naeelah

I'm not sure how old my imps is, but this is almost all apple cider and carnation on me. The florals balance out the cider enough to keep it form being overly foody or autumnal, but there is a distinct spiced cider quality. I thought there was white musk in this. Perhaps it's the ink note (whatever that is) that's giving that crispness. The more I sniff it, the more it smells more like lightly spiced florals with a hint of apple -- whereas initially, it was very strong on the apple. I can't really single out the florals, beyond the carnation. Some people have likened this to a potpourri sachet, and I think that's a good comparison. It reminds me of upscale but traditional home interior stores. But in a good way. This has a classic, complex, slightly dressy feel, but the hints of sweetness help keep it a hint of girliness. Definitely fitting of a higher class Alice.

Wow, this is a beautiful light, fruity blend. When I first apply it, I get a wave of fresh pear, which is soon followed by soft lily. The lily takes over the pear and a hint of rosewood and musk creep in. I don't get the same brightness as I usually do from the white musk. It seems to be fairly subdued here, definitely a base note along with the rosewood. The pear, unfortunately, seems to be lost. Maybe it's just my skin chemistry, because I amp woods. Mainly, it's light lily and woods on me. Lovely if you like lily. It's a very gentle, clean and feminine blend.

Ooh, this is a great request. (*waves Indy pennant* - so. freaking. excited.) I agree, I think of dirt, leather, and sweat. But as for what he would wear, I think something kind of traditional and classic, neat but with a bit of musk. Dee might be a great choice, because it captures the geeky end of Indy but will also have a classic cologne quality -- so it's both something he might wear and something that personifies him. soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods. Casanova also sounds good. A rakish blend of leather, anise, lavender, bergamot and amber with tonka, lemon peel and lusty patchouli. You can't buy an imp of it, but Western Diamondback might be PERFECT. Leather and Snake Oil. If you want a feral, deep, animal musk type scent, maybe Satyr. Fenris Wolf and Loup Garou are also a bit wild and earthy. Black Opal or Death Cap - both have a crisp, stony earthiness, with a smooth undertone They're unisex, and on a man, they might make a nice cologne. Calico Jack is aquatic, but a great men's adventurer kind of scent. It's lightly spicy. Mary Read or Anne Bonny might work, too, but I haven't tried either, so I don't know how aquatic Mary is. Burial and Deep in EArth might be good for earthy scents. You can't get imps of these, of course, but they sound like good possibilities: The Ifrit (light, spicy sand), Mr. Ibis or Mr. Jacquel, Crowley (another clean but rounded, leathery cologne), Famine (sleek and classic), Tristran (herbal earthy), The Organ Grinder (earthy root beer), Parliament of Monsters (light, dusty tobacco incense).

I no longer have my bottle of Anactoria to compare side by side, but Nanny Ashtoreth strikes me as being VERY similar. It has a lot of leather, which Anactoria doesn't have, but Nanny has the same strong musky vibe with hints of honey and berries. (Which is unusual, since musk is not listed in the notes -- maybe there's an unlisted note, maybe some of the bouquet components of a certain musk are in this, so it's familiar to the nose. I don't know.) The leather and florals in Nanny takes the place of the grasses and palm in Anactoria -- both give a similar sense of dryness.

Check out page 35 of the LE to GC comparison thread, and you'll find that this was just in discussion.

The general consensus is that this smells just like root beer, and I have to agree. It does morph a bit -- sometimes it's more sharp and herbal, sometimes it's more creamy -- but still, root beer. (A good one, I should note.) The vanilla gives it a sweetness, but I wouldn't call it a sweet or foody blend. Maybe it's more accurate to call this sarsaparilla. Root beer often has a licorice-like quality, and that isn't present in this perfume. It's all bright, creamy sassafras. Stimulating, indeed! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to last long. After about an hour, most of the sassafras had evaporated, and it smelled like a faintly herbal, creamy vanilla. But it's really fabulous while it lasts. Those who are afraid of the butter note shouldn't worry. I never smelled butter in this. It seems to behave rather like a cream absolute.

