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Showing results for tags 'Halloween 2013'.
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GHOSTS IN LOVE "Tell me, where do ghosts in love Find their bridal veils?" "If you and I were ghosts in love We'd climb the cliffs of Mystery, Above the sea of Wails. I'd trim your gray and streaming hair With veils of Fantasy From the tree of Memory. 'Tis there the ghosts that fall in love Find their bridal veils." - Vachel Lindsay White sandalwood, tobacco flower, lily of the valley, white carnation, and magnolia blossom with tea rose, labdanum, and oudh. First impressions were that it was a very light and mildly soapy. While it was wet on the skin, it kept that soapy quality, but as it dries, seemed to be less flowery-soap and more damp florals with a touch of sweetness. It reminds me very much of Niflheim, but I'm not sure if is that similar smelling or that the two just evoke the same feel for me. I'll have to do sniff tests with my bottle of Niflheim when I get home. I don't really notice the sandalwood in the blend, which is good for me since I'm not a big fan of the note and it kind of had me on the fence as far as ordering a bottle of this or not. The rose also doesn't seem to stand out, which is nice as I tend to amp rose so much it drowns out some other notes - though since this is white rose, it is probably not as bad. This scent stays very close to the skin and is very, very light. Because of this, this scent doesn't feel like it has a lot of staying power. I can smell it now a few hours after application if I put my wrist right up against my nose, but I don't still smell it like I would with a stronger blend - though admittedly this could be because I tend to apply scents I'm testing quite sparingly. Overall, I really like and light, damp floral scent it has - the only drawback for me is that it just doesn't seem to last as long. If you missed out on Niflheim before it was dced, this would be a good one to get if you don't mind a bit of a soapy phase as it dries.
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Sin in the Pumpkin Patch There's all manner of shenanigans in this year's pumpkin patch! Pumpkin'ized hybrids of GC BPAL scents abound! This is like a pumpkin doing burlesque. The warm, creamy, comforting pumpkin appears all wholesome until it gets entangled with the blatant sensuality of Sin. Even though I tend to amp cinnamon, it behaves rather well here. The pumpkin note is lightly spiced, and I also think that the pumpkin just being present balances out the cinnamon of Sin so it smells more subtle than that of the original does on me. It warms the blend as a whole, but doesn't stomp all over it. At least on my skin, the most prominent note in Sin that dances with the pumpkin--and probably what makes this such a sexy pumpkin--is the black patchouli. Supported by the amber and sandalwood, which give it additional depth (read: even sexier) it crosses pumpkin over into territory I never thought pumpkin would go to. It's like putting that jack-o-lantern-next-door in black lace stockings that take her from pumpkin shell to bombshell.
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The fear of Halloween. Menacing Haitian vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves. In the Bottle: Ah, my beloved vetiver! And some subtle muskiness lurking beneath. On my wrist, wet: This is lovely. Warm and woody with a little bit of spiciness. The vetiver takes a back seat and lets the other notes come out to play. After 20 minutes: This is a warm, dark green scent That starts out rather strong and fades quickly to something soft and subtle. The individual notes are all present, but they reveal themselves gently. On my skin, nothing in this blend amps or battles with other notes. It's absolutely gorgeous and I will get another bottle with my next order.
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Snake Oil in the Pumpkin Patch There's all manner of shenanigans in this year's pumpkin patch! Pumpkin'ized hybrids of GC BPAL scents abound! OOH fun to be first!! Wet in bottle: Mmm...there is that lovely hint of Snake Oil...and some buttery pumpkin! On Skin: First sniff, very snake oil, but then that lovely pumpkin is peeking out around the corner! This is EXACTLY what I was hoping this would smell like!! Drydown: This is AHHHmazing....anyone worried about it being a vegetable-y pumpkin, it is NOT! Very yummy....it is a great mix of Snake Oil and walking through a pumpkin patch. I detect a VERY faint hint of something "hay-like" but no worries for those of you who love SO and pumpkin!!! Get this....get it NOW!!! There is a wonderful sweetness to this as well....foody lovers will love this! Back up bottle worthy! ETA: Half an hour later.... I can't stop sniffing my wrist! Smells so good....great throw as well!!
