tinyvulture

Orange, cranberry, spices. I wonder if maybe it's meant to smell sort of...stale. It does...it smells like a fake, bathroom air freshener. (Sorry!)

So festive, so home-for-the-holidays cozy. I want it as an atmosphere spray. Cheery mandarin with sweet, buttered, yeasty rolls. More rolls than toast, I think. Then the apricot note slowly replaces the mandarin. It's like a bakery selling rolls and flaky apricot pastries. So great, just a lovely, comforting, happy blend. No fizziness, no Pez.

First impression, sharp, dry, dark, woodsy incense. It's all ash bark and kashmir wood. 1 minute later, here's the mandarin! Bright and cheery as always. And there's something earthy, like vetiver but not quite. The galangal? I'm not getting any cocoa, matcha, or tonka. 5 minutes later, super sweet citrus WOW! And vanilla? And woods and moss. I like it for the most part, except I'm not big on moss.

Pinkish-brown oil in the vial. Thick and viscous. First impression: Full on amber, warm and powerful. The lavender that makes it a fougere is playing a soft second fiddle. I love amber and I love lavender, so I'm like, "How was there not already an amber/lavender scent for me to fall in love with?" Well, there is one now.

SARAH (The Tomb of Sarah, F.G. Loring) By half-past ten we were both getting very tired, and I began to think that perhaps after all we should see nothing that night. However, soon after eleven we observed a light mist rising from the 'Sarah Tomb'. It seemed to scintillate and sparkle as it rose, and curled in a sort of pillar or spiral. I said nothing, but I heard the Rector give a sort of gasp as he clutched my arm feverishly. 'Great Heaven!' he whispered, 'it is taking shape.' And, true enough, in a very few moments we saw standing erect by the tomb the ghastly figure of the Countess Sarah! She looked thin and haggard still, and her face was deadly white; but the crimson lips looked like a hideous gash in the pale cheeks, and her eyes glared like red coals in the gloom of the church. Unholy mist congealing into soft, white flesh, with black marble, remnants of liturgical incense, wolf's fur, and black flecks of froth. I've never been the first to review a scent... here goes! I had to try Sarah because of our shared name, and also because of the intriguing description. Black froth???! For me, Sarah calls to mind an old, abandoned church. The windows have been broken out, rot and mildew have set in, and the only visitors are wild beasts foraging for food. The marble altar is cold and wet with a layer of fuzz growing on it. The incense smoke was so thick in previous years that it became embedded into the pews and wall hangings, never to fade away completely, but now it is combined with the dusty, funky scent of thick animal fur. It's not an instant favorite. The mildew/mist note is kind of a turn-off, and the marble, incense, and fur notes are subtle and, at times, barely discernable. It's not a powerful enough scent, overall, for me to love it.

Coconut milk single note, almost. There's the tiniest suggestion of cinnamon. I'm gonna try layering it with other blends that I think would pair nicely with coconut.

Teak, my goodness, I've always had a thing for you, but you're even more darkly elegant than usual here, mixed with sultry blood musk which is all sweet, resinous warmth. It's a dope pairing and also somehow reminds me of Indian restaurant incense. Ha!

The green lotus is amazing. It's got that heady, candy-sweetness of lotus, plus a honeydew melon quality. Fresh and tropical. What an interesting contrast with the dry, raspy orris. This is one of the few blends where I'm really appreciating orris. I have no idea what ivory smells like so I can't pick it out, but I'm noticing a little bit of smooth sandalwood. Very nice!

A true lady's rose perfume, expertly blended. Very sweet and warm thanks to the vanilla and amber. And I always appreciate ambergris. I'm not picking up any champagne fizz, though. I took a break from rose scents for awhile but this one's brought me back into the fold.

Sharp green notes hit my nose all at once. Herbal sage. Weed? And a bed of pine needles. Oh and also...a bar of soap. I really love sage smudging, and wanted a nice clean, clarifying scent. But this clean in a bad way. Off to swaps, since I know it won't be soapy for everyone.

MARSHMALLOWS! Creamy, vanilla-scented, diabetes-sweet marshmallows rolled in powdered sugar and crunchy sugar crystals for extra sugary sugar! Basically, single note Marshmallow. Need to order backup.

