fairnymph

Strong! Sweet, smoky, spicy, woody, fruity. Richly golden amber with a slight powdery edge, and creamy, decadent vanilla. Smoky-sweet frankincense, dry-fresh sandalwood, citrus, ginger and fragrant cardamom. Lingers wonderfully. Rich, almost chai like. A bit autumnal actually. Soothing, languid. Lingers for ages! It's not quite up my alley, but very lovely indeed and the staying power and overall 'throw' are phenomenal.

In the bottle: Sweet and golden; vanilla and amber, softer honeyed herbs, lily, sunflower. Faintly powdery. Reminds me of a softer and more complex O. Wet: Deep peach colour. Much, much more floral and a bit more herbal, less foody-sweet vanilla. The lily and sunflower jump out. Amber has a hint of powder, but not unpleasantly. Dry: The lily and sunflower have amped further, the former going a bit soapy. Honey myrtle is strong too and gives this an outdoorsy feel. Vanilla is soft and natural, amber lightly powdery. Later: Here comes the sandalwood, though it's very light and soft, and provides more warmth than dryness. The amber is gone more powdery, the vanilla has amped and taken on a distinctly deep cream note, the myrtle faded. Still quite floral, and finally some yummy musk. Summary: Golden-bright, clean, vaguely powdery florals, sweet creamy vanilla, soft powdery amber, hints of warm sandalwood and herbal honey myrtle. A very natural, rich musk ties everything up into a lazy, soothing package. Ultra feminine. Great throw and lasting power. Very fitting and gorgeously blended, but this is not quite my style. I must say it is a wrist sniffer and the most gorgeous sunflower, musk and vanilla notes, and the ambers are pleasantly and only lightly powdery.

In the bottle: Spicy, smoky. A bit of sweetness from dried fruit, some nuttiness. Apple, patchouli, other woodsy things, and the bitter bite of myrrh. Wet: Even spicier, holy moly! Carnation, yes, but more so CINNAMON and other mulling spices. This is indeed fittingly autumnal. The spices and carnation overwhelm. Less smoke and myrrh, a bit more apple (fresh, complex, lovely) and fig (dried, rich, soft). Dry: The almond has emerged a bit (it has a lovely butteriness, not that almond extract-benzaldehyde, that softens the spice a bit), and the patchouli, but otherwise the same - very very very cinnamony with barely sweet fruit. Definitely unisex. Later: The spice stays strong but most of the other notes amp up a bit to provide more depth, and amazingly, the apples have barely faded. The musk has emerged and is delicious but not nearly as distinct as I would like. Summary: Spicy cinnamon and carnation, with lighter notes of deep fig and nutty almond, deep musk, softly earthy patchouli, and the barest hints of smoke and apples. When the spiciness backs down a bit, the warm, deep underlying base is quite pleasant. Strong throw and lasting power. Alas, I don't like cinnamon. Such a shame when the smoke and myrrh were so well behaved on me!

In the bottle: Sweet, STRONG pine (scary!), and vanillic, resiny benzoin. Pretty damn sweet. I can't detect florals, and only a hint of candyish plum. There's a good spike of white musk though, and the lab's cold snow note is lovely and distinct. Wet: Golden coloured. Even MORE piney, egads. A christmas tree is bludgeoning me to death while drowning me in sugarplum syrup. *shudder* This is super overwhelming. Florals coming through a bit, but they aren't clear - more of a generic piercing perfumey muddle. Likewise, the white musk is sharp and just too strong.Only the snow and benzoin, which amazingly are holding their own in this hectic mess, make this bearable. Dry: Okay, only a few branches are clobbering me now; I'm no longer praying for my life (or a pool of bleach). The plum - I'm assuming 'winter' here is a euphemism for 'intensely candied' - remains strong and sugary. Meanwhile, the flowers have certainly bloomed. I can smell the lily's soapy edge but not its floral heart, and the combo of orchid and musk is still so bright it's almost headache-inducing, with plastic and alcohol overtones. Summary: High-pitched, perfumey white florals and sharp white musk over syrupy sweet dark plum candy and mentholic pine. Lighter notes of pure snow and warmly sweet, resiny benzoin are not enough to temper the excesses of the major players. Apart from its sweetness, it has a cologney feel that could work on men. Gave me a headache with its powerful throw, and refuses to wash off. It figures that the season I most expected to love is, so far, the worst. Well, at least I should make someone else happy!

