hlinspjalda

In the vial: Light herb, light citrus. Wet: Still herbal and citrus, with not a very distinctive scent on me. I look forward to the patchouli developing; I usually do quite well with red patchouli. Half an hour: A hint of sage and some very floral touches of lemon. Very soft and unexpected; I was anticipating something sharp and bright. I've noticed that the Agonies in this series don't typically work on me, whereas the Ecstasies work great. Maybe there's a lesson in that somewhere. One hour: A little fruity now, perhaps the blackberry coming out? But still remarkably gentle on me. Three and a half hours: This one never went anywhere on me, really. Trade pile.

In the bottle: Oooh, complex but recognizable. There's vanilla, musk, leather, honeycomb, patchouli, all sorts of stuff. I like it! Wet: Musky and a bit rooty, with a leather tinge, and fleshy flowers on top. This is going nice places but needs to develop. Twenty minutes: Sharper notes are prevailing, the leather and something else. The warmth of the base has dissipated somewhat, and the florals have gone a bit more piercing. I might have to trade this if it doesn't improve. Hour and a half: This is starting not to work for me. The base is sourish, the leather note is kind of pungent, and there's another note edging into headache territory. I think I will have to find a better home for this one. Two and a half hours: This has gone unexpectedly both sharp and flat on me. The only identifiable note I get is something that's rather like dusty leather. Four hours: I'm amazed at how little I'm getting out of this scent, given all the notes in it that work on me. It's definitely not worth me keeping; maybe someone else will love it. I traded this to someone who loves it.

In the bottle: Vanilla citrus cake! This reminds me of my initial reaction to "Vampire Tears." Wet: Not nearly as much vanilla as I expected. I get a gentle blend of gardenia-jasmine with a sweet vanilla backup. There's a touch of the aromatic bitter oil of grapefruit skin. I might be able to wear this one after all! Twenty minutes: Sweet citrus-floral-vanilla, all in one package. It really smells quite pretty, girlish, cheerful, and not at all piercing, pungent, or headachy. I expect the vanilla is probably going to take over eventually and, at the very least, overwhelm the citrus note. But right now everything is interestingly balanced. If only it could stay that way! One hour: Yup, it's pretty much mostly vanilla now. There's still a touch of the grapefruit (a note I always love), and the sweetness of the white flowers in the background, but this is a solidly vanilla scent. However, it's one I can actually wear. It's not really me, but it works on me. Two hours: The citrus is mostly gone now, and there's just enough white flower in this to make it not completely a vanilla scent. But it's really much more vanilla than I'm comfortable wearing, even though it works nicely with my chemistry. I was sort of hoping for more of the florals. Three and a half hours: There's a bit of gardenia left, but this is pretty much all vanilla. It has stayed pretty, cooperates with my skin chemistry, and I like it, but I've never been fond of vanilla-centric perfumes. I'll try to trade this bottle.

In the vial: Wine, honey, citrus, and cinnamon. Utterly, deliciously drinkable. Wet: Strong cinnamon-clove over honey; the wine note has cut back a lot. Twenty minutes: Spices, honey, and a bit of citrus. It is quite strong. It smells great, but I don't know that I'd want to smell like this. It's a little too foody. One hour: More honey and spices than anything else. There's a bit of citrus and some grapey note, but not nearly as much as there is honey and spice. This reminds me a bit of "Hetairae," so I guess the honey must be a bit clove-rich. Two hours: It's gone a little funky now. It's turned almost musky, maybe, a little more like ‘Hetairae" on my skin. But the honey and spice notes are still there. No further sign of the citrus, though. Three hours: Something in this blend is over-tired now. It's lost the appetizing scent it had, turning into something more like "O" or "Hetairae" only not as fresh. I don't mind it, but I no longer feel myself in danger of falling in love with this rare scent. Whew! Bullet dodged. Five hours: Yes, it's definitely in funky territory now. Something about this scent took a wrong turn on my skin, which is weird because I usually do well with all those notes. It's a bit disappointing, kind of like I felt when "Lilith" turned bad on me. Maybe it's the same wine note? Six hours: Funky in an overdone kind of way. I traded this to someone who loves it.

