brilliantcat

Sweet almond with a musky smokiness that does not veer into cherry as many almond notes do. I am quite in love at this point It's dried down slightly sweet, creamy, and a touch musky. It stays quite close to the skin.

Utterly divine honey-sweet melon in the imp. On me it rages into sugary sweet but then settles down into a dewy fresh melon with hints of musk. Quite different and very pleasant. I like it but I doubt I'd wear it. My decant shall go to my 6-year-old who will love it to bits

First blast is the cypress and woods followed by a softer anise. Quite intriguing. It's battling a little on my skin as the notes settle, the anise vs. the musk and it's coming off a bit sharp. Feral is definitely a good descriptor. Now it's a musky, smoky anise. It's still got a bit of bite to it but I can feel the coziness. It's like smelling the back of one of my cat's necks. It smells furry, in a good way. Oh I very much like how it's warming up on me! It ends up quite fuzzy and soft. ETA: Upon retesting, this is nothing but anise on me. It's drowning out everything else :x No bueno.

In the decant I get peachy peachy peachness, yum! And a hint of something drier and perhaps a bit musky? It smells like a fresh peach, no artificiality here. On me it's quite soft, slightly soapy, with peach and lotus notes.

Chocolate and faint ginger which gradually fades into a deep, warm chocolate. I don't get much of the espresso but I am more than content with the chocolatey heaven this turns into on me.

This made up for every disappointment from Prince Lir. I adore the actual Lady Amalthea so I was desperately hoping her scent would work for me. I love the notes in it but that's never a guarantee. At first it's lilac and mint, which smells ethereal and beautiful, just like the lady herself. As it warms, the mint disappears as it so often does on me and I'm left with soft lilac and a distinct creaminess from the white chocolate. A very wispy hint of the white musk. Perfection. I will need backups and backups.

In the imp, I smelled a citrusy cologne, which didn't bode well. It smelled exactly the same wet and once it warmed, it turned a little sweet, probably from the vanilla. I was hoping for more of the basil and juniper berry. Instead I got a semi-sweet, slightly citrusy men's cologne. Pass. Sorry, Prince Lir, I love you really but your scent doesn't love me

I can't even describe how this smells in the imp except to say delicious. I get the fruity tropical vibe from the guava and melon and it's just yum. Wet, it's melon and guava with the musk starting to peek its head out. Wet, pulpy, radioactive indeed. After a bit I get a whiff of salt and the combination is amazing. Soft, slightly aquatic. The salt and a woody note combine to make me think of driftwood. Someone else mentioned it smelling like night air to them and I absolutely get the same feel. I can understand the parallel to department store perfumes because of the popular notes but this is so subtle and evocative, it's not even in the same class. Bottle-worthy for sure.

Fruity, delicious, mouth-watering. Bitingly citrus at first then it become creamier and softer. Fades rather quickly, especially the citrus. Creamy, rounded florals unlike the type of florals I tend to dislike so it's still ok in my book. I'd consider a bottle.

In the imp, I get leather and vetiver. Somewhat promising despite my absolute terror of the jasmine and rose. Once on, it's definitely leather in the forefront (yay!) with some smoky hints of the rose and jasmine. Thank you vetiver for keeping them in check! This has turned into dark, smoky leather. No hint of the florals and I like it just fine that way. I'm glad I braved this blend, it's really quite spectacular on me!

A sweet, soft suede-y kind of leather and a slight hint of musk. It's fantastic at first sniff. I'm in love already. It's an oddly comforting scent to me, like nuzzling my cats and inhaling their fur, that gorgeous animalistic scent. Gradually a bit of dust and dry grass emerges, but very faintly. The amber's warmed the leather into intoxicating suede territory. This is not a screaming in-your-face leather.

The rose is frightening me but some of the other reviews have given me hope that this might just not to turn to ROSEROSEROSE on me. In the imp, it's buttery crust and foody. Hope remains! On me, it's definitely a foody tart but with a hint of rose. No godzilla rose stomping everything else to oblivion! Oh, I LIKE this! I'm getting hints of the black currant now. It's gourmand vs. foody to me, due to the addition of the rose. It's like a picnic in a rose garden where you just get a whiff of the roses from time to time. I have found a rose I can wear! This is a morpher too, how fun! The black currant is coming out and it's very juicy and sweet. There's still a hint of the crust and the tiniest sniff of roses. Wow. I really, really like this!

Heavily lime in the imp with maybe a touch of musk. On the skin, the musk is more pronounced and it's a very juicy lime. I think I'm beginning to catch hints of the hibiscus. Very slightly soapy but in a clean, soft way not an overwhelming soapy way I've come to expect from some of the lab's citrus notes. This is really quite lovely. A slight tropical feel, I can picture a dense rainforest and spritzing fresh lime juice into a drink. I can see the comparisons to Shanghai but that was more of a lemonade or lemony tea. This one has more depth. I don't think I'd reach for it often but I do like it.

In the imp it's heavily red wine, slightly sour. On me, it's a nutty cocoa with a hint of spice. Absolutely lovely so far. Warm, spicy chocolate with hints of wine and a touch of blood and smoke. Definitely going to need a bottle of this one.