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THEME IN YELLOW I spot the hills With yellow balls in autumn. I light the prairie cornfields Orange and tawny gold clusters And I am called pumpkins. On the last of October When dusk is fallen Children join hands And circle round me Singing ghost songs And love to the harvest moon; I am a jack-o'-lantern With terrible teeth And the children know I am fooling. - Carl Sandburg Ghost songs and love to the harvest moon: fresh pumpkins warmed by candlelight and aglow with Halloween joy. Pumpkin and beeswax. For me, a confessed pumpkinphile, this was a no-brainer. Before I start-- no raw pumpkin guts! It's a creamy, delicious baked pumpkin note with just a hint of spice, less than I find to be in Jack or Pumpkin Latte. Wet, it's all that lightly spiced pumpkin, which is delicious enough on its own, yes. But then the magic happens. The beeswax flickers to life and the more it dries down, the more it "glows" in an olfactory sense. The beeswax note most definitely brings to mind beeswax candles with that honeyed undertone, though not actual foody honey. When I was a kid I would just sit there and huff beeswax candles for that reason but that's besides the point. The way that it mingles with the pumpkin into yellow-orange bliss makes it a comfort scent like no other. Mind my synaesthesia but it truly is a scent on the orange side of yellow, warm and welcoming like the candlelit smile of a jack-o-lantern on a crisp October night. Like those candles way back when, I just keep huffing.
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PLACOPHOBIA Fear of tombstones. Jagged claws of crumbling stone thrusting through tear-soaked moss. In bottle: Mmm… Exactly what it says in the description. The moss is strongest lying on a bed of moist earth, but the stone pokes through, with the faintest kiss of salty aquatics. Wet: Way more subtle on the skin. The stone accord now sings, surprisingly dominant. The rich moss and loam support the stone giving its place in the spotlight. I'd swear there were granite and sandstone both here. The salty kiss is the faintest of accent, but lovely with the moss. This is unusual. It is hard to get stone accord to sing and dance like this even for a short time, even with such a lovely setting for it. Dry: Moss dominant with a hint of stone and dirt.
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ALL SOULS A day of remembrance and intercession. Without the prayers and sacrifices of their families and loved ones, the faithful departed may not be cleansed of their venal sins, and thereby cannot attain beatific vision. On November 2nd, prayers are sung and offerings are made to aid lost souls in transcending purgatory. An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes. When I first put this on, I could mainly smell soft incense. I thought that it was my imagination until I re-read the description. I can smell buttery cake notes in the background, but mostly I smell soft incense and what I think is the currant note, rather sharp coming out from behind the incense. My skin will tend to amp the sweet, but maybe others will smell more of the foody notes. I think that this is a lovely combination of foody and incensy, which for me is the best of both worlds
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In Bolivia, many people hold to the tradition of keeping the skulls of their ancestors with them in their homes, caring for their remains. It is believed that each person has seven souls, and one of those souls stays with the skull after death, enabling a spirit to grant protection and prophetic dreams to their descendants, and to bless their families with good health and prosperity. The Bolivian Fiesta de las Natitas, or Dia de los Natitas, is a day of honor for these ancestors. Their skulls are dressed with fragrant blossoms, and offerings of cocoa leaves, alcohol, and cigarettes are made. White sandalwood, beeswax, and frankincense crowned by hydrangea, rose, and kantuta blossoms, dressed with tobacco, cocoa leaves and flowers from the sacred Cactus of the Four Winds. This is Roses, covered by sweet roses, with a side of roses and then roses for dessert. I really can't smell anything else wet. On this is one of the rare rose bpals that doesn't turn to burnt rubber on my skin - Score! As it dries I can see the hydrangea peaking and doing a slow dance with the roses, just a lovely heady floral
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OOKY 2013's Ridiculous Halloweenie! Less spooky than Spooky, and nowhere near as creepy as Creepy, this is the scent of lightly spiced pumpkin candies, decorated with thick marzipan, sweetened with buttercream, an decorated with a touch of lemon zest. Yaaay.....the fun and pressure to be the first, here goes: Wet in bottle: Very sweet and almond-y! Kind of reminds me of the almond oil you bake with! On Skin: Turns to a more marzipan scent...like a boozy type marzipan, but not cloying. Drydown: As it warms up, I get a lovely hint of some spice. Almost like a very faint red-hot cinnamon but then the marzipan mingles in. This is a perfect Fall scent. I don't get lemon zest, but maybe that is the "spice-y" I am getting. Warm, spicy, and sweet! ETS: Tested again a couple days later...should have known better, the marzipan/booziness went plastic-y on me!! Not good!
