Pyewacket

I'll second Antikythera Mechanism - it's beautiful!

Also:

For sugar and wood you may like Kill Devil (Bewitching Brews) - Sugar cane, molasses, oak wood, and honey. (it's not discussed much but I really like it, it's especially sultry on a steamy hot day)

For sandalwood and coconut you may like Brown Jenkins (A Picnic in Arkham) - dusty white sandalwood and orris root, dry coconut husk, creeping musk, and the residue of ceremonial incense. - it's a dry cosy sort of coconut

For a more sultry coconut you may like Black Pearl (Bewitching Brews) - Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk.

and..when the Carnival comes back you may like Madame Moriarty - Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum. - I don't find the patchouli to be very strong. This one isn't impable but you may be able to find decants in sales/swaps.

I have had some very odd experiences with White Light.

I want to put it on and feel calm, clean, destressed and, well..fixed. But each time it has left me feeling drained and empty. The way I feel after a long, cathartic crying session. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected.

I tried it again last night when I needed something to help me sleep and I ended up having an extremely vivid dream about a situation I'm in right now but the dream was pretty harsh and exposed all of my fears and insecurities about this situation. I'm going to keep experimenting with it but I'll never wear it at work again as my reactions are a little unpredictable.

For day-to-day comforting I like Van Van which has never let me down, but I'll reserve White Light for more serious cleansing.

This one started off a bit sharp and then quickly settled in to a rather lovely creamy/spicy/floral (not sure which floral though)

I only like florals with a bit of an edge to them (like Voodoo Lily) and this fits into that category for me.

I'll try the imp a few more times to see if I'll need a bottle but so far it's a probable maybe.

This one was an ordered imp from the lab:

in imp: green sparkly fruity

on wet: lovely - definitely smells pale and green and sparkly - some light fruits and flowers but nothing I can pick out specifically

drying: nectar sweet and chilly but has faded a bit too fast on me.

verdict: would be good for summer. I'm looking for a fruity scent and this is like a green sister of Fae but if I had to choose I'd pick Fae as it is less sweet and more long-lasting on me.

these scents have components in common with your soap:

Salome:

A scent that is both coquettish and sinister. Exotic and lush, brimming with grace and viciousness: almond with star jasmine, oakmoss, red sandalwood and Egyptian musk.

and

Seraglio:

Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel.

Salome is good if you don't mind a bit of jasmine and Seraglio is all spicy sandalwood to me, I don't notice the rose too much.

ETA: just thought of Anne Bonny - A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincens

Bought this bottle unsniffed on an impulse.

In bottle:

Smells like a coffee marshmallow tree

On wet:

Reminds me a bit of antikythera mechanism without the tobacco - also there is a woodsy element - so where antikythera makes you think of a steampunk interior this is an outdoorsy version.

Drying:

dusty, woodsy, raw coffee bean - there is increasing sweetness as it dries but for me it never gets very sweet and not at all foody.

Verdict: I'm very happy to have this one. It's soft, warm, dark and comforting.

This is an imp ordered from the lab.

in imp: richly fruity - I'm not getting peach specifically.

on wet: I was hesitant to try anything with peach due to a bad association with fuzzy peach from body shop but this is nothing like it - there's a deep rich greeniness mingled with juicy peach, but it's a very natural peach.

drying: as it dries the musk comes out and joins the greeniness and sweetness of the peach - I think this would be great in summer - its not a crisp scent but it is a 'deep in the summer forest munching on juicy peaches' scent.

verdict: I don't normally go for fruity scent but I'm looking for something fruity for summer. As a comparison I death matched this one against Titania which I found a bit too syrupy sweet whereas Fae is a very natural deep peach with a little darkness. I'll be getting a bottle in my next order.

I didn't get decants of the weenies for a few reasons.

