Gwydion

I particularly recommend the Jersey Devil.

LORD RUTHVEN (the Vampyre, John Polidori) It happened that in the midst of the dissipations attendant upon London winter, there appeared at the various parties of the leaders of the ton a nobleman more remarkable for his singularities, than his rank. He gazed upon the mirth around him, as if he could not participate therein. Apparently, the light laughter of the fair only attracted his attention, that he might by a look quell it and throw fear into those breasts where thoughtlessness reigned. Those who felt this sensation of awe, could not explain whence it arose: some attributed it to the dead grey eye, which, fixing upon the object's face, did not seem to penetrate, and at one glance to pierce through to the inward workings of the heart; but fell upon the cheek with a leaden ray that weighed upon the skin it could not pass. His peculiarities caused him to be invited to every house; all wished to see him, and those who had been accustomed to violent excitement, and now felt the weight of ennui, were pleased at having something in their presence capable of engaging their attention. In spite of the deadly hue of his face, which never gained a wanner tint, either from the blush of modesty, or from the strong emotion of passion, though its form and outline were beautiful, many of the female hunters after notoriety attempted to win his attentions, and gain, at least, some marks of what they might term affection: Lady Mercer, who had been the mockery of every monster shewn in drawing-rooms since her marriage, threw herself in his way, and did all but put on the dress of a mountebank, to attract his notice -- though in vain; -- when she stood before him, though his eyes were apparently fixed upon hers, still it seemed as if they were unperceived; -- even her unappalled impudence was baffled, and she left the field. But though the common adultress could not influence even the guidance of his eyes, it was not that the female sex was indifferent to him: yet such was the apparent caution with which he spoke to the virtuous wife and innocent daughter, that few knewhenever addressed himself to females. He had, however, the reputation of a winning tongue; and whether it was that it even overcame the dread of his singular character, or that they were moved by his apparent hatred of vice, he was as often among those females who form the boast of their sex from their domestic virtues, as among those who sully it by their vices. The father of all dandy aristocrat vampires: Aqua Admirabilis with polished boot leather and blood. In bottle: Very aftershave. Lavender fougere and leather with a hint of the aquatic. Wet: Vaguely herbal. It’s an excellent masculine leather scent. The vaguely aquatic touch adds interest to the leather/fougere blend. Dry: Unusual. It’s still a leather dominant aftershave, but it has teeth and… powder. The blood is more noticeable. The whole effect is weirdly viscous and a little unsettling.

If people are still looking for a masculine honey, try the tobacco honey.

In bottle: Ivy dominant, with the woods in strong support, with a complicated herbal underpinning. Wet: The woods really come out on the skin, with the Oak most prominent and the yew and ivy second strongest. The nightshade and baneberries pop beautifully as it warms. I really like this, but it’s odd enough that I suspect it will not be to everybody’s taste. Dry: Mostly ivy and wood.

In bottle: Very sharply yellow. Bergamot dominant with strong neroli support. The opium is gentle, but pervasive. The anise is a sharp accent. Wet: Much as in the bottle, though now the neroli is dominant with the bergamot in strong support. Dry: Mostly opium and anise with some neroli.

In bottle: Vanilla and Patchouli dominant. They do rather well together. Sandalwood supports the patchouli. Osmanthus and tea tie things together and smooth the edges. Incense threads through it. It may be a little too much incense for me. Wet: Chalkier in the skin, with patchouli strongly dominant, the other incense lining up in support. The tea is second strongest with vanilla and osmanthus in support. It is too strong for my skin, but would go well on someone with a gentler natural scent. Dry: Mostly sandalwood and patchouli.

In bottle: Lavender dominant. The tea notes work beautifully with the lavender, providing excellent support. The resin is soft background, the other florals are understated and go well with the lavender. Wet: Still lavender dominant, but the resin is a strong second now. The teas are better differentiated as it warms. The flowering thorn is really interesting and gentle. The orange blossom stays understated. Dry: Tea dominant with gentle lavender support and a hint of resin.

Smoky Maluku clove and a hint of aged patchouli. Strong, beautiful clove, filled out with a touch of patchouli. Seriously, this is all about the clove, which is what I'd hoped. I'm not patchouli's fan, but it blends well here. I love this candle.

On me it is apricot honey rather than floral, and a scent I am quite fond of.

In bottle only: Very, very citrus. Tangerine is a canvas for the grapefruit tang and the hint of lime zing. The lavender and geranium blend beautifully with the dominant citrus, the oakmoss grounds it. The chocolate peppermint is understated, but detectable.

Best of luck, false Azure.

Antikythera Mechanism and Rogue are both excellent, but read a bit androgynous on me. Vicomte de Valmont is another really classic men's cologne sort of thing and one of my all time lab favorates. Lavender and lavender fougere are often in men's cologne, so don't be afraid of trying them out. Carnation is another classic men's floral. I mention as we associate flowers with women, but not all flowers are the same and there's more overlap than one would expect.

