Eemia

Very minimal and soft. It's beautifully understated, but with a lift that keep the musk from being too sensual. I thought there'd be a strong vanilla note in here, along with a gourmand sweetness, but neither makes a presence. There's a faint tang or brightening effect from the rice wine that smells very clean and pure, but it fades fast. Then it's a blurry combination of extremely light and gauzy sandalwood and musk. Sits on my skin like an Eau de Toilette spray, so I can slather and not offend anyone. This is so pretty in an unassuming way. Love it. <3

I was hoping this would turn out to be the embodiment of all of my favorite snow notes from Snow White, Snow Maiden, Snow Bunny, and Pink Snowballs. I'm drawn to the powdery, sweet, vanilla-laced versions of snow. The ones that have the crisp, translucent quality that reads as cold and ice. But this one turns out to be much more temperamental with my skin. In the bottle this is strongly medicinal and sharp. Less sickly than cough syrup but hovering within that scent memory nonetheless. I still have a deep seated aversion to liquid cough medicines left over from childhood and this doesn't bode well. But the sharpness in it screams cold and green so I plunged onward. Almost immediately it loses that medicinal/chemical/liquor mixture of scent that had me cringing. It's high pitched and cold with a nameless green. Something about it reminds me of breathing the air at night when it's brittle with cold. Your nose is numb at the tip, inhaling borders on painful, and every smell has a thread of similarity. I don't think this is something that would be in constant rotation if it only ever stayed in this stage, so luckily it morphs into something more along the lines of the soft snow fragrance I was craving. A thin, powdery snow, tinged with sweetness, emerges after a good amount of time. It's more relaxed and familiar now, and it smells better on my skin. This is the point where it finally seems like a snow scent to me. And then there's an odd addition of something else... there's no vanilla that I can make out, but it does have a gourmand quality that reminds me of malt balls or nougat. It's not front and center, or even that noticeable at all, but I can pick it out when I really try. I don't think I'll be wearing it as often as my other snow fragrances only because it takes so long to fade into something that works for me.

This is a really glossy scent. It's artificially sweet in the best possible way. The fruit notes are almost generic... I wouldn't have guessed plum at all if I had done a blind skin test. I can see how others are getting a hard candy/Jolly Rancher feeling from this one. The lightness is like a body splash or a very superficial cologne. Later on it does a little pirouette and turns into a delicious creamy vanilla musk. I loved it from the first smell out of the bottle and it's become one of my favorites from this years Yules.

I get a melancholy feeling from this one. I reach for it when I just want to wallow in my own moodiness for awhile. It's very misty, with the sheerest layers of florals and greenery. Only just enough moistness to suspend it in the air, nothing boggy or murky. It has an earthiness that reminds of me of some of the grave loam notes I love in other blends, but less tactile. More of an ethereal variation. This is gossamer light. It never sweetens or develops a bright tone. It stays thin and fine until it just disappears. Very quiet and beautiful.

This seemed almost like ozone at first. It's very high pitched and flashy, like a sharp metallic note. Makes my tongue curl behind my teeth. I didn't get any impressions of tea until much later. There's a watery green note that's brightly astringent. Green notes usually feel warm, innocent, and calming to me, but something about this is very cold and cagey. I do get some glimpses of violet when its completely settled and starting to fade. The entire wear length still reminds me of a white metal, like hammered silver leaf. It doesn't linger all day on my skin, and it's strength seems to disappear after a couple of hours. When I wear this I don't feel very connected to it, so I've set it aside for now.

Such a happy scent. Apples and insanely sweet candy. Seeing all the packages of candy corn start appearing in stores triggers my Autumn mode. I love the colors and how decadent those candy corns are... I used to be SO addicted to them when I was little. This is much more appley than sugary in the beginning. A little sour, almost enough so to get that weird feeling behind my jawbone that accompanies super sour tastes. Very tart and fresh like others have mentioned. Then it becomes all candy and sticky, melting vanilla. Just overboard, cloying sweetness with a teeny, tiny bit of fruitiness. I don't notice any spice from the cinnamon, only the candy fragrance. It's so much like those packaged candies: candy corn, those tiny pumpkin shaped candies, all of the bright colored solid/ sugary cremes. This stays delicious all day! I kinda want to use it in an oil burner but I'd rather save this one for wearing.

