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.

The bar is a beautiful deep rust color, with caramel and black swirls. I bought the version with silk. It lathers really nicely in the shower and leaves my skin feeling clean without being too dry. I was not expecting the exfoliating bits - my sensitive skin does not do well with exfoliating pieces in most soaps and this was no exception. I had to be very delicate with pressure, otherwise my skin actually got scratched up while using this. The Dirty scent is soft and relaxing. It was quite subtle and my family didn't even notice I had used the soap. Some soaps have a very strong scent and the entire bathroom smells like it after you shower. That did not happen with this soap. It was very faint once I dried off and did not linger. If you're comfortable with exfoliating soap and want something unobtrusive, this is pretty good. Alas, the scrubby bits were not for me and I wish I had known it was exfoliating soap before I bought it.

This is a winning combination! It starts very strong on the pumpkin spice, a heady, blunt instrument of clove and nutmeg. Those spices do settle when drying on my skin, and a warm, languorous vanilla, flavored deeply with spice and musk, comes out.

This starts off creamy and musky, with a hint of minty coolness. The snake oil component seems to dominate, although it is lighter in this blend and not as spicy. As it dries, I mainly get vanilla musk. Pleasant and nice to have a more gentle snake oil version.

Bursting bubbles of self-luminous pumpkin spice! I'm a fan of the spicy gingeryness of Shoggoth, so I was super excited to try this one. Sniff: It's very light and faint, a bit crispy. Wet: An earthy muddy spice. I get hints of cinnamon and dirt. Dry: This turns really sharp spice when dry, it's actually a bit noxious. I think the wet phase is nice, but I had to wash off the residual when dry.

The Theoi Nomioi are the gods and spirits of the wild: the countryside, the pastures, the forests. Under their auspices, untamed nature thrives, the beasts of the wild feast and multiply, the mountains reach to the heavens with their stony, snow-capped fingers, and the forests grow thick and dark with mystery. Sniff: Crisp, hint of ozone, lush pine forest Wet: Faint and subtle, more ozone. Definitely mountain air. Clean, dry, with a swirl of rich, wild woods. This leans towards a classic male cologne in the best way possible. Dry: Ah, the woods become more prominent after time. But it stays crisp and clean, it's a bright woodiness, not like furniture or resin, but fresh and sweet. It's very pleasant and well balanced.

Faded leather saddle with a curl of smoke and incense. The leather is not the sharp vinyl kind, but more along the Lab's fuzzy line. As it dries, it gets more dusty and faint. It's very well blended and quite pleasant.

Whoa, this is a cinnamon bomb! This is also the first time a BPAL oil has actually physically stung me. Basically, all I got was a huge dose of cinnamon, then I had to wash it off. When I sniffed it a bit more carefully after the skin test fail, it's definitely predominantly cinnamon and some sweet notes underneath. I don't get any rose. This is definitely not for me.

The mahogany note dominates when wet. It's bright and fresh, a woodsy cologne that pops. It almost borders on pine. As it dries, the myrrh comes into the picture and this scent becomes a lot more complex and deep. The longer I leave it on, the more earthier and smoother it gets. It reminds me of intricately carved wooden panels in a Victorian mansion. Even though it's only got two main notes, it's very evocative and probably one my favorites from the 2017 weenies.

Cathedral is one of my favorite GC scents. The addition of pumpkin spice imparts an interesting texture. This is mostly my beloved woodsy rich incense, with a swirl of creamy meaty sweetness. There actually isn't much spice. I like how strong and bold it is, like fresh pumpkin and fresh dark woods carved together. As it dries, it settles into the almost sandalwood-like, peaceful dusty notes which I love about Cathedral. Great if you're a fan of woodsy, sweet incense!

Cinnamon vanilla cake! Bakery fresh and yummy. Creamy and warm, with a really pleasant bite. When it dries, it leaves a soft vanilla whisper. I like how the cinnamon is assertive, but does not overpower. This is more like a cinnamon cupcake, I don't detect any earthiness + spice that's like a chai blend. Great if you want something not too sweet, not too spicy, but still seasonal foodie.