SurrealReality

'08 version In the Bottle/Decant: sugar cookies with a hint of butter Wet on Skin: about the same as it was in the decant Dry: sugar cookies with quite a bit of butter. Much richer and a little sweeter than it was in the decant. Hmmm....about a 1/2 hour into the drydown though, the butter takes on a slightly sour edge. It's still very pretty though. Comparison to Earlier Versions: '04 was mostly clove and cinnamon on me....very little sugar cookie or butter. So '04 and '08 bare very little resemblance to each other. '05 smells VERY similar to '08 in the decant, but once it touches my skin, '08 becomes much better (it's much richer and stronger, and a little sweeter too) In the Bottle/Decant: 4 out of 5 On My Skin: 4.5 out of 5 I know everyone's been saying they prefer butter rum cookie, but I think I prefer this one

In the Bottle/Decant: sweet almond (very strong, not usually a great note for me, but it's not so bad here), sugar, rum, butter cookies (far more cookie than butter), and a hint of orange rind (gives it a slightly bitter edge) Wet on Skin: ALMOND!!! RUM!!! ORANGE RIND!!! Only a little bit of sugar and butter cookie. Well crap....it was sooo much better in the decant Dry: OK, OK....so within just a few minutes the orange rind fades to almost nothing. Almond and rum back down a little too. Sugar and butter cookie become stronger (now they are evenly matched with almond and rum). After about an hour, the almond fades quite a bit, and I could swear a smell a hint of....cinnamon??? Since there is no mention of cinnamon in the notes, my nose is probably playing tricks on me. Still, it adds a lot to this blend This stuff is strong!!! A little dab 'll do ya! It lasts a long time too My rating in the bottle/decant: 3.5 out of 5 (nice, but far too much almond) My rating on my skin: 4.5 out of 5......WOW! For once my skin actually made something better instead of the other way around!

I was sure this would be the most fabulous bpal ever. All the notes are so perfect for me. But alas! It was not to be. I am sooooo disappointed..... In the bottle/decant: pancake batter (not at all sweet, just very....battery. Stick your nose in a box of bisquick and you'll see what I mean), a little butter, and perhaps a slight hint of syrup (not really boysenberry....just a general hint of sugary sweetness) Wet on skin: about the same, except I can almost smell the boysenberry......almost Dry: bisquick (again, not at all sweet) with a little butter. Occasionally, I get a slight whiff of syrup (again, just a generic sugary sweetness). Absolutely NO boysenberry This scent is unbelievably faint on me I guess if you like the smell of pancake batter, this would be your scent. I was hoping for boysenberry syrup (and lots of it), butter, and COOKED pancakes In the bottle/decant, I'd rate this a 2.5 out of 5 On my skin, it's more like a 2 out of 5

MCXXX - 1130 In the bottle: sugared coffee, cherries Wet on skin: sugared coffee, cherries, plain cheerios (breakfast cereal), and a little liquor (very light and in the background) Dry: coffee (darker now, not as sweet), cherries, cheerios, and liquor (slightly stronger). About 1/2 hr later, the cherry note has faded some. About 1 hour later, the cherry note is gone, and the liquor note has faded some. About 1 1/2 hrs later, the liquor note is gone, leaving only coffee and cheerios I like this scent Don't know if I'll keep it yet though EDIT: Gone to cheshirecat!

MCCCX - 1310 Up to now, I thought I was doing pretty well at figuring out what notes were in my CTs, but for some reason, this bottle has my nose a bit confused. I'm sending this bottle to fairnymph (who has an exceptional nose), so hopefully she will be able to figure it out. But until then, here is my impression of this scent In the Bottle: peach, a little oakmoss, and a dark juicy berry of some sort (probably blackberry) Wet on Skin: the oakmoss is a bit stronger than it was in the bottle Dry: peach, oakmoss, dark juicy berry, possibly papaya, possibly a little pineapple. It kinda reminds me of Fae. Several hours later, the complexity begins to fade, and eventually it dries down to peach SN. This scent has good throw, is fairly strong, and lasts a very long time (6+ hours on me) Unfortunately I hate oakmoss with a passion, so this is definitely not the scent for me. This was previously reviewed by kimmer (not here though, on her sales page). She described it as foody, possibly fruity. EDIT: fairnymph has received the bottle, and here is her review!

