tinyvulture

Rose and sandalwood, plus a bright, refreshing hit of lemon-peppery elemi that makes me inhale deeply. The elemi is the star of this show. It's a very clean, alive scent! Wear it to wake up in the morning.

In the movie, I loved Eve's nocturnal visits to this Moroccan cafe. A bottle called out to me unsniffed. It's amazing. Coffee so thick you can stand a spoon up in it. Coffee with so many spices, more savory than sweet. Cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper. Syrupy shisha, too. Bold, strong, lasts and lasts. I may not have bought enough.

Sandalwood and benzoin, so comforting and warm. A plush, soft blend. I feel like there's something foody as well...almond butter or peanut butter! I have the hardest time describing this one, out of the entire collection. It's gentle, yet resilient.

Saffron, vanilla, and honey...I immediately think of Morocco (the BPAL blend) because of the saffron. But this is foodier, sweeter. And there's something fruity, but that might be the hay note. It turns fruity on me occasionally. No jasmine to speak of; it must be blended in so seamlessly that I don't notice it. Of all the decants I tried, this is the one I wanted a bottle of at first sniff. Honeyed saffron...irresistible.

A happy, pure, sparkling white musk blend. Really captures the glitz and glitter of diamonds. Sweet, white, tropical (must be the davana!) The cognac adds to the posh, festive vibe. I love the lab's cognac note! A lovely perfume for going out on the town.

In the vial, it's leather and butterscotch! (Well, actually it's rum. My nose confuses rum with butterscotch often, like in Baron Samedi.) Very faint patchouli...mostly weathered, dusty leather mixed with a sweet, buttery rum. Very appealing, this Ian. Over time, the other notes fade out and it's mainly leather.

I had high expectations for this scent, representing one of the most brilliant fictional characters I've come across in awhile. I love Eve's zeal for life, even after so many centuries. Her scent is a pastiche of so many different influences and notes, as it should be, all neatly stitched together. It's heavy on saffron, like Hal, but Eve is more reserved, close to the skin. Rose water, light incense, honey...all so perfect together.

There's been so much love for Ava. Now I see why. Ava's the traditional women's floral perfume of the collection, and it's beautiful. The tuberose is lovely here with the vanilla musk. Very faint mandarin orange (and I usually amp citrus), and I can't pick out the almond. Description that comes to mind is sweet, youthful, innocent...deceptively so?

Grainy, woodsy sweetness (brings to mind my beloved Bezoar). Maybe a faint metallic brightness at first, but it fades out. I also feel like I smell wet clay, of all things! This blend is very close to the skin. I adore woods, but this one's too faint for me.

So much TONKA! And vanilla, and a bridal bouquet of other floral notes that make faint impressions, because it's a tonka party up in here! After a few minutes, there's something antiseptic. As in cleaning products. Nope, not this one.

I like how the description almost makes Adam sound like a hoarder. A sexy, sexy hoarder. His scent, at first, is fully enveloping black leather. That's it. It takes about ten minutes for the leather to calm down. The I get tiny hints of the Victorian fougere, the sandalwood. But mostly it's a rich, buttery leather. So warm and rich, I would almost call it chocolaty. That's got to be the ambergris at work. This is so good. And sexy.

"Lake St. Clair" in the description reminds me of the two teenage years I spent in Grosse Pointe, a snotty well-to-do Detroit suburb. We lived blocks from the lake. So this scent description makes me think of yacht clubs, country clubs, and kids who got BMW's on their 16th birthdays. Fortunately, the scent itself is awesome. I usually can't do aquatics, but this one has a rebellious bite to it that I love. Is it the embodiment of the resentment between the haves/have-nots? I also think I smell wildflowers, bringing to mind ancient history, and the fact that the plants and water lived here long before the rich kids, and hopefully long after. Untamed nature.

Amazing warm incense blend with rich, sweet resins. There's that "cola" scent I often get from frankincense. And, liquidambar? I had to look it up. Now I want liquidambar single note. This blend brings to mind religious rites past in the mint-green-domed abandoned churches of Detroit, with sludgy incense resins built up decade after decade. Must have more.

(It doesn't smell like funnel cakes. Just getting that out of the way.) Wild, jungle patchouli! You don't wanna mess with this patchouli. Is red vegetal musk different from regular red musk? I vote no, because I smell red musk. I know the smell of coriander but I'm missing it here. Cardamom is present, though. Vetiver, no. Leather, yes. Nice overall, but it's got a lot going on. Too much of a good thing for me, maybe. Ends up being mostly leather and patchouli, but I prefer Adam's buttery sexy leather.

I love ambergris accord, there's nothing like it. Sweet, warm, with a woodsiness/graininess that's enhanced here by the guiac wood and benzoin. Such a lovely resinous blend, similar to In Templum Dei. ITD wins out only for reasons of personal nostalgia.

Florals, mostly rose. Stuffy florals...stuffy, like a vase of flowers in a warm, poorly ventilated library. With the chemical tang of...laudanum? Mercury ointment? I don't know what those smell like. Pass on this one.

Tea notes - strong black tea and lemony bergamot - combine intriguingly with woodsy peru balsam. No vanilla or patchouli for me. The lemon is so strong and it really starts to take over. I'll have to stick with a tea blend that's lighter on the citrus.

At first, I get almond extract and lavender. As it dries, the honey-sweetened nougat comes forward, but there's still sharp lavender note. Finally, when dry, it's nougat with a much softer lavender. I love this unique combination of foody and herbal notes. Not picking up thyme, but that's ok.

Spicy, buttery cake with lots of orange zest, and tons of RUM! Think a boozy Huesos de Santo. It's been awhile since I tried Butter Rum Cookie but, for comparison, I'd say this is heavier on the orange zest, lighter on the almond (as in, I don't smell any), and about equal in terms of being extremely boozy! Although, after a few minutes, the rum does die down considerably. I'm left with a sweet, buttery, festive foody scent. This scent does not last long at all...that's the only drawback.

On me, this perfume is dried rose petals and red wine, smoothed out by sweet beeswax. I'm not noticing the frankincense. I just adore the beeswax -- it makes this blend special. I wish it was a bit stronger; it's one of those scents that stays very close to the skin. A grown up, womanly scent -- there's a quiet seductiveness to it.

Dry rose, a little soapy and powdery, with sweet resins. Well, I guess according to the scent description, there are resins, and then there is sweet honey. But I'm not getting a distinct honey note. Just general sweetness. Which is a bummer, because I love honey. A soft, pretty, understated rose scent, but does not really stand out for me.

OMG, this story is heartbreaking. Was expecting something beautifully sad, but instead I got pickles? No idea what that could be. After a minute, it dies down, and the rose is there. But something salty/sour remains, confusing my nose. Will have to pass.

I'm loving this combination of sweet benzoin, patchouli, and soft rose notes. Perfect for my hippie/resinous blend-loving ways. Ahh, I love benzoin and patchouli together, so much! The rose keeps it from being totally "head shop" and brings it into feminine, romantic territory. I received a sniffie and now I'll have to seek out more.

Strong spicy chai tea, with a good amount of fruity pumpkin. I love how the pumpkin is present without being overwhelming. It really does have that distinct full-bodied red rooibos scent. I'm getting hints of cardamom and licorice, and sweetness from the jaggery. I just really love it! Although I'm reviewing it in May, it instantly takes me to chilly fall evenings.

I get mostly woods. Very dry, parched. I've always loved Carfax Abbey as my go-to "haunted house" scent. This isn't as rich, or as strong. Haunted Houses is subtle, soft. Ghostly...yes, maybe. Very soft musks, feminine somehow. Gentle ghosts, not posing a threat.