Penance

The resurrected version says "resurrected" on a red banner across the top of the label and has green writing. It also says "Cures for what ails ya. Accept no substitutes." along the bottom. The original says "Carnaval Noir" with green-yellow writing. ETA: Pictures (thanks to Miss Twilight and her awesome catalog of bottle pictures) to be doubly clear. Original Resurrected

Origin: 5mL's from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I was really looking forward to Celeste when the Will Call reviews of the prototype started coming in. I'm not a huge fan of super sugary scents, but something about cotton candy musk sounded wonderful. I took a gamble on three bottles (breaking my relatively new rule of only getting one of new LE's if I'll have time to try them and order more, unless they sound 100% amazing and perfect) when it went live at the Trading Post, in spite of the notes sounding somewhat iffy (I'm not a floral fan, although I do love the smell of Lush's Celestial moisturizer, which has vanilla and orchid in it). I've been reading that Celeste's final incarnation smells like Love's Philosophy (which is bad, since LP doesn't like me) but also that it smells like vanilla cotton candy, which would be good, so I don't know what to expect from it at this point. First sniff: Sweet! I mean that. This is sugary. Sugar and vanilla. Vanilla cotton candy with extra sugar. I don't get any florals or any saffron sniffing this from the bottle; it's pure sweetness. I'm liking it at this point, even though I'm not the biggest fan of sugary scents (things like Sugar Skull, for example, can get to be cloying very quickly, although I like them now and then). Wet on skin: More vanilla and less "Look at me, I'm sugar! SUGAR!" than it was in the bottle. That's a good thing, although I'm enjoying the smell of cotton candy these days. I think the slightly less intense sugariness that I get on my skin makes Celeste more wearable for me. There is a passing resemblance between Lush's Celestial moisturizer and Celeste, but it's just that, passing. Celestial smells (to me) like slightly less sweet melted vanilla ice cream (Ben & Jerry's smooth vanilla to be exact) while Celeste smells like smooth, sweet vanilla, sugar (white sugar or cotton candy) and just the lightest touch of saffron, which gives it a very slightly musky, leathery smell (strange since saffron doesn't normally smell like that to my nose). Dry down: Lovely. The sugar/cotton candy continues to calm down as Celeste dries, although it never goes away, and I'm left with a rich vanilla with touches of sugar and saffron. Saffron is really hard to describe, scent-wise, unless you've smelled it, so I'm not going to have much luck describing it here except to say that this is going the more traditional saffron scent route as it dries, although I can still see where people are getting musk and/or leather. The bottom line: Definitely not like Love's Philosophy, at least not for me. I definitely get creamy vanilla, cotton candy or sugar and saffron. It's like a more grown up version of Aquolina's Pink Sugar, mixed with melted vanilla ice cream (the expensive kind, not the cheap kind) and a touch of saffron. Pretty close to the original impression I had in my head after reading the Will Call reviews, although I was anticipating a muskiness that's not quite there in the final version. Definitely not a let down, just a little different.

