vthesiren

The ivy really comes out on drydown. Super ozone-y. The wine adds just a touch of sweetness. There was a stage in the middle with a lot of leather that was very nice. The overall effect is like a slightly bitter, green cologne. Will hang onto this imp!

I've had bad luck with the cider-y/autumnal scents in the past, but this one might FINALLY be my holy grail. This had pretty strong throw when first applied - I could smell heavy cinnamon while holding my wrist about a foot away from my face. The spicy sillage dies down after a while, and closer to the skin it actually smells like something I'd drink as opposed to a craft store candle (which Fearful Pleasure unfortunately turned into on me). Repeated testings are necessary, but I may upgrade to a bottle. I also agree with those who say this would be a great room scent!

Ack! After the success I had with one of the Dead Leaves glosses from last year, I thought maybe my reading of the "leaves" note as celery was just a one-off thing with Harvest Moon '13, but alas! This is a very, very GREEN dead leaf note. Like... moist leaves in a leaf bag after a rainfall? Yeah. The cinnamon incense smoke is very nice, but the different notes all seem to be warring for dominance and aren't really meshing well. I'm going to let this sit for a while before retesting, but for now, it's not for me

This is a nice, slightly sweet, low-key rose - it reminds me a lot of the rose in Harlot. The resin notes add a nice background to it. It's soft and delicate without ever going into Full Soap Mode. I like this and can see myself reaching for this imp in the spring/summer.

Well, darn. I like vetiver. I like leather. But together, they don't like my skin very much and smell extremely vegetal (dare I say... pickled). This has happened with other blends before (In His Hands All Thy Cruelties Thrive, Highwayman (though the florals saved that one a little)), but I was hoping the black musk would offset this a bit. Instead, it's just adding a touch of weird, sweet powder. Alas!

How the heck can an aquatic leather smell so... clean? This is a really nice, almost natural scent. Watery and unobtrusive. I don't get any rum and very little wood, but I like this a LOT. edit: Ah, I see now that it's "bay rum" - that explains the touch of spice in the undercurrent! I'm giving this a full wear right now and am still really enjoying it.

I'm jealous of everybody else who's getting lasting cocoa notes - on my skin this immediately turns to WINE WINE ALL THE TIME in a super sweet, sharp way. There's a bit of floral or resiny powderiness below it - dragon's blood, maybe? I so wish this worked on me, but it was an instant fail. edit: I couldn't make it through a full wear - I had to wash this off. Also, this is STRONG. It has lasting throw even in the imp. I'm isolating this one in its own baggie, haha. second edit: I finally remembered what this reminded me of: Blood Rose. I think it was the wine/"blood" combo - so if Blood Rose was something you really liked, take a chance on this.

Gnarly, man. Strong patch/oudh - I get very little vanilla or tobacco. It smells sort of like the incense section of a dusty head shop. The first few seconds wet are unsettling because I can see where some of the less positive scent analogs in this thread are coming from, but after it dries down, it's a very earthy scent. Sharp throughout, but stays close to the skin. I'm strangely fascinated by this - not sure if I'll upgrade to a bottle, but I'll hang onto my decant.

You've probably already tried Tombstone, but just in case you haven't... (Outlaw reminded me a lot of Tombstone with extra rootbeer) You know what... I actually haven't, that aI can recall. Thanks! That sounds like one worth checking out.

I know I've posted here before, but my top 5 has changed quite a bit, so: 1. Mars Ultor 2. Perversion 3. Outlaw 4. Cockaigne 5. Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn Most likely suspect would be Antikythera Mechanism, but I've tried it and it's not for me.

Not sure how masculine you'd be willing to go, but have you tried Jareth? That was mainly white musk, sweet tonka, and leather on me. There's also Knight in Shiny Armor (which doesn't read as particularly masculine on me), which is lavender-heavy, though it may be too herbal for you with the oakmoss and sage.

I must amp the gummi bears, because when this dries down on me, it smells like fruity candy - almost like Sweet Tarts or Strawberry Shortcake dolls or scratch n sniff stickers. I honestly love the beginning lavender/bubblegum phase and think I might have to finally get a scent locket.

Is "I've worn this every day since receiving it in the mail" a proper review? No? Well, I was hesitant because my one other experience with a red leaves/dead leaves note turned to straight up celery on me, but the other notes sounded so intriguing that I blind bought it and hoped it would behave on my hair. And I won that gamble! It starts off as a beautiful dead leaves note, backed by chocolatey fig. Hours later, the top dead leaves note fades away and the copal comes out, leaving a gorgeous golden incense remnant. I also get a bit of a dirt note along with the leaves, leading to the dead, autumnal aspect. It's sweet and earthy and very, very fall. I love this.

