smallvoice

A new year's blessing! Peony, China's national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, lychee for strong family relationships and peace in the home, orange for happiness, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, coconut for longevity, and candied melon for good health, with a splash of blazing red of dragon's blood... to help you scare away the rampaging Nian. My first first review!! Neat! I've decided to try and give a better review. I feel obligated somehow, since it's the First and all. Heh. It has an ADORABLE label on it. I love it and wish it would be a shirt design. Anyway! In the bottle, it really does smell a lot like the way Fee smells on me, with a bit of sharpness that I suspect is a floral. Looking over the notes, I must admit that I don't know what quince smells like, nor do I know well what lychee, plum blossom or even bamboo smell like. I have a fair idea what some of the rest smell like, though. Okay, so. Putting it on. Again, there's that sharp floral that just kind of lends a soapy feel to it, much like Fire Pig behaved on me. It doesn't seem to have a lot of throw, on me. That may be because I've tried quite a small bit of it. The strongest note, joyfully (for me), is the candied melon... SO. GOOD. It's a really well balanced and well blended scent. It is VERY fruity on me, with a floral backdrop- I wish the peony would soften the backdrop a little more, but it really is lovely. It is quite obviously related to Fire Pig, but is certainly its own scent, and it will satiate my need for compulsive searching for Fee. The coconut comes out in the drydown, and it's quite lovely. It smells pink and white to me, but also red, at times. This is another one that I bemoan not having to wear on my walk down the aisle, because I think it would have made a gorgeous June wedding scent. As it dries more, it is becoming more grounded. The fruits seem to be burning off rather quickly, but it leaves a lovely, complex scent on my skin that is in no way lacking the fruit, it's just toned down a little; behaving itself. It is amazingly executed. All in all: Delightful. It's a keeper, I think. It is in the family tree with Fee, Fire Pig and Yemaya, from what I can tell. Maybe Oya, as well? And the pine? Barely there. Awesome. A true happy scent, as most of my fruity scents are! I think this one will age awesomely well. I love how much it morphs, too! It's a fabulous scent, at any rate.

The Gaoler's Daughter smells quite a lot like Cupid Complaining to Venus did, as I recall.

October's venture made me realize that I need to test my top ten again, because Mag Mell dropped off my list! So I'll be working those in there, too. I'm trying to alternate days with LE's and GC's. Mostly, anyhow. 1: Dionysia (retry) 2: Phantom Queen 3: Gladdener of All Hearts 4: Bengal 5: Et Lux Fuit 6: Dana O'Shee 7: Tiki Queen 8: Earth Rat 9: Daiyu (retry) 10: Dee 11: Mictecacihuatl 12: Buggre Alle This Bible 13: Egg Nog 14: Western Diamondback 15: Lilith Victoria 16: Eclipse 17: Faith 18: Morocco 19: Cytherea 20: Carnal 21: Love's Philosophy 22: Miskatonic University 23: Crow Moon 24: Boomslang 25: Lilith Victoria (What? I love this one!) 26: Vasakasajja 27: Gladdener of All Hearts (What could be better for Thanksgiving?) 28: Villain 29: The Perilous Parlor 30: Dorian

Honeyed milk, baby powder, lavender, orris root, sage, carnation, angelica, frankincense, and rose otto. Reviewed for the October testing fest! A different scent each day! This was day one, because I've been wearing it and I already love it. This smells almost exactly how I wanted it to smell. It could have been a touch sweeter, and the lavender a touch less sharp, but this scent is amazing. The lavender does get softened by all the sweetness and powdery-ness, and it's actually friendly on me. Bonus: The husband complimented me on it. Hooray! I get the baby powder, and I totally get where it smells like babies (reminds me of my sister's kids), but it smells so gentle and lovely. This is not as descriptive as I'd like it to be, but I generally don't wear a lot of lavender (more lately- Villain and Wulric) and this is by far my favourite interpretation. Gladdener of All Hearts indeed! (Also, the milk does not go sour on me!!) I was also worried about the rose otto, but it didn't bother me. ETA: The description and a note about rose otto.

