porcelina

mmm. fresh, crisp apples, wafting up from my wrist! i never get any throw out of my bpal but holy crap, i'm suddenly in an apple orchard. this brought to my mind a memory i'd completely forgotten- walking into the store at this apple orchard my parents took me to when i was little, surrounded by piles of shiny red and yellow and green fresh-picked apples. it doesn't smell cold but- the inside of my nose feels chilly after i sniff it! hehe, so strange. luckily i don't get any mint or eucalyptus when i sniff it (although i'm thinking a dash of mint is responsible for that cooling effect?), just apples and musk. it is surprisingly strong. i'll be keeping this one around.

cmxxx i brought this to the woodfield bpal MnS and no one else had any idea what they were smelling, either. i think it is definitely aquatic and floral. it's a sweet, fresh scent, not too cloying. maybe sweet pea and freesia- i know i have smelled this flower before, in some other bath product. but there is a fresh, watery note, maybe a bit of salt (but much better than penthus or pool of tears, both of which smelled icky on me)... there might be a hint of citrus. it's pleasant, but sooo not my thing.

velvet smells lovely in the bottle, like spicy chocolatey marshmallow goodness. on my skin, however, it is all sandalwood and pencil shavings.

i bought this one for my bf and it smells good on him, but whaddaya know, it turned out to be even better on me! i kind of dabbed it on and forgot about it, and about an hour later i was sniffing myself going, "what is that gorgeous smell?" (that kind of reaction is always a good sign!) antikythera mechanism is rich, dark and warm- i love tobacco, i love vanilla, and the wood does not go all pencil/cardboard on me- it is smooth, dark and polished, slightly sweet. a future big bottle purchase, definitiely.

based on the description, this does not seem at ALL like anything i would like. i like dark, resinous scents, smokey and mysterious. antique lace is none of those things. it is soft, sweet and creamy. it is an off white kind of scent, a creamy vanilla. it's super sweet and innocent and not too floral at all (this from an avowed floral hater). a big bottle for sure. i am actually astonished how well this works on me. i have edited to say that when i woke up this morning i could STILL smell antique lace- a sweet, musky, not-at-all powdery scent, after 10+ hours. this stuff has some freaking amazing staying power- a huge plus for me as most of my bpal fades within a couple of hours (and the ones that don't are usually not my favorites ). ETA: perfect description! makes me love it even more.

CVII 107! in bottle: incense, herbs, water and paper. on skin, wet: i have a bpal that smells like this. i know i do, but i can't think of what it is. it smells alternately sharp and green and dusty and earthy and spicy. on skin, dry: i'm so bad at this. i have no idea what the notes are. i know that i enjoy the scent- it is warm, herbal, a little smoky. it makes me think of a wizard's workshop. later, some sage and berries come out. i think it might remind me of bewitched.

LXXXV at first it is very astringent. when i put it on, it smells like... i don't know. i really don't know. seriously. i cannot tell you what this smells like at all. later on it starts to smell... polished, and yet slightly green, and yet slightly sweet, and yet woody. as it dries further- is that- could it be- sassafrass? I THINK IT IS! as the hours progress this has become a warm, woody, root beer sort of scent. i quite like it.

in bottle: dark, earthy and herbal. on skin, wet: i have to put my nose very close to my arm to smell this. it reminds me a little of midnight kiss. it's definitely purple! on skin, dry: PURPLEPURPLEPURPLE. that's all i get! not that i'm complaining- purple is my favorite color.

in bottle: very watery, sweet- definitely a freshwater smell. very strong. it does not smell like a lake full of sturgeon (this is a good thing!)... maybe a pretty, idealized painting of a lake, with grassy shores and sunny skies. not my experience of the great lakes, but very pleasant. on skin, wet: very sweet and green. crushed flowers and stems. still very strong! it smells more 'perfumey' because of the musk, i think. not sure if this is a 'me' scent. dry: same sweet, watery green scent over VERY powdery musk (dark musks like me better). it is too sweet, almost cloying. i got a similar watery/grassy feel from thunder moon, but this is lots stronger. just not for me.

