I was really leery of this one, but like all the Phoenixes, it was really nice. Believe it or not, but I really can 'smell' the 'gleaming white metal' in the description; it's like what the mirror-sheen on a stainless-steel table would smell like, if it had an odor. I think the honeysuckle is what makes it so palatable for me.
It's super-light, and seemed to fade really fast. This one won't be so hard to let go of.
Category -- Bewitching Brews
There's a strong whiff of pine, and then it quickly becomes tempered by the smell of cranberries, which helps make it sweet and tart as well as robust. Not me, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.
Category: Excolo
I definitely get lots of grapefruit from this one; the plum gives it a sweet, rounded edge after the initial bite of the citrus. To be quite honest, it reminds me of Cheshire Cat, only without that creamy, ultra-sugary note to it; while Cheshire Cat hunkers down and grins at you, Meg is higher up, sulking jealously. If you thought that CC was too sweet or thick somehow, you may want to try this, instead. Also, I feel it's a perfect sort of perfume for the height of the summer months.
Darn...I really wanted this one to work, since it sounded so delicious. Unfortunately, all I get is toasted pancake syrup. BPAL made me a cookie...but they burneded it.
Category: Bewitching Brews -- The Conjure Bag
Why do you want me to come to you? Because you just cleaned and disinfected the room? That's sort of what it smells like. Oh, okay, well, there is something that smells pretty nice, here...jasmine, maybe, or a lily. It's pretty enough, I suppose, but as far as being amorous, let alone sexually commanding...I just don't get it. Fire Of Love fills that niche for me.
Category: Mad Tea Party
On first application, it's Honey Liek Whoa. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for the tonka and perhaps the chamomile to calm it down and make it into more of a smooth, creamy scent. Once it dries, it tends to hug close to the skin, and seemed to wear off pretty quickly.
Limited Edition -- Yule 2009 -- Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire
Unfortunately the decant I had of this had leaked, so I didn't have much to test. What I can sniff smells like chocolate at first, then gets a sweet berry note to it. It seems to be a scent that stays fairly close to the skin, but appears to last for a decent long while.
Category: Excolo
For the most part, I don't get any sweetness from this, certainly not in a juicy cherry way like others have mentioned -- it's just spicy and warm. Granted, it's a pungeance that does have a bit of moistness to it, like rosemary oil, or when you crush sage leaves between your fingers...hmm, and I guess I can smell the plum, lurking around in the background there. So I guess there *is* a bit of sweetness there, but overall, to me, it's all herbs and drying fruit and a hint of incense.
Category -- Rappaccini's Garden
I wasn't hoping for much from this one, but was pleasantly surprised. This really does smell like rich, juicy red berries, with maybe a teensy splash of wine. Unfortunately, it doesn't have all that much throw or longevity on me; otherwise it'd be a keeper.
Go ahead and try this if you normally don't like lotus. I think you'll enjoy it for a change.
Category: Excolo
I pretty much smell lots of lilac and myrrh mixed together. I don't know if there is an actual wine note in the 'honey wine', but Eros manages to go sour on me pretty quickly, much like Athens did. It's not as obnoxious as Athens was, but still not for me.
Category: Limited Edition -- Halloween 2008
This scent did not work on me at all. Aside from smelling burnt, it smells sharp and shrill and peppery, like the little black dots of mold that you find on the underside of leaves, and the spent brown papery galls that once harbored wasps. Maybe it was the vetiver, or the particular combination of vetiver and tobacco...but it all just adds up to a big cloud of Yuck.
Category -- Wanderlust
I don't get any darkness from this at all -- nope, this is a bright, sunny, lush jungle scent. It's extremely evocative of someone sitting by a waterfall, sipping a rum-based drink, and inhaling the rain-kissed scent of jungle blooms. And, later on, I really do get the scent of stone -- as if our intrepid hero sauntered into the limestone cave behind the waterfall to check on his chest of treasure and sleep the afternoon away.
Alas, it dissipates pretty quickly on me, but it's a very fun little mind-trip while it's there!
It's a really great scent for summertime!
Oh...gods, this is beautiful. So pretty, that even this brief sniff that I'm indulging in to reacquaint myself with the scent is bringing tears to my eyes.
The lavender, geranium, and (I believe) the benzoin mingle to create a heady, floral scent that is clarifying, instead of being cloying; it is *almost* medicinal, but without any sort of nasty astringency to it. It's more like a scent you'd expect to find in an old-fashioned sachet. Beneath these, the poppy creates a soft, caressing sweetness; and even though I don't get oodles of the black amber and black incense, there is *something* there that creates a very dark sort of tone; so that even though there are those head-clearing notes atop, there is also a sense that this perfume is bottomless, that you could get drawn into it forever and ever. It is deliciously moody and dark and beautiful.
