lizardskin

Bright citrus that fades just enough to let the muguet in, over a base of green tea and musk. This is a new favorite--I really like the slight sourness of the Yuzu with the light florals. It's definitely very citrus-forward, and it doesn't fade much throughout the day.

I really like this one! When first applied I get a lot of lilac, with the sweet, smooth base of the bourbon vanilla taking slightly more prominence as it dries. I can't really tell how "smoked" the lilacs are exactly, but there is a sort of caramelized/toasted layer to it that I really like. Overall this is a very smooth, slightly sweet scent topped with lilac. If you're a little wary of florals like me this is a nice one to start with, it feels very springy without being overwhelming.

I absolutely love this--it's the perfect combination of spooky + sweet. It starts off surprisingly sweet, but delicious. It reminds me of caramel popcorn or something similar. The sweetness fades pretty quickly into a more subtle, gorgeous incense. I can't really pick out the pomegranate, but there is still a touch of sweetness, either from that or the fading pumpkin/bourbon.

I looove this one. I'm still not sure what chypre smells like, but I think I like it. This is a dark, mysterious scent, and it calls to mind a forest without actually smelling like trees. The clove is there, but not overwhelming. Patchouli is hit-or-miss with me, but here it is well blended, grounding the rest of the notes without taking over.

I tested this a few times, hoping it just needed to settle, because I really wanted to like this one. Sadly, I think some skin chemistry nonsense is ruining it for me. In the beginning it goes through a sticky sweet phase that dries into something . . . gummy? That hangs around for longer than I'd like. After a while the smoke emerges along with fresh/unburnt wood. I like this later part, but the early stickiness ruins it for me.

I'm not sure if this is quite what you're looking for, but for 'rain-drenched earthy florals' you might want to try Yorick. It's mostly earth/dirt but with a light floral on top. It reminds me of rainy spring days.

This is a very solid pine forest scent. It's a dark, fairy tale forest, and even without ice or snow notes it gives me the feeling of stillness you sometimes get in the woods in winter. It has some similarities to Silence of the Woods, but where that one calls to mind dead pine needles covering a forest floor, this one smells like fresh, green needles with the scent of dirt faintly in the background. If you like pine forest scents I highly recommend trying this!

At first, very sweet and spicy, from the cardamom. The resin/sugar combination smells a lot like maple syrup to me, but after a while it settles down into sweet resins. I've had issues with tobacco being too overpowering for me in the past, but here it takes on a subtle, background role. I can pick it out if I pay attention, but otherwise it's very well blended in with the rest of the notes. I didn't get much pine, just a brief moment during drydown. I'm actually surprised by how much I like this one--normally I don't go in for scents that are too sweet, but I've worn it several days in a row already! I think I'm going to need a full bottle.

A predominantly leather scent. I get a little of the spices and smoke early on, but then it fades to just leather. I was afraid the leather/metal combo would be too strong (Fighter was too much for me), but this is very nice. I would have liked the spice notes to hang around a bit longer, but I've been experimenting with layering it with Morocco and I think that will work for days when I want a little more spice to balance out the leather. If you like leather scents I highly recommend this!

(2017 version) Initially I get sweet snow and a little pine with a background of florals. I like this early stage a lot, but unfortunately as it dries the pine and snow disappear, leaving only a musky floral scent that reminds me a little too much of potpourri. I can't pick out the violet at all, which is too bad because I'd been hoping for something like a wintry Elf. I wanted to try Perchta because of reviews comparing it to Frau Holle, which is one of my favorite Yules, and I can see some similarities in the early stages. But the pine in Perchta disappears too quickly on me and the florals get too old-ladyish for my taste

Bright and bubbly! There's something in it that reminds me of the top notes of Torture Queen--maybe white tea? It's light and refreshing. I haven't tried many ozone blends, so I can't speak to that, but I like this one a lot! It would make a good summer scent.

I took a risk blind-bottling this one, based on how much I liked Dead leaves, Raw Leather, Bourbon Vanilla, and Clove last year, and I LOVE it. It starts of with a sweet, light floral backed up with incredibly smooth and delicious amber. The leaves and leather play a supporting role for a while, but eventually the mimosa fades a bit and everything balances out. I'm not a huge floral person and I had no idea what mimosa blossom smelled like, but I really like this combination. I would recommend giving it a try if you liked last year's dead leaves, raw leather, etc. It's not quite the same leather, but it is one of the softer ones, and the leather + leaves combo is similar.

The first time I tested Harper I was deeply hungover and trapped on a long car ride, so maybe not the best of life choices. It smelled overwhelmingly of incense, to the point that I had to wash it off. I tried it again a few days ago and got a much nicer mix of notes--it starts off with a brief, woody oudh followed by a nice mix of vanilla musk and rose. I didn't notice much bergamot or labdanum, but I'm not really sure what labdanum smells like so I may just have missed it. The incense builds slowly, but after a few hours it was mostly incense and nothing else. It wasn't as overwhelming as before, but it wasn't doing much for me. I gave it to my brother to sniff and he told me it smelled like old church ladies, so there's that too. I think I'm going to have to pass this one on. If you like rose + incense combos, though, Harper is worth a try!

I think I've found a new favorite scent! Starts off with a fresh, bright gardenia, with a bit of white tea underneath. Just a hint of salty ambergris. After a while the vanilla musk becomes more prominent as the gardenia fades, though it never fades completely on me. I can be a little iffy on florals, but this is just gorgeous.

A warm, slightly spicy pine scent. I'm not sure what kind of musk this is, but it doesn't seem to be black, fortunately, since I'm not super fond of black musk. I don't get much in the way of earthiness/dirt, just juniper and pine grounded by a light musk. The pine/juniper combo reminds me of Ranger, which I love, but Ranger is a lot more complex. If you are looking for a dark pine forest scent, but Ranger or Black Forest are a bit too much, Thanatopsis is a good alternative!