Apple

On me, no. But I should perhaps qualify that I have horrible skin chemistry. On my skin, Tombstone was a big ol' vanilla candle with a splash of root beer. Bonfire Night was smoky and leathery (reminiscent of De Sade) with a buttery, foody quality that reminded me of popcorn... or maybe caramel corn (which is how Cockaigne smelled on me).

Along the same lines as paperrose's suggestions, I would try layering Cockaigne with De Sade. There was another BPAL that reminded me of Bonfire Night, but it is escaping me at the moment... I'll reply again if I think of it.

Ah, I see. Yes, that is a retail-exclusive Salon scent and not sold on the Lab's website. But I bet if you put out a request in the Wanted forum, you could find a forumite who would be willing to purchase it locally and ship it to you in exchange for the cost of the bottle and shipping.

Hrm... hopefully someone with more familiarity with Black Swan will pipe up, but the first thing that came to mind was Ophelia: Ophelia (Illyria) - Lotus, water blossom ivy, stargazer lily and white rose. Have you tried these? Amsterdam (Wanderlust) - Tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses. Bruised Violet Compound (Doc Constantine's Pharmacopoeia) - Crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root, and Spanish moss. Cthulhu (Picnic in Arkham) - A creeping, wet, slithering scent, dripping with seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters. Deep in Earth (Ars Moriendi) - Rose geranium, Spanish moss, Irish yew, and graveyard dirt. Destroying Angel (Rappaccini' Garden) - Papery white notes evoke the grace of this fungi, grounded by thin, crisp soil. The Dormouse (Mad Tea Party) - A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony. Ephemera (Bewitching Brews) - Sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves. I Died for Beauty (Bewitching Brews) - The Venusian splendor of ylang ylang and violet stirred by hyssop, frankincense, and grave loam. The Lady of Shalott (Ars Amatoria) - The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, an icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger. Olokun (Excolo) - His ofrenda is the scent of the lightless deep: the glorious, unknowable gloom of the ocean floor. The Phantom Wooer (Ars Moriendi) - stargazer lily, bone dust, tomb mosses, buttonweed, moonflower, and honey myrtle. Squirting Cucumber (Rappaccini's Garden) - A spurt of wet, grassy greenness. Sunrise with Sea-Monsters (Salon) - Ocean mist, kelp, ambergris, amber, white pear, osmanthus, freesia, and seafoam accord. Ulalume (Bewitching Brews) - Starry white lilies lend an eerie brightness to the deep black wooded scents of cypress and oak, layered with a touch of crushed dried leaves and the faintest aquatic note. Undertow (Bewitching Brews) - Lotus and juniper with a hint of mint. Windward Passage (Wanderlust) - Breezes blowing off of the waters of the Caribbean: marine accord, seaweed, and bladderwrack. Yorick (Illyria) - Grave dirt, bone, decay, angel's trumpet, and moldering scraps of shroud: the essence of finality. Maybe layering two or three of these? I'm thinking (Ophelia) + (Olokun or Windward Passage) + (Bruised Violet Compound) might be similar. Is there a reason you can't just get more Black Swan?

WOO! Very nice... thanks, Cauda! Any chance we could add a category for sandalwood? Or do people not find that "woody" enough? And maybe pine/fir?

Do you even have to ask? Post it! Post it! Post it!

For white roses, have you tried these? Magdalene (Sin & Salvation) - A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid. Moon Rose (Rappaccini's Garden) - A crisp, pale, almost translucent rose dusted by moonflower and midnight dew. I also noticed the new limited edition scents: Clarimonde (2009 Halloweenie, Literary Vampire series) - Pallid skin musk, white roses, and a languorous vapor of Oriental perfume. The Last Rose of Summer (2009 LE, live until Sept. 6) - A quiet, solitary scent: white rose, frankincense, Arabian sandalwood, neroli, orris root, and patchouli. For sweet roses, you might check out: Alice (Mad Tea Party) - Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot. (Reviews of Katrina van Tassel often make comparisons to Alice.) Black Phoenix (Diabolus) - Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won't stop kissing mirrors for a month. Chuparosa (Bewitching Brews) - The Hummingbird of Love, the Rose Sucker. A potent, benevolent, merciful love blend. Jezebel (Ars Amatoria) - A gloriously decadent blend of honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood. The Knave of Hearts (Mad Tea Party) - Crushed roses and blackcurrant tarts. (Extremely sweet, buttery, sugary, and foody.) Seraglio (Ars Amatoria) - Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel. (I amp rose to high heaven, so this one was very rosey on me. If you don't amp rose, it might not be as rosey as you would like.) Two, Five, & Seven (Mad Tea Party) - A huge bouquet of squished rose petals: Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose… …and just an itty bitty bit of green grass.

