cuervosueno

This sounded delicious, esp. with the smoked ginger and carnation, so I ordered it right away.

It isn't like I expected it to be, but my review will be similiar to Spanish Violet's. This is an earthy scent that seems very appropriate to the artwork.

In the bottle: I wondered if I'd made a mistake. This is earthy--I can smell vetiver and patchouli--but it is also quite sharp and astringent. I also thought eucalyptus, and that's before I read the review.

Wet: The sharpness disappears on the skin, thankfully, and I get vetiver and patchouli and something green beneath that. It has incredible throw--it is completely overwhelming the scent on my other wrist. The patchouli in this is quite dark, and perhaps a bit sharp? Maybe that is the green edge? At this stage it is all earthy--with almost a dirt note plus the patchouli. This is very masculine and sharp. At this stage I'm still wondering if I will keep the bottle.

Dry: It really settles down nicely. The vetiver and patchouli settle down and I get a bit of the musk, so it because a dark earthy scent, but earthy in the best way (not like dirt!). As these notes fade a bit, I get just a hint of spice, which could be either the carnation or the ginger. If I press my nose very close to my wrist the ginger comes out more, and it is smoky, but this is a fairly hard to detect note on me.

Final verdict: I like it. I wish the carnation and ginger were stronger, but I still like this scent quite a bit. And it bears more testing before I decide if I'll keep the entire bottle or not, but it is good, and suits the art well.

eta: a couple hours later, the initial notes have faded and the smoked ginger is in evidence. I love the way these salon scents change, and I real love how this blends turns out to be a soft spice on me. Very nice!

I also read Sarada's review below, and noted the comparison to malediction, which, fortuitously was a frimp in the same package. So I compared them and totally agree--these are absolutely the same family of scents, but He-goat is softer, sweeter, not as stern. I'm not crazy about malediction, but love He-goat.

I'm first! So exciting, and so much pressure.... (eta: ok, I thought I was first but littlegreykitten beat me to it. Still, I had the excitement of thinking I was first!)

I love vanilla and carnation and patchouli, so this was a natural for me, though I couldn't quite figure out how they would all fit together.

And I'm afraid I still can't, because as lovely as this is on me, it is absolutely overwhelmed by the vanilla and caramel.

In the bottle: straight up sweet caramel, but if I keep sniffing, I get just a hint of floral from the carnation, and just a touch of patchouli--think Samhain here. But everything is pretty overwhelmed by the caramel.

On my skin: Still caramel, with the very faintest spicy floral beneath it (ie. carnation). After a bit, the carnation gets a bit stronger, and some of creamy caramel scent lightens up--but then there is that vanilla. I don't really get anything else.

I like this, but it is very much a gourmand scent on me, and mostly caramel/vanilla. I would have been more pleased had some of the other notes made an appearance.

I'll try this again, and add to this post if I note any changes, but right now, this is a foody-scent lover's delight, but probably not so appealing for those who don't like these type of scents.

I can't quite connect it with the artwork....unless this Devil tempts through candy!

eta: after a couple of hours, the caramel fades down enough that the carnation is in evidence. I do always enjoy the way the Salon scents morph. And this stage makes me think I might keep the bottle after all...

While the vast majority of our voodoo blends are perfectly aligned with their traditional use, Bat's Blood has been altered slightly. The current incarnation can be used for the same nefarious purposes, but it is not limited -- much in the way that the traditional Black Cat formula possesses a dual nature. Though true voudoun Bat's Blood is dominantly Saturnian, I have tweaked our version of Bat's Blood towards a Mars-Mercury. It is still appropriate for use with its original intent, but when worn as a perfume, the effect is akin to a darker, more intense High John the Conqueror. In addition, it can still be used in magickal formulations where literal bat's blood is required.

For those of you who habitually throw curses and would like a stronger, darker Bat's Blood, simply adding an infusion of 1:1 vetiver and dragon's blood to the oil will restore it to its snarkier state.

Bat's Blood was added to our catalogue after numerous requests. For the safety and sanity of our client base, I did so, but elected to modify the formula. Mea culpa.

I managed to swap for an imp of this since I wanted to compare it with Lick It Again.

Now why did I have to do that? Because now, of course, I'm craving this blend....

