motdakasha

THE BLOOD GARDEN Vast open tents have been erected further down the lane. Ornately carved wooden poles support swaths of drooping black lace and blood-crusted burgundy velvet. Grapevines and ivy creep over the beams in the tent and curl like cocoons around bodies that hang upside-down in the caliginous gloom of the tents. Within the shadows, pale figures recline on divans covered in moldering, frayed fabric. As you pass, a feral, white-haired man hoists a tall-stemmed crystal glass of deep red liquid in a toast to you. Blood accord, bitter clove, English ivy, Tempranillo grape, red currant, oak, leather, blackberry leaf, and ginger lily. This is my first review. Hope this thread doesn't already exist somewhere..? In the bottle: Rating (1-5): 5 Notes: blood accord, Tempranillo grape, red currants Comment: It's slightly metallic and very fruity, which I absolutely love. I like it when I smell edible! Everything else is underneath those. I'm very partial to the sweet notes which is probably why I notice those first. Wet on skin: After 5-10 minutes. Rating (1-5): 5 Notes: Bitter clove, oak, leather Comment: The clove is now noticeable, but somewhat faint which is unusual for me. The other more masculine notes (oak, leather, etc.) have now balanced out the strong sweeter notes. Dry on skin: After 1 Hr. Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: Tempranillo grape, ginger lily, blackberry leaf Scent Intensity: 2 Comment: Smell has faded considerably. I really wish the intensity of the first 30 minutes would last longer like others do because it's a really fantastic scent. You can only notice it if your nose is directly on my skin. Because it doesn't last as long as others I've tried, I may have to get a backup bottle for this so I know I'll have enough to last a while! Misc: Duration: 2-3 Hrs. Keyword(s): Gourmand; metallic fruit Color: Maroon Smells like: Coagulated blood wine.

TABULA SMARAGDINA True, without error, certain and most true. Rosicrucian incense. In the bottle: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: Woody rose, sandalwood or frankincense?, incense powder Comment: Smells very similar to my Chinese brand of rose soap, but powdery smelling like incense. There are other notes present but I cannot identify them. Wet on skin: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: woody rose, frankincense? Comment: Less rose and more incense-y on the skin. Dry on skin: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: woody rose, incense powder Scent Intensity (1-5): 3 Comment: Very consistent scent that hasn't changed much from bottle to skin. I need to be in relatively close proximity to smell it -- I don't have an aura of it surrounding me and I don't have to place my nose on my skin before I can smell it. Update: There is still residual incense smell on my arms after I bathed. I'm quite surprised by that, really. Misc: Duration: N/A Keyword(s): wood, rose, incense Color: Mahogany Smells like: Chinese rose incense scented soap.

THE MALTESE CROSS OF SANCTUS GERMANUS Could this contain the secret of eternal life? Golden amber, blood orange, ambergris, lilac, frankincense, and agarwood. In the bottle: Rating (1-5): 5 Notes: blood orange, frankincense Comment: I was excited about this because French Huguenots also identified with the Maltese Cross and that's part of my family tree. Very sharp and intense in the bottle. Wet on skin: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: blood orange, golden amber Comment: My nose is a bit fried from weather and allergies at the moment, so I'm not picking up much other than orange. Dry on skin: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: golden amber, lilac, agarwood, frankincense, maybe ambergris? Scent Intensity (1-5): 4 Comment: I don't generally enjoy floral notes, but this is quite pleasant because it's not at the forefront. In your face stabby orange subdued by pretty golden amber. Misc: Duration: N/A Keyword(s): non-floral floral Color: Marigold Smells like: N/A

Dark chocolate and cherry. I smell like someone cracked open a cherry cordial and smeared it all over my body. I'm delicious!

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: almond blossom, ho wood Comment: Very sweet, light, musky wood. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: ho wood, animalic musk, patchouli Comment: Very musky and woody, yet lightened by almond blossom, and perhaps cypress? I think I smell some star anise or cardamom as part of the "strange spices." Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: ho wood, patchouli Scent Intensity: 4 Comment: Overall very wood-smelling, with other notes coming and going. Misc: Duration: Keyword(s): wood Color: Mahogany Smells like: dank redwood forest

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: muddy earth, unidentifiable fruit Comment: Not easy for me to smell the banana in the bottle. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: musky banana, earth Comment: The banana is definitely not forefront in the notes. As if someone had squashed an overripe banana in fresh earth, which is more muddy and wet than dust. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: dirt, dust, banana Scent Intensity: 5 Comment: Dirty, dusky, banana. Very strong cologne-ish scent. Graveyard notes very pronounced, banana not noticeable when smelling skin directly; however, as the perfume wafts, it smells like Runts mixed with drier dirt and dust. Misc: Duration: +4 Hrs. Keyword(s): masculine Color: N/A Smells like: Runts rolled in muddy cologne.