Oh, and I meant to add that you can find additional Lily of the Valley scents by searching for "muguet," which is another name for that flower. Also check out: Lily of the Valley scents?

If you like the original Poison by Dior, you might like Horreur Sympathique. According to this site, the fragrance notes for Poison are: Top Notes - Coriander, Plum, Pimento, Anise, Rosewood Heart Notes - Rose, Tuberose, Wildberries, Carnation, Honey, Cinnamon, Orange Blossom, Jasmine Base Notes - Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Vertiver, Heliotrope, Opopanax, Vanilla, Musk For comparison, the notes for Horreur Sympathique are: blood musk, golden honey, thick black wine, champagne grapes, tobacco flower, plum blossom, tonka bean, oakmoss, carnation, benzoin, opoponax, and sugar cane. My mother-in-law's signature scent is Poison, and she once described it as smelling kind of like "spicy grapes". When I received a a frimp of Horreur Sympathique from the Lab, I immediately thought of her description and sent her the imp. She liked it very much and indicated that it smelled a lot like Poison.

Just thought I'd resurrect this thread to say that I recently received a frimp of Horreur Sympathique from the Lab, which I forwarded on to my mother-in-law. Her signature scent is Poison by Dior, and she said that she thought Horreur Sympathique was very similar (and that she really liked it). According to this site, the fragrance notes for Poison are: Top Notes - Coriander, Plum, Pimento, Anise, Rosewood Heart Notes - Rose, Tuberose, Wildberries, Carnation, Honey, Cinnamon, Orange Blossom, Jasmine Base Notes - Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Vertiver, Heliotrope, Opopanax, Vanilla, Musk The Dior website describes Poison thusly: For comparison, the notes for Horreur Sympathique are: blood musk, golden honey, thick black wine, champagne grapes, tobacco flower, plum blossom, tonka bean, oakmoss, carnation, benzoin, opoponax, and sugar cane.

Have you tried searching for "baby powder"? I know it's not quite the same as talcum powder (and I confess that I don't know what French talc smells like), but it might give you a starting point. You could also check out these threads: know any BPAL with the smell of babypowder? I am on the hunt for cleancut (white) fresh floral scents, Help me a little again if you like Wood, amber, baby powder?, Help me find a BPAL blend for my mum! The powderiest BPAL blends I've tried have been: Dance of Death (Ars Moriendi) - Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh. Haunted (Ars Moriendi) - Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk. O (Ars Amatoria) - Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla. Van Van (Bewitching Brews) - A venerable voodoo blend, used for purification of the spirit and to amplify positive personal power. For powdery rose I'd suggest: Alice (Mad Tea Party) - Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot. Black Phoenix (Diabolus) - A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won't stop kissing mirrors for a month. And this current limited edition scent - although unfortunately named - sounds promising: Stinky (2009 LE, available until September) - A cure for sweaty bits and sticky wilting. Stinky is a summer refresher 'foom for people that don't dig run-of-the-mill "clean" scents: newly-washed skin with a dusting of milk, white honey, and baby powder. For a white rose, maybe: Moon Rose (Rappaccini's Garden) - A crisp, pale, almost translucent rose dusted by moonflower and midnight dew. Others to consider: Ephemera (Bewitching Brews) - sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves. Epitaph (Ars Moriendi) - Roses and funeral lilies perceived, faintly, through an indistinct, ghostly mist. Helena (Illyria) - Rose amber, calla lily, night-blooming jasmine, water lily, and white rose. L'Ecole des Filles (Ars Amatoria) - orange blossom, ambergris, orris root, white rose, lemon balm, jonquil, carrot seed, and benzoin. Magdalene (Sin & Salvation) - A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid. Nuit (Excolo) - dazzling white musks, white rose and night-blooming jasmine with the soft moss of moonlit meadows, a waft of Egyptian incense, and a gentle breath of moonflower. Ophelia (Illyria) - lotus, water blossom ivy, stargazer lily and white rose. The Reaper and the Flowers (Ars Moriendi) - longiflorum lilies, white rose, chrysanthemum, and carnation. Victoria (Stardust, "unimpable") - Graceful vanilla musk, tea rose, and stargazer lily. Viola (Illyria) - Gentle tea rose, lilac, Calla Lily, and Somalian Rose layered over golden Peruvian amber, Spanish moss, red sandalwood, rosewood, and myrrh, with the lightest touch of Mandarin.