1. they'll take a long time to get here

2. I'm scared that I'll love too many of them

3. I'd rather spend the money on a full bottle that I can wear a lot (insert picture of an Alot wearing perfume)rather than a few drops of many different scents

4. I doubt that any single decant circle would contain all of the scents I would like to try

So I'm planning on ordering these soon...probably..pending a few more reviews:

samhain 2011 - because this is my first weenie update and it seems mandatory

a nocturnal reverie - I wasn't drawn to this initially but the will call reviews sound good and I know I like musk, amber, ambergris and fig and the lavender incense sounds especially awesome

the wiley grasser - because someone suggested it might be like fairy market which I didn't get a chance to try

the two-tailed sogg - as above, I think it may be a swampy version of 51

and...I want something that says Autumn leaves and smoky bonfires but I'm torn between Devil's Night, October 2011, sonnet d'automne and the Night Hag???

My budget is open to one more but I'm not sure which way to go. I'm considering something completely different like The Garden of Death.

edit: spell fail

Frimp from the lab.

In imp: Strong sandalwood plus herbs, sweet but not overly

On wet: Florals coming out and a dry warmth which must be the myrrh. Sandalwood fading back a bit. Subdued sweetness, exotic.

Drying: Very pleasant but fades within an hour. Same thing happened with morocco – could it be me and sandalwood? Every now and then throughout the day I detected a nice waft of sandalwood. May take someone’s suggestion of mixing with water for a linen spray as it is very pleasant.

Overall: Not a bottle as it fades too fast unfortunately.

Has anyone tried the Two-Tailed Sogg?

It sounds like a swampy version of 51 so I'm curious and, living in upside-down-land, I'm about to go into a long hot Summer so I'm looking to include something I can wear right now.

For the Lost fan in your life! There are so many ways you could do a Lost theme pack...

 

Favorite Characters

Using my favorites as an example!

 

- Tombstone (Sawyer)

- Urd (Locke)

- Whitechapel (Ben)

- Lady Macbeth (Juliet)

- Wolf's Heart (Desmond)

- Schrodinger's Cat (Daniel)

 

...Completed with items specific to the gift recipient's favorite characters, ie. a handmade replica of Sawyer's letter, a backgammon game, a copy of Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens.

 

 

The Oceanic Six

 

- Dee (Jack)

- Anne Bonny (Kate)

- Ophelia (Sun)

- Othello (Sayid)

- Eat Me (Hurley)

- The Little Wooden Doll (Aaron)

 

...Completed with a toy airplane, Oceanic Airlines buttons, a package of airline peanuts, and a barf bag.

 

 

The Others

 

- Whitechapel (Ben)

- Lady Macbeth (Juliet)

- Alice (Alex)

- Magus (Richard)

- Aureus (Jacob)

- Djinn (Man in Black)

 

...Completed with a plush white bunny with the number 8 drawn on one side, a copy of Carrie by Stephen King, a slingshot, a small model ship, and one black and one white rock (BONUS: include brass scales).

 

 

(The rest of my GC-only suggestions for character scents are here and here if anyone's interested!)

This is perfect! I'm halfway through season 6 at the moment - must be the last person in the tv-viewing world to finish this series.

I particularly like your picks for Kate, Sawyer and Daniel. And for the island itself? I'm thinking The Isles of Demons

I'm having a fit of nostalgia for an old perfume, I'm pretty sure it was New West.

 

These are the notes for New West:

 

Top Note: Calone, Watermelon

Middle Note: Galbanum, Hyacinth, Lily, Spearmint

Base Note: Cedarwood, Oakmoss, Musk, Amber

 

 

Does anyone know of a similar Bpal? From memory it was like a beautifully cool juicy fresh breeze in the desert.

 

ETA: ok, so some sites say this one also has leather in it. So I guess what I'm looking for is cowboy eating watermelon in desert surrounded by cactus. That's not too specific is it?

 

51 came to mind immediately.

 

Luminescent, glowing, and otherworldly: green mandarin, neroli, honeydew, white amber, guava, freesia, white and green musks hovering over desert scrub, smashed wood, and the dry, biting scent of night air over the Groom Lake salt flats.

 

It starts off as kind of a fruity floral, but dries down to a wonderful sophisticated musk. Don't know how similar 51 actually is to New West, but it does have some notes in common and it is very "melon in the desert" IMO.

thanks beliefunwrought I have 51 and I love it. I think New West might have an ozone note which would account for my 'breeze in the desert' association whereas 51 seems more of a 'still night in the desert' but it is very close. I might try layering 51 with lightning

I'm having a fit of nostalgia for an old perfume, I'm pretty sure it was New West.