Ha, so I'm not the only one who thought, "Huh, Irish Spring?" when this was wet. I will have to give this another try, but I fear my skin ruins it. I got soap from start to finish. Green, floral soap with some metallic and musky notes, but still - soap. I never got an overwhelming ozone-like sense, so the metallics, at least, are in check. Naturally, the throw was quite strong, and it lasts a long time. I'll try it again and update this review at that time, but I do think it's safe to say that this is a masculine scent. It's very fresh and clean, but in a way that's very unlike other fresh and clean scents. If clean musk, metallics and green florals sounds appealing to you, give it a try.

In the bottle: Helloooo musk! Looking at the notes listing, this is a bit puzzling. But appropriate. It smells like Arabian or maybe Indian musk -- similar to Black Lace and Othello. On skin: The musk has a whip, and it means business. In this initial stage it really reminds me of Krampus, but with this eastern musk in place of the red musk. It's very cologne-like and butch, which I guess is appropriate for the nanny, but not what I was expecting. I was really hoping for a creamy, more feminine leather scent, because all of the leather blends are so masculine. Drying: The wood comes out now with a hint of honey (it's a lighter, waxier honey), but the leather and musk are still the dominant notes. There a slight soapy quality that I guess is the flowers, and I can't pick out the berries yet. It seems to get less and less prominently musky as it wears, but sadly, the other notes never really surface. I expect that the other notes are things that will have to bloom with the blessings of age. I'll hang onto the bottle for a while and see how she goes, but if it never changes, this is not the nanny I was looking for. Try it if you like: Anactoria (this is REALLY similar, on me), Krampus, Crowley, Dee 3 months later: The amber and honey are much stronger now, so the blend has more of a creamy, sweet quality. However, the leather is still really masculine, and the flowers lend an extra dryness. I still don't get much sense of the berries. So, really, the blend is much the same now, only the leather is better balanced with the honey. It's an improvement, but not enough to make me keep the bottle.

Wow, this is amazing. It smells exactly like I imagined it would. Wet, it's like a sharp, metallic cologne. I found this stage pretty unpleasant. Luckily, it burns off within 5 minutes, and when dry, a COMPLETELY different scent emerges. A faint sweetness develops, and the sharp, metallic quality fades to the background. It smells like metallic amber, if that makes sense. I usually hate most metallic notes -- way too sharp and ozone-y -- but this is very well balanced and unique. The sage doesn't stand out, just adds a very soft fuzzy quality, along with the incense. The incense quality gets a wee bit stronger little by little, over the hours. This is polished and gold, a warm glow under a soft, smoky haze. The throw is relatively light. Try this: if you want to try a metallic steamworks scent but don't usually have good luck with metallics.

I'll just chime in to agree with everything that has been said. LP is a strong, sweet, pure vanilla. The saffron can be a bit sharp in some bottles, but it fades away as it dries. Underpants is much softer. It smells similar in the bottle -- like vanilla cake -- but on the skin, it's much gentler and less sweet. You can definitely smell the wood. FWIW, I don't really wear pure vanilla scents, so I swapped away LP, but I loved Underpants. (Except for the part where my skin ruins sandalwood -- but it was great while it lasted.) If you love vanilla and loved Underpants, then LP is definitely worth trying! If you don't like it, I'm sure you'll be able to sell or swap it again. You might also look for Opuhi, which is one of the recent Tiki scents, because some people described the vanilla in that as being very similar to Underpants. (ETA: I've received my bottle of Opuhi, and the vanilla is VERY Underpants-like.)

I find that I mostly get compliments when I'm in the car with people, because that's when it's noticeable. If you're finding yourself short on compliments, I think it's probably because BPAL is less throw-y than conventional perfumes. So you'll probably get the most compliments on strong scents or from people whom you're more intimate with. I've gotten compliments on Prospero and Bordello (which I layer with Smut). So apparently the plum is a hit. (Prospero is LE, but still available from Dark Delicacies.) I've also gotten a ton of compliments on Dia de los Muertos, which is an LE, but one that comes back every year. It seems to have better throw than some other scents. If I put it in my hair, I can catch it wafting nearly every time I turn my head. Most of the time that I get compliments, it's on scents that people describe as "incense-y". I also get compliments on the foody ones, though, because people seem to love anything that smells like cake.

