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Showing results for tags 'Yule 2011'.
Found 49 results
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Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when–the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire. Indian ambrette seed, beeswax, champaca flower, saffron, Italian bergamot, frankincense, oak bark, and vanilla orchid. Wow, first one! On me this is mainly frankincense and beeswax. It has a very peaceful, churchlike aroma. Beeswax candles and church incense. I wore it straight out of the box, however, and I wonder if more of the components might come out to play once it has had a bit of time to rest. This is my favorite so far of the Yules I chose. It is simple and sweet and warm. It seems very true to the inspiration.
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EGG NOG Sweet brandy, dark rum, heavy cream, sugar, and a dash of nutmeg. Oh, Mama. This one is DEAD ON ACCURATE. I am madly obsessed with Egg Nog. For me, the Holidays wouldn't be the same without it. And a good batch of Egg Nog has a scent to it that is equally as appealing as the taste. And BPAL's limited edition masterpiece has that scent... the smell of the perfect batch of Egg nog, served up in an antique crystal and gold trimmed goblet. Brimming over with spice, rum, sugary goodness, and oh, oh, oh... that BRANDY. It really leaps out at me and my happy little nose! That's my 'First Whiff' experience. Now *on* gets even better... After some dry down time, the rum is really prominent. But it's accented by the nutmeg and the brandy. It's so sweet and subtle. Warm. Inviting. Almost... alluring. I can't believe I'm wearing an "Egg Nog" scented oil! It's downright delightful and so far, it's really holding. The spice of this scent gets better and better with my body warmth, too. About 30 minutes later: It's still going fairly strong. Much of the other notes had faded off, but that rum is still there. Sweet, sweet rum. I couldn't resist... I HAD to do a re-app, just so I could sniff the contents of the bottle again. I decanted some straight to an imp, and am applying from that so that I can really slather it on now. I hate Holiday shopping, and so I have decided this is going to be my "Holiday Shopping Blues Pick-Me-Up" scent. It does the trick! -Leslie
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So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation. The deepest mysteries of creation: wild frankincense, rose otto, hyssop, and oude. Preconceived notions: based on the notes listed (wild frankincense, rose otto, hyssop, and oude) I'm expecting something resembling Rose Cross/ All Saints/Ecclesiastical excesses. A church scent, something sacred, devotional. Sniffing the bottle: soft rosy hyssop. Wet on skin: resiny rosy hyssop. As it dries: the hyssop comes forward. This is starting to smell like the cake/incense from All Souls. Ironic. It doesn't smell foodie in the slightest though. It's more like a suggestion of cake, rather than a full on impression. Drydown: the frankincense is coming forward. The hyssop slumps back, very relaxed, into the frankincense armchair, with a cashmere throw made of Oude, whilst hugging a soft resiny Rose scatter cushion. The rose is not really obvious, you really have to slump back as if you were the hyssop, and then you'll detect the faintest whisper of a rose. For those who don't deal with rose too well, I wouldn't worry. Overall impression: this scent is SOFT, SUBTLE, DELICATE. It is absolutely lovely, and I'm sure it will age beautifully. In fact, it would benefit a lot from ageing. I would highly recommend this scent, it feels sheer on the skin, like a veil of gentle loveliness, or a soft, peachy beige angora sweater. It's not offensive in any way, and will not frighten your colleagues at work, if you work in an office like I do! It actually makes me feel quite beautiful, wearing this, like I feel when I have just washed my face in the morning and my skin is fresh and plump. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. It may deserve an extra star depending on how it develops with age. I'm not saying it's not perfect, but this isn't a wow blend that screams, it's a soft blend that whispers. I can only give 5 stars to blends that shout SEX, but I think that's more down to me, than down to the blend.