At first, they seem almost the same. In the imp, this is a bit sweeter and less sharp peppermint than the 06 version. It is more than just candy cane (as I find Lick It again to be) and more creamy peppermint.

When they are wet, I have a hard time telling the difference, though this definitely has more vanilla.

but it is when they dry that the difference appears to me. Lick It is gorgeous peppermint and the smoothest, sweetest vanilla ever. Gorgeous vanilla cream, like the filling of a really divine chocolate, except for instead of chocolate it has a wee bit of peppermint crushed on it. I ADORE THIS!

And because I wanted these blends mostly for the vanilla, of course I find Lick It, with it's much stronger, creamier vanilla, to be much superior to 06's Lick It Again.

And this lasts and lasts, while LIA fades fairly quickly.

Well, my imp is a year old. Perhaps LIA will age to this gorgeous vanilla? I can only hope.

In the meantime, I'm kicking myself for not getting this when it was available. Just goes to show you never know--I remember thinking now why would I want to smell like a candy cane? What did I know?

I ordered the "other" moon, Brian's creation, sure I would like it. And it was ok, but not a keeper.

I was sure I wouldn't like this moon--all those florals?

But the last two reviews convinced me it might be worth trying. I don't usually like florals, but I do like jasmine, so who knows?

So I swapped for an imp. And I like it. Not enough to hunt down a bottle, but I do like it.

In the imp it is pure sweet floral. What I smell most is jasmine, of course, but it is a softer type of jasmine than some of the other blends I like. I also get a soft pear, which is a note I'm discovering I'm fond of. (See, even after 2+ years, BPAL can surprise me). It's a heady, intoxicating floral that I find quite enjoyable.

After a couple of hours, I do get just a hint of cucumber. I'm not crazy about cucumber as a note (I may be the only person who disliked Blue Moon), so I'm glad it is not too heavy. I also get a soft skin musk, which I'm also not crazy about. (i like my musks heavy and robust).

So the verdict is I like it at first, less as it lingers. It does last quite awhile, though the throw is not strong.

In the early stages, it reminds me a bit of Ava Luxe's Venus Sands, but I like Venus Sands better, so I guess I don't need more of this.

It's hard to imagine I can say anything that hasn't already been said, but.....

Dark rich chocolate in the imp. Not so much dark chocolate as fudge brownies. Very rich, very nice.

After it dries, though, something wierd happens. Is it kind of plastic-like? Or is it like Sophia Helix said....something is channeled in it? Either way, I REALLY wanted it off me too, and I'm not sure why because certainly other BPAL scents have been worse on my skin.

But I was going out the door so I left it on, though I was bothered by the rather strong throw.

After about an hour, I thought what is that gorgeous scent? It was Candy Butcher. It had morphed into a brilliant cakey vanilla, with just a hint of chocolate.

I really like the vanilla phase, but the in between one....ugh. Glad I only have an imp, which I probably will use up.

In the imp: bitterness of a real poppy....you know how they have an pungent not-entirely-pleasant smell? I really can see the paperthin red petals of a poppy, though I'm imagining California poppies, since I dont really know what an opium poppy looks like.

On the bitterness is gone and it is overwhelming opium, but not the rich spicy kind I enjoy. this is probably the most "commercial perfume" of any BPAL scent I've tried. It almost smells like it has alchohol in it even though I know it doesn't.

Not for me. I think I might need to wash it off.

A fragrance that stargazer lily doesn't outright ruin for me? Wow.

 

This is so pretty! A warm, pale golden scent with sweet vanilla. Kind of what I hoped Three Brides would be (which turned too floral on me). The stargazer lily does emerge on the drydown, but it doesn't conquer the whole scent or turn cloying.

 

To me, this is a cross between Jacob's Ladder and Ava Luxe's Love's True Bluish Light (a white musk, vanilla, amber, and milk scent). I would buy a bottle of this if I didn't already have bottles of those two. However, I'll definitely get this when I run out of JL.

I feel like i'm cheating here on my review, but I do want to agree with what Nineveh said--this is golden floral with vanilla. And I completely agree that is is like a combo of Jacob's Ladder and Love's True Bluish Light....preferable to me than the latter, because that turned wierd on me--the skin musk went funky, and this doesn't.

For me it is mostly vanilla and lily and musk. Nice, but I don't need a bottle.

