yeahbutnobut

Lilith Victoria In the bottle: a deeper, more lavender-y Dorian. Wet on skin: lavender, and lots of it! and an undertone of Dorian. Dry on skin: mmm, this is gorgeous. It’s lavendery Dorian, but with the depth of Snake Oil behind it. I can smell a tiny hint of fennel, but it doesn’t smell very anise-y, it’s more like a herbal boost to the lavender. I don’t smell any muguet. The Dorian aspect is strongest now, it’s all sweet musky vanilla tea with a hint of fougere, and a lot of lavender. I can smell hints of Snake Oil’s deeper vanilla though. After a while: the scent sweetens as the vanilla notes become more pronounced and the lavender fades. Now I can smell more of the Dorian tea and musk combination, as well as a powdery background (from the white musk, I think). The fennel adds an interesting herbal twist to the scent. I don’t smell much of the Snake Oil but in here it seems to be working in the same way as the Snake Pit, boosting and deepening the other notes, adding sweetness. It reminds me of the way the SO works in Green Tree Viper and Banded Sea Snake, and I can only imagine it getting stronger with age. Verdict: a beautiful scent for a beautiful baby! This takes the best of Beth and Ted’s scents and adds something extra, the result is more than the sum of it’s parts. It’s got the rich depth and deep vanilla of SO and the classy, suave vanilla tea musk of Dorian, the vanilla aspect boosted by gentle vanilla flower, the lavender-ish nuances of Dorian enhanced by yet more lavender. The Dorian aspect is more obvious first, vanilla tea and musk and herbs, but as it dries I get hints of Snake Oil, and this works in the same way as the Snake Pit, it works magic in the background without showing itself too much. And like with the Snake Pit, this SO background will probably become more obvious, and also improve, with age! I can’t wait to smell this in a few months to see how this baby matures! Something tells me that lil’ Lil, though she’s gorgeous already, will grow even more beautiful as she gets older! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? of course! If you like this, try: Snake Oil and Dorian (of course), Theodosius, Banded Sea Snake, Cottonmouth, Green Tree Viper

Screaming Mandragora In the imp: a lovely fruity scent, backed up by earthy Mandrake-like woods. Wet on skin: peach! Yes, peach! And woodsiness. Dry on skin: delicious fruity peach, sweet and fuzzy and ripe, lying on freshly sawn cedar plank. I know some reports say that the fruit note here is mango, but I think it’s peach. There may be some other fruits here too (maybe mango as there’s a slight tropical fruit scent). the woodsy note is very similar to Mandrake, a grey and earthy cedar, but there may also be some sandalwood here. This reminds me a combination of the Cup of Death and Cupid Complaining, the woodsy peach blossom from Cup of Death, meets the peach and sandalwood from Cupid Complaining. After a while: the intense woodsy scent fades away, leaving behind the prettiest sweet peach scent. I never knew that mandrake could smell like peach. I wonder if this emulates the fruit of the plant as opposed to the root. It’s very sweet and bright, a happy scent, and it doesn’t scream on my skin, it’s actually quite gentle. I’m very surprised at how creamy this scent becomes at drydown. Almost like peaches and cream. I’m sure there’s a touch of vanilla here. Maybe also a white musk note. not too much wood at this point, maybe a hint of sandalwood. Verdict: this smells different to what I expected! I was expecting something like Mandrake-dirty rooty woods. But this is actually really fruity, it smells like an earthy peach! It’s very nice, a juicy fruity peach note with wood at the back, something like cedar or teak, with a hint of something rooty. But overall, this is peachy. And it turns surprisingly creamy at drydown too, sweetening and warming up, but still staying peachy. I have a little tester of this one and that’s all I need, as I have other peach scents I prefer, but this is a lot nicer than I thought it would be. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I’ll cherish my sniffie of it.