Origin: 5mL (2010 version) bought on LJ Preconceived notions: I like Snake Oil quite a bit and consider it a favorite of mine, although I don't reach for it as often as I do a lot of other scents. Honey, on the other hand, is hit or miss. In the past, it's been a miss most of the time, but recently it's been hitting the mark more and more often, so I'm looking forward to trying Womb Furie. First sniff: Definitely Snake Oil and something golden-smelling. I'm not sure that I would immediately peg it as honey because it's blending with the Snake Oil and just gives the impression of golden sweetness. It's not cloying by any means, but it's definitely a sweeter version of Snake Oil. Wet on skin: The honey comes out more once it hits my skin. I haven't tried O in years since I absolutely hated it the two times I tested it (it turned into a weird amalgam of sour vomit and cloying sweetness), but I think I can see where the comparisons between Womb Furie and a mixture of Snake Oil and O are coming from. I can definitely see that being exactly what this is, although I'm not getting the same revolting smell that I get from O out of this. Not at all. It's Snake Oil (with some age to it, since my bottle is about a year old at this point, although I just received it) and honey. Not the citrusy honey from Crib Girls and not the rich, almost tangy honey from The Infernal Lover. It's a golden, sweet, mild honey scent combined with the musky vanilla and spice of Snake Oil. Dry down: Womb Furie seesaws back and forth as it dries. Some minutes it's more Snake Oil, and others it's almost pure honey (and it is pretty similar to what I remember O smelling like, although it's still not transforming into anything vile on me, which could be because it's not exactly the same as the honey in O or because my skin chemistry has changed since the last time I tried it). Once it fully dries, though, it's strongly on the side of honey with a backing of Snake Oil. The end result is a sweet, heady, golden honey scent with a touch of musk and vanilla. It's teetering on the brink of being cloying, but it somehow manages not to go over the edge. While I don't think it's as sexy as The Infernal Lover (either the red musk or batch variant non musk version), it's still a very feminine, sultry scent. The bottom line: I like Womb Furie. I don't think I would wear it every day (it's a little too intensely honey sweet for me to wear it that often), but I do like it. It's a nice twist on Snake Oil, although it's pretty two-dimensional and not as exciting and complex as many BPAL scents are. I do like that the Snake Oil base is still identifiable, which isn't always the case in the Snake Pit blends, but it's also lacking their complexity. I'm wondering if I might like this year's version a bit better since it's supposed to be lighter on the honey, but I don't think I need to track a bottle of the 2011 incarnation down. This one bottle of 2010's vintage will be plenty for me.

Not trying to add to the craziness that is The Infernal Lover, but I've got an interesting (to me, anyway) situation. I have three bottles, two of which are the "correct" (red musk) version. The thing is that they're noticeably different (in the bottle and on my skin) in terms of red musk strength. I don't know what the "normal" red musk level smells like since I only have these two (plus one of the no musk bottles), but... One is super heavy on the red musk (virtually a single note with just a touch of honey) and the other is almost smack in the middle of what I'm calling the "super musk" one and the no musk one. I thought that aging could explain some difference between them, but I just don't believe that there was a big enough time lag between the release and end of TIF to account for it, plus the difference is awfully big. It's like one either got an extra big helping of musk or the other got a partial portion. Luckily, I love all three bottles, although I have to wonder which of the two red musk bottles is "normal" for TIF. My brain hurts.

Origin: RAOK from a generous forumite. Preconceived notions: I'm drooling over the description of this one. I love the smell of cigars and I'm a musk fan. Leather is hit or miss, but combined with these notes, it should play nicely here. First sniff: Much softer than I would expect from a scent with this list of notes. Yes, it says "soft musk," but I wasn't expecting the whole scent to be so soft and gentle smelling. I was anticipating more of a strong "gentlemen's den" type smell, but A Bachelor's Dog is much lighter than that. It's mainly musk at first sniff and reminds me a bit of Ivanushka, but with some very light tobacco added. Wet on skin: Similar to the scent in the imp, but I swear I smell coconut now. I have no idea where that's coming from, but I'm getting a definite coconut vibe. Looking at the other reviews, it looks like I'm not the only one, so at least I'm not crazy. This is a clean musk scent on me, with creamy coconut and very soft tobacco. No leather to be seen just yet. Dry down: The leather has come out a bit now, but it's still a very soft, light scent. It's in the same extended family as Ivanushka, but they're definitely not dupes of one another. A Bachelor's Dog has a noticeable tobacco note (although it's much less intense than the one in, say, Herr Drosselmeyer or Hellfire), some leather and that inexplicable coconut note that Ivanushka is lacking, plus the musk is slightly cleaner smelling. I wasn't expecting the sort of scent that A Bachelor's Dog turned out to be (which has happened with several of the Dogs Playing Poker scents, but I really like it anyway. The bottom line: Surprisingly light for such a heavy sounding scent. Lovely and soft but gender neutral to masculine. I wish I knew where the coconut was coming from. The Brazilian cigar tobacco, maybe? It's not my favorite part of the scent, but I don't mind it, either.

