galahad

In the Vial: Woody, sweet plum. Surprisingly nice in the vial On the Skin: The oud comes to the fore with the sweet plum. Really lovely. The rose is just a tiny accent. Surprisingly close to the skin and the sandalwood reads more as redwood. On the Drydown: This dries down to a lovely fragrant rich wood with almost red wine notes. The rose isn't particularly evident. It's a bit light for me though

In the Vial: Slightly fermented apple with honey On the Skin: Quite pumpkiny with apple cider. A little effervescent. The honey emerges to sweeten up and round out the blend. On the Drydown: Quite dry and almost dusty. Still has a lightly beery vibe with apple and pumpkin with some spices. Not my jam

In the Bottle: Sweet powdery musk On the Skin: Smooth, sticky myrrh and a sweet musk with a faint aquatic vibe. The whisp of cigarillo smoke is way in the background but it's there. On the Drydown: Surprisingly not as dense as I expected. It is light and airy with a sepia tinge. It's a little too sweet and powdery for me

In the Bottle: Hay, pine and earth On the Skin: Warm, dry earth and wood with pine. I agree that the pine needles are dry rather than super green. Very complex and the pine is really soft but also bright. I do get some clary sage way in the background with it's tea-like mintiness. On the Drydown: As this dries, there is a herbal quality emerging. Possibly the mandrake? Lovely dusty grass, herbs and pine needles. Delightfully late summer/early autumn, IMO

In the Bottle: Sweetened patchouli and oudh On the Skin: Patchouli, fig and a light oudh. Absolutely gorgeous! The cream adds some roundness/fattiness and the tinge of vanilla adds depth. This is a blend verging on foodie but not actually getting there. A girlier version of Nasty Woman and worth backup hoarding. On the Drydown: The patchouli becomes huskier and more prominent as this dries down but seems to constantly change between gritty and sweet smoothness. Love!

In the Bottle: Grapefruit and honey On the Skin: Grapefruit with the effervescent cider adding a slight winey note (very slight). This is so fun and bright. The honey emerges fairly quickly and is very obvious but melds with the grapefruit nicely. On the Drydown: Dries down to a honey tinged with bright grapefruit. The grapefruit lasts quite a while which is unusual on my skin. Ultimately, dries to a light sweetish honey tinge. Nice

In the Bottle: Sagebrush, juniper and the strange but lovely California lilac. On the Skin: Initially, sweet and round but then becomes almost a rich caramel with dry grass and sagebrush herbalness. The California lilac lends it's almost floral note to the blend. Lovely, with the impression of heat and aridity. On the Drydown: Has a fairly linear drydown and ends as a sweetish herbal sage and dry grass which stays close to the skin. Would be delightful to cuddle up to on a late summers evening

In the Bottle: Wax, rose, incense and a touch of vanilla to smooth it out On the Skin: Beautiful candle wax, soft rose and little of the citrus from the Florida water. The incense is heavy, sweet and round - beautiful. This reminds me of my beloved Hand of Glory with rose and citrus, both of which just simmer under the surface. On the Drydown: This is hoard worthy and will become divine with age. The Florida water note is pure genius which could have gone wrong without the light touch. The rose, my least favourite note in many blends, is delightful and just adds to the whole without overtaking the blend. Stunning in it's complexity and in it's inspiration.

In the Bottle: Patchouli and oudh with a floral backing On the Skin: Definitely rich plum at the forefront, briefly, on application and then sweet, smooth patchouli and heavy oudh emerge. Deep, earthy and really luscious. The osmanthus adds a sweet floral undercurrent but intertwines with the other notes seemlessly. The patchouli rears up agan a little later but it is a truly awesome patch - smooth and sweet. On the Drydown: Dries down to a whisper of patch and plum. Lovely

In the Bottle: Very dark and almost treacle-like without any trace of sweetness. I think I get the saffron strongly On the Skin: Clove and saffron, creating a strange combo almost like brandy and bandaids. The sandalwood starts to emerge fairly quickly to dry out the blend and elevate it by adding a thin woody sweetness. On the Drydown: Dries down to a sweet clovey amber with the dryness of the sandalwood keeping the blend interesting. The clove is light, just adding a touch of it's unique spiciness. I'd wear this in the 3 months of the year that are cooler