In the vial: Dry resin, not very strong. Wet: Dry and woody, with a not-unpleasant dusty feel to it. I rather like this. Twenty minutes: Still quite dry, dusty, and rooty, although with a bitter edge to it. I don't dislike it at all, but I'm not sure it's going to go anywhere to make me love it either. One hour: Warmer and sweeter now; I think the opium has come up a bit. The dusty note has faded a lot. Two hours: Much the same. This might be a keeper. Five hours: This didn't change much after it settled in. I admire its consistency. The dry, herbal, resinous nature of it is quite pleasant, reminding me of the frankincense tears I keep for burning -- unburnt, not burnt. Never did get any of the fruit note, though, as usual for currant on my skin.

Coxcomb (Black Phoenix Trading Post, Le Mat): I ordered this decant. In the vial: Musk, sage, resin, and a bit of a tang. Wet: Musk and frankincense, with a sagey touch. I like this. Half an hour: Oh, delicious! It's herbal resin, warm and soothing rather than sharp or invigorating. Hour and a half: Still delicious; understated, reassuring, warm. Three hours: Still really nice. It's got a good version of frankincense in it, and the herb hasn't vanished. Even the currant is playing nicely. Definite keeper. Six hours: Still very nice. Since there doesn't appear to be a separate thread for the three-layer Le Mat scent, here's what I got when I did that: I layered Coxcomb, Motley, and Marotte in that order on my left wrist and then rubbed both wrists together. I'm getting a lovely rich scent, lots of warm patchouli-sage but with the pear and a floral note plus something metallic. One hour: This is splendid, warm, herbal, musky, with just a touch of floral and that delicious floral-like pear note. I am almost inclined not to trade away my Marotte as promised. But I was so enamoured of Coxcomb by itself that I went out and acquired a partial bottle of it. So I'll stick with my original plan. Besides, although beautiful, this tripartite Fool scent and the concept behind it do not call out to my heart and soul the way the Unity Roses do. Two hours: This is interesting. The scent seems to have died way back on me. But when I breathe on it, moistening it a bit, it comes back almost to full strength until my skin dries again. And it has gone rather sharp on me, like currant scents sometimes do. Coxcomb is the scent that made me realize how much my skin loves the sage note.

Marotte (BPTP, Le Mat): I ordered this decant. In the vial: Wow, that's fabulous; I love the pear note! It's the floral one, not the juicy one. This one has enormous scope, with something I like in every single register from top to bottom. Wet: Nice! The pear and patchouli are combining in a really intriguing way: it's a little bet mentholated, very aromatic, not at all fruity. If it stays like this, I'm in lurve. Half an hour: It's gone a bit sharp and tannic now, alas. Oakmoss were ever my downfall; between that and the mahogany it's not playing nearly as nicely as it was before. Hour and a half: A lot of the sweetness, including that delicious pear, has burned off now, leaving behind the woody and tannic notes. There is something quite bright in there, but I don't know what it is. Three hours: Nope, this one has gone over to tannin on me. Ah well. Six hours: Tired tannin. Since there doesn't appear to be a separate thread for the three-layer Le Mat scent, here's what I got when I did that: I layered Coxcomb, Motley, and Marotte in that order on my left wrist and then rubbed both wrists together. I'm getting a lovely rich scent, lots of warm patchouli-sage but with the pear and a floral note plus something metallic. One hour: This is splendid, warm, herbal, musky, with just a touch of floral and that delicious floral-like pear note. I am almost inclined not to trade away my Marotte as promised. But I was so enamoured of Coxcomb by itself that I went out and acquired a partial bottle of it. So I'll stick with my original plan. Besides, although beautiful, this tripartite Fool scent and the concept behind it do not call out to my heart and soul the way the Unity Roses do. Two hours: This is interesting. The scent seems to have died way back on me. But when I breathe on it, moistening it a bit, it comes back almost to full strength until my skin dries again. And it has gone rather sharp on me, like currant scents sometimes do.