But my oil is almost completely clear! There are some tiny specks of the cocoa (really hard to distribute, as in my bottle of CD Wulric), but not enough to show on my skin. And I was not ever quite sure the scent was dark chocolate - usually that's pretty overwhelming, while this oil was...subtle. Unexpected! So I just wondered if it's the diff between proto and released, or if something else is going on. Anyone? Mine is also clear with small specks of cocoa. It smells like chocolate, but the tamarind and fig are pretty strong in it.

Not tea olive in particular, but there are some with olive blossom. Not sure how different they would be since I'm not a floral scent fan, but here they are, just in case. LE's: Angeronalia - Olive blossom, white nectarine, vibrant blood orange, honey absolute, lemongrass, elemi, sensual patchouli, and the quiet purity of gardenia. The Emathides - Black amber, black orchid, black currant, olive blossom, wood violet, lavender, blue musk, rose attar, and cedar. Liberty - Frankincense, beeswax, olive blossom, chamomile, sampaguita, magnolia, apple blossom, gunpowder, and smoke. Okayaki - Olive blossom, cardamom pod, amber, morning star lily, bergamot, and a well-aimed snowball. Tabella - Olive blossom, frankincense, tobacco flower, benzoin, Little John, bergamot, galangal, angelica, fig, sage, and ginger. Valentine of Rome - Cypress, olive blossom, frankincense, myrrh, and blood accord. Others: Dawn: Maiden - Tea roses, honeysuckle, heliotrope, olive blossom, milk, and honey. Defututa - Olive blossom, honey, smoky vanilla, cinnamon, jasmine, sandalwood, and champaca flower.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: This and Dancing Koi were the two Lupers I was most looking forward to when I made my order. I'm so excited to see some non-girly Luper scents make it into the rotation because I tend to favor gender-neutral/masculine scents. I love or like everything in here (although leather can be hit or miss, and so can nutmeg), except violet leaf. It's an unknown since I don't think I've ever tried a blend with it as a note before. If it smells leafy, it'll be fine, but if it smells like violet blossoms, it'll be a bad thing. I do not like violet flowers in my perfume. First sniff: Phew! I sniffed Manilus and set it aside (with a lot of sadness) as a scent that probably wasn't going to work if the smell in the bottle was any indication. In the bottle, I get a strong blast of very chemical-like leather. Not at all pleasant and it overpowers everything else in here. It's so intensely artificial smelling that I can't smell anything else around it. Wet on skin: Wow, that's a pretty big change. This is why I don't give up on blends before skin testing them. Once Manilus hits my skin, the chemical tone of the leather goes away entirely and it's replaced my a rather Dead Man's Hand-like leather combined with cedar, sandalwood and a bit of nutmeg. It's definitely on the masculine side and reminds me a bit of Pete Lala's Cafe atmo spray, which I happen to really like. Dry down: So much better than the smell in the bottle. Everything really unfolds once Manilus dries and I get leather (still reminds me of Dead Man's Hand and Pete Lala's Cafe), the resins (sandalwood and frankincense), cedar and a bit of spice. I don't think I'm smelling any violet leaf here because nothing jumps out at me as green or violet-like. Instead, this is a very brown scent. Rugged smelling but sexy. The bottom line: Stinky in the bottle, but very nice on my skin. Definitely an example of why you shouldn't write a blend off without actually trying it on. I've been wishing for a perfume that was in the same vein as Pete Lala's Cafe and I've found it. They're not identical, but they've got a similar rugged, masculine feel to them with the leather and wood and spice. Definitely a keeper.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I'm really looking forward to this one. I like vetiver, the wood notes, musk, rum and labdanum and saffron is generally okay in small amounts. I'm hoping for something deep and woody/earthy with some rum in the background. First sniff: Whoa, Grog! I wasn't expecting that. Straight out of the bottle, I get a strong snootfull of that butterscotch rum scent that made me finally get rid of my bottles of Grog. I'm not a fan of butterscotch as a scent, unfortunately. There's definitely some vetiver and woods here, too, but they're almost completely overpowered by the butterscotch, which makes me sad. I was hoping that the rum in this wouldn't be the buttery, sweet variety. This one's not off to a good start. Wet on skin: Still strong on the butterscotch/rum and light on everything else, but I do get some woods and some ashy vetiver. It's an interesting combination with the sweet and the woodsy/burnt notes. Not really what I was anticipating, though. Dry down: The butterscotch lets up a bit as Wrestlers dries, but it still puts in a strong appearance on the drydown. I'm not a big fan of sweet foody notes in otherwise non-foody scents and this, unfortunately, falls into that category. I would really like this one if it was the other (non-sweet/buttery) kind of BPAL rum, but I just can't get past the cloying sweetness of it as is. The bottom line: Not for me, unfortunately. I had high hopes, but it wasn't meant to be.

