LittleGreyKitten

For some minutes after this fancy possessed me, I remained without motion. And why? I could not summon courage to move. I dared not make the effort which was to satisfy me of my fate — and yet there was something at my heart which whispered me it was sure. Despair — such as no other species of wretchedness ever calls into being — despair alone urged me, after long irresolution, to uplift the heavy lids of my eyes. I uplifted them. It was dark — all dark. I knew that the fit was over. I knew that the crisis of my disorder had long passed. I knew that I had now fully recovered the use of my visual faculties — and yet it was dark — all dark — the intense and utter raylessness of the Night that endureth for evermore. I endeavored to shriek-, and my lips and my parched tongue moved convulsively together in the attempt — but no voice issued from the cavernous lungs, which oppressed as if by the weight of some incumbent mountain, gasped and palpitated, with the heart, at every elaborate and struggling inspiration. The movement of the jaws, in this effort to cry aloud, showed me that they were bound up, as is usual with the dead. I felt, too, that I lay upon some hard substance, and by something similar my sides were, also, closely compressed. So far, I had not ventured to stir any of my limbs — but now I violently threw up my arms, which had been lying at length, with the wrists crossed. They struck a solid wooden substance, which extended above my person at an elevation of not more than six inches from my face. I could no longer doubt that I reposed within a coffin at last. And now, amid all my infinite miseries, came sweetly the cherub Hope — for I thought of my precautions. I writhed, and made spasmodic exertions to force open the lid: it would not move. I felt my wrists for the bell-rope: it was not to be found. And now the Comforter fled for ever, and a still sterner Despair reigned triumphant; for I could not help perceiving the absence of the paddings which I had so carefully prepared — and then, too, there came suddenly to my nostrils the strong peculiar odor of moist earth. The conclusion was irresistible. I was not within the vault. I had fallen into a trance while absent from home-while among strangers — when, or how, I could not remember — and it was they who had buried me as a dog — nailed up in some common coffin — and thrust deep, deep, and for ever, into some ordinary and nameless grave. As this awful conviction forced itself, thus, into the innermost chambers of my soul, I once again struggled to cry aloud. And in this second endeavor I succeeded. A long, wild, and continuous shriek, or yell of agony, resounded through the realms of the subterranean Night. Oppressive darkness, expressed through black orchid and patchouli, smothered by wet soil, a coffin's teakwood, and the funereal gloom of cypress. Premature Burial is kind of Smutty around the edges. It starts off very, very wet dirt in the bottle and wet on the wrist, but it dries to a lovely musky, sweet scent that sweetens even more as it dries. It still smells a bit like dirt but not as strongly, and the dirt scent is more like an earthy, deep, dark scent rather than a big pile of wet dirt as the bottle aroma suggests. I do like it more than I expected; I'm not a fan of dirt smell usually but this actually works. It's certainly interesting and much more wearable than expected. The tinge of wood is actually noticiable, and really lovely, though it is faint. I don't really sense cypress; I'm pretty sure the sweet note is orchid. I kind of feel like Beth is doing variations on the Smut theme... which is fine by me!! It just has an edge that reminds me of Smut, and I don't know what it is; it's not a twin or anything, but I just feel that there is a note in common (which I like quite a bit). For me, 4.5 out of 5.

He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fete; and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm — much of what has been since seen in "Hernani." There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust. To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams. And these — the dreams — writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps. And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away — they have endured but an instant — and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart. And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many-tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods. But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light through the blood-colored panes; and the blackness of the sable drapery appals; and to him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments. But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life. And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock; and thus it happened, perhaps, that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful among those who reveled. And thus, too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise — then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust. Bold and fiery, glowing with barbaric luster: this is the scent of the House of Prospero, the scent of hubris, mad revelry, folly and indifferent decadence, a measured passage through its lurid corridors and seven grotesque apartments. Honey and carnation, rich incense and rose accord, myrtle, red sandalwood, amber, jonquil and clove propel you through the revel, finally seating itself in the final, patchouli, tobacco and labdanum drenched darkness of the blood-tinged western chamber. The Masque is tied with Usher as my favorite in the Maelstrom. It reminds me of the way I wished Luperci smelled- very beeswax (especially wet) with a spicy, musky undertone. I'm not getting carnation out of it except I suspect the spicy scent is partially carnation. The tobacco and clove are two notes I definitely don't get, though I'm sure they contribute to the whole. It's definitely a lovely scent. The honey in it is different than BPAL's usual honey; I like both, but this one smells more like actual beeswax to me. The amber is not powdery in the slightest, and the patchouli contributes a dark flavor to it, I think. The spiciness beneath the honey is delicious. It gets more complex as it dries. It doesn't last amazingly well, but not bad either- say about 4 or 5 hours. It stays pretty close to the skin on me after it's dried. 5 out of 5.

The Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil, Antoine-François de Saint-Aubert.Bourbon vanilla, benzoin, caramel, Mysore sandalwood, aged black patchouli, carnation, and iris florentina. Oh my, this is delicious. Foody foody yum! It's mostly caramel and bourbon vanilla on me, with caramel on top. The patchouli is probably in there providing a nice base, but this is definitely one of the Heavy Foodies, like Gluttony or Cockaigne. Incidentally I can't wear either of those; though I'm a huge fan of most of Beth's foodies, those are a little too much even for me. This blend, although heavier and sweeter than the ones I usually adore, must be just a hair lighter, as instead of gagging me I'm loving it. The florals on me are too caramel-overwhelmed to smell. Really this is almost a single note caramel on me, to be honest... not that I mind! 5 out of 5. EDITED TO ADD: This has grown on me even more; I get the soft, gorgeous florals, mostly carnation, peeking through now, on dry down, and I LOVE how they harmonize; normally I'm not a floral girl but they are a perfect counterpoint. Also the vanilla and caramel are definitely softer and lighter than I thought at first. I'm finding myself reaching for this one a LOT. Oddly, the patchouli is the only note I barely detect (I'd never guess it was in the blend without knowing to look for it.) After having it for a bit now, I'd no longer say it's one of Beth's Really Heavy Foodies- not sure if it settle down a bit in the bottle already or if I adjusted to it. Edited to add image - clover

I was sick — sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me. The sentence — the dread sentence of death — was the last of distinct accentuation which reached my ears. After that, the sound of the inquisitorial voices seemed merged in one dreamy indeterminate hum. It conveyed to my soul the idea of revolution — perhaps from its association in fancy with the burr of a mill wheel. This only for a brief period; for presently I heard no more. Yet, for a while, I saw; but with how terrible an exaggeration! I saw the lips of the black-robed judges. They appeared to me white — whiter than the sheet upon which I trace these words — and thin even to grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of firmness — of immoveable resolution — of stern contempt of human torture. I saw that the decrees of what to me was Fate, were still issuing from those lips. I saw them writhe with a deadly locution. I saw them fashion the syllables of my name; and I shuddered because no sound succeeded. I saw, too, for a few moments of delirious horror, the soft and nearly imperceptible waving of the sable draperies which enwrapped the walls of the apartment. And then my vision fell upon the seven tall candles upon the table. At first they wore the aspect of charity, and seemed white and slender angels who would save me; but then, all at once, there came a most deadly nausea over my spirit, and I felt every fibre in my frame thrill as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic battery, while the angel forms became meaningless spectres, with heads of flame, and I saw that from them there would be no help. And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave. The thought came gently and stealthily, and it seemed long before it attained full appreciation; but just as my spirit came at length properly to feel and entertain it, the figures of the judges vanished, as if magically, from before me; the tall candles sank into nothingness; their flames went out utterly; the blackness of darkness supervened; all sensations appeared swallowed up in a mad rushing descent as of the soul into Hades. Then silence, and stillness, night were the universe. The depths of despair, a dark Ecclesiatical triumph: the incense of the Inquisition. The Pit and the Pendulum smells almost exactly like Al-Azif to me. Both have MAAAAJOR throw- like I suspect yards- and are piercingly sweet yet dark incense aromas. There's some extra note in P&P that relates it to the other Maelstrom scents (I think Beth often puts something in each one of a set of LE scents to relate them, I noticed it in Lupercalia too). However it is so very much like Al-Azi I may not keep it, plus I don't wear Al-Azif a ton anyway. I find Al-Azif a bit sweeter, and P&P a bit spicier. For me I'd give it a 3 out of 5, though if you like incense blends go for it. I just have many I prefer, and this is one I feel uncomfortable wearing in public due to how strong it is on me. Your mileage may vary, though, since my skin amps incense to all hell and sweetens it a lot too.

