alterosen

This really doesn't work on me. Starts out super smoky as expected, then goes badly funky. Mildewy pine or wet dog? Mugwort? Something sour, murky & kind of rank. The funk fades as the smoke amplifies & takes on a bitter, inky tone which means a certain leather note has arrived. I asked my son if he wanted to sniff my wrist at this point & he fled across the room, fast. And I had only dabbed it on, not slathered! After about an hour of harsh, smoky leather, a whisp of vanilla musk arrives. It steadily gets stronger while the leather fades until we get the nice Lace base with a smoke accent. There seems to be a bit of extra musk, too. I do like the drydown but am not going to deal with the wet phases again. I was hoping for some spiced plum but never got any opium, clove or fruit. People who wear smoke & leather well might have better luck with this scent than me.

This is lovely! I get an ethereal sweet vanilla right from the start, then it becomes reminiscent of some Japanese incense I have, so perhaps there's a little dry sandalwood involved (or maybe it's the tobacco?). A fizzy aspect comes out, more subdued than in Champagne Lace, but definitely related. The fizz takes on a hint of bitterness which I realize must be the rose but it's only ever a minor player for me. The fizzy note fades and the scent ends up being a dry elegant vanilla on my skin, lacking soil, pine, viscera or anything disturbing. I'm upgrading my decant to a bottle, first chance I get!

Port Royal! My husband was wearing some yesterday & it's very rawr Warm, spicy wood with a smidgen of leather

I am so enamoured of this gloss! Sweet creamy pumpkin with a breath of spices. I'm getting a bit of orange peel, too, and the creamy vanilla reminds me of white chocolate. Yummy!

#9 decant My impression is of a lightly spiced apple cider. No overpowering spices here! Nice, work appropriate. #10 decant Red roses, front & centre. Strong, deep, slightly fruity, regal - wear to make a statement. Any spices are overwhelmed by the rose. Probably not work friendly, but glorious if roses are your thing!

Like Lunameth, l get lots of orange with a champagne-like note. The honey comes & goes. Very fun & perky.

This is nice - it's primarily cooked apple and spices with a bit of buttery baking in the background. Very comforting. I don't get any cold notes. I agee that the frost is more likely icing on the gingerbread than actual frost. Great on a cold wet day making my house smell warm & cozy!

This is pretty but the roses & other flowers are a little soapy & high-pitched for me. I get a tiny bit of bitterness in the greenery, too, that I don't enjoy in the way I do the Queen's Croquet Ground where the grass & roses are richer/deeper notes than these.

#135 Samhain with a black cherry note, very sweet, sugary & strong. It actually overpowers the Samhain base while occasionally letting elements peek through. This is a dark & mysterious fruit scent. As it dries, the cherry becomes less defined & takes on a whiff of wine or sugar plum. It reminds me somewhat of Hearth '04. Though it teeters on the verge of being too sweet for me & doesn't last quite as long as regular Samhain, I'm totally enjoying it!

Incense swirling through a winter forest. Nice frankincense with just a hint of pine pitch. In truth, I was expecting some smoke & hoping for a lot more winter forest than I'm sensing here. But if you really like frankincense, grab this one.

A widows orchard: black, wilted roses, sagging oak, skeletal yew bushes, threads of saffron, and pads of black moss. The moss is strong in this one, combined with a spicy rose. I don't really get the oak, yew or saffron but they're probably contributing to what I'm noting as spice. It feels more like a Victorian parlour than a haunted garden/orchard to me but I do really like it. If you're a fan of moss & rose together, you definitely should try it! I suspect that this combo of notes may have potpourri associations for some people but for others (like me) it will suit just fine.

This has a really golden, creamy feel to me. It's so rich & sweet it seems like I'm surrounded by the filling of an orange cream chocolate (without there actually being any chocolate in the scent). I think I would like it better as a perfume - it's one of the few atmospheres that I like the smell of but don't want to spray around my home for some reason.

