angelamaria

Much love to my amazing fairy! In bottle: heady orchid and incense. It's a bit difficult to describe--there's a sweetness, and then an almost medicinal feel from it. That last part is very, uh, specific to me: it reminds me of medicine I once had as a kid...it's orange in color, and it was a tablet that my mother would crush in half for me. And of course once it's crushed in half, you actually taste it, which wasn't very pleasant. Wet on skin: I can't seem to shake that medicine feel--I hope is disappears soon. Otherwise, we've got a jungle orchid--almost powdery--and incense, which doesn't really help with the powder. It's not sneezy or out of place; it actually feels rather pleasant. I think it helps tone down the orchid a bit. Dry: thankfully, the medicine feel I'm getting continues to fade. I'm getting an almost citrusy feel from this, brightening the orchid and incense a little, sweetening up this blend. I have no idea what component is giving this that note I feel is citrusy though. It's something like the dark slightly-powdery citrus in Jingo Kogo v4. Later on my skin, I fluctuate between thinking it's a bit soapy and a bit too incensey--I will probably need to give this a few days to rest before deciding on its fate. Verdict: this needs a retest after the oil has been given some time to rest from the rigors of shipping!

I love my wonderful fairy! In bottle: ok, that was a rather sharp first whiff. Um. Sarsaparilla, and a hint of cocoa. The sarsaparilla is almost screaming. Whoa there. Wet on skin: yep, sarsaparilla for sure. The others are there, just not as present: cocoa, patchouli, balsam. And yes, dark feral musks--quite feral, really. The patchouli is understated. Dry: this is quite a morpher for me. Newly try, it's a soft, dark sarsaparilla scent, supported by the other notes: a darker, smokier Anti-Saloon League. ASL is like this new cowboy on the block, all shiny guns and spurs, with a devilish smile. Epomophorus Monstrosus is that sun-darkened cowboy dressed in black, the dust of the desert on his things, with a surly glare and smoky eyes. Does that make him less loverly? Nope. Aaaaanyway-- as this stays longer on my skin, the musks continue to develop in strength, giving this a definite musky sarsaparilla feel, much more toned down on the sarsaparilla and much more mahogany bark. Verdict: a lovely masculine scent, perfect as a foil for ASL, but...well, yeah. Not for me.

My fairy is the best! In bottle: meh. Patchouli and incense, so I'm tempted to just pass. But no, I will give it a whirl. Wet on skin: patchouli, balsam, sage, and frankincense. That patchouli is far too strong for my liking. Dry: the patchuoli has eased up somewhat, letting the other notes shine once dry. I'm getting the sage, which I've recently found is one of my top notes--and the sage makes this a lot~ better on me. The frankincense comes second, and the rest bring up the rear--maybe the sandalwood a bit more ahead than the rest. Definitely not as scary dry, with the behaved patchouli and the lovely sage. Gender-neutral, subtle. Verdict: I thought this would be an easy one to write-off, but I'm not so sure now. I'm still not holding out for it though--that patch will just develop with age!

Much love to my fabulous fairy! In bottle: fruity! There's ginger, and is "limu amani" lime? Because it has a definite citrusy feel. Looking it up, "limu omani" is dried lime, so that's near enough in my opinion. Also lots and lots of vanilla cream. Wet on skin: mostly the same as the bottle scent--juicy citrusy ginger and lots of vanilla cream. It does tone down as it dries, not as "juice-y", with fig rounding this out a bit. I think I can sense the saffron, but it's definitely just a hint with the other herbs on me. Dry: not as highly sweet or effervescent, but still definitely lime, vanilla cream, and ginger. This actually reminds me a lot of Geek.Goth--although Geek.Goth to my memory is a bit more effervescent than this one, and stays truer to its lime soda feel! This one is like a toned down, slightly-grown up Geek.Goth, with a bit of extra "adult" scents thrown in. Verdict: very interesting, although I don't see myself keeping this for the long run.

Much love to my fairy! In bottle: oooh, so lovely! White amber, cedar that reminds me strongly of Tombstone, benzoin, maybe a hint of the rest. It's almost foody, it has an almost chocolatey sweetness. Gender neutral, but slightly more on the masculine side. Wet on skin: this is like a more complex Tombstone. The cedar is front and center, with lovely vanilla-like benzoin and amber giving it a yummy creaminess. I can see the "musky cotton candy" analogy as well, although on me, it's not as highly sweet as what I'd expect cotton candy to be. Dry: it's grown fainter, but I can tell this will age beautifully as well as build more staying power on me. Vanilla-like benzoin, creamy cedar and amber. It's almost understated foody, which is just fine with me! Verdict: very lovely~ definitely keeping this and seeing how it is a couple months down the line.