I'm a big fan of BPAL's melon scents. Fee, Yemaya- those are both huge favorites of mine. This has that same amazing sugared juicy melon scent to it. I also am getting a hint of bamboo, and definitely some delicious lychee. The peony is hiding, thank goodness. I am really enjoying the Rat. It will be perfect on hot days- that's when I like my melony scents the most. I find it most like Fee, really- probably that lychee-ness, though with an Asian twist beneath the melon. I like it a lot more than Fire Pig. 5 out of 5, beautiful.

This scent is amazing. Despite the simple components listed, it smells incredibly complex and luxurious on me. Though the vanilla and cream are noticeable and quite amazing, there is a certain je ne sais quois that is just deadly good. I do smell the saffron note that made Underpants so wildly delicious and unusual. This scent is like Underpants's first cousin- it is similar but yet has it's own thing going. I think it might be an almost wintergreen-like aspect, though it isn't minty... I love it, whatever it is. I would say that if I ever run out of Underpants, I could assuage my pain with Love's Philosophy. I love the label, too- very minimalist and cute! I find that this has good throw and lasts quite well. I look forward to seeing how it mellows with age, too. 5 out of 5, hoardable in fact.

Huh. I know I did intend to order this, but why I'm not recalling. Now that I re-read the notes, I realize it has osmanthus in it, my worst floral enemy. Did I think I was ordering a different blend? Did I go mad for a few minutes? Really, I just don't know. Perchance the lure of vanilla flower, honey and ginger were too much and I overlooked the osmanthusness of it all. Anyway, it actually smells better on me than I would have thought. Osmanthus normally turns to "rancid old-lady perfume" on me. Not so good. Luckily it doesn't do that in this blend, amazingly enough. It is a close to the skin honeyed quiet floral on me, with a whisper of soft ginger wafting over it all. It does have that particular sort of quiet well-balanced thing going on that a lot of the Japanese salons have, and I enjoy that a lot. I'll definitely try one or two more of them, since this should have been terrible on me and was actually pretty nice. I'd give it a 3 out of 5, it's pretty but not so me.

Dang, this is GOOD. The most gorgeous creamy edible vanilla, and cooked pears. Not crisp ripe fresh ones, definitely like pears cooked in cream. The pear smell is strongest when wet, then it backs off when dry to mostly cream and vanilla scent (a gorgeous one). I will definitely have to try it in a scent locket, I suspect the pear will last best in there, not on skin. I can't get over how truly yummy this scent is... I was expecting some sort of "oh, I kinda get pear and vanilla, if I know what I'm looking for" sort of thing, not a full-on pear and cream deliciousness. And. Is this a scent pun? Pear-ilous parlor? Cute! I'll definitely be getting another, or two. Or three. I plan to bathe in this, for sure. I can only imagine how well it will age, too.

GOD this is good on my skin. I hoped it would be, but BPAL caramel tends to go all weird on me... not always, but often enough. And white chocolate can be ungood too. So, I was sooo overjoyed that instead of smelling burnt or odd, it smelled dead sexy yet edible. It isn't uberfoody, oddly. It smells somehow more like a perfume than a baking accident (not that I mind smelling like a baking accident!) The first note that comes out is, yes, the fabulous BPAL butterypumpkin scent. But the white chocolate keeps it from smelling like straight pumpkin... I can definitely detect white chocolate. I think the pomegranate cuts through the gooeyness and may be what keeps the whole deal from smelling too bakery-ish. I would normally say I smell caramel in it, but since I know what the usual BPAL caramel smells like... I don't smell that note at all. There's no heavy, burnt note at all on me. The smell brightens a bit over time, which I think would be the pomegranate coming out more. This also has MAJOR THROW. Ohmigod. I put some on and ten feet away around a corner my husband smelled it. It also lasts like whoa too. Apply with care! I will be stocking up for the winter, for sure. My favorite of the Patch this year. 5 out of 5.

