melandie
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Everything posted by melandie
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It's been AGES since I've smelled Dorian the OG (I had an imp from the Beloved Favorites set, and remember I liked it but wasn't wowed enough to get a bottle, even after the restock). However, I LOVED the Snake Oil Suf, I loved how the pastry element really played well with SO, so I had to try this one. Definitely a great choice. I don't really get a fried aspect, but just a lovely pastry note cozying up with the tea and vaniilla. A nice addition to my small Suf collection.
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Sniffing the bottle: LEATHER. I get a definite black leather jacket scent from this just sniffing the bottle. When I put it on the Snake Oil comes out to play and I definitely get a "Snake Skin-adjacent" vibe from this, which is what I was hoping for. But wow this is STRONG! I guess I must have slathered because my husband kept commenting he could smell me all over the apartment. "It's good, but maybe it's TOO MUCH good??" I see people commenting that they're getting more of a "well worn brown leather" vibe from this one, and I've had it less than a week, so I think it will settle down gloriously.
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As a vanilla lover, I thought it was high time I got this one. I think I was scared of the moonflower and tobacco petals adding too much of a floral note. I shouldn't have been. Sweet, sheer, ethereal, ghostly vanilla. It really is evocative of Miss Zorya P and the scene on the roof with the moon. Quite new, I found it disappears quickly on my skin, so I'm hoping age will bring about more longevity. I feel this one is a good one when you want to feel quietly powerful, subtle and mysterious.
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What a great blend for a beautiful image. This really does, to me, conjure up the chestnut-coloured horses in the painting. Between the chestnut and pecan, this is a nutty, only slightly musky scent, with the fig and amber backing up with a lovely sweetness. The clove is indeed sweet, and doesn't read as "spicy" at all. Really glad I got this one.
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Iced Apple Dumplings Plopped Into A Sweet Potato Pie
melandie replied to Seajewel's topic in Gifts with Donation or Purchase
I missed the window when these were available in 2021, but got all 3 Black Friday scents from that year in my most recent order! This goes on as a blast of apples-with-icing-sugar sweetness, and as it wears, it loses the apple, and primarily becomes mostly baking spices and really does smell like a candle. Might be nice to burn as a scented oil? -
I had a similar experience to the first reviewer on this one - everything got blasted with a torch! Smelling it in the bottle, it definitely is "all the things caught on fire", but it quickly balances out to a toasty pumpkin note, sweetened by the marshmallows, backed by the rustling of dried leaves. As with all my DL scents, this will be fun to revisit in future years as the notes all settle together. Very cozy fall scent.
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As I find with most of the Dead Leaves scents (the Marshmallow and Pistachio Cream of a couple of years ago being an exception), in the bottle this smells almost sour to me. Having had this a couple weeks now, that has settled a bit, and when applied, it quickly morphs into a lovely light dead leaf note playing against a soft, very sheer vanilla. I don't really get a lot of the praline yet. Right now, it feels a lot "lighter" than a lot of my DL scents. Quite lovely, overall.
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So I finally looked up the difference between "bay rum" and just "rum", and had an "AHA!" moment. Totally agree with the previous reviewer that this is a lovely bay rum apple blend. If I look for it, I get a vague incense note, but like the leather note in Bobbing for Ball Gags, I suspect that may show through more in time. Goes on a bit sharp, but quickly dries down to a soft apple scent. Despite the name, definitely safe for work wear (just hide the bottle).
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I really wanted this for the name, and was so happy to see the scent description is right in my wheelhouse too! Like others have found, this is definitely an apple-first scent. Sweet apples. I don't know that I get "honeyed amber" specifically, but I guess that would be contributing to the sweetness. I really do have to hunt for the leather, and it kind of wafts in and out, but like a lot of BPALs with leather (BRD for example), I suspect that will come forward more with age. Really glad I got this!
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I really love this. In the bottle, BANANA! And sugared rum. On the skin, the banana recedes and it becomes a vanilla-y, marshmallow-y, slightly boozy banana dessert. I do wish the banana stuck around in the foreground a bit longer, but it's really lovely. As noted above, frankincense can be pretty strong and was the only note that gave me slight pause, but I'm glad I got this. My only "quibble" is it's not very loud at all, it sticks pretty close to the skin and doesn't seem to have a lot of longevity, yet. Aging will probably help this though (my experience with most BPALs).
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Reviewing this one for my husband...I got this for both of us, but it's absolutely a "him" scent. Definitely the leatheriest of the Riders, and must be applied some time before going out! He likens it to smelling like he's in a tannery. I really love it on him, but it's definitely a mood thing. For reference as to how leathery this is, he recently wore it to a metal show where leather jackets were in abundance, including on him. All you could smell on top of all the leather in the house was Red Rider. Overall, I think it's gorgeous.