In the vial: Astringent fruit, and I get the mushroom. Damn you, fungus! But it's kind of mouth-watering, nonetheless. Wet: What an interesting scent! It's herbal, resinous, floral, and fruity, but very different. I'm not sure it's going to work out on me, but it sure is fascinating! Half an hour: It's developing more of a herbal note now; is that the rhubarb? It's not as beguiling as before, but it's more true to the list of ingredients. I do not know how this one is going to work out, but it surely is interesting! Hour and a half: The currant and champaca are pretty obvious now; I'm getting a strong fruity-floral off this. The herbal notes have apparently taken a hike, or are hiding. Three hours: This is rather nice. I get along with the myrrh and champaca fine, and this time the currant is cooperating, giving everything a dark berry-ish cast. The herbal notes stayed gone. This reminds me of some of the plum fragrances, or maybe like what I expected from Makhanitis. But it's not distinctive enough on me that I would need to keep it. Six hours: Mostly gone on me. Since there doesn't appear to be a separate thread for the three-layer Le Mat scent, here's what I got when I did that: I layered Coxcomb, Motley, and Marotte in that order on my left wrist and then rubbed both wrists together. I'm getting a lovely rich scent, lots of warm patchouli-sage but with the pear and a floral note plus something metallic. One hour: This is splendid, warm, herbal, musky, with just a touch of floral and that delicious floral-like pear note. I am almost inclined not to trade away my Marotte as promised. But I was so enamoured of Coxcomb by itself that I went out and acquired a partial bottle of it. So I'll stick with my original plan. Besides, although beautiful, this tripartite Fool scent and the concept behind it do not call out to my heart and soul the way the Unity Roses do. Two hours: This is interesting. The scent seems to have died way back on me. But when I breathe on it, moistening it a bit, it comes back almost to full strength until my skin dries again. And it has gone rather sharp on me, like currant scents sometimes do.

This was one of my pipe dream scents, and I recently traded for some of it. In the vial: Booze, spice, leather. Smells extremely alcoholic. Wet: The cardamom comes out very strongly, and there's something that smells like an unholy marriage of bourbon and patchouli. (Bourbon is a confirmed bachelor in my book, never to be paired with anything save an ice cube or, once a year, sugar and mint. But never patchouli!) It smells somewhat like Malkuth, actually! One hour: Oh man, this is an awful lot like Malkuth with leather added. I love Malkuth and have a lot of it; it's weird to smell an almost identical scent with the addition of salty leather. Three hours: Still very much like Malkuth. But now, in addition to the leather, I notice it's not as fruity as Malkuth. But the patchouli and cardamom, possibly the booze too, are very strongly reminiscent of Malkuth. I like Malkuth better, because it's sweeter and not so sharp, but this is interesting too. I'm glad I got to try it and see what all the mystique is! Five hours: The leather note is lightening up at last, and now I'm back to the bourbon and patchouli base. There's just a touch of cardamom left in it, and it still reminds me of Malkuth.

In the vial: Mouth-watering berry, rose, strawberry. Deliciously fruity. Wet: Violet and berry, with a touch of rose over a rich frankincense base. 45 minutes: This has gone rather astringent, smelling of violets (a troublesome note for me) and fruit rinds. The frankincense and rose are fighting to bring everything back into line, but they're losing the battle. Two hours: Violet still, with a tinge of the star anise. There's also rose and some of the fruit, but this is principally a violet scent on me. Four hours: Now I'm getting a fruit note rather like the one in Crawdad Dream, but still the tartness of violets comes first. The frankincense, which will last several more hours on me, is coming through stronger now. Seven hours: This one has stayed very true to itself from about two hours in; it's just gotten consistently lighter. A very pleasant blend, but the violet is not quite friendly enough for me. I may trade this, depending on whether I find someone who really loves it.

