LavenderCoffee

oh. OH. Wow. I just got this decant in the mail yesterday and I already put a bottle in my cart. 

I can't compare it to other storied patch scents, but this patch. This patch! This is my jam. And it is, as others are saying, primarily a warm woody patchouli scent, embraced by vanilla, amber and musk. Becomes more golden as it dries and settles in. Seems like it's nicely balanced enough for regular wear - assuming you are a patchouli person. Not a loud paisley shirt patch, but not disappearing into the background either.   

Bottle #2: Previous owner compared this to Crumpet Rebellion, but I have not smelled that. I am calling this Aromatic Cake Fougère.

Wet: Cake! A delightful vanilla cake smell, with sweet frosting on top. Hint of nutmeg or anise? Just a trace of warm baking spice, but not cinnamon. 

Dry: Oh there is the fougère peeking out. The barest breath of lavender/oakmoss over vanilla cake. 

This has low throw on me but it is quite lovely.

Got a bottle of this in a swap and I love it! I haven't paid the released version of Absinthe much attention for whatever reason, I have an imp here somewhere I will have to revisit. 

Based on previous reviews, the herbal lemony aspect seems to have calmed a bit over the last decade 

So, even though it is still present, it smells very balanced against the licorice and sugar. The drydown is slightly vanillic and reminiscent of licorice candy (not the gummies/ropes). I like how this smells on my skin and how it smells on fabric. 

This ménage is knocking my socks off most unexpectedly. I ordered a decant because I was interested in the burnt honey note, and when I tested it fresh out of the mail, the burnt honey and milk combined into a chewy caramel scent - straight up foodie goodness, but not particularly exciting.

Now, two days later, it's a whole different story: the dark, rich, burnt honey note stands more on its own when freshly applied, backed by nutty ambrette, and there is almost (ALMOST) something floral to it. As it dries, the milk comes forward only enough to suggest caramelization, but it is decidedly less foodie this time around. It's not NOT sweet, but it's not straight up sugar sweet, and the end result doesn't translate as milky or creamy on me. It's kinda sexy tho!

Anyway I'm obsessed, I keep sniffing myself, and it lasts forever on my skin. Definite bottle.

This duet is bold and decidedly UN-sweet. Starts with sharp bergamot and then the tobacco warms up and rounds it out. I could definitely see this as someone's signature scent.

A unisex, Autumnal, sexy tobacco blend. Nice throw and weartime.

Agree with rivetted on this one, it's definitely a sibling to See Thyself, Devil! (sugared opium poppy and lavender water).

IMO the currant lends a bit more warmth to the blend than lavender, making it less sharp and more approachable. The red fruit really settles beautifully between the sugar and the poppy as the oil dries. Tempted to get a full size bottle of this even though I also snagged the Lilith version - deliciously similar but sufficiently distinct.

I'm not getting anything like tar or smoke from this, if anyone is hesitating on that front. Although if they are distinct notes, and poppy tar has a bit more depth and darkness than opium poppy, that would make sense here. Nice throw and weartime. 

This one needs to rest a day or two before proper testing! When I tried it right out of the mail it was very smoky and savory, much in line with LdyKnight's BBQ assessment. 

Two days later when freshly applied, there is still a bit of smokiness, but then a distinct Eary Grey scent emerges. I can hear Jean-Luc Picard in my head: "Earl Grey Tea. Hot" 

As it dries, I get the cream and sugar over the delightfully realistic tannic base. I'm not getting much throw from this, but it is a lovely calming scent.

Might be fun to layer with lavender, or a touch of lemon or orange. 

I would not have picked this out, but I got it as a frimp from a lovely forumite. I think I should look out for fruit and patch blends now, since Seesaw found its way into my top ten - and Tweedledum reminds me slightly of Seesaw, in the sense that it is fruit forward underpinned by soft earthy patchouli. I would love more fig from this, and honestly more patch, but it is really nice as it is.  

