Wolfpeach

On paper, this scent should be gorgeous on me red musk and cherry are go-to's - and i was lucky enough to receive a frimp of it awhile back. I'm just getting to it now, wading through my ridiculous collection. In the vial - sharp and...soapy? Pretty sure it's the star-anise, which my nose sometimes interprets as soap in certain blends when not anchored by something robust or if it's too strong. I was hoping the red musk would balance it out, but oof! Let's hope on the skin it's better... Wet - Definite soap, with a tinge of cherry waaaaay in the background. This is not good, as i don't do well with aldehydic, clean/soapy scents at all. No hint of cherry or creaminess now. Weird. Perhaps a hint of the absinthe i've read about in some reviews? Meh. Chemistry is a weird thing. Dry - Ok, in the drydown, the soapiness has backed down a bit, and some of the cherry and creaminess have peaked their heads out - the detergent scent eventually softens into a discernible, pleasant anise scent and the there is a nice powderiness that comes out to play. Not in a grandma way, which i generally dislike, but a nice, subtle way. I'm getting the "cola" references now, but sadly the cherry isn't very prominent on my skin. The creaminess is much more prominent now, which is really lovely; however, for me, there is still a thread of soapiness that persists which makes my nose itch, although not as strong as before - but just enough to make this a no-go for me.

Holy TUBEROSE. This is incredible. Visual - i'm in a slinky eggplant coloured dress with a tuberose blossom in my hair, a thin whiff of tobacco snaking through a mist of opium, with a little datura plant sitting on the sill of a murky little piano bar on a rainy evening - and a Tom Waits song playing in the background - just as Hystrixia said in her review. Better yet, Tom is there in the bar eating a plum, the juice running down his fingers, and i'm feeling so sexy wearing this perfume, that i saunter up to him, and... Yes. So, i tend to amp tuberose - which is what i'm doing with this, no question. And it's REAL tuberose - with the almost minty overtones at first, until things calm down. I have a little vial of tuberose essential oil, and the minty thing is part of the package with actual tuberose oil; after a few minutes, it retracts its claws, and softens into the lovely tropical scent. This perfume is so complex, it reminds me of a Serge Lutens perfume - you will either love it or hate it - and i'm loving it. It's evocative, challenging, and utterly beautiful. I wish i'd ordered two bottles.

Oh, my - this is deeply sexy. First whiff out of the bottle, is a peppery, dark-chocolate blast with a healthy helping of clove - all of which i expected, so here we go; Wet, the pink and black peppers, along with the clove, swirl around a dark, smooth, very rich and dry chocolate centre - and - oddly enough - leather? Unexpected but most definitely welcome - a leather - or rather, buttery suede note comes into play. As it dries, a gentle, fruity-floral vibe comes into play - that's just my skin's usual reaction to amber, so no surprise there. The amber note is gorgeous, mingling seamlessly with a smokey vanilla that is not at all foodie. It's too smokey and complex to be considered a gourmand scent, imo, but foodie lovers like myself will still dig it. I'm also a huge fan of smokey, vetiver/patch scents - and the "smoked amber" in this definitely calls to that craving in me. This is a seriously lovely scent - very grown-up, complex, and something i see myself reaching for a lot in these colder months. ETA - Ok, i've had this on for a couple hours, and i'm getting a definite floral coming out, now - specifically, violets! And maybe...carnation? Very interesting - and i absolutely adore the lab's violet and notes, so this is a welcome surprise. The carnation could of course just be the clove softening up, but there's that fresh, stemmy green smell that makes me think it's floral - It's right alongside the chocolate, while the smokiness and leather has backed off a bit - not entirely, but enough that the scent has softened. It's quite lovely, and i can actually see wearing this in warmer months, now, as well.