Strong peach, almost jammy, with an unidentifiable spicy note while wet. As it dries, the spice dissipates and I get some citrus, instead, which, while not orangey as such, reminds me of marmalade. This is very fruit forward on me - I don't notice much pastry or crust.

I hear ya, monocainesheresy! I'm more of a LE gal but Dorian is an essential for me (preferably aged - people are always talking about aging Snake Oil but Dorian can use it, too). My tastes are also very dependent on season, so Dorian or fruity things like Eat Me, Titania or Fae are for warm weather but I would choose Velvet, Jack or Shub if I wanted to feel cozy. And I think Port Royal is super sexy (& unisex). Couldn't keep it to two!

I second Lady Death: Savage & Ava and would like to add Mother Ghost (a cold, sheer white musk gleaming with black orchid, benzoin, labdanum, and blackened amber embraced by white rose, tea leaf, and vanilla flower), Love Lay Upon Her Eyes (White amber & Bulgarian rose) & This World, Where Death Reigns (Myrrh and black roses). Unveiled (Red bush tea, vanilla, white peach, golden amber, mandarin, lotus root, and myrrh) reminds of the oriental type perfumes that my Mum used to wear. Beautiful Death is also lovely (sandalwood, vanilla, green cognac, white tobacco, chamomile, black tea & belladonna). It's like a poisonous berry perfume in the Lace family.

White sandalwood, peach, and dried red fruits with benzoin, red ginger, and amber. This is nice! When I first tried it, fresh from the mail, the ginger & sandalwood were prominent with little fruit appearing but it has developed more with a little aging. Now I notice the peach & red fruits, too and with the amber & sandalwood, it has the feel of some oriental perfumes. It reminds me slightly of Portrait of a Young Woman With Unicorn though it doesn't have the vanilla or red musk.

Agreed! Sept is my current frankenfave. Ditto!

I had high hopes for this one but ultimately it doesn't work on me. The florals are well-behaved & the vanilla lovely & ethereal but then after a while a pungent tangy note develops that reminds me of fish Not sure where that emerged from: maybe the ambergris & tobacco are combining strangely? Freakin' skin chemistry.

I like cold florals for this sort of thing - I guess I'm going for an Ice Maiden vibe? Both Rose Red & Lady Death: Savage make me feel cool & competent. I like Ruined Roses, too, but it's not as intense. If I'm just going for comfort, I would probably reach for Dorian or Paper Phoenix - there's something about the combo of musks, tea & vanilla that I really enjoy.

I really like this - I can see myself reaching for it in spring or summer when I want something with spice that's not too heavy. The white musk, lemon & tea keep it refreshing & don't fight with the spices.

I'm getting an impression of pink & golden floofiness, like a big ruffled peony flower - very pretty & light-hearted. I thought it had some fruit in it but I guess that's coming from the sweet pea. Though it's not my usual type of HG scent, I can see myself wearing this in springtime. And I must plant some sweet peas this year!

I get some fairly decent Rose incense, with no evidence of baby powder or poop (though my hair did seem to pick up a slightly funky note the day after applying, it's not terribly off-putting & is dominated by the incense). Not my favorite rose HG but not bad. Certainly worth trying if the notes intrigue you.

Yum! I agree this is mostly spices with the eggnog taking second place. I also get an occasional waft of something smoky which is very pleasant.

To me, this is reading as sugared lavender and incense. Not sure why - I'm not noticing the pear or bergamot or sandalwood as such & would have guessed there was a bit of champaca or something along those lines. Huh.

I'm very fond of the Blueberry Pie HG & Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins HG gets used heavily, too, so I knew I had to try this one. Apparently I love the smell of blueberries in my hair, because this is also a winner on me. The dry dead leaves & the chypre cut the sweetness of the blueberry note so it's a good choice for when I'm not in the mood for too much sugar.