I would LOVE to see the SGA chapbook and perfume from anyone who went to ComicCon...

In the bottle: Soft, fresh, clean, bright. Floral, mildly sweet, and a touch herbal. The citrus, plum blossom, jasmine and tuberose are all I can distinguish. Nicely balanced and much less overwhelming than I would have thought. Wet: Stronger, but still far from heady. The lemon peel keeps the florals nicely in check, and the orange blossom emerges more distinctly. I can pinpoint the herbal edge of the violet leaf now, too, and the grounding oakmoss. Amazingly, the plum and orange blossoms are stronger than the jasmine and ylang ylang. Dry: Wow, how is this possible? Ylang ylang isn't heady - it's just deep and a bit sexy, summery almost. Jasmine is likewise, and has not gone soapy; it's fresh and fragrant. And tuberose, which nearly always goes unbearably soapy, smells like TUBEROSE. Not soap! It's the first time I've smelled it on my skin in its natural form. I'd say in fact it's amped to reign with the blossoms and the lemon which is holding nicely. Later: This evolves very naturally. It's balanced to begin with, and the notes merge even more harmoniously over time. The fruit seems to be emerging more now, as if Spring herself is progressing; juicy oranges and ripening plums bursting over the rich, creamy floral base as the violet joins the fray without the slightest hint of powder. It's quite like Kitsune-Tsuki, but much more complex, and lacks the sharpness. This is more luxurious and languid. Summary: Sweet navel oranges, meyer lemons, and dark plums rule over a completely seamless bouquet of bright, intoxicating flowers; it's nearly impossible to pick out individual floral notes, as they each shine equally strongly and truly. Straining, I can just barely pick out the herbal touch of violet leaf and smooth, earthy oakmoss, but these blend with the rich florals for the most part. This is not early but late Spring, with a heavy golden sun high in the sky over vast acres of cultivated flowers, trees laden with ripe fruit, the soil moist and fertile. This is a scent pregnant with life, glowing with quiet power. An utterly feminine, richly complex masterpiece. I am so very happy I made the plunge despite the terrifying trio jasmine, ylang ylang, and tuberose.

In the bottle: Colourless. Mildly sweet, gentle, green aquatic. THIS is what I imagine Pisces should smell like. Soft florals (like wild flowers), cucumber, melony agave, new leaves, fresh grass. Wet: A bit cleaner, fresher and brighter with a hint of salt, otherwise the same. It's such a cool, perfectly watery, soothing, and refreshing scent. The cyclamen is so lovely; I've never smelled it more clearly, and the cucumber is that same delicious note from Squirting Cucumber. Dry: Dries almost instantly, taking on just a bit of a soapy edge, but not unpleasantly. This is remarkably unique. It reminds me a bit of Blue Moon 2004, but it's not as sweet; it's, lighter and greener, more planty. Seamlessly blended, it's difficult to pick out much beyond the cyclamen and cucumber. The agave is light, but does have a melony, softly honeyed feel. Later: Hmm, I thought this was supposed to be freshwater? It's certainly become quite salty on me (algae, maybe?), but in a lovely manner - it's brackish, with swirls of both sweet and salty water wafting off my skin. The musk has emerged, and it's glorious and shining, glowing rather than glaring, reminding me of the musk in Yvaine. Summary: This blend is aquatic above all, but with a salty tang, gentle sweetness, grassy green notes, soft musk and delicate wildflowers. The agave just barely sweetens the blend, like honeydew syrup, while the cucumber refreshes and soothes. Youthful and feminine, with excellent throw and lasting power. Another evocative and nostalgic blend for me; my skin is salty from swimming in the ocean earlier as I lie next to a cool lake in a shady forest, surrounded by flowers, greenery, and a meandering stream. Note: I didn't get any poppy or benzoin. I am SO glad I got a bottle and I'm so glad I'm going to will call this month to get more!