These are the notes for New West:

Top Note: Calone, Watermelon

Middle Note: Galbanum, Hyacinth, Lily, Spearmint

Base Note: Cedarwood, Oakmoss, Musk, Amber

Does anyone know of a similar Bpal? From memory it was like a beautifully cool juicy fresh breeze in the desert.

ETA: ok, so some sites say this one also has leather in it. So I guess what I'm looking for is cowboy eating watermelon in desert surrounded by cactus. That's not too specific is it?

Ordered imp from the lab

in imp: very faint incense and sandalwood

on wet: same as in imp

drying down: very calming - but faint and stays close to the skin. I'm not getting much in the way of florals as others have - this is more sweetly incensy creamy - it is very calming and something I would want to wear at home when I need rest/peace or for yoga.

Verdict: fades quickly and stays very close to the skin but I'd still like a bottle, I can always slather.

origin: bottle purchase, unsniffed

in bottle: mostly verbena, a bit unpleasantly cologny

on wet: lots of verbena with a bit of spice

drying down: the verbena fades down within about ten minutes and the scent mellows down to be soft, slightly creamy, dusty with a hint of lemon still

verdict: to me this is a gentle, shadowy scent which evokes late summer. It's the kind of thing I would want to put on after a day at the beach when I'm cooling down in a shady place for the afternoon and trying to forget my sunburn (if i still lived by the ocean that is). I'm looking forward to wearing it in summer and I'm happy I got a bottle unsniffed.

origin: imp from the lab

in imp: strong cherry

on wet: less cherry, more woodiness

drying: like smelling a shiny, over-varnished wooden drinks cabinet that someone has spilt a little cherry liqueur onto.

verdict: it just didn't work on me but I guess this just means I need to avoid woody and cherry scents. I've only tried about 50 bpals so far but I seem to favour spicy, resiny, musky, incensy. I will say that it smells very appropriate for the red queen though.

this was a frimp with a lab order

in imp: quite sweet, almost cloyingly so, plus tea and spice

on wet: the milkiness is coming out now, I'm getting the honey and vanilla and a little bit of pepper – this is so nice and cosy without being overly sweet or foody

drying: dries down to gorgeous tea and honey – stays close to my skin but good staying power

overall: It's the scent equivalent to wearing a nice crisp white blouse. A good everyday scent.

edit to add: initially i found this one to be very pleasant but not spectacular. But after a few more tries white rabbit has really grown on me. I think this is my no.1 comfort scent and I'll be adding a bottle to my next order.

Which just goes to show that I need to test several times before making up my mind

I received this one as a frimp from the lab.

in the imp: patchouli and coconut - smells a little dirty

on wet: lots of patchouli - less coconut

drying down: not getting a lot of coconut - it is mostly incensy patchouli but in a dry dusty way - I prefer goblin when it's wet so may be better in a scent locket.

overall: does it smell like a goblin? Well it smells like a goblin's abode. If said goblin lives in a dry dusty rather dirty cave with a pile of old wood in the corner. But on me it is a little too dry, old wood - just doesn't sit right on me and, although i rarely do this, I washed this off after about an hour and replaced it with Mme Moriarty. I'll keep the imp for fun and may try it again but if I'm looking for a dry dusty coconut I prefer Brown Jenkins.

ETA I haven't got into swapping yet and it's probably a good thing. I recently developed an interest in patchouli and decided to retry all of my unloved imps containing patchouli. Apparently aging makes a big difference because my goblin imp has mellowed beautifully. The nasty woodiness has gone and it's all sweet, coconut, nice wood now

In the imp: sweetly medicinal

On wet: not very pretty - more serious - less sweet - still a little medicinal

Drying down: recognising the cinnamon - that's where the sweetness is coming from - and a certain warmth. As it starts drying the medicinal starts dying down. Now it is more herbally and cinnamon spicy - makes me think of Arrakis spice coffee.

within five minutes I feel more awake - this is incredibly uplifting and warm - not cosy warm but energising warm - like the sun

Overall: glad I bought a bottle unsniffed. I should probably wear this everyday for the benefits and as a scent it is very wearable.