This one was a huge surprise for me. I'd read reviews of Horreur Sympathique a couple of years ago while searching for some imps to enable my mother-in-law, whose signature scent is Dior's Poison. She described the scent of Poison as being akin to "spicy grapes," and I found the description of Horreur Sympathique after searching for BPAL blends containing grape notes and after browsing the "Looking for a BPAL that resembles a favorite perfume?", "The Most Commonly Discussed "Smell Alikes", a list of BPAL comparisons to favorite commercial perfumes", and "Something like Dior Poison?" threads. Now, personally, I detest Poison and strongly dislike grape-scented and grape-flavored things (although I like real grapes just fine). I can't remember if I got an imp of Horreur Sympathique for her at that time, but if I did, I very much doubt I bothered to smell it. Since that time, every once in awhile I would run across the description of Horreur Sympathique when searching for something else, and I would always wrinkle my nose and think, "Grapes? No thanks. And isn't this the one that's supposed to smell a bit like Poison? Double no thanks." The case for Horreur Sympathique was not helped by the fact that I'd had my heart broken by BPAL's wine note on numerous occasions, I'm mildly allergic to benzoin, and oakmoss has been doing unpleasant deeds on my skin of late. I had pretty much relegated it to the "There Is No Way in Hell this Fragrance Will Ever Work on Me and I Feel No Need Whatsoever to Even Try It" category. When the Lab included of a frimp of this with my most recent order, I sniffed the imp out of sheer curiosity, fully expecting to recoil from a blast of grapey '80s power perfume. But instead of recoiling, I found myself unable to stop sniffing... despite the fact that it was indeed quite grapey (thankfully, it didn't smell anything like the way I remembered Poison smelling). Intrigued but still tentative, I applied a tiny dot to my arm. Yes, that was definitely super grapey-grape... but there was also something mysterious and tantalizing lurking beneath the popsicle facade. It dried down to a pleasant honeyed sweetness (I like the Lab's honey notes a great deal, and the honey was very much in evidence here), and I thought, "Well, that wasn't so bad. It was even rather nice, but I think I'll still send the imp along to my mother-in-law." And so I left the imp on my desk at home, to be packaged up and mailed. And every time I worked at my desk, I would catch little whiffs and wafts from the imp... that artificial grape scent on the surface masking something far more complex and delicious and interesting underneath... something richer and darker and sweeter and sexier and real. I'd find myself wondering what that fascinating fragrance was, only to realize that Horreur Sympathique had hooked me yet again. I couldn't resist; I had to try it again. Still grapey, still intriguing and elusive... and becoming a bit addictive. I was stunned to realize that I actually liked this scent, grapes and all. In fact, I think I might really like it. I know this isn't much of a review ("It smells like grapes. And honey. And not like Poison."), but I hope it will serve as further testimony that the Lab makes magic with their blends, and that just when you think you know what notes work on you and what notes don't, you can be proven delightfully wrong. Now, do I send the imp to my mother-in-law, or greedily hoard it? ETA: I did end up sending the imp to my mother-in-law, and she really liked it. And for you Dior lovers out there, she said that it did indeed remind her of Poison.

