sarada

While I'm waiting for a big bottle to arrive, let me tell you a little about me and Cheshire Cat... This is one of my very favorites, but it crept up on me after awhile. All of the notes in this combine into something completely different -- again, as with many BPAL oils, I cannot always pick out the individual notes but they peek through now and then. The grapefruit smell is there, but is sweetened and reddened by the currant. Currant (any variety) is one of my very favorite smells so it's no surprise that I am drawn to this. I don't pick up any lavender at all, but it must be lending the antique quality to this that really captures me. The lavender and chamomile take what would be a tangy, fruity mixture and tuck it away in a drawer with some fragrant, dry herbal tea. To be honest, it smells exactly like a childhood memory for me, which is too subjective of an experience to really describe...but it really hits me with the smell of my late great-aunt's home, which i last visited at age 5! Lavender sachets, fresh knitting, a warm cat on your lap, a cup of berry tea -- all of these things together, in one big smiling radiant fragrance. Almost all fragrances burn off very quickly on my skin except the strongest incensey resins, but this lingers for awhile...still, I always am quick to apply more so I can hold my wrists up to my nose and breathe deep, to get those little glimpses at childhood back. Utterly unique. I'll have to order a bathtub full of it.

Ouija is one of those ones that I bought a full bottle of without ever smelling it, just based on the description! The idea of teak and lilac together seemed quite wonderful, although straight florals are often a little too much for me. In the bottle, my main impression was a dusty, powdery lilac -- perhaps a nice after-bath powder. The woody bite of teak is a whisper in the background, but if I concentrate on it, I smell it more and more. I want it to be woodier, but I really enjoy the cloud of lilac. The floral notes come and go as this dries down -- the initial bath powder smell becomes a more fragrant lilac-rose mix, but a very white smell, like Easter flowers. I do not get any smokiness from this -- just the teak peeking through. The sharp woodiness is gradually replaced by the flowery wisps of fragrance, but they do last for some time. I just reapply things often and generously because I love that first rush of scent so much. It recalls flowers pressed in dusty old books and faded funeral bouquets -- this scent does inspire some very poetic imagery! It will be perfect for spring, I think -- I just couldn't wait that long to try it! I wear this when I am wearing clothing with a lot of lavender color in it.

My first review here! Tisiphone is a very special fragrance to me, as the first time I sniffed it I immediately recognized the scent of a favorite incense of mine, which was made by a store that no longer exists. That scent was called "Sunshine Daydream" and although I don't know the ingredients I have to assume that black patchouli, ylang ylang, neroli and/or oleander may have been a part of it! This does not change much from the bottle to the drydown on me -- a deep, dark floral with a creamy, sensual muskiness. It impresses me as a buttery gold scent. Not being familiar with oleander on its own I have to assume that the note I don't recognize is probably oleander -- no one note stands out, but they assimilate perfectly into a really unique blend unlike any others I have tried. If patchouli or ylang ylang are not your thing, fear not -- they transform in this blend and it does not smell like either, but you can catch the hint of that earthy tang around the edges. The warmth of my skin seems to "bake" incensey oils, making them last and linger for hours, so I feel like a walking stick of incense! This is a good thing! Tisiphone lasts for hours on me but I keep reapplying it because I just can't get enough of that heady aroma. I have a few imps of this and have asked for a big bottle for Christmas...keep your fingers crossed for me! I don't think I ever want to be without this scent, now that I have found it.

Thank you for all the great tips! I think I will try Dormouse for sure and many of the other ones suggested. Yay!

I haven't tried Severin yet, I wasn't sure about the leather but if it blends well perhaps I will check it out!