In the bottle: Herbal - definitely sage, but not a terribly astringent sort, more of a woodsy, garden type, bright sandalwood, a hint of warm, barely cured leather, lightly sweet tonka, and Snake Oil behind it all. Wet: Lighter than typical Snakes; a dark gold colour. Fresh and almost grassy - one of the nicest sage notes I've smelled, totally lacking any sort of medicinal bite. The leather smells so real, like an actual suedey-hide, tangible. The tonka is more earthy on my skin, much like the tonka in Thaleia; it's gently sweet and slightly resiny, too. The sandalwood is clean and woody without being dry or sharp. Where's the SO? This is horseback riding through meadows and woods, just so evocative. Dry: By far the most delicious leather note I have ever smelled, and the most realistic. It reminds me of the leather note in Thierry Mugler's Atelier Grimalier, but even better. It has assumed rich, sexy command. The sage and sandalwood are still pleasant, but less apparent, while the tonka has lost virtually all sweetness and is pure earthy resin. And there's still no snake oil. Later: The sandalwood has finally developed a bit of dryness, but it's nowhere near as dry or sharp as other sandalwoods. Very faint hints of clove and boozy vanilla from the Snake Oil have emerged, but only if I sniff very closely. Unisex to masculine, but I would wear this. Summary: Gloriously warm and velvety soft leather, touched by slightly dry but mostly just sun-warmed, almost beachy-salty sandalwood. Softer, faintly sweet earthy-resiny tonka and gentle herbal sage. The SO here is pretty much...not. Decent throw and good lasting power. This is unlike anything else in BPAL I've ever smelled and utterly unlike all the other leather blends; it's like it's a SUEDE note instead of leather. It's soft, not slick. The whole scent is sunny, outdoorsy, grounded, and casually sexy. Egads, and I already promised this bottle to someone! I was so sure I wouldn't like it....well, I'll have to buy more, including back ups for menfolk - this is just stunning. So far the Snake Pit has been blowing my freakin' mind, and I don't even like Snake Oil! Or sandalwood! Or tonka!

In the bottle: Gourmet deliciousness; dark, velvety chocolate (dutch process cocoa, maybe?) and a hint of sweet, delicate rice milk, much like rice pudding, over a light but deep woody teak base. Wet: Err, this separates into a clear and a dark brown oil. Must shake before use! Even so, it begins to separate again on my skin. It's a deep milk chocolate colour, thick and opaque prior to dividing. It smells just as it does in the bottle. It's foody, but not absurdly; the wood and extremely faint Snake Oil components ground the scent. Dry: Slow to dry, as all the Snakes are. The teak amps majorly in this, and it's absolutely gorgeous, quickly taking command, but not overpoweringly. The rice milk has amped too and adds an incredibly natural and gauzy sweetness, perfectly balancing the rich, warm cocoa note. Barely any of the spicy-boozy SO. Later: The SO has amped to match the teak and cocoa and now-fainter rice milk, and they all blend quite seamlessly together. I detect the sharply spicy clove, slightly boozy bourbon vanilla, and somewhat harsh red musk, while the earthy patchouli, less dirty-rooty than usual here, seems to merge with the woody teak. Summary: Dominating Snake Oil - the fresh, sharper sort with a strong clove note and lighter vanilla, patchouli, and musk - blended with smooth, deep teak. Softer notes of warm cocoa delicately sweet rice milk temper the harshness of the unaged SO so I imagine this would age wonderfully. Unisex to feminine. Good throw, great lasting power. I find this quite delectable despite my dislike for Snake Oil (particularly fresh), because the teak note is just so gorgeous, and the cocoa and rice milk nearly equally delicious. And yet, this is not really a foody blend as it blooms on my skin. It's just rich, inviting, and sexy. Without the clove, I might even wear this.

