VetchVesper

Initial sniff. Interesting. Something vaguely evergreen/minty, verging on soap but not quite. There's something underneath that seems a tinge mildewy , like when you turn on an old air conditioning unit that's been off a while. On my skin it stays gently soapy with a hint of sweetness. Ambergris I'm guessing? It's definitely aquatic, but it seems to be behaving itself on me. Gonna give it some time. Hmmm... This teeters somewhere between smelling of evergreen cleaning products and verdant swampiness in the dry down. Oddly, I rather like it. It's cool and clean with out smelling generic, and there is soft, resinous sweetness just below the surface that makes me want to keep sniffing. It also does it's inspiration justice. At one point I definitely got a whiff of well cleaned motel room with a hint of stale air conditioner. It's rare that this kind of aquatic works on me, but I'm glad to have an imp of this.

Huzzah. I DO have an imp of the original from about 3 years ago, and I was quite disappointed when it was discontinued, so I happily snapped up a bottle of the resurrected version. I will now do my best to compare them properly, though the age difference along with simple bottle variation might be responsible for much of the differences in what I'm smelling. The original Ultraviolet smells brighter to me, a little crisper. The mint is also more noticeable at first, so it smells a bit cooler and more metallic. They are still pretty darn similar though, and even more so as they dry down. The old blend seems a little smoother, the new a little bolder, but that could just be their age difference. I think if you liked the original, you will be pretty happy with this version. As a general review for both - When I first smelled Ultraviolet, it smelled like a vial of cat pee. No joke. Something about that potent evergreen punching you right in the nose. Once it's had a moment to vent though, the eucalyptus starts to chillax and a tinge of mint in the background makes itself known. The whole effect is nose chilling and pleasantly medicinal. Once on the skin, the violet blooms. It's a clear, bright violet, and it balances well with the eucalyptus, making a truly interesting and unexpected blend. I don't really smell much neroli in either version, but I imagine it's adding a bit of fresh sweetness. I love this one as a sleep blend or just for when I want to feel calm.

I was expecting something much more floral from the notes, but on me this is basically a chypre with black currant. It's delicate and dark and masculine. Not really my thing, alas. ETA: 2013 version.

When my mom first smelled The Eternal Queen, she said it smelled like Charmin toilet paper, which is kind of hilarious, but now I can't quite get the comparison out of my head. It's the NICEST Charmin toilet paper though, and we both ended up liking the perfume. There's a clean, comforting, whiteness to it. It smells feminine and soft. I thought it might be similar to the Torture Queen, as they share similar notes, but this is pretty different. This is mostly creamy white floral made a bit hazy with soft musk. I smell a light, dry vanilla in the dry down, along with some soft amber, but mostly, this is about the florals which are lady like and gentle without being prim or fussy. It's funny that Lycanthrope found this tropical, because I noted it as far less lush than other gardenia fragrances I've tried. It seems more refined and contained to my nose than scents like Cascading Blossoms, Venus Cloacina, or Swans on the River. Very pretty in it's own right though, and definitely worth a try to lovers of white florals.

The Earth Mother brings to mind soft brown pine needles under foot, dappled sun light, and soft, rich loam. If the Wolves Howled, the Ravens Screamed is a fairy tale forest on a winter night, this is the same forest in the daylight of late summer. It's less green, (the pine was not harsh or sharp on me) and there's no definitive "dirt" note, but it's still got that feel of an ancient forest floor. E.M. is well blended, and there's a gentleness and warmth to it. The patch and vetiver are present, but restrained. I wanted a mellow, calming, forest scent, and I think I got it, but I'm still not sure if I'm in love with it. I'm fickle with forest blends. I'll let it settle a bit before I decide whether or not to put my bottle up for swaps. Brown, contemplative, foresty, unisex.

How is The Manuscript not on this list?! Probably pretty hard to get, but you can smell the ink on the pages! Really intriguing. Also, Jolabokaflod is a lovely leather bound volume with a dusting of chocolate, and I still see that up for trade on occasion. As far as GC's go, Aelopile makes me think of the way an old Victorian library would smell, clean and paneled in lemon oiled wood, and The Red Queen reminds me of an antique shop, but I could see it going library. The wood notes were more prominent on me than the cherry. Lastly, The Writing on the Slate, though technically not a book scent, certainly brings bookishness to mind with it's dust, chalk, and candle wax. This thread needs more love!

I got a frimp of the perfume of Fairy Wine a while back, and thought it was lovely. The bath oil smells a bit different to me though. Stronger on the red currant and less of the honey sweet dandelion that I really liked in the perfume. Perhaps the dandelion comes out more with age or just doesn't translate as well in bath oil form, but I can't quite fall in love with this one. :/ The bath oil is very much a honeyed wine scent to me, kind of along the lines of Athens. Pleasant, but swapable.