Yes! I bought a bottle right after they went up, then bought a back-up right before they came down, and there's a definite difference in color. I haven't tested them side-by-side, but if there's a difference in scent I didn't pick up on it when wearing them separately. This was raised in the LJ comm as well, and made me really curious about the lighter oil one--some have said it's a somewhat orangey oil as opposed to red. Is there any marked difference between the two? Both bottles I bought had red oil (I bought a second one later, hoping just in case I get the other variation!), and to me it reacted rather the same as how red musk reacts on my skin. I passed it off as the amber when I skin tested my first bottle. The second bottle is the same. I'm quite~ curious as I was super sure this was going to be a winner for me based on notes, but was quite disappointed at the result (i.e. powdery red musky sort of scent).

Let's see--I assume reds are best match or something? Antique Lace and Tombstone -- yes, I loved Tombstone, but it's still a bit too much on the foody side for my wearing. Super yummy though. Black Opal and the Lion -- hmm, I liked The Lion, but IIRC it was a bit "too much" for me, was pretty much a straight shrug off. Funny though how Tombstone seems to be the worst match Liz and Eat Me and Shub-Nuggurath -- I've tried both and didn't like either. The latter was especially gingery, which I don't go for. Lyonesse and Light of Men's Lives -- I have never tried Light of Men's Lives. Now maybe I should! "The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering."

In bottle: sweet, foody cake, caramel apples, vanilla, sweet syrup that makes me think my teeth will rot just smelling it! Yum. Wet on skin: syrupy, thick sugar, and a hint of vanilla-ey cake. The throw is surprisingly light, or my skin is eating all this goodness up. What I can get is the same as the bottle scent. Yummy, full-on foody. Dry: now where did that come from? It's turned plasticky on my skin, though there is no explicit cream note listed, but whatever the lab uses for its cream note, they have it here too. It did build in presence dry on my skin than wet, although it still feels curiously light on my skin in comparison to what I expected from the bottle. What IS there, is yummy creamy sweet sugary cake (well, ignoring the plastic). Verdict: well, I don't wear foody scents, but I was really excited to try this nonetheless. Sadly, that cream/plastic note just makes sure that this won't be a keeper.

You could try Pollution from Neil Gaiman's Good Omens (http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/goodomens.html): "A toxic chypre: radioactive green musk, davana, and oozing white amber." Pollution is sharper than Ether wet and in the bottle, but it smooths out, and they both have a slightly sour note on me dry after a while; I really liked them save for this sourness. (This is the sort of scent I like.) I think Black Hellebore (The scent is a pale green herbal, darkly rooty, with a faint rose and peony-like overtone.) and The Zieba Tree (A dreamlike, listless scent, misty and hazed, with wisps of white sandalwood, eddying musks the colors of eventide, shimmering pale resins, davana, lemon blossom, orange blossom, and white peach.) should be mentioned, they don't have that sourness, and the latter also has davana. These two I consider keepers myself And they are both GC. My other suggestions, would be another discon (The Unicorn, a misty, almost luminous perfume: wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs) or an LE (Enchanted Wood Florist, a burst of sweet, strange flowers, luminous Moon-tree sap, and ornamental grasses).

In bottle: yes, I specifically tested this with the released version this is a lot more present than the released version, a different sort of geranium--sharper, less sweet, less creamy. This is a more traditional floral scent. Wet on skin: okay, I take that back--on, this feels more like jasmine than geranium. Very floral, a bit cloying, and creamy enough. Thankfully it does soften considerably on my skin, making it a little more approachable. This has an almost fruity presence to it that is almost the opposite of the released version (which is more of an amber/vanilla/musk scent to me). If there is any amber or vanilla here, it's very subdued. Dry: well, during the wet phase, there might be a hint of kinship between this and the released version; but dry, this really is a very different blend, with none of the creamy, almost fuzzy amber/vanilla/musk, but more of a floral with a dash of something that smells almost citrusy. Those florals are rather yellow-feeling (probably why I'm thinking citrus), a hint on the juicy/fruity side. Verdict: nope, this is even more of a miss than the released version! I'm sure others will enjoy it, but this one isn't for me.