In the bottle: Dark honey/light amber oil. Strongly sweet, floral, and fruity. Apricot, honey, blood orange and gardenia pop out. Faint ylang ylang. Very feminine. Wet: More floral, sharper, brighter - greener, almost. Much less heavily sweet. The potent white gardenia takes the fore immediately but there is a resiny scent with it, maybe the ciste? that addes a lovely freshness. Still, the sweet and fruity notes are quite apparent below. Dry: Um, whoa. Tonka, ciste, and musk have taken over - what a transformation. This is earthy, sweet, resiny, a little green. But mostly deep and sexy. The tonka is not the buttery sweet foody type, but as claimed, warm and earthy. Faint hints of floral (ylang ylang amped so that's it just behind gardenia). The honey stands out nicely now, but the apricot's a ghost and the blood orange's vanished. Later: Um, I think this may be hormonal chemistry thing because everything seems to dry down similarly on me lately - ie to resiny super strong woodsy musk. I'm not complaining, as it's sexy and delicious, but weird. No change over time, other than honey amping a bit. Actually, this reminds me a lot of Honey SN drydown. Summary: The tonka, musk, and ciste provide a deeply earthy and resinous base that almost makes me think patchouli; it's warm, rich and utterly sexy. Sticky, golden honey lies just on top, with lighter notes of overripe apricot and faint, feminine gardenia. A tiny wisp of heady ylang ylang peeks out, but it lies close to the skin and behaves. Sophisticated and womanly. Amazing throw and lasting power. It's just a bit too heavy and rich for my tastes, but very lovely on the whole. I'm glad that a generous BPALer (thanks again heysunshine!) sent some for me to try; it greatly surprised me and exceeded my expectations. BPAL, how you surprise me time and time again.

Fave aquatics: Amsterdam!!! Ebisu F5 - so refreshing, naturally Mary Read - awesomely salty-oceanic and evocative, would be extra sexy on a man especially Have a sort of aquatic feel, to me: Blue Moon (both years) - very sexy and sophisticated Fairy Market - very complex floral with a dewy grassy feel as well Harikata - a sweet, sexy, luminous aquatic Lightning - a very cool glassy yet electric vibe Swank - and this one is sexy

In the bottle: Sweet, woody, floral. The pine and juniper jump out, as do the vanilla, benzoin and plumeria. Lighter bergamot, jasmine and rose, surprisingly. A hint of soapy cleanness. Feminine, a bit richly languid. Wet: Woodsier, with the pine very much in control and juniper just behind. Also fresher, cleaner, soapier. Bergamot is much more apparent, while the florals are simply overwhelmed. Still a good bit of vanilla and benzoin sweetness. Unisex now. Dry: Slow to dry. It becomes soapier - definitely at least partly due to jasmine. Amazingly, I have yet to get any LotV, which is usually amped on me. The pine and juniper are still in control. A bit of rose and plumeria are peaking through, and the sweet notes hold, so this verges back into slightly feminine zone. Later: The evergreens, especially the pine, back down a great deal, while the jasmine has become unbearably soapy. The rose has amped quite strongly and beautifully, as has the benzoin, which has taken on an almost musky depth - or there is some musk here too. Summary: The longterm drydown is quite different, mostly sweet resiny benzoin and deep vanilla (like vanilla bean, really) with a huge wallop of sexy, woodsy musk. And yet this is NOT too notably sweet, really. The pine, juniper, rose and plumeria are very faintly detectable, but everything else including the soapy jasmine so strong before - gone! Decent throw and great lasting power. I find myself wanting a few decants to fill my empty bottle freebie, because the dry down is so intense and complex and unlike anything else I have. I was so pleased the lily of the valley didn't come out on me, as it's usually strong and unpleasant. Pretty unisex, too.

In the bottle: Smoky greenery and resins and deep, dry woods. The palm is strong, and the ash note reminds me of Brimstone. Definitely some vetiver, and also some sweetness (maybe from resins), as well as a tropical feel. Rather masculine.

