milo

I love Death Cap, so I had high hopes for this! At first, strong and astringent, and strong vetiver-like ginger. Not good so far...Dry, pretty much Death Cap on me, so I am a happy girl! Soft, brown dirty and soft, I love this, though I do have two imps of Death Cap, so I probably don't need any more.

This is the '11 version. I bought a bottle of this back in 08, as the notes sounded yummy, and I was just getting into bpal. It turned out far to sharp, woody and over aggressive, the rose was shrill, and it borderline masculine. This sniffy is rather lovely, though I'm not really a rose girl, just pleasantly surprised. That being said, I'm not getting much in the way of woods or copal in this version, just a soft, sweet rose. Maybe later the other notes will come out. I don't like it enough for a bottle, but I'm glad I got the chance to try it, as it does show what how different vintages are, and what age can do.

It seems funny that I'm just getting to some of last years 'weenies, and they're just about ready to come out again. October 2011 is a smoky, leafy blend with an odd touch of vinegar. I'm not really big on most leaf blends, and the sour edge is really weird. Not for me.

Wild strawberries, strawberry flower, strawberry blossom honey, vanilla-infused sugar, early summer grasses, and milky dandelion sap. Just gorgeous at first, like homemade strawberry syrup with a touch of greenery and honey. Twenty minutes in, I don't know what happened, but the beautiful strawberry is still there, but there's a musty coconut husk smell. This totally ruins the blend for me, damn it.

I should know by now that white chocolate is a death note for me, but I keep trying in hopes I'll prove myself wrong. I'm getting delicious sweet, fresh floral, but it is being marred by fake WHITE CHOCOLATE. Maybe it smells great on others, but on me, the lab's white chocolate note is funk.

Dark, but a bit 'dirty' and slightly florally with the violet. It's kind of odd, and reminds me of Saturnalia, another dark violet blend. Though it's dark, it fades fast and is pretty much gone after half an hour.

YUM! I'm getting tart strawberries, somewhat candy-like, but I don't mind, because the tartness is tempering the sweet candy. I'm getting on a strawberry kick lately, and I have some favorites, (Loligoth, Kitty, and Velvet Pink Kitty). I also love the bath oil, which I'm almost out of. I'll certainly add this to my other fave strawberry decants, and get great use out of them in warmer months. I do wish I got some orange blossom out of this, but maybe that's the tartness I'm getting...

Wet, a strong tobacco with sweet vanilla and a touch of sandalwood at first. It is a tad too masculine at first. Dries to a smoky vanilla, more feminine version of Antikythera Mechanism, though it reminds me somewhat of Lyoness and Atlas too. I like this, but I think it's one of those blends that needs a year or two to blend and mature, and then it will be FANTASTIC. It's also better suited for Fall/Winter, too.

Lot's of fruit at first, smells kind of like Juicy Fruit, actually. Dry, still kind of fruity, a bit spicy and with a hint of chocolate, though I probably wouldn't have know it was there if I didn't peek at the description. This complements the bath oil well, though I do like that one better. I just don't like chocolate and fruit combinations. I'm guessing it's probably the dragon's blood that is giving the fruit vibe. At any rate, this one is not for me.

Dude blend! At first, kind of cologney, but I don't mind that for a dude blend. Dry, the leather comes out, it kind of smells like suede to me, and woods. Kind of sucks that I get a bleach kind of vibe off and on, but otherwise, this is a great masculine blend, and I'd love to smell it on a guy.

Samhain 2011 smells like dried leaves, spices and a touch of ripe, red apple. It's nice, but inappropriate for this time of year, when I want to smell cool and fresh. eta: Samhain 2012. Very much the same, dried leaves, spices, though the apple is a bit more muted in this incarnation I think. Samhain is really growing on me, and I may try to track down a decant. I'd love to try the candle, but I don't want to pay the shipping.

Lotsa nuts and honey here! It's making me rather hungry, in fact. There's a bit of a 'bite' here, which I'm thinking is the berries, it kind of adds a tang to the nuts and honey. Though I'd love to eat something like this, I don't wear these kind of blends, they're just too foody.

This is the '11 version. This smells nothing like the Devil's Night 08 that I previously owned. This is a blast of dried vetiver-like leaves, kind of sour and unpleasant. I never would have known they were the same oil. My 08 was creamy amber musk with a dash of spice, it smelled quite similar to Storyville to me, actually. This version is pretty nauseating.

Herbal, creamy milk chocolate at first. Still creamy after a bit, slightly herbal, milky chocolate. This is a really weird '13' on me, probably my least fave of all that I've tried. The herbs have a spaghetti sauce vibe. Not for me, but nice to try!

Lot's of woody, harsh patchouli. As it dries, it becomes more warm patch. Not really my thing at all, it kind of reminds me of Occupy Wall Street, actually.

Wow, this one is faint on me from start to finish. I'm just getting a very light incense at first, and so I slathered. Still pretty light, and I'm not getting any absinthe. Dry, still a faint incense, though it does remind me of the other laces, especially Black Lace, though it is definitely 'Black Lace Lite'. There may be a faint whiff of absinthe now, though if I didn't know it was there, I wouldn't have been able to detect it. I do like this, I find Black Lace too overwhelming at times, but have unable to part with my bottle. I find this more of a 'day wear' kind of blend, where BL is midnight to dawn. I'll certainly use up my decants, but I don't think I need more.

I'm getting wine at first, though not a heavy red, very light, almost a white wine vibe. Dry, the rose comes out, and it's quite sweet, but melds very nicely with the wine. Some resins show up, and it all balances very nicely with the wine/rose combo. Though I'm not a big rose fan, this is extremely well blended, and a different take on roses. A bit like Rose Cross, though that one is more incensey. I like this, and may use it from time to time when I'm in need of a rose fix.

Sweet and spicy, kind of smells a bit like Dragon's Blood, turns a bit powdery. I like this, it's very sultry, but not in a blatant kind of way.

Quite lovely at first, fresh bright floral. Dry, this is stickly bubblegum territory, overly sweet, fruity floral. Not really my thing. I don't detect any amber here.

Strong, juicy pom at first. I love pom, but it doesn't love me, and eventually turns to a dusty pom. I get no other notes here.

I'm not a big fan of Dragon's Blood, but enjoy it in some DBR blends, especially with musks and resin's, so here goes! At first, quite a bit of DB, but then turns into a spicy, woody blend with a touch of Dragon's Blood. I really like this, it is very comforting and warm. I may try to track down more than the decant I have. I think this would be better suited for cooler weather, though.

This kind of ends up like a resiny, incensey ginger chocolate. Not unlike some of the '13's out there. One of the spices is bothersome, it's kind of herbal/foody, but in a main dish, not baked goods kind of way. Not really a fan of this one.

Lots of autumn spice at first. Turns to a warm and creamy slightly pumpkin blend. I'm definitely getting the leather in the background as well. I don't wear foody scents like this, but when I do, I do get compliments from foody lovers I guess. I basically smell like a piece of pumpkin pie in a tack shop.

Very much like the released version, though this one seems like it is made with a different chocolate, milk chocolate, whereas the released version is rich cocoa. They are both amazing, though slightly different, fraternal twins perhaps. I think this one is more chocolately somehow, the other version more rich and resiny, but with the BEST cocoa you can buy. I'll treasure both.

Wet, this smells kind of fruity, oddly enough, as no fruits are listed. Dry, salty leathery musk with a hint of sarsaparilla. This is 'OK', but not sure I'd wear it. Though I'd consider it gender neutral, it leans towards the masculine side on me. Definitely a dark female pirate kind of scent!