In the vial: Resins, cedar, coconut and something sweet, maybe chamomile. This smells golden to me. Wet: Delicious resins, a touch of cedar, something sweet (chamomile again?) and coconut. It is warm and rich. 45 minutes: Nope, this has gone all orris-y on me. It's gone that high light lavender-blue color which can give me a headache if it's too strong. This isn't in headache territory, but it wants to go to a more congenial home than mine. Two hours: There's more of the cedar and resin now, and it's pleasant, but the scent is still too orris-y for me. That high note is ouching me. Four hours: A bit woody now, over resin. Still that touch of chamomile sweetness, but the orris isn't as noticeable any more. Seven hours: Almost entirely gone; I get a slightly sour herby impression, but that's all. I have already offered this in trade to someone who loves it.

In the vial: Patchouli and fruit with a bite. Wow, delicious. Wet: Fruit and bergamot over a thick layer of patchouli. Oh boy, if the heliotrope behaves I'm going to love this. 45 minutes: This is yet another in the long line of fruity patchouli scents I love. If this were a GC, I'd wear it regularly. Since it's not, and I only have an imp, I shall have to see whether it justifies trying to track down a whole bottle. But it's the first scent containing heliotrope that actually works on me, so I'm happy. Two hours: Still wonderful. There's a slightly more menthol note in the patchouli now, and the blend is less obviously fruity, but it still makes me want to nom my arm. Four hours: Still nommable. This has turned out to be more consistent on me than any of the other Bats, and it's right in my zone. Wonder if I can get any more?

In the vial: Very herbal, sort of medicinal. Wet: Evergreen-herbal, like rosemary or juniper. It's dark, green, astringent, and curiously tangy in the back of my mouth. One hour: This has gone all sideways on me. It reads fruity and candy now! My daughter says it smells like fruity soap. To me it smells a bit like Agape, or some of the Mad Tea Party scents, the cakey/fruity ones. Three hours: It's quite light on me. But what's left, although gentle, is strongly fruity. I just can't figure that out at all. Five hours: Still that oddly fruity-cakey impression. That's just plain not right. Where's my juniper, my sassafras? Oh well. I shall have to see if someone loves this more than I do.

In the vial: Lavender, lemon, peach. This smells great! Wet: Verbena first, then lavender and peach. It smells very bright and eye-opening, yet with a very sweet grounding. 45 minutes: Win! Want a bottle. It's sunny, fresh, cheerful, warm. I get the lavender, which is usually a note I can't do, but this version of it is terrific. The verbena reads very lemonish, which combines beautifully with the lavender. The peach doesn't dominate, but it's there in the foreground. The amber base is just warm enough, without being obtrusive. Two hours: Less overtly perky and charming now, but it has settled down into a cheerful low-level fruity amber scent. It's great to discover a new peach scent. Four hours: Amber and light peach, with a slightly sagey herbiness about it. It is very gentle, and sweeter than before. Still win. Seven hours: Still gentle sweet bright peach over amber. I will be pursuing more of this one.

In the vial: Oooh, there's an exceptional floral in here somewhere, and the blend smells wonderful: bright citrus, nectarine, and floral. Wet: Evergreeny floral, with a brightness of citrus peeking through. The patchouli is developing too, as well as the olive note. Is that unfamiliar note the elemi? I get floral, a bit of lemongrass, some sweetness, and a waft of gardenia. This one needs to blend some. Half an hour: Despite the large number of ingredients I like and wear often, this scent is turning out to be something very unusual on me. Floral fruity goodness, built on a foundation of patchouli and that elusive note which I've tentatively identified as elemi. TThere's a wonderful, slightly bitter quality about it. Instead of being sweet, fruity, citrusy, or cloyingly floral, it's rich, complex, and a bit dark. I don't get this scent at all, but I'm finding that I really, really like it. One hour: Still very complex, dark, and a bit bitter. Warm, sexy, pungent floral, not at all overbearing. Golly, I love this one! It's quite amazing that I'm not particularly getting the fruit, citrus, honey, or gardenia which is typical for me. Even the olive blossom is different than usual; it must be the elemi making all the difference. Two and a half hours: Still going strong. The patchouli reads as almost evergreen, not the chewy or menthol type. The floral is stronger, the fruit weaker than before, and there's still that pleasantly bitter note giving it balance. This is a strong woman's perfume, that is, a perfume for a strong woman. Three and a half hours: Still wonderful. I found a bottle of this!

