torischroeder9

It's listed as blood musk instead of red musk, but it wears like red musk on me -- But I'm super impressed by Chordae Tendineae in this year's Lupers. On me, the orange blossom especially keeps the scent nice and airy. I could definitely see myself wearing it in summer in Tucson. (Hi, I'm another hot-weather-living, red-musk-loving person.) In terms of other true red musk scents, I've recently tried Anteros (GC). I reviewed it as being a little less sweet than I would like but still very wearable in general. I could see it being a workable warm weather red musk perfume. If you get red musk from The Dodo (it dries down to sugared lemon on me), that's probably friendly to warm weather.

In the imp: Almost nothing. It's a soft close smell. Olive blossom and sweet smoke. On my skin: Wet, it's olive blossom, honey, and just a touch of smoke (I'm not sure if my skin is eating the vanilla portion of that note). As it dries, the honey emerges, underscored by the smoky vanilla. The cinnamon also makes an appearance, adding a touch of spice. As it settles, the olive blossom fades a bit, and the champaca flower starts to grace the edges of the scent. The jasmine remains blessedly well behaved. This is nice. Really nice. Maybe-I-need-a-bottle nice. The olive blossom, honey, and smoke note combine to give a feeling that's almost like beeswax. The cinnamon adds gentle spice, and the rest of the floral notes are accents rather than main players. The throw is relatively low on me, but the wear length is pretty good, so I'm thinking this might be another workable workday honey blend.

In the imp: Predominantly honey and orange blossom. On my skin: Wet, honey and rose dominate. It's very, very sweet, with an almost bubble-gum quality. As it dries, it goes through a powdery phase -- which on me could be rose, honey, or both -- before the sandalwood starts to emerge. The sandalwood grounds the scent and cuts its sweetness, keeping it from being cloying. Sadly, about thirty minutes after application, the powder combination has made a resurgence, blocking out sandalwood and orange blossom entirely. Thirty minutes after that, however, it settles down to be a honey-backed rose on me, grounded by a touch of sandalwood. It's back to being very sweet. This is very sweet and very strong on me. It might work as a very hot summertime scent if I apply it very, very sparingly.

In the imp: Fig and palm. On my skin: Yup, wet, it's figgy goodness with an undercurrent of soft palm. On the dry down, the rest of the woods start to come out, causing the fig to become a little less prominent. (I love fig, but it's a soft scent on me, so don't be surprised if this review turns into a Fig Tracker.) Given some time to develop on my skin, however, the fig does come back a bit. I'd say the woods are still the prominent scent, but the fig is still very much present in the background. Sadly, about an hour after application, the fig has faded so much as to not be detectable as a distinct note. It's a dark, soft, woodsy blend -- perfectly nice in itself, but I miss the fig.

In the imp: Resiny copal and a brightness that, yes, smells like generic conventional cologne. On my skin: Wet, the cologne note takes over. It remains well and truly cologne a half hour after application, when the copal becomes detectable on the skin. The throw, however, is resolutely cologne. Another hour later, and it's much the same. It certainly smells nice and clean for what it is, but it's not what I'm looking for from a BPAL.

In the imp: It's like I'm breathing in incense. On my skin: Wet, it's still heavily incense smoke. As it dries, the incense dissipates a bit, and I can make out the leather and musk. After more time, I can also make out a bit of ambergris, but so far, it's behaving itself on me. Then the tobacco makes itself known, tying together the incense smoke and the musk, leather, and ambergris. Soon after that, the incense note -- my favorite in the blend -- fades rapidly, leaving mainly tobacco and leather. It's a sexy, slightly sweet, very rugged scent. Debating if this is really what I want to smell like, though -- but I'll probably try this at least one more time to see if I can coax out that incense note again.

In the imp: Smokey vetiver. On my skin: Wet, it's the same smokey vetiver. As it dries, there is something with a sharper smoke note than I get from the vetiver. It keeps making me want to sneeze whenever I sniff it. Once it dries, it stays steadily smoke and ash, almost acrid. Does well at what its scent description conjures though I'm not sure that it's a wearable perfume on me.