This is familiar but it's hard to describe. I'm not even sure why it's familiar. It's kind of a sweet, dry, chocolate incense with a bit of green. Fruit-green rather than a fresh or grassy green. At first there's a strong spicy sensation. I was on the verge of sneezing when I first put this on. It took me several attempts to like it because it even seemed like there was a food type heat happening. My skin didn't react or show any sensitivity though. So definitely all in my head. It's one I'll crave more and more as it gets colder because of that spicy-heat. It's much more smooth when it's drying down. More of a spicy vanilla with that same incredibly dry incense. Like smelling incense smoke while sitting on a sandbank. Very sweet still. I can never make out any of the tequila, but I probably wouldn't be able to detect it too well anyway since tequila is my ass-on-the-floor drink. I never drink it, so I can't recognize it much. No booze or liquor notes are showing up to my nose even though my boyfriend swears he can smell it. And for all this, it's somehow very light. Nothing too heady or rich. It stays put for hours but it doesn't amp very on my skin. I was on the fence about this for awhile just because it was hard to get used to it. Instead, I wanted to smell it all day long on someone else's skin. But now I really like it on myself as well. It's a perfect close wearing/skin fragrance that would be just amazing to get reminders of throughout the day if it lingered on a scarf or something.

I've avoided all pumpkin scents for the last few years because pumpkin notes go rancid on my skin. Like butter that's gone bad, and I hate even looking a stick of butter. It's that repellent to me. Pumpkin is one of the few notes that I absolutely can't stand even though I love eating plain baked pumpkin and the scent smells great to me on other people. So I didn't even think about testing this one. But I smelled it on my mom this last time I visited her and it was so great on her, so I decided to give it a very cautious test drive. This one has changed my feelings about pumpkin fragrances. It actually smells great on me too! It's like Marshmallow Poof with mild baked pumpkin. This could have turned into a bakery gone wrong, and I really don't enjoy cinnamon/nutmeg/spice rack type of foody scents. Or foody scents in particular for that matter. (I seriously sound like such a complainer in this review!) But the spices aren't overly strong at all. I can't really make out what they are, but to me it's a cinnamon/nutmeg mixture. I can't make out any clove, which I would have suspected to make an appearance in a pumpkin-spice blend. It's mostly the vanilla sweetness of the marshmallow with hints of understated spice. It's very autumnal. It becomes kind of musky during the drydown. Like brown musk with a hint of dry sweetness. Nothing like the sugary, poofy marshmallow vanilla it was initially. But it still smells good, just in an entirely different way. It wears pretty well too in the same manner that a lot of thicker, vanilla, gourmand scents do on me. I know that I wouldn't wear this often, but I find it so comforting and delicious. I think I want my own bottle. And now I want to try other pumpkin scents to see if this one was an anomaly, or if maybe other pumpkin notes out there could be compatible with my finicky chemistry.

This is amazing! The licorice is ruthless and I just want to lick the bottle. And it smells even better once it's on my skin. Sharp, sweet black licorice with that undercurrent that reminds me of the texture of raisins. Sort of sticky and gummy/paste-like. But bright and lifting. It's a tiny bit medicinal too, which I'm guessing is the anise. The cacao is very alluring and pure. It has that identifiable chocolate fragrance without being milky or sugary at all. Very smooth and dry. Reigns in all the high notes of the licorice and keeps it very sexy and mysterious.

In the bottle, this smells like flowers that have been sitting in stagnant water. Like when you've walked by your vase of fresh flowers one too many times and haven't tossed them yet, even though the water is now overpowering the actual bouquet. It's not quite putrid, just sort of overripe. A little sweet too. It's more distinctly floral on my skin, though (thankfully) it still retains so much of that interesting stagnant quality. The first time I wore it, I kept smelling my arm and thinking: fermented flowers. Nothing else came to mind when I tried to associate it with something. I like the softness of the flowers as it dries down. It's less boozy-fermented-stagnant and more like a jumble of light, bruised petals. Like they've been mashed somehow. It never turns musky or powdery, it just sort of dies out. It's here all day and then the next time I think about it, it's gone. Very creepy and beautiful.