In bottle: oh, this is quite nice. I'm getting vanilla and amber and musk, well blended together and providing a beautiful, rich backdrop for the light florals and a spicy geranium. The tone is quite "present" but not cloying. Wet on skin: there is an almost citrusy note here, brightening up the whole blend. Well blended, it's a pleasant, "present" floral but curiously one I would still categorize as "light". Throw is low, but when I'm near, I can't stop sniffing this. Aside from the emergence of the citrus (which I tend to amp as a whole), this smells largely the same as in the bottle. Dry: lovely amber/vanilla/musk (would that be musky amber vanilla? or vanilla-ey amber musk? or...), slightly sweet--almost honeyed--with a hint of flowers. The latter smooths out even more, and gives this a pleasant, light sweetness though the blend is predominantly an amber/vanilla/musk scent. Over an hour later, sadly the white musk has gone oily/grandmothery (as some white musks do), but aside from that it's a very lovely scent, which a touch of soft powder from the amber (but not overpowering), and the florals being a shade more assertive. Verdict: well, my skin chemistry strikes again! This is a pass, though it is very lovely if you don't have my finicky skin.

In imp: yes on the tropical blooms, but this is quite far from being a bright cheery tropical scent: this is soft and gentle, almost ethereal. Very pretty. Wet on skin: soft, creamy and gentle, the scent stays close to the skin in an almost sensual manner. It's amazing how these obviously tropical flower notes are so different in tone from what you'd expect from them. This is a PERFECT blend for lazy days on the beach with a slightly overcast sky. It's not "bright" or "cheery" or "vibrant" but it is very much a summer scent. Very, very lovely. Dry: this doesn't morph on me until it hits about two hours onward. I'm not sure which note is bringing out this rather orris-y touch to this blend--orris on me turns into this sickly-sweet/oily/grandmother weirdness that this blend seems to have in abundance after that first two hours. Verdict: honestly, I was so happy when I found how lovely this blend is, I've been feeling guilty that most GCs just doesn't stay keepers with me. But sadly, it's not meant to be--I was very sad when it turned into orris mess

Whee sweet florals are my love For general catalog recs, my favorites are: Black Hellebore (Rappaccini's Garden) (The scent is a pale green herbal, darkly rooty, with a faint rose and peony-like overtone.) Lyonesse (Wanderlust) (Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.) The Zieba Tree (Rappaccini's Garden) (A dreamlike, listless scent, misty and hazed, with wisps of white sandalwood, eddying musks the colors of eventide, shimmering pale resins, davana, lemon blossom, orange blossom, and white peach.) They don't have honey, but they are sweet and lovely florals, light but they do have presence (I can't do heady florals either). You might also try these two cobranded scents: Savage (Lady Death, 2011) (White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin.) Victoria (Neil Gaiman: Stardust) (Graceful vanilla musk, tea rose, and stargazer lily. ) Although Victoria isn't sweet on me. You should also take a look at the Rappaccini's Garden line http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/garden.html it has a lot of lovely florals, plus the whole Rappaccini's Apiary subsection, i.e.: Oleander Honey Yellow Jessamine Honey Black Hellebore Honey etc. Good luck!

In bottle: whoa~ floral. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised--this many floral notes, I'm bound to not recognize any one of them. It's a complex, heady bouquet, multicolored with deep slashes of color. There are dark, heavy, and almost dragging floral notes mixed with bright and breezy ones. If this was a sound, this would be nearing cacophony...in my opinion anyway. I can't really get at the white chocolate, but there is a definite creamy base here. The other notes just might be too distracting for me to really get that white chocolate scent. Wet on skin: heady florals with a hint of chocolate. Not exactly what I was hoping for--the florals are threatening to make a racket in my head. Actually, at this stage, the florals are on an even ground with the chocolate--I can definitely get whiffs of that lovely chocolate--but it's like they're competing with each other. The florals keep swamping the chocolate while the chocolate keeps bouncing back. Dry: okay, I had to give this like two, three hours to settle on my skin. Honestly, wet and newly dry, it's a crazy heady mix of flowers. But about two hours in, the florals have actually tamed considerably, and the blend that I've been looking for comes out--a spicy, creamy chocolate with an almost tropical feel, but nowhere near being foody. This part--this part is divine. This part is what I want that wet and newly-dry phase to be like. A non-foody but delicious chocolate, spiced with flowers, sweet and silky and with faint slashes of color. Verdict: totally on the fence with this one. The wet and newly dry stage is overwhelming for me, I wouldn't be able to wear this as it is--I'd get a headache right at the start of my day, and that would be horrible. I'll have to age this as see how the florals turn out.