False.azure, for non-leather solidly manly scents, I'd suggest Vicomte de Valmonte, Jersey Devil, and The Robotic Scarab. I'd suggest Wooden Bullet if you like strong wood scents. For leathers I like Adam, Red Rider, and if the Snake Pit comes back with Carnival: Western Diamondback.

In bottle: Lots of bay, supported by agarwood and cedar. The pepper gives it a sharpness. The amber softens it a little. I can tell this isn’t going to work, so no skin test.

In bottle: Very, Very cherry and orange candy, likely with dragon’s blood. There is no chance of this working on me so no skin test.

In bottle: This has a lot of familiar elements, some of which are hard to place. It has a strong almost ivy, vaguely ozoney feel to it with what I strongly believe are berries and a touch of rotting leaves. Wet: Green an ozone one second then berry and maybe pomegranate the next, then dead rotting leaves, then pine and ozone again. This cycles very quickly, so you want to be smelling all of it. It settles much as in the bottle, only with the fruit dominant and the various leaves second strongest. I like a lot of this, but something in there doesn’t quite work on me. Dry: Mostly fruit with a touch of wood and leaves.

In bottle: Autumn leaf accord dominant, sweetened by a strong red current note. There really is a soft yarn background. This is cozy and delicate and really suits its concept. Wet: The red currant becomes dominant as it warms, though the leaves stay strong. The knitting ties things together remaining a gentle background. Dry: It stays fruit dominant, but the various sorts of clothing come out as it wears. It ends up smelling a bit too much like my Grammy on me for me to be comfortable with it.

Honestly, there isn't a General Catalog that does that, though you could try layering Chuthulu with the chocolate blend of your choice. My experience is that if you like dark chocolate blends, your best bet is to wait for Lupercalia and hope. I am sorry. The Ninth Cage is woodier, but similar in feel. The Red Rider is simpler and less subtle, but in the same ballpark. You might also want to try Hunter.

THE THIRST OF UNBEARABLE THINGS By the hunger of change and emotion, By the thirst of unbearable things, By despair, the twin-born of devotion, By the pleasure that winces and stings, The delight that consumes the desire, The desire that outruns the delight, By the cruelty deaf as a fire And blind as the night, Lavender, white fig, and Atlas cedar. Unburned: Lavender! Lot’s of glorious lavender with fig for sweetness and cedar for backbone. It’s beautifully designed, perfectly blended. Burned: Perfection! Each of the elements separates more as it burns while still playing together beautifully. It’s still lavender dominant, woth a simpliar balance as it had unburned. The heat is only making it richer and better defined. I’m utterly happy with this and with it were general catalog.

...And I am officially allergic to India Ink. As it's an accord I have no idea what burned me.

In bottle: Oooo! I love the spices in this! So gingerbread type spices over vanilla is the dominant impression, the wax supporting the vanilla. Sandalwood gives a soft grounding, with a hint of smoke wafting over. Wet: Much as in the bottle, that lovely spice/vanilla combination being most of the affect, with sandalwood grounding it and that kiss of smoke. The smoke comes out staonger as it warms, blending beautifully with my natural musk. I often have trouble with smoke notes, but this so works. Dry: Vanilla and Sandalwood.

In bottle: Mmmmm. What it says on the bottle: sugary meringue blended with cocoa. In use: Waaay more cocoa. So cocoa with some sugary meringue in it. Still gorgeous. I would buy so many bottles if I had the money.

In bottle: This review is a bit tentative as I’m not as clear on which scent is called which thing in a couple cases. I will do my best guess. That is a lot of benzoin with lavender in support. The woods blend well with the benzoin and are the second strongest faction, with a touch of patchouli in support. Vanilla is next strongest, with fig support and what I’m guessing as taire, filling in the cracks and tying it all together. Wet: The elements differentiate on the skin better, but function about the same, with the main difference being that lavender overtakes benzoin gradually as it warms, the bourbon vanilla is richer, and the thing I am pretty sure is taire stands out much clearer. The affect morphs rather as the lavender comes out, making it less aftershavey and more foody. Dry: Lovely and surprisingly ladylike: lavender, bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, mostly.

n bottle: This is lovely and more delicate than I expected. White sage and what I’m guessing is chaparral are strongest, with the cedar and carnations providing a striking accent. The honey and fig sweeten and soften it. As one of my favorite single note combinations is white sage and carnation, you can likely guess how much I like this. Wet: A bit chalkier on the skin. The chaparral really pops, with the cedar in strong support and sage softer. The honey and fig form the second strongest faction. I liked it better in the bottle, but it’s still interesting. Dry: Mostly sage on the dry down.

In bottle: Lots of sandalwood with strong tonka support. Oudh and musk are gentler, but also good support. The dark chocolate makes a lovely counterpoint with cassia support. The Oleander is barely there, but distinct. Wet: The chocolate and cassia come out more on the skin, becoming strongest, with the sandalwood a close second and the musk third. The oleander weaves through everything as it warms up, delicate, but clear and clean. Dry: Mostly oudh, with some musk and sandalwood.