This is lovely. I expected dragons' blood and heavy spice, but that is not it at all.

Like YeahbutNo noted, in the imp this is sweet sugar plum. Very nice, and surprising.

When I got it on, the plum and berry notes stood out, but there was spice there too, which I enjoyed. I suppose that is the opium or the spice of the gardenia. But in just a moment, the flowers just bloomed, and they are much truer to life than I expected. I smell spicy gardenia and the sweetness of lilac, (but no roses, thankfully), and over all of that a faint scent of plum and opium.

I don't know if I'll need a bottle, but I'm keeping the imp for sure, for moments when I want to feel fresh and floral.

ps. while this smells great, it tastes awful. I accidently got some in my mouth!

I passed this right over--never even thought about buying it--but then got a frimp. Which I was sure wouldn't work.

But when I opened the bottle....hey, now! What is that?!

this is a lovely very resiny amber scent, made richer by what I assume is pomegranite, thought that is a note I usually don't enjoy. This is golden, light, sophisticated, which a touch of something fruity underneath. Imagine a golden pomegranite, shining in the sunlight.

I don't know how much I'll wear this, but it is lovely, if a bit more perfumy than i usually like.

Note to self: the only wine/grape blend I like is Urd, probably because that quickly becomes overshadowed with other stronger scents.

This is all honeyed grapes on me, which unfortunately smell like grape jolly ranchers.

Not good.

I must have purchased this imp for the ambergris, because I can't see why else I would have wanted it.

In the imp and wet: it smells like a wet dog.

On at first: yikes! oakmoss! I know there is no oakmoss in here, but that is what it smell overwhelming like.

Drydown: finally it becomes astonishing--a sweet floral, of the tobacco floral/gardenia variety.

What a morpher!

Still, I don't like it enough to keep it.

While I agree with most of the previous reviews, I have to admit I still expected this would smell more like flowers and less like food.

But it doesn't.

Red Velvet cake is right on. Chocolate and something sweet....there is a slight floral to it, but it is mostly foody to me. There is also a hint of wine or sherry or something like that.

Interesting, and certainly would be a good Valentine's Day scent, but it's not me.

Bright pine, and yes, I agree that it is comparable to Snow Bunny, Snow Moon, et. al.

Still, after the intial sharpness of the pine, it becomes a fuller green pine....and I do see the comparisons to Dublin, etc.

It's nice enough but not me.

So I pretty much hate dirt/earth scents. But I got this as frimp and felt I must try it, even though in the imp it is all dirt, which smells like beets, which I hate.

So funny thing....while I don't like this, I don't hate it. there is something interesting about the scent which is all clean potting soil with an unexpected sweetness. That sweetness is a floral of some sort, and what this smells like is a play on the title, rather than a real mushroom scent--it's like earth with something that suggests mushrooms, but also a sweet ethereal scent that is the angel part.

I won't keep it, but glad I got to try it.

Glasya, resurrected.

I tried this once at an Albuquerque Sniff-a-thon, and loved it, but because it was discontinued, I never got more. I had no idea what was in it, but remembered it as sultry, sexy, gorgeous.

Which it still is.

So I was excited when it was resurrected. but imagine my surprise when I read the notes! Rose? The evil rose? And civet? Civet isn't awful on me, but it is quite....strong. Sometimes red musk goes a bit out of control on me too. But I ordered anyway, thinking the worst that can happen is that it will be like Love Me or some of the other Voodoo blends which are just too strong.

It was the first bottle I opened in my package today, and in the bottle it didn't smell all that promising. A hint of dragon's blood, more than a hint of rose, and something musky. Even on, its a bit worrisome at first, because I get the rose right away, but it so nicely tempered by the musk that I don't mind it, though I'm not crazy about it at this stage.

After a bit, it is powdery rose, and this rose-hater actually likes it, because it reminds me a bit of a perfume I used to wear a very long time ago called Ombre Rose, which was a musky, powdery, floral.

Eventually, I get all the musk and spice of patchouli, and the civet plays nice. Really, after the rose fades a bit, it is very difficult for me to pick out notes: what this smells like is a very sexy animalistic perfume that complex and well-blended. It smells like red velvet to me, or like a very sexy woman wearing blood-red velvet dress. You know that at some late hour she will turn feral, return to her animal form--fox or wolf or mountain lion--and disappear across the moonlit snow.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to get a bottle.

eta: this is a scent that will surprise you. Even if you think you hate some of the notes: rose, or patchouli, or civet, or dragon's blood, you might want to try it anyway, because no single note really stands out, but it all blends magically.