I agree that Snake Charmer is pretty unique. I've tried to find a substitute, to no avail. I think the closest readily available scent to Snake Charmer is Boomslang. Obviously SC doesn't have that chocolate note, but for many people, the cocoa fades away and it just smells like a deeper, richer Snake Oil. Which is basically what Snake Charmer smells like on me. SC has a creaminess, which Boomslang has from the rice milk. They're not identical, but in a world without Snake Charmer, I think Boomslang fills the same niche. YMMV, of course, but in general, I'd recommend trying out the snake pit and seeing how close a match you can get. I thought that Australian Copperhead might smell similar, but it's a LOT lighter than SC. For the most exact match, you'll probably need to layer. I don't know any combos, but you could try something like Boomslang or Temple Viper and Death Adder (for the black coconut). There's little chance of Snake Charmer ever coming back. We got Midway this year, so who knows if she'll ever resurrect anything else from Carnaval Noir. It's so well loved that maybe she'll have mercy and bring it back for an anniversary. (Every year, one discontinued LE is revived. If we don't get it for that anniversary, we'll probably never get it.)

Aziraphale is lovely! I was afraid that this would be too cologne-like, and while it is decidedly unisex, I think it avoids smelling like cologne. I don't find it too masculine. I'm not sure how old my decant is, but I think it's safe to assume it isn't very fresh. Wet, it's golden musks with a liberal coating of dust. The musk is, as another reviewer described it, almost fruity and juicy. It is not nearly as crystalline as I might have expected. It feels more effervescent than bright, if that makes sense. The wood and paper notes blend together somewhat, creating a soft foundation and bridging the dryness of the dust and the richness of the musk. Other people have smelled cedar in this, but my nose isn't finding it. I keep waiting for it to change, and so far, it hasn't. Even an hour later, I can barely detect any difference. I think the musk has become less prominent and sweet, but the dust and paper have not. It's still a dusty Bible with an ethereal shimmer around it. It has gotten a little bit softer. It had light throw at first, but now it's very close to the skin. Compared to something like The Lurid Library, this is definitely sunnier. Lurid Library smelled exactly like a used book store when fresh, and has become a little bit darker, with musk and incense, with age. Aziraphale remains light and ethereal, no less dusty than Lurid Library but not nearly as dark. If it's a used book store, it's a well lit and well maintained one. I'd definitely recommend it for fans of dust and paper notes, but it's also worth trying if you like simple, light, bright blends.

I didn't know what Kyphi was, so I expected this to be a lot smokier than it is. I half wondered if I'd gotten a mis-labeled decant, because when I put it on, it smelled like jasmine or sweet resin or something. Turns out Kyphi is an incense that includes honey and raisins, so, now I know what the sweet smell is. Grape! For the first 5-10 minutes, this is a very glowing, sweet scent. At first it reminds me a lot of the initial phase of Cathedral and it also makes me think of amber blends. Gradually, the grape becomes apparent, and so does a hint of incense smoke. I keep waiting for the incense smoke to take over, but it never really does. For the first hour, this smells as Diwali should have. (I amped the sandalwood in Diwali out of control, so it lost all of its sweetness.) It's honey, raisins, and creamy resins with a hint of incense smoke. After an hour or so, the sweetness finally recedes slightly, and now it captures more of the wood embers and incense end of the notes. It's very close to the skin, but I think this is appropriate. I've tried a lot of wood smoke blends, and they almost always end up smelling like barbecue on me. This one is completely different, I'm happy to say. There is absolutely no vetiver. It's more like smoky amber. Soft, warm, a little woodsy, and a little smoky. A slightly sharper incense smoke is also present, bringing more of an ashy quality to mind. I'm really pleasantly surprised by this, but I'm afraid I haven't found my perfect smoky fire scent yet. The sweetness of the grape kind of gets to me. It's a beautiful blend, though, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a soft wood smoke scent but hasn't had success with other wood smoke notes.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this, but it sounded very grey and fuzzy to me. That's about how it smells on me, too. It's hard to describe. I can't really differentiate the notes, partly due to blending and partly due to lack of familiarity. I can tell there are resins, and a hint of oakmoss. It's not smoky. It doesn't smell like the usual amber. It also doesn't smell mossy or earthy. It's just subdued and fuzzy. Some people have mentioned a hairspray quality, and I can see that when it's wet. Once dry, it still has that slightly sharp edge. I think perhaps it comes from the myrrh and oakmoss. It doesn't smell like hairspray, but it isn't as rich and warm as you might expect a resin blend to be. The myrrh doesn't have any sweetness here, just dry resin with a hint of smoke. I realize that what this reminds me of is Coco by Chanel. They don't smell perfectly identical, but I feel like the character is similar. Sophisticated amber. This stays really close to the skin.