Banshee Beat is identical to Angel on me, too, only longer lasting.

You're welcome! I hope one of them is a winner!

Blood Countess, maybe? Or Dionysia? Blood Countess: Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry. Dionysia: Wild plum, pomegranate, raspberry, Siamese benzoin, plum blossom, patchouli, frankincense, and mahogany. I've never smelled Dark Kiss, so I'm just working off the listed notes. Those are the most similar ones that I can think of right off the top of my head.

Origin: Tester from a lovely forumite. Preconceived notions: Mr. Ibis is one of those scents that fly under my radar for a long time and then suddenly jump out at me as something I want need to try. Like most scents that fall into that category, it's not the sort of scent that I normally wear, at least I'm guessing it's not, based on the notes. I tend toward heavy, dark scents and Mr. Ibis sounds like a light, clean sort of blend instead. In terms of notes, the Egyptian and African musks sound good (although I'm not sure what either one smells like, exactly, I'm a big fan of musk scents these days) and so does the sandalwood. Aloe ferox I'm not sure of. If it smells anything like aloe vera, then I should like it quite a bit. Papyrus could go either way, too. The only note that has me worried is the vanilla flower since I don't do florals. I do love the smell of Lush's Celestial moisturizer, though, and it has vanilla and florals (dove orchid), so I'm hoping that Mr. Ibis will squeeze through the same loophole. First sniff: Clean, gentle musk with just the tiniest hint of sweetness. It reminds me of Oisin, but less powdery and without the herbs. I can see this being perfect for use in a work environment where you can't wear heavy, intense perfume. It's a light scent, but it has a pretty good throw, actually. Wet on skin: More complex than it was in the imp, but not by a lot. I'm still getting musk (light, similar to white but without the powder...it reminds me a bit of the musk in Ivanushka, but less fuzzy smelling somehow and cleaner...like if Ivanushka had just had a nice bath, maybe) and a faint hint of sweetness (the vanilla flower), but I'm also getting a very light touch of the aloe, which does remind me of aloe vera with it's pale, watery greenness. Mr. Ibis smells clean to me. Not soapy, but just...neutral and fresh, maybe? It's definitely not my usual sort of scent (I love dirty patchouli, red musk, heavy incense and the like), but I really like it all the same. Dry down: The other notes start putting in an appearance as Mr. Ibis dries. I like how it unfolds on my skin, especially since I like all the intermediate stages in between the bottle scent and the drydown. Once it dries, I get clean musk, a touch of pale green from the aloe, a light touch of sandalwood and a soft, subtle vanilla scent. The vanilla flower doesn't smell floral to me, really, which is a good thing. Instead, it's just an ethereal sweetness supporting the other notes. I get a bit of papyrus, too, which makes me think of The Lurid Library and it's old paper smell. In fact, on me, Mr. Ibis smells like a mixture of The Lurid Library and Ivanushka combined with a light touch of aloe and non-foody vanilla. The bottom line: I really like this! Yet another winner picked by my subconscious. Luckily, I've learned to trust those sudden impulses to try scents that should be no-goes, and it's paid off once again.