CDLXXIV - 474 In the Bottle: dark berries (slightly sweet, fresh not candied....but very dark), pomegranate, musk, resinous notes (no clue what kind though....I've never been a fan of resinous scents, so I don't have much experience) Wet on Skin: The resinous note(s) is stronger than it was in the bottle Dry: It stays the same as it was when wet for quite a while, but after about a 1/2 hour, something lighter (I'm not sure what exactly, but it reminds me of white pepper), comes out over top of the darker, heavier notes. About an hour into the drydown, something slightly green appears (it's a very light green though.....and the note is very week). Several hours later, the green note, the dark berries, and the white pepper??? disappear (leaving only the pomegranate, resinous notes, and musk) This was described to me as foody.....uh, no. Definitely not. But it seams to be well-blended, so I imagine that if I liked darker scents, I would find this to be quite attractive EDIT: gone to AngelaTarantula Last reviewed by SueDonym.

CXC - 190 This bottle belongs to cheshirecat. Here is her review. She sent me a tester and I'm reviewing it just because I feel like it In the Vial: coffee (with unsweetened cream, but no sugar), sandalwood, and a little milk chocolate Wet on Skin: about the same, but with the addition of an almost cinnamon-like note Dry: sandalwood is the main note now, followed by coffee and cinnamon? The milk chocolate has totally disappeared. About an hour into the dry-down, the sandalwood continues to grow stronger and the cinnamon? is nearly gone This is the lightest coffee scent I've ever sniffed. It's well-blended and pretty, but it's not rich or sweet enough for me

DCCCLXIII - 863 In the Bottle: Yum!!! Tart apples and light caramel Wet on Skin: about the same, but with more caramel (it's still a light caramel, but there's more of it) Dry: caramel is definitely the main note now, followed by tart apple, and fizz. About an hour into the drydown, brown sugar joins the caramel. Near the end of this scent's life (it lasted about 5 hours), the apple and fizz have disappeared This is a lovely scent, but I very much preferred how it smelled in the bottle, to how it smelled on my skin. The caramel kinda took over. Not sure if I'll keep it yet. Previously reviewed by iiinterstate EDIT: swapped to cheshirecat

DCCCXLIV - 844 In the Bottle: This is lovely! Vanilla, french cheesecake (french because the note is only slightly sweet), lily (don't quote me on that one though, I don't have much experience with florals), and a bit of patchouli Wet on Skin: It's pretty much the same on my skin as it was in the bottle, except that the patchouli is a bit stronger Dry: This is not a morpher....it's pretty much the same as it was when wet and stays that way throughout most of the drydown. At the very end of this scents life though (it lasted about 5 hours), everything else disappears and only the sweet vanilla remains. The overall impression I get is a cross between Chaste Moon and The Oval Portrait. The lily and the patchouli keep it from being foody. This is a lovely scent and it's extremely well blended, but patchouli and I have never gotten along well. It's only a background note though, so I may decide to keep the bottle This scent was previously reviewed by Femme_Fatale EDIT: swapped to cheshirecat

DCCCLXVII - 867 In the Bottle:No clue....whatever it is I don't think I like it. If I had to guess, I'd say it was an exotic spice of some kind (sweet, not savory) along with a musk of some sort (not red or black though), and then there's something else....kinda sweet, kinda creamy, but kinda funky Wet on Skin: Thankfully, this smells NOTHING like it did in the bottle.....cake batter (sweet, but not too sweet, and not at all buttery), something close to cinnamon, and musk (again, not sure what kind) Dry: The cinnamon-like spice has grown stronger. After about an hour, the cake batter begins to fade a bit This is lovely....I might actually keep this one EDIT: I decided that I have several blends far too similar to this one, so this bottle has gone to Lauryn Previously reviewed by nightbiscuit CCXLIV - 244 In the Bottle: milk chocolate, and some sort of tart fruit (I don't think it's lemon, but it could be lime) Wet on Skin: milk chocolate, that same tart fruit (I'm really leaning towards lime now), and FIZZ!!!!! Like a chocolate lime soda (I imagine it smells better than it tastes) Dry: FIZZY tart fruit (I'm almost positive it's lime), milk chocolate (still there, but not as strong). About an hour into the drydown, the milk chocolate has disappeared (surprising since that was the main note in the bottle). About an hour later, there's a little less fizz, and the milk chocolate has made a reappearance, but it's a very soft note I don't know about this one.....it just doesn't last very long on me, and milk chocolate really isn't my thing (I prefer dark, white, or fudge). It sure is original though, so I think I'll keep it for a few days before making up my mind EDIT: swapped to cheshirecat