"Sheer juniper" is a great way to describe this. The Crescent Moon smells pure, clean, and slightly astringent to me, like a pale, hazy green. There's a sweetness to the scent too, from the amber, and a certain depth. I do not get sexy from this scent. Rather, it feels ephemeral and holy to me. Kind of a weird description, but it's what I get. It's not really foresty. I could actually almost see this being a cool, herbal gin cocktail. Different from my usual type of scent and unusual in and of itself. I haven't decided if I like this one or not. It's interesting.

This smells of ozone and delicate peppermint at first, pretty close to the lab's snow note. It's cool and calming and very white. I'm not getting anything floral. No citrus either, but melon was mentioned, and I could believe that. There's something watery and sweet and not quite cucumber that could be a light melon note. This is lovely and soothing.

Very lush, wet, and juicy. This makes me think of brilliantly colored hibiscuses more than lillies. I get no cocoa. I do smell the orange, orchid, and lily and the dragon's blood. I'm not really aware of any amber, but perhaps it's responcible for the hint of warmth in the dry down. Overall, this smells like a succulent, floral fruit punch. Very red, and thin vs. syrupy.

Stinky jasmine blast of DOOOM. Sometimes I like jasmine, and sometimes it comes of as acrid, like urine or burning plastic. That's what this is doing, but I'm gonna wait it out and see if it calms itself the hell down. Ok, after about 10 mins, it's decided to behave itself. Now it's pretty white floral. Sweet and somewhat creamy, with a backing of soft, dusty woodiness that reminds me of sandalwood even though I know it's the cedar and red patch. Cedar generally does not like me, but it's pleasant in this. I LOVE gardenia, and I can smell it here, and it's nice, but there are other gardenia blends that set me more agog and don't suffocate me with jasmine for ten mins first.. I can see what Aveya said about it having a western feel though. It's sort of a rustic gardenia. Shabby chic, if you will. Worth the sniff, but not something I need more of. ETA: It occurs to me that this makes me think of Anne Bonny with white floral floating over the top. I'm not too keen on AB, but I know she's very popular, so perhaps Lily would appeal to quite a few BPALers out there.

Fresh, green - but gently so, slightly aquatic but just short of soapy. It makes me think of pale aqua. Both Cancers have a paleness to the scent, a luminescence similar to lunacies I've smelled. This becomes a gentle, powdery sweet skin scent on me. This will be nice for sleeping or for quiet days in the heat of summer, but it also smells very spring appropriate.

Oooooo. O_O Thank you Bunny Butt! I appreciate the input.

So... given that this scent has been resurrected, and I have a bottle of the original, I thought I'd give it a proper review here. I probably will not ever try the resurrected version as I am happy with my bottle. This starts out SUPER lotusy. Wet, lush, sticky, cough syrupy lotus. Probably what people describe as "bubble gummy," though to me it smells a bit different. It's lotus with a titch of warmth to it. I think the citrus adds to the impression of fresh, juicy sweetness but it doesn't smell crisp or clean like citrus. The amber starts to warm up and sort of round things out underneath, and I think there might be some jasmine in this. The lotus starts to get sort of a plasticy/lipsticky smell to it, but that's just what lotus seems to do on me. :/ It's still quite lush and fruity floral and bright pinkish red to me, I like it, but it's almost overly ripe smelling. Forbidden Fruit always makes me think of that line from American Hustle - "There's something, the topcoat. It's like, perfumey, but there's also something, rotten. And I know that sounds crazy, but I can't get enough of it." That's pretty much how I feel about this blend. So there's my two cents.

This scent has me grinning b/c it's so unabashedly "boy." It's like... what a young guy would wear on his first date, where he knows he has to smell nice and he has to smell like a MAN. Or maybe... what a chick would wear if she was pretending to be a man, cause this is totes what men smell like, so who would suspect? It's what the male cast smells like in Grease. Iconic 50's bad boy - cleanly washed, cleanly shaven , with well combed hair and a leather jacket. It's not the kind of sent I would normally go for, but I can't deny it's pop culturey goodness. P.S. Lol. I just read your review crimescenecleanup, and it seems we were definitely on the same wavelength! Thank you for frimping me as well.

Hey folks! I'm waffling over whether to blind bottle some De Sade Resurrected. I was not around for the original, but I know it's supposed to be one of those holy grail leather scents. While I love my leather, I've got 2 bottles of SN Riding Crop, and it's hard for me to imagine anything more perfect. Does anyone know how SN Riding Crop and De Sade compare? Are they different enough to warrant owning both?

This smells like deep purple velvet to me. I definately smell the violet, but it's a violet with all the sweetness gone. The clove in this is subtle, just a subtle nose twitchy spice behind thick, sweet resins There is a mossiness to this that adds to the soft lushness, but it smells more cool than earthy to me. Thick, soft but not powdery, dark, mysterious, cool but somehow warm at the same time, utterly fascinating to my nose. Velvet in a bottle, which I will be adding to my collection.