In the bottle: Virtually colourless. Dry, cardamom-spicy and smoky. Bits of grains and grass, but it's more like scorched hay fields. Masculine. Copal-ish. Wet: A bit sweeter and softer, the hay and mallow and wheat come out to make this deeper and richer and more rounded, less sharp. I can detect a light (and indeed dry) honey note, and the hay is gorgeous. The amber adds warmth and a bit of sex appeal. Grasses and cardamom are greener and fresher. Dry: The cardamom has amped to be the strongest note, and is itself quite complex - spicy, sweet, smoky, aromatic. As you would expect, this is a very very DRY blend. The hay comes behind the cardamom, in strength, and these two overwhelm the other notes, other than a bit of slightly powdery amber. Later: The honey has amped up, as has the amber, while the cardamom has softened, so that these three notes and the hay balance each other nicely. The grasses, mallow,and wheat are mildly detectable below, and have taken on some herbal characteristics (the mallow?). Much more balanced. Summary: A dry, warm, slightly spicy and smoky, rather masculine blend. Sunburnt grasses and deep warm hay, rich fragrant cardamom, softly powdery amber, light herbal mallow and nutty wheat. The honey note is very faint and not particularly sweet. Good throw and lasting power. Not my style but a lovely blend!

In the bottle: Extremely pale yellow. Honey, yup. But quite complex. A little boozy, a bit floral and sugary, almost crystallized. Quite sweet, almost sticky. Wet: Really quite boozy, and also a bit caramelized. It's a very intense, concentrated scent; thick. It's almost like mead, so fermented and rich with a hint of effervescence. Dry: Slow to dry. Still intensely crystalline-sugary, but the floral notes are opening up a bit more, as well as a warm waxiness. The booze note holds. I feel like I'm dripping in thick honey, it's so decadent. Later: This fades a bit in throw, but never loses its sugary, sticky edge. It's almost a little TOO tooth-achingly sweet. The waxy note has amped a bit and cuts that sweetness just enough, but the faint florals are still woefully distant. Summary: This has a rather musky and earthy (patchouli?) drydown on me - very RESINY (storax?), below a honey that's mostly turned to rich wax, with light hints of the former sticky sweetness and faint florals. Decent throw and good lasting power. Love the evolution of this and the sexy drydown. Oh to have a bottle! *treasures decant*

In the bottle: Virtually colourless oil. Boozy honey, soft spices. Hint of lemon. Ginger pretty apparent. This also has a sparkling quality and reminds me of root beer a bit. Wet: Very faint, almost no honey - it's booze touched root beer almost completely now. I can barely detect anything else. Still quite fizzy. There's a sort of sweet coolness that reminds me of a float. Dry: Still extremely faint. A slatherer for sure. The honey has come out a bit more, so it's soft rootbeer and grains (a really nice natural note) and very light mead. I so wish the honey were stronger in this! No rosemary. Lemon and root beer gone. Later: A couple hours later, this has amped so that I can smell it without my nose pressed to my arm, and it's virtually pure delicious honey and nutty grains at this point, with very light suggestions of booze and spice, ginger and herbs. And some sexy musk! Summary: Virtually honey SN, fairly light (this is a slatherer) with sexy skin musk, soft boozy mead and warm grain notes in the drydown. It's a very skin-like scent, comforting, soothing, natural. I want to bathe in. Low throw, good lasting power. I need many more bottles of this, eek! Will call, please??! I am hoping one of my requests succeeds because this is finally it, an ultimate honey scent. I will be wearing this ALL FALL. I have Honey SN on my other arm and other than the light grains and musk, the two are identical on my skin. *dies*

New discoveries: Tweedledee reminds me a fair deal of Xanthe, the Weeping Clown (and layering with Jailbait could be of use to recreate Xanthe as well) Bathsheba strikes me as a gentler version of Mme. Moriarty Victoria and The East both remind me in ways and to an extent of The Oval Portrait

