feyofthefellwood

I was excited to see this come back into stock, so grabbed an imp. It's slightly soapy, but in a pleasant way - it's like a high end laundry smell, but also captures the cool sweetness of the desert just before the sun rises. A light green kind of scent. My only complaint is that it's a bit faint on me, but with resting and aging, that might change.

As others have mentioned, this definitely makes me think of Phedre from the Kushiel books. 🌹 Also, it's a gorgeous rose blend. Sometimes rose tends to me a bit sweet for me, but the leather grounds the rose here and makes it lighter (also, I'm a fan of leather, so that probably helps). Very fresh and sensual.

Rosewater and . . . a hint of jasmine? This is fairly light and inoffensive, but sweeter than expected. I don't think it's my thing, but I'm glad I got to try it. Might be good to layer with something like Paladin.

I've been finding vanilla and sandalwood combos really calming lately, so this is lovely. The ylang ylang starts strong, but the three notes blend together nicely after it dries down. The scent actually stays pretty close to the skin after dry-down, so not a lot of throw. Overall, this is an almost creamy vanilla-sandalwood with the cheerful sweetness of ylang ylang.

This one reminds me of Storge, another lavender/honey combo I love. This starts off a bit astringent/herbal, I'm guessing because the honey is acacia honey. But it tones down pretty fast into a floral honey with just a bit of kick. The beeswax backs up the other notes and gives them a pleasant waxy chewiness (lol, I don't know how to describe it, obviously). Anyway, I'm digging it. It also reminds me a little of Sucreabeille's Beekeeper's Daughter, but this is heavier on the sweet honey than the herbs. Edit: Yeah, okay, even though I already have a bottle of Storge I had to full size this. *ignores the sound of wallet complaining* Apparently honey + lavender is another weakness of mine.

An almost green, dry-smelling patchouli sweetened with a little honey and benzoin. It's not really my style, but it's pleasant and gives off a warm impression.

Sampled my sister's decant. This reminds me of Black Butterfly Moon (florals + moss), Ava, and Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending to some extent. After a while the heady florals dry down and you're left with a vanilla musk type scent. Very nice if you're into florals and scents that lean more "commercial."

This is really nice! Toasty rice with sweetness from the sugar and fuzziness from the hay. Understated, cozy, and comforting. Edited to say that the more this one settles/ages, the more I love it. It's sweeter to me now, almost vanilla-like (but still unmistakably rice milk), and has a gentle throw that's very elegant. Bottle has been ordered.

This has a really nice, grainy rice note underlying the florals. Unfortunately, the florals go a little sharp and soapy on my skin, but the rice note stays pretty yummy.

This is an amazing blend! Rich chocolate sweetened with tonka and amber. It has a milk chocolate vibe to me, but like expensive, fancy milk chocolate, something that would come wrapped in gold leaf. I sampled my sister's bottle, but might have to grab one for myself at some point before the Lupers come down.

Love this! It's a pretty strong sweet cherry when wet, but it softens considerably as it dries. It really does smell like cherry buttercream to me, noticeable in my hair but not cloying.

When I was a kid, I had this sheer white scrap of cloth that smelled of faded perfume. I used to like rubbing it between my fingers and just enjoying the gauzy texture (wow, those were simpler times). Anyway, that is what Ava reminds me of, a gauzy, pale, floaty wisp of a thing. When I first smelled it, I thought it was just okay. My go-to "fancy vanillas" are Zorya P, Inez, and BFJA, and Ava is more reserved in sweetness than those. (My bottle is also of indeterminate age, so maybe that's why it's pretty mellow). It does remind me of a toned-down BFJA, which is unapologetically lush florals. But as I wore Ava, I began to appreciate her magic. She's floral but not overpowering, vanillic but not sugary. She makes me feel pretty, sophisticated, and confident. A little mysterious, even. On days when I want to feel feminine yet badass, I'll definitely gravitate towards Ava. I also think Ava is understated enough for work (I don't slather though), which is nice.