I bought these from sookster.....here are her reviews DCCCXC - 890 In the Bottle: CHERRY!!! with a little milk chocolate Wet on Skin: The milk chocolate is a bit stronger, and I think I'm getting a hint of booze (no idea what kind though) Dry: The cherry and milk chocolate seam evenly balanced now, the booze note is fading. As the drydown progresses, this becomes a very creamy scent (kind of like a cherry chocolate milkshake) I LOVE chocolate.....but not milk chocolate. I was hoping this would be more of a dark chocolate or a fudge. Cherry has never been a good note for me either EDIT: gone to sfsassy CMX - 910 In the Bottle: buttery white cake (it's not really a sweet note though), lemon frosting, amber?, booze (not sure what kind....but I would agree with sookster - it's kinda like rum) Wet on Skin: about the same, but the lemon is a bit more tart Dry: (what I believe to be) amber is the top note now, then the buttery white cake and booze, then the lemon (it's a very tart note now). As the drydown progresses, the lemon gets stronger and the amber fades a bit hmmmm....I think I would have loved this.....but the amber ruined it! Also, the lemon was tarter than I would have preferred (I only like lemon when it's sweet / tart) EDIT: swapped to djnevermore CMXLI - 941 I'm a bit stumped as to what a few of the notes are, but I'm gonna try my best.... In the Bottle: strawberry (but it's a sharp, astringent strawberry.....I don't like this note at all), something sweet and creamy (not at all buttery or cakey though) Wet on Skin: strawberry (still sharp and astringent), very tart lemon, something green like vines or leaves Dry: At first, it's the same as it was when wet, but the strawberry note is beginning to change.....after nearly an hour, the strawberry note becomes sweet, but still slightly tart (not sharp or astringent at all.....but not candied either. It's a beautiful note), the lemon is barely there, and I smell the sweet, creamy note that was in the bottle....only a bit stronger OK, so it started off really bad, but ended absolutely beautifully! I think I'll swap this one though, cause I don't have the patience to wait nearly an hour for a scent to turn into something I like EDIT: gone to tarotbydiana

DCCXXXIX - 739 In the Bottle: dark chocolate, black coffee, and a hint of sandalwood Wet on Skin: about the same, only not quite as strong Dry: The sandalwood is stronger and there's a hint of white sugar. About 1 1/2 hours later, the dark chocolate and black coffee notes have softened The overall impression I get is similar to El Dia de Reyes, but with more coffee (and without that funky hot chocolate note). Unfortunately though, this doesn't last quite as long as El Dia de Reyes EDIT: After letting it settle for several months, I've decided to swap it away. I just don't wear it often enough to justify keeping it

DCLXXXVIII - 688 In the Bottle: Lovely! Tart, but slightly sweet lemon and lime (definitely more lime than lemon though) with a bit of shredded coconut (the sweetened kind used for baking) Wet on Skin: The lemon and lime notes are still tart, but they're getting sweeter. The coconut note is a bit stronger Dry on Skin: There's almost no lemon now.....it's mostly tart (but slightly sweet) lime and sweetened coconut. Pineapple? Yep, definitely pineapple Ooohhh, about 10 min into the drydown, a lovely buttery cake note comes out About one hour in, I can't really smell the pineapple note anymore and the coconut note has changed some....it's more like fresh than sweetened now. Several hours later, the buttery cake note is still there (yay!), the lime note is a bit softer and sweeter, and coconut note has nearly faded away Unfortunately, this scent has very little throw on me (it was very strong in the bottle though.....I could smell the lime and coconut before I even opened it up!). Also, I would have preferred the buttery cake note to be a bit sweeter, so this scent may end up on my swap page EDIT: swapped to djnevermore CDXXXIV - 434 In the Bottle: honeydew and watermelon (sweet, but very realistic, not at all candied) with something sweet, creamy, and very slightly buttery underneath Wet on Skin: honeydew, watermelon, and a soft sweet mint note! With only a touch of the sweet creamy note in the bottle Dry on Skin: The mint note is very soft on me (which is unusual.....on my skin, mint notes usually overtake all other notes completely). I'm definitely smelling the soft, sweet, creamy note that I did in the bottle (but no butter this time). About a 1/2 hr in, the watermelon and honeydew have calmed down slightly (they're blending in with the rest of the notes more), the mint note is even softer, and I smell a hint of what I believe is green apple and perhaps some sort of berry (blueberry most likely). Several hours later, the honeydew and watermelon notes have faded, the sweet/creamy note has faded a little as well, and the green apple? and blueberry??? notes are slightly stronger, but they remain pretty faint throughout the life of this scent I don't think I'll end up keeping this scent......it's very pretty, but I've never liked watermelon Wearing Dangerous Smiles' impression of this scent was very different from my own (here is her review) EDIT: swapped to djnevermore