In the bottle: Essentially colourless oil. Sweet, fruity, verging on candied - but not cloying. I can smell all the fruits clearly. Reminds me of classic lifesavers a bit. Wet: Still pretty candyish, bubblegummy, but the apple blossom is a bit more floral and less just appley, the orange peel has a hint of bitter zestiness, and the white pepper has come out to provide a mild kick. Dry: The sweet orange/pepper combo reminds me greatly of Tweedledee, but with the guava and apple blossom, this has more of a fruit punch feel. The fruits are distinct yet blend together very nicely. The pepper has amped slightly but not too much. Later: Still super sweet candyish fruit punch and white pepper spiciness....oddly with the apple and the orange peel it reminds me vaguely of mulled cider. Overall, I think the white pepper in this is too strong for me. Summary: A strong sexy musk emerges, balancing out the candy-ish fruit notes (all still distinct) and white pepper, which has backed down to a more manageable level. Still pretty sticky sweet and girly. Good throw and lasting power. Just a bit too sweet for me, but I was pleasantly surprised by the musk that emerged. I think without the sugar blast and with a softer pepper note I'd LOVE this. The fruit notes are delicious!

In the bottle: Nearly colourless extremely pale yellow. Honey, vanilla, and a touch of warm powder that I presume is amber. Quite sweet and verging on creamy. Feminine. Wet: SUPER sweet. The vanilla jumps out on my skin, it's like French vanilla, and almost has a caramelized sugar quality, but also seems a bit fake. Honey and powdery amber are barely detectable with the overwhelming, cloying VANILLA onslaught. Dry: Dries slowly. The vanilla is still horribly strong, but the amber has amped up a little and is quite powdery indeed. The honey here is faint as a note, but adds sweetness to an already far too sweet blend. Summary: Super strong, fake, cloying, sickly sweet and somewhat boozy vanilla, with warm, quite powdery amber, and only a hint of honey. Unbearably sweet. Good throw, and impossible to remove. Egads. I hate vanilla and I hate amber and I didn't think I could possibly like this, and well, I was right. And the honey barely registers, wah - and I ADORE honey. ETA: The next day, after TWO showers, I can STILL smell remnants on my hand, but they are mostly honey-beeswax and only mild fake vanilla and ambery powder. Bizarre! Still, even the hint of fake vanilla revolts me utterly. This just doesn't work at all on my skin.

In the bottle: Pale honey coloured oil. Flowers and herbs. Fresh, floral, green. Hint of sweetness, including nectarine and beeswax. Lilac, bergamot, and lily of the valley distinct. Wet: Delicious lilac, heady and fresh just like real lilacs - but with an ominously soapy edge. LotV adds to the heady floral feel but isn't overwhelming. Ginger gives this a little kick and keeps the blend fresh. Bergamot is more herbal than citrusy, and blends with the piney green tea note - both are soft. Beeswax is a very faint honeyed wax note. Dry: Slow to dry. The lilac is holding, but the LotV has amped a bit as it often does and is verging on unbearable. Fortunately, the green tea and ginger have amped too, and their bright, fresh notes counteract the headiness of the LotV. A bit of delicious fruity nectarine, very juicy but not sticky - it's nectarine that's not quite ripe - has emerged. Beeswax remains faint. Later: LotV is firmly in control, alas, but slightly soapy lilac comes right behind it. The green tea has amped more too, and is very green and fresh and unique in this blend. Bergamot holds, and is zesty and citrusy and herbal - really nice; likewise, white ginger remains. Beeswax is mostly gone. Nectarine is still light, sadly, because it's lovely. Summary: This settles into lilac, lily of the valley, and nectarine blend, each equally strong. Fresh, largely floral, but also herbal and slightly fruity.The green tea, bergamot and beeswax (which amps up) are quite present just below those notes. Light but present ginger and musk. Absolutely feminine. Low throw and lasting power. The LotV was evil for a while but the final drydown is quite pleasant and different from the earlier stages. I ADORE the nectarine note in this, and this is the first lilac blend that hasn't been horrible. One to retry!