In the imp: Fir, cumin, clove, and a myriad of other notes I can't pick out. On my skin: Wet, fir and clove are still prominent. The musk comes out on the drydown, so it's a musky, clovey fir. The cumin is also present in the background, ensuring that this scent is dry and bitter. Once it has time to develop on my skin, the tobacco comes out -- and strongly. At this point, it's enough to mask all but hints of the fir and clove. Over the course of the next half hour, the scent does a complet one-eighty from its original manifestation. This is all sticky, sweet tobacco on me, deepened by the musk and perhaps still spiced a bit my clove. I probably do not need another The Tobacco Show perfume.

In the imp: A very gentle lemon drop scent. By "gentle," I mean that the lemon isn't overly tart, but it's also not super sugary. On my skin: Wet, the sweet citrus continues, except now I can pick out that it's lime. I can also pick out peony, water lily, and wisteria. As it dries, some of the coconut meat comes out, and I wonder if that creaminess is what's contributing to my impression of this as a "soft" citrus candy scent. Given time to develop on my skin, the amber also surfaces. The resin isn't bad, but its smell is somewhat incongruous with the mostly foody vibe Shoggoth has had so far. Approximately an hour after application, the amber strengthens to become the main note, so it's an amber base wrapped in coconut lime. And I'm not really sure about this. On the one hand, while I like both amber and coconut-lime, I am not certain these are two great tastes that taste great together. On the other, the amber is a super great fixative on me; any other coconut-lime blend would have disappeared on me by now. I'll probably end up swapping this -- it's just too different for me to see myself using it regularly -- but I'm glad I got to try it.

So, this will be fun. I don't know what 40% of the notes in this blend smell like. In the imp: Gently sweet and resinous. I can pick out the frankincense. On my skin: Frankincense and another sweet note, with something classically bitter in the background. As it dries, the bitter, herbal note increases until it becomes the main note on my skin. Ultimately, this is thick and herbal and somber and almost oppressive. I do feel the "suffering" evocation from this scent, but I am missing the grace.

In the imp: Opium, with vetiver underneath, tinged by honeysuckle. On my skin: Wet, the vetiver dominates, though the opium remains detectable behind it. As it dries, the vetiver dials back to become a base, and opium shines as a centerpiece. Honeysuckle comes back to rest on top of the scent. Once it's had time to develop, however, the honeysuckle fades to a faint whisper, leaving the scent as smoky opium. This scent is thick and dark. It's well done, and I like it a lot -- but it's definitely too powerful for any kind of daily wear that I do.

In the imp: Wine, grapes, and something that comes out like eucalyptus. I was already curious about some love notes and some iffy notes. I'm properly wary now. On my skin: Wet, the eucalyptus smell definitely throws high and fast, with the early skin scent dominated by the wine. I can also get hints of what I think is the honey but could possibly be the sugar cane. As it dries, the wine fades -- and so does the eucalyptus -- and the honey becomes much more prominent, grounded by oakmoss and benzoin. In this phase, I can also pick out the feel of the blood musk, though it's not a distinct note to my nose. Once it has time to start to unfold on my skin, I get a note that's almost spicy, which I'm guessing is the carnation, hiding underneath the honey. Ultimately, however, not much comes from the carnation spice, and this scent remains very syrupy sweet. Honey lover that I am, it's still too sweet for me.

In the imp: Frankincense and myrrh. They're blended, but I can pick out each note distinctly. On my skin: Yep. Still the light, powdery resinous-ness (resinence? no, spell check does not like that) of frankincense and myrrh. Dry, it's powdery myrrh first with a slight hint of lemon -- I'm guessing from the frankincense -- just a beat afterward. This settles down to be a top note of bright frankincense with a base of powdery myrrh. I'm amazed by this blend. I have a few blends where the myrrh is prominent on my skin and where the myrrh is one note that helps make it a "sexy" perfume. While this blend isn't demure or chaste on me, necessarily, it is more subdued and cerebral. It might make a nice meditation blend. And while I'm not sure how much I love it for a perfume, it definitely is a nice scent on me. I'll probably keep this imp but won't feel the need to purchase additional quantities.

