LavenderCoffee

I wasn't sure if candle wax would necessarily equate to beeswax, but this is absolutely a treat for beeswax folks.

I get a candy-like lotus take on Val from the Yule collection, in which the lotus fades gradually and leaves a sweet skin close beeswax after several hours of wear. The smoke is fairly subtle on my skin, would love to see that note gain strength with age.

Really digging the black cherry in this, especially since it hangs out through the drydown and intertwines deliciously with chocolate mint and anise. There's definitely almond and musk here, but they don't dominate the blend on my skin. 

Would love a bit more throw, but it seems to hold onto my skin for a good part of the day.

I didn't know I needed a blueberry coconut gardenia scent, but I'm loving this. I'd call it a gentle spring floral with interesting underpinnings.

I had a 2020 ménage with gardenia that obliterated my senses with its potency, so I was nervous about that happening here, but after two tests with Jest, that hasn't been an issue.

The blueberry musk is subtle but adds a unique tint, like the backdrop of the label art, and the coconut is also pretty chill - not too tropical leaning imo. I don't get much clearly discernable neroli until later in the drydown, where it adds some warmth.

This is another "does what it says on the tin" and it's quite lovely, but I can't help thinking I smell like breakfast when I wear this. Creamy honey oatmeal, coming right up!

I can't hang with the lacquer note in this one, maybe because of the pairing with iron or leather (I suspect the leather). After resting a week, a fresh application of Warrior Couple is like going into the shed and huffing fumes. It does calm down eventually, but it's still too sharp for me. Don't send me to the front lines! 

Lacquered bamboo in Martial Arts was not a problem (MA is my favorite of the Shungas I've smelled this year), so YMMV, as ever. 

I am getting exactly the notes listed, it's remarkably realistic. The sweetness is amplified when the oil is wet, but after it dries this is absolutely lemon sugar honey cakes (I'm seeing mini cakes with a layer of vanilla cream in the center) dusted with candied flowers. There is more richness from the honey than from the vanilla cream, I suppose since it was baked in and it has some caramelized sort of thing happening. Mayyybe a hint of powdered sugar? Anyway this is delightful.

100% this is grape soda when freshly applied. It goes to grape jelly on the drydown, and I like that it's not crushingly sweet. Agree that it could be fun for layering.

I'm not getting any apple but I don't miss it. I like orchid and I love Great Vampire Bat (Incense touched jungle orchid) so I was curious if there would be something similar from the orchid/incense here, but this is more in the realm of a soft orchid centered floral with incense in the other room. Low throw.

I was really hype to try this one, but falls a bit short for me. When freshly applied, the rich earthy mushroom is the star, but it fades dramatically as it dries, and honeyed incense takes over. It's a lovely soft skin scent, not overly smoky or sweet, and I'd actually recommend it to folks who are hesitant to try a mushroom scent  

Fleur de lait, right out of the gate! My skin really grabs onto this lightly funky dairy note. It settles down after initial application, hanging out in the background throughout wear. I like how it adds depth and complexity to the rose and peony. Ultimately not my kind of floral scent, but it's a lovely composition.

This reads like Elephant is Slow to Mate Lite on my skin, which is not a bad thing. Lighter on resins, and softly creamy. There's almost something slightly sparkly about it, but I can't explain that at all, it's just nice. Not getting much throw. 

Lovely subtle skin scent. This is one where the honey dust doesn't take over on my skin, it's a pleasant cherry-on-top sort of note here. Toasted rice and sandalwood doing a good job grounding the sweetness. Not getting much crimson musk at all though.

Goes on with a rush of lemon cream and settles into an ambery golden lemon-touched skin musk.

Tested from a decant rested for a week.

I can understand the comparison between Ice Age Baton and Muddy Armadillo, but this is an entirely different scent experience, even though the notes are similar - I find it soft and cool and brittle where MA is booming and warm and rich.