I paid a retarded amount for this. It is definitely a relative of Miskatonic U, but I like Misk U better. This has a sort of syrup base scent, not overwhelmingly sweet, then touched with coffee. There is also a sort of darkness wreathing it, too, which is neat. The cinnamon is so subtle as to be almost imaginary, which is fine. I also get a bare hint of dustiness, which I belive must be the wood. Most wood and all tobacco are usually absolutely overwhelming on me, and horrible. Yet this blend shows no evidence of vileness from either one. It is beautifully blended, for sure, all the elements work smoothly together. For some reason it remains at "mm, that's nice" rather than orgasmic, for me; I can't pinpoint exactly what it is that makes me kind of indifferent to PWFA's charm, but for some reason I am, a bit. It has a short wear-length on me, even in a scent locket. 3.5 or maybe 4 on some days, out of 5.

This blend is difficult to review. It smells dark to me, yet very sweet. There is a strong incense, or maybe resinous, undercurrent that my skin amps up as it dries. The haze of sweetness over it occassionally reminds me of Aquanet, but mostly is just hard to get a handle on. It does smell floral, though, rather than citrus or melon on me. This really is a fascinating scent, like no other BPAL I've run across. It also stays pretty close to the skin, though initially it smells strong to me. It also does a quick disappearing act. I'm really grateful to have had a chance to try it, but it isn't one I'm going to keep.

I got Selkie, because I couldn't resist it, even though it looked basically floral and possibly aquatic, neither of which are favorites. Amazingly it is beauteous on skin. My husband loved it and I got about four compliments on it during the day. It is very light smelling but it must throw more than I would guess, since other people had no trouble noticing it. Two people said it smelled very refreshing. It must be that water note. I wonder if the non ozone based water note is similar to the one in Obatala? That's another one that has a detectable water note that isn't traditionally "aquatic", which is what I get out of Selkie. Plus the florals are not really... floral. They're more like backup to the main sort of honeyed water note. Altogether quite lovely. It doesn't last very long though, which is the only drawback really. I'll go with 4.5 out of 5 on this one, and it will be fabulous on extra hot summer days undoubtedly. And, wow is the bottle art beautiful! EDIT: I'm gonna say that scent lockets were made for Selkie. My biggest gripe was that it didn't last long, and I was using a lot of it to get not a huge scent return. But, when applied to a swatch of cloth in a scent locket, it really does last all day. (Tamamo-no-Mae also benefited immensely with locket-ing, as that was another like Selkie that went *poof* after a half hour or so.)

This is such an unusual, completely unique scent. I get the icy slush notes, a faint, faint whisper of pine, and just the barest hint of buttery pie crust beneath it all. Wow! How does Beth do it? I don't wear this much, but nevertheless I appreciate how evocative it is. It is very faint on me, that's the biggest drawback. The icy note on this edges into ozone a bit, but not overwhelmingly so. I'm glad I have the bottle, but it isn't one I wear much at all. 5 out of 5, though I don't love it, it is so perfectly unusual and well crafted.

Hm. Never reviewed this one somehow. It isn't a huge favorite of mine, though I love most of Beth's snowy blends, especially in the summertime. I may try to spend some more quality time with Black Ice, though, this summer. It is evocative, for sure. It has that "dark, empty" quality that Yog Sothoth had. It also does have the icy note, but it is more ozony than in some of the other winter ones. Black Ice also lacks the sweet undertone that many of the other winter snow blends have- it is much colder as a result. The vetiver is behaving, surprisingly; it was the major reason I almost didn't order this. But it is noticeable nevertheless, just a balanced background note rather than overwhelming like it can be on my skin. 4 out of 5, it is quite evocative of black ice indeed.

This is one of those that I'm kind of at a loss as to what inspired me to order it. Maybe it was the daffodil, or the idea of sugared blossoms or something. However, I rarely do well with the "eleventy billion flowers in a bottle" types of scents. Every now and again, though, the mix is just right for me. Poisson is actually pretty nice on. There's no one major scent sticking out- it's just a lovely mishmash of FLOWERSANDMOREFLOWERS. Yet it isn't too strong, or headachy. And the daffodil, which I often loathe, is noticeable but pleasant. It is very sweet, indeed- the honey and sugaryness are probably what make the daffodil nice. This really isn't a very "me" scent, but it's way better than I expected (what was I thinking when I ordered, again?) I adore the label, too, and the name is of course great. I would say I'll wear this every now and again. The biggest drawback is that it fades really, really, really fast. 3.5 out of 5.