In the vial: Very bitter orangey citrus, like yuzu maybe. Wet: Very orange, more like peel than fruit. There's a bitterness about it that reminds me a bit of Curacao or Grand Marnier. Half an hour: Still that bitter note, like a cordial or liqueur. It smells more like yuzu now than orange, though. I am very fond of bitter citrus notes, and this one is a good one. Two hours: Still that bitter note, but it has settled in for a long, gentle stay. It definitely reads as yuzu on me. Three and a half hours: Still there, still reads as yuzu, but very light. So I never got creaminess, candy, or soda off this one. I got a fairly one-dimensional yuzu (or perhaps even kumquat) bitterness off it which I liked quite a lot, but if it were I making the call I'd have left this one in prototype status too.

In the bottle: This actually smells very sophisticated. The fruit note isn't too sweet, the cognac note smells like real brandy and not grapes, and the leather isn't nasty. Wet: A gentle leather note is all I can make out right now, with perhaps some cream beneath it to smooth it down. Twenty minutes: Light leather over light cream. While this makes me think all sorts of naughty thoughts, it's not much like what I expected given the ingredients. One hour: Not much change, although there's a tiny touch of fruity sweetness now. I'm amazed that the leather has dominated the cognac, fig, and berry right off my skin like that. But it's done so in a very refined fashion; it's not dark or nasty or unpleasant at all. Two and a half hours: Mostly fine smooth leather with just a touch of something fruity. I'm astonished! The leather note is a gentleman's dress black belt; I guess I was expecting something a lot dirtier. Four hours: Not much change. For so gentle a scent, it sure is persistent! I think I will be finding other people to love this scent for me.

In the bottle: Herbal and light floral. Wet: Gentle, refined, but slightly sweet as if there's floral along with that sandalwood. The cedar hasn't shown up yet. Twenty minutes: Very subtle, understated. I like it quite a lot, but it is so out of my norm! One hour: The cedar has shown up; it's warmed and sweetened this slightly. It's really an attractively subtle scent, very refined. Two and a half hours: I like this one, but it's very light on me. If I keep it, I think I'll make a habit of slathering it rather than dabbing. The faint cedar note is very pleasant, and the white sandalwood is so elegant! Four hours: Still much as before. This one's had a fair chance to wow me, and it hasn't done so. If it doesn't benefit from some aging, I think I'll be looking to trade it to someone who loves it.

In the vial: Green wood, with a patchouli richness and something tannic. Wet: Sharp sagey patchouli, with a very green-smelling wood note in it. Much greener than I expected, hardly any smoky element at all. Twenty minutes: Lovely red patchouli (the kind that makes me want to nomm my arm) with that odd green woody note. Sage is noticeable, although nicely mixed in. There's a flatness to the base, too, almost like white musk or orchid gives on my skin. One hour: Smoky, sagey patchouli over a flat base. This is rather more like what I expected. I'm not sure now whether that green note is the Darjeeling, the tobacco, or the oud. Might be the tea, though. Two hours: Really enjoying this herby, patchouli-rich scent. It's not at all sweet, floral, musky, or resinous, which puts it well outside the norm for my scents. But red patchouli is my favorite patchouli note, and I pretty much love whatever it's in, including this one. My daughter loves it too and has already tried -- literally -- to nomm my arm. Three hours: Still deliciously nomm. I knew I was going to like this one; too bad I couldn't afford a whole bottle of it! Five hours: Oh yeah, still nomm. I went looking for more of this right away! Six hours: And still nomm. The patchouli is running the show now, having outlasted the other scents. Yet the sandalwood still seems to be there, because there's a gentility to it that red patchouli never has on its own when on my skin.