The Hesperides, maybe, if he likes Be Delicious? Be Delicious lists notes of American Apple, cucumber, grapefruit, candid magnolia, tuberose, white muguet, rose, violet, sandalwood, tender skin accord, blonde woods, white amber. The Hesperides: Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple. As for other scents he might like, maybe try out: Impable scents: Coyote: The warmth of doeskin, dry plains grasses and soft, dusty woods warmed by amber and a downy, gentle coat of deep musk. The Black Rider: Black leather, oppoponax, tobacco, and black amber. Non-impable scents: Western Diamondback: Snake Oil with leather, tonka bean, red sandalwood, and sage. Kroenen: Shining black leather, gleaming metal, labdanum, and myrrh.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I've been waffling over the idea of trying 51 for a long, long time, but I rarely order imps (because I don't usually use them) and wasn't sure enough about it to get a bottle unsniffed. So thank you Lab goblins for sending an imp my way! This is one of those scents that has the potential to be really good on me or to go horribly, terribly wrong. It has death notes (freesia and neroli, especially neroli), unlikely-to-work notes (mandarin and night air, which turns to laundry detergent on me), iffy notes (guava and white musk) and good notes (honeydew, which I'm especially excited about since the smell makes me nostalgic, wood/scrub, green musk and amber). So this one's going to be a crapshoot. First sniff: Lovely! This is definitely not the sort of scent I normally wear (I tend toward the dark, heavy, gender neutral to masculine type of scents), but it's so pretty that I would have been drawn into trying it even if it hadn't already been on my radar. In the imp, I'm getting a pretty fruit (melon and soft guava), soft musk and light floral (not identifiable to me, but I'm not good with florals...I'm thinking it's the freesia, though, because it doesn't smell like neroli to me) scent. Pale green and watery without being aquatic. Wet on skin: As soon as 51 hits my skin, the florals and white musk jump out and I get a strong, powdery but slightly sharp scent that's okay but not my style. The guava and honeydew are missing in action at this point and instead of the pale green scent I got in the imp, it's very much a powdery white scent (freesia and white musk). I'm not liking it at this point, but I never judge a scent until its dried thanks to my past experience with quick-change artists. We'll see how things pan out. Dry down: It literally only takes a few minutes for the powdery/sharp floral/musk scent of the wet stage to disappear and be replaced with a beautiful, slightly sweet honeydew, gentle musk and (very light) floral scent, very similar to the scent in the imp, but heavier on the honeydew, which makes me happy. Everything in here blends together beautifully to form an ethereal scent that's on the feminine side without being overpoweringly girly. 51 actually reminds me quite a bit of Blue Moon 2004. They don't really smell the same, but they have a similar feel for me, which is a happy surprise for me since I've always had an unexpected soft spot for Blue Moon '04. The bottom line: I wasn't entirely sure what to expect here, but I really like the way 51 smells on me. Everything here works together beautifully and while 51 doesn't really replace Blue Moon, it's similar enough to fill the same niche in my collection, which is good enough for me.

Hopefully it works for you, too, thekittencat! Dancing Koi is gorgeous. I don't normally have skin chemistry that skews scents, so I'm guessing that my experience would be typical for someone without skin that amps or diminishes notes.

Origin: 5mL from the Lab. Preconceived notions: This is the Lupercalia 2011 scent I was most excited about. Everything here is made of win or has the potential to be. I love musk (just not white musk or the other clean/powdery varieties), sandalwood, clove, labdanum and champaca. Leather can be hit or miss, but it should work fine in combination with the other notes. So excited about Dancing Koi! First sniff: Mmm, this smells so good! In the bottle, it's soft, brown leather (yes, brown leather smells different than black leather to me...I can't really explain it other than to say it smells softer and less bad-ass...more like a well-worn pair of boots than a motorcycle jacket), musk and subtle spices and resins. Lovely. Wet on skin: More or less the same as in the bottle, but with a touch more musk. It smells masculine/gender-neutral, but soft. Broken-in and well-loved and earthy. Not in the sense that it smells like dirt (it doesn't), but in the sense that it smells down-to-earth. It's not rugged, really, just comfortable. Dry down: Dancing Koi gets better and better the longer it sets on my skin. Once it dries completely and has time to do its thing, I end up with a gorgeous combination of super soft (brown) leather, gentle spices, warm musk and incense/resins. It's beautiful and comfortable. It's a calming scent for me. Something about it just makes me feel peaceful. The bottom line: Without a doubt, this is the standout of the 2011 Luper scents. I was hoping I would like Dancing Koi, but it exceeded my expectations. I was anticipating something rougher and drier, more rough around the edges, but I love the softness of whatI actually get. It's just such a comfortable scent. I'm definitely going to be ordering more bottles of this just as soon as I can afford them because this is a real beauty. I think Dancing Koi is going to have a permanent home in my favorites box.