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Affectionately nicknamed 'The Devil's Bake Sale'. Wet I can't believe how foody but yummy this is. This is by no means too foody meaning it doesn't get sickening or cloying as some food-y type products do. You can actually smell that golden brown smell as when pastry or dough is baked and becomes golden because of the butter. That's exactly what this smells like. How in the world did Beth get that smell in a bottle? 10 minutes There's also a sweetish, vaguely fruity bakery smell mixed in with some cinnamon and nutmeg too. 20 minutes The cinnamon has come out more to the foreground . Damn, this is really good. I'm impressed. The buttery golden brown goodness is still there just more cinnamony. Still smells as good as it did when wet, this is a real pleasure. 5 2005 In the bottle Hmm. More creamed and sugared butter smell. On Wait a minute, I don't smell the golden brown buttery pastry of 2004. 30 minutes It's less cream and sugar and more cooked pastry crust. Throw: average Scent category: Foody Summary I like the sweet dough smell of this better than the cinnamony part of 2004 blend. The golden buttery crust part of 2004 is here in the 2005 blend also. Whew. Purchase again? Yes. 1-5 rating (5 being best) 4
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A lighthearted winter scent: chilly vanilla rose snowballs! Dainty, soft, and certainly unfit for flinging! Pink Snowballs started out Snow White, with a hint of vanilla, and stayed that way for a while. After about two hours, I smelled it and snow white had wandered away, leaving the vanilla left with a single rose and a hint of her perfume. Rather soft, and pretty.
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Vibrant yellow petals bursting exultantly through a patch of snow. Oof, first. I'll do my best. Label looks to be a crocus? My label is a little fuzzy, undoubtedly because of the printer issues mentioned by the Lab this year. Kind of minimalistic, but still pretty. In the bottle: Wow, so bright and pretty. Just slightly floral, and very, very.. yellow. I adore this in the bottle, I really do. Wet, on skin: Positively luminous, but there's an herbal undertone poking through here and the floral hint is lost quickly. Petals are replaced with an almost lemon-zest kind of smell.. not gross lemon, not Pine-Sol lemon, but freshly-cut lemon curls. Makes me think of lightning-bugs for some reason. Just a touch of some kind of pine or.. eucalyptus or something. Throw is pretty light on me.. I get wafts of scent, but I can't smell it constantly. Drydown: Very herbal and fresh, but mellowing out. Reminds me a little bit of Ricola cough drops, but not in a bad way. I've noticed that the Lab's lemon notes come out strong with me, so that might be a huge contributing factor here. After about an hour it becomes a bit more like a lemony, almost chamomile tea on my skin. Equally fresh/clean and relaxing without losing that brightness factor. Throw remains light and pleasant.. for the most part, this blend sticks close to the skin. Zero headache or sneezy feeling here. More like "I just showered!" than "cozy" and certainly not as floral as the description hints towards. (Edit: I just realized what this tea-ish smell is.. it smells quite a bit like my Earl Grey and Bergamot tea.) Verdict: It's not what I had hoped for, but I still like it. I'll probably offer it up for swaps in the end, but it's definitely not in the "wash it off" category for me. Maybe more of a scent for the end of winter and beginning of spring, as the crocus would suggest. If you're looking for something a little different out of the Yules, or if you really like fresh and clean scents, you might really love this one.
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After having made a few preparatory experiments, he concluded with a panegyric upon modern chemistry, the terms of which I shall never forget: “The ancient teachers of this science,” said he, “promised impossibilities and performed nothing. The modern masters promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted and that the elixir of life is a chimera but these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses of nature and show how she works in her hiding-places. They ascend into the heavens; they have discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows. Mocking the invisible world with its own shadows: olibanum and murky ambergris accord with verbena, white sandalwood, and wisteria. In the bottle I can't tell at all what this smells like. Maybe a touch of verbena coming out? First on it is definitely verbena and white sandalwood. Again, at this stage it seems almost like I have some sort of scent blind spot where I'm smelling this but it's not quite registering. Very odd! Maybe it's the ambergris and I just don't have a reference point for it. The dry down is almost all olibanum on me. Incense, but not headshop, this is sophisticated and magical. It smells like a meditation center I went to once as a kid. It's also very muted and stays close to the body, so I may need to slather this one. The scent is very grounding I think. I was hoping for more wisteria, but I'm not getting much, so wisteria haters need not fear!