I smell blue musk and lots of orris, with an undertone of darkness from the resins. This is sweet and soft and sort of luminescent. It's also VERY powdery on me. It doesn't quite smell like baby powdery though, and I rather like it. It has a cool blue feel. It seems restful and ethereal, as someone above said. I'm glad I got to try it.

This is much smoother and lower key than I was expecting. I'm wondering if that was always how it was, or it's due to aging. At first sniff and application, I get a mellow spiced coffee with something vaguely animalic to it. Like, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a teensy drop of oud in here or maybe some Arabian musk. That goes away though, and then it becomes this soft halo of spiced coffee warmed by a nutty browness from the hazelnut. The leather I get is very subtle, the barest hint of kid skin. I DO like this, and would love to see it show up for a rerelease. It reminds me a bit of Cafe Mile et une Nuits and is more spiced on me than gourmand. Thank you for the lovely BPALer who gave me a chance to sniff it!

This is soooooooooo purrretty! It is NOT a peach fruit scent. That's fine with me though, b/c I don't really care for peach. What this IS is a creamy sweet goodness with a tart, fresh floral dancing lightly over the top. It's effervescent and playful. It's a butterfly. It's soft, gentle, and light, and makes me think of a floral flavored cream soda. I get why some folks are saying hairspray and what not, b/c the effervescence has sort of an aerosol nose tickling thing going on, but where as that smell is chemical, this is just all fluttery. Don't know how else to describe it. I'm hunting down a bottle, stat!

I rather like this one, which shocks me a bit, because at first sniff, it's a LOT of black pepper and sharp tobacco, and tobacco is hit or miss on me. This quickly takes on a smooth richness though, sort of a golden brown warmth. The pepper continues to lend it's spice, but mellows greatly. It smells almost like smooth cinnamon. I also get some sarsaparilla vibes, but I think that's just nose trickery with the sweetness and the spice. There's also an airy cleanness to this that I don't often smell in tobacco blends which tend to smell heavy and warm to me. I guess it's the cognac. I get a picture of someone smoking a hand rolled cigarette on a clear day on a mountain top. Sort of cool, contemplative, and aloof, but still grounded. I have no idea if that describes Ginny or not, but that's what I get. Anyways, I would say, if you are a tobacco fan, you should check this one out. It smells different enough from the typical blends to warrant it and I think would work in both the cooler and warmer months. I don't know that I need a bottle, but I'll be enjoying my imp. ETA: AHA! I knew it was reminding me of SOMETHING. Ivory Phoenix - a tad bit. But less sweet and powdery. But sort of that same mellow, spicy warmth with an air of coolness. So maybe that "dust" IS cinnamon? Or maybe a drop of frankincense? Hmmmmm...

This is just lovely. ZESTY! A getcha goin sent perfect for the morning. It's very citrusy with the grapefruit and lime, a very natural, freshly squeezed smell that blends nicely with the white tea. The florals just add a bit of depth and character in the background, and I think, add a lushness that keeps this from turning into a cleaning product smell. This is in the same family as Kumiho, Boabhan Sith, and Aizen-Myoo. I also have to say, as someone with dry skin, I'm learning to love their bath oils.

This smells good, like moist earth, at first. The sweetness grows, becoming slightly spicey with a hint of white floral, but unfortunately, it then turns into baby powder on me. Boo hiss. Dry earth and powdery florals. Not something I really need to hold on to, but not unpleasant. Alas, poor Yorick. If you liked the earthy vibe of Crossroads, but it's a little too much upfront floral, or you can't do jasmine, this might be a good bet.

This is boozy, butter scotchy rum and sweet coconut in the imp. I was thinking, "Drat! It's going to be too gourmand for me," but it calms down quickly on my skin. I get a hint of the rum, but it's in the background behind a cool, natural smelling coconut similar to the one in Obatala. This is Obatala, on vacation, in a Hawaiian print shirt. Fun, unisex, and a good bet for summer. ETA: i've discovered this stuff ages gloriously. Almost got St. Claire vibes. Not sure if I'm patient enough to buy a bottle for aging, but I might have to hunt down a 2nd hand one.

I don't quite get this one. I have multiple imps of this, one of which is obviously old, and I love it. It's got the spiced woody sweetness of Dee, Bow and Crown of Conquest, and Black Rider that I just love. Warm, wonderful, and unabashedly masculine, and very close to what many happy reviewers are describing. But the newer imps smell very different. Higher pitched, sweeter, more ambergris, less depth underneath. Less warm and lived in. Closer to scents like Djinn. Not unpleasant, but definitely not the same, and not really something I would hold on to. So now my quandary and my dilemma. Do these just need to age? Is this batch variation? Was there a 2nd reformulation? (I don't think this is the original butter bourbon one.) Should I keep these extra imps in hopes they shall metamorphose into deliciousness? Or are they what they are and need new loving homes? I'd love to know if anyone has answers.