Lucky you! Sadly Morocco doesn't do that for me. It was nice in small amounts but I slathered a bit once and that's when I discovered carnation turns to cloves on me and I amp cloves and I can't stand cloves.

I did skin-test this one, but the review is incomplete since I had washed it off a shade before drying. I figured it might be helpful anyway to folks who like the notes I'm staying away from (or, well, to those who also don't like them?). It's a very almond blend, with a hint of persimmon, and that continues on my skin. The almond is quite foody, although the musk tempers it a tiny bit--but not wholly. I had to wash it off a shade before completely dry--the almond and persimmon is topmost and they're a rather, well, odd combination. It's sweet almond and almost-sweaty persimmon, and it's just not sitting well with my nose.

I didn't skin-test this one, but I figured it might be helpful anyway to folks who like the notes I'm staying away from (or, well, to those who also don't like them?). So it's not a full-blown review! This was full-on strong anise seed, and makes me think of old Chinese/oriental medicine shophouses. It's rather musky for me, and almost sharp, too--that furry brown musk isn't cuddly! Someone called it "feral" and I agree. Definitely not for me.

I didn't skin-test this one, but I figured it might be helpful anyway to folks who like the notes I'm staying away from (or, well, to those who also don't like them?). So it's not a full-blown review! The first sniff I got from this was vetiver, which was an immediate no. It wasn't a rotten sort of vetiver, but still definitely vetiver. The patchouli and cumin probably didn't help my impression of this blend, too.

In decant: cool apple, hint of the red currant, and a touch of green. This is sweet, almost candy-sweet, but the apple is fairly "crisp" in feel so it doesn't go candyish. Wet on skin: this is really nice, although a tad soapy on my skin. It's a sweet and cool refreshing apple, with soft greens and a touch of red currant to give it a bit of sass. This could have been part of the Apples collection during the last Halloween round--if you like apples and/or that particular collection, this would be an interesting try. Dry: definitely soapy on me, which is a bit of a shame. It keeps its coolness, but softer and fading away as time goes on. I think I am also starting to detect the champaca flower, but a definite yes on the greens here--it's more pronounced than in the decant/wet phase, although still primarily an apple blend. Verdict: soapy apple, sadly, is not for me.

In decant: sage, oakmoss, and musks. Definitely masculine, but there's an unexpected sweetness here. Wet on skin: a simple, almost straightforward blend, but definitely lovely. Slightly understated herbs and lovely musks, and inching away from "masculine" and move more into "gender neutral" category. It's difficult to describe the blend. The sweetness is still there. I'd say it's musks and herbs. Dry: VERY unexpected. I actually really like this. This stays close to my skin, the sweetness is very pleasant and keeps this from being heavy. I remember thinking while signing up for decants that this blend seemed to not be on anyone's radar, but I think a lot will like it. I definitely do, although it really is rather quick to disappear. Verdict: there is time yet, so I may continue to test this blend on and off and see if a bit of imp-aging will improve the staying power and the throw. Definitely take note of this blend, it's a bit of a surprise! Revisited 21 May: I gave this another run today, a full-day in the office. Right off, throw is a lot better. I could catch whiffs of it on and off throughout the day, and 8/9 hours later, I can still catch a bit of it on me, a lovely, creamy, gentle sweetness. It's not even a month and it's aging like a champ! Definitely a keeper.

In decant: minty, but soft, with a pleasant herbal mix: lavender, chamomile, and a bit of honeysuckle. Quite pleasant! Wet on skin: the mint is very soft, subdued, with a pleasing sweetness to it, with the herbs wafting about. Now I'm getting lavender and thyme most of all. It's very well-blended. The mint is fading every so slowly as the blend dries. Dry: soft herbal, with only a hint of mint, but it does retain that coolness. The raspberry has also come out for me now--the sweetness mentioned before has a definite "red" tinge to it, but it doesn't push this blend towards the fruity side. Definitely more like an herbal blend with a touch of red, raspberry-ish sweetness. Sniffing this maybe thirty minutes on, something is giving this blend a "grandmothery" feel for me. Verdict: I was a little on the fence about this blend, but the grandmothery note that pops up here does tip this towards the "really nice, but not for me" category. Otherwise it's definitely a very pretty blend!

