Gwydion

In a season when large portions of the Us and Europe are on fire, Lindworm's grass fire scent is eerily fitting, if likekly in bad taste. Dayumn!

In bottle: Pennyroyal dominant with strong citron and lavender support. The citrus-mint combination was practically an assault. To my very mild synesthesia, it was very like a slap. From my birmin’s reaction, he felt the same. I do think the lavender plays well with the pennyroyal, but I couldn’t bring myself to sniff long enough to form more complex responses. No skin test obviously.

In bottle: Nectarine dominant, but with a strong sea buckthorn and oakmoss presence. I’d call sandalwood and green musk at third, with honey smoothing the whole thing out. It is very beach after storm. Wet: sea buckthorn berry dominant, with the nectarine brightening it’s affect. The oakmoss is still second and blends beautifully with the buckthorn, and green musk a close third. The other elements are soft, but noticeable. I normally amp citrus, but here it plays really well with everything else. Similarly, I often have trouble with ocean scents, but I can just manage it here. This is lovely and really well designed. I can’t shake that beach comber after a storm in early fall feeling when sniffing it. Dry: Mostly sea buckthorn berry with musk, oakmoss, and sandalwood.

In bottle: Rose dominant, with orange and apricot a strong second. The pepper gives the rose more edge than usual. The amber, honey, and sandalwood sweeten and smooth. The patchouli is understated and gives it a touch of grounding. No skin test due to rose.

In bottle: Somehow rich and wistful at the same time. It’s apricot dominant for sure. The orange blossom softens and compliments the apricot. The musk and honey give it a sensual edge. The hint of something sharp and vaguely evergreen is likely the elemi and mingles with the pretty pepper to give the blend a little edge. This is lovely, but not as bright and sharp as I’d hoped. Wet: More orange blossom and honeycomb with less apricot, though certainly the apricot is still noticeable. The musk deepens it. The elemi and pepper are still present, but less noticeable. Dry: Fast fading to mostly honeycomb kissed with orange and apricot.

In bottle: Genuinely peculiar. I’d say popcorn is strongest, blending beautifully with the wood. The candy floats delicately above the darker notes. The effect is festive and tawdry and menacing and definitely very Mouse Circus in a way I can’t begin to put into words. Wet: The popcorn an candy dance, with the wood and mousiness fading into the background a bit. Dry: I love the way the sugar and vanilla dances with the wood. Exquisite.

In bottle: Rich strong butterscotch mostly with a touch of anise and patchouli dominant incense and the barest suggestion of dirt. Lovely! Wet: Still butterscotch dominent, but much more patchouli and dirt. They go eerily well together. The resonance is akin to hard candy, bone, and beetle shells without being icky. Dry: Mostly dirt and myrrh. It’s as if the beetles ate most of the butterscotch, which lingers like the ghost of sweetness, barely scented. I love this, but I rather miss the butterscotch.

In bottle: Musk and patchouli are strongest. The musk blends well with the plum and benzoin. The florals are very understated, complimenting the plum and benzoin. It’s lovely and interesting, well suited to it’s concept. I’m not skin testing because of the rose geranium.

In bottle: Sexy and spicy. The patchouli and myrrh provide a darkly sexual canvas on which the more delicate clove plays. The ylang ylang is present, but well blended with the other elements providing a bridge between the incense and spice. Wet: The patchouli is strongest. It’s a rich earthy version, beautifully modified by the myrrh and gentled and sweetened by the ylang ylang. The cove is more separate on the skin, and quite lovely in its incense setting. Dry: Not good on the dry down. Ylang ylang dominant with a strong myrrh second, and touches of patchouli. Ylang ylang and my skin chemistry are not friends and the ylang ylang and myrrh just seem awkward together without the other notes.

Ooo! I love that one.

<br /><br />That is my favorite garden scent. Mmmmm... tomato leaf<br /><br />The original worm moon was very fresh planting.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> Yes.

That is my favorite garden scent. Mmmmm... tomato leaf The original worm moon was very fresh planting.

I was going to suggest that too, along with Boo. The only one I can think of off hand is Stick Pillowcase, but that can be hard to find. It's mostly strawberry taffy on me.

Gwydion - have you tried Grand Guignol? It has the same syrupy apricot flavour, and although I don't think it has clove as such there is a tone to it that's kinda dark/spicy/clovey-ish - there's a touch of booziness that I don't get from March Hare, but if it's the dark apricot you like in MH then GG would be worth a try I thought it was interesting, but it didn't quite work with my skin chemistry

Has anyone found anything even vaguely like March Hare? I'm almost out.

In bottle: This is completely different from my beloved 2007. This blend is more traditionally sexy perfume, with dominant ambergris is a setting of soft, unusual florals and a peat counterpoint with a setting of grass and other greens.. It’s quite pretty and more complex and outdoorsey than one would expect at first sniff. I don’t know these floral notes as individual scents, but they stand out individually with proper sniffing. (I just have no idea which name goes with which note so can’t tell you which is the strongest of them). This could be a floral for folks who don’t like traditional florals. (fingers crossed). I have a similar problem with some of the savory green notes. I think the peat is strongest with willow in strong support and the grass and rosemary are quite soft, but I can’t go beyond that. Sorry. Wet: Richer and greener and wetter on the skin. It does have a real wetlands feel, and isn’t even vaguely like a tradition perfume now. The savory greens are now dominant, with the unconventional florals sweetening it slightly. The ambergris becomes an understated hint of seductiveness to what is otherwise a beautiful and subtle scent poem about water plants under moonlight. It really is beautiful and unlike anything else in the catalog. The more it warms the more floral it gets, and now I’m a little worried it’s too floral for me to wear, which would be a shame as it’s lovely with a surpassing amount of through. Dry: Mostly ambergris with Peat second and a mix of other greens very soft. It’s interesting, but I think it’s not for me in aggregate.