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The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. Red Rose. Limited edition. My favorite rose so far. This is the first rose scent I haven't melted off within an hour. (I was amazed the first time I wore it. Eight hours, and no need to reapply!) In the bottle, it smells like a rose from the florist - that cold hothouse smell. On, it warms up slightly, but not too much - it's got a slight bite, which is a nice change from most roses that fade to a powdery softness. I'll be very sad when I finish this one.
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CHANUKKIYAH Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, Asher kid'shanu b'mitzvosav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Chanukah. Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, She'asah nisim la'avoseinu, bayamim ha'hem baz'man hazeh. Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, She'hecheyanu, vekiyemanu vehigi'anu laz'man hazeh. Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig. Ha'Neiros halalu anachnu madlikin al hanisim ve'al hanifla'os, ve'al hat'shu'os ve'al hamilchamos, sh'asisa la'avoseinu bayamim hahem baz'man hazeh, al yedei kohaneicha hakedoshim. Vechol sh'monas yemei Chanukah, haneiros halalu kodesh hem. Ve'ein lanu reshus le'hishtamesh ba'hem, eh'la lir'osam bilvad, ke'dei le'hodos u'lehalel leshimcha hagadol al nisecha ve'al nifle'osecha ve'al yeshu'oshecha. Ma'oz tzur yeshu'asi Lecha na'eh leshabe'ach Tikone bais tefilasi Ve'sham todah nezabe'ach Le'es Tachin Mabe'ach Mitzar ham'nabe'ach Az egmor beshir mizmor Chanukas hamizbe'ach. In bottle/imp: Brown sugar and amber, with a sweet bakery/foody note thrown in. There’s a little spice as well. Immediately on skin: This is such a warm, yummy scent. I smell brown sugar and something buttery and foody, but not overly so. It might be the olive oil, but it’s subtle and blends well. The beeswax is in here, but it interacts nicely with the other notes. The amber is tame, and very warm. The fig is adding a nice, soft earthy fruit scent and almost a warm spiciness, but I can’t seem to smell the pomegranate at all. After a few minutes: Even though I seem to have listed all the individual notes above, I have to stress that this scent is very well blended. This has become a little sharper, with the pomegranate peeking in to add a sharp but light fruit note. The sufganiyot (donut, I believe) is definitely present in this blend; I can smell some sort of baked, warm cake and it’s certainly yummy. The beeswax adds something to the blend that tames the foodiness quite nicely. There’s almost a nutty feel to it which is probably from the olive oil blending with the beeswax. This blend has gotten extremely sweet though, with an almost maple syrup quality coming from the sugary notes. (added a couple hours after wearing) A while later, there's also a smokiness that smells just like a burning beeswax candle mixed in with the other notes. It's amazing! Overall Impressions: If you love warm, sweet blends, then this one is for you; it’s not just straight-up foody in my opinion, but the sweet notes come out very strongly. The beeswax is a nice addition, and it’s evident in the blend amongst the other notes. This scent is on the verge of becoming almost maple-syrupy on me, so if you tend to have a problem with that, you may find it happening here. Everything is beautifully blended, however, and creates a beautiful scent. Overall, it’s a nice warm, comforting, sweet scent that is just wonderful and perfect for the name Chanukkiyah!
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Wine grapes, pomegranate, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes. In the bottle: There's a hint of all the notes, as though they had been mixed into a white wine (non-alcoholic) from those grapes (green, I suspect). Wet: Now the pomegranate comes bursting through, with the gentle olive leaf in its train. The cake note is rounding this out, so it's not too fruity. The dry-down: The myrrh and frankincense are present, but only in a mild fashion, and the grapes are combining with the pome for a lovely light fruit note. If you don't want to smell like winter holiday sweet heavy food and drink or snowy woods or the Christmas tree, but still want a lovely light scent for the winter holiday season, this may be a scent to try. ETA: It's a rather elegant scent.