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Argh I love this. Initially it goes on super strong *black leather jacket* with a kiss of strawberry lip gloss (seriously), it is not "strawberry", it's "strawberry lip gloss", straight out of the 80s. Eventually the two comingle and the strawberry with a hint of leather emerges. LOVE. So glad I got this one. Husband approves too
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I'm so thankful 1) to my friend who, 3 days after I placed my Luper order, asked if I was placing an order because she wanted to place her first order in ages and could we combine and 2) the labbies who graciously combined our orders! I had initially reluctantly passed this one over, and decided to add it in! I agree with the others that this is a very gentle, close scent, which is surprising given the pepper and oudh. In the bottle, the main element is pepper, but once on, this becomes a faintly sweet, slightly spicy, gorgeous scent that feels like it's just for me, and anyone who gets super close. The oudh is super soft, the pepper adds just a tinge of the edge and the honey and vanilla combine for a sweetness that's not cloying in the least. This one is just gorgeous.
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My first Suf! I'm really pleased with how well-balanced the raspberry and apricot are in this - I don't have a lot of apricot scents in my collection, and I was afraid the raspberry would take over. At this point, the pastry note isn't very strong, it's definitely more "jammy". It doesn't have a lot of longevity, but I'm hoping with time that will improve and the "doughnut" aspect comes out a bit more. Overall, very happy I got this one.
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A sweet, chocolatey, very cozy blend. It calls up images of curled up by a fire with a sleek dark brown cat, eating chocolates and reading a favourite novel. The vetiver here is very well behaved. To me, the notes blend so well together they're hard to pick out individually, except the sweetened, slightly dusty cacao. Really strong throw and longevity too! Definitely another Yule win for me.
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Sweet sugar cookies and incense smoke and candles, with a very slight hint of spice. I've never smelled OG Cathedral so can't really say how much this differs from it, but I'd say it definitely calls up images of sneaking cookies in church (and I was never a churchgoer). I only took one Cookie from this year's Box, and am glad it was this one. Husband's commentary on me wearing it: "Ooh you smell good. What eez dees?" Me: "sugar cookies and incense" Him: "If you say so!"
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I've never smelled Rogue by itself so it's hard to say where it fits in here, but on me this is a sexy blend of leather, hemp, and a slightly dusty chocolate all blending in beautifully together. Black Rider is my husband's signature scent for me, and we both immediately picked it out. When I very first received my order, I was disappointed that the chocolate of Bliss was virtually undetectable, but over a few weeks has definitely made an appearance. I'm so glad I got this and think it'll continue to develop beautifully.
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I never thought I"d want to smell like a candy cane so have always resisted this series, but something this year spoke to me (maybe it was the title), so here we are! Pure minty vanilla candy cane. My husband says it smells like Vicks Vapo-Rub when very freshly applied, but that goes away pretty quickly. He also thinks it's adorable. It's a happy scent that reminds me of Santa Claus parades as a kid.
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I was a little leery of this one because several noted a honeysuckle note, but I'm pleased to say that on me, while it does rear its head initially, that floral quality fades away pretty quickly. The butter note is definitely strongest in the bottle, and when it's dried down, I'm left with a lightly buttery, creamy, sweet, very light honey. It's definitely pretty, and much lighter than I was expecting. Glad I chanced this one!
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Leather, oak and motor oil. It was a purchase for me, but it's absolutely amazing on my husband. Once I smelled it, and tried it on me, it was clear it was destined for his (growing) BPAL. So this one was a happy accident in discovering a new scent for him.
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I don't even know how to review this because it's a different ride every time I try it! What I don't get out of this: chocolate chip cookies, rice, bread or carnations, but I suspect they're rolled into some of the other notes. When I first apply, I think what I get is a combo of popcorn and blue cotton candy, then strawberry comes in. It's so hard to describe this one, but I know I like it, it's fun and uplifting, and if I go to sleep wearing it, I wake up smelling like a strawberry jelly donut. So that's a win.
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I initially wavered on this one because "chai" and anything that reads as "spices" just goes generic Christmas candle on me, but everything else sounded so good, and it was the "AND A STICK" that sold me. Glad I got it! The "scorched" note brings a bit of smokiness to the sweet buttercream and marshmallow, the stick adds a woody note, and the "spices" stay in check. I also don't get a lot of honey in this one, but I'm ok with that - this is a very cozy, comforting scent.
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I've had this bottle a couple months now so it's had time to settle and develop. As soon as I opened it, fresh from the mail, I was like NOOOOOOOOO....it's exactly like Bleeding Walls! Which, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Bleeding Walls, but was initially disappointed at having unwittingly ordered what seemed a dupe. Then I did a side by side comparison...this is definitely the sweeter, more cheerful sister to the gloomier, gothier, creepier BW. It was only in comparison that I could actually pick out the bitter almond in the former. Now for Nymphae Avernales....this is sugary-sweet, true CHERRY on me, and I'm not really sure what the "steel" aspect is, but there is something "chilly" in here that I suppose is that. As a lover of cherry scents, I'm a fan.
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I keep up hope that I'll find a rose scent that will work on me, but Rakshasa is NOT that scent. As always, I amp rose to high heaven, I don't get any patch or sandalwood, and basically I smell like those decorative soaps you see in someone's bathroom that are for display but you never actually use.
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Frimp received a few months ago! Like others, I find this very grape-forward, with a strong smokey-incensey aspect. It does feel like a dark "purple" scent. The patch is pretty quiet, I feel it's in the background grounding things, stopping the grape from being TOO much. I'm not sure how often I'll reach it, but will definitely enjoy the imp. Lovely blend!