In bottle: The champaca is strongest, though it blends beautifully with the sandalwood to the point the edges blur, with a hint of orange blossom. They blend well together and the result is androgynous. Wet: The orange blossom is a lot stronger on my skin, as I am citrus. It’s still champaca dominant with sandalwood in support, but now the orange blossom is a strong second. It now vaguely feminine, but it likely won’t be if you don’t amp orange. It’s pretty, but not really me. Dry: Mostly orange blossom and sandalwood.

Arrr! Avast ye, matey! This be the scent of pirate rum! In bottle: Mmmm… Rum, sweet and boozey. Wet: A bit less sweet on the skin, but basically BPAL’s delicious rum note. There may be a hint of coconut here. My skin loves the dark liquors and I’m surprised I haven’t tried this before. Dry: I’d swear this is coconut rum. It wears well, fading slowly to a soft background. Slightly more coconuty proportionally as it wears.

THE STEEPLE Aylesbury, MA Specializing in mycological delights and housed in a converted church that was once dedicated to Saint Anthony the Abbot, this charming hideaway sits high atop Zaman's Hill and boasts a lovely view of the abandoned village below. Otherworldly fungus, Provençal herbs, and dark, shadowy woods. In bottle: It does smell like woods, fungus, and herb garden. It’s dark green crushed vegetation and surprisingly perky herbs. Wet: Gentler and a touch chalky on the skin with the fungus rising to more prominence. The scent of crushed vegetation holds it’s own within the new balance. Dry: It’s generally softer as the more volitile bits burn off. It ends up mostly powdery fungus, random herbs , and one sharp ivy note. Not bad, but not as interesting as it was.

In bottle: Really unusual. The resins are marginally dominant, with chocolate a close second and rose a close third. The vanilla and champaca are softer and about even with each other. The pomegranate is next. Nutmeg is softest, but just discernible. This is well blended, and everything seems to go well with the resin mix. Wet: The individual components pop more on the skin, while still playing well together It morphs a lot. I think the benzoin, chocolate, nutmeg, and roses are strongest. It manages to slide back and forth between resin, foody, and floral, restlessly refusing to settle firmly into one category. Dry: It ends up a sexy benzoin, myrrh, rose blend. Not even vaguely me, but lovely.

In bottle: Grapefruit dominant. Champagne adds a hint of fizz. The florals are pleasant, unusual, and understated. The mint is soft and adds a touch of chill. I’m not good with some mints, but this one is one of the ones I can tolerate. I think I’d like it better with less mint, but it’s not a deal breaker. Wet: More mint on the skin. Mint dominant with strong grapefruit and lotus. The rest is faint background. It’s really nice as mints go, but not my thing. Dry: Mostly lotus, with some soft floral support.

In bottle: Amber dominant, but the amber is very blended with the iris. The berries are soft and mostly in support of the iris. The spices give an extra end to the amber. It’s well designed for it’s concept, but rather conventional. Wet: More interesting on the skin as the spices come out a little more. It’s still amber dominant, but now the spices are second with the Iris and berries fading to third, though the effect they create is quite pretty, though a little odd with my skin chemistry. This blend isn’t for me, but would be Renaissance sexy on the right woman. Dry: Mostly Amber with a touch of spice.

As far as I'm concerned orris is from Satan, not the lab. I am sorry your office mate is a tool.

In bottle: Absinthe is dominant, but not by much. The cognac and tobacco are strong enough to darken and temper the green fairy. The lace is soft, tying elements together. Full disclosure: I’m not good with absinthe scent, as I’ve drunk to much absinthe in the past to not have strong associations. This may be understated enough for me. Fingers crossed. Wet: mmmm…The cognac really comes out on my skin. The absinthe plays beautifully with it, the hint of licorice adding depth to the dominant sent. The tobacco blends beautifully as well. The lace is stronger on the skin, and plays beautifully with the other elements. The result is luxurious and a little dangerous in a 19th century sort of way. My skin loves this. Dry: More Absinthe on the dry down, but pleasantly modified by the supporting cognac and tobacco. The perfect absinthe blend.

In Bottle: This is gorgeous and rich in the imp. The dark chocolate is dominent, but the pear is a close second. The quince and fig support the pear, the vanilla blends the chocolate and pear and is a strong third in it’s own right. Omnomnom. Wet: The pear and quince are more separate and distinct, but still work together beautifully. The pear is now strongest with the quince second. The rest of the notes hover in the background, present and delicious with the dominant notes, but not asserting themselves. This is delicious and sharp and makes me want to lick my arm. Dry: Heavenly. The remains of the fruit and the dark chocolate and hint of vanilla are perfect.