I feel devoid of self. There is this crushing emptiness that clings to me. I tried tea. I tried cocoa. I pondered mixing the two together but decided against it. I have concluded that it must be "The Nothing," of Neverending Story fame. That's the only thing I can think of that tea AND cocoa cannot combat. This day sucks. Can I have a new one tomorrow?

As some of you might know, my sister decided to get a divorce this summer, a decision that floored me- but that I do support. She loves her kids and wouldn't do anything without a good reason. I've learned some of those reasons. They met in court yesterday to begin the proceedings- I don't know the precise terms, but they were supposed to present one another with papers or something. I had a therapy appointment yesterday. My husband was in the waiting room and my sister's husband walked into the building. He was carrying various folders and papers and whatnot, and greeted my husband, who probably wouldn't have noticed him otherwise. So therapy is hitting on some rough territory lately and I'm usually quite a wreck after them. We got into the car and my husband explains what he saw, suggesting that my sister's husband might've been meeting with a lawyer. I shook my head. He wasn't meeting with A lawyer. He was meeting with THE lawyer. I don't live in a huge metropolis, but if we had the equivalent of a hotshot media-whore sleazy big city lawyer, he would be it. Last I heard, my sister was working with legal aid, or whoever does it for cheap, so I tried to get ahold of her all day to see if she knew. Last night, I finally did. She did know. It's ALL like something out of a soap opera. Apparently, she hadn't been aware that he'd had a lawyer until they both swept into court... because the lawyer wasn't even on the dockett. Huh? How does that even work? Is it legal to take a judge by surprise like that? And I'm worried her lawyer isn't even competent.

I have never, ever, smelled Snake Oil that smells sweet to me. I had an imp that was aged probably less than a year, but over six months, and it was still just all patchouli all the time. Then again, that was quite early on. I didn't know a thing about fragrance. But it definately smells like patchouli on my skin, and in the imp as well. The first time somebody complained about SO being too sweet, I was gobsmacked. So, all that being said, I've really enjoyed all but two of the Snake Pit blends I've tried. I hated Saw-Scaled Viper, and really strongly disliked Cottonmouth. I'll do a rundown. Australian Copperhead: The acai goes soapy on me, but it was still a great blend. Asp Viper: Yummy almondy goodness. (Husband actively hated it due to allergies) Banded Sea Snake: Nice, aquatic, but it wasn't something that I reached for often. Boomslang: Fantastic. If you like foody at all, you should try this. It is deliciously gourmand. Coral Snake: Another one that you should try- the notes really take it away from Snake Oil, to my memory. It had a great apple note. Cottonmouth: Ugh. Unpleasant. No idea what did it, either. Death Adder: When this one ages a few months, it is amazing. It is fairly heavy, though. Green Tree Viper: It always amuses me that people absently call this one "Green Tea Viper" heh. Minty! I think I need a bottle of this one, really. Habu: On my most wanted to try list. King Cobra: Haven't tried it yet. Saw-Scaled Viper: Yuckyuckyuck! Not good on me. Temple Viper: Haven't tried it yet. Western Diamondback: Along with Death Adder and Boomslang, this one completes the triumvirate of my most loved Snake Pit blends. I love the leather in it, though. It is sexy and perfect. So, yeah. That's not so helpful. A lot of people have said that my three favourites are the Snake Oiliest of them all, but since I don't like SO.... I disagree. I'd recommend that you try Coral and Green Tree Viper, of the bunch. Really, just test the ones that appeal.

As some of you know, my husband's hard drive died. He got a new one as his old one was under warranty... and after about six hours of working just fine (with all the updates and formatting) the computer shut off like it'd been doing before. He thinks this is indicative of an issue with overheating, but WHAT is overheating? Or it could be the power supply. If he tries to turn it back on, it goes into this loop of the boot screen, then loading windows, then a flash of blue and then wash, rinse, repeat. Add that to the fact that we're on an excruciatingly tight budget this month, and he is going to have to slog along with his old one- which is unstable as it is. So, yeah. This has attached to my depression in a big way. Fun stuff.

