The order:

1. Katrina van Tassel

2. Fearful Pleasure or Samhain

3. Maybe a Snake? Cottonmouth? Western Diamondback? Asp Viper? Snake Oil?

4. Inez or Marianne?

Yules:

5. Snow White

Rose Red if I like it

I'll have to see if I like Brisingamen. I really have to restrain myself concerning Lyonesse - buying a GC unsniffed is stupid.

I pondered Snake Oil but since I'm going to get Lilith Victoria, which basically is a Snake Oil sibling, I don't think I need to.

Uh. That's not much I want...? What's wrong?

Re: Fearful Pleasure vs. Samhain

I lean strongly to Fearful Pleasure because of ivyandpeony's advice, but I'll see how I like last year's Samhain first.

Oh okay since I love Samhain... maybe I just get both?

Fearful Pleasure is much more of a spiced-cider scent than Samhain is - FP has a bit of a smoky, burning-leaves quality and probably shares some spices with Samhain, but I'd say that it's apple based, touched with sassafras, smoke and spice. Samhain is darker, with a patchouli and woods base. The pumpkin and apple sweeten it up a bit and the spices complement the patchouli and fruit.

 

So I don't find the two so similar that I wouldn't want both in my collection on that basis. If you just aren't that fond of spicy autumn scents and wanted to choose only one, I'd say, pick Fearful Pleasure if you tend to like lighter, fruity &/or foody perfumes, choose Samhain if you prefer patchouli, darker or heavier perfumes &/or wood notes. They're both really lovely though.

Cottonmouth vs. Western Diamondback vs. Asp Viper

Cottonmouth seems similar to Antique Lace and has Linden, which I adore (-> The Unicorn). The ever so generous Medvssa is going to gift me a decant of Western Diamondback, so we'll see.

Asp Viper has Almond and is supposed to be a child of Dana O'Shee+Queen of Sheba+Snake Oil. If that isn't enough to want it? I wonder, though - is Asp Viper very similar to Wester Diamondback then? I don't need a Dana O'Shee sibling. And I don't need a Antique Lace sibling either.

Cottonmouth

Asp Viper

All the Snakes that tempt me seem too similar to something one way or the other. Australian Copperhead has apples and cloves and stuff but I'm sure it'll be too similar to Fearful Pleasure to warrant buying.

After all, I want Snake Oil minus the Patchouli and not something else.

Rose Red vs. Day of the Skulls

The generous Medvssa is sending me imps of Rose Red and Parlement of Foules. Parlement of Foules apparently smells similar to Day of the Skulls so if I fall in love with it ...

Day of the Skulls is more complex than Rose Cross or Parlement of Foules to me and I don't pick up the frankincense note distinctly. If I was putting them on a scale, Rose Cross would be the simplest and it smells like nothing but rose and frankincense to me - as a perfume, I find it a little sharp and thin for my taste although I do like it as a room scent. Parlement of Foules would move up the scale in complexity. The white rose note has a lot of character and although I do detect frankincense, it seems like there is more than just the two components in there, a bit of spice from some amber or a woodier smelling resin maybe. Then Day of The Skulls is almost like Dia de los Muertos Lite - there's rose and incense, but there's the other florals, tobacco, and beeswax I can smell that make it richer than just a rose-incense blend.

Of course one could question oneself why I need a FOURTH rose scent when I have Alice, Persephone and Katrina? I guess the answer this time actually is: I don't and I won't.