Definitely worthy of a bottle.
Category: Limited Edition: Lupercalia
In the bottle, this blend is thick and sweet and pungeant. Throughout wearing it, I think that the amber, honey, and currant were predominant, as it was a very thick, sweet scent. When it dries, it gets light and powdery with just the hint of a sweet undertone. It has good throw and staying power -- it's lasted all day on me.
Verdict: This is another bottle that I'm glad I bought! It actually reminds me a lot of Aglaea, only without the slightly cloying air that that other blend had.This is sweet and sexy and mmmm yum.
I like the thick, sweet muskiness of this. To me it actually smells like oranges, but oh well! I like it.
Category: Bewitching Brews
This is a sweet, creamy scent that does smell a bit like almond -- I suspect that's the part that's inspired by 'sweet grains'. It's very nice, but doesn't last very long or throw very much on me.
Category: Wanderlust -- The Phantom Isles
Hmm, this is interesting. It smells like hot, smooth, black stones, with a hint of smokey charcoal (like that found in Brimstone)...and yet there's also an aquatic side to it as well, as if those stones make up the beach on a lonely island, or perhaps they're part of some natural jungle hot-springs spa. Some nice imagery there, if not as vivid as many others enjoy through this scent. This scent sticks close to the skin, and wears off after a few hours.
Limited Edition -- Yule 2009 -- Miskatonic Yuletide Faire
I didn't have much material to test, so this one sort of got lost in the shuffle. I'm rather regretting it now, as it's pretty yummy-smelling. As many others have noted, it has a slightly-buttery almond pastry feel. I'm not getting a lot of fruit, though there is a very sweet aspect to it, so I wouldn't put it past the cherry to be present right now. It's throwing pretty well just from the tiny dab I put on. This turned out to be my favorite of Mother Shub's creations.
Category: Illyria
In the imp, it smells very strongly of tea and ginger, with some sugar thrown in.
As it goes on, a more herbal sort of tone comes through. As it dries, though, I smell the tea/ginger again.
It's a lovely smell -- I really like the smell of tea. Unfortunately, this scent is so light and fleeting that it will not work for long on me.
I think I actually like this better than Aizen-Myoo. The grapefruit in the other scent isn't necessarily unpleasant, but I rather like the gentleness of the ginger in this one better. Just wish my skin didn't suck up tea so well!
Category: Sin and Salvation
Auuuugh OMG!!!
Either I have only experienced very well-behaved, domesticated notes of rose before, or I just haven't had rose on my skin before. But this blend HATES me. And I hate it. From the second I opened the imp it was ROOOOOOOOSE, attacking my nostrils and pounding against my temples trying to give me a headache. And, wouldn't you know it, I not only amped it, but it lasted...all...day...long. Oh good Lord.
Near the end, it *did* morph into the sandalwood note, but it was far too little tempering, far too late. Aside from the very interesting morphing process, this blend holds no allure for me.
I will still have to experiment with rose a bit more to see if I just hate all roses, or if it's just certain blends. But I'm scared to.
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008 -- Sleepy Hollow
The prevailing note here is beeswax...it's a very warm, homey scent. It is complemented nicely by the tea, cream, and, yes, wool. Over time, it fades into a golden, perfumey amalgam that is classy and very, very pleasant. I really like this, and need to remember to get me a bottle.
Limited Editions -- Halloween 2009
Primarily, this one is like a spiced bread or cake to me. The beer gives it a sweet sort of nutty aroma when I inhale *super* deeply. Alas, I really wanted to like this one, and it's not a *bad* scent, but it just can't hold a candle to my favorites from last year, Huesos De Santos and John Barleycorn.
Category: Bewitching Brews -- The Conjure Bag
As many others have said, this is very cinnamon-fruity, like a liberally-spiced apple treat. It works better than, say, All Night Long on me, and is very similar to Alice's Evidence. In spite of its aromatic components, it tends to have very light throw, and dissipates after a few hours.
Limited Edition -- Halloween 2009
Pretty much just black cherry candy, here. And that's while it lasts, which isn't terribly long...then it just dissipates to nothing.
Category: Bewitching Brews
Oddly enough, the main scent I got from this was...licorice. Weird! I'm trying to think what would make that strange combination to my nose...perhaps the bergamot mixed with the heliotrope, or the oakmoss.
All things considered, however, I did enjoy it; it was soft and delicate on me and had a beguiling femininity to it. It evokes an impish fae quite well in that regard.
It helped that I like bergamot, I think.