I don't get mud or dirt from either blend, but I do get something sharp and unpleasant like gasoline when I first apply this one. That goes away fairly quickly and I get the cool, chalky vanilla cacao, threaded through with tobacco. It stays close to the skin for me and fades within a few hours.

Of the lemony lupers I've tried this year, this one is the least sweet, and it seems to go somewhat bitter on my skin. I wouldn't normally go for an apple scent, but I don't think that is causing the issue.

White tea can be pretty sharp, but on my skin, all of the other notes are smoothing it out. It's very pretty and soft. I never would have thought white tea and cocoa could work together, but I'm getting a hint of the honeyed cocoa combo that's been popping up in other collections.

Another stunner with a mushroom note! The lacquer here isn't as intense as it is in Warrior Couple, and that tasty russet amber from Bronze Dildo is working its magic bringing the earthy notes and the sweeter notes together. There is a bit of a shift from the wet phase to the dry phase for sure, but I love an oak note, so I'm enjoying how that steps forward and changes the tone. 

Seems like this one is consistent - I get a wave of white tea and neroli up front, but it calms down into a soft neroli champaca combo. Kinda disappears on me but could be a subtle springtime blend.

This is entirely more pleasant and subtle than the name implies! I wish it had a bit more throw, but I can't stop smelling myself. I really like the mushroom in this, more than the honey pot mushroom blend this year. The pepper does provide a nose tickle, but nothing aggressive. This is very well blended, imo, I can pick out most of the notes if I'm looking for them, but it forms a cohesive scent: a warm fuzzy earthy wood blend, with a bit of salt and spice. The color impression I get is reddish brown.

If you enjoyed the Laotian oud of Leave Her, Johnny, you might want to check this one out - it's a cooler cousin that still has oceanic appeal. I am getting that lovely oud note alongside rose, jasmine and salt (the jasmine is being nice for me) over hinoki and patch - not sure about the silk or chamomile notes, but this scent does feel blue in color.

As with Johnny, this one has a nice amount of throw and staying power. 

My skin is also doing something remarkably beeswaxy, with a touch of ginger warmth and nose tickling fizz. Not what I expected at all, but lovely all the same!

I agree with the What You Want comparison - the honey sweetened red musk with tobacco and frankincense create a very similar impression, but it's not as overtly smoky. It seems odd that there isn't actually any fruit in this! The "slap of leather" is a great description too, because there is definitely leather in the mix, but it doesn't dominate the blend. It lands in a fully incensey place after a couple hours, and I can't decide if it's more like Elephant or Snaky-Hair’d, or somewhere in between.

It's like a sexy 13, except it's only 9, and I'm enjoying it. 

How does this actually smell thousands of years old, but in a good way?

I've never met a bronze musk before, but it is stunning. And with patchouli and russet amber and oakmoss?! This is so warm and strikingly unique. I do seem to be getting a tiny bit of skin tingling sensation from it, which is probably cardamom? But to my nose, the cardamom seems lightly dusted over the top of the other notes, and I wouldn't call this spicy. 

Oh what a wonderful wisteria composition!

On the wand I get the smoky bamboo, on my skin the florals (predominantly wisteria) open up. I'm not sure exactly what indigo smells like on its own, but there is an earthiness here working in cahoots with the oakmoss and adding depth to the wisteria/lilac palette. Truly just a drop of red musk is present, and not much of a distinct vanilla note either. More of the smoked bamboo comes out on the drydown, softening the sharper tendency of the wisteria without becoming smoky. Lilac pops back up in the dry phase as well.

Moderate/low throw - not a floral that will take over the room.

These are some delicious acrobatics!

Wet, it is yummy jammy berries (nice balance of strawberry and blueberry imo), and then my skin grabs the honey dust and lavender, with lotus contributing to a fun candy vibe. The florals overall are present but subtle, and the cream adds a rich base to balance the sugary sweetness. Medium to low throw, and ultimately the honey seems to sing out loudest, but I would reapply