In the imp: warm vanilla and anise. Wet on skin: oh dear…this vanilla seems to be the sassafras-y kind that I don’t like. Dry on skin: warm toasty vanilla dominates this, with a touch of aniseed which is highly reminiscent of Huesos de Santo. I love that anise note so that doesn’t bother me. The vanilla is something I’m not sure of. It’s a very gourmand and heavy variety. On the one hand this vanilla could turn out like the vanilla in Snowblind, Perilous Parlour or even Snake Oil, it has hints of those. But it also resembles the plastic-y vanilla from Love’s Philosophy and Stimulating Sassafras. Indeed, this even has a hint of that medicinal-plastic undertone that made me dislike those scents. After a while: unfortunately the vanilla in here does seem to waver in and out of it’s plastic scent, at times smelling like vanilla plastic, at other times like a warm toasted vanilla biscuit with a hint of spice to it. eventually it winds up smelling too cloying and thick a vanilla for me, and reminds me of the kind of vanilla scent I really don’t like-the car freshener vanilla scent. that scent has bad memories for me. Then after about 4 hours, it changes into something dramatically different. Snake Oil vanilla! For a while I was wondering why I kept smelling amber, or tonka, or incensey vanilla, and then I smelt Humbug. It’s changed from that cloying fake ‘magic tree hanging in the car’ smell into the deep, rich, sexy smoky vanilla bean scent I love, almost like a Bourbon vanilla, or the vanilla in Snake Oil or Antikythera Mechanism. Why couldn’t this smell like that all the way through? Why do I have to wait hours to get such a delicious drydown? Why?? Verdict: I’m so torn over this scent. the vanilla, at least for most of the duration of wear, is the kind of vanilla that put me off vanilla before I started BPALing, but after a few hours it turns into the kind of vanilla that turned me onto BPAL vanilla! The anise note isn’t a problem here, it’s really pleasant. But I smell plastic and chemicals in the vanilla at first, as well as sassafras (which I think is a note that doesn’t tend to work on me) and this plastic vanilla phase lasts for ages. And just to be a big tease, the scent turns to deep sexy Snake Oily vanilla at the end. Scents that do that (turn from hate to love, or vice versa) are even more frustrating than ones that just don’t work all the way through…but I think this one ultimately isn’t a keeper. Is it a keeper? no, despite the gorgeous drydown!

Gossamer In the imp: a delicate and faint floral. Wet on skin: linden? I think this may be linden. I could be wrong but this does have a dainty spring blossom feel to it. Dry on skin: delicate flowers. I’m not sure what I smell in here but I’m thinking linden, moonflower and possibly gardenia? Definitely moonflower, actually, the more I smell it, the more I can detect that crystalline, high pitched and nocturnal floral note. in fact this also reminds me of the Evening Star, which I love. I wonder if there’s also a light poppy note here, or maybe a type of lily? The scent is incredibly ethereal and gauzy, bright and glimmering-like fairy wings. That’s what comes to mind when I smell this. After a while: the moonflower becomes the dominant note here, with a background of something like poppy and some other flowers-maybe some blue musk too. Overall this reminds me of the night florals like Midnight, Evening Star, Yvaine, Midnight on the Midway etc. it’s incredibly pretty and it shimmers, glitters like stars. Verdict: fairy wings, spider webs, dewy flowers in the moonlight. This scent conjures up the most gorgeous images. This is very floral, but not heavily, obnoxiously so. It’s a scent of delicate fragile blooms, fresh and light, both nocturnal blooms and spring blossom. I know for sure that I get moonflower out of this scent. I can only guess at the other notes-linden perhaps, or lilies, poppy and even some night air or blue musk. It certainly fits the name. but as expected from a scent of such fragility, it fades rather fast from the skin, it’s ethereal fragrance soon evaporates into nothingness. I think maybe this scent could do with something sweet, maybe a light vanilla musk, to ground the wispy florals in here. but I really like this-it’s incredibly pretty, and I’d probably buy more if it were released. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? maybe, but at the same time I want to pass my decant on, share the love!