Only one (two), huh? Snake Oil because it's a well loved classic. Rich, sweet vanilla/patchouli/spice goodness Jazz Funeral - humidity, dirt and tropical white flowers. My go-to summer evening GC

White lavender and ambrette seed, grey patchouli, rum absolute, and vetiver. In the Bottle: Rum and lavender with a faint ambrette whiff On the Skin: Rum and lavender. Almost cakey sweet. Ambrette always reads as grey to me so with the grey patchouli and white lavender this is definitely a muted (but strong) scent only warmed by the rum. The play of the rum and lavender together almost gives an anise vibe. On the Drydown: This has massive throw. It's not a happy scent but rahter broody and melancholy. The lavender is strong! and at times almost takes over but the rum always reins it back in. Eventually the vetiver creeps in and turns an already grey scent ashen. Masterful and lovely. A perfect winters day scent.

In the Bottle: Cardamom and a slight creaminess On the Skin: Initially a beautiful cardamom cream but the cardamom isn't overpowering. There is a slight carnation spiciness peeking through On the Drydown: There is a slightly uncomfortable period as the carnation and cardamom cross over with the cardamom moving to the background and the carnation coming to the front but that doesn't last long. This is a glorious beauty. The carnation cream backed by the cardamom is stunning. I did a full day wear and I got wafts of carnation all day.

In the Bottle: Snake oil and worn leather. More mature than Western Diamondback On the Skin: Almost a caramelised snake oil to start with with the leather slow to emerge but when it does - wowza, it is gorgeous! On the Drydown: The leather and snake oil are quite balanced in this one. Sophisticated, spicy and with good longevity

In the Bottle: Sweet, powdery black musk On the Skin: Black musk forward with the motor oil just peeping through to take the edge of the powderiness. The myrrh is there but not overly evident On the Drydown: I expected this to be grittier but it is quite black musk dominant. I do quite like it and it believe it needs a lot of aging. Has a bit of an 80's vibe

In the Bottle: Black leather, a coolness, musk and dust. Dark musk yet airy On the Skin: Musty carpet, a vague resinousness and black leather. The ambergris adds a lightness, There is a vague plastic quality which is actually quite nice. On the Drydown: This is really nice and comforting. There's the dusty lanolin of the carpet, black leather which doesn't over-power and soft resins in the background. Underlying everything is the plastic and metal which just add ambiance rather than featuring. Awesome!

My most remarkable experience has been with Dr. H. Slade of New York, for whom I have formed a high regard. I first met him at his residence last November, when, without announcing my name, in three consecutive sittings, at eleven o’clock in the morning, seated at a small, bare table in the centre of a light room, there written on the under side of a slate placed on the table, several communications addressed to me, purporting to come from my deceased friends. I pass over the other manifestations – such as the movement of heavy articles of furniture in plain view, without visible contact – and confine myself to the writing on the slate, which I regarded with most interest… – Thos. W. Waterman, Binghamton, NY, July 14, 1873 The result of a physical law which is not yet understood, and the existence of which has hitherto scarcely been suspected: beeswax candles, chalk, and dust. In the Bottle: Rich beewax and a little bit of a dusty background On the Skin: The beautiful lab beeswax note, rich and sweet. The dry chalky note and dust emerges quite quickly to dry out the blend and tone down the sweetness of the beeswax. I am loving the chalkiness. On the Drydown: Stays fairly consistent through the drydown as a dusty beeswax but the beeswax amps up every now and then. I love it.