Blind bottle, no regrets! Have you had carrot halwa, the grated carrot dessert served at Indian restaurants? That's what this smells like. The carrot note is fresh, juicy, and sweet. At first it smells appley. There's also sweet cream and heavenly cooking spices like cinnamon and cardamom. I don't smell anything nutty or crust-like. It's so awesome! Foodie dream come true.

Meditation in Autumn is my go-to rainy day scent.

That glowing copal note always reminds me of Dia de los Muertos, as copal incense figures heavily in the various local DDLM celebrations. Copal plus crisp, dry leaves is wonderful, if a bit green and cologne-ish at first. After a few minutes, the sweetness of frankincense comes out and the cologne aspect is less. The copal is the star here, though. A warm, woodsy/mineral incense, spiritual and glorious.

Red apples with sweet vanilla cream. No oats or hay for me, which is a slight letdown since I love the oats note. But I'll settle for apples and cream. It's totally foodie -- the apple note is incredibly realistic. Glad to have purchased a bottle!

Candy Butcher '06 was straight up foodie paradise, chocolate and cream. This reformulations has more depth which, as Ina said, makes it more of an actual "perfume." The raw, unsweetened cacao has a dark earthiness to it that reminds me of patchouli. Don't get me wrong it's still quite foodie, with plenty of sweet vanilla cream. Love it even more than the original for its added complexity!

Muddy Puddles is a dead ringer for Swiss Miss hot cocoa in the packet with the tiny dried marshmallow bits! It even starts out powdery, before morphing into a rich, deep chocolate with lovely accents of cream and marshmallow. I love it. My kids are both asking me if I made hot cocoa. It is that realistic. Oh, but no rain puddles to be found!

Loads of warm, dry sandalwood, with a bright citrus burst from the orange blossom. Simple, mild, but lovely and elegant. No tonka for me at all. Warm and fuzzy, but not much throw sadly.

Black licorice! Remember those Sen-sen candies? Similar to Sic Erit, which I adore. Red musk, and a woodsy resin that must be the peru balsam. Red musk is usually super warm, but the peru balsam adds a coolness, almost a menthol quality. No geraniums or tobacco. A Smut without so much sweetness. If I didn't already have Sic Eric, I might need a bottle.

Practically Lilac Single Note, for me. A dignified, clean floral, with just a spritz of citrusy, white tea. Not much beeswax at all. Steady, reserved, maybe good for work if you work someplace where that image is required.

Honey, with very faint myrrh and spikenard. No cassia or cinnamon to be found! A clean, green, herbal honey with a touch of sweet, powdery myrrh. Bright and refreshing.

Sweet myrrh is the star here, partnered with its BFF frankincense. I can't pick out peru balsam (wish I had a single note to compare!) A lovely simple, resinous incense blend, and yes, it does have a dry/ashes aspect, like when your incense stick burns down to that last little bit. That's what distinguishes it from other similar blends such as Penitence.

It's hard for me to be impartial so I'll just say, it is a very sexy scent. I wouldn't describe it as clean...that makes me think of aftershave or cleaning products, which this definitely bears no resemblance to. There's tobacco, and fruity notes, like a fruity red wine, or the plum from Bordello. And the rosin in the background gives that little bit of dark mystery which draws you in deeper. Yet on the surface it is surprisingly sweet and bright. It also reminds me of some Lush product that I can't put my finger on. Cocoa-buttery almost. Must get bottle, must slather on husband!

I dig the current smoky iteration of Hellfire, but I've always wanted to try this long-discontinued version. It's notes of buttered bourbon and heavy cream appealed to me. Buttery in color, this oil is 10+ years old but still going strong. There's bourbon, a lot of buttery cream, a little fruitiness. I'm not really getting any allspice. Brings to mind a wild holiday party. After a few minutes, there's the allspice! Like a cozy kitchen. The cream is still here but the bourbon's all drunk up! It's now a homey, comforting scent. Like lazing in bed all day after the revelry!

Pine, the very SWEETEST pine, blended with frankincense resin and soft leather. I love the bourbon vanilla and the additional sweetness it brings. This is not a foody blend at all, but I love how the vanilla complements the other notes and brings out their innate sweetness. I love all pine blends, and this one's a delight. (Even though I don't smell any armor like I was hoping!) Edit: Just noticed there is no pine in the scent description. ??? I don't know what my nose is up to. I smell pine and I love it!