I tried Bayou recently, and it reminded me quite a lot of Sturgeon Moon.

This is DCCXXV, or 725. I smell carnations in the bottle, and something familiar. Oh. Once I apply the oil, it turns into that coconut milk I found so disturbing in my previous CT. Yup, carnations and that horrifying milk note. And... body odor. Which means that ginger has arrived. There is something that I initially thought was beeswax but later wondered if it was olive oil. It's one of the two. What a strange combination. I want to say there's some pink pepper in here, but I don't know- it could be the carnation and ginger together. The body odor paired with that milk note is nauseating me, so I think I'll just let you know that the drydown doesn't relent. It stays the same on me, for the most part. Not that I've spent much time huffing a patch of skin that smells like it hasn't been washed in many years, I must admit. I do sniff it hopefully, now and then, to see if anything has changed. *sniffs* It hasn't. But it might have both beeswax and olive oil. Hopefully this'll find a happier home.

So, I have in my possession 724 and 725, aka: DCCXXIV and DCCXXV I'm currently only reviewing 724. In the bottle, it smells like apples! Like bright red, juicy apples! And something a tinge soapy, which I'm guessing is rose. Hrm. Rose and I haven't been on the best of terms lately. Oddly enough, on my skin, the rose takes a backseat to something that reminds me of the cream from Milk Moon '05, and possibly '07. It is sweeter than I remember '05 being, though. There is definitely rose in this. Rose, milk and apples. There's something deeper that's grounding this and making it something that is not the light, frou-frou scent you'd expect from hearing those three notes. Maybe another fruit? Fig or something. I absolutely cannot stand the milk/cream note. It's like what I remember from Obatala, so maybe it's coconut... weird. I think I'd recognize coconut. It could be coconut milk, but I don't know. As it dries, it becomes bearable. I thought there might be honey earlier, but I don't think so anymore. I think the fruit sweetens it up just a little and it would be way sweeter with honey in it. So it's kinda like Milk Moon with roses and apples in it.

I wore Torture Queen on my birthday. LOVE IT!

This really does smell like high-end hair products. It is creamy, slightly aquatic and utterly refreshing. It is also incredibly girly- "pink" indeed! It's really beautiful, and I can't think of a BPAL it reminds me of, but it does smell familiar; comforting, somehow. It's a light, vaguely sweet floral blend. Kinda what you see is what you get. Once it hits my skin, there is a flood of soapiness. It's a sweet and almost minty soapiness. I'm not sold on it in the first few minutes, and the drydown still leaves me undecided. If I could get just a smidge more of that minty note, I would love this to bits. It's pretty, like I said, but may not be a scent that really suits me. Or one that will get a ton of wear, in other words. We'll see!

Marae was nothing but gardenia on me. None of the incense, nor the orchid, nor Monoi tiare... Just gardenia. Gardenia is pretty, but I don't love it that much. Also, this gardenia wanted to kill me. It started to strangle me, and there was this glint in its eye that chills me to this very day, and I knew it meant business. So I did what any reasonable person would do; I attacked back! Soap and water and lots of scrubbing managed to subdue the gardenia long enough that I could get away. I knew I should've opted for Opuhi with that set. Opuhi just seems less likely to be a sociopath.

This is a lovely scent that I simply don't wear often enough, which is why my bottle is living in a happier home. Here's what it smells like to me: Jasmine tea. With honey in it. I am drinking such a brew right now, and it tastes like I am drinking Hony Mone as it smells on my skin. The honey gets a little cloying on my skin, which I think is my main problem with it, but it is otherwise beautiful. Like jasmine tea with honey.

I don't get the alcohol note in this very strongly, either. On me, it is a sweetened fruit scent. It's sort of like Tiki Queen, only way less complex and with no floral backdrop. It has that same fruity-candy scent to it, though, that I tend to really like. Ultimately, this isn't a scent that is for me, but only because it wasn't discovered before some of my other fruity loves. I can't imagine needing this with the others. It wears really nicely on the skin and has a fair bit of throw, even with my very light application. I'm so glad I got to try this- I'll probably give it more consideration in the future. For me, it is totally a spring/summer scent.

