mistressfizz

Mmmm, this has aged well. It starts off as grape incense, sweet, bold, bright. The incense holds it back from being too full of fruit. As it dries, it becomes more dusty, until it feels like a red musk tinged with deep purple. It loses some of the sweetness and brightness, replaced by a deeper, darker haze. It's really gorgeous and has become one of favorite scents on rotation!

There's definitely something about the oudh / musk / apple combo that is not working for me. I can pick out a strong oudh, but then there's a haze of something sour and acrid over it all. It remains that way on my skin. I had to wash it off after about 10 min, as it never morphed into anything other than stinky fetidness.

This is a thick, sweet amber. It's sugary, but not exactly 'peachy' in nature - it's more like a hard candy that melts away to reveal a core of heavy musk. It dries musky and just a tad powdery.

The Tastes of the Duke were really well blended. I find this kind of hard to describe, but somehow I really like it too. All the notes mingle and complement each other, in a complex scent that's really growing on me. It comes off a little sweet and spicy, no obvious leather note, but you get a sense of worn skin and earth and dark things. There are floral hints, but it's balanced with a fruity tang and never gets heady. The opium and laudanum are sweet but also a tad acrid. Overall, this doesn't smell like any single one of its components, but a really satisfying gothic celebration.

This comes out of the gate with astringent white tea notes, very fresh and almost herbal. There's a floral aspect, but the tea is strongest. It's clean without being sharp or veering into cologne territory. It definitely evokes spring for me.

Oh my, this is so pretty! It's a pale, golden lily, definitely floral. It's a little soapy, but in a good way, light and romantic. I don't get much red musk, maybe just a tiny whiff when it's dry.

I got the version with silk. The bar is a light tan with pretty swirls. It lathers very thick and creamy, feels wonderful, and doesn't leave my skin dry. The scent is very faint, mostly a slightly sweet vanilla. It's comforting.

Sniff: Oh, the jasmine is definitely there! But it's not a fresh, wet jasmine - can definitely tell there's something darker and heavier cutting through the floral Wet: Very much the same, strong presence of jasmine muffled by an earthy curtain Dry: Lingering jasmine, but now I detect more of the spice and incense. It becomes a bit dusty, a floral powdery finish. This is definitely for jasmine fans, although it's a unique combination and not as heady as some jasmine blends.

Sniff: Slightly sweet, almost floral patchouli, and a soft musky base. It's very smooth and mellow. I can't detect the leather as much, it's definitely not a dominant note here. The honey and berries don't stand out too much either. Wet: Now the juniper is coming out. It's really pleasant, not too sharp or strong, just a clean, fresh, herbal wave over the musk and floral tones. This is really growing on me - it's well balanced and blended. It's a sophisticated cologne for a spring hippy. Dry: After an hour or so, this settles into a dusty, deep black musk with just a hint of sweet. I really enjoy this one, it makes me feel all sorts of relaxed and comfortable.

Lovely mocha soap bar with caramel and white swirls. It lathers nicely and cleans softly. The smell is quite faint, just a hint of cocoa and vanilla sweetness. A nice soap, if you something more subtle.

This is amazing! It's a sweeter, darker Cathedral, which happens to be one of my favorite GC scents. This has the same woodsy incense base, but then the sweet patchouli and copal make it deeper, fuller, and adds a real refined touch. This is wonderfully blended, these notes all meld together into a woodsy heaven.

This scent is the lovechild of Banshee Beat and Snake Oil. It's gorgeous, starts off with champaca and sweet earthiness. As it dries, the vanilla and incense come out to play and it's just a warm, comforting, delicious blend of earth tones. Definitely my favorite of the 2017 yules.

Sniff: Mmmmm, exactly as advertised - woods, tea, hint of sweet vanilla Wet: This is pretty faint on me, but smells amazing. It does have a cologne kind of vibe, but not very high pitched and the vanilla definitely tempers things overall. It smells....tousled....like lying in a Victorian bedroom on a mahogany bed frame with fresh sheets and...being tousled. Dry: This stays pretty faint on me, my skin is drinking this up. It's a beautiful scent, super well blended and balanced, warm and sweet and sexy

Sniff: Very herbal, high pitched, reminds me of cologne / after shave, juniper and gin. I don't get the typical BPAL cold or green notes Wet: OK, this does calm down a bit once on my skin. It still smells herbal, but the orris is starting to blossom, it's becoming softer and warmer, the hints of earth and woodsy cypress are coming out Dry: This has really morphed on me! About 2 hours later, this is all musk, moss, and dust, actually quite lovely and very comforting. I wouldn't categorize this as a 'winter' scent - it's more reflective, no cold or snow, and reminds me of quiet evenings and moonlight

I was cleaning my dresser and found this long forgotten bottle! And I'm glad I found her, as this is really lovely on me! It's a very soft, faint rose and not heady or blooming. It's more of a pale, taupe, suggestion of rose, resting just barely, lightly, over a bed of vanilla amber. I don't get a strong snow note at all, it's definitely a cool scent, but not "chilly" or "minty" in quality. I have a feeling this has settled in the past two years. It is a grounded, gentle, solemn scent.