Random non-BPAL to BPAL suggestion of the day: If you like Haunt's Winchester, try Dancing Koi. I've been trying to figure out what DK is reminding me of ever since I put it on and it finally hit me. They're not identical, of course, but there's a definite resemblance on my skin once Dancing Koi has had a chance to dry down completely (it goes through a stage when it's wet--on my skin, anyway--that's pretty heavy on the leather but then it dries down into leather, musk, spice and incense).

Origin: Partial 5mL from ralenth. Preconceived notions: I have no idea why I haven't tried this one yet. It sounds right up my alley. All I can think is that I figured that I had enough dirt scents when I first read the description. But then I happened to read the description again and knew I had to get a bottle, regardless of the number of other dirt scents I already own (Zombie, Graveyard Dirt, Badger, etc.). I'm thinking that The Potters' Field has the potential to be somewhat unique in my collection in the same way that Badger is. The grasses, herbs and cedar in this one have the potential to make it more than "just another dirt scent." First sniff: Yummy, dirty goodness. This is definitely more than "just" a dirt scent. The grasses and herbs and cedar are definitely putting in an appearance. It's reminding me of a perfume I owned a long time ago that I can't remember the name of. It was supposed to smell like a summer night and it did. And so does The Potters' Field. It smells like laying out under a canopy of tree branches, watching the stars and smelling the dirt under your back and all the trees and plants around you. There's a pretty significant amount of greenness here in addition to the dirt. Wet on skin: About the same as in the bottle, only slightly more green. Dirt, trees, grass. It smells like summer to me. And childhood. Dry down: I get soft grass, bright green leaves, freshly snapped twigs, (much less intense) rich soil, a very faint herbal sweetness and something airy and almost ozone-like (without being soapy in the slightest; it reminds me a bit of the ozone note in Thunderbird) in the very far background. The vetiver isn't really putting in an appearance here, but I'm getting everything else and then some. This is a nostalgic, happy scent for me. It makes me think of running barefoot through sun-warmed grass and wandering the woods at the end of the street I grew up on. It reminds me of summer camp and exploring my neighbor's garden. The bottom line: A surprisingly happy scent, considering. I've never come across a company that could nail dirty "nature" scents the way that the Lab does. And I'm glad I gave into my compulsive need to try every dirt scent that comes along, regardless of how many I already own, because this is definitely unique. In my pantheon of dirt scents, Badger is my soft, infinitely wearable one, Graveyard Dirt is my intense, rich, fresh-turned soil one, Zombie is my dry, dusty, mossy one and now The Potters' Field is my green "summer" one. Each is unique in its own way, but The Potters' Field is possibly the most unique one of them all. This is a definite winner and I think I'm going to need to get a full bottle here sometime in the not-so-distant future.