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Everyone loved Elizabeth. The passionate and almost reverential attachment with which all regarded her became, while I shared it, my pride and my delight. On the evening previous to her being brought to my home, my mother had said playfully, “I have a pretty present for my Victor–tomorrow he shall have it.” And when, on the morrow, she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift, I, with childish seriousness, interpreted her words literally and looked upon Elizabeth as mine–mine to protect, love, and cherish. All praises bestowed on her I received as made to a possession of my own. We called each other familiarly by the name of cousin. No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me–my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only. Till death: white rose, black locust blossom, French magnolia, globe amaranth, iris root, and honeysuckle. OMG love! It reminds me of the floral part of Under the Harvest moon, but wetter and smoother. The magnolia and honeysuckle are the frontrunners in this on my skin, with the magnolia and rose being the ones that stick around after hours, though supported by other notes. I know those are death notes to some, but for the rest of us, I swear its absolutely lovely! Its wet green lovely ethereal flowers! Not much throw at all though... (disclaimer: my skin eats flowers) which is the only thing keeping me from the decant traveling over to the definite bottle pile. After a while its a lovely clean powder on me. Its the nice kind though, that makes you think of elegant archaic ladies. Not the call back to my childhood home I was hoping for from the note list (we had all of those things around the yard... and juniper) but still a very feminine scent I will definitely wear on occasion. --- Edit: Out of the mailbox a week, it seems to take on more of a green note and less of a powder on the skin. I don't think this is a blend that will overcome death notes or anything, as all of the notes are pretty clear, but it is a beautiful floral I am thinking of getting a bottle of. I think this will make a better lotion scent for me than perfume scent as it is so faint.
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I saw-with shut eyes, but acute mental vision-I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion. Frightful must it be, for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world. A pale student of unhallowed arts: fading Georgian cologne and split O3 molecules. This is really interesting scent! I was expecting something more familiar or a traditional type of cologne blend but I had a hard time trying to even figure out what I was getting, most of the notes are well-blended in here. On my skin I get a blend of some pine and perhaps a little juniper, woods, there's a slight fruitiness which could be from a citrus note, light resins (the kind that usually end up smelling like tea on my skin) with hints of incense, soft smokiness and perhaps also a light musk. I'm sure there's other notes in here because it smells very complex. It has this strong but hazy feel to it. After a little bit I start to get a sparkling and almost effervescent scent, which is how metals usually smell like on my skin, at this stage it almost feels like the scent is buzzing with electricity. After it settles I find the blend fresh and pleasant, not what I was expecting but a very special scent in my opinion.
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Sevivon, sov, sov, sov Chanukah, hu chag tov Chanukah, hu chag tov Sevivon, sov, sov, sov! Chag simcha hu la-am Nes gadol haya sham Nes gadol haya sham Chag simcha hu la-am. A bounty of chocolate coins! Dry cocoa and golden amber! Gelt is gorgeous. I'm not a foody fan, but I will be hoarding this. In the bottle: perfect cocoa powder, with a dash of hazelnut. This is not very sweet at all, it's exactly like sticking your nose into a fresh box of expensive cocoa powder that's got some hazelnut flavor. Application: The same, but it immediately starts warming up. The amber is poking it's head through the cocoa and giving it a homey warm feeling. This is the scent of curling up on a chilly night with a steaming mug of cocoa, prepared from scratch the stove-top way, with a healthy splash of frangelico. 15 minutes: Much the same as application. There's still beautiful, dry cocoa and the golden warmth of amber. It hasn't sweetened up or collapsed in on itself. Overall: This is a remarkable scent. It smells precisely as described by the lab, and I think can be appreciated by both foody and non-foody fans. I will be stocking up on this before it vanishes.
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I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep. At length lassitude succeeded to the tumult I had before endured, and I threw myself on the bed in my clothes, endeavouring to seek a few moments of forgetfulness. But it was in vain; I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms; a shroud enveloped her form, and I saw the grave-worms crawling in the folds of the flannel. I started from my sleep with horror; a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed; when, by the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window shutters, I beheld the wretch –the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life. Breathless horror: icy white musk and thick olibanum with niaouli, carrot seed, white mint, and camphor. This scent is so mild that I'm initially having a hard time getting a sense of it. What I can smell is a slightly sweet, mildly earthy effect of the carrot seed. What I'm NOT getting is white musk, white mint or camphor. Honestly it's making me think of when I had a rabbit, something to do with the faint scent of wood chip bedding and food mix. I wish I could describe this better because I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, this is very gentle, healthy, natural, barely sweet, and earthy in a sort of grainy way. The more I smell it, the more I love it.