Black velvet + red lipstick = one of my favorite combinations. (My other favorite being jeans + t-shirt, but never mind that for now.) I'd recommend: Blood Kiss (Bewitching Brews) - Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. Whip (Ars Amatoria) - Agony and ecstasy: black leather and damp red rose. Or, if you're feeling a little edgier and don't mind a more unisex fragrance: The Black Tower (Bewitching Brews) - white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine. Nosferatu (Diabolus) - desiccated herbs and gritty earth brought to life with a swell of robust and sanguineous red wines. I don't like these next two (I don't care for anise and can't wear jasmine), but they both definitely have a black/red thing going on: Kabuki (Ars Amatoria) - A luxuriant, exotic blend of cherry, red musk, and star anise. The Obsidian Widow (Steamworks) - Pinot noir, dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose. And this one might be a bit too sweet, but it might be perfect (depending on whether you amp cherry or wood or neither): The Red Queen (Mad Tea Party) - Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant. Some others that I haven't tried personally but sound like they would fit the bill: Black Dahlia (Sin & Salvation) - Voluptuous magnolias strewn over orchid, star jasmine, black amber and smoky rose. Black Rose (Rappaccini's Garden) - Heavy, dark and floral: a blend of roses, with a touch of amber and musk. Lilith (Excolo) - Red wine, myrrh, black musk, and attar of rose. ETA: And some from the Carnaval: The Blood Garden (Carnaval Diabolique) - Blood accord, bitter clove, English ivy, Tempranillo grape, red currant, oak, leather, blackberry leaf, and ginger lily. The Chapel (Carnaval Diabolique) - Black incense, bitter wine, brimstone, and blood. Dionysia (Carnaval Diabolique) - Wild plum, pomegranate, raspberry, Siamese benzoin, plum blossom, patchouli, frankincense, and mahogany.

I found Dirty to be too overwhelmingly floral, but that most of the scents that list "ozone" as a primary note and some of the marine/aquatic blends end up smelling like clean laundry on me. Here are the ones that smelled the most like laundry to me: Cthulhu (Picnic in Arkham) - A creeping, wet, slithering scent, dripping with seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters. Lightning (Bewitching Brews) - The electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain. You might also like: The Dormouse (Mad Tea Party) - A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony. Szepasszony (Diabolus) - Clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. Tempest (Bewitching Brews) - A crisp ozone-tinged breeze. The scent of the first gentle rain before the storm. Y'ha-Nthlei (Picnic in Arkham) - The deepest marine notes with bergamot, eucalyptus and foamy ambergris. My favorite clean-yet-manly scent is Jolly Roger, soooo sexy: Jolly Roger (Bewitching Brews) - Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods. These are all general catalogue scents that are available from the Lab in sample-sized "imps". I noticed that you're thinking of trying Wensleydale, and I just wanted to point out that you can't get that scent as an imp from the Lab (but you might find an imp of it available for purchase here on the forum or on eBay). Delousing Powder is a limited edition scent that is no longer available. If you want to try it, you'll have to hunt the forum and/or eBay. For room sprays, you might want to check out the BPTP (Black Phoenix Trading Post) atmospheric sprays; they're very strong.

I have the same problem. I do like the scent of roses, but on my skin they just get out of control. I don't know what skin chemistry issue is at fault, but you might check out these threads for more info: Rose is a rose?, an inquiry into all note variants Blood Type & Favorite Scents/Notes Your diet's effect on skin chemistry, How diet and food can affect skin chemistry and oils I've had okay luck with a few rose blends, namely: Nemesis Titania Alice Croquet Three Brides Baghdad Wanda Kali Les Infortunes de la Vertu Zorya Black Phoenix (no rose listed, but it's definitely in there) The Blasphemare Reliquary Maiden Now, I didn't necessarily like all of these, but the rose component didn't end up screaming. I seem to extra-amp rose at different points in time, and I've noticed that Alice, Maiden, and Nemesis (all of which I like most of the time) are very susceptible to whatever hormone or dietary fluctutations are responsible for the amping... most of the time the rose is just a background player in these blends, but every now and then it's a bit too assertive. It is a mystery.