In the bottle: Very pale yellow oil. Clean, fresh, floral and a little planty. Pale green and white in feel. Wet: Quite soapy, but not quite unbearably. Plantier, like wet crushed leaves and a dew-kissed grass. The florals are white and quite bright, verging on sharp. Lilies. An airy feel. Dry: Ah, I recognize the lab's crisp linen note, which I quite like. This reminds me a bit of Berenice as a result. The lilies give this a bit of sweetness as well as some soapiness, but I don't find this sweet like others. Later: I think gardenia is a good guess for the sharp white floral in this, as it is amping and taking over on my skin like gardenia typically does. The green planty note has amped a bit too though, and that sort of makes it more bearable. Soap and lilies hold. Summary: Rather sharp, bright gardenia over soap, linen, lilies, and wet crushed leaves. It is indeed a very clean scent, but also quite strong and on my skin, so heavily floral it's feminine. Very strong throw and lasting power. It's rather refreshing, and the gardenia is better here than it often it is, but this is just a bit too sharp and soapy for my tastes. ETA: After washing my hand a few times, I can still smell it and a sexy earthy musk note that reminds me of the Fire Pig/Earth Rat drydowns, too! Yum.

In the bottle: Pale peach-amber colour. Sharp, clean and slightly soap, citrusy. Quite fresh, but a bit biting too. It does smell a bit like a cleaning product, but not unpleasantly. Hints of spice and powder. Powdery dishwashing detergent with warm spicy base - bizarre! Wet: Spicier, and suddenly sweet. Sweet clove, I suspect. Less citrus, though the sour lemon is still present. Sparkling/fizzy in a cool way that's somewhere between Sprite and a foaming cleaning product. A bit powdery, and warm - I think that's amber, also providing some sweetness. Dry: Even spicier - as usual, clove amps on me, and the amber has gone noticeably but not unbearably powdery. Only the faintest hint of citrus remains, although this still has a sparkling quality. It's oddly both warm and bright/fresh. No longer soapy. Later: Whoa. Total change! This become intensely earthy, woody and dry - oakmoss and maybe oak and even patchouli - and maybe some musk. Citrus - gone. Sparkling note - gone. This bares NO resemblance to the earlier stages at all! There's also a slightly nutty note, maybe something like barley? Summary: It morphs from a wet fizzy-sparkling, slightly powdery, lemony fresh, rather delicious dishwashing powder to a dry middle stage of sweet clove, light citrus, and softly powdered sweet amber, to a final drydown of dry woody oak, soft musk, earthy patchouli and oakmoss, and maybe a nuttygrain. Low throw, good lasting power. I love the initial stage, because powdered lemon dishwashing detergent is one of my favourite smells; I huff it compulsively (really!). And it's such a unique, FIZZY scent. I do enjoy the weird morphing, but the final drydown is too simplistically DRY WOODY for the most part, and I don't like that light nutty note.

AGED ONE YEAR In the bottle: Deep orange/cola coloured, thickly viscous oil. Sweet, a bit boozy, oddly sparkling. Smells a bit like cola too, and like caramel. Also quite earthy - patchouli, musk. Wet: More cola (almost mentholically so)! But sort of like, a cross between cola and cream soda - the vanilla coming out is very creamy. Still quite sweet and even more sparkling. Quite foody. Less earthy. Clove? Dry: Very slow to dry, becoming more intense/spicy as it does. Still quite sweet and boozy. The patchouli is the rooty sort. This reminds me a bit of Kabuki - I think it's the sweet/spicy/foody combined with red musk. Later: I agree it's a bourbon vanilla which explains the boozy note - and this is a vanilla that behaves on me. It still hasn't lost that sparkling feel! A smoky note has emerged, maybe tobacco? Summary: Deep, heady sweet scent with an oriental feel and a bit of a bite; boozy and yet creamy bourbon vanilla, sparking but almost medicinal cola, rooty-woody patchouli, sharp-sweet clove, harsh red musk, softly smoky tobacco. It's not spicy on me, and it verges on foody. This is not at all what I was expecting. The clove makes it unwearable for me, but the vanilla in this is surprisingly wearable and doesn't amp or go cloying on me at all. In combo with the cola smell, and the general sweetness of the blend, it's too close to foody for me. I am also not crazy about the red musk or the particular type of patchouli. I don't like this, but not for the reasons I anticipated. It's not powdery (at all - don't see where people get powder from!) or too vanilla-y for me, or even really too spicy. I just don't like the other unlisted stuff, but this was not unbearable. FRESH In the bottle: Spicy, boozy, musky. A bit harsh/sharp (red musk or a dark patchouli). Touch of sweetness and that vanilla cola-scent, but less deeply sweet and sharper than aged SO. Wet: Huh, it's a lighter colour, more orange than deep orangey-reddish-brown. Much spicier and woodier, almost no cola notes. CLOVE reigns, with a sharp, plastic feel. Still those musk and earthy notes, though. Dry: Seems to dry or absorb more quickly than aged snake oil. Not much morphing, other than perhaps becoming even spicier. It's that sweet, sharp, and woody clove - maybe multiple cloves. Vanilla-cola amped a bit. Summary:The spicy, plastic, biting clove is just so overwhelming, with harsh red musk below. Fainter is the heavy, boozy, vanilla cola. I much prefer the aged version, which is highlights the latter notes over the former, and doesn't have the plastic edge. Great throw and lasting power. I don't like either fresh or aged, but I can see why people enjoy aged, and it's wearable. The fresh I had to wash off because the plastic and clove were so unbearable.