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They consulted their village priest, and the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents’ house–my more than sister–the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures. Beautiful and adored: rose musk, white gardenia, English pear, vanilla bean, red currant, and honey. Ooh! First time being first! The bottle is fresh out of my cold mailbox, so I'll come back and edit if I find this any different after it's had some time to settle from transit and warm up. Beautiful and Adored is a very traditionally feminine scent. It's very floral--bright and well-blended with TONS of gardenia and musk hitting me at first sniff (I'm not good at IDing musks other than red musk, but I would say the rose musk smells to me like white musk plus tea rose). It seems gentle in nature, but it's not as delicate as I would have thought; the musk was quite assertive and sharp on me, so much that I almost felt my nose hairs crinkling when I inhaled! The pear is a pretty strong note as well, and is lovely, but fades a bit as the scent dries. I do get some honey and vanilla as well, but I can't pick out the redcurrant at all (it may be blending with the pear to produce a general fruity note). It settles a bit and is a beautiful light scent when it dries down completely, but it's definitely not for everyone, as it's a very, very girly, "conventional perfumey" lightly fruity floral. Edited to add: it's far into the drydown now, the florals have died down and the redcurrant has come out to play at last. I keep getting the most amazingly beautiful whiffs of perfume wafting from my wrist when I move, lots of creamy vanilla touched with light musk, pear, and redcurrant. Gorgeous.
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Iced blackberries, blackcurrant honey, frozen white peach, and sweet vanilla cream. Oh my god, you guys. You guys, oh my god. Oh my god. Ice Princess smells so very good. For reference, I use the bath oils in the bath; I'm sure this will be a bit different on individual people's skin if you're a slatherer. Ice Princess is funny, because in so many ways, she's the opposite of what I'd envision from her name (or, I suppose, from the colloquial use it takes on). Rather than being cold or harsh, she's warm and comforting. The cream and (I suspect) the blackcurrant honey take on a sweet edge, in the water, that reminds me a bit of the sort of warm fuzzy-feeling I get from white musk, with a definite fruity edge--mostly it's too well blended for me to pick out a particular fruit, but sometimes I got hints of the peach sort of popping up above all the others, just for a moment. I also smell a bit of something floral, though it's not listed in the notes, and I can't think what I would be smelling--it reminds me of just the lightest touch of rose. Perhaps my brain is tricking me, there, because Ice Princess feels a lot, to me, like Winter Maiden? I can't say, but whatever the reason, I really love Ice Princess.
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“I was scarcely hid when a young girl came running towards the spot where I was concealed, laughing, as if she ran from someone in sport. She continued her course along the precipitous sides of the river, when suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell into the rapid stream. I rushed from my hiding-place and with extreme labour, from the force of the current, saved her and dragged her to shore. She was senseless, and I endeavoured by every means in my power to restore animation, when I was suddenly interrupted by the approach of a rustic, who was probably the person from whom she had playfully fled. On seeing me, he darted towards me, and tearing the girl from my arms, hastened towards the deeper parts of the wood. I followed speedily, I hardly knew why; but when the man saw me draw near, he aimed a gun, which he carried, at my body and fired. I sank to the ground, and my injurer, with increased swiftness, escaped into the wood. This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone. The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind. But the agony of my wound overcame me; my pulses paused, and I fainted.” The reward of my benevolence: boneflower, olive blossom, white sandalwood, clary sage, Himalayan cedar, and oakmoss. Boneflower is tuberose as far as I know, and that's the most obvious note on me, freshly applied. Just behind that is the olive blossom and white sandalwood. Fifteen minutes later, the sandalwood is most prominent, along with a musky note and a bit of the clary sage. At this stage it's very sweet and woody-herbal. On final dry-down, the tuberose comes to the forefront again, so much so that it overshadows the other notes. I don't get any oakmoss from this blend at all, the cedar doesn't appear as more than just a hint, and I'm hoping aging will bring those out more. All in all, it's a rather feminine tuberose/sandalwood blend that reminds me of a very classic, classy perfume - in fact this would be freaking gorgeous on a woman, but it'll probably end up being too feminine for me even with some age on it.
