keltic

oh dear goddess, this was worth the wait! in the bottle it smells of warm and ever so faintly spicy pumpkin. Wet - it is pure buttery pumpkin. Dripping with butter, but it stays sweet smelling, not touring sour or stale on the skin. Dry-down – now a faint hint of spice coming in as it begins to dry-down. i smell like my pumpkin cake bars i used to make (and that recipe will have to be converted to gluten-free *now*, because i have a craving from this scent). The scent is rich and actually really appealing for a food based scent. Dry - throw is actually pretty good -- as long as the room is warm. i'm getting nice wafts of sweet and still buttery pumpkin, and still just the faint hint of spices. if i sniff closer to my wrist, there is this underlying note of sweet, a reddish sweet, that makes me think of a nice wine. Not that fruity and heavily spiced 'mulled-cider' note I get from Samhian and Harvest moon, but a not quite fruity yet still sweet note that just says 'wine'. Of course, this is Pumpkin Queen, much more regal. My guess is this must be the amber, as it doesn't have a spice bite to it that I expect from the red ginger. Verdict - this blend is definitely regal and refined -- and it's a real keeper.

In the bottle: wow, this is much "brighter" than what I expected from something called 'Black Moon'. It's a cacophony of strong florals, with that distinct, deep note of orchid and jasmine (motia attar) in the fore. No fruit smell at all. Wet: whoa, the floral is dark and rich, bordering on decaying. It's that dark cloying type of smell I associate with lilies and one of the reasons they don't work on my skit. The lighter notes are playing in the background, and it does eventually settle into a strong floral, but the type you find in a night-blooming garden. It's odd that something so powerful (is it the throw? my association with the lily-type scent?) can still resolve as delicate. Dry: that heady, cloying note does calm down, but it turns to powder. A sweeter floral is still trying to play in the background, but the scent just doesn't work with powder being the main note. Verdict: not what I expected. A clever floral blend, for that brief moment between wet and dry-down and it was a night-blooming garden, it was lovely. I wish it dried to bring out the fruit on me, but alas, I never picked up on the pear. Off to the swap pile.

In the bottle: a strong smell of … nothing. No incense, no fruit, just this faint soft nothing-ness that reminds me of yellow cake. Not what I was expecting. Wet: I can smell the incense trying to bloom, but my skin is eating it too fast. It hangs at this half-way point as a sweet foodie note pops out, and I smell like macaroons. Coconut? Yech. A hint of floral in the background. Dry-down: my skin has eaten almost all the incense, but it's leaving this weird hint of "we're here! really! We're trying!" This has absolutely no throw whatsoever, and I'm having to press my nose to my wrist to try and check this. The macaroon scent has faded to a slightly stale sugar, and the floral is still there but slightly turned. Not in a good way. I wonder if whatever my skin decided to eat was the magic ingredient for bringing these altogether in an amazing bland. I can pick of hints of what it wanted to be, but that's all it is: promises killed by my chemistry. Verdict: [sigh] once again, I fail at wearing an incense blend. Glad I had the decant to give it a try, but alas, off to the swap pile.

In rereading the notes in this scent, I have to chuckle at wanting to try it at all – evil patchouli does indeed lurk in this! In the bottle: sharp and dark smelling, I can smell the vetiver and something more malevolent… patchouli? (this was early this morning before checking the blend again). Wet: ah, cedar and spicy green jump to the front, but there is a dark shadow playing behind it all. I'm nervous at this point, not wanting to be unexpectedly clobbered by the big stick patchouli carries around me. But vetiver seems to be winning the battle as this begins to dry-down… Dry-down: … into something with the sharp piercing note of clove that Samhain has for me, but the warm spicy and snap of autumn is missing. This simply remains sharp, almost bitter, and darkness continues to lurk at the edges with it's harshness. Verdict: I love the play on Samhain (one of my top 3 scents), and the fact that I'm wearing something with patchouli that hasn't mugged me yet. I'll definitely use the decant I got, but no need for a bottle.