So, here's a question for the wiser masses - I'm a lover of sensuals and unusuals. The fellow I'm into at present is a straight-laced, good old Southern boy. What scent or scents would you recommend to get the attention of a mainstream fellow's nose and make him sit up and say "wow, you smell amazing, what is that?", while not sacrificing a passionate, artistic sort's own personal preferences? Are there any sexy, sensual, fabulous, AND appealing-to-the-masses scents in the lab?

 

If you can find some, definitely try Gypsy (from last summer's Metamorphosis update). It's sexy in an understated way and definitely a crowd-pleaser. Its notes are bourbon vanilla, Egyptian musk, tonka, white sugar, and cardamom.

 

This one sounds quite promising....especially the bourbon vanilla bit! Are there other scents with bourbon vanilla combos?

I haven't tried it yet but THE ARRIVAL AT THE SABBATH AND HOMAGE TO THE DEVIL from the Salon contains:

Bourbon vanilla, benzoin, caramel, Mysore sandalwood, aged black patchouli, carnation, and iris florentina.

This came as a frimp in my first order.

In imp: brown sugar molasses, very very sweet and maybe some green, could be the oakwood?

On wet: dark sugary slightly lemony hint of booze as if I had spilled a very potent drink on myself

drying down: now I didn't think I would like this at all so I've put off testing it for a long time - the thing is I'm not attracted to overly sweet/overly foody but once on this turns into something else entirely - it's still sweet but it’s a dark, deep rich sweet. And, while it has nothing at all in common with voodoo for some reason this reminds me of voodoo's wilder, more abandoned and very badly behaved little sister.

wear to: late night assignation on a beach complete with cosy campfire

overall: Kill-Devil is all woody, dark, sweetness. It's very wearable and makes me happy in a reckless but powerful kind of way - at the rate I have been reaching for my imp I will be needing a bottle soon.

provenance: this was a frimp with my first order

In the imp: flowers and herbs, a little sweetness with something underneath, incense?

On wet: Some flowers, cannot distinguish which yet (I have no formal training), some darker herbs and incense. Smells ritualistic. Like walking on crushed herbs.

Drying: Flowers, herbs and incense. So far I am not getting the moss or dirt unfortunately. Subtle, not so much a full blown ritual as an offering left at the roadside.

Bottleworthy?: very wearable. Not on my most desperately wanted list but I would still very much like to have it in a bottle.

Edit to add: ok, so it turns out that deciding to touch up with this one at work after a lunch time walk is not a good idea. Not a good idea at all. My skin amped up the florals (I think I detected mainly jasmine) and I spent the rest of the afternoon dodging 'what is that smell' questions from my cubicle neighbours. Not crossroads' fault of course, just (for me) warm skin + bpal = exponentially increased throw.

I received this one as a frimp with my first order.

in imp: mostly coconut plus sandalwood and musk (? I think)

on wet: More sandalwood and musk - less coconut - does smell brown and furry

drying: warm thick sweetness like molassess - very cosy - increased coconut on drydown- this is sitting in a library full of wonderfully dusty old books in a large comfy armchair stuffed with coconut husks

wear it when: I am in need of comforting

bottleworthy?: I've already placed an order for a 5ml and fidgetingly await it's arrival

I received this one as a frimp with my first order and I was very interested to try it as I've dabbled in Lovecraft.

In the imp it's VERY STRONG - like a salty men's cologne.

Once on however the slightly unpleasant men’s cologne disappears. It smells like dark green, reminds me of windward passage but instead of breezes over tidepools this is the tidepool itself.

Dark, fathomless, still, murky. I’m liking it as it's a good antidote to sweet and fruity.

I didn't order a bottle in my second order as I went for lighter aquatics (its very hot in Australia at the moment and this is more of an Autumn/winter aquatic to me) but I'd like to have a 5ml of this around soon. I've been putting it on to sleep as I miss living by the sea and it's oddly comforting.