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“Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery. “When night came I quitted my retreat and wandered in the wood; and now, no longer restrained by the fear of discovery, I gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings. I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils, destroying the objects that obstructed me and ranging through the wood with a staglike swiftness. Oh! What a miserable night I passed! The cold stars shone in mockery, and the bare trees waved their branches above me; now and then the sweet voice of a bird burst forth amidst the universal stillness. All, save I, were at rest or in enjoyment; I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me, and finding myself unsympathized with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin. “But this was a luxury of sensation that could not endure; I became fatigued with excess of bodily exertion and sank on the damp grass in the sick impotence of despair. There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No; from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery. Insupportable misery: violet leaf, saffron, gunpowder tea, bruised lilac, and despairing lavender. Misery is a stark, biting scent. Shrill, and appropriately so, it conjures a keening emotion. The combination of elements here all come together to produce a singularly frightening effect. I mostly get the lemony tang of tea, and the topnote of lilac. The violet leaf is mostly the gritty pungent leaf (no petals here!) and the lavender is contributing mostly the balsamic woodsy part, an herbal chomp. Yowza!
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This is the scent of a freshly assembled gingerbread house, with swirls of multicolored icing, spice drop lights, meringue snow, pinwheel mint accents, chocolate roof tiles, candy wafer pavers, and jelly candy stained glass. We used a French translation for ‘gingerbread house’ as the name to make it sound fancier. French adds +40% Fancy! A jumble of scents reminiscent of that box of mixed Christmas cookies your grandmother used to make. For all the candy/sugar treats mentioned, this is shockingly not that sweet. I get chocolate , a HINT of gingerbread... and if I keep inhaling I eventually detect the barest whisper of mint and what I think is anise. My skin is notorious for burning off sweet scents so I'll be interested to see how this works on others. The dry down is a mix between Sugar Cookie, Gingerbread Poppet with a touch of Gelt and an indistinct Fruit note that shows up way in the background.
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She lighted another match. Now there she was sitting under the most magnificent Christmas tree: it was still larger, and more decorated than the one which she had seen through the glass door in the rich merchant’s house. Spruce pine with hints of silver birch and warm, dark woods. I love pine scents (Black Forest is my favorite) and I'm always on the lookout for new ones to try and was very excited about this one. On me it smells like a very atmospheric and realistic pine tree and soft woods scent, like walking through a pine forest looking for a Christmas tree. When I smell it up close I get smokey woods (which I'm not loving too much), but from afar the wafts are all gorgeous pine tree, birch with some slightly smokey, earthy woods. I really like this and I love the throw it gives off, but I think I might prefer it as a room scent. This actually reminds me of a cleaner version of Phyllocrania Paradoxa v6.
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Another circumstance strengthened and confirmed these feelings. Soon after my arrival in the hovel I discovered some papers in the pocket of the dress which I had taken from your laboratory. At first I had neglected them, but now that I was able to decipher the characters in which they were written, I began to study them with diligence. It was your journal of the four months that preceded my creation. You minutely described in these papers every step you took in the progress of your work; this history was mingled with accounts of domestic occurrences. You doubtless recollect these papers. Here they are. Everything is related in them which bears reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which produced it is set in view; the minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors and rendered mine indelible. I sickened as I read. `Hateful day when I received life!’ I exclaimed in agony. `Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even YOU turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred. Solitary and abhorred: carrot seed, East Indian patchouli, white tea, and peru balsam. Wow! Gorgeous patchouli and peru balsam, with the latter dominating more and more over the former as it starts to dry, this is a very resiny blend that reminds me of old, gnarled black wood with a hint of vanilla and olives from the balsam. Dried down, the carrot seed complements it perfectly, adding something earthy and vegetal (something that makes me think of root cellars...I love that smell). I don't get much white tea, but tbh, I don't miss it either. Friends of Mandrake, Garden of Death or The Mandrake Charm will probably love this one, and it's softer, less pungent and less "green" than any of them. Not the patchouli-heavy blend I expected, but I think it's gorgeous and wouldn't change it one iota from what it turned out to be.
