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PumpkinGuts

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Everything posted by PumpkinGuts

  1. PumpkinGuts

    A Little Silver Scimitar

    Laughing Seagull nailed it with the Nocnitsa comparison. They're really similar fir scents, but Nocnitsa is juicier and Scimitar is more creamy and lunar smelling. It brings to mind a forest clearing with a small pond, where an enchantress is bathing in the light of the moon. I wish I got a little more moonflower, but it's still a beautiful forest scent and I'll enjoy my decant.
  2. PumpkinGuts

    Bonfire Toffee

    2023 version: I thought I hated toffee. I was wrong. This is one of the most delicious things I have ever smelled, my eyes literally roll into the back of my head when I sniff my arm. Rich, smoked toffee with a splash of bourbon. I'm not really getting a spiciness like the previous version was noted to have. Maybe the Guy Fawkes Night inspiration is influencing me into thinking this smells more like a British toffee, but it does. Not too sweet, not boozy, just perfect. A haunted carnival confection. I already bought one bottle, and I may nab another before the Weenies come down. I am IN LOVE.
  3. PumpkinGuts

    Butterscotch and Candy Gummy Witch

    This sounded so unique and discordant that I just had to try it. It also conjured up the distinct image of the witch from the Tales From the Darkside Series pilot, furthering my excitement. ...and it's a really pleasant combination! It almost reminds me of caramel apple pops, but what I'm digging the most is that burnt coffee bean lurking in the background. Spooky fun that makes me feel young at heart.
  4. PumpkinGuts

    Vintage Frankenstein Blow Mold

    Vintage Ghost Blow Mold was one of my 2023 Weenie favorites, so I had high hopes for Frankenstein, too. I get almost no mint from this, sadly. All milk chocolate and amber (heavier on the former), all the time. It also lacks the staying power and nostalgia factor of Vintage Ghost. Milk chocolate is not a note that I enjoy, so I'll be letting it go. If you liked Gelt, give this one a whirl.
  5. PumpkinGuts

    Slumber Ghoul

    Dirt is one of my comfort smells, so with milk and lavender, I thought this would be a knockout. It is really nice, but the dirt note is very subdued, and it's a lot more perfumey than I'd expected. I'm thinking the bone dust is the culprit. Powdery lavender milk and faint dirt, I guess the ghoul crawled out of his grave and brushed all the loam off his clothes. Leave it on next time, buddy. I still love this, though.
  6. PumpkinGuts

    Witches' Currant Cake

    I've never tried a tart gingerbread scent, but I guess there's a first time for everything. That tartness must be coming from the gooseberries. There's a little red currant, too, but mostly the gooseberry and gingerbread. I can't pick out the rosewater. This is like a witch's coffee cake. It's a fun scent, but the combination of spicy and tart is just too odd for me to get any wear out of it. It fades quickly, too.
  7. PumpkinGuts

    Vintage Ghost Blow Mold

    Everyone else has said it, and they're right -- this perfectly captures that scent memory of childhood Halloweens pulling out the tangle of decorations and getting that whiff of warm plastic. A wonderful glowing amber, and the candy corn note reads more as a Mellowcreme Pumpkin (I know they're essentially the same thing, but Mellowcreme is somehow tastier) and I am here for it. This has great longevity and moderate throw on my skin, and I'd put it in my top three Weenies of 2023. I'm considering a bottle before they come down.
  8. PumpkinGuts

    The Harvest Haunt

    Buttery pumpkin, sans spice, with popcorn balls. The popcorn fades quickly and the incense takes center stage. Does this pumpkin hang out on the streets of Detroit? That incense could seriously be SoD Lite. The Harvest Haunt is as close as a pumpkin scent can get to working on me, and I'll keep my decant to slather while binging Are You Afraid of the Dark? and other nostalgic Halloweeny shows.
  9. PumpkinGuts

    Witches' Tea

    I'm surprised nobody else mentioned spice, because on my (admittedly spice-amping) skin, this is a spiced berry black tea. The blackberry smells dried and blackened, and I'm getting sort of a prune note, too. This is more benevolent kitchen witch than Blair Witch. Nice, but fades quickly.
  10. PumpkinGuts

    A Doll's Doll

    I picked up a decant of this because I love porcelain notes and was hopeful that it might be a cousin to Pediophobia. Unfortunately, all I'm getting here is overbearing slushy snow that irritates my sinuses, plus snowberries. I'm unfamiliar with snowberry, but it does have a strawberry-like aroma. After the snow note finally calms its tits, it dries down to a snowberry, carnation, and spun sugar trio. Carnationberry really is an apt description. Alas, I continue my hunt for porcelain scents.
  11. PumpkinGuts

    Green Lovebird

    Sinus-clearing mint upon first huff, which quickly settled into mint and pistachio ice creams. When I came back to it a bit later, someone had eaten all the mint ice cream and left me with the melted remnants of nutty pistachio. Creamy and hunger-inducing, it has a sort of thickness to it, also.
  12. PumpkinGuts

    Pink Lovebird

    2023 version: Yes, this is white confetti cake, just what I wanted from Sprinklecake back in the day, but that was dusty chocolate and broke my heart. This incarnation of Pink Lovebird apparently has much less cardamom, but there's still enough to keep the cotton candy sweetness in check. I agree that this is soft and has low throw. I'll keep my decant, but Velvet Unicorn still reigns as my favorite cotton candy scent.
  13. PumpkinGuts