You might try these: Cthulhu (Picnic in Arkham) - A creeping, wet, slithering scent, dripping with seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters. The Deep Ones (Picnic in Arkham) - Black algae, drooping seaweed, salty brine, and crushed coral. R'Lyeh (Picnic in Arkham) - A hellishly dark aquatic scent, evocative of fathomless oceanic deeps, the mysteries of madness buried under crushing black waters, and the brooding eternal evil that lies beneath the waves. Shattered (Bewitching Brews) - A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms. Y'ha-Nthlei (Picnic in Arkham) - A swirling, lightless, effervescent scent: the deepest marine notes with bergamot, eucalyptus and foamy ambergris. I would put these all in the same "scent family" as Sea of Glass. Don't be put off by the descriptions of the "Picnic in Arkham" scents; they sound like they would be disgusting, but they're actually very fresh, clean scents. You might also like: The Lady of Shalott (Ars Amatoria) - The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, an icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger. Lightning (Bewitching Brews) - Lightning slashing the midnight skies over the endless reaches of the ocean. The electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain. Olokun (Excolo) - The glorious, unknowable gloom of the ocean floor. Szepasszony (Diabolus) - A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. Undertow (Bewitching Brews) - The Dark Side of Water: clean and purifying, yet menacing -- lotus and juniper with a hint of mint. A scent dragged up from the depths to the Stygian shore. These are also clean, aquatic scents.

I didn't find Baghdad very rose-y (and I tend to amp rose)... it sounds like Harlot might be a winner for you, and I would concur with Whip and Rakshasa. Since you like red musk, Spellbound might be right up your alley, too: Spellbound (Ars Amatoria) - An irresistibly sexual, utterly rapturous blend of three roses, radiant amber, and sensual red musk. Maybe also try: Black Rose (Rappaccini's Garden) - Heavy, dark and floral: a blend of roses, with a touch of amber and musk. The Blasphemare Reliquary (Carnaval Diabolique) - Ethiopian myrrh, Damascus rose, boswellia, galbanum, and copal. Lilith (Excolo) - Red wine, myrrh, black musk, and attar of rose. The Rose (Marchen) - The promise of a rose: red rose petals, fresh sap, and the sharp green scent of stem and leaf. Rose Cross (Sin & Salvation) - Purest rose with sacred frankincense. Two, Five, & Seven (Mad Tea Party) - A huge bouquet of squished rose petals: Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose… …and just an itty bitty bit of green grass. Wanton (Ars Amatoria) - Palmarosa, red sandalwood, attar of rose, patchouli. Zombi (Ars Moriendi) - Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth. Of those, I'd opt for The Rose and Two, Five, & Seven for a natural, pure, fresh rose, and The Blasphemare Reliquary is a wonderful incense/resin blend (I've not tried Rose Cross, but I suspect it would be, too).

This is going to be strictly a scent review, because I don't think I'm going to be able to wear Van Van enough to test its Voodoo properties. In the imp, the smoky vetiver is strongest. On my skin, the vetiver is still strongest, but it morphs quickly and underneath that campfire scent another note is struggling to rise up from the ashes... and in no time at all, the Baby Powder Phoenix spreads its wings and flies up my nose. This is exactly what happened with Hurricane and Iago, and I'm guessing black musk may be common to all three, since that is consistently a note of powdery doom on me. I don't like the scent in this stage, but it's not terrible. However, after an hour or two, I start getting wafts of something foul... like... the rotten scent of vegetable matter fermenting between someone's teeth... someone who hasn't brushed their teeth in years and is standing too close to me in the elevator. Oh god... is that civet? I'm pretty sure it is. It appears that both my skin chemistry and my nose chemistry are strongly opposed to this "venerable" blend. *sigh* And I could really use some spiritual purification and some positive personal power right about now. Ah well. In sum: vetiver, black musk, and civet. If you like Hurricane or Iago (or are a member of the Civet Appreciation Society), you will probably enjoy this blend.

I love Leipreachan, too, and I haven't sniffed anything similar in the GC. The only thing I can think of is to layer De Sade with A Blade of Grass and something like Mechanical Phoenix or The Torture Queen. I'm not sure your brother is going to want to go to all that trouble, though.

Have you tried White Rabbit? White Rabbit (Mad Tea Party) - Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. The opening stages are different on me (White Rabbit is sweeter initially, Ichabod is more floral/lily), but the dry-down is nearly identical. For a slightly different but still similar vibe, you might give The Sea Foams Milk a whirl: The Sea Foams Milk (Marchen) - Milk cresting on an ocean wave. It's less sweet and more clean than White Rabbit or Ichabod Crane, and it lacks their spiciness, but the milk note is a common thread that gives them a similar feel.

I've not smelled the Arbonne fragrance, but she might like Sudha Segara. The ginger in it is very lemony to my nose; to me, it's a light, refreshing citrusy scent warmed by ginger: Sudha Segara (Bewitching Brews) - Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia.