Hrm. I forgot to add that I ended up with the mate to my original Snake Oil Experimental Blend #1... it is from the same person, who must be a forum member but I dunno who; the second one is Snake Oil Experimental Blend #2. My original impression was "wow, Snake Oil smoothed out with something fruity". Then Madame Moriarty came out. My SN#2 is so much like it, I would say it was a prototype or something. It is like Mme Moriarty mixed with Snake Oil, and I love it. I would say the fruitiness therefore must be plum. I've been jealously hoarding both bottles but yum. I love them both.

Wow, this almost is one of Beth's uberheavy foody scents on me. While I adore 90% of her foody blends to the point of silliness, there is the occasional one that's too heavy for me: Sugar Skull. Gluttony. Cockaigne. Crumpet Rebellion is ALMOST there. Almost. It smells swoony in the bottle. Tart currants, crumbly buttered scone, oh my. Then it spends a half hour being almost overwhelming on my skin. A friend sniffed it and said "I like it in the bottle better." Yes. Then it chills out after a time, and smells more like how it did in the bottle- delectable. Clearly I need a scent locket to do this blend justice. I adore the latter drydown, though. I just don't love the half hour to an hour of too-heavy-to-take. EDITED TO ADD: It's a little better in a scent locket. But it still is edging into the 'too much' zone, and is one of those blends that can make me feel a little queasy. The good news is that I may never, ever need to re-wet the swatch I have it on. I save the fabric I load with oils in wee plastic baggies and Crumpet Rebellion has stayed full-on stinky for a month so far- just broke it out and put it in my locket, and it is still really, really strong. If you adore this and only have an imp, get a scent locket! You will never use your imp up!

Dagnabbit. This is the nonexistant scent. Like Silence on me, it isn't there. I smell something faintly, faintly floral in the bottle, and applied it there is a bare, bare hint of soft floral, then 5 minutes later nothing whatsoever Wow. This is the amazing undetectable BPAL. I really had to try something with monkey flower and cream and honey in it. Oh well. Um, I'm gonna have to go with a 1 out of 5, for not existing really.

I'm not really getting a common scent from this vs. the first blend. They smell like totally different perfumes. Which is fine, but I expected some commonality from so many repeat ingredients. It makes me wonder what the original Blue Moon smelled like brand new... perhaps different than it does now? Anyway, judging this on it's own merits, it's a really interesting scent. Light, airy, and very soft. It doesn't seem blue to me, really. More green. It isn't woody... it isn't floral... it isn't aquatic. I'm having a really tough time nailing down any particular notes. It just smells faintly sweet/green to me. It is of short duration and very light throw. I'll update this if I can add anything more useful but frankly I'm just kind of stuck going "um, nice?" 4 out of 5.

Mmmm. Nice! This indeed as has been repeatedly mentioned, has a HGM flavor (and I should mention that HGM is a scent I still wear obsessively). But different. It is creamier, lighter and fluffier. No citrus, no ginger. Yet it still is reminiscent of HGM, somehow... must be the rice milk or something. Like a sister scent to HGM, it is related but entirely it's own thing. This blend also smells somewhat vanilla-y too. It is unfortunately REALLY faint on me. But it smells awesome. Need more! Slathering is in this blend's future. This is indeed a masterpiece of Beth's. It really is just perfectly blended. 5 out of 5, for sure. EDIT: OK. I am going to say that my Carnaval Diabolique phoenix design scent locket is not a silly extravagance after all. This little bugger is going to save me from having to douse myself in some of my favorite faint, but delicious, stinkies... and also the too-precious-to-waste ones. Both of which fit TNM. It fades in about a half hour on my skin, and has a fairly low throw. Put her in a scent locket though, and the scent lasts... well, for a really long time. I've worn the same TNM saturated swatch at least three days, on and off, and it keeps on stinking. Wow! It also makes the scent throw much better. (Selkie, which I had a similar experience with, also does the same thing in a scent locket... and the ones that are powerful, like say Storyville, or Crumpet Rebellion, I will never need to put on my skin ever again- just save the swatch in a baggie, and reuse forever.)