CLVIII - 158 In the bottle: sweet, tangy lemon Wet on skin: sweet, tangy lemon with something soft, sweet, and creamy underneath Dry: At first, it's the same as it was when wet, but about one hour into the drydown the lemon becomes softer, the soft, sweet creamy note remains, and I smell a hint of what I believe is amber? Several hours later, the lemon is even softer, the amber? note continues to grow stronger, and the soft, sweet, creamy note becomes slightly less noticeable. About 4 hours into the drydown, I begin to smell a slight nutty note, the lemon is even softer yet, the amber? is a bit stronger, and the soft, sweet, creamy note has definitely faded quite a bit This scent didn't work for me. I love lemon, but only if it's a little bit tart (this one is just too sweet for me), and I usually don't like amber either Previously reviewed by inthefall EDIT: I swapped this to djnevermore.....here is her review

Soooo disappointed..... In bottle/decant: Pretty, but nothing amazing.....a clear, slightly sweet spearmint note, tart apples, and something soft and sweet in the background Wet on Skin: Spearmint and sour apple (in the decant, the apple had a tart zing to it, but on my skin, it's just.....sour) and the soft sweet note that I smell in the decant has vanished on my skin Dry on Skin: The spearmint has now turned into menthol (very strong, and definitely not sweet), and the apple is just as sour as ever. There is a lovely aquatic note in the background (like a spring on a cool, breezy day) that continues to get stronger as the day wears on. In the last few hours that the scent lasts, the menthol and apple completely disappear, leaving only the aquatic note My rating in the bottle/decant: 3 out of 5 My rating on my skin: 2 out of 5 OK, so if it hadn't been for all of the hype, I would've said that this was a pretty nice little scent (still wouldn't have liked it enough to keep my decant though). But I had been so excited about it for so long, that I was expecting it to completely blow my mind. I do prefer foody, gourmand scents though, so perhaps this just wasn't sweet enough for me

In the Bottle/imp: Beautiful! Every note seams to play an equal part Wet on Skin: Mostly cinnamon with a bit of clove and sweet vanilla Dry: OMG! This is amazing! By far my favorite carnaval scent released so far! It's definitely foody, like a bakery in the forrest Cinnamon and vanilla with just enough clove and pine to ground the scent (which makes me very happy 'cause clove and pine often don't work for me). Many many hours later into the drydown, the pine comes out....a lot, and the other notes fade. But by then the scent is so faint that it really doesn't matter. This scent has good throw and unbelievable wear length on me (it lasted 7+ hours) My rating in the bottle/imp: 5 out of 5 My rating on my skin: 5 out of 5 I will definitely be buying several bottles of this before the carnaval leaves town

In the bottle/imp: Caramel, cream, and apple blossom, with a bit of light honey Wet on Skin: Caramel, cream, apple blossom, and light honey, with a bit of teak creeping in.... Dry: Mostly burnt teak with only touches of the other notes My rating in the bottle/imp: 5 out of 5 My rating on my skin: 2 out of 5

In the bottle/imp: Mostly pine, with a bit of light musk, patchouli, & resins Wet on Skin: Pine, something slightly minty, patchouli, and a bit of light musk and honey Dry: Smoky vanilla (it's not at all a burnt smoky, it's more of a sour smoky), resins, pine, light musk, with a touches of honey and patchouli Later on: The vanilla becomes more sour (smoky), the honey and especially the resins get stronger, the pine remains, but the patchouli fades My rating in the bottle/imp: 2 out of 5 My rating on my skin: 4 out of 5 Overall, I like this scent, but I wish the vanilla wasn't quite so sour (smoky)