In the imp I definitely smelled florals but I couldn't identify them along with some other things that piqued my interest. A cinnamony/cassia-type undertone and an earthiness. On my skin, I get why others have said "cola" because I do get that vibe. Once it warms a bit, I get jasmine. Oh no. Jasmine = kitty litter box on me. We have a hate/hate relationship. I'm sad because there are so many positive reviews that sounded amazing No dragon's blood resin or vanilla, no SO-ish feel, the cinnamon seems to have run from the stench of jasmine, and the jasmine is cackling evilly at me as I wrinkle my nose. I still get some of that cola underneath but I have to singe my nostrils with jasmine to get it. Woe. If I tried to use this for its intended purpose, my husband would run screaming from me yelling "GET BACK WITCH!" And he would mean the kind of witch covered in cat-pee-soaked rags. Double woe.

In the bottle: Citrus and mint. Immediately after application: Cedar with a tad of mint and citrus. Warming up: This is doing bad things, like the last blend that had lime and peppermint (Schroedinger's Cat). Powdery and sour and awful with heavy cedar. Definite no and off to the sink. Overall: I don't know what I was thinking trying something with lime, since that goes bad on me so frequently. Especially in combination with mint when I KNOW that goes bad on me. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

In the bottle: Rich cherry primarily. Immediately after application: It's stayed a nice rich cherry rather than going powdery the way cherry blossom does. I'm getting a touch of musk as well. Warming up: Cherry musk. Fading: Soft cherry. Faded: Average throw, average wear. Overall: I was hoping this might sate my need for Gothabilly but it was more of a soft cherry musk than a dark boozy cherry with heavy musk. Granted it didn't have any booze notes but it was much lighter than I had hoped.

In the bottle: Cherry, almond, honey, and lemon. Immediately after application: Balsam over cherries and vanilla. The honey is slightly powdery on me but that often happens with the lab's honey notes. They generally warm up nicely though. Warming up: Gag-worthy powdery nastiness. /sigh Overall: I'm pretty sure gag-worthy covers it. The honey and lemon just did bad, bad things on me.

In the bottle: Spun sugar, cucumber, mango, and a touch of freesia and rose. Delicate and refreshing. Immediately after application: Spun sugar, mango, freesia? Sweet and pretty. Warming up: Softly sweet and just a bit floral. Fading: Spun sugar. Faded: Light throw, average wear. Overall: Far too light and pretty for me It's a lovely scent nonetheless.

2011 version In the bottle: Florals. Immediately after application: Rose + other florals. Warming up: Florally with a touch of vanilla. The vanilla has a plasticy quality to it. Fading: Soft vanilla and florals. Faded: Average throw, short wear. Overall: Don't think this one is gonna work.

In the bottle: Leather, perhaps a touch of olive oil. Immediately after application: Leather with just a hint of woods and oil. Warming up: This may just sate my need for Rivet.Goth! It's gone pure leather on me *bliss* Fading: Leatherleatherleather. Faded: Average throw, long wear. Overall: It's missing the rust/grit of Rivet.Goth but that may be a good thing. I've found my replacement! It's pure, heavy leather that reminds me so strongly of um, other things besides dildos made from leather. Like jackets. That return me to my youth and make me happy. Bottle.

2011 version In the bottle: Caramel and tobacco. Immediately after application: Heavier on the tobacco. Some spices too. Warming up: Very heavy on the tobacco with sickly sweet caramel underneath. Fading: Kind of gag-inducing tbh. The tobacco is more ashtray than the usual beautiful tobacco flower note that works so well on me and the caramel is tooth-rottingly sweet. I think I have issues with caramel notes Faded: Average throw, average wear. Overall: I expected this to be perfect on me. I'm glad I didn't buy a bottle unsniffed because it's too... heavy. It smells more like cigarettes than the lighter tobacco flower that works so well on me. And sickly sweet from the caramel.

Remembrance: Parma violet and leather accord with beeswax, Egyptian musk, orange blossom, white tea, lavender, myrrh, and copal. In the bottle: Lavender, something sweet, either the orange blossom or the violet. Immediately after application: Lavender and white tea. A slight touch of sweetness. Warming up: Lavender, orange blossom, beeswax. Fading: Lavender and beeswax. Faded: Average throw, average wear. Overall: Where were you hiding, leather? Too perfumey of a scent for me. Edit: 2013 version. Imp: Sweet violets and orange blossom. Wet: Violets, lavender, and dare I say, leather? I also get hints of the beeswax, which is lovely. Dry: OH WOW this is heavenly! I get mostly soft beeswax with hints of violets and lavender. Much different from the previous version. I definitely need a bottle

2011 In the bottle: Exactly as advertised. Immediately after application: Honey on top of SO. Warming up: OM NOM NOM this smells amazing. Less honey, more SO but still a delightfully honeyed version of SO. Fading: Sweetly honeyed SO. Faded: Average throw, average wear. Overall: Definite bottle. I can't stop sniffing myself.

In the bottle: Sweet with a hint of woody notes. Immediately after application: Woods with a tinge of powder. No apple to be found. Warming up: Woodsy with a hint of sweetness from the apple. Fading: Bleh, not loving this at all. Washed it off. Faded: Average throw, average wear. Overall: It seems like a simple enough blend, but something about it just didn't work for me. I rarely feel the urge to wash stuff off, but dang. Rating: 0/5.