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I also find Black Phoenix to be quite cherry- it's a rich, powder puff cherry scent with a hint of musky debauchery to it, at least it is on me. I'd definitely recommend at least grabbing an imp of it.

Vetiver is easily one of my favorite base notes. Dark, earthy, and somber, it makes an excellent perfume fixative, and radiates a scent that is profoundly relaxing and gently grounding. In aromatherapy, it is used to treat stress disorders, anxiety, and soul-weariness. It is a truly multidimensional scent, possessing more than a hundred and fifty aromatic molecules, and its fragrance grows even deeper - richly sweeter - and more intense with time. This oil is dark and thick, first of all. A droplet on my wrist looked like a cross between a tear from a mascaraed eye and maple syrup. I imagine this could stain your clothes, so I recommend applying it and letting it dry before putting on anything light colored. Now to the scent of it. This vetiver is so complex, and full of glorious contrasts. Intensely grassy and viscous, it smells like the supplest suede and the richest soil, like sacred smoke and lime zest. Sweetness rises to the surface as time passes, but it's an enigmatic, lilting, new-mown sweetness that has to work its way up through miles of the darkest, warmest earth before it blooms on the skin. In conventional perfumery, we talk about a perfume as having top notes, heart notes, and base notes. Vetiver embodies all of these tiers as it develops, and this particular vetiver embodies these tiers in beautiful ways. And it is gorgeously funky, as well as profound, soothing and centering. I can smell why so many people find it therapeutic. I really love this, and if you're a vetiver lover, you probably will too.

Well, I'm apparently one of the few proud lovers of rosy, regal, opulent Monna Vanna. I'm not one for hording backups myself, so when she's gone, I'll just remember her with delight. But, what a great opportunity to finally nab Kiyohime Changes From a Serpent for my hot weather scent. I've been looking for an aquatic that just really speaks to me (so far only Egle has come close), and I'm a fan of the Kiyohime legend anyways. The Salon collection was most impressive to me, on many levels. I am quite sad to see her leave.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend Monna Vanna (Russian rose, mimosa, gardenia, bois du rose, parma violet, calla lily, red currant, ambergris, and bourbon vanilla), from the Salon collection. It's heady, yet delicate, and I find it very reminiscent of a bygone age in perfumes.

Iago, on me or someone else, it doesn't matter, because it smells like a rain-soaked leather jacket, and the spike of vetiver (designer dirt to this pleased nose) makes it all the more delicious.

Mmm, I really like this. Tenacious ambrette seed provides most of the sweetness, while the coconut makes things milky, warm and erotic. Then along comes that salty, ozone-ish ambergris accord. I daresay without it, this might have turned into one of those conveyor belt "vanilla-ish with a smattering of un-challenging spices" scents- the brooding, grey, oceanic funk of ambergris gives it distinction, and combined with the coconut makes the scent very suggestive of warm skin, wide open windows, and damp sheets. Still, for all the heavy breathing this scent inspires in me, it also feels enigmatic and a bit contemplative. I can't comment on any sugar cane note since it never came to the party. All in all, very sexy.

Double posted.

I cannot be a combo breaker here- fourthing the rec for "The Illustrated Woman". That is a fantastic scent, even in the off chance that the pine pitch element doesn't stick around for you. Also seconding the "Black Forest" rec.

The two jammiest scents I own are Knave of Hearts and Tomoe Gozen- both are currant-rich, not berry-rich, but they each have that sweet/savory quality you seem to be looking for. Knave is the jammier of the two (like, hot-buttered-pastry-dripping-with-preserves level), and it's from the general collection, so that might be worth finding an imp of. Tomoe was a limited edition dealy from 2009, and though it has more fruit (red currants and blackberries), it "feels" less foody-sweet than Knave. Knave is just mouthwateringly dessert-ish to my nose.

Hmm, if I'm going somewhere posh and want to feel as expensive as my surroundings, I reach for Monna Vanna, from The Salon. Something about that timeless, regal, creamy rose note is reminiscent of the classic perfume "Joy", only with more luscious underpinnings, like gardenia, and mimosa, and violet, and lily, and and and...enough already. It's gorgeous.

You might wish to secure an imp of "Pontarlier" from the Wanderlust collection: "The legendary birthplace of the Green Fairy. Swiss ferns, lilac, blackcurrant, Gallic rose and lavender with a dollop of sugar and absinthe." When I wore it, the lilac note was very fresh and prominent.

Itty bitty bump to add a recommendation. The Night Hag Visits the Lapland Witches (Black sandalwood, woodsmoke, Terebinth pine, blue cypress, styrax, frankincense, chamomile maroc, and nutmeg) from the Pickman Gallery "Torment and Reverie" limited series has a gorgeous, authentic woodsmoke note in it, amidst the sandalwood, pine and nutmeg.

Peacock Queen 2010. A scent of piercing purity, as regal and unforgiving as a long red-lacquered fingernail poked into your chest. If you don't practically revere the scent of rose, do not waste her time. I love this.

Not a GC, per se, but what about Philosopher in Meditation, from the Salon? "Smoldering woodfire embers, Galen's Kyphi, and Abramelin incense"

Monna Vanna, how I love you. I love you enough to not be able to really achieve the distance I find necessary to write about things I love. You are just the most beautiful rose blend I have ever smelled, period. It's the smell of a very sumptuous rose wearing a crown of perfect flowers, all picked in their prime. The scent doesn't scream, but it doesn't whisper either- rather, it murmurs. It also comforts and inspires- the scent of a muse, indeed. It is also so old fashioned that it feels utterly new again. Long-lasting, timeless and full of womanly beauty. Yeah, this scent really spoke to me, I have to say. I love the scent of a rose, and for a long time, I wore a single note rose oil for my "fix", and as beautiful as that simplicity is, Monna Vanna is a perfect example of how much a particular note can be enhanced, even exalted, by the presence of other notes. This is my new rose scent, and perhaps a signature scent for me, for as long as it is made. Phenomenal, and thanks for making it.