I also get jasmine, with an aquatic note behind. The jasmine goes on painfully strong, then ebbs to a soapy sort of ozone-y thing, with jasmine floating on top. I wonder if this is related to BiggerCritters jasmine; while it doesn't play as well with me, it smells somewhat similar to me. But my nose is definitely thinking jasmine. Interesting, but not so very me. Too floral, and this behaves in a way that I'm more familiar with as far as jasmine goes- that is, being difficult for me to take. (It had almost converted me with BiggerCritters and Unheavenly City.) I adore the label though.

Oh my, my. This is incredibly gorgeous. It is somewhat like BiggerCritters in that, it is a floralbutnot. I get lots of sweet swoony goodness... vanilla? cream accord? caramel accord? To me it smells most like a wondrous vanilla or cream, mostly; the caramel is usually a heavier note to my nose. I cannot frigging BELIEVE that it has jasmine, magnolia and gardenia in it. Those are usually sheer hell on my skin (with the other exception of BiggerCritters, and Lydia a bit)... I would have guessed less aggressive, heady flowers, maybe light rose and moonflower. I may be a convert though, I love this scent. The red musk sure is in visible evidence- bright red oil!- but it is subtle on my skin. I think my skin is picking out the foody notes and they're taming the florals. The florals are indeed there a bit but they're GOOD. I would say this smells mostly like sugared, vanilla-ed soft, soft flowers... truly beautiful ones. I also get a hint of "rain" or something, not ozony but almost like a hint of what some other perfume oil places call rain musk or china rain or something... maybe it's just that this blend is light and airy in feel, not heavy and deep. It does kind of fade fast, but it might deepen. This is such an awesome blend. I am so, so giddy that I was able to get it. I am bummed that I ruined the label like a dork on the way back, but I'll live. Dratted leaky imp. (Thought it was Lydia at first, but no.) 5 out of 5, hoardable. Likely to be a coveted one (though it sounds like Crumpets might be more so.)

This is such an interesting scent. It goes on all chilly, dark and in some way sort of sweet on me... it isn't masculine at all. It is not really aquatic on me either. The initial phase is just fricking gorgeous... subtle, intriguing, and very complex. And dark. The label fits well. Then, it dries. This sharp odor overtakes all the goodness, and it becomes pungent and weird. It gets more so over time, and it smells like an entirely different scent than the first opening notes smelled like. Unfortunately. I'm guessing it's wood or stone that's coming out and kicking the subtle, sweet, dark scent's butt. I'm not giving up so easily though. I'll try it a few more times, or possibly finally get a scent locket, as I'd find it totally worth it to get that initial phase to last longer. It really is unusual and gorgeous, until it all goes wrong. I'm not gonna rate it, I just can't- I think it's my skin chemistry causing weirdness.

On me this is 90% bitter sharp herb, 10% dry cocoa. Not really enjoying the effect, unfortunately. I absolutely adore the '06 blend, and like the '05 a lot. But this is a total strikeout on me. Oh well; the monster bait goodness made up for the disappointment in this blend. I put some on my mom, and it morphed into a totally different scent on her after about a half hour; on her the bittersharp herbal thing backed way, way off and it became something pretty and interesting. On me, not so much. I can see this is going to be a very individual thing. 2 out of 5; I may give it to my mom. If it smelled on me like it does on her, I'd be all over it.

This is so freaking good. I was a bit worried about the cherry, but as it turned out, it's one of the best blends ever for me. It smells like a version of Closet on me; similar cakiness beneath, with berries over. I don't get cherry though, just a general sweetfruit. Perhaps strawberry? The creaminess is very noticeable, too, which I adore. The powder sugar is not a note I can pin down. But I just adore this blend, for sure... the bottle art too! Best bottle art ever! This, and Closet, are my very favorite MB blends, with Underpants and Tokyo Stomp as very close runners-up. It just has this amazing deep sweet scent that is definitely creamy but is also elegant- its the sort of scent enjoy the most. I love the fruit as leavening to the creaminess of it; I also like that it isn't cherry on me. It evolves as I wear it... the fruit gets even less noticeable and it morphs into just a delightful sweetness with no really sharp notes to it, very smooth... it also deepens. 5 out of 5, hoardable.