Back in the dark ages, Anne Bonny was my first 5 ml bottle purchased from the lab. It was certainly what all the cool kids were raving about, and I enjoyed the imp I got in my first order, so I figured what the heck, I'll take the plunge into full-bottle land. I still have that bottle, and actually chose it the other morning to put on. I find Anne requires certain days and moods to be worn. She is strong and powerful, never tiring, so I don't tend to wear her daily. It had been an age (if ever) since I read the notes in here, so it was amusing to find that there is patchouli (though red) in here. Patchouli and I have a long-standing hate/hate relationship, and I have come to realize I can't wear anything that has "patchouli" as a note. But I think I've found the exception clause: red patchouli in Anne. Wet on the skin – there is a strong kick, and heady powerfulness that immediately made me panic and think, "oh no, patchouli!", but it instantly shifts to a spicier tone, more of a better lit area of the bad side of town feeling. It's still strong, enough to make me realize that I cannot put on as much as I normally would – one wrist dab and sharing that with the other and then the neck is more than enough. There is a definite hint of masculine in the scent as well, which always bodes well for my chemistry. I have no idea why, but men's fragrances smell dead sexy on me. Dry down – things get rich and smoky now. There is an "incense" smell now, and I'm thrilled because no other incense blend works on my skin – it usually gets eaten and sucked away. Figures that it is one of my favorite notes and the one with strongest memory connections for me. The whiffs you catch during the day sometimes smell like fine tanned leather, sometime they hold a hint of salt air, sometimes it is wet wood. None of them notes of the fragrance, but this blend is magical and morphs into so much more. For something so strong (this has a serious throw and still is going strong at the 12 hour mark), it is enchantingly complex. The air of confidence, power and oh yes, sexiness is also there the whole time. My well-aged (*cough*five years*cough*) bottle still carries on, and when it runs dry, there will definitely be a new one, because Anne is something you need to have for those special days.

I'm amused that I let harmonyfb try this when I saw her back in January, and she manages to review it right away, and I wear it for months, but can never seem to get over here to review it. So here is to my very first venture into the Celestial realms, and what a wonderful welcome. In the bottle, this is a warm and spicy scent, and I was eager to see how it lasted on my skin. Wet, it is powerful and warm, with all the spiciness amping up to full force, and kicked about with cirus. It is white-hot sun personified, and gives me a burst of energy. Dry, I find that Sol lasts for me, which is so exciting. The warm spiciness stays with just a hint of citrus and a whisper of cedar. It is definitely a strong and masculine scent, which I find work great on me for some reason. I actually got my bottle back in the fall of 05, just when my job begins to demand 60 hour work weeks, and my brain is exhausted. I discovered that when I wore Sol, I had a rush of energy and concentration that would follow me all day. This became my scent for the winter. It was warm and comforting on those dark winter days, like a nap in a pool of sunshine. I happened to pick it up again this morning because my concentration skills this week have been lacking. In the summer, it is more of a white-hot scorcher kind of scent, instead of the warm and toasty image it creates in the winter. But the burst of energy and focus is still there, so this one remains one of my favorite go-to scents in a time of need.

this was a frimp from the lab! wheee! In the imp – mmmm, green! The juniper berry, and what must be the oakmoss comes through for that seep green scent I like so much – similar to Black Forest, but closer to beloved Allegory. Oh, goody! Wet – all juniper pop and very strong, so I’m glad I only do a sparing amount on my wrist. But this is promising. Greeny goodness on a cold and wet day. Dry down – my eyes are watering. It’s patchouli coming out to play, and he’s carrying a very Big Stock to let me know I’m wearing a V. Strong Scent. I'm going to make a note to be very careful around patchouli. Dry – patchouli and his Big Stick is now having a fight with myrrh and his Big Stick. I’m now in my car, rolling down my windows in 40 degree weather to try and avoid a headache. I’m also worried since the two of these warring Sticks are giving this thing such throw that I’m in danger of offending any one I come within 50 feet of. My lovely juniper berry has been crushed and squashed, and the oakmoss never had a chance with these two bullies banging about. Oh, such promise lost in a war. Sadly, this imp will head to the swap pile. 24 hours later – my skin may no longer carry the scars of a battlefield, but my car still has the scent of patchouli and myrrh going at it. That’s some pretty heady throw going on for a very light dab!

In the Imp: An overpowering hit of sweet buttery almond that almost put me off trying it at all. Too much sugar! But knowing how rich and lovely other almond scents had turned on my skin, I braved the wand and gave it a dab. Wet: Completely different from the imp – All honey mead and rum. No almond or sickly-sweet sugar. Just rich, warm, intoxicatingly velvet smells that make you want to twirl around and laugh. I love it! I also want to open up a bottle of mead right now. . . . Dry-down: oh, this gets deep and mysterious. The honey of the mead steps back a bit and a spiciness that must be the hazelnut start to come through to play in the mix. Dry: Definitely has holding power, which I love. The day has lasted with a soft, warm buttered-mead, just a hint of spiced rum and now a deeper, richer tone to the almond peeking though -- that mellow, not sweet, note that I like to the almond. Hellcat is fall evenings in front of a fire, a seduction, laughter with friends and pure temptation in a bottle. Oh yes, a bigger bottle indeed!

in the imp: very clean and fresh and light -- the China musk and bergamot are coming through strongest for me, and it seems like this will be a perfect fit. wet: big smack of white floral and what must be the sandalwood. deceptive little imp doesn't small like it did a second ago and my eyes are watering a bit from it. i don't think you did this when i first tried you. dry-down: ooph! i've morphed into a musky, slightly floral powder smell. clean, and fresh, but not me. i definitely don't remember this from the first couple times of wearing it. ten hours later: still smell fresh and powdery. amazing staying power, this one, but afraid you are into the swap box you devilish little imp.