Thanks reviewers! I took a chance on this scent even though I don't know Troll or Dorian, and I love it. I think the basil / pine is my favorite part of this, but there is so much else going on to make those notes shine. I have tested this several times - a small dot lasts and lasts! - and each time I couldn't stop sniffing it, and I don't have anything else like it in my collection. 

ETA, A year later: this is sweeter than I remember it and so, so gorgeous 

So weird! I just got a bottle of this as well but it is SLUDGELESS. Clear as day. 

I really enjoy this scent, it's unusual in a pleasing way. It has the warm characteristics of cacao scent without being cacao dominant. In fact the agave wine is most prominent, backed by well balanced spices. Maize doesn't smell corny but adds heartiness, rounding out the blend.

Cacao is present in the bottle and when freshly applied, but leather jumps forward and cacao recedes to the background. Then after it dries I get muted black leather and ...champaca incense? The incense ends up having the most throw, but it feels weirdly out of place.

I think I have a skin chemistry thing happening with the leather, and mistook that for a mismatched incense note. The leather gets weird and then kinda disappears, and the cacao had already peaced out, so I'm left with an odd incense situation. Hope this one works better for others!

Truly a semi-sweet dark chocolate, with whiskey dominating on the skin. More like the whiskey in my fav Weed and Whiskey duet than say, Mad Sweeney. I like the subtlety of the dark chocolate with a touch of creamy richness, but there's nothing recognizably hazelnut for me. Has decent throw and weartime.

Oh wow I love the magnolia in this. Apricot dominates in the bottle, but on my skin, the apricot, coconut milk, and fig are all blending together with the magnolia blooming on top. Tiptoes right up to tropical and stops just short. Heady but not headachey - gorgeous.

Spicy black rose? Yes, please! This note takes center stage, and I can't quite place the spice. Shadow Games on the opposite wrist says it's not black pepper, and I don't think it's cinnamon either. Perhaps someone else in the pepper family, because it gently tickles my nose and my skin. Black honey and amber oud create a smooth velvet backdrop that gets slightly sweeter with wear. There is an elegant touch of powder to this, without being overly powdery. 

This is an incredible but subtle skin scent, even though it is bright and peppery when wet. Shadow Games dries down into a barely there honeyed vanilla oud, with just a breath of pepper. Wasn't sure if my skin was eating the notes, but my experience is basically the same as marared.

I imagine this would knock someone's socks off if they leaned in and got a whiff of it on your neck.

I snagged this at the last minute on the off chance it would be anywhere in the neighborhood of Beeswax, Lavender, and Acacia Honey. I know this is wildflower and not acacia honey, and beeswax is not present, AND honey in general does not always agree with me, so it was a stretch!

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I do get an echo of the booming golden sweetness in the aforementioned mènage from the honey at the center of this scent, and I'm tempted to layer it with other beeswax or honey blends for science. The orange is quite subtle on my skin, adding brightness, and the lavender is a very cheerful herbal skewing sweet rather than sharp. It's a delight, and I'm glad I got to check it out. 

As Above has been in my collection with its counterpart for a year now, but I have not reviewed either - time to remedy! Although I must confess I usually wear them together, so even though I feel like I know them, smelling them separately feels a bit new.

Wet on my skin, this is all white patch, vanilla, and bitter almond, and the vanilla almond combo is decidedly non-gourmand. It's weird re-reading the scent notes now and realizing that all this time I thought it said white leather and not white patchouli, so maybe that is why I am wholly convinced that as it dries, the scent turns into white leather gloves, or a hat - the good guys wear white hats! Worn for awhile longer, the leather and oak ground the scent in a dreamy spot that tips said hat and says "ma'am" to a lovely hint of jasmine on her absolute best behavior.

Wearing As Above and So Below together seems to somehow tame and showcase the prominent notes from each: leather sidles up to copal, oak brings both patchoulis to the table in agreement, vanilla/almond/coconut relax alongside amber ...it's tremendous. 

Amber and black copal with black coconut, Sumatran red patchouli, green cardamom pod, and golden musk.

So Below has been in my collection with its counterpart for a year now, but I have not reviewed either - time to remedy! Although I must confess I usually wear them together, so even though I feel like I know them, smelling them separately feels a bit new.

