Naamah_Darling

A scent that competes with Iago, De Sade, Dead Man's Hand, and Quincy Morris for leathery, sexy goodness. The leather note here is almost pure rawhide, like Dead Man's Hand, like Quincy. The tinge of black leather (De Sade, Iago) that I think I detect may only be the smooth sweetness of the musk. And it is a hell of a musk. This is a rich, smooth, deep musk, but it doesn't have the cola note that Smut has, or the boldly feral odor of the really dark musks or civet musks. It's a warm, masculine skin musk. Very, very sexy. Incredibly sexy. And it blends so well with the leather that it's impossible to tell where one begins and the other ends. This is such a simple scent, just musk and leather, and it's a crying shame that it won't be added to the GC, because it absolutely deserves it. It's just the right musk and just the right leather. I can wear musky scents well and turn them to the smell of pure sex. I have a friend who cannot, but this smelled wonderful even on her. People who normally steer clear of musks might do well to try this anyway. The warmth and darkness of it are absolutely enfolding, and the longer it wears, the more settled and subtle it becomes, without becoming powdery or nasty in any way. A perfect balance. Please try this! It's not so masculine that women couldn't wear it. My husband finds it irresistible.

Musk, honey and benzoin resin make this a warm but surprisingly open scent whose chief appeal lies in its sweetness. On, it becomes more fiercely incense-y, spicy, like the incense section of a new age bookshop. This is a wonderful, soft musk blend with some real depth to it, supplied by the beautiful resin notes. The caramel and honey are influences only, not really topnotes. The whole thing is just beautiful.

Tangy and almost pickle-ish scent in the bottle, it becomes sour on. I can't pick notes out of this. It's so floral my skin is rebelling, turning it to dust and vinegar. This is the queerest reaction I've ever had from a perfume, and is a far cry from "delight." To make things even more fun, the drydown smells like my grandmother's perfume. Damn. Alas, not for me. Since I cannot even review it effectively, this will be headed straight to swaps, where I hope it can delight someone else.

Merry is a good word to describe this. It's very lemony in the bottle, and with the apple it has a very perfume-y edge. The rose is a bit soapy – probably the lemon – but quite fresh. It goes on and the rose comes right out along with the apple, and a whiff of what almost smells like vanilla – this is a very creamy, smooth scent. It smells far less like lemon furniture polish than it did in the bottle. Here it smells like something edible, like little fancy cakes. This is a very playful, light, clean scent that reminds me of having tea parties outside with all my stuffed animals. It's very girly, and just a little childish. It's also squeaky-clean. It smells soapy, but in a fresh and nice sort of way, not a yucky, cloying way. It fades fast, there's no anchor here to give it any real "stick," and within an hour it's gone.

Cold white lilies and the sinuous tendrils of opium; this is sweet without being foody in the slightest. An elegant but very dark and twisted scent. "Opium" is an odd scent. It's at once high-pitched but dark. If it were a sound, it would be the upper ranges of a cello – rich and intense, resonant, but in a higher register. As a scent, it is attenuated, eerie, a little mean. It's an exotic ingredient, used to evoke the sensual, strange, and weird, and it does it well, here. When I say this is "light" I mean this is weightless, not that it is bright. It's a clear, perfumey scent, almost traditional. The lily gives it a funereal tinge, a cool closeness, lent an immediacy by its fleshy odor. The myrrh is a round, resinous odor, one that blends very well with the opium. Its warmth, its fuzziness, offset the lily's coolness. The oddest thing . . . this is wonderful . . . the opium is the drift of the moments before sleep, the myrrh is the weight of blanket on body, body on cushion; and the narcissus, the drifting specter of a dream barely tethered. And all that is just in the bottle. It goes on with a throw like something has spilled; very powerful. There is an almost burnt element to it up close, the scent of incense strewn on coals and now reduced to crusted resin. Up close, it's stifling, almost savage. A thick, muffling aroma of drifting smoke. The burnt scent increases . . . this must be the "blackness" in the opium. It is not unlike a more intensely fuming Chrysanthemum Moon. It has that same air of the exotic and alarming. Darkness is cruel, though, where Chrysanthemum Moon is only fooling about. I really like this. It's interesting, robust up close but intriguing from a distance, and, if not complicated, certainly deep.

Of course I only get around to trying this after it's been discontinued. In the bottle: patchouli. Cedar. On: lemon pledge on lots of furniture. It settles down to old lemon candy in a cedar trunk. I'm not feeling the love for this one. This isn't a complex scent, and I haven't much to say about it. I smell like scenery. Or an attic. Not a fun attic, either.