Chant D’Automne In the imp: vetiver and a hint of spice or musk, and tobacco. Wet on skin: a nice vetiver with a smoky feel to it. Dry on skin: as I expected, this is 2008’s Death of Autumn. It has that same wonderful and exotic mix of kush (a strong vetiver that I prefer to the usual stronger vetivers) and amber with autumn leaves, except in here it lacks the spicy notes and instead has more smoke and a rich red musk background. This also has a smoke note which is spot on, it smells just like ‘that autumn air smell’, the smell of burning leaves and woods wafting. The leaf note in here isn’t as cologne-like as the one in October, this is a lot drier, more authentic. The musk is dark and almost like black musk mixed with red musk. This really is evocative of those blood red sunsets that are so often seen in autumn, when sky and earth compete as to which can be more colourful. After a while: the scent becomes muskier over time. The blood musk is almost like blood accord in here, it has a hint of that iron-like bite to it, but with a musky undertone which is almost feral, but not in a bad way. the kush has calmed a little but the smoky smell is still around. The leaves are more obvious now, and they smell very genuine, almost a mix of green leaves and dead ones. Verdict: the poem is beautiful (especially the French version), and this scent captures it perfectly…however overall this is a little too burnt on me, but it does capture the scent of autumn bonfires very nicely. It’s the smokier sibling of Death of Autumn. It starts off heavily smoky with vetiver leading the way through thick clouds of bonfire smoke, and once those clear a little, I smell a dark rusty musk note with something almost like tea and incense to it. This musk is very much a blood musk, rather wild and deep, shadowy too…at this point I get a resemblance to Lunar Eclipse, but I prefer that scent because it’s a little less burnt-smelling on me. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? probably not. If you like this, try: Death of Autumn, Bonfire Night, Blood Moon, Contract of Theophilius of Adana, Lunar Eclipse

White musk, winter plum, pine wood, benzoin, orchid, and stargazer lily. L’Inverno In the bottle: reminds me of Snow Moon and Ice Prince, I can smell snowy pine, plum and lily. Wet on skin: pine! Lots of pine, but also some sugar plum, like the plum in Midwinter’s Eve. Dry on skin: soft and very pretty, and very cold. This smells of winter pine, sweet white plum and chilly flowers, all covered with a blanket of snow. It reminds me of Snow Moon and Snow Maiden, that same combination of the snow note and pale floral notes. This one has a plum note, and that makes me think of Ice Prince. Also, the pine note is stronger than in the other floral-snow scents, it’s like the pine in Old Moon. This is a very gentle scent, rather faint actually…it’s a whisper of winter. After a while: oh damn. Now one of the notes is turning really odd on me. it now smells a bit like a mushy floral version of the Shivering Boy or the Snow Storm, but there’s a floral note (or is it pine?) that’s smelling like overripe fruit here, and it smells a bit rotten on my skin-not totally putrid, but not pleasant. The pine note has also turned very bitter, and smells a bit like turpentine now. The scent is faint, thankfully, and getting fainter. Verdict: I’m afraid this is my least favourite of the season perfumes. It starts off quite nicely, a cold fruit-floral with a spike of evergreen. There’s something a little soapy but it’s faint, and the scent is of frosty flowers and fruit. It’s really pretty. But then suddenly it goes wrong on me. I’m guessing one of the flowers or several have conspired against my skin, and they make the scent a little wilted-smelling, bitter. The evergreens don’t fare better either. The scent also fades very fast from my skin. So overall, not my favourite seasonal scent. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No. If you like this, try: Snow Storm, Death of the Gravedigger, Snow Maiden, Knecht Ruprecht