In the imp: Dirt, a dry note I read as orris, and the floral of angel's trumpet. On my skin: Wet, the angel's trumpet takes center stage; the dirt and bone are only detectable in the background. As it dries, the floral fades, and the dirt and bone become much more prominent. On me, the dirt is deep and rich but dry. It develops, and it's nice dirt -- and strong-throw dirt -- but as I am not really a fan of dirt scents, I do not have a highly developed olfactory sense for them.

In the imp: White musk and peach, brightened by bergamot and grounded by oakmoss. On my skin: Wet, it's faint peach and bergamot. It also tingles and burns a little on my skin although nothing in this combination of notes is a usual trigger for this. As it dries, peach becomes the main note, though the white musk is also detectable, keeping the peach from oversweetness. The oakmoss also reemerges as a grounding note. Given time to develop, the white musk amps up, becoming a very tickly note in my nose. Ultimately, this ends up smelling very much like Katharina on me -- only I think I prefer Katharina's slightly sharper apricot and orange blossom.

In the imp: Red musk, citrus, currant, and patchouli. It's not unlike a lighter, brighter Mme. Moriarty might be. On my skin: Wet, the red musk is the first note I smell, with the bergamot becoming distinguishable and a nice top note. The patchouli also asserts itself as a grounding note. As it dries, the kick of the red musk fades, and patchouli becomes the dominant note, with currant and bergamot brightening it. It's a fairly dry perfume on me. I must be getting the saffron somewhere -- though I can't overtly detect it -- and I'm definitely not getting any of the vanilla. Probably because of this dryness, it reads as more traditionally masculine on me than I tend to like my perfumes. Even for that, it's balanced, nicely blended, and very wearable.

In the imp: A slightly warm, softly woody scent. On my skin: Wet, more of the warmth pokes out, though it's still gentle. It reminds me of a very soft version of Strangler Fig. As it dries, I get a dirt note. It's nice dirt -- soft dirt at the cool base of a shady tree. Hrm. As it develops, the dirt becomes the prominent note on me. Much as it's a nice dirt, I am not so much a fan of dirt perfumes.

In the imp: Deep, green, and complex. Herbal, bitter, dirt, and mint. On my skin: Wet, there is a note that's almost like menthol or eucalyptus and another that calls to mind vetiver. As it dries, I get notes that smell like pine and citrus cleaners but do start to settle down toward a more natural evergreen scent. As it develops and unfurls on my skin, it loses a bit of evergreen freshness and sharpness, and another note -- musty and almost musky -- appears. I have to admit, this new note is a little like stale body odor. The body odor element does not fade. If anything, it becomes more distinct. If it had stayed more evergreeny, I probably could have found an occasion for it. But this is just not meshing well with me.

In the imp: A slightly soapy floral, possibly jasmine or gardenia, with some type of grounding note like sandalwood or patchouli (but not necessarily those). On my skin: Spice and a very sweet flower, like wisteria or honeysuckle. As it dries, it's a bit of soap and spice and sweetness and soft wood. The skin on my arm also gets tingly and irritated, common with me and cinnamon, clove, and ginger -- but known to happen with other notes as well. Given time to warm and develop, the soap note fades to a gentle powder that could be amber or myrrh; the other notes make it difficult to discern. The floral comes back as well, jasmine, I think. Over time, the powder fades a bit, and the jasmine becomes stronger. Jasmine-dominant scents are just not my kind of people.

In the bottle: Honey and orange blossom with a grounding note that I can't readily identify. I mean, I know it's Snake Oil because of the description, but it doesn't leap out of the bottle with that characteristic Snake Oil smell. On my skin: Wet, it's a glorious mix of scents -- first honey, then orange blossom, then honey, then cinnamon, then the characteristic pungency I get from fresh Snake Oil. As it dries, the throw is predominantly honey and orange blossom with a touch of cinnamon. If I stick my nose closer to my skin, I do get the sharpness of fresh Snake Oil patchouli. Up close, that note is less than amazing, but I hope that as it mellows, it will provide a complex grounding scent for the fabulous throw. Throw on this is medium on me, but the wear length is just about forever.