In the bottle/imp (and wet on skin): Mostly patchouli with a bit of neroli and a hint of amber and cocoa Dry: Very green. Mostly patchouli with a hint of neroli and amber. I smell no honey or cocoa. The peach does come out a bit, but only much later into the drydown My rating in the bottle/imp: 3 out of 5 My rating on my skin: 2 out of 5 I have an intense dislike of patchouli (and all things green), so I am disappointed to find out that it dominates this scent

My absolute favorite note is vanilla musk, and my absolute least favorite note is cedar..... we'll see who wins....... In the bottle/imp: Unbelievably Gorgeous!!! Vanilla musk, sandalwood, myrrh, and amber Wet on Skin: The sandalwood is at the forefront, still with quite a bit of vanilla musk, myrrh, and amber. Very pretty, but not as wonderful as it was in the bottle Dry: Ahhhh.....and here comes the cedar It's quite a strong note too Cedar does one of two things on me - pencil shavings or soap. In this scent, it's turning to soap Several hours into the drydown, it finally fades. But right after it's gone, the vanilla musk declines considerably (along with the sweetness), and the carnation comes out to play My rating in the bottle/imp: 5 out of 5 My rating on my skin: 2.5 out of 5 I highly recommend this scent 'cause if it weren't for my contemptible skin chemistry, this would have been HG material! ETA: I'm gonna to get a big bottle of this anway 'cause I know it's gonna rock in an oil burner

I haven't had baklava in sooo long, I'd forgotten it existed......but now I can almost taste it Wow, I have to get me some! I haven't tried any single scent that I think would smell exactly like baklava, but there are a few I can think of that have the same sweet spicy element to them. I'm sure you've already tried them though.... Dragon's milk (dragon's blood, honeyed vanilla) On me, dragon's blood is similar to a light cinnamon, and paired with honeyed vanilla, it makes the best spicy sweet scent I have ever found Chimera (AGED!!!!) Fresh from the lab, it's very dark, mostly myrrh and cinnamon. But if you let it age at least 3 months, it becomes sweet honeyed spicy goodness El dia de reyes! I know it's not exactly what you're looking for since it's chocolaty, but it's also spicy (cinnamon) and sweet (brown sugar) AND it's not in the notes, but many people (including myself) say hazlenut! Good luck! Edited to remove quote

In the bottle: Honey musk, vanilla, and very tart blackberries Wet on skin: About the same as in the bottle Dry: The vanilla and honey musk have faded quite a bit. Now it's mostly sharp, tart blackberries and green blackberry leaf This has very little throw on me, and fades very quickly. It only lasted about 2 1/2 hours In the bottle/decant: 4 out of 5 On my skin: 3 out of 5 It's pretty in the decant (even though the blackberries are too tart for me), but on my skin there's just not enough honey musk or vanilla

Just tested Peacock Queen, and it is very similar to Caron Or et Noir! To my nose, the rose note in the two scents is identical (and absolutely beautiful). Even though Or et Noir is highly sought after (and only available in Paris), I think I prefer PQ. It's a bit earthier than Or et Noir, and not quite as sweet. And, unlike PQ, I always found Or et Noir to be a bit overpowering, especially at first. Yay Peacock Queen

In the bottle/imp: sharp, sour citrus and....PATCHOULI Wet on skin: strong patchouli, sharp citrus, and a wee bit of lemongrass in the background Dry: Thankfully, it's softening up a bit now. The patchouli is lessening some, the citrus isn't as sour, I'm getting more lemongrass and a little (very little) gardenia. The olive blossom does come out to play, but not until MUCH later on This fades very quickly on me. It disappeared in only 3 hours, but it had nice throw while it lasted My rating in the bottle/imp: 2 out of 5 My rating on my skin: 3 out of 5 I don't like patchouli unless it's waaay in the background, but If I liked patchouli, I'm sure I would ADORE this blend. I also think this would be fabulous on a man

In the bottle/imp: Butterscotch, gooey, sticky sweets, along with something a bit acrid and strange (but what else could you expect from candy charcoal and chimney dust?) Wet on skin: Gooey sweets, candied fruit, and a bit of charcoal Dry: A lot of hot, eye-watering charcoal and a little butterscotch. Wow that's funky. I get no lillies or violet. After 4 hours, it's almost gone and hasn't improved I really don't like this AT ALL. But, then again, I HATE the smell of charcoal. I only decided to try this because, well, I had to know what candied charcoal smelled like My rating in the bottle/imp: 2 out of 5 My rating on my skin: 1.5 out of 5