BoneBone24

Samhain to work and Theme in Yellow once I got home

The fear of Halloween. Menacing Haitian vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves. (2013) Wet: Vetiver, that’s for sure. But softened by something smoother, the balsams perhaps. Drydown: Earthy, smoky, and smooth. Vetiver, balsam, and a bit of the patchouli, geranium, and clove. It smells very much like walking through the woods in late fall, with most of the leaves dry and brown and fallen upon damp earth. There’s a slight sweetness in there that I can’t seem to place, almost like a drop of apple or plum. The initial blast of vetiver has completely mellowed at this point, with only a hint of smoky earth lingering on. Dry: Sweeter and smoother while still retaining the spicy earthy goodness from earlier. It does resemble Samhain quite a lot, but this I’d say is a bit more outdoorsy and doesn’t have that mentholated quality. It truly does smell like the woods in late fall with a slight chill in the air and a hint of spiced cider cooking somewhere nearby. Basically, this stuff is crazy good. Samhain + Black Annis = Samhainophobia 9 out of 10 bones

(2013) Wet: Whoo! That’s a strong blast of menthol! Medicinal is definitely the word. Drydown: More with the menthol. It reminds me of Blood Kiss without the cherry and wine. After 10-15 minutes things settle down a bit and I can begin to smell the other notes. There’s mentholated fir at the top, with baked apple and spices beneath that, and sprinkling of smoky earth at the bottom. Perhaps a kiss of caramel is in there too. Woodsy, sweet, spicy, and cool. Dry: Chilly fir and apple are still most prominent, but now they’re followed by clove, earthy woods, smoky vetiver, herbal mullein, and just a pinch of patchouli and buttery pumpkin - in that order. It’s the perfect balance of woodsy, earthy, and spicy with just the barest hint of sweetness to add intrigue. <3 ! 9 out of 10 bones

Wet: Cleaner than I was expecting. Clean, smooth leather. Drydown/Dry: Darker now. A spicy musk enters the picture, followed by a deep, blackened wood note (cedar). Smokey and masculine. It smells like a rough and dirty carpenter covered in soot (and I say that very fondly). 8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Plum, booze, honey, and smoke. Dark, sweet, and luscious. Drydown: More of the same, but lifted a bit by the oakmoss and champagne grapes. It’s oozing with decadence, like a room full of every imaginable vice. Each note is detectable, but they swirl together and form like-minded groupings. There’s the plum-wine-sugar on one side, and the tobacco-opoponax-carnation on the other. The honey-champagne-oakmoss dances above them and the tonka-benzoin hides in the corner. The blood musk vanishes and reappears at random moments and the whole thing feels like an orchestrated performance. Dry: This is not the kind of scent that I go for, but I still have to give kudos for it being such a masterpiece. It’s decadent, boozy, smoky, and sweet, but somehow surprisingly well-behaved. 6.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Buttery goop with a hint of something lighter and more refreshing trying to edge its way in. Drydown: The sticky butter note slowly fades and a hint of lemony goodness can be detected in the background. It smells like lemon candies and some sort of butter-laden baked good. The butter continues to fade and I can actually smell the pumpkin about 20 minutes in. It’s nicely spiced, a bit caramelized, and a tad creamy. The lemon has gone into hiding at this point, but I think Dorian’s fougere might be lingering about. Dry: Spiced pumpkin paired with a tart and herbal fougere. It’s a bit sweet, but in a dark, burnt caramel kind of way, rather than the creamy, saccharin vanilla way that regular Dorian is. For me, that’s a definite improvement. The combination seems like it shouldn’t work, but somehow it does. 7 out of 10 bones

Wet: Handsome and lemony. Drydown: Sweet lemon spiced with frankincense. It actually smells a lot like No. 93 Engine at this point. A cloud of smoky musk and soft leather begin to mingle with the frankincense, as the lemon slowly shifts to the background. Dry: Smooth, zesty, and lightly spiced. This is a terribly lovely scent. A bit of clove, a bit of leather, some smoke, some citrus, and traces of frankincense and ambergris, all mixed together with a soft, yet manly musk. Not too manly for a woman though; it lands right between No. 93 Engine and Casanova on the neutral-to-masculine scale, and sort of smells like a cross between those two too. This King can torture me any day 8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Woodsy and fresh with lots of greens and browns. Drydown/Dry: Supersoft pine, mainly. Fuzzy, gentle evergreens with a touch of earth and sweetness. It’s quite light on my skin and fades into near-non-existence. 6.5 out of 10 bones (This would be a higher score if it was a bit stronger)