I tested this both separately and layered. Here are reviews for it separately and, since there's no separate thread for the layered reviews, I've added that review here. In the bottle: Ethereal, a little remote, slightly tart. Reminds me a bit of elements of Parlement of Foules. Wet: Warmer than expected, with the sweetness of vanilla. But still that ethereal tartness. Half an hour: I'm not sure this is primarily a rose scent. It's more of the vanilla tea and frankincense, although with a sweet white rose background. I like it, though. One hour: Definitely vanilla is the strongest, with the white rose second. The base is resiny but with a sort of creaminess that I think might be coconut. Two and a half hours: Still that smooth, slightly tart white rose scent with a lot of vanilla. Not a lot of fall-off, either. Six hours: This has matured into a more resin/rose scent now that the vanilla has dissipated some. It is quite gentle and peaceful, though. LAYERED: Wet: Definitely warm and heady. It's got the sweet tartness of the white and the clovey amber of the red, both at the same time. The frankincense seems more noticeable now, too, as well as the fir which appears to be wafting. This is very complex. Half an hour: The most amazing scent is wafting around my head! It's resiny, spicy, rosy, musky, and with some softer notes in addition to this endearing tartness. (Tea seems to be a note that works well on me.) I really like this! One hour: The combined fragrance has the effect of lightening the red rose's impression. I get along well with all the red rose ingredients, and they make a pretty intense statement on my skin. But the lightness, sweetness, and tart note of the white balances that intensity admirably. And the red seems to be pulling more rosiness out of the white, because the white note is stronger now too. If it stays as nice as this, I'll need a full bottle of this set. Two and a half hours: I can hardly stand how good I smell, sitting here with this gorgeous blended scent puddling all around me. Every time I move even a finger it wafts. This is an Epic Win on me: conceptually, alchemically, chemically, and emotionally. Six hours: It's gone from gorgeously wafting to sweetly emanating. The quality has changed some; it's less spicy and more resinous. I am really just transfixed by this blend; it even affected my thought processes. There is no question about it: I'm buying more!

I tested this both separately and layered. Here are reviews for it separately and, since there's no separate thread for the layered reviews, I've added that review here. In the bottle: Warm and sweet with a tickly clovelike sharpness. Of the two roses, this one appeals more to me. Wet: Spicy amber and rose. The fir gives it a more herbal appeal than the usual rose scents. As a rose lover, that appeals to me because it makes it somewhat different. Half an hour: Very spicy, musky amber with cloves. Again, the roses don't dominate this mix. One hour: Amber, musk, clove, rose; what's not to like? This is a wonderful blend all by itself. Two and a half hours: I just adore this clovey, musky, ambery rose scent. Six hours: Musk, amber, clove, rose, all still there. I am getting a bit more of the fir again now, I think maybe because the clove and amber have leveled off a bit. LAYERED: Wet: Definitely warm and heady. It's got the sweet tartness of the white and the clovey amber of the red, both at the same time. The frankincense seems more noticeable now, too, as well as the fir which appears to be wafting. This is very complex. Half an hour: The most amazing scent is wafting around my head! It's resiny, spicy, rosy, musky, and with some softer notes in addition to this endearing tartness. (Tea seems to be a note that works well on me.) I really like this! One hour: The combined fragrance has the effect of lightening the red rose's impression. I get along well with all the red rose ingredients, and they make a pretty intense statement on my skin. But the lightness, sweetness, and tart note of the white balances that intensity admirably. And the red seems to be pulling more rosiness out of the white, because the white note is stronger now too. If it stays as nice as this, I'll need a full bottle of this set. Two and a half hours: I can hardly stand how good I smell, sitting here with this gorgeous blended scent puddling all around me. Every time I move even a finger it wafts. This is an Epic Win on me: conceptually, alchemically, skin-chemically, and emotionally. Six hours: It's gone from gorgeously wafting to sweetly emanating. The quality has changed some; it's less spicy and more resinous. I am really just transfixed by this blend; it even affected my thought processes. There is no question about it: I'm buying more!

