yum! I can just barely get a whiff of lilac. On, it's glorious vanilla! The lilac blooms quickly and this is a very languid, cozy scent to me. Luckily I don't get the idea of penises from this or it might damage my psyche considering my scent memories of lilac A very springy scent that reminds me of my childhood.

I thought this would be a no-brainer on me. Oh how wrong I was! In the imp, it smells deliciously musky with a touch of sweetness. On me, the cumin does something horrible to the honey which retaliates by smacking the patchouli and making it cry. It's one very ANGRY monkey, glaring at me and throwing feces. UGH. This guy needs to be locked up somewhere he can't see me or I him.

Bottle: Creamy, almost fruity. Not what I expected from the notes at all! Wet: Ahh, now I get musky nuttiness. I think the toasted sandalwood is providing the nutty smell I get. Whatever it is, it's fabulously warm and cozy and sensual. Dry: Toasty, fuzzy, warm, woodsy. Very unisex. Glad I picked up a bottle long ago!

Bottle: Soft fuzzy leather with a hint of astringent floral, perhaps violet? Wet: Wet leather with a hint of sugared floral. It smells delicious, though I think I'd prefer the dustier leather with the floral. We shall see what happens when it starts to warm up and meld. Dry: Full-on warm and leathery, purrrrrr! It's like being hugged by a rugged cowboy! Snuggling in an oversized armchair in a cozy library! Hnnnnnng... this is so good!

I could SWEAR I've reviewed this before as I fell in love the first time I got a whiff, so much so that I have two versions! 2006 (I *think*) Bottle: What it says on the tin. Very, very smooth and sexy. Wet: Incredibly well-blended. Did I mention smooth? Lots of red musk, sugar, slightly boozy. Dry: Definitely sweeter than '11, and lighter on my skin. Beautiful nonetheless. 2011 Bottle: Sharper than 2006, a bit astringent, and more boozy. Wet: I feel like I get a whiff of patchouli with this one. A bit rougher, sharper, and more naughty. Has a bit of a smoky feel. Dry: Definitely dirtier and raunchier. I think this is my favorite of the two I have.

Bottle: A bright fruity wine with slightly sour undertones and a sense of depth. Wet: Spicy oak with a hint of rose petals and that wonderfully complex Cabernet. Most wine scents tend to go too fruity/sweet and this is rich and beautiful. The rose is also behaving itself and adding another layer to the oak and wine. Very earthy. Dry: Slightly sour with a hint of rose and oak. Love it!

Bottle: Rich berries with a hint of slightly sour booziness, like fruit soaked in red wine. Wet: Sweeter on my skin than it smelled in the bottle. Less sourness. Syrupy cherry and red fruit. Dry: Stays primarily cherry. I was hoping for a sweet, springtime fruity scent and this is much more an autumn type of scent with rich, syrupy berries and wine.

Beaver'versary! Bottle: Cupcakes and cheesecake, yup! I want to drink the bottle! Wet: Tangy cream cheese and cake. Red velvet cake! I adooooore red velvet cupcakes. Dry: Less tangy/sour, more vanilla/sweet cake. My foody heart is happy!

Bottle: Wet, juicy musk. I distinctly get the image of a moonlit night in a forest. Wet: Musky with a hint of spice. It has a slight aquatic/soapy feel to it as well. Dry: The musk and all that loveliness have disappeared under the soapy. Sadface

Bottle: Raspberry, tart and fruity. Wet: Quite tart and a bit powdery, a bit like candy rather than juice or fresh fruit. I can pick out the raspberry and what smells like orange? Ah there's mandarin in it, so my nose isn't broken after all. Dry: A dry-feeling fruity blend, I think this would be great for summer!

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this! Bottle: Gorgeous buttery pina colada. Heavy on juicy pineapple and creamy coconut with a bit of oomph from the rum. Wet: Spicy rum and my beloved vanilla, with swirls of pineapple and coconut. I want to chew on my arm! Dry: I get some cinnamon melding with the vanilla and coconut. It smells like a rich cake rather than booze at this point, but I love it all the same.

Bottle: Banana and that burnt sugar rummy smell. Wet: OMG I love it! Spiced rum and banana with a hint of coconut. It smells like Bananas Foster, which is one of my very favorite desserts. Dry: Definitely boozy and most of the banana has dissipated. Perfect for summer.

Imp: Sugary cardamom and vanilla. It reminds me of Indian food. Wet: No vanilla, in fact it sort of smells like pickles o.O It must be the cardamom reacting with the musk and my skin. Despite the pickle oddness, it smells really lovely. Dry: The odd note is gone, leaving in its place a rich, creamy, slightly musky scent. It's very close to the skin, but it's the kind you'd lean in closer to get a whiff of... subtly sexy.