Too bad they're not making this any more. In the bottle, it's rich incense relieved by a subtle sweetness, with a cut of citric lime that keeps it from sugaring over. This is really a masterfully blended scent. It's quite perfume-y, yet subtle and dark, much like the oil itself, which is a murky amber. The berries are firmly behind the jasmine, which adds a cool, light touch to the resinous notes. The lime is at the very top of this scent, not very assertive at all, just enough to keep this from being too low-pitched to really impress. It does smell a bit like Dior's Poison at first, but this fades as the incense comes to the fore. It's a dark, murky, languid scent, dimly-lit, untrustworthy, and a bit creepy. A remarkably subtle product of the perfumer's art, both rich and deep, and shifting.

This has a very traditional feel in the bottle. The lilies and narcissus are right out there, so delicate and lovely it breaks the heart, with the rose providing just a touch of warmth. It reminds me very strongly of the scent of my grandmother's bedroom (this isn't a bad thing). There is a bit of something incensey in the background, the opium, I think. On, it keeps smelling like my grandmother. The throw is delicate, soft, and white, but up close it's a heavy golden scent, very much indeed like spiraling smoke. This does have a bit of a stifling, thick quality about it. The kind of heavy scent that feels like a hot summer day, when everything is warm and bright, and you just don't want to move at all. It's quite nice, actually, despite it containing a ton of things I don't typically enjoy. In an odd twist, the flowers get fresher the longer its on. It started out as floral scented but now I'm getting the fleshy leaves, and that sort of meaty spicy smell you get from real pollen. This is probably the effect of the opium on the flowers. Very nice. The throw is refined and elegant, and it's not too strong at all. I like it.

Well, let's just say that, based on its description, this doesn't sound like my cup of tea. In theory. In practice, this is cool and light in the bottle, equal parts of all its ingredients. The verbena is an herbal lemon, and it sits in the center of this scent. The jasmine smooths over it, under it, giving it a floral sweetness. The green tea is an astringent, clean note that compliments the verbena beautifully. The neroli is gently floral without being too assertive. This is spectral, indeed, a very light, very minimal scent, pale and indistinct. On, the verbena lunges out to the fore, trailed by the green tea. The jasmine and neroli are sort of cowering in the corner, afraid to move too much. The overall effect is that of lemon furniture polish in a tearoom that has been strewn with fresh flowers. Nice, but a bit overpoweringly lemon-fresh. It's persistent, too. I can't say I care for it overmuch, like I thought. It'd be great on me without the lemon. Sadly, that's a large part of its character, so I'll be passing this one along. Very clean, and would be good for those who like citrus scents or very clean scents.

Grape! Grape is the top note here. It goes on a bit drier than the super-wet scent of the raw oil, but it's still very sweet. There's a hint of clove in there somewhere, buried way down deep, but the major note in this is still wine, or rather, grape. There's another note here that I assume is "mimosa" though it smells nothing like what I'm used to smelling from real mimosa trees. It's a kind of astringent floral that is holding down the worst of the over-sweet grape. The clove is underneath, just barely there. This has the overripe, almost stinky feel of a humid summer day when the plants are all blooming. It's all melting sugar from grape popsicles and the stifling scent of blown blossoms. Not really objectionable, just very heavy. A scent to apply with care. It's blatantly sexy, too. It's very much a scent that screams "notice me!"

Dragon's blood, sweet pepper, and subtle spice are all swirling in the wet phase. Dry, it's strongly dragon's blood with a rich updraft of spices, spices that persist even after you pull away. It's a lovely blend, rich and deep and yes, a little angry-smelling. It's quite lively and vivid. A good choice for the lover of spices and dragon's blood, and one I'd unhesitatingly recommend. I adore the lab's pepper notes: sweet and spicy at the same time, piquant. Delightful.

Aquatic notes linger over a base of flowers and herbal mint. Very, very pretty in the bottle, and also very sweet. Berrylike, even. I'm not sure I smell mint in it once it goes on. About all I am sure of is that it's floral, and it's also greenly aquatic. There's some sweet note in here, lotus perhaps, that's almost bubblegum-like. There's also a faint herbal overtone. It dries to a green floral with a razzy herbal note, and at this phase it's beautiful. It smells like someone else, doesn't smell like me at all, but I like it very much. It's light and ever so slightly powdery – odd, for an aquatic note to go powdery, but there you go, it's an odd scent. I can recommend this one for people who like florals but are looking for something a little different, fresher, new. This is light and subtle, slightly woody, slightly damp, slightly herbal, and very pretty.