The above description of "a tiny hint of the sea eddying in the middle" is spot on! This starts out bubblegummy because of the lotus, but that quickly fades into a balanced, well-blended scent. It's creamy, light, and very pretty without being overly sweet. It's a gentle sweetness, and there is a definite watery vibe to it that is probably what gentles down the sweeter elements. For having three ambers in the blend, this doesn't scream amber to me, but it's also not exactly aquatic. It's like . . . iridescent pink mermaid musk, or something. Very pretty, elegant, and understated.

I will definitely have to look for Daybreak! Storge is really lovely, and Frostbitten TKO is similar to the regular version, just with the snow note (which of course I love so it's a win/win situation). I wish I had discovered my love for sugary lavender before the Liliths came down, but alas. There's always sales and this year's collection to look forward to, at least.

This is a light and very pretty scent. I tracked this one down after seeing so many notes I love in the description, and am not disappointed. Haloes does go through a stage that's similar to the Antikythera Mechanism, which I like but is more of a masculine comfort scent to me than something I wear often. However, the fruit and floral aspects of Haloes emerge and blend with the wood and vanilla over time, turning it into a more ethereal scent. It isn't very strong (at least not on my skin), but it's a scent that very much fits the gorgeous label art: golden and glowing against underlying shadows.

I've recently discovered that I love sugary lavender blends (which was a surprise; thank goodness for generous frimps that weren't on my radar). I love TKO/Frostbitten TKO and am working on tracking down My Tiger and a few other Liliths. One I've tried and adore that hasn't been mentioned yet is Storge, which is very sweet, but you have to like honey.

I love the initial scent of this one; it's nostalgic for me, with the tack-like leather, wildflowers, and sage. But even though I don't amp gunpowder in the only other blend I've tried with it (Mary Read), I sure amp it in this one! By the end it's all gunpowder and leather. Pretty cool if I'm going for that gunslinger vibe, but as is, not something I will wear often.

This reminds me of the Antikythera Mechanism, but a bit sweeter from the honey and more silky/floaty from that silk note. Very pretty.

I was generously given a sniffie imp of this with just enough to test it a little. I really like it---as others have noted, it's similar to Lyonesse and Zorya P, and to me it seems kind of like the midpoint between the two scents. It's saltier and earthier than Zorya P but not aquatic like Lyonesse. As much as I like this one and love the character of Edith, though, I feel like my money would be better spent on a backup of Zorya P than on hunting down a bottle of this (as much as the collector in me is tempted. *cries*).

Rich, spicy-sweet amber. Simple, but delicious smelling. It makes me feel all sensual and mysterious.

Gorgeous smoky leather. The floral vanilla comes and goes, giving the scent a feminine edge but staying under the radar. I will definitely wear this on days where I want to feel confident and badass, preferably paired with a leather jacket. Also need to try layering this with Rogue, since the throw on Liz is not high and it would probably be a good scent for layering, too.

In honor of the 2020 Luper release, decided to re-test the sample I was generously gifted of the 2019 version. On my skin, this is a boozy peach musk. It's more like the tart, perfumy peach in Fae than the sugary peach in Aglaea, to my nose. It's pleasant and kinda sexy, although I think I prefer Fae and Aglaea overall.

Druid is a scent that evokes an ancient forest where the trees are so large they don't allow a lot of sunlight to filter down, so everything is half in shade. If Elf is Lothlorien, Druid is Mirkwood or Fangorn. It's rich and loamy, shadowy and mysterious. I love the combination of dirt and trees here, and the incense and wool give it dimension and mystery. I've only sampled my sister's imp, but will have to get some Druid for myself someday.

Sampled my sister's decant. This is sweet, creamy, and really manages to capture the smell of cheesecake. The spice and rum aren't too strong, but blend seamlessly into the cheesecake creaminess.

The evergreen snow note here reminds me a lot of Skadi '04, which I love. This is less sweet and the sandalwood incense is light yet cozy. If I have the budget before the Yules go down, I might have to upgrade to a bottle.