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DARK PUMPKIN MEAD Thick, heady pumpkin mead sweetened with clover honey and a hint of maple. Ah, mead. Only my favorite thing in the world to imbibe. What's this, you say? Pumpkin mead? Forget the "I die", I'm already dead. I haven't ever been able to find a ready-made pumpkin mead (of the drinkable persuasion), but this one (of the smellable persuasion) bottles up everything I hope the real thing will someday be. f the characters in A Song of Ice and Fire were as crazy for pumpkin as I am, this would be in all their drinking horns. Let me clarify that this actually isn't a boozy scent. It has that characteristic honeyed sweetness of mead which is tempered by a golden, almost bready undertone that the honey gets from fermenting. Compared to a sniff of the actual (drinkable) bottle of mead in my liquor cabinet, this is by far a darker, richer scent. I'm sure the pumpkin contributes to this quality but it also seems like the honeys used here are generally darker. I also think the maple contributes to the "dark" aspect; while the pumpkin and honey mead are definitely the prominent notes here, the undercurrent of maple deepens it further. The maple note here is more like that amazing Grade B maple syrup you can never find in your average supermarket, not as sweet but a more robust dark amber. Long story short I want to roll in this for all eternity.
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JOHN BARLEYCORN There was three men come out o' the west their fortunes for to try, And these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn must die, They plowed, they sowed, they harrowed him in, throwed clods upon his head, And these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn was dead. Barley, beer, blood, and whiskey. In the bottle, beer. I like the sheaf of grain on the bottle as well. Wet on me, beer, barley, the whiff of whiskey, and just a slight tang of salt that might be the blood. Drying, the scent settles into mostly barley and beer.I do get a whiff of the whiskey every once in a while though. The whiskey is more apparent in the throw, and the barley is most apparent on the skin. It's a simple scent, and basic. Also very very tasty. I'm a sucker for the scent of beer, grains and breads. I like this scent, and I only have two complaints. One is that it could be stronger. I suppose this might be a good thing if you didn't want to smell too strongly of alchohol. The second is that it doesn't last nearly long enough. But, long enough would be all day long for me. I suppose I'll just have to slather and reapply.
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There's all manner of shenanigans in this year's pumpkin patch! Pumpkin'ized hybrids of GC BPAL scents abound! As if Samhain couldn't get any better, along comes this. I die. Samhain already has a pumpkin note, but this is Samhain meets the Great Pumpkin meets ultimate autumnal-scent bliss. Like the other 'Patch blends, the pumpkin note is warm, creamy and lightly spiced enough so it adds some warmth but doesn't amp to the high heavens on my notoriously spice-amping skin. Because the original does have spices of its own, this one is slightly spicier than the other pumpkins but not insanely so. Samhain's patchouli, apple and woods are still very much pleasant, just subtler. If the original Samhain is Halloween after nightfall, I'd say this is Halloween during the day. Maybe it's the golden quality of the pumpkin, or maybe the additional sweetness added by it (though it doesn't get anywhere near cloying). Kind of like Samhain with a slice of pumpkin pie on the side. I love them both to death.
