omphaloskeptic

preconceived notions: after Ezekiel sort of failing me, i was curious to try this one… simple blends are often major winners for me, & i do love me some blood musk! i also love vetiver (not sure i’ve met a vetiver i don’t like, in fact) so i have high hopes for this one wet: YUSSSS its beautiful! simple & elegant & definitely my cherished Sanguineum Menstruum blood musk, & it’s got a really sophisticated perfume-y vetiver to play against… this is smooth & gorgeous & i am SUPER glad it’s still in stock ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ since i have multiple bottles of SM i can’t justify multiples of this too, but i am pretty sure i will get a bottle just to have a less-sweet alternative to SM (& so i can save that one for TTOTM since that’s when it really shines on me) 5mins: oh beth, even just two notes make me swoon, you are a true scent witch! this is SM w/out the honeycomb of the dying bees, & w/out the floral poppy, the vetiver adds depth & interest to the already intriguing blood musk & i’m sooooo all about this pretty sure if the lab ever released this blood musk as a SN i would just give them my bank account #s & take every drop they’ve got ❤️ 10mins: i would roll in this if i could it’s perfect & i love it!! drydown: ~90mins into wear this is a wonderful musk lurking close to my skin, & its just as delectable out of my FS bottle as it was out of my decant ❤️

The Thales Eclipse (Great American Eclipse/LE ’17) preconceived notions: this one has champaca which is always a NOPE for me b/c of my partner’s “that smells like grandma” associations but the rest of it sounded SO tempting that i had to try… plus i am mildly fixated on the lab’s castoreum accord so i wanted another blend that had it wet: …uuuuuhm, this smells like a dirty bathroom GOD DAMNIT OUDH! on me it smells like a champaca-scented bathroom *sigh* oh, FFS, i was having such a better run of luck w/ the oudh notes until this. i keep going back trying to sniff deeply enough to get any of the other notes (i was really hoping for head-to-head red amber comparisons since i’m testing “The Sun in Anger swore” on my other hand) but every whiff just highlights the dirty litterbox stank there’s no way i can finish out a usual skin test on this, its flat out GROSS on me. nope nope nope… man how i envy people whose skin chemistry doesn’t do this w/ oudh don’t let my review scare you away folks, this is a known issue w/ my skin vs certain varieties of oudh… i should know better by now but i often play oudh roulette b/c if it DOES work it can be really gorgeous! i suspect on someone else this would be a truly fantastic blend.

The Sun Has Perished (Great American Eclipse/LE ’17) preconceived notions: asphodel is a total wildcard for me & white florals are not a category i do well w/, but the rest of the notes sounded gorgeous so it was worth trying a decant. it’s also TTOTM so my chemistry isn’t entirely normal right now... wet: FLOWERS OH LORDY FLOWERS… somehow i thought “wilted” would be less intense, it seems i was wrong :/ i think i can discern a hint of myrrh in the background bust mostly my nose is being assaulted by a bundle of past-their-prime white flowers. 5mins: huh, ok, the smoke is peeking out & the resins are warming up so that this gains complexity. the floral is starting to shift into something more appealing, its got similarities to plumera & even a smidge of gardenia, but there’s still something sliiiiiiiightly soapy about it. drydown: 30mins into wear i understand the reviewer who said this was pleasant smelling damp soil! its confusing but there… deeper sniffs bring out the resins but overall this is simple & a bit too floral for me. worth trying, but not one that will be a keeper.

All Ruinous Disorders (Great American Eclipse/LE ’17) preconceived notions: oudh roulette (it can be AWFUL on me at times) but smoked that’s the biggest risk out of these notes for me, thought the ti leaf & scorched thistle could potentially go weird on my fickle skin. the other notes sounded like they had potential though, so i went w/ a decant. it’s also TTOTM so my chemistry isn’t entirely normal right now... wet: cool, green herbaciousness w/ a slight edge from the bergamot… something in here is giving me a mild aftershave vibe, & the honeyed aspect of the saffron is definitely there. i don’t get anything smokey or scorched yet 5mins: aha, THERE are the smokey notes! & the leather, too… i’m relieved to report the oudh isn’t the dreaded funky sort, though i think it is lending some grounding to the earthy-despite-honeying saffron. this smells less & less like aftershave, & the green notes are burning off too so it must have been one of those causing that association. drydown: half an hour into wear this is slightly perfumey bergamot grounded by woods & leather… nice enough that i might try it on the hubby, but a little too green & aftershave-y for my tastes so if he’s not into it this will probably get sent along to a new home.

anyone familiar w/ the "Nature's Gate" herbal conditioner? i loved the smell since high school, if i could find a BPAL that was similar i'd be overjoyed! the product info can be found here, but i'm not sure how much help it is when they also list "fragrance": http://natures-gate.com/Shop/item?Category=233&Product=42100052