In decant: oh yes~ this is absolutely lovely. Dorian (that is, lovely sweet creamy tea), but less sweet and foody, and a very present leather. Definitely more masculine, but relatively gender neutral, just hinting on the masculine side. Wet on skin: yeap, definitely a more masculine Dorian, but I think that's mostly the leather. I'm really liking this! Leather and a whiff of creamy tea. If Dorian is gender neutral but leaning towards the feminine side, this is the same, only leaning towards the masculine side. Dry: you know what? This is like a Liz'd Dorian. Seriously. I actually busted out some Liz to see, and while the leather note is not the same (but then, my Liz is aged, this new fairly new I'd suppose), the leather note here does the same thing as the leather note in Liz. Lovely, sexy, but so wearable. Leather with a touch of creamy tea and a hint of sweetness. I did a full-day test of this and it's got decent staying powder, and all soft lovely leather at the end of the day. Verdict: my, I WRESTLED with this blend. Yes, this is almost at the brink of "too masculine" for me. But gosh, I am liking this a whole lot better than Dorian, which I'd been feeling guilty about. I waffled big time, telling myself I will be good and not get it, that is IS a touch bit masculine for me, but the next moment I'm all "it is SEXY and YUMMY and FARK I WANT IT" lol.

In decant: this has a tropical fruity feel, but is quite cool, cold! Iced drinks, anyone? I'm getting peaches, persimmon and mango--not too heavy, almost light. Wet on skin: this is so cool and breezy and fruity, and yet NOT "fruity" right when it hits my skin--I think it's the coolness that is keeping it breezy. Soon enough though this coolness is fading somewhat and the fruits come out more, and it's getting a rather car freshener quality for me. The coolness is kind of helping this along, I think--air conditioned cars, anyone? Pleasant enough, but not something I would wear. Dry: yeah, this is mostly peach, cool and almost iced, but slightly melty. Whiffs of persimmon and mango and a hint of a pleasing greenness, which I'm assuming is the shishito (a type of pepper, I see) and osmanthus. Those last two components is a great note to have with those fruits--without this greenness I can see this being quite like a tropical juice blend. The car freshener feel never truly goes away for me. Verdict: interesting blend, but not for me.

In decant: huh, boozy? Definitely rice wine, and a rather spicy floral. I'm not quite sure what I'm smelling, to be honest. I looked up what "lilium speciosum" is, and it's Japanese lily, but this is not like any lily I've smelled so far (and I like lilies, for the most part). It's not grapefruit, definitely not vanilla or vanilla orchid. It doesn't fit lotus root either. It's just...unplace-able. Wet on skin: yes, definitely a huge splash of rice wine there. A hint of grapefruit, and a spicy tone--almost clove-like, but I have no idea where these darn spices are coming from. The floral is spicy and almost pungent. If it's really a mix of all these components, well, whoa there, this is really, really well blended. Dry: the vanilla has come out, but this spicy/boozy floral is just really bothering me a bit, because while it seems like it could be the seamless mix of components, it's just...very different. The grapefruit is very understated and is a light note, but the ric wine kind of drowns it out. It's not a "heavy" blend, but it has some weight to it, a kind of lazy lethargic kind of weight, if that makes any sense. Aside from the rice wine, all the other notes are just hints and whiffs, fleeting and quickly gone: vanilla, lily, grapefruit. All dry, this is a decidedly masculine blend for me, slightly musky. Verdict: I did have high hopes for this blend, but I guess the rice wine just couldn't let me have it. A bit of a shame, really--Loosening of the Obi has rice wine and vanilla bean and I love that--but this is a heavy, aged rice wine, methinks.

In decant: one word for this: melonnnnn~~ it's a fresh, ripe melon--not too sweet or syrupy. Lovely and yummy. Wet on skin: that same melon in the decant, with a hint of musk, and a touch of honey, making it a shade bit sweeter. Right now, as much as I love this, I know I wouldn't wear it...but I was told I should give this about thirty minutes so I'm settling in to wait. It's 21:42! Dry: well, one thing I can definitely say, it's not as highly melon as it dries. It does soften considerably, and go from that ripe juicy melon to a softer, muskier melon. Duskier, I'd say. Still definitely recognizable as melon, but this one for sure would have been a keeper when I started. If I needed to find two words to describe it, it would be "melon musk". A friend told me it reminded him of Fee, and I agree, it's a more "present" Fee. I don't have any Fae with me as well, and it's been a long time since I've tried Fae, but I was reminded of that as well. I did wait thirty minutes and an hour over, and while it certainly grows softer and softer and less fruity, it really is a bit too fruity for me. Verdict: melon lovers rejoice! This is a wonderful, wonderful melon blend, and if I only wore fruity blends I know this would be a keeper straight off. It's a very beautiful, fresh and balanced melon musk blend. Lovely all around. Edited for grammerz.