These are things that themselves smell unusual, like not how I would ever expect a perfume to smell. So that's how I interpret 'bizarre' and all are available GCs. Some are ones I like and some ones I dislike. Belladonna because it's a CRAZY MORPHER with several distinct phases. It's pretty eucalyptus/piney, fyi. Brimstone smelled like sharp soil and anise and roots. I'm pretty sure it's vetiver heavy. Cockaigne smells exactly like freshly baked cinnamon nut oatmeal cookies with a bit of honey! It's totally crazily evocative. I don't know if that counts as bizarre, but it was so spot on that I couldn't get over it. De Sade was sassafras and dirt which totally didn't fit the description! But pure leather - pretty weird, I think, even as a note description. Grand Guignol is another foody scent like Cockaigne that is spot on evocative and really delicious! The Great Sword of War mixes many disparate notes into a fairly food blend that amazingly works quite well. Incubus - caramel and sage, totally totally bizarre! I think any scent with pumpkin smells just like BUTTER, so Jack and any pumpkin patch scent. Lightning, which is utterly unique and simply smells 'glassy' to me. Really, really neat. Mania, convoluted mix of fruit and musk and patchouli that has a surprisingly lovely drydown. Mary Read is a delicious salty old leather and patchouli blend that is gorgeously evocative. Nocnitsa if you don't mind dirt/soil smells, as it has an air scent that is exactly like air. Perversion - a perverted blend of notes, really! Internally conflicted. Phoenix Steamworks is another super evocative blend with beautiful metallic note and many stages as it morphs. Siren is spiced jaffa cakes, very evocative. Slippery Popppy Tincture isn't inherently that weird, except that on me it's totally bipolar, smelling radically different at close and far ranges. Tzadikim Nistarim, bizarre combo of disparate notes.

This infamous herb has a long, complex history: it has been used in spells of death and destruction, was a principal component in traditional witches' flying ointments, and was the poison used to put the philosopher Socrates to death. We have created a dark, profound herbal blend to personify and honor this wicked little plant. In the bottle: Light mint green oil. Sweet and piney; cool, green, fresh. Woodsy and makes me think of christmas trees. Wet: Rather thick oil. Amazingly sweet (almost fruity), also quite mentholic. It's still very pine tree. Also makes me think of firs, with the sweetness. Sappy, sticky, and foresty in feel. Dry: Very slow drying. Even sweeter, definitely berries - juicy and ripe, blackberryish. The pine is still pretty mentholic though, as well as resiny, from pine sap. Quite cooling, almost minty. Later: This reminds me a lot of Jolasveinar, the sweet fruity pine, but while this has some earthy and resiny notes, it doesn't have that dirt/soil note. Summary: Mentholic, almost sharp christmassy pine and fir with sap and earthy resin undertones, and a sweet, fruit touch of ripe, dark berries. Unisex. I don't like pine. Ever.