Whew, when I put this on, it's like Agnes Nutter catapulting through the sky shouting, "Vetiver away!!" after she's attended an all-you-can-eat ribs buffet. Initially, this basically smells like a barbecue pit to me. Charcoal and marinated pork. Um, I guess that fragrance could have its niche. As it dries, some of that weird, sweet BBW edge recedes, and it becomes a little more metallic and brimstone-like. Unfortunately, it never goes totally away. BAH, vetiver! I was really looking forward to this, because I like gunpowder, but as you might have guessed, I do not consider it a success. Try it if your skin DOESN'T hate vetiver. (It could be the wood smoke that's causing the weirdness, but I've gotten this quality from other vetiver blends.)

Wet, it's definitely all aquatic. Strong, salty, breezy aquatic. Although I'm not a fan of aquatics, I think it's nice. It has a masculine edge. Initially, it reminds me of The Phoenix, minus the lime. As it dries, the AQUA! recedes and lets some of the other notes shine through. After about 15 minutes, I think I can finally smell everything. It's much better balanced now. There's still plenty of the aquatics, but now I can smell crisp woods, leather, and just a hint of dry spices in the background. (There's definitely some clove present.) I can't identify the musk, because it blends well, but it's there, binding everything together. A lot of people have described this as generic dude cologne, but fortunately, it does NOT smell like that on me. Throw is quite good. I think I like this best of all the aquatic blends I've tried. (Normally I hate aquatics, but if I had a boyfriend, I'd have him give this a try.) Try it if you like aquatics and want a lightly spicy one. The combination of wood, leather, and clove makes me think of Count Dracula at sea.

I see why this was so well loved! Many people have described it as smelling like a Sweet Tart, and I'd say that's actually a pretty good description. But it's a really gorgeous sweet tart. Initially, it's ripe, sweet, juicy pomegranate, and as it dries, a tart edge comes through. There's also a grounding quality, almost like neroli or something. And that's really the whole scent. It's very straight-forward, but surprisingly complex and very well-balanced. It's fruity, but with a resinous, perfumey quality -- which is to say, it's not just like you've been eating a lot of fruit. It's more sophisticated than that. The sweet is equally matched by the tart. I wouldn't say there's much bitterness. It starts out quite strong. Once dry, it's a little weaker, but the throw is still good.

They smell very distinct on me -- definitely couldn't mistake one for the other -- but I would definitely put them in the same general category of scent. So, if you like one, you'll probably like the other. And you never know what your skin chemistry will do, so I'd say it's worth a try! The main difference is that CQ has a major "dank" quality that MM lacks. That slightly aquatic, earthy mossiness. (And there's also the rose.) MM was more rich musk and less dank. If you wanted to replicate CQ, maybe you could layer a "crypt" kind of scent over MM. I don't wear crypt-like scents so I can't think of anything to recommend -- maybe Zombi?

This scent just makes me happy. It also has one of the greatest labels ever -- perfect for the scent and the colors it evokes. Initially, the strongest notes are a green, slightly bitter herb (has to be the fool's parsley) and tart Huckleberry (which has a deep, purple kind of smell). These remain the most prominent notes, for me, but they become balanced by the somewhat sweeter tangerine and smooth florals. Everything blends quite well. The florals are not faint, but definitely, the character of this scent is fruity herbal. I think the floral mostly serve to round things out. Initially the throw is quite strong, but it does fade pretty quickly. Within 2 hours, it's relatively close to the skin. I've been looking for just the right herbal and/or fruit scent for so long, and this is perfect. Most herbal scents are too herbal -- they have herbs and nothing else. Likewise for fruit scents. Together, it's a wonderful and unique pairing and it will be perfect for late spring and summer.

Ostara is one of my favorite spring scents, so I was really curious how this interpretation of spring would compare. Wet, its veeery minty, but the mint fades and blends into the scent as it dries. After this initial phase, it doesn't seem to morph very much. It settles into a soft, fuzzy blend: gently smoky resins colored with soft herbs and slight florals. Little by little (an hour or so into wear), some of the smoke and herbs soften further, and it takes on a more floral quality, but the smokiness isn't lost. This is really lovely and comforting. Where Ostara is bright with a lot of greenery, Beltane is subdued and conjures more of a sage color. I can't really pick out many individual notes. When I smell florals, I can't pick out what's there. But it's a very pretty scent, certainly evocative of spring ritual.