This is a light and subtle blend that is herbal and woody and just a little floral. First out of the bottle are the rosewood and lemon, making for a rather traditional light cologne base. Behind that are the musks and the sandalwood, swirling right around there with the sage. The third breath reveals the sweetness of the jasmine. The notes here appear pretty much in the order listed in the description. Overall, in the bottle it's a light and delicate but decidedly masculine blend. It goes on very strange. It's hard to pin down, but my overall impression is one of brightness, but scorched around the edges. There's definitely something here that's turning to the smell of smoke. It's woody and herbal, still, with the florals bringing up the rear, and yes, it's still masculine, though verging more toward unisex. I can't decide if I like this or not. On the one hand, it smells so odd that I want to dislike it immediately. On the other, there is something very sexy about it, even as the fleshy florals combined with the sage and lemon make it smell vaguely repellent. It's intriguing, a smell I can't make heads or tails of, and because of that I keep sniffing at it, trying to make up my mind. It doesn't really smell like anything else. Once it dries, that aggressively burnt edge leaves and it's a simple woody blend with a lovely overtone of musk, florals, and a little lemon. Very nice. I really want to smell this one on someone for whom it really works because I have a hunch it'd be really amazing.

Sea air, driftwood, waterlogged kelp, and the memory of plundered spices sprayed over worn leathers, rough musk, and the salty wooden floorboards of the Revenge. Rum, leather, and aquatics? Sounds good to me! Smells better! Aquatic notes blend with the smell of old polished wood and faint spices for a tangy scent that runs equally hot and cold. It's cooler in the bottle, but once it hits the skin, a rich musk comes out. It's an odd combination with the aquatic notes, but it really works. There's a hint, just a hint, of leather there, too. Nice! As it dries, it becomes woody with a shot of bay rum and a lick of leather, all on top of a briny maritime base. Hoist the colors, this is an excellent pirate scent!

Hmm. Not as bad as I had feared. This is subtle and cool green, slightly mossy and slightly minty in the bottle. Pretty, if not my thing. There's definitely more here than the mint, though the throw is coolly minty. Up close it has a chokingly dense field of green moss. This is juicy, cool, a clean scent, very pleasant. I can't decide if it's light or heavy, though. I'm going with heavy and slightly waterlogged, but not overpowering. This is very damp on me, but has very little throw. As it dries, it becomes more minty and more spicy, the ambergris I suppose. It's a very odd note. The drydown is woody and funky with that same dank moss note that's in Zombi. The ambergris is still lingering. Neat.

This is, as you might expect, intensely fruity. It's fruity to the nth degree. Fruit personified – perfumified? It's fruity. On, it's still fruity. This is a thick, sweet syrup scent, apricots and sugar. There's a touch of booze, like schnapps, in the background, but this is a resoundingly simple scent with very little depth – almost a single note. There's little else to say about it, except that it's an exceedingly warm and friendly scent, approachable, full of delight. Very nice. Those of you who have had good luck with the Lab's fruit notes take heed: this is a good one. Those of you who are wary of trying them might as well start here; with less in the way of other scents, this blend is less likely to be soured by some other additive. It's very true. Worth investigating, especially for fans of the sweeter blends.

I just think of the scents with no notes listed as workouts for my nose. Unfortunately, I can't make heads or tails of this one. Spicy florals over a base that is at once citric and resinous. Frankincense and carnation? I can't say. It's at once woody, herbal, and crystalline, not unlike Khephera in approach, but where Khephera was very dark, this is bright and shining. It's opposite, say, and yet rendered in the same style. I can't say I am in love with it; something about it stings my nose, and it has a definite citric twang to it that I find dubious. It shares the amber/patchouli base that was in Khephera. The drydown is very nice, a sort of incense/herbal scent, but the opening is too citric for me.

Honey and lavender, very strongly. The combination is, surprisingly, very much like chocolate. This is herbal but sweet, and the overall character of it is of a fading, glittering gold, the last of the light melting on sun-warmed stone. This is a sweet, somnolent scent reminiscent of a bittersweet lullaby. A surprisingly gentle perfume, given how violently my skin typically reacts to lavender. It's nicely nuanced and deep, a shady scent. Fairly typical of the Stations of the Sun scents as a whole.

Lavender, resin, and spices. This is glittering and rich in the bottle, slightly masculine, and very strange. It's got a powerfully herbal aspect that is at once outdoorsy and sepulchral. On it's an unusual blend, lavender and . . . patchouli? Frankincense? Cinnamon? You know, I wasn't sure about this at first sniff, but I have to say I really like it. I can't pin the notes down. The lavender isn't overwhelming it but it is making it very hard for me to identify the other notes. I want to say amber and patchouli, but I can't be sure. Midnight sun? Sure. This is regal but dark. Dark shot through with just a glimmer of light. I like this. It's certainly a singular scent, very unusual. And it works on me despite quite clearly containing lavender, which is a no-no on my skin nine out of ten times.