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GOBLIN MARKET Apples and quinces, Lemons and oranges, Plump unpecked cherries, Melons and raspberries, Bloom-down-cheeked peaches... Like honey to the throat, but poison in the blood. Let me just say that I'm so relieved I don't get any melon out of this because it generally doesn't love my skin, but it's all ripe fall fruits uninterrupted by any melon shenanigans. Now that that's out of the way I can let the goblins seduce me with their tempting fruits. There's the juicy sweetness of the peach and apple, checked by the red tartness of the cherry and raspberry. I can definitely distinguish the quince note; I've eaten them baked many times and it smells like exactly that. It's kind of like a less sweet apple with something of a starchy, almost bread-like undertone. I also like how the quince adds something warm and hearty to the blend and balances the sweeter fruit notes. There is a hint of citrus from the lemon and orange, and they're both sweet-tart juice notes rather than the more bitter rind notes. The presence of citrus here doesn't make this a summery scent at all but has more of the effect that the orange in Fearful Pleasure has, even though they're very different scents. I'm thinking there might even be a kiss of golden honey here though I can't be completely sure with all the fruit action going on. I adore Christina Rossetti's poem so much, and this is like the lines above were brought to life and bottled.
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Moroccan Pumpkin Patch There's all manner of shenanigans in this year's pumpkin patch! Pumpkin'ized hybrids of GC BPAL scents abound! Pumpkin makes an amazing pairing with Morocco. These two were just meant to be. Both are warm scents that amount to double deliciousness when they come together. No doubt that the incensey notes of Morocco make this something of an exotic pumpkin, not the burlesque pumpkin of Sin in the Pumpkin Patch but more of a belly-dancing pumpkin with a sheer red veil (from the red sandalwood of course). The light spice of Morocco, including that from the carnation, also blends perfectly with the pumpkin note, since pumpkin and spice are just a natural pairing to begin with. The spice is present enough to contribute warmth and sensuality but not dominant enough to amp to infinity. I love how the warm musk in Morocco adds something to the pumpkin that's hard to put my finger on but makes it even more warm and inviting. Belly-dancing jack-o-lantern indeed.
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FLOR DE MUERTO The orange marigold, or zempasúchitl, has been one of Death's symbols since the pre-Columbian era. The yellow and orange petals are believed to represent the rays of the sun, bringing joy and light to the souls dwelling in the realm of the dead. These flowers surround Day of the Dead altars to guide the spirits to their offerings. out of the bottle this smells quite incredible - a very singular floral note, sweet and nectar-ish, golden in tone - it has a pure, light feeling to it. on my skin, i'm feeling this even more - it has a bit of spice, in the way that carnations have their own spiciness, but it's not like carnation - it really does have a sunny, uplifting quality to it, and very natural. wow. i can really smell the petals....and it's slightly dusky, but light somehow, while still having depth....this one really pulls you into it's flowery zone, it smells so realistic. LOVE THIS! it could work on a little girl or a mature woman.
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Known as the Mistress of Bones and the Lady of the Dead, she is the Queen of Mictlan, the Aztec Underworld, who still presides over today's Day of the Dead rituals. Sometimes known now as La Huesuda, she brings peace and joy to the spirits of the deceased, and blesses the living who do honor to those who have passed before them. Copal, precious woods, South American spices, agave nectar, cigar tobacco, and roses. I've never done a first review before... I'm a little scared! What you shouldn't be scared of, if you dislike roses, is the rose in Mictecacihuatl. It's no more than a floral whisper beneath the resins, woods, and spices. I actually wish it were a little more floral (but then, I love me some roses). Mictecacihuatl is a lovely blend of copal (yum!) and wood (I'm not sure what kind, but I'd say NOT cedar, since that turns to hamster cage on me). The spices add a bit of kick, but they're not the sort of "dirty" spices that are in many BPAL blends, they're much lighter and cleaner. I worried that, with the nectar, tobacco, and rose, this might be too sweet, but it's really not. The sweetness just serves to make the other elements less dry. I really like this one, but I might layer it over something with a stronger rose to bring out that note. If you like woods and resins give this one a try!