Wet on my skin, SB does have a bit of an unctuous stank to it that I never really noticed when layering, but I kinda like it. Black coconut and red patch, plus copal and musk are all immediately apparent. As it dries, it softens and becomes less "in your face" as I get more of the amber and cardamom. It's darkly enticing and warm. So Below gives me the good kind of "bad guy" vibes where you are not sure if you are gonna like a character, but then you find yourself rooting for them and maybe sketching some fanart.

Wearing As Above and So Below together seems to somehow tame and showcase the prominent notes from each: leather sidles up to copal, oak brings both patchoulis to the table in agreement, vanilla/almond/coconut relax alongside amber ...it's tremendous. 

This feels like an unusual red musk blend, with the sleet and lemon notes taking it to a wet, chilly day. The sleet "melts" as the scent dries, and the hearthsmoke and amber cozy things up. I don't get anywhere near enough whiskey to call this boozy, but the oak barrel note isn't bashful. A lovely scent composition of a tavern.

This scent is pungent when first applied, a slick labdanum funk of transgression. Once it dries, the red fruit and honey add welcome balance and usher in the softer seductive phase. Darkly resinous and complex.

I was hesitant to try this since my skin tends to turn apple and spice notes into craft store/candle nonsense, but I wanted to try it anyway because of pumpkin, bourbon, anise, and smoked vetiver - turns out I may get a full size!

On the wand I get bourbon apples, soft smoke, and clove. Freshly applied, this smells like a packet of mulling spice, but thankfully not like candle nonsense. There is a gently smoky grass component, and pumpkin rind is soaking up some of the bourbon and overlapping with the apple. There is definitely fruit at the center of this scent, but it's not "fruity." Clove becomes the most prominent spice for a moment, but then surprisingly allows the anise and peppercorn to peek through. The peppercorn is tickling my nose, but not my skin.

Prairie Witch absolutely smells like it could live in the Halloween collection, somewhere between Winds of Autumn and Every Day is Halloween. On my skin it has a moderate throw and weartime, and the last note standing is pumpkin. 

This is a very sweet scent for a vigil! Freshly applied, it is very beeswax and lilac forward. It's a fresh, lovely lilac that holds throughout weartime, but the broomcorn adds a prominent grassy sweetness that takes center stage, making this blend overly sweet to my nose. The bone note is smooth and cool like a clay tile on the periphery.  

Water Tiger is a lively, complex floral scent.

There's an effervescent burst of bright citrus and peony up front, and as it dries, dragon's blood and pine resin begin roiling up beneath it - not unlike powerful muscles moving under vivid orange fur! I'm not finding the sticky rice, and there is definitely something lightly aquatic to this scent, maybe from plum blossom/kumquat/cypress? 
On my skin, the scent has low throw, moderate wear time, and the last note standing is peony.

The Seesaw is so good! I don't get any rum from it, but I don't miss it. Wet, there is a hit of strawberry, then the patchouli opens up. I can't quite pick out pink pepper but I think it is tied up in the strawberry, skewing it slightly in a candy direction, and I suspect the same is happening with benzoin - giving the patchouli root a hint of sweet resin support. Plus the strawberry hangs around! I keep getting whiffs of it here and there, and it's perfect with the earthy patch.

It's not exactly a strawberry incense vibe, but it's not far off. Makes me want to wear clove cigarette alongside it.

The first word that comes to mind smelling this scent is bright, then optimism.

The scent notes that are apparent to me are citrus, citrus, and sage. 

Oh how I love this blend! The lemon, lemon verbena, lime, lemongrass, and probably catnip are all up front creating a peppy, effervescent effect. The sage sticks around after the sparkly lemon subsides, and overall it is a clean, happy, light-filled sort of scent. I have probably worn this one most since I received the quintet of oils, because I was having a lot of anxiety and frustration at work, and more anxiety about changing jobs.

I feel like these thoughts about abundance are helping me through: recognizing and releasing fear of scarcity, and being receptive to unexpected opportunities from existing connections - I don't have to figure everything out on my own.