    Bearded Lady

    In the early stages, Bearded Lady smells like high-end vintage cosmetics. It's got that powdery violet type of smell that Guerlain products have, plus jasmine, lily, and subtle rose. It reminds me of playing dress-up and sitting at Grandma's vanity, testing all of the fancy lipsticks and powders. The way the florals meld with the amber and vanilla during drydown is sexy as hell, and I feel very classy wearing this. I'm glad to own a bottle!
  14. PumpkinGuts

    Princess Pig on Stilts Playing the Harp

    I was here for the vanilla, wood, and buttercream. What I got was gobs of lotus bubblegum stuck underneath a wooden table with a few buttercream frosting fingerprints atop the surface. The hardwood is so subtle that it's difficult to tell what type it is, but I don't think it's oak. Virtually no throw, and I didn't notice any resins until late drydown. I was hoping the lotus would be more of a background note, so this isn't for me.
  15. PumpkinGuts

    Kiseru

    I'm happy I listened to reviews and grabbed a bottle of this before it went down, it's stunning. I can't really add much more than what's already been said -- this is smooth, sexy, slinky sandalwood and tobacco. It smells expensive. I need more blends with this vanilla husk note, it's to die for. Definitely similar to Pediophobia, but I like this even better. Instead of a frilly porcelain doll, Kiseru is a geisha doll carved from fine wood. I only wish the throw was as strong as Pediophobia's, this is more of a skin scent. My favorite of the 2023 Lupers!
  16. PumpkinGuts

    Io

    Wet, this is almost entirely mango and pomegranate, maybe a lone cranberry in this fruit basket. I have to really sniff to find the red musk. The sage and thyme don't peek through until much later on drydown, at which point the fruits have transformed into SweeTarts.
  17. PumpkinGuts

    Victoria

    I recently ordered some decants of the Stardust scents I hadn't tried yet, and Victoria almost didn't make the cut, as lily is one of my death notes. I'm so glad I decided to say screw it and order the lot, because Victoria turned out to be my favorite of all. As I mentioned, lily almost never works on me, but apparently the stargazer variety does. There is nothing sour or sharp about the florals here. They're slightly sweet, clean, and a little soapy, but in a good way -- like I just showered and took a stroll through an English garden. Vanilla musk is the perfect companion to these flowers, lending some extra sweetness. Seriously one of the prettiest perfumes I've had the pleasure of smelling, a full bottle has happily been added to my collection. Top ten worthy, for sure.
  18. PumpkinGuts

    Splatter Comedy

    Splatter comedies are one of my favorite horror subgenres, so I had to have this, even though banana never works on me (except Loi Krathong, and that's banana leaf). Instead of banana cream pie, I'm getting bananas flambé. There's definitely some spice in here, but just a pinch. Greasy bananas flambé. I feel like if there was more creaminess to the banana and no spice, it would've worked out better for me. Alas.
  19. PumpkinGuts

    Zombie Apocalypse

    Wet: You have a bowl of strawberry and raspberry jam. You pour in some sugar, but get distracted and the whole bag goes in. Whoops! Dry: Strawberry pie with a caramelized sugar crust. This one is a lot of fun, but ultimately way too sweet for me. Also worth noting, this is not plasticky on my skin.
  20. PumpkinGuts

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    The Torture Queen from the Carnaval Diabolique line smells a lot like CK One to me! According to reviews, many others think so, too.
  21. PumpkinGuts

    Hello, Salzburg!

    This is what I wanted Midwinter's Eve to be, even though it doesn't have any florals. If that was way too sweet for you, try this one. The plum and blackberry are bright and candied, but the piney winter breeze and amber keep it from being cloyingly sweet.
  22. PumpkinGuts

    Monster Bait: Closet

    I don't get buttercream, or anything creamy for that matter, from Monster Bait: Closet. Rather, the red velvet cake is studded with blackberries. Both notes are in roughly equal measure, with the cake coming out to party a bit more on the drydown. I could also swear this has some sort of spice, but my skin is basically a dowsing machine for spice notes.
  23. PumpkinGuts

    Monster Bait: Bloody Mary

    If Creme Savers made cherry and raspberry flavors, this is what they would smell like. The cherry here is not medicinal to my nose, but a nice and tart one, and the cream and raspberry notes tame it nicely. The powdered sugar aspect strengthens over time, ultimately taking over the entire blend. Bloody Mary only lasts a little over an hour, but it's a tasty hour. Cherry and I don't have the best track record, but this is one that works -- just wish it stuck around a bit longer!
  24. PumpkinGuts

    The Air and the Ether

    A very pretty, ethereal lavender, while it lasts. Unfortunately, my skin amps the amber to high heaven, and turns this into a dead ringer for Degree deodorant. And I was so sure this would be a winner! 😔
  25. PumpkinGuts

    Eusapia

    Bright, crisp tea and lilacs to start out, but somehow that tea note turns real funky, so much that it was almost a scrubber. But I waited... Beautiful honeyed lilacs! Skin chemistry is such an interesting thing. Beeswax notes, of course, have varying degrees of honey aromas to them. I'm getting straight up honey in Eusapia, and it lingers for hours and hours. There are some big ol' bees on this lilac bush. Eusapia is the Marilyn Munster of the "An Evening with the Spirits" line. Less haunting and more springlike, you wouldn't know she was part of the family if she wasn't already there.
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