I got an imp of this as a frimp in a recent swap, and I was so delighted to try it since I have a bottle on the way.

At first it has a lovely fruity smell that I can't quite identify but it is quite nice. It doesn't come off as almonds or apples, but a kind of fruit melange with the sharpness of pine. It almost reminds me of the first scent that hits you when break the needles of ponderosa pines: almost pineapple-like with the regular pine scent.

though almond usually amps on my skin, in this case, the pine trumps that, so what comes after is mostly a heavy pine and slush note, very similiar to other Yule blends (like Snow Moon, etc) but different enough to be interesting. I was beginning to miss the slushy pine notes in the Yule blends I've tried so far, so this was very welcome to me.

After its been on awhile, the pine is tempered with just a bit of sweet wood.

Overall, it remains pretty sharp-pine, so I'm not sure I'll want a whole bottle (I still have lots of Yule blends like this from previous years!) but we'll see when I get it.

eta: now I have my bottle and have worn it a couple of times and LOVE it. It does have the pine/slush I noted, but when that fades I get the most gloriously light fruit scent...I can't explain it. It isn't like wood and isn't like fruit and isn't like flowers, but is something gorgeous in and of itself. I really really like it.

For some reason, I never bought any of the previous Lick Its. Perhaps I wasn't in a mint phase then, because I have a vague memory of thinking why would I want to smell like a candy cane when I don't even like candy canes?

Was I a fool or what?

Before I swapped for a decant of this, I went back through my "special" imps and found 1/2 an imp of SnowBlind, and fell in love with its glorious butter mint scent. I thought why, oh why don't I have more of this? What I was craving mint and vanilla.

some reviews here have found Lick It Again not quite as sweet and vanilla-esque as earlier years, but I guess I'm a lucky one: my skin amps vanilla anyway, so I found just want I wanted in it Lick It Again. At first it is sharp peppermint--almost overwhelming, but on the skin it quickly turns sweet--just like a candy cane. What I like best though, is on me the peppermint fades quickly (within 1/2 hour) and I'm left with a soft whisper of mint and sweet vanilla candy goodness.

and it lasts on me for quite a long time. Apparently last night I got a bit on the t-shirt I was wearing, because when I picked it up this morning, I thought, my god, what is that gorgeous scent? Yes, it was Lick it Again.

So my final opinion--It's not Snowblind but its still pretty damn good.

Ok, I'm going to post a review though i suspect I will have to redo it, because while reviewing Samhainphobia, I discovered my sense of smell is wildly off due to my cold/flu whatever it is I have.

But that said.....Winter of Our Discontent smells nothing like I imagined it to. It smells.....blue. Slightly aquatic, but more like blue shadows on snow. There's a little spice in that blue. then I get the rosewood which smells kind of like sawdust on roses, which is wierd, because that's not what rosewood usually smells like to me.

I'll report back when i can smell things better....

Recovered nose report: Hmm...this is a complex scent and I'm having a hard time getting a grip on it. Most of the above review still stands, though I get less sawdust then I did when I was sick. It is still slightly aquatic on me. Overall, interesting, but not me.

Huh. Interesting what differences in skin chemistry do.

I don't get much vetiver from this--and while I love vetiver at times, sometimes it is too masculine/aftershave-like for me. But I don't get at it all in this.

I do get patchouli, but mostly this is like the daytime version of Samhain to me. (When i was thinking of writing this review, I thought someone else had said that, but then I kept reading that it was the darker side of samhain, so perhaps I made that up?)

I think this is gorgeous, but on me it is lighter and sweeter than Samhain. I thought of it as Samhain with something...minty? Then I realized that wasn't right. Something like wintergreen? No. When I finally read the description I realized what I was smelling was the balsam.

I like it, but don't think I need more than an imp since it is SO similiar to Samhain on me and I have two bottles of that still (04 and 05).

But I decided to test it next to Samhain and horror of horrors, I thought something had gone terribly wrong with my Samhain 05. where was the lovely dark patchouli and spice and appley-pumpkiny goodness I remember? This smells like wierd plastic! I rushed to try 04, wondering if somehow 05 just hadn't aged well. No, it smelled exactly the same!