In the bottle: Ginger, cardamom, and almost buttery BPAL pumpkin. On my skin: Wet, the pumpkin dominates, warm and buttery, accented by the zing of the ginger. It does get tingly on my skin immediately after application (probably the ginger), but it's not enough to deter me from trying the scent. As it dries, ginger remains the showcase note, with a warm undercurrent of pumpkin. There's a splash of bright orange and a tickle of cardamom in there as well. The Egyptian amber is acting as a great anchor to hold all the other notes together. A couple of hours after application, the pumpkin note fades from prominence, and this blend becomes a beautiful, spiced amber. Overall, it's a lovely resin, spice, and pumpkin scent that is very, very far removed from anything like "pumpkin spice" scent on me. While it would certainly be at home in the "pumpkin spice time of year," it's a scent that's sophisticated and elegant enough to be fitting for other times and occasions as well. Medium throw, long wear length on me.

In the imp: Sweet carnations and orange, with a hint of ginger. On my skin: Wet, the carnations and orange peel dominate. On the initial drydown, the throw is lots of sweet and spicy carnation. The ginger, orange peel, and honey enhance the central carnation rather than standing out as individual notes. It's a very harmonious blend from the get-go. The scent stays much the same from this stage forward. On me, the best way I can explain this scent is that it's like carnation dressed up in very subtle makeup. If I stick my nose very close to my skin, I can detect the ginger distinctly. Otherwise, the scent just feels like all the nicest parts of carnation enhanced. Strong throw, medium wear length.

In the imp: Plum, rose, sandalwood, oudh, bergamot, in order of strength and detectability. I can pick out all of the notes. On my skin: Wet, it's predominantly rose and bergamot. As it dries, the bergamot dissipates. I get rose and plum in equal amounts, grounded by the sandalwood and oudh in the background. Far from snooty, I find that the plum and grounding notes warm and round out the rose here, making it richer, fuller, and -- to my nose and on my skin -- more enjoyable. The plum and sandalwood (not sure about the oudh) also have a known effect on my skin of keeping things low-throw, and they serve to keep the rose note much closer to my skin than rose usually is. The result is that it's probably a much more wearable rose than I usually get; I feel like I can wear this indoors without overwhelming everyone around me.

In the imp: Vanilla, sassafras, and cedar. On my skin: Wet, the cedar is most prominent, with sassafras and vanilla in the background. As it dries, the cedar becomes even more dominant. The sassafras recedes further into the background, and the vanilla just about disappears. Given some time to warm and develop on my skin, the vanilla and sassafras make somewhat of a rebound to reemerge as background notes. Cedar is still the frontline player here, but it's not a one-note show. The notes also start to blend together a bit here, so there's not such a sharp distinction between the cedar and sassafras. I definitely feel how this is a "rugged" scent, though the vanilla and sassafras soften the cedar nicely. It's probably a bit too rugged for my everyday scent preferences, but I'll probably keep the imp for if I'm ever actually in Tombstone again!

In the imp: I get the toasted coconut first, followed by the stronger honeyed almond milk. On my skin: Wet, the toasted coconut leaps to the surface of this scent, which means I worry if it's going to dry off and fade first as well. As it dries, the honeyed almond milk does come out, but the toasted coconut graces the top of it beautifully. There is just a hint of fig fruit, but it's far in the background. At this stage, it feels a lot like a coconut scent though coconut isn't providing most of the substance; it does, however, blend very well with the honeyed almond milk. Once I give it some time to develop on my skin, however, the fig gains in prominence while both the coconut and almond milk recede. Because of the fig's sweetness, I can't tell what's happening to the "honey" aspect of the almond milk. I can also detect the barest hint of sandalwood, just enough to ground the blend. It's a very pleasant figgy scent here, but I'm definitely missing the coconut phase. Sadly, after that, the fig too begins to fade. Total wear length is less than an hour on me. I like it while it lasts, but Eden is very fleeting.