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: pumpkin, nutmeg, clove Comment: Smells delicious and like Pumpkin III, except less creamy and chocolatey. Wet on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: pumpkin, cream? Comment: Slight off-note smell to it. Dry on skin: Rating: 3 Notes: nutmeg, clove, maybe peach? Scent Intensity: 3 Comment: This has a definitely plastic smell to it, under that there are some of the spice smells. I'm a little let down because March Hare smells excellent on me and so does Pumpkin III. Misc: Duration: N/A Keyword(s): gourmand Color: N/A Smells like: Pumpkin III

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: nutmeg, sweet-briar, ginger root, lemon Comment: The honey is not obvious to me in the bottle and the first scent that comes to mind is the nutmeg. Wet on skin: Rating:5 Notes: sweet-briar, rosemary, lemon Comment: Smells very musky. If the musky note is the honey mead it's very different from how honey notes usually smell to me, but I like this honey/musk combo! Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: ?? Scent Intensity: 2 Comment: I can't identify any notes. It's just a muddled sweety musky scent. I'm surprised the golden mead, fermented fruit, clove, and cinnamon are not very easy for me to detect as these tend to be very loud on my skin. The scent changed on me almost immediately and became barely noticeable / very subtle. Strange! I think this muddled scent is actually a powdery type muddled-ness. It's not bad, but not what I was hoping for. Misc: Duration: N/A Keyword(s): sweet, musky, floral? Color: N/A Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: dark chocolate, honeysuckle, allspice, apple blossom Comment: Smells so tasty! Wet on skin: Rating: Notes: white chocolate, frankincense, black tea, tonka, sandalwood Comment: Very delicious smelling, and totally different notes come out on my skin. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: white chocolate, apple blossom, dark chocolate, nutmeg Scent Intensity: 3 Comment: Very delicious. My only wish is that it had a longer duration. Misc: Duration: 2-3 Hrs. Keyword(s): gourmand Color: N/A Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: red musk, mimosa, clove, vanilla bean Comment: Smells deliciously musky. Wet on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: Florentine iris, red musk, magnolia, Damascus rose, vanilla bean Comment: The floral notes are more apparent on me than in the bottle. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: red musk, mimosa, Damascus rose, clove, vanilla bean Scent Intensity: 3 Comment: A nice scent, but not in the top 10. Misc: Duration: 4+ Hrs. Keyword(s): floral, musky Color: N/A Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: thunder charged ozone, opium tar, wormwood Comment: Very ozone. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: thunder charged ozone, wormwood, opium tar Comment: Very ozoney smell. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: thunder charged ozone, plum-colored incense smoke, wormwood Scent Intensity: 3 Comment: Unfortunately, this smells kind of like old lady's perfume when smelling it as a collective perfume. I can pick out the ozone note separately and each note does smell good like this, but not so much as a single scent. Misc: Duration: 3+ Hrs. Keyword(s): N/A Color: N/A Smells like: Old lady's perfume

In the bottle: Rating: 2 Notes: red ginger, cassia, cinnamon Comment: I don't like ginger. Wet on skin: Rating: 2 Notes: red ginger, cassia Comment: I don't like ginger. Dry on skin: Rating: 3 Notes: cassia, cinnamon, red ginger Scent Intensity: 3 Comment: I can still smell the ginger. I'm sure other people don't think I smell bad, but definitely not my shtick. It's not the perfume's fault that ginger makes me nauseous. Misc: Duration: ~2 Hrs. Keyword(s): gourmand Color: Smells like: Big Red gum & ginger breath

In the bottle: Rating: 4 Notes: oakmoss, sea moss Comment: Not a very noticeable scent in the bottle. Wet on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: oakmoss, sea moss Comment: A little bit stronger smelling on the skin, but still very subtle. Dry on skin: Rating: 3 Notes: oakmoss Scent Intensity: 3 Comment: I smell more snake oil than mossy notes in this one. Also faded comparably faster than others from the Snake Pit. Misc: Duration: 2+ Hrs. Keyword(s): N/A Color: olive Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 4 Notes: almond, myrrh Comment: I don't like the way almond smells in the bottle but it's usually OK on my skin. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: almond, myrrh Comment: Don't smell the red mandarin, but this ends up way more gourmand than I thought it would. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: myrrh, almond Scent Intensity: 3 Comment: Not as long lasting as the other snake oils. I also didn't notice any mandarin, but I definitely like how food scented it smells. Misc: Duration: 3+ Hrs. Keyword(s): gourmand Color: Copper Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 3 Notes: orange pulp, gardenia Comment: Smells kind of like a cleaning chemical. Wet on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: orange pulp, gardenia, white honey, bergamot, jasmine sambac Comment: Still a bit of a cleaning chemical smell. Dry on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: black amber, oakmoss, green sandalwood, ti leaf, vanilla, white honey Scent Intensity: 4 Comment: Starts out not that great and turns into this lovely musky earthy perfume. Misc: Duration: +4 Hrs. Keyword(s): musky, earthy, mossy Color: dark earth green Smells like: Flowers decomposing in a dirt heap.

