Gin

I don't remember why I didn't keep this one the first time around. Punkie Night is luscious--apples and cranberries and more apples. It's exactly the kind of apples I want, too, but without the leaves and stuff that make me sneeze or that overpower them (yeah, you, Samhain and Fearful Pleasure).

Trick or Treat came about shortly after I posted that I'd love Halloween candy scents but wasn't sure I'd want to smell like candy corn. I bought it anyway, of course, and it turned out that I really didn't like smelling like candy corn. It was a bit corny and I swapped it. Four years later, I tracked down a decant and I'm in love. I don't know if it's the aging or that I missed it the first time around, but now I get brown sugary, sugar cookie/snickerdoodley goodness. No corn in sight. I can't wait to get the '09 version.

Cottonmouth is so light at first, I feel like I can't smell anything at all. I give it a few minutes and when I return, it's still fresh and light but also sweet. There's florals, certainly, but not any that I'd be able to name. Eventually, the Snake Oil shows up, but it's light, too. This is a beautiful take on Snake Oil.

The Witching Time of Night has me wondering if I read the description before I slapped it on my wishlist. I think I let the reviews sway me, LOL. It does have a 'night garden'-yness to it--it's greenery and flowers, with a cool and smooth feel to it. Then it goes to soap. Boo.

Blood is dragon's blood, first and foremost. The myrrh and the clove come along eventually, and it goes a bit candle-like. Not a keeper.

Defututa smells like coconut milk and pineapple to me. I guess I can kind of see (smell) the honey + vanilla + champaca, but really? It smells like a softly-scented tropical drink. Very pretty, very close to the skin.

Orange Phoenix is totally orange Pez, as Midnight Aeval said. I can almost taste them! The orange is supersweet and gentle--much like the Lab's Blood Orange SN.

Champagne and Cigars was the one I expected to like least, but it's really good! The champagne is there--almost more of a ginger ale than champagne in this one. The 'cigar' makes this masculine and less sharp. It's cozier than the others, warm and happy.

Champagne and Roses smells like, what else? Champagne and roses. On my skin, however, the two *do not* get along. The champagne, while effervescent, is a bit on the sour side. The rose just goes wonky, for lack of a better term. I like the bubbles, but the rest can go on their way.

Champagne, Chocolate, and Cheap Sex is just that. I was suprised by how sparkly the champagne is! I think I caught some perfumey-ness, which must be the cheap sex, and there's no denying the chocolate. Hours later, the champagne and chocolate are still going, though they're faint.

Chuparosa and I have crossed paths several times over the years, so it's probably time to review it, eh? It's a pretty scent. It's very floral at first--lily, rose, honeysuckle--but dries down to a pleasant spicy-floral, like a fresh pink carnation.

Mania is not so manic after all. It's got a sweet/tart fruity thing going on, and the red musk gives off that weird crunchy-sugary vibe that it does. I like this more than I thought I would, but I think it's still going in the swap pile.

Manhattan, fresh out the imp is grapefruit and tea and I think I got a mislabeled imp. Then it goes leatherLEATHERleather, and I know it's no mistake. It's very smooth. Beyond the leather, I don't know what I'm smelling. Cool swankiness, I guess. Very nice--much nicer than I expected!

Kubla Khan broke my nose! It smells like mint--soft herbal mint, maybe mint tea. If I inhale really deeply, I get vanilla and champaca and the "sugared lily" but for the most part, it smells of mint tea. It's a nice scent, but I wanted more.

Hymn to Proserpine is far different than I expected from the name. It's red fruit, not bright or juicy, just red, and amber. It's a little "perfumey" because of the amber, but really beautiful.

I almost let the chamomile scare me off of Against Idleness and Mischief, and I'm glad I didn't. Honey can go either way, too, but this goes the good way. This is good, sweet, golden honey. It's almost Honey SN, but instead of going sharp like Honey SN did, this is tempered by the hyssop and tonka and stays sweet and light. Beautiful!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a WINNER! Mme. Moriarty is ... I don't know that I have a superlative strong enough for her. She's in the Snake Charmer/Snake Oil family (I'd like to try to test all three together, just to compare), but IMO, she's the best of the three. Sexy patchouli-spicy, plummy-vanilla goodness. Seriously, this is awesome.

Ya-Te-Vo

Alice's Evidence has a good, strong throw. Unfortunately, like the Frumious Bandersnatch before it, it goes spicy cooked plum on me and goes dangerously close to potpourri/candle territory. On top of that, I get an almost snowy note (wtf?) which just screams Yule! to me. I am very sad about this! It sounded fantastic.

'Tis The Voice of The Lobster = Watermelon! And definitely a "woody, musky-weird base." I would have guessed moss--it smells earthy, but not dirt-y, but when I saw the Lab description I nearly did a spit-take 'cause musky-weird is so much better than mossy. Dry, it smells like fruit. Kind of like strawberry preserves, which is probably the blackberry preserves + the strawberry juice. I like this one quite a bit. I don't know that I'll need a bottle, but I'll use up the imp.

Haloes must have appered while I was away on my BPAL break. Or maybe I didn't pay attention because it was retail-only. In any case, I got a decant from someone, maybe as a frimp? a while ago and I put it in the to-try box. Now I realize I'm an idiot and need to stop doing that. Haloes is sugary-vanilla goodness (think Dorian's sugary-vanilla) with a touch of musk. The oak and the tonka may be there, too, but I get no apricot or Lily of the Valley, which is just as well 'cause I like it the way it is. I agree with the others who compared this to Underpants--it's closer to Underpants, IMO, than Antique Lace. Haloes is lovely and may be bottle-worthy.

Juliet - Oh my gosh, this is so pretty. Is it possible I've never tried this before? I had sworn that I had. The pear is very strong at first. And maybe it's just the pear, extended, but it smells like there's also fruit blossoms here... but not quite apple or cherry blossom. Maybe pear blossom? Or maybe the other florals have just joined forces to create that illusion, since I can't pick out any of the individual florals, either. I usually hate the way stargazer lilies smell, but I don't smell them here (yay!). As it dries, it stays pretty much the same--fruity flowers. I do like this and will hang onto it for now.

The Pool of Tears - I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who got lavender out of this. I sniffed it and thought, wtf? this can't be right. But I guess it is. Salt and lavender. Interesting, but definitely not for me.

The Rose is Rose Red's younger sister. To echo what others have said, it's less cold than Rose Red, and it does go a bit appley, much to my delight. This is a rose scent I can wear!

Violet Ray - I'm no fan of ylang ylang, but I love mint, so I took a chance on this. It's mostly violet and mint on me, and it's very faint. It's pretty, but I like oils that are a bit less floral and have more throw.