Wet: Mmmmm. Smoky, waxy beeswax paired with the pineapple-like pale sweetness of olive. Drydown/Dry: Smooth, smoky, almost a bit spicy, and not quite fruity, but leaning in that direction. The smoke helps ground it, I think. There’s a subtle glow to this, like candlelight seeping through the outer edge of a pillar candle. So beautiful and just perfect on my skin. Thank you for making this, Beth! 9 out of 10 bones

Wet: Piratey bay rum. Tingly, spicy, and cool. Drydown: The tingly-spicy-cool-ness of bay rum plus a bunch of powdery flowers. Slightly sweet, but not overly so, and becoming more powdery by the minute. Dry: The blossoms pretty much overpower the rest of this scent and they unfortunately smell reminiscent of baby powder. Quel bummer. 5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Robust, smoky clove and slightly tart sweetness. Drydown: Sinowy, seductive, and exotic. Tingly clove, incense, and the combo of pimento berry and ginger - interpreted through my nose as a zingy, boozy, bright fruit. A nice, earthy bed of labdanum and patchouli lend support through the middle and just a hint of creaminess from the vanilla and fuzziness from the sage can be detected in the background. Lots of depth from the myrrh. There's a lot going on, but somehow it doesn't get muddled. This is such a great scent! Dry: Smoky, resinous, spicy, sort-of-fruity, and earthy. There's a pull in the rootbeer-ish direction, thanks to the labdanum, ginger, and clove. Every note is contributing and working well together. Dark and delicious without being too foody. It somehow crosses holiday festiveness with a darker, sexier vibe. And that's a winning combo for me! I hope the lab brings this one back at some point! 9 out of 10 bones

Wet: I definitely smell the fig right off the bat. Soft, sweet, and gummy. Drydown/Dry: A touch of cocoa adds more sugary sweetness and the fig becomes a bit brighter/less soft. There’s a hint of green in there adding to the brightness. The fig stays dominant, followed by the cocoa. It’s a nicely balanced scent, but ultimately it’s a bit too sweet for my liking. 6 out of 10 bones

Wet: Dark and earthy, sweetened by almond. Drydown: Spicy, sweet, and sort of glimmery in the way that frankincense can sometimes be. For a couple of minutes it sort of smells like peanut butter and cherries, or maybe peanut butter and cherry scented incense, if such a thing existed. Then the cumin and patchouli step forward and tone down that silliness. It becomes smokier and drier and oh so good. Dry: Smoky cumin over dry, crumbly resins. Very dark and very dry. At first I really dig it, but as time passes the cumin continues to amp and becomes too much. Damn, that’s some spicy stuff! 6.5/10

Wet: Super fizzy champagne. Ginger Ale-like. Drydown/Dry: Slightly sweet, vivacious, and bubbly. It’s pretty much straight champagne on my skin, but every once in a while I catch a hint of strawberry from the throw. But mainly, it's fizzy, bubbly, effervescent champagne! 7 out of 10 bones

Wet: Dark lavender, almost chocolate-y. Drydown: Smoky notes, flowers, and a hint of lavender. What must be the asphodel (because I don’t think it’s the tuberose) settles in as the main note. Frankincense and opium tar form a resinous cloud in the middle, and moss adds a grounding green element in the background. It’s lighter and fresher than you might expect, but pleasantly deep at the same time. Soft, sleepy, and very grounded. Dry: The frankincense gains some strength and a bit of cool sweetness comes forth from the tuberose. Well-blended, well-balanced, and just lovely. It smells like a bed where only dreams of fairy meadows and enchanted forests take place. 8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Sweet, clean, non-offensive flowers. Subdued but pretty. Drydown/Dry: I’m mostly getting the lilac, which does indeed smell white. It’s bordering on sharp-white-floral territory, but manages to stay in the safe zone. Slightly soapy and cool. Very innocent. Something sweet and curious keeps poking it’s head out from the background, but it never comes out enough for me to get a good feel for what it is. Overall, this is clean, pillowy, soft, and fresh. 6.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Pale and creamy in a thick sort of way. Slightly spicy too. Drydown: Resinous lavender with a bit of sweetness to it. Deep shadows with shafts of herbal-creamy-brightness piercing through. Dark, slightly woody, herbal, creamy, and slightly bright, …this stuff is really good. Dry: Pretty much the same as the drydown, except it keeps taking interesting little slants. First it turns a bit powdery, then a bit robust (think Vicomte de Valmonte), then I swear it starts to alternate between waxy and smoky like an actual lit candle sending different notes to my nose as the angle of the wind changes. None of these slants take away from the scent, they just keep my interest piqued - like falling in love over and over again. If you haven’t ordered this yet, go do it now. 8.5 out of 10 bones