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: cinnamon, myrrh Comment: Cinnamon in the bottle smells kind of rank, but morphs nice on me so hopefully this will do the same. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: cinnamon, smoke Comment: Liking the cinnamon and smoke together. Dry on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: myrrh, smoke, cinnamon Scent Intensity: 4 Comment: The myrrh has finally presented itself as a really nice dark musk with smoke in the background. The cinnamon is not so prominent as it tends to fade fast on me. Misc: Duration: +4 Hrs. Keyword(s): musky, spicy, smokey Color: Burnt sienna Smells like: Big Red chewed by a smoker.

Gennivre, L'Artiste du Diable Hyson tea leaf, pale mint, sugar cane, orange blossom, lemongrass, and honey. In the bottle: Rating: 4 Notes: Hyson tea leaf, pale mint Comment: Mostly only smell those two notes. Seems like a very subtle perfume. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: pale mint, Hyson tea leaf, orange blossom Comment: I like the minty freshness. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: sugar cane, honey Scent Intensity: 1 Comment: This faded very fast and I'm not sure I like the residual smell left by it. It's not clearly a honey note; more like the smell of honey I smeared on my skin a week ago and never washed off with soap and water. Again, not as gourmand as I was hoping. Misc: Duration: <2 Hrs. Keyword(s): tea, musky Color: N/A Smells like: N/A

Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum. In the bottle: Rating: 4 Notes: red musk, patchouli leaf, wild plum Comment: I'm afraid the patchouli is going to be overpowering. Wet on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: red musk, patchouli leaf, vanilla bean Comment: Definitely a more masculine scent on me due to patchouli, but it's not as bad as I thought. It's also not as fruit as I hoped. Dry on skin: Rating: Notes: patchouli leaf, red musk Scent Intensity: 4 Comment: As I suspected patchouli became the main note in this for me. Not my style but not too dirty-hippy smelling. Occasionally I'll catch a brief waft of vanilla or red musk. Misc: Duration: +5 Hrs Keyword(s): musky Color: Rusty nails Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 4 Notes: cassis, cardamom, patchouli, black cherry Comment: Very strong on the cassis and cardamom as a close second. Wet on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: cassis, cardamom, patchouli Comment: My skin turned pink and burned a little; must be from the cassis. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: patchouli, cardamom, cassis, black cherry Scent Intensity: 2 Comment: Slightly baby powder-ish smell to it and not very long lasting on me. Not as cherry or gourmand smelling as I would have liked. Misc: Duration: 2-3 Hrs. Keyword(s): N/A Color: N/A Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: cloves, apricots Comment: Deliciously foodie. Right up my alley and one of my top 5 favorite from general catalogue. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: cloves, apricots Comment: This perfume is very intense and doesn't change on my skin. Dry on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: cloves, apricots Scent Intensity: 5 Comment: I love to smell edible. Definitely among my top favorites. Misc: Duration: +4 Hrs Keyword(s): gourmand Color: Apricot! Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: cocoa, rice milk Comment: Smells so delicious! I think this is one worthy of hoarding. I love gourmand scents. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: cocoa, rice milk, vanilla, teakwood Comment: Still smells very cocoa delicious! Dry on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: cocoa, rice milk, vanilla Scent Intensity: 5 Comment: I was surprised that this combination of notes works so well because I thought I would amp a really woody teakwood scent, but that is far in the background. It turns out smelling very creamy (rice milk & vanilla) and chocolatey. Misc: Duration: +5 Hrs. Keyword(s): cocoa, gourmand Color: Cocoa puff brown Smells like: Chocolate rice krispy treats, or tootsie roll pops

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: flowers, electricity, metal Comment: Definitely fits its description. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: flowers, electricity Comment: Metal not easily detectable but still very pleasant. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: flowers Scent Intensity: 1 Comment: Only flower notes remain and very faint. Faded fast. Misc: Duration: 1-2 Hrs. Keyword(s): floral Color: blue-gray Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: passion flower, linden blossom Comment: Sweet floral, but not too strong. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: passion flower, linden blossom Comment: Nicely sweet. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: calla lily, narcissus, passion flower Scent Intensity: 3 Comment: Became a stronger floral, which is not so much my thing. For a floral, however, it's not that bad because it's a little fruity. Misc: Duration: +5 Hrs. Keyword(s): sweet, floral Color: Fleshy guava Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 3 Notes: vetiver, opoponax Comment: Very earthy and musky, not really huge into this. Wet on skin: Rating: 3 Notes: vetiver, black coconut, vanilla Comment: At first, I smell the delicious coconut and vanilla, then vetiver turns into a body odor kind of smell that I find unappealing. Dry on skin: Rating: 4 Notes: black coconut, vanilla, opoponax, vetiver Scent Intensity: 4 Comment: The vetiver calms down allowing for occasional wafts of black coconut and vanilla. Misc: Duration: +4 Hrs Keyword(s): earthy, musky Color: Brown Smells like: N/A

In the bottle: Rating: 5 Notes: mint, seaweed, ambergris Comment: Very smooth blend. Wet on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: seaweed, ambergris Comment: Aquatic-ish! Dry on skin: Rating: 5 Notes: honey, ambergris, seaweed Scent Intensity: 4-5 Comment: Very long lasting, sweet honey scent. Misc: Duration: +5 Hrs. Keyword(s): aquatic honey Color: N/A Smells like: Underwater beehive