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LE REVENANT Comme les anges à l'oeil fauve, Je reviendrai dans ton alcôve Et vers toi glisserai sans bruit Avec les ombres de la nuit; Et je te donnerai, ma brune, Des baisers froids comme la lune Et des caresses de serpent Autour d'une fosse rampant. Quand viendra le matin livide, Tu trouveras ma place vide, Où jusqu'au soir il fera froid. Comme d'autres par la tendresse, Sur ta vie et sur ta jeunesse, Moi, je veux régner par l'effroi. - - - Like angels with wild beast's eyes I shall return to your bedroom And silently glide toward you With the shadows of the night; And, dark beauty, I shall give you Kisses cold as the moon And the caresses of a snake That crawls around a grave. When the livid morning comes, You'll find my place empty, And it will be cold there till night. I wish to hold sway over Your life and youth by fear, As others do by tenderness. -- Charles Baudelaire, translation by William Aggeler. A shroud of gardenia, narcissus, and sandalwood with ambrette seed, white cognac, muguet, davana, and white musk. On me, this is almost all white musk, all the time with a touch of high white florals. I was hoping for that rich cognac smell, but I don't get any of that.
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HAUNTED HOUSES All houses wherein men have lived and died Are haunted houses. Through the open doors The harmless phantoms on their errands glide, With feet that make no sound upon the floors. We meet them at the door-way, on the stair, Along the passages they come and go, Impalpable impressions on the air, A sense of something moving to and fro. There are more guests at table than the hosts Invited; the illuminated hall Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts, As silent as the pictures on the wall. The stranger at my fireside cannot see The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear; He but perceives what is; while unto me All that has been is visible and clear. We have no title-deeds to house or lands; Owners and occupants of earlier dates From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands, And hold in mortmain still their old estates. The spirit-world around this world of sense Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense A vital breath of more ethereal air. Our little lives are kept in equipoise By opposite attractions and desires; The struggle of the instinct that enjoys, And the more noble instinct that aspires. These perturbations, this perpetual jar Of earthly wants and aspirations high, Come from the influence of an unseen star An undiscovered planet in our sky. And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud Throws o'er the sea a floating bridge of light, Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd Into the realm of mystery and night,- So from the world of spirits there descends A bridge of light, connecting it with this, O'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends, Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Quiet, ineffective ghosts haunting the realm of mystery and night, stretching dusty hands back to homes and lifetimes unforgotten: pale gossamer musks swirling in thick, dense otherworldly vapours through cracks in dry wood and old, old stones. I've always wanted a haunted house scent that could work as a perfume on me. There have been so many I tried in the past that would have been great as atmos, but just didn't like my skin for one reason or the other. I think I finally found the big exception in Haunted Houses. It's a scent that evokes the feeling of a ghostly, abandoned house without actually smelling musty or moldy but more ethereal and even feminine, in an unexpected way. In the beginning I got the wood first and I was gritting my teeth hoping this wouldn't die an untimely cedar death on my skin, but it ended up doing a complete turnaround to show off the pale musks instead. They have a lovely cool, crystalline feeling that evokes things like fleeting ghostlike visions and dust swirling in late-afternoon light. There still is subtle wood in the background, and a bit of a cool stone note; they round out the scent more than anything else, adding to the feeling of a house from a forgotten era. Come to think of it, this really reminds me of the actual haunted house in NYC that I went to visit a few years back. I can almost feel the invisible presence of a ghost.