Origin: Partial 5mL from cfrancesca. Preconceived notions: This is one of those scents that really shouldn't work on me but that I suddenly develop an urge to buy/test anyway. Oddly enough, those scents usually work well on me, in spite of their notes being ones that often don't. I despise florals (especially the heady, floofy variety, which I consider magnolia to be). Honey can go either way, although I'm finding that I like it more now than I used to. Peaches are the only "safe" note here. I'm not much of a fruit scent fan, but I do like the smell of peaches. The honey should be fine combined with peach (I'm actually thinking that honeyed peaches sounds pretty good). I'm just hoping that the magnolia is a wallflower and stays as far in the shadows as possible. First sniff: Hmm...I can see people finding this appealing, but it's not doing it for me in the bottle. I smell the magnolia pretty strongly. Josie in the bottle is a heady, bold, white floral with hints of peach and honey in the background. Very southern belle but also very not me. Wet on skin: A little more peach and honey, but still quite floral. This is an awfully innocent scent for a crib girl, but maybe Josie is the one who serves the gentlemen who prefer an innocent débutante (or at least a girl who can play the part) rather than a confident, sexpot of a woman. I like Josie a little more on me than in the bottle, but it's still not really doing it for me. Dry down: This is better. The longer Josie sits on my skin, the more the peaches come to the forefront, dragging the honey with them. I still get florals, but they're tempered by the almost dessert-like smell of the peach and honey. I was expecting more of a baked peach and thick, golden honey type smell, but instead, Josie is more of a peach skin scent with a light drizzing of fresh honey. I'm still getting a very innocent white petticoats and blushing cheeks sort of vibe from it, which is nice, although I like a whorehouse-inspired scent to smell...well, more like a whorehouse (but in a good way; I don't think anyone wants a scent that smells like stale sweat, tattered velvet chairs and sex...or maybe they do, who am I to judge?). The bottom line: I like Josie. I don't love her, but I like her enough to keep her around and wear her now and then when I'm feeling in the mood for something sweet and innocent but a little flirtatious. I'm actually pretty pleased with the drydown since it smells more or less like what I had in mind, although lighter and airier than I anticipated it being. I'm willing to wait through the floral stage to get to the peaches and honey, which is somewhat unusual for me, but I'm going to be doing my damnedest not to smell myself during the floral stage.

Origin: 5mL from chinkee21. Preconceived notions: I really like Dorian and I've been wanting to try this version for quite a while. Based on reviews, I'm expect Dorian plus coconut and maybe some leather? At least, I think someone mentioned leather at some point, although looking at the most recent reviews, it doesn't look like anyone's mentioned it. So either I confabulated that little detail in my head or it wasn't something that most people got (I'm too lazy at the moment to read further back in the thread to figure out whether I'm imagining having read it or not). First sniff: Definitely Dorian with coconut added. I also smell something that could be lavender and a stronger black tea note than in the released version. It's sweet (the vanilla) and a little creamy (the coconut) and just a tiny bit herbal. Wet on skin: Once it hits my skin, the coconut note dies down quite a bit, but it's still noticeably there. In some ways, it reminds me of White Rabbit (without the lemony ginger) meets Dorian with a splash of sweet coconut and a sprig of lavender as a garnish. Very pretty and more complex than the released version. Dry down: The coconut is back now. If there's lavender in here, it's disappeared during the drydown. Or it might just be a phantom pseudo-note that only smelled like lavender in the bottle and wet on my skin. I agree that if you took a cup of strong vanilla-infused black tea and added in a splash of coconut rum, this is what it would smell like. I'm not sure I'd want to drink that concoction, but it certainly smells pretty. The bottom line: I really like this version quite a bit, although if it had leather in it, I think Dorian could be sexy and charmingly androgynous, rather than sweet and foppish (and rather feminine). A little bit of an edge without giving away the secret evil inside, perhaps?

I hear you on the complimentary perfume thing! I wish there was a Pete Lala's Cafe perfume oil myself. Smells so good. I sometimes spray my clothes with BPTP sprays before I put them on (to avoid skin contact with the spray, just in case). Not as good as perfume, but it works in a pinch.

Have you tried The Antikythera Mechanism? They're not identical, but there's a certain similarity with the vanilla and wood together.

I definitely second the Polynesian Pop recommendation. It really does smell like gingerale. Right down to the bubbles. It's a happy scent, although it's not really my style.

For those who have tried and love Lamia v3, you might want to try Ava Luxe's Kretek. They smell very similar to my nose and Kretek is much easier to get (although it's temporarily OOS right now from AL). I really like Lamia v3, but I've got plenty of Kretek, so I can (thankfully) relax instead of trying to track down a bottle that's not insanely expensive.