Really delicate plumeria with a soapy undertone. It's fresh in a way that doesn't feel overly pristine or sterile. The mixture of florals in the background is so watery and faded, like everything is a transparent pink. I can barely detect the rose in here, and that's one of my favorite floral notes. This is one of the most restrained rose scents I've ever worn. I love the addition of the pear so that it has the sweetness of a mild fruit. From the moment I put this on it's as if I've already been wearing it for a few hours. It really blends into my skin well. This is just really lovely and romantic.

At first this is very much like vanilla liquor, or a thick, boozy syrup. It's much stronger than I thought it would be since I was anticipating more of an overall floral fragrance from the orange blossom note. But I only notice that as a secondary effect. I love orange blossom because it doesn't feel like an obvious floral on my skin. And no matter what it always strikes me as a complex scent, like there's all sorts of layers in one little note (which I'm sure is actually the case!). The boozy vanilla and amber are robust for awhile and within a couple hours more of a pale orange emerges. It's slightly fruity and a little sweet with a powdered undertone. Everything is gentle and more lush. I can still smell the vanilla in there but it's very tame. It reminds me of vanilla flavored soy milk at this point, one of my absolute favorite drinks. It has a similar natural, mild, milky tone and a density that feels thick. I've had this one since it was released and I've worn it often. It suits a variety of moods so I don't have to over-think it when I choose my fragrance. I gravitate towards extremely feminine scents and this certainly fits that category. Whenever I wear this I always feel a little softer.

This is very aggressive. I had such a strange cartwheel of feelings from this one. It's one of the heaviest incense scents I've tried and it's really overwhelming at first. But something about it gets under my skin. I really love it. It's ferocious and snarled but still has a lazy, understated softness hidden beneath all the heavy smoke and resin. Immediately it smells like dark sap and tar and clouds of black smoke. I get images of having my nose and mouth covered in thick, dirty leather, like being smothered. It's unsettling. After that I notice a sweetness that seems to balance this out so it becomes much more sinuous and feminine. I get more of the sharp, liquor-esque plum note that vaguely resembles the one in Hellion. It's not a strong plum or even markedly fruity though. The amber is very strong, but it doesn't have that golden, syrupy quality I usually get from amber. It smells more dry and crystalline. And I could swear there's a floral in here somewhere... powdery violet or dusty, browned rose petals. Everything does feel ground down, and powder/dust-dry as it wears on my skin. I seriously adore powdery fragrances and it seems to embody that quality most closely and for the longest amount of time, which is doubtless why I love this scent so much. That last tumble of dusky scent is the runner here, and it stays along these vibes for the remainder of the time. And does it ever stay! A small dab on my neck lasts me all day, overnight, and it's still noticeable the next morning. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I do, and I'm betting it'll only get better as it ages.

I didn't know what notes were in this one when I randomly picked it up at the last Will Call. I just liked the name and wanted to try it. Right away I loved it and ended up buying a bottle. It reminds me of skin coated in plain cocoa butter, or some sort of scentless body butter. Or a scentless body oil. Thick and sensual but in an unexpected way. Even though I can barely make out any sweetness there's something in there that reminds me of the natural sweetness in a blanched almond. Not that this is nutty at all, but it reminds me of that anyway. The nearly imperceptible hint of smokiness is gorgeous. It doesn't show up for a long time, only after I've had it on my skin for a few hours. This is not overly strong, but it is heavy and stays on my skin for hours. I love wearing it at night especially. it's almost become a sort of sleep blend when I need something neutrally comforting. So it's been special to me in that way.