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A WORLD WHERE THERE ARE OCTOBERS October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths. Anne reveled in the world of color about her. "Oh, Marilla," she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs" 'I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? Look at these maple branches. Don't they give you a thrill--several thrills? I'm going to decorate my room with them." An armload of maple boughs and a swirl of autumn leaves. October has a sister! Almost anything with dry leaves has my heart and this is no exception. The leaf notes definitely remind me of October, but I feel that while that one is evocative of late October when there are cold winds and crunchy leaves everywhere, this one is more evocative of early October when all the leaves are ablaze. The maple wood note is actually very close to oak, perhaps just a tad sweeter. The sweet undertones come out more as this dries down, and it seems like there is a hint of sap here too, though somewhat lighter than the sap note in October. It's not maple syrup or the least bit foody but there is a very, very slight undertone that hints at it being related to maple syrup if that makes any sense at all whatsoever. Like something that says this is the raw state of what eventually ends up as maple syrup. Maybe that makes a bit more sense. Keep in mind I could potentially be high from all the Weenies I've already assaulted my nostrils with. But I love how this one brings out a distinct "redness"--there goes my synaesthesia again--in the leaf note. It just so clearly illustrates brilliant red leaves, along with memories of apple picking in upstate New York, in my mind.
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Lyric night of the lingering Indian Summer, Shadowy fields that are scentless but full of singing, Never a bird, but the passionless chant of insects, Ceaseless, insistent. The grasshopper's horn, and far-off, high in the maples, The wheel of a locust leisurely grinding the silence Under a moon waning and worn, broken, Tired with summer. Let me remember you, voices of little insects, Weeds in the moonlight, fields that are tangled with asters, Let me remember, soon will the winter be on us, Snow-hushed and heavy. Over my soul murmur your mute benediction, While I gaze, O fields that rest after harvest, As those who part look long in the eyes they lean to, Lest they forget them. - Sara Teasdale A myrrh-darkened amber chypre sweetened by newly-ripened black pomegranate. The first sniff of this transported me straight outside to the depths of an autumn night. Granted the air outside doesn't smell exactly like resins and pomegranate, but what I really mean is that it evokes that feeling of a September (or October or November) midnight. This is a seriously dark pomegranate note, not nearly as bright as that in Persephone or The Fruit of Paradise. I love how this pomegranate is almost dark enough to be akin to blackcurrant, but still retains that characteristic "red" quality. This is the last pomegranate of the season, whose juice is as bloodred as the edges of an autumn sunset. The resins work to add depth on the drydown, which I can best compare to that same autumn sunset purpling and darkening before it succumbs to completely to nightfall. While the pomegrante note is perfectly balanced between sweet and tart, I believe the myrrh adds just a hint more sweetness--I tend to amp a subtle vanillic sweetness in myrrh. I feel September Midnight is the counterpart to Autumn and Winter, a prequel for what's to come as the days grow shorter and the nights deeper.
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NOCTIPHOBIA Fear of nighttime. The vast, endless canopy of the night sky, dotted with cold, harsh pinpoints of light under a bulging white moon: If there ever was an "essence of night" captured in a bottle, this is it. I cannot begin to express in humble human-derived words how amazing this is. I don't normally spring for bottles of scents that don't have notes listed, but anything with that has the general idea of all-encompassing darkness is the big exception. This is so well-blended to capture that feeling of thick, dark night that it's difficult to pick out notes but I'll make some feeble attempt. There is no single note that dominates from the wet stage all the way through the drydown. I can detect lavender, but not the kind of gun-toting lavender that pierces your nostrils with no mercy. This is a soft, mysterious lavender that spins itself into a veil of what I'm assuming to be a dark musk. Definitely a subtle backdrop of dark woods here too, but while I can't tell exactly what they are (might be a bit of teak or sandalwood somewhere in here) I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that there's no cedar or cypress because my skin amps those to eleven. Possibly a hint of black amber or something close resin-wise anchoring it; there's a very slight smokiness on the drydown. There must be some night-blooming florals here too, not jasmine, but I feel it shares a few things with Midnight and I have no idea what a lot of the floral notes in that smell like on their own. Maybe evening stock, maybe nicotiana. Educated guess. In fact it is kind of like Midnight's older sister, kind of like Death is to Delirium in Sandman. In other words, if you like Night's Bridge, or my discontinued first love Midnight, run.