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The cup of life was poisoned forever; and although the sun shone upon me as upon the happy and gay of heart, I saw around me nothing but a dense and frightful darkness, penetrated by no light but the glimmer of two eyes that glared upon me. Sometimes they were the expressive eyes of Henry languishing in death, the dark orbs nearly covered by the lids, and the long black lashes that fringed them; sometimes it was the watery, clouded eyes of the monster as I first saw them in my chamber at Ingolstadt. A dense and frightful darkness: black musk, vetiver, myrrh, opoponax, hemp, crushed sage, oakmoss, and tobacco. First Sniff – wonderful black musk blend. Reminding me of Haunted. Skin Test – upon first application still reminding me a lot of Haunted – which leads me to ask the question, how is this different than Haunted? Maybe it's a little softer, I think maybe the tobacco and the myrrh together are giving this a little bit of a sweeter feeling with a very, very light soapy feeling. This is like Hunted's slightly more distinguished and elegant mother or grandmother. Just a hint of powderyness from the myrrh and maybe oakmoss. As it dries there's a bit of warm spice happening. This scent hangs on for quite a long time. At the mid point the resins really come out and it's musky and kind of resin-powdery. Late in the dry down I'm getting musky spice on my skin and it seems like it'll continue to hang on for a while. I feel pretty sure it's the oakmoss lingering. In the end it's the oakmoss that clings to the skin for an unexpectedly long time.
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Because I am very, very crass this year. Slushy white mint, vanilla cream, lemon drops, grapefruit, and yuzu! I was hoping this would be more bright mint and citrus with a bit of creamy vanilla, but it is very much a "snow" scent with blend of citrus notes. I'm not sure I like it since I'm really not a fan of snow & ice blends. Those who like scents like Pink Snowballs, but would prefer a non-floral and fresher version, you should try this. The throw is good and lasts for hours. The label is also cute.
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In a corner formed by two houses, of which one advanced more than the other, she seated herself down and cowered together. Her little feet she had drawn close up to her, but she grew colder and colder, and to go home she did not venture, for she had not sold any matches and could not bring a farthing of money: from her father she would certainly get blows, and at home it was cold too, for above her she had only the roof, through which the wind whistled, even though the largest cracks were stopped up with straw and rags. Peppermint, spearmint, white musk, and elemi settling into a deepening darkness. Lots of mint and soft musk, which helps soften the scent a little. Lovely, but is similar to several other BPAL winter/snow scents that are mint-heavy.
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This year’s minty double ententre! A sticky, chilly peppermint candy cane with sweet vanilla and an extra jolt of sugar. WOW!! I guess I am the first to review this....bear with me, since this will be my first review ever! Soo...all I can say is WOW! This is a crazy peppermint overload...in a good way! Wet: In the bottle: PepperMINT!! There is a hint of vanilla in there, but to me, very little. On the skin: Still very pepperminty...I keep thinking of the York peppermint patties....the oil is actually COLD on my skin, not just in the scent, but it feels cold!! Crazy good!! The sugar I think keeps it at bay...because even though this is heavy on the mint, as it dries down, I feel the chill on my skin but still get that icy peppermint. It made my eyes water at first, but WOW!!! Talk about crazy good!! 20 Minutes later: Fades on me fast, but in a good way...has become a nice, mellow slightly creamy mint, kind of reminds me of those little pastel colored buttermints, but not too creamy. THIS is a real keeper! Next Day: Tried it again, LOVE the scent, but sadly, about half an hour later, it is completely gone! Maybe my chemistry?
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