Hmm! No notes listed, so my best guess is frankincense, sandalwood, and pepper. On, there is definitely lavender here. And lots of spicy incense. There's a dusty note to this, almost like kaolin clay, and a resinous tang that is citric frankincense. It's pretty, but like the other Stations of the Sun scents, it doesn't really grab me as much as I'd hoped. All of them have a kind of sepulchral, arcane quality to them, which I attribute to the incense. The longer I wear this, the more incensey/spicy it becomes, but it is a very earthy scent, more like sun-baked dirt than like the sun itself. Perhaps that's my skin which likes dirty scents amping the earthy notes in this, and perhaps it was designed into the scent. I can't say. I do like the scent, but it's not something I would wear for fun.

A husky black musk combines with sticky evergreen notes to create a woodsy, feral blend that is as dark as it is rich. Once the initial flush of greens calm down it becomes a really interesting mix of musk and subtle woods in which pine and cypress dominate. There's also that ambergris smell, one of the few smells I find it very hard to describe, but not really mistakeable for anything else. In fact, on its drydown it's just wonderful, but it has that hard-blasting piney stink for the first few minutes that's so potent it's almost like cat pee, so I find myself frustrated by it. It's definitely on the masculine end of the scale, and I'd recommend it for men who want to try something that's strongly woodsy, and yet still has some depth and character. Something that will wear well throughout the day. The musk in this is very dark and animal, gritty almost, so be aware of that when choosing whether or not to order.

Mmmm! Roses and . . . is that . . . yes, it's coffee. Roses and coffee. What an odd combination! This is rosy, but it's a very fleshy rose, not very floral at all but more organic. The vanilla and warm tonka and mahogany notes are lovely here, combining with the slight hint of jasmine and the subtle coffee aroma to create a scent that is light and sophisticated, yet fleshy and sexual all at the same time. Really, a flawlessly elegant scent, and very appropriate to the subject. Now, a word for those of you who hate the smell of coffee: this is not a coffee blend. The coffee bean note here is subtle, rich, and once it settles it vanishes into the smell of the tonka, mahogany, and vanilla. After a minute or so I cannot smell the coffee at all. So give this a chance. Really, the coffee note is strongest in the bottle. This treads the border between floral and powdery without ever spilling into old lady or baby territory. I like it really well. Worth invstigating if you're looking for a floral that's a little different, but still traditional in approach.

Hmm! Aquatic grassy notes are very green. Combine this with tea, and various dry herbs, and you get a very interesting scent. It's very pretty on; aquatic and herbal, very green, with an overtone of just-cut grass. A fascinating scent. I was expecting this to be deeper, huskier, but it's a very light, bright scent. As it dries, it becomes very much like a "green meadows" flavored shampoo I tried once. This isn't unpleasant, but it is unexpected. It's very green and grassy, and I'm getting no fig, no ginger from it at all.

This is floral, sweetly and fleshily floral, with a faint spicy undertone that only serves to accent the perfumey, flowery nature of this scent rather than offset it. Tropical blooms are damp, and sit firmly in the forefront of this scent, with the sweet ginger note enfolded within it – really only there if you know to look for it. Overall this is a warm floral blend with a faintly creamy, waxy overtone, like candles. It has some subtlety, but it's still a floral perfume, and not much is going to change the fact that florals are perhaps the least subtle of all perfumes. This isn't overwhelming or yucky, in fact, as florals go it is quite polite, with only moderate throw. It gets extra points for behaving itself. I'm not a floral fan but I would willingly wear this.

If you're thinking this sounds like an amazingly complicated scent, you'd be right on. In the bottle it's benzoin and sandalwood with a sweet fruity overlay of sweet incense resins. The rose is not an obvious smell, but is more of a sweet influence. There is an almost aquatic note to this, a cucumbery, melony scent that makes me suspect a bit of dragon's blood in the mix. Mostly it's sharp and rich resins, overlaid by a rich true perfume aroma. This is complex, and very beautiful, but at the same time it's cold and unyielding. There is very little warmth to this scent despite what should be warm notes. This is cool and salty, and again, I want to say aquatic. Possibly the most bizarre scent I've yet encountered. It does nothing the way I expect it to. Oh, god, as it dries it becomes the sweetest smell, high-pitched and perfumey, perfectly caught between clean and floral. This is a lovely, lovely scent, and I can't really describe it because it doesn't really smell like anything else!