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PHASMOPHOBIA Fear of ghosts. Whispers in the darkness and cold breath upon your neck: calla lilies, white sandalwood, snow rose, white amber, and iced wine. If there was ever a beautiful way to interpret ectoplasm, this is it. I love white florals and the lily note alone makes it an absolute win. There is some rose in the background, but it's not a dry or dominant rose that shrieks its presence out to the world. Think more along the lines of velvety white petals mingling with the heady (but not cloying) calla lily. It's all floral in the wet stage, and then as it dries down something moderately sweet enters the mix--that must be the ice wine. As someone who has actually tasted ice wine I can say that it isn't nearly as strong a flavor (or smell) as red wine, and while sweet enough, it's not saccharine. Same goes for the wine note here. It balances the ethereal florals and allows them to maintain that ghostly quality while still adding something extra. If there was any phobia here it was the white sandalwood. Some types can go bone-dry on my skin but it turned out there was nothing to fear because it's very soft and subtle. Phasmophobia conjures images of spectres in flowing white dresses forever haunting an abandoned attic. I do believe any self-respecting phantom would approve.
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There's all manner of shenanigans in this year's pumpkin patch! Pumpkin'ized hybrids of GC BPAL scents abound! This one makes me think of a pumpkin centerpiece at Alice's tea party. It's surrounded by flowers, and alongside a pitcher of milk and a jar of honey. The creamy milk and golden honey are a natural match for the warm, sweet pumpkin, and the milk note works to make the already smooth pumpkin even creamier. There's just a hint of spice that warms up the scent as a whole but doesn't amp even on my notoriously spice-amping skin. As is its nature, the carnation adds a tiny bit of spice as well, but it's very subtle. The interplay of the foody and floral elements here is actually very pleasant. The florals of Alice, as in the original scent, are not overbearing here either (even the rose I swear). They add a feminine element to the whole thing, and I swear that "feminine" and "pumpkin actually can belong in the same sentence. Somewhere in the background there is just a bit of bergamot tea. This is more of a daytime pumpkin, the pumpkin you wear when you're going to meet the parents, perfectly nice and sweet with nothing scandalous about it. I can almost see it wearing Alice's bow and pinafore.
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The Cave of Cruachan in Connaught, a province that was given to the Formorians after the Battle of Mag Tuired. On the first of November, a flock of malevolent copper-colored birds bursts forth from the mouth of the cave, ushering a host of restless ghosts and wicked goblins that torment the living by blighting crops, killing livestock, stealing away brides-to-be, and replacing infants with changelings. Smoldering brimstone, bitter labdanum, clove, black musk, and copper-colored feathers. This is fantastic! in the bottle: very dark and smoky, there's a tang of something almost citrus wet: smoky clove and the black musk is just barely there dry: mmm. the bitter labdanum is definitely making it's presence known, and it's keeping the clove from being too overpowering. it is very, very dark. the black musk is subtle. there's a note that smells almost like dirt, but not quite. I don't know what copper-colored feathers are supposed to smell like, but whatever it is isn't very strong. It's got a lot of throw and isn't fading. There's something about the clove note BPAL uses that my skin chemistry just adores. This is a hoard-worthy winner!
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ACHLUOPHOBIA Fear of darkness. Oppressive, stifling, suffocating, blinding: black patchouli, tobacco absolute, opoponax, and inky black musk. Menacing, in the best possible way. Let me explain. This is a scent that conveys the feeling, the very idea of thick, impenetrable darkness through the sum of its parts. You have to give this a chance to dry down a little before you can really experience its true beauty. Wet the first thing I get is patchouli but it's so much more than that. Patchouli just has that tendency to dominate the wet stage of things. It slowly starts to reveal its true nature on the drydown, like the many layers of darkness that make themselves known as the night grows deeper. The oppoponax has an almost syrupy quality to it, and by syrupy I mean dense and rich rather than saccharine--think sticky resin rather than sugar syrup. My skin does tend to bring out the sweetness in oppoponax but nowhere near cloying capacity. The tobacco gives it a pleasant (and very fitting) smokiness, and the dark musk wraps it in a sheer black veil of sensuality. Once you have one sniff of this you will get completely lost in it--and you might not want to be find.