I would anti-suggest Perversion for you, in that case, even though that is my go-to tobacco scent. I've noticed substantial batch variations with that one, and although I never get leather (other folks do, though), there is sometimes a very prominent coconut note. It sounds like The Antikythera Mechanism might be what you're looking for: The Antikythera Mechanism (Steamworks) - Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco. Ogun is an interesting honeyed/melon/tobacco scent: Ogun (Excolo) - Ogun’s ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey. I'd also recomend these, although the tobacco notes in them were not as prominent, more background players: Les Anges Déchus (The Salon) - Khus, blonde tobacco, life everlasting, orris root, black currant, cabreuva, Spanish moss, leather, and ambrette. I didn't detect leather, but that's a note my skin tends to swallow. Plunder (Bewitching Brews) - The scent of a pirate's bumboat, overflowing with stolen wares: tea leaf, cassia, cinnamon bark, clove, allspice, sandalwood, tobacco, peppercorn, and nutmeg. This one was all cinnamon on me, but I tend to amp that note. I could detect a little tobacco underneath the cinnamon-y blast, though, and you might get more out of it. Three Gorgons (The Salon) - Egyptian amber, mandarin, tangerine, black pepper, tobacco, and vetiver. Tiresias, the Androgyne (Carnaval Diabolique) - Dark, moody, and bittersweet: black currant, patchouli, tobacco, cinnamon leaf, caramel, muguet, and red sandalwood. Warning: This one is super-sweet. The Buggre Alle This Bible and Hastur both have strong tobacco notes, but I found them unpleasant, and neither was sweet. Still, you might like them, or for layering: The Buggre Alle This Bible (Good Omens) - Crumbling paper and ancient cracked leather with a touch of tobacco leaf and incense. A very dry tobacco. Hastur (Good Omens) - Smoky-sour labdanum, black patchouli, wet tobacco, and brimstone. This one did indeed smell like a wet cigar. Blech. I am eagerly awaiting bottles of Velvet Bandito and Velvet Dogs Playing Poker; they sound promising. I'll report back once I've got them in my greedy paws and had a chance to test them: Velvet Bandito (LE Salon) - Dust, tumbleweeds, cedar, and tobacco. (This one is getting rave reviews and being compared to clove cigarettes. ) Velvet Dogs Playing Poker (LE Salon) - Smooth wood, sweet pipe smoke, tonka, and Irish coffee.

Eau de Ghoul! On my skin, it's a fizzy, sweet ginger ale. Even in the imp, it smells positively drinkable. Don't let its rather gruesome description deter you; it's a delightfully effervescent ginger scent.

Ginger ale! In the imp and even more so on my skin, I get fizzy, sweet, ginger ale! I'm trying to sniff out the other notes, but I'm not getting anything reminiscent of the dirt or leather or cloves that I'd hoped for. But that's okay, because I'm also not getting any cumin or dried blood, and amazingly, the cinnamon is not amping on me. The ginger is what is loud and clear, with an effervescent quality that tickles my nose delightfully. The longer I leave it on, the more I can smell just a hint of a clean-yet-slightly-plasticky note lurking underneath that suggests juniper and that brings to mind Twenty-One and Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone on the Winter Solstice. Thankfully it doesn't turn to full-on plastic the way Twenty-One does; it just stays clean and sparkling like Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune. It's not what I expected, but I love it! ETA: Several hours into the dry-down, the spices emerge. I can see why some reviewers have described a somewhat masculine, cologne-type scent, although it doesn't quite cross over into that category for me. It's much warmer now, but still clean and zingy. Great lasting power, too.

I was so excited to see a decant of this in an incredibly generous package sent to me by the lovely tartchef! Cracking open the imp, my nose gets a big hit of black pepper, which is great! Upon deeper inhalation, I get a waft of something floral... and familiar... and not in a good way. Then I notice the color of the oil, which is orange-y and looks like it might contain one of my nemesis-notes, dragon's blood resin. I resist the temptation to look up the notes and instead forge ahead, applying a dainty drop to my hand. I sniff, and... ... peppered lilacs. Dragon's blood strikes again. Instead of a fierce, fiery scent, I get a fiercely overbearing grandmotherly scent. *sigh* Still, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to sample this one.