Pyewacket

In the bottle: honey and amber. On me: Honey and herbs with a backdrop of amber. I love the smell of honey but most of the honey scents I've tried have been a tad too sharp. Here, the amber is probably helping to make Dubia softer and more rounded. The only other honey/amber scent I've tried is O, which I found too sweet and cloying to wear. Here though, there are herbs instead of vanilla so it's not as sweet. It reminds me of something elusive, it might be the honey tea association mentioned above. If I had to guess I would also say there might be some chamomile here. It might be just the honey, herbal tea scent association but the feeling I get is of safety and calm protection. Like a gentle aged goddess handing you a cup of tea while she stands between you and the bad guys.

The spirit of the full moon is capricious, intense and passionate, yet still distant, aloof and cold. Luna herself governs glamours, bewitchments and dream-work, innocent wonder, transient pleasure and delight, the Moment, impulse, mystery and veils. The Blue Moon is one of her rarest manifestations, and this scent is formulated to encapsulate her most complex and profound nature: Mugwort and bay, for psychic sensitivity… Juniper, for divination through dreams… Orchid and galbanum, for complexity, wisdom and noscere… … with a potent lunar-charged blend of exquisite Asian woods, moonflower, Madagascan ylang ylang, Florentine iris, wild juniper, starry bergamot, elemi, green tea absolute, palmarosa, cucumber, Clary sage, lettuce leaf, melilot trefoils, wood aloes, and pale creeping buttercup. This is my first experience of a Lunacy so please bear with me. There's a lot happening of course, it's a complex scent. In the bottle, Blue Moon smells very cool and fresh. On me, it's a complex mix of herbal and floral. Not the hippie/dirty/herby smell you can get with some scents, this one is cool, clean herbs and pale flowers. And there's a misty, watery component, like gathering herbs and flowers from around a clear pool of water at night. I wish I could describe it better I really like it and I'm glad I'll be able to wear it tonight during the blue/blood/super moon. The dreams should be interesting

In the bottle: very orange-bright tingly smelling, reminds me of my bottle of Nanny Gardner's Holiday Globules. On me: the blood orange settles and blends immediately. It's still there but it's tempered by the other notes. I get champaca but the vanilla and clove are not very noticeable, nothing stands out too much, it all blends beautifully and becomes quite subtle. I get the feeling of old and new together, like an aged garden courtyard in Rome filled with living orange trees and flowers. It's very wearable so I'll be able to use it a lot, especially in hot weather.

In the bottle: it reminded me of a less sweet Antikythera Mechanism, which I guess would be the similar combination of tobacco and woods. On me: Like a comfortable but luxurious study that has been left to get a bit dusty. I'd like to smell it on my guy but I'd be happy to wear it as well. If you like Antikythera but sometimes find it a tad oversweet or noticeable, you'd like this. I can understand the inspiration here. Annonaria smells like hard work; many long hours spent at a desk (with smoke breaks ) but you are confident your efforts will pay off in time.

Good Fortune Incarnate A hymn to the successes, prosperity, good health, and blessings that are drawn to you when you possess honesty, bravery, and good character: Himalayan cedar and honey myrtle, cistus and clary sage, ambergris accord and white oudh. In the bottle I get mostly cedar. On wet: cedar mixed with herbs and sweetness. On drydown: As the scent dries down I found the notes blended and became softer, less sharp cedar and more soft, woody, herbal sweetness. So far I haven't noticed the ambergris but it is fresh from a hot letterbox so I'll see if the scent changes as it cools down. Overall I like Fortuna Bona and I'll wear it when I'm looking for a clean, woody, tending-towards-masculine scent. Also when I'm aspiring to honesty, bravery and good character

Have you tried Pirate Moon? It and Anne Bonny are my favorite salty sea blends. I have Anne Bonny and I do love it. So far I haven't tried Pirate Moon but I'm guessing I would have to look in sales to find a bottle? It does sound good: Red musk, ambergris, coconut palm, red sandalwood, balsam, date, warm leather, tobacco, ebony, lingum vitae wood, pandanus grass, an' a touch o' lime. I've just ordered Aegir, He Who Soothes the Storm: languid lavender pacifying a tumultuous wave of salt water, guiac wood, and cedar. and hopefully it fulfills my salty-air needs but I'm always happy to collect more like that (finances permitting)

You might want to try Jolly Roger. Calico Jack and Jolly Roger are very close to my nose. Port Royal might also do the trick. The rum isn't too noticeable for me if that's something that might give you pause. Thanks I was a bit worried that Jolly Roger would be too rummy but if you didn't notice it too much I might get it if Calico Jack isn't back in stock soon.