Rose.... why must you hate me so? What did I do to make you turn on me? Is it my tonsils? Were you that attached to them? Ahem. Anyway. So, here's what I get: Rose soap. No lie. It might be a sweeter rose soap than Rose Red, but certainly not sweeter than Alice. I don't get the depth of the opium. I don't get sugar cubes. I don't get absinthe. Just rose soap. I wasn't ever a HUGE fan of rose, but I could wear it in some blends. Not anymore! ETA: Maybe I don't get those things because I haven't bothered with letting it age! The mint is coming through like woah, and it's very unusual. What an intriguing blend!!

I love lilac. And I had been wishing for a lilac/coconut combo for a while, so when Ashlultum popped up, she was the first thing on my decant circle. I was expecting it to be a little darker, being unfamiliar with Babylonian musk. The musk is present, and the lilac is also there, but there's something sharper than lilac (which usually reads as quite sweet, to me) and I'm wondering if that's the hyssop. I can smell the coconut now. Huh. This scent is confusing to me. I wish the vanilla tea would be stronger. I think I'm just wishing for something to sweeten this up a little bit. Instead, I smell the tobacco as a grounding note- this is not unexpected. I tend to amp tobacco like crazy, but it's being well behaved in this blend. The scent is fairly light, but it's certainly not invisible. The drydown is nice, it's just not quite what I was hoping for. I like the scent, but I don't love it like I expected to, and that's sad.

Blue lilac, lily of the valley, golden musk, beeswax, white ginger, bergamot, green tea, and nectarine. The nectarine is really strong just sniffing the scent, but as soon as I put it on it becomes soft florals and something that reminds me really strongly of To Helen. I had to check the notes, but I'm thinking it must be the beeswax. The beeswax stays the dominant note on my skin, but it's more like just plain wax. There's some sweetness from the rest of the blend, but it smells odd. After a while, it all mellows out and snuggles up to my skin, stubbornly refusing to leave. I can't smell this unless I press my nose to my skin where I applied it. A surprisingly lovely scent, though- this is not at all the overbearing floral I suspected it would be, and very well behaved. I like the waxy note, and I just wish it had more throw. I won't be needing any more, but I won't get rid of what I have.

The entire Wunderkammer fits this bill, I think. Medea is another GC blend that might be interesting. Bluebeard was odd, to me. Definitely seconding Saturnalia. Also, Mania.

Body odor and cigarette ash. The pine sap and ginger have committed a hate crime against cinnamon, which started out smelling pretty. It was the only thing about this that smelled pretty. Note to self: Ginger doesn't work. Srsly. Stop trying to make it work. Just a nightmare.

Jailbait is my first novelty type of scent. (Though for me, it's totally wearable.) Smokestack immediately comes to mind, and that one certainly sounds darker. Have you tried Death Cap? On me, it really does smell like mushrooms and dirt, with some sweetness in the drydown. Penny Dreadful was pretty unique on me, but it's been a while since I tried it. Scarecrow and Schrodinger's Cat both sound like scents that might fit your criteria. Djinn, too. Hope that helps! I know I've forgotten a TON of such scents, but I'll be back to recommend more when I think of them. Oh, the Blockhead and Shadwell, if you can find decants.

Woah, Scylla's review of the Torture Queen states that it is Snow-Flakes on her from application to drydown, and let me tell you... it smells like Snow-Flakes in the bottle, minus a very minute amount of the snowy-sweetness.

I've never smelled the B&BW scent, but there was a Peony Moon by BPAL in 2006 and you might be able to rustle up some of that. Otherwise... Amsterdam or The Dormouse might be good ones to check out, for things readily available from the catalog.

I'm pretty sure The Lion smells like The Lion. It's a catalog blend in the Mad Tea Party section, not a limited edition. If you're just looking for similar scents, there's a whole thread in here about ambery blends. Hope that helps!