At first this is light and faintly sweet, with a quality that reminds me of meringues. That airy sort of sweetness. But there's also an intense and slightly herbaceous citrus in there. It's so short lived though that I don't smell it two minutes after I've applied it to my skin. So the more lasting impression is the delicate meringues. It reminds me of those intricate towers of sugar that pastry chefs sculpt into masterpieces... like it's so fragile that it'll topple at any minute. A little bit of that ambergris emerges as it dries down and makes it smell even sweeter, but with more weight and depth. And there's an earthiness lingering that I just love. It smells like resin-coated vanilla earth and stays that way. Very long lasting but clings closely without a lot of throw. This was my favorite of the Moths... it's so different I'm just going to cling to my bottle.

Amazing gardenia with a lush quality that just radiates off my skin. It's probably the most rich gardenia scent I own but for whatever reason I don't feel like it's overwhelming me at all. Heavy florals aren't really something I turn to in hot weather but this is the perfect fragrance for a warm summer night out. I feel like I should be wearing a corresponding gardenia in my hair whenever I wear this one. It's lush and exotic without straying from floral territory. So in a way it remains enticingly traditional. And I love nothing better than a beautiful floral. While my mind keeps trying to pinpoint the other background notes as "plumeria," I know it must actually be the pikaki. It has that similar warm climate/tropical sensation. The lily is lovely and has a very faint soapiness, but overall it's behaving pretty well and not taking over the entire blend. I can never get too detailed with ylang ylang other than to say that it's unmistakably ylang ylang. For lack of any other way to describe it... it always smells heavy and round to me. And all of this smells wet and sort of humid. I think this would be an instant classic for any fan of gardenia.

Very, very sexy. I was never much of a cherry fan but this is really hot. It's not a foody type of cherry, and it's not sugary at all. Sort of sharp without being obnoxious... it almost reminds me of a blood note. Anyways, it's all boozy dark cherry at first and then it just settles into this sweet vanilla musk. The vanilla note smells like the vanilla in Black Lace, which is so beautiful. I love the musk here as well. It's resin-sweet and thick. But on my skin it's not heavy at all. It's actually pretty light and almost in the skin-scent territory. Which makes it all the more fabulous since it seems more naughty that way. All this actually smells much more complex than I'm describing but I can't hit it exactly on the head. Next to Loligoth it's my favorite of the Bat's Day scents this year.

This has a few of my favorite floral notes so I knew it'd probably be a hit. Straight away it smells slightly soapy and heavily rose, vintage style. I particularly love lilac because of it's clean/soapy smell and this is really embodying that quality. I can pick the lilac out right away, as well as the lavender. It's a silky, gentle lavender without any astringent tang whatsoever. Everything about this has a courtly, sophisticated feeling. it's very feminine and traditional to me. None of the florals smell fresh or green at all. They all have that worn in quality without being overly dry or musty. It never fades to a powdery scent on my skin as I expected given the strength of the violet on my skin. The florals are staying very true. I do notice a bit of frankincense taking over as it wears down... sort of a dry yet robust golden incense. Maybe that golden sensation I keep getting from this is due to the amber as well. It keeps this from being too stiffly floral. The throw on this is pretty strong--I really have to be careful to just dab it on otherwise I feel too enveloped in clouds of florals. It lasts a very long time too. I don't have to reapply this at all throughout the day. This is a one time in the morning application type of scent. Overall it's just lovely and I'll be wearing this often!

I was going a little crazy trying to figure out what this reminded me of when I first tried it. It was immediate love, even just smelling it straight from the bottle. But it was a familiar kind of love. Finally I had my "ahhh yes!" moment and realized it was similar to my much beloved and adored Haloes. Not that they're obviously similar, but they have little moments. Maybe it's that creamy vanilla and sandalwood combination that's just so sexy. I'm not great at picking out specific wood notes, but usually sandalwood stands out to me. But whereas I associate Haloes as being thick and rich, this feels lighter and more silky. The vanilla isn't gourmand or screamingly sweet on my skin. I wouldn't normally describe vanilla as being ethereal but this really does have that quality. It seems like there's some sort of soft white floral going on too. Maybe orchid? Whatever it is, it's captivating. It just melts into my skin and wears beautifully all day long. Of the prototypes I bought there was no competition... hands down this is my favorite.

