thegadaboutgirl

My imp came alongside my most recent etsy order, so I'm gonna say it's fresh! I would never have tried this on my own, because leather and tobacco are usually complete no-go's. I have had more than my fair share of blends totally overtaken by new car or ancient grandpa smell. And then Hellfire came along and said: "But what if I blew your mind anyway?" This is so good. The tobacco is almost fruity, and the ambergris is sooo nice and floaty. No acrid leather or stale incense smoke to be found anywhere. Some reviews call it powdery and while I can totally see it veering in that direction it never does for me. This is the GC androgynous scent of my dreams, honestly, and far more gentle than a scent called Hellfire has the right to be. I have a feeling a FS will find its way into my next lab order.

This blend for me is Green Dorian. It doesn't morph or change on me at all, but I appreciate and love how straightforward it is, especially since I easily get 10 hours of wear from it. It's a bit of the lavender + Dorian combo that I love so much about The Serpentine, but with a fresh, grassy element that is totally its own. I don't get much, if any, clove, so those who fear spices should fear not here. Verdict: Back up worthy for sure. Beautiful, fresh, and a nice twist on such a fan favorite base.

This one had me intrigued at peach and marshmallow, but like others I was a bit wary of mint. In the bottle: MIIIIIINT. Oh boy, I fear I have made a terrible mistake. On the skin: Minty marshmallows, heavier on the marshmallow. Ok ok this is much better, I can get behind this. On dry-down: Suddenly, PEACHES. They came out of nowhere about 10 minutes after application (or the mint just really stepped back to reveal them) but now I get this warm gooey peach marshmallow and everything is heavenly. I can still get whiffs of it 12 hours later, though much fainter. Final verdict? So glad I took a chance! Sure the mint is intense in the bottle but once applied it's so well behaved and pleasant.

Oh hello gorgeous. I really went through several stages with this one. In the bottle (The approach) I get the vanilla, myrrh, and honey. It's demure and sweet, but with an edge underneath. A cat weaving between your ankles to get your attention. On the skin (The embrace), she's sweet and spicy. Honey and cardamom make a beautiful cloud of scent around you. The cocoa isn't powdery at all; it gets swept up in the honey and spices to something that's both powerful and soft. The throw is a bit much here, but Bast is a woman who knows who she is, and hits you with it full force. Dry down (The dream): Warm, snuggly, love-flushed skin. The honey has calmed down but there's still a sweetness close to the skin. The myrrh and amber have turned this into a drier/warmer blend, definitely more desert-like. The cocoa still lingers, gently in the back to provide a bit more depth. There isn't the intensity of the first few minutes, but hours later there are still near constant whiffs of its original glory. tl;dr Bast is the equivalent of a cat lounging in a sunbeam between the carts of a spice market, and I love her.

I started to hear some hype around this bottle when it was first released, and now that it's in my hands I can say it is well earned. Ethereal is the word that comes to mind when I wear it. It's blended very well so I have trouble picking out distinct threads of different notes, but the final result is gentle, feminine, and almost haunting. Perfectly befitting the youngest sister for which she's based off of, I can imagine she will age wonderfully too. As a tobacco disliker I found this one extremely pleasant (are the tobacco petals of the same vein as the much beloved Pediophobia? To my nose they are similar)... I can see this one having a bit of a cult following. If you're into feeling like a serene nighttime goddess who still is sophisticated enough to command a room by walking into it, this could be for you!

2017 version. Oh yes. This is everything I wanted it to be and heard it could be. It's slinky and sexy as all get-out. Well balanced boozy musk smoothed over by a bit of sugar. I can see the comparison to Snake Oil too. It has very much the same vibe, but the smell completely different on me. This just shot up to my top 10. Gonna need a backup before Lupers come down.

This went from a shoulder-shrugging "why not" blind buy to hoard-worthy "I NEED MORE" all in one application. This is a lavender Dorian, make no mistake. I love Dorian on its own, and am only just getting into the world of lavender, but it plays so beautifully here that I've been seeking out more blends like it. It was my favorite scent to sleep in, and I always had really wonderful dreams when I wore it. It's soothing, not overly sweet, and incredibly calming to me. The vanilla pulls the lavender and Dorian together in a soft, pillowy hug. I haven't found anything like it. As someone who cannot really commit to perfume monogamy, I did not understand the term holy grail. I'm not really a loyalist even to the scents I love and am always open to trying other things. The Serpentine is my holy grail, and now that my bottle is empty I am so sad that it's hard to come by secondhand. I would have purchased backups galore had I known I would love it so much.