According to Fragrantica.com, the notes are as follows: It starts off with fresh green wave, bergamot and black currant. The heart includes accords of white flowers such as Sambac jasmine and lily of the valley. The base is woody and slightly oriental and captures notes of cedar, sandalwood, vanilla and tonka bean. And, according to the reviews, the vanilla is dominant. I try to avoid vanilla and currant, so others would probably have better recs than me. But for what it's worth, I'd suggest Lysander or Good-Elf (RPGs).

I think you'll find a whole bunch of ideas in this thread: Firefly/Serenity fragrances

Wet: Whoo! That’s a big blast of pine. Herbal, bright, and heavy on the pine. Drydown/Dry: Dry pine softened by sweet bay and a touch of rosemary. There’s an atypical aquatic element that reminds me of crashing waves before an oncoming storm. A subtle spray of lemon joins in as it dries. I like it, but it seems better-suited as a room scent than as a perfume. I think I’ll use it in my oil burner come December. 7 out of 10 bones

Wet: Oh my, this smells handsome! The notes aren’t clear just yet, but color-wise I’m getting deep, gleaming golds and dusty red-browns and purples. Drydown: This is clearly the decadent and seductive brand of evil. And expansive bed of dark resins and opium smoke softened by feathery green tea, gilded by bold ambergris, and kissed by luscious plum. Normally I don’t do well with purple fruits like plum, but in this case it’s absolutely magical. Fresh and delectable without being too sweet or cloying. Dry: This scent is a stunner. Swirls of opium, tobacco, ambergris, and plum, softened by whispers of green tea and kush. Rich, smoky, smooth, androgynous, and somehow slightly fresh. I almost don’t want to try layering it because it smells so darn good on its own! 8 out of 10 bones

For Molly Weasley I think you'll definitely want to find something part foody and part magical, perhaps with a bit of soot or worn wool in it. Shubb-Nuggurath is the only GC that I can think of that would come close, but it might be more fun to try some layering as well. Perhaps... Jack Drink Me Dwarven Ale Halfling or Hoggle over Brimstone Voodoo Arcana The Chicken-Legged Hut or No. 93 Engine

Have you tried Cordelia? It smells like a great big lilac bush in the middle of the woods to me. Night Thoughts also has that big ol' lilac bush quality, but is a bit more on the cool/ozone side. Cordelia: Lilac, lemon, green tea, wisteria, osmanthus, white cedar, and Chinese musk Night Thoughts: Lilac, blue musk, dianthus, cedar, neroli, ozone, and luminous Eastern herbs

Gnome + Haunted: At first this is mainly all-Gnome, which is a super-fizzy ginger ale on my skin. As it dries, I realize that whenever my wrists are more than a foot away from my nose, I can smell Haunted more clearly. It’s light, creamy, and sort of shadowy, with just a little zap of brightness added by the Gnome. Up close it remains all Gnome all the time. Once dry, the two become more blended and take on a sort-of-fruity soda vibe (like an off-brand pineapple soda) overtop of a dark and creamy musk. Slightly aquatic, musky, creamy, and tropical, with a bit of a dark secret in the background. Haunted Gnomes smell good y’all! I’d like to try this combo with a couple other layers once I figure them out. I’m basing the combo on the last Pathfinder character I played, which was a Neutral Haunted Wind Oracle Gnome. I have Neutral, but I’m still trying to figure out the Wind Oracle part. Maybe Lightning or Windward Passage... Whenever I figure it out (and obtain them) I’ll post the results

Wet: Strong, dry cassia. Drydown: Cassia over dry, woody incense. Something like oud or sandalwood maybe. A hint of something herbal is buried in the background, possibly lavender. Dry: It stays mainly cassia paired with a dry, woody incense. Some jasmine too, I think. Deep, comforting, sensual, and spicy. 7 out of 10 bones