This is my absolute favorite new bpal. It was one of the only scents I tried on at Bat's Day and it was immediate LOVE. As much as I wanted to test everything I could get my hands on, I was just too excited about this to want to cover it with a bunch of other scents. It smells so good on me and I've been putting my wrist out for anyone and everyone to sniff since I got it. As far as fruity fragrances go this isn't cloying or artificial or syrupy. It really doesn't smell like a dominantly fruity scent at all despite the notes. Initially it's super sweet, almost candy-like and the strawberry really shines. I am disturbingly obsessed with strawberry everything (seriously, my cupboards are like an homage to strawberry... coffee, tea, soaps, lotions, bath gels, lipgloss... It's my weakness.) and that would have been enough to hook me. But then it becomes this gorgeous musky/woody/sexy extravaganza and the fruits are more of background accents. So all the candy sweetness fades in less than a minute and I notice this mild wood note. Maybe sandalwood? That's what it reminds me of because of the sweetness. I usually associate sandalwood with certain vanillas and it definitely has that sort of vibe going on. And the musk is really beautiful too. I can't do certain musks but this is very light. This is more deep than I expected, and it has good lasting power too. I'm definitely going to have to bust this out when I need some backup to get my own way. Now I have to figure out what to bump from my Top Ten list so I fit this in...

I thought I had written a review for Liz and was surprised to see I hadn't yet. I love this... all saucy leather and dry vanilla. It's not really a rough and tumble leather on me in the way that Loviatar or Whip can be. It's more of a slick and bleached out leather, something I imagine would be the equivalent of a tight little white leather jacket. My skin broadcasts leather like a beacon so it's the first note I notice in this, and the most powerful. The dry vanilla is the second string and it feels sort of fancy. No gourmet/foody qualities or thick sweetness at all which is pretty fantastic since I can only do those types of vanillas once in awhile. Although I don't notice any particular floral notes I do think this has a certain femme vibe that must be the floral perfume described in the notes. It lasts forever on me--I can still smell it the day after applying which is funny because it's more of a close clinging scent. It doesn't waft around me at all and someone really would have to be right next to me in order to smell anything. I want to call this gorgeous with some really long and drawn out vowels because it's SO good.

This is one of my favorite Tea Party scents, and it's in my top ten list too. I've been a fan of minty vanilla fragrances ever since Tokyo Stomp was released. The mint is much more understated and gentle in this and just adds a beautiful crispness that makes this feel like more of a year round scent. It might otherwise be too heavy for me to wear in anything but cold weather because of the strength of the vanilla and chocolate. But together everything seems very fresh and unexpected, alot of which is thanks to the cedar. Cedar tends to jump out on my skin but it's just perfect in here. I always try to pick out the pistachio but I really never notice it (or think I notice it) until I've been wearing it at least an hour. Then it has this sort of vaguely green/nutty vibe coming out. It's all very sweet and subdued in the dry down, a jumble of faded vanilla. This is fabulous and I love my bottle!

So little staying power but I love it anyway. It's darling. This has the same effervescent quality that reminds me of The Unicorn but with a sweetness. The melon is really pretty and doesn't ever turn into a syrupy fruit on me. The mild minty green in here is my favorite part...I've been into mint lately. I can see myself wearing this a lot more in warmer months even though it's a great pick-me-up now.

I wanted this one like crazy when I saw the description. It's so delicate and pretty. I absolutely love the cold, powdery snow scent in here. The rose is super soft and fresh... not overpowering at all. I love this so much. I think this has replaced all other winter scents as my new favorite.

This has a similarity to Pink Moon 07, which is one of my all time favorite Lunacies. The floral notes in this are so pretty and fresh. Even with the sugary notes this smells very natural to me...I think it's because the florals are more on the bitter/green end of the scale. I was worried there might be a syrupy aspect to the sweetness but it never turns. There's a semi-spicy base lurking around that keeps this from being too sickly sweet. It fades pretty quickly and becomes sort of dusty and powdery. This is precious and I love wearing it. I had to move this into my top ten because I wear it so much!