In the vial: A blend of florals (lily of the valley leads) over beeswax. Rose very faint, no carnation detectable. Wet: Warmer, as the fleshy flowers wake up. There's hyacinth, lily of the valley, and something I can't quite recognize, then rose and honeysuckle developing second. Beeswax gives the impression of very light honey. Twenty minutes: Is my nose broken? I smell celery! This is a really different floral blend of medium intensity with an odd bitter note that, somehow, balances everything else beautifully. Yet underneath it is spicy resin, very sweet. One hour: More herbal than anything else, still with that pleasant bitter celery note. Hardly sweet at all, not detectably honey or even particularly floral. Interesting! Two hours: The bitter note has subsided into the florals. It is still very pleasant, though, well balanced and extremely ladylike as well as distinctive. Three hours: This has definitely gone past its peak. It's still very pleasant, but the scents have lost their clean contours and subsided into a cloudy pastel heap. I am very happy with this scent, but I don't need to pursue any more of it. Four hours: Still very good even though it's past its peak. This was one of the more successful of the Lupercalia Love Poems line on my skin.

In the vial: Resinous, almost pitchy, like an evergreen sap. Wet: Warmly spicy resinous, quite delicious. There might be something citrusy in there too, maybe lemon or bergamot? Half an hour: Woody spicy with a touch of citrus. Oh, dear, I really like this one. One hour: Oh, my, this is nice. I think it's cedar, but it's working on me in a really nice way. There's also some spice, and the overall general impression of herbs that I always get from the Sephiroth. Two hours: Delicious! This goes in the category of Sephiroth that work well on me. I wonder how hard it would be to get some more? Four and a half hours: There's something in this that makes me think of Schwarzer Mond. It's mitigating the tendency of cedar to go yucky on me. I only have a partial imp, so I definitely want some more of this. Eight hours: Very long-lasting! It still reminds me of Schwarzer Mond. But it also reminds me of The Blasphemare Reliquary, specifically, the very sweet resin I think is the boswellia in that one. Yup, I need more of this one.

In the vial: Sharp floral first, over a dark base and a tangy but not sweet note. Wet: A spicy floral comes up immediately, warmer and darker than before. It's a little sharp, but delicious. Twenty minutes: Ah, the fruit has arrived. It's sweeter now, floral, a bit smoky,and with the nom-nom-nom impression of musk and patchouli working together. This is really nice. Hour and a half: The plum note in this is really delicious, as floral as it is fruity. I like this quite a lot: fruity, floral, spicy, and a bit of smoke. Two and a half hours: I like this one very much. It's a little less smoky now, though. Four hours: Still great. It's a little darker than my usual fruit-floral loves (of which there are many), but the plum note is divine in this one. Eight hours: Mostly died back to patchouli, but still noticeable and I still like it.

In the bottle: Patchouli, bay rum, amber. This smells great! Wet: Swoony goodness, patchouli, bay rum, amber, a bit woody, and there's a bit of citrus. This is my first scientific test of this scent, which I purchased after a trial at a meet ‘n sniff. I'm so glad I acquired more; this is utterly fabulous! Half an hour: Some of the sweetness has worn off, but it's still fabulous. I have patchouli-amber with bay rum on top. Although no longer sweet, there's still a citrusy-mossy impression. Currant barely ever registers on me, so it's no surprise I'm not getting any. Not sure if that's a particularly stemmy rose I'm smelling or a fragrant wood, but there's something in there. Hour and a half: Still wonderful. I adore this. I would love it if (a) my husband would try it, and ( he smelled like this when he wore it. Have to work on "a," there. Four hours: Faded some, but still nomm. It's patchouli, amber, bay rum, and wood pretty much in that order. Eight hours: Still there. Sourer now, in a woody kind of way, but still getting the patchouli amber bay rum effect. This is a "more than one bottle" scent for me.