in bottle: smells like these little raspberry hard candies that came in a round white tin, which my parents used to buy for me at a german restaurant we went to. also i know there's no chocolate in this but i smell it at first. so basically, to me it smells nothing like it's supposed to. on skin, wet: this is a bright pink scent. super strong and fruity. bright red current and ginger with fresh green tea and ginger, plus a touch of creamy vanilla. on skin, dry: as it dries, it remains bright and cheery and the musk becomes noticeable. i am loving the fruity tea/vanilla/ginger combination, and it's very light and fresh. i agree with filligree_shadow- there's a definite mad tea party vibe here.

foody scents just do not work for me. i can smell the wonderful, gooey, caramel goodness this *should* be, but as soon as it hits my skin it's nothing but plastic.

sweet, barely tart... there is almost something effervescent about opuhi. i can't quite put my finger on what it is that i like so much about it... it's soft, creamy, sweet and fresh, very innocent.

this is a really unique scent. it smells like real flowers and earth with a delicious hint of orangey sweetness... it was a surprise hit for me. i can see myself using it often and am considering purchasing more!

this is my favorite component of the l'autunno set. i sprayed it on my pillow to test! it is woodsy and windy and smokey. i honestly cannot pick out individual notes- it is beautifully blended. this is a walk in the woods on a crisp fall day. lovely.

ok, i haven't taken a bath yet but i drizzled a bit on my knee and am now sniffing away. on my skin this is very dry- sweet dried grass, a bit of sage, cedar. very different from the gooey-sweet molasses scent i got when i took a whiff straight from the bottle... i wonder how it will compare in the bath.

in the bottle: fresh apple cider, smoke and a ripe round fruitiness that i think is the fig. wet: woodsmoke and cider and oh NO, is that a hint of plastic i smell? say it ain't so, l'autunno! ok, plastic being kept at bay- it's getting darker and smokier now. i have not been happy with the various scents of mine that promise this kind of smokiness, but this is nice, and the closest i've come yet to a true, 'burning leaves' kind of note. it stays very smokey but there is a note of juicy tartness from the apples. i don't get much spice from it. it's really, really nice, and i am pleasantly surprised that the almond has not yet bitchslapped all the other notes into submission like it usually does. it reminds me of samhain, but less spicy. dry: ok, *now* it is starting to smell like spiced apple cider... enjoyed by the side of a roaring bonfire. unfortunately the plastic i smelled a hint of when first applied is back and gives it kind of a waxy, candlelike smell. it smells unfortunately artificial on my skin. i so wanted to love this.

woah, blood phoenix is pungent. smells like cake and dimetapp... no thank you!

tavern of hell makes me cough! it's very sharp. inexplicably, after a few minutes of wear it turns into the scent of grape airheads.

too much vetiver or something... maybe sage? there's a weird citrus thing somewhere in there, too. it does smell burnt, but it's not the kind of burning wood or leaves smell i love so much. i am going to keep djinn to try and layer it with other scents, though. i think, hidden away enough, it could make a nice addition to some autumnal blends.

the cedar and vanilla make this kinda tombstone-y at first, and the sage stays blissfully hidden away. and oooh, the musk and leather come out nicely. i very much like the bow and crown of conquest. i think i might like it even more on my boyfriend.

oh wow, something about machu picchu smells SO familiar (like something from my childhood) and i can't figure out what it is. it smells wet and fresh, like a forest after it rains- oh wait, maybe the RAINFOREST, which would make sense, wouldn't it? i'm dumb. but it's all laid over this gorgeous amber base. i love this amber. i want to roll around in it. unfortunately as it dries down everything sort of blends together and gets muddled, but the initial scent is gorgeous.

the bubble gummy sweetness of lotus covers up the screeching horror that lavender usually becomes on my skin and the spice rounds it out nicely. paris is bearable, but not something i'll wear.

lavender. salty wet lavender. pool of tears smells like someone shoved a giant pile of lavender in my face and i started crying because i hate lavender so much! so, really, it captures the concept of tears quite well.

smells like wet flowers and bug spray. not for me!

i amp pine like crazy and so while when troll first goes on it is very dark and smokey (and with wayyyy too much vetiver for my tastes) after a few minutes it is PINEPINEPINEPINE. i love pine but i have enough blends that turn to pine sn on me so off to the swaps it goes.