Lots of separation in the decant. Chocolate globs galore! This is fabulous. Dark chocolate with a subtle smoky undertone that comes out more on the skin, but is never overpowering. It's very faint, though, and tends to disappear fast - definitely one for slathering. The overall effect is like a far-off campfire on a chilly day. Good if you like your smoky scents on the lighter side!

Exactly what it says on the tin: a lovely blend of root beer herbs and leather, smoothed out a little bit by the cream. The leather comes out more on the drydown, but never takes over completely. Everything plays really nicely together. I may have to get a bottle of this before the Liliths come down. EDIT: Yeah, I've worn this pretty consistently since getting the decant and just bought a bottle. I don't want this one to get away. Possibly a new favorite.

This was very, very Dorian in the vial and when it hit my skin, but now it's mainly cream, honey, and the heavy cake notes I sniffed in Hungry Ghost Moon '13 and Cockaigne. Sweet without being overly sugary. My kind of foodie scent.

I had a feeling that this would be a winner from the notes list, and I took one sniff at NEWC and went "yup, that's the one". Sweet, spicy woods and incense wrapped up in rum leather (seriously, it's rum AND leather at the same time!). Be warned that this is HEAVY - a dab'll do you. Short summary: Streets of Detroit meets Spanked. Glorious.

I'm going to third/fourth Cockaigne - it's spiced honey cakes with a touch of milk and wine.

This is SO well blended - the cumin's up front on me, but the other notes aren't washed out by it at all. For once, I'm not amping the conifer aspect! This is a sexy, spicy scent with depth that would be perfect for the fall.

When I first put this on, it borders on doing the weird funky/sour/rotting thing that quite a few other roses tend to do on me, but it never fully reaches that point. However, once it's dried down, it's a really lovely mix of tea rose and black tea leaves! I'll have to hold onto the imp and test it a few more times before deciding whether this stays or goes.

I have never tried the original BB, but this is godly. It's just the PERFECT combination of notes - the vanilla really ties everything together. I have to agree with the "caramelized sugar" comparison, there's something almost candy-like about this. We got a bottle for my father for his birthday (he's a patchouli fan), but EVERYONE'S been hitting it and we'll probably need a backup or two at some point. Love.

First of all: this is SUCH a fitting scent for Jareth. It's very glamorous and almost effervescent in feel. Whoever can pull this off should definitely have glitterbombs exploding upon their arrival. Unfortunately, that someone is not me. There's something in this that reads as juniper to my nose that really reminds me of Golden Priapus. I was hoping this would fulfill my wishes as a less-sweet Dorian, but alas, the vanilla/tonka turns rich and cloying on my skin in exactly the same way. The leather note is VERY nice, but doesn't do enough to ground it. There's another note that punches me between the eyes - the white musk/ti leaf combo, maybe? I've tried this three times now in the hopes it would improve, with no luck - I'm going to have to pass this along.

Is anyone else finding that they only react to some cinnamon/cassis blends? When I first started BPALing, I thought I would be fine because I tested blends like Plunder, Al-Shairan, Faustus, and others with no problem. Others I've worn with no reaction include Count Dracula, Playful Wooden Mallets, and Harlot. However, other blends don't treat me as well - Spanked 2011, Jailbait (this one really didn't like me), Dark Pumpkin Mead, Inferno, and the latest, Alice's Evidence. Does it have to do with what else it's blended with, or am I just unlucky and doomed to play roulette with cinnamon blends?

So, this smells wonderful. It reminds me of the mincemeat pie we'd have with my grandfather over the holidays - the cassis, fruits, and rum are so balanced. I'm iffy on foodie blends, but this is something I would wear... ... were it not for the fact that it burned the heck out of my arm where I applied it and left a nice itchy disc as a gift. BOO. I'm gonna have to investigate which cinnamon blends cause irritation and which ones don't, because it's like playing roulette sometimes.

On me, this is leather. Sexy as HECK leather with a hint of sweetness from the honey and grounded by the woodsy notes and spices. I sniff this and think, "This is what my other leather blends aspire to be." The patchouli-infused honey really becomes prominent as it dries, and it makes me want to eat my arm. I usually have a fantastic miss rate with the harder-to-find scents, but not this time around. I'm definitely holding onto this decant and am probably doomed to a Bottle Quest. edit: Effin' a, this dries into the loveliest woodsy clove scent. This is perfect. Why must I fall in love with you?