Imp: Powdery traditional perfume. Wet: Sharper. The powder I smelled in the bottle isn't in evidence, thankfully. Something in this is tickling my brain, I feel like I recognize a note that's not listed but I can't figure out what it is. I don't get any tobacco or leather at all. It definitely reminds of a very elegant, classy older woman, nothing I associate with typical "old lady" perfume. Dry: Strongly floral. The rose is amping on me as usual. This one isn't for me.

Imp: Very mentholic and piney. Smells like cleaning fluid. And yet I find it somehow... refreshing? Wet: Less industrial cleaner, more pine forest. It still has that hint of cleaner though. I actually don't find offensive, though I doubt I'd want to smell like this often if at all. Dry: The super-mentholic cleaner smell has dissipated and I'm left with a woody, piney scent that now reminds me of gerbil bedding. Nicht gut.

Imp: I definitely don't get the whomp of vetiver like others seem to. I get blooming florals and a hint of dirt. In my head, I see antique perfume drops spattered on soil. Wet: Slightly powdery from the amber. I have a hard time getting anything else around it, the baby powder is too pervasive. Dry: BABY POWDER AUUUUGGGGHHHH. ETA: I felt compelled to retest based on my love for all the notes in this and the arrival of a fresh frimp. It's definitely stronger on the vetiver in the imp than my first test, dirty and woodsy and smoky. I almost get root beer It develops into a sweet resinous blend, again with powderiness but not the overwhelming blast from the previous test. It reminds me of what myrrh does on me. I tend to agree that it's black musk in this and I feel that I erroneously blamed the amber for turning powdery when it's more likely the fault of the musk. Amber does also have a powdery stage but generally quickly warms into gorgeous resin. In the time I typed that, it has turned into baby powder again. Looks like it matters little whether it's fresh or aged, either the musk, the amber, or the combination goes baby powder on me.

Imp: Freshly turned soil and dry, dessicated rose petals. Wet: Dust and dirt. An abandoned grave with dead roses. Miss Havisham's house. This is so evocative! I am transported to a place of nightmares. Dry: Cloying roses and soil. Crazy interesting but not for me, thanks rose!

Imp: Very sharp and herbal, almost Pine-Sol-y. Wet: Less floor cleaner, more woodsy. I still get the strong sense of pine but there's a pulpy herbalness about it that I really like. Dry: Oh wow, it goes all dry woodsy and herbal and slightly musky. It's like inhaling the fur at the back of a wolf's neck (which I actually have done, believe it or not!) and I'm kind of loving it. I doubt I will/would wear it much, but it's beautifully evocative upon drydown.

Imp: Spicy, floral, very true-to-life planty with the scent of green, growing things. I get a tiny whiff of berry and honey. Wet: This is really lovely! It smells like I have a fresh bouquet of flowers in the room. It's not a girly, soft floral either, it's a POW of really lush fragrance. There's just a bit of the juicy berry lifting the floral. I really don't get any of the honey at this point. Dry: Spicy, flowery, and fruity. The floral spiciness has an almost incense-like quality to it and yet remains very "just-cut flower" feeling. The honey has melded with the other notes to brighten and deepen them. This is really pretty and something I think I might actually wear!

Imp: Beautiful, creamy, slightly floral coconut. I imagine white silk with soft flowers laying atop. Wet: The rose note is battling with the coconut a bit but I always amp rose so I was expecting this. It's not an immediate "OMG WASH IT OFF" so that's heartening. Dry: I fought the rose and the rose won. It's still a very delicate, feminine scent and thus completely unsuitable for me.

Imp: Creamy white, slightly musky. I am shocked that I don't get even a whiff of citrus! Wet: Barely musky, clean and a bit green in a fresh-cut-flower-stem kind of way. Creamy. I keep using that but it's the perfect descriptor. Dry: Whoa, I like this! Even though it's totally girly and floral, it does so in a wonderful way. Creamy (again!) vanilla-musk-floral. I don't get any citrus at any point but I don't miss it tbh. I love the counterplay of the musk with the fresh flowers with the vanilla. I picture a lovely woman in a white dress twirling in a field of fresh flowers.

Frimp from my recent lab order Imp: Spicy carnation, a bit resiny. Wet: Warm and rich. Golden from the amber. I don't really get much of the other notes, they add to the richness of the ambers. Dry: Kind of a powdery amber, nearing baby powder territory. Not for me