This one morphs quite a bit as it dries. Fresh out of the bottle, it's a sweet, juicy floral with a lot of golden musk. (I think this musk is the same one that's in Lady Una.) Immediately, the musk recedes and the vanilla flower takes the fore. It definitely has 'white floral' quality -- all by its lonesome it's not piercing, but it's definitely cutting straight to the top of the notes. Thankfully, the overall balance recovers quickly, and the osmanthus emerges to balance the vanilla flower. Where the vanilla flower is ethereal and dry, the osmanthus is viscuous and sweet. It has an almost fruity quality, like lychee or something. For a brief moment, the osmanthus overpowers the blend, but luckily, that goes away. I can also smell the honey, which pairs well with the osmanthus, and hints of vanilla and ginger in the background. This seems to be the final stage of the dry down, and here, the predominant quality is definitely floral, but sweet and golden. It reminds me of a floral Lady Una, minus the blackberry (and also less blatantly sweet and vanilla-y). It's a really lovely blend, if you're a fan of vanilla or rice flower and sweet, golden scents. The ginger is a wonderful addition, providing body to the scent but without calling attention to itself. The musk seems to be one of the first things to fade on my skin, so the scent gets a little bit lighter and more floral as it wears. Try it if you like: Lady Una, Haloes, Castitas [bath oil], Defututa...

(testing a lab fresh imp) I initially commented that this could just as well be called "naeelah's torments" because vetiver is one of the few notes that I hate (it also makes me sick), and sandalwood usually just doesn't behave well on my skin. It often goes really sharp and prickly and generally unpleasant. Neroli I'm ok with. Wet, I'm beginning to think I've found a blend that makes vetiver wearable. I can smell all three notes in about equal measure: the vetiver is brightly grassy, the sandalwood is light and pure, almost like linen, and the neroli is fragrant with a faint bitter edge. Definitely not orangey. Everything combines well to make a light, crisp, clean scent. It reminds me of a piece of sweet grass or some reed like that. A little green, fresh and woody, with an underlying bitterness. As time goes on, I keep expecting for the sandalwood to take over, or for the vetiver to go all barbecue.... and it doesn't. The vetiver here smells like the vetiver in highwayman -- it's a grassiness that I don't mind so much, but it just gives me a headache after a while. It never smells burnt, but it does gradually become sharper and more bitter. I think it conveys the poem well: "where all might drear and lonely be." I'm pleasantly surprised by this one, although it hasn't turned me into a vetiver lover. I won't be keeping the imp, but I'd definitely recommend it to fans of crisp grassy scents.

One of my favorite lime scents is Agony of Heartache (tart, bitter lime and blackberry - Purple sage, red patchouli, blackberry, lemon blossom, and lime rind). I got a lot of lime out of Voodoo ( myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, lime, vanilla, pine, almond and clove) before I amped the patchouli. If you liked deep, somewhat earthy sorts of scents, then I thought this one was great.

Wet, this hits me with a major dose of sugary, cloying vanilla. But the sweetness is immediately balanced as it dries. Right away, it becomes very ambery with a solid teak base, just flavored by vanilla. Here, it's definitely a buttercream sort of vanilla, like in Love's Philosophy. At this stage, I can't detect any lotus blossom. But after it's had a little more drying time, I can detect a light floral quality. It's not sweet or heavy like lotus can often be. It feels more like rice flower or vanilla flower to me, just adding lightness to the heavy cream and base notes. Unfortunately, at this stage, the teak is going WOOOSH! I tend to amp up wood notes, but I think this is just the way it's supposed to smell, because it hasn't drowned out the amber. The cream accord is now much more soft and creamy and less sweet and vanilla-like. In the end, I get a well rooted, creamy wood and amber blend. It's very simple and elegant. Definitely a more grownup vanilla blend -- far more oriental than gourmand -- and it should age magnificently. As many other people have said, this is one of the least sweet Lupercalias. Love's philosophy is all vanilla; this is wood flavored with soft vanilla. Harikata is creamy sweet florals with ginger, and a bit lacking in base notes; this is mostly base notes. Definitely try it if you're a fan of amber or wood blends. Staying power is fantastic, although after 5-6 hours it's relatively close to the skin.