This came in the mail and it spent exactly 2 days on the table before I sniffed it and moved it to my destash pile. The cocoa was so overwhelming that I thought I might gag, and I thought there was no way I could stand putting it on my skin. Well I was feeling bold the other day and decided to just go for it. And I'm really really glad I did! Make no mistake, the bottle never smells like anything other than dry, dusty chocolate. But as soon as I put it on, the chocolate fades to the back almost instantly and I get this lovely musty book-smell. It's a warm, cozy day at the library and someone a table over has smuggled in some chocolate to see them through. Even the future husband, who also hated this one in the bottle, couldn't believe how good it smelled on skin. It went straight back to my keeper pile without a second thought. If you're on the fence about it because of the bottle smell, this is one I would definitely recommend skin testing before passing it on.

I am here for any blend that has beeswax in it. It is one of my favorite notes of all time. Roses are one of my least favorite because I either amp them to high heaven or turn them into high pitched baby powder. This blend was destined to be a battle royale once applied. It starts out with such a beautiful soft beeswax that's deepened by the tobacco and smoke. Warm. Snuggly. Exactly what I wanted. Yes. Yes this is good. And then from off stage the purple rose comes charging through to pile drive the rest of the notes. Suddenly everything is roses, sharp powdery roses. The beeswax and smoke are trembling in the corner, cowering. The tobacco holds on for a little bit longer but it too succumbs to the intensity that is purple roses. My heart is sad. But my oil diffuser is happy.

I only chanced a decant of this because leather and champaca are usually death notes for me. But I like to live on the wild side (and support a good cause) so I figured I'd be content with a sample. This is stunning. Like other reviews have said, it lingers very close to the skin from the get-go. The leather is warm and worn, and the champaca resins give it a headiness without the risk of giving everyone in the near vicinity a headache. The coconut is soft and toasty. Certainly more intense than a "My Skin But Better" but I really really love how this smells on me. Off to add a full size or two to my cart!

In the bottle: green tea with a touch of the wasabi in the back. Like the previous review it does evoke the image of a cup of green tea next to a plate of wasabi in a sushi restaurant. Right on. On the skin: green tea but now the honey is HERE. The wasabi is sadly missing at this stage. It isn't a shrill green tea, but it isn't as creamy as a matcha type green tea. A few hours later: Spicy green tea with a sweet vein of honey snaking through. It's close to the skin, but very fresh and easy to detect. I anticipate using this a lot during spring.

After my adoration of the goat's milk accord in Depart Pour Le Sabbat I knew I needed to have this. I was not disappointed at all, man oh man. I actually end up putting this on at night before I go to bed; it's very warm and soothing but I have to be careful not to slather it on. Maternal is exactly right. in the bottle - milky, not overly sweet, warm on me- milky, slightly spiced (probably the amber/benzoin) several hours later - warm, creamy rose In short: so glad I picked it up!!

I picked this one up on the tail-end of the Halloween scent availability and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. It transforms on me like crazy in every possible good way. In the bottle: straight up goat's milk and honey. Creamy but not overly sweet. I don't really get the patchouli our oudh at all. When applied: exactly the same. I actually was afraid that it was going to end up being a straight gourmand scent on me, which I don't like. Drydown: the patchouli and oudh have arrived, olfactory guns ablaze. The patchouli note in this reminds me a lot of the one in Revenant Rhythm, but the oudh and remnants of the goat's milk accord balance it and keep it from turning into straight head shop smell. It's so warm and comforting. After a few hours: And the bourbon vanilla at last comes out to play. It sits very close to the skin at this point but I honestly cannot stop huffing my own wrist. There is something so familiar about this one. I just want to put it on when I'm home alone curled up with some tea. In short: Would absolutely get this one again to have a back up. A surprise hit!