Then I realized what the problem is. i'm sick. I have a terrible cold (no stuffed up nose but all the other stuff, including a fever). Um....my sense of smell is probably terribly off, because both my Samhains smelled fine two weeks ago.

guess I better give Samhainphobia a try when I recover.

eta: a more healthy nose gives this a more expected scent. first, my Samhains are fine--they smell just like they usually do. Second, this IS a darker version of Samhain. Now that I'm not so sick, I can smell the vetiver. It doesn't come out at first, but when it does, it adds the expected dark note of vetiver, which I enjoy.

So I like this, but its very close to Samhain---plus vetiver--so I don't suppose I'll get more.

I wanted this to smell like Tarot: the Sun (although I'm not sure why, since I have a bottle of that!)

It does not.

I get a kind of laundry soapy note too. Something that is like citrus, but not quite. Then something slightly resiny. It is kind of like a soft orange blossom (if such a thing isn't a contradiction in terms).

It fades very very fast on me.

It's underwhelming on me, so I'm glad I only got an imp.

this is interesting, and I'll have to try it a few more times before I decide what I think of it.

It does remind me of Nuclear Winter a bit, though I may favor the stronger mint of the earlier blend.

In the bottle, this is a cool blue aquatic (not literally blue, but a soft pastel blue scent). there's also something slightly green in it.

On, I get that a bit fainter, along with a nice, soft mint. Very soft, like just a hint of a one of those pastel butter mint candies that has been left in a pocket or something, and you get a hint of the scent. It is cool, and pretty and soft, and I could see it as a summer scent.

I don't get any of the usual BPAL slushy notes, though.

I suspect won't keep this, but I'll wear it a couple more times to see. I've been craving a nice vanilla mint (a la Snowblind) and this isn't it....But it may grow on me. We'll see.

Final verdict: Nuclear Winter Lite. Off it goes.

Damn, this is my third DDLM review, since I've tried all three blends!

And the first is still best.

I almost gave this version (06) a miss since 05 was such a grave disappointment, but some reviews comparing it to 04 convinced me to try it.

In the bottle it is an incense-floral that almost makes me sneeze. I do get a hint of something I remember from 04, but it is missing the heavy burnt sugar note I love about 04.

On me, it is a perfumy floral. Its not bad, but not what I longed for. I do like it more than 05, but I'm really wishing for the grains or chocolate and tobacco and I'm not getting them.

I put on 04 nearby for comparison. O4 has a very faint hint of the florals in 06, but is mostly heavy dark sugar one me. 06 is missing this.

Originally in 04, I'd wondered if I'd gotten sugar skull in a mislabled bottle, because mine smelled so heavily of sugar. I even emailed the lab about it which I blush to admit now since I was such a newbie I probably just didn't know the notes.

But now I have to wonder again. Has my search for the perfect DDLM been really a search for Sugar Skull? I never tried Sugar Skull 04, though I tried 05 and it wasn't the same as my beloved DDLM 04.

Well, who knows. but as for 06, this is nice, but not quite what I was longing for.

eta: now that some of the lovely burnt sugar of 04 has faded, I see that the scent beneath that--the floral part--is VERY similiar to the overall scent of 06. I see why some people said they are close now. But the part that is different is that very strong sugar in 04 which is my favorite part....sigh.

Guess I better try some sugar skull and see if I can layer up something similiar to 04...

Oh Fox Woman, you've broken my heart as well as those of the children you left behind.

This is one of my favorite pieces of art, so I was poised to buy it just for that alone. I read the early reviews: Jasmine Tea! count me in--what a gorgeous scent that would be!

I was leer of the wisteria (a scent, like rose, which I enjoy muchly in the flowers but not at all in perfume) but bought a decant from Yeahbutno....

Ack! Fox-woman, why why why do you smell so much of wisteria or lilac or something (perhaps its the cherry blossom)? On me, there is not jasmine (a note I love) and no tea. I smell like lilac soap or some such thing. Like some fancy little guest soaps a grandmother might have in her bathroom.

No foxy musk. No black tea with jasmine flowers. Nothing remotely fox-woman-esque.

So sad. But I'm glad I didn't buy a bottle!