Thanks Feral Fae, I love the movie cat. I might have named one of my cats Pyewacket but they are tabbies so I guess it wouldn't suit Thanks for your suggestions. I do have some Thalassa and I love it but it's more perfumey than what I'm looking for. Caliban was my favorite and I'm kicking myself I didn't get a bottle when it was still around. I might have to do a DISO and see if anyone is selling it.

I've just had a hankering for something oceany/salty but unfortunately the ones I would have chosen are discontinued or out of stock. The feel I'm after is wind-blown tropical island, but salty rather than fruity. Does anyone know of dupes for these ones? Caliban = The scent of the salty seas, bittersweet wine, palm and tropical ferns. Windward Passage = Breezes blowing off the waters of the Caribbean, marine accord, seaweed and bladderwrack. Calico Jack = Sea air, driftwood, waterlogged kelp, and the memory of plundered spices etc.

Thanks guys! I'm writing a short story based on the Twelve Dancing Princesses and have been looking for some extra inspiration. I have a few of these so I can wear them while I write. I'm afraid I don't have Privilege but it does sound like a great choice for them

All I can think of is Versailles. Any suggestions welcome

For some reason, the scents I love most tend to grow on me slowly (except for butterflies attending etc which was love at first sniff). I was only so-so on skadi at first but now I love it. It probably helps that it is so hot here atm. I get sweet minty snow and berries. Worn in winter it would be cosy, like a ridiculously softly knitted jumper covered with embroidered snowflakes. But in summer it's lovely and cooling. I think skadi would work well as a candle and room spray. Ps I also got the frozen association, Elsa would love this.

I love BF&J too. Personally I think it's the combination of florals, musks and spices that make it work for me, rather than any individual note. Here are a few GC that I find have a similar combo but with different twists: Aeval: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka - to me, this is a witchy, foresty version. 51: has the flower/musk/spice combination but in a juicy, Arizona desert-sort of way. Hanging Gardens (sadly discont but you may be able to find it in sales/swaps): date palm, ebony, fir, pomegranate, plum, two pears, quince, fig, and grapevine with plumeria, three gardenias and dry rose - no musk but it's got a similar vibe (to me) with an exotic twist. and, for something a little different, Port Royal: Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down. I get florals/musks from the prostitute's perfume plus spices from the spiced rum and woods. I'm also really enjoying my imp of Mary Shelley and I feel it has a similar complexity to BF&J: absinthe, lightning, stormclouds, and laudanum crashing through a veil of soft Victorian oriental perfume.

I'd add Mr Ibis and Nefertiti. Both are green, watery, aloe-ish scents. I'm really loving Nefertiti in the hot weather we've been having here.

Ebon Night is an oil of deep, profound reflection. It is the revelation found in darkness, an embrace of quiet solitude, and is also a wellspring of mystery, imagination, dark creativity, and shadowy inspiration. It is a healing oil, as sleep and dreams bring solace, and it enables quiet, somber contemplation. This oil is the perfect preamble to working with night deities. This one has a lovely herbal scent. I'd happily use it for scent alone. I put some on after a bath last night without any particular intention or ritual and had a rough night. I was hyper-alert for half the night, jumping at every sound in the street or at noises that the cats were making downstairs. And for the other half of the night I had vivid disturbing dreams. I then slept in til 10.30am when I'm usually up at 7 on weekends. I tend to think that dreaming purges me of bad energies, memories etc. so I'm hoping that my bad night will bring solace today. I'll wait for about a week before trying this oil again as I couldn't handle two nights like that in a row. Also, I may use it much earlier in the afternoon next time. Very nice scent though. ETA: I thought I should add that the following day I had a very productive writing day following by the most restful, dreamless night's sleep in a long time. I'll definitely use this again in a few days.