Soft auburn musk, clove bud, honeyed patchouli, oakmoss absolute, cashmere labdanum, cedar, and mimosa blossom. In the Bottle: Musk, cedar and honey. Smells sweet and rich On the Skin: Not as sweet on the skin. The musk is warm and I get the auburn aspect as it's not dark and not white. The honey and patchouli simmer along but gain some strength On the Drydown: Gorgeous, light honey, musk and the characteristic patchouli scent. The clove makes its presence known but doesn't take over, just adding a smoky spiciness. The mimosa isn't evident. Nice but fleeting on my skin

In the Bottle: Perfumey and smoky vanilla with a dusky edge On the Skin: That silk note is so interesting and hard to describe. Definitely get the light smoked honey and the patchouli seems to be white patchouli. On the Drydown: This is strangely perfumey but in a good way. Elegant but with enough grit from the smoke and patchouli to be interesting. The benzoin adds a subtle vanilla resinousness. Direct sniff on the skin and I'm not sure about it but the scent from the throw is gorgeous. Definitely a keeper.

In the Bottle: Sweet vanilla and creamy sandalwood On the Skin: Gorgeous musky vanilla and sandalwood that isn't too dry. There is a slight bubblegummy sweetness which may be the lotus root. On the Drydown: This dries down to a fairly simple vanilla and sandalwood with the sandalwood becoming more prominent as the scent develops. Simple but rich and sweet. Delightful

You come to a building that seems to have been hastily erected from splintered wood, stone, and plaster. Flickering light from within sparkles out through blood-tinged chunks of glass that have been wedged into the arch entrance. You push open the thick velvet curtain that covers the mouth of the building and look inside. The chapel is small and cramped, and the air is thick with heavy incense, bitter wine, sulphur, and the coppery scent of blood. A massive stained glass window is set against the back wall, glowing brightly. In the center of the room, a groveling figure is crouched before a woman draped in purple-black clerical robes. The woman's eyes are filled with righteous hellfire, and she extends a hand in benediction to the man who has fallen prostrate at her feet. He murmurs, "Libera Te Ex Caelum", and she gestures for him to rise. As he gets to his knees he winces in pain and moans in a strange expression of ecstasy, and you see small horns growing from his skull. Black incense, bitter wine, brimstone, bile, and blood. In the Vial: Intense sticky sweet wine, incense and the Lab blood note. Gives me chills just smelling it from the vial On the Skin: Insanely intense wine and acrid incense with vetiver. Luciously rich and evocative. Thankfully the wine is not grapey. The sweetness tones down over time (and it is initially very thickly sweet) On the Drydown: I stayed away from this during the last iteration of Carnival Diabolique and I am so sad that I did. This is gorgeous, multilayered and wearable. A new love for me

In the Bottle: Floral and slightly green with an acidic edge On the Skin: Intense, but not overpowering, white florals. The champaca is very evident. On the Drydown: This dries down to an elegant floral incense. Lovely

Blue lilac, pink pepper, birch tar, juniper berry, and lemon peel. I couldn't resist another lilac blend after Cave of Treasures last year In the bottle: A similar vibe to Cave of Treasures with that round lilac note. A touch of juniper in the back On the Skin: Lilac and juniper making an unusual but nice combo, lush but almost candyish. On the Drydown: The lemon peel peeks out to add slight bitterness to tame the sweetness of the lilac. The birch tar is not forefront but adds a smokiness and the juniper adds a freshness and slight fruitiness. This is actually quite the morpher within a narrow scent band. A tiny bit of spicy kick from the pink pepper. I think, like Cave of Treasures, this will come into it's own after a brief period of aging.

In the Bottle: That was unexpected. Smells a little different than I thought it would but it is gorgeous in the bottle On the Skin: As mentioned by others, a greeness when freshly applied. Very thick cream and sweet honeycomb really morph the base Sanke Oil into something very different. On the Drydown: Almost an almond/Snow White vibe to this. The snake oil asserts a little more dominance as it dries down but the scent development is largely linear. Tends to go a little "sweaty" on extreme drydown so more of a winter scent for me. Really pretty awesome all up

In the Bottle: Narcissus at the forefront but also the white amber and the bergamot On the Skin: The narcissus is glorious - sweet and with that almost epoxy scent of Sol d'Or. The bergamot is not as evident as in the bottle but the vanilla warms to add depth On the Drydown: I love good narcissus scents and this is lovely. It rounds out to a smooth vanilla and narcissus with enough sharp dustiness from the white amber and a little orris. I agree there is an indolence to this. It would be a late winter/early spring scent for me