Agape In the bottle: sweet fruit salad with ice cream/custard, I smell apple and guava. Wet on skin: ok, now this is going weird. The apple is souring, and why am I getting banana? Dry on skin: sour, sharp apple, mushy bananas and cream. This isn’t working the way I hoped it would. Where are the guava, passionfruit, carnation and tonka? This has the apple note that doesn’t like me…not the warm baked autumn apple I do like, from blends like Fearful Pleasure, but the sharp green apple from the likes of Punkie Night. It completely takes over this scent, stomping all over the other fruit. Also, something in here has turned to banana on me. Not too unpleasant, but it is a little cloying. This actually reminds me of Coral Snake, my least favourite of the Snake Pit. After a while: the sour apple scent does eventually fade. What I’m left with is much more pleasant-a sweet, gentle mix of banana custard, sweet pea (no soap, yay!), vanilla and tonka and guava, with hints of apple peel. It’s not perfect, and I much prefer Cheshire Moon’s take on guava + sweetness + flowers, but it’s much more tolerable than the sour overwhelming apple from before. Verdict: this scent broke my heart. I love the forum. I love the fact that Beth made a scent for it’s anniversary. I love the fact that the label here is of the skin I use! But I don’t love this scent. This has a lot of great notes in it, but also some dodgy ones. And sadly, it was those dodgy notes that dominated, especially the apple. I have such a troubled relationship with apple notes, and the one here is the apple note I dislike most because it turns to artificial acid apple air freshener on me. and for much of the time, this is what this smells like-sharp green apple with a weird undertone of banana. Not good at all. I quite like the drydown when the vanilla cream eventually comes out and mingles with the guava, but it’s not worth waiting through 5+ hours of evil apple to get to that stage. I’m so let down with what could have been such a beautiful scent of friendship and fun! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Sadly, no. If you like this, try: Coral Snake, Hesperides, Cheshire Moon, Aeval, Punkie Night

Incendia In vial: vanilla, dark chocolate and vetiver. On skin: the flowers come out, as does the herbal smell of the palmarosa, and also the patchouli. It’s still heavy on the vetiver, but there’s a lot going on in here. I can smell the rose, jasmine (it smells like good jasmine as well) and ylang, as well as the sweeter vanilla and cocoa, a sharp spike of palmarosa, hints of orange, bergamot and nutmeg too, and underneath it are the earthier notes of vetiver and patchouli. I’m quite pleased that the jasmine in here isn’t going too sharp on me-I’m guessing that’s because it’s a bath oil, it’s less concentrated. Eventually this moves from an earthy chocolate-herbal to a heady, rich floral with vetiver, before turning into a very jasmine-y scent. this reminds me of the jasmine in Peitho, one of the few jasmine scents I can wear, it has that same sultry feel to it, sweetened with vanilla. It also reminds me of Salome, before my skin chem made that scent turn bad on me. the vetiver is a little too much for me though, but I really like the jasmine in here for a while…but sadly it doesn’t work after a while. This is a lovely scent but ultimately a little too heavy on the vetiver for me.

Buttermilk pancakes with boysenberry syrup and goat butter! MVJBA Pancake Breakfast In the imp: this smells just like the Scotch pancakes I have for breakfast…covered in BUTTER! Wet on skin: ok, one of the notes is going weird on me…almost plastic? Dry on skin: what’s just happened? In the vial this was a really coherent and recognisable scent of buttered pancakes. But now on the skin, this has disintegrated into a disjointed mix of buttermilk, wet cardboard, vanilla plastic and a burnt note. I can’t smell anything berry-like in here. The pancake note has turned really strange, like a kind of wet paper/plaster smell. It reminds me of plaster dust, but with vanilla. And sadly this vanilla note is plastic-scented on me too. After a while: not much of an improvement. It smells a little less disjointed and the ‘plaster dust’ note has turned into flour, but it’s a very dry dusty flour scent. and the burnt note now smells a bit acrid, and oddly like burning plants, burning flower stems? The good thing is that now I can smell the berries. The scent then goes back to that burnt stage, in a big way. Burning flowers and plastic vanilla. This really is failing on me. Verdict: I wasn’t keen on this one at all. It was so promising in the vial-it smelt just like buttery pancakes! But my skin turns this to foodie fail. Sweet plastic, rancid buttermilk, damp cardboard and burnt caramel with a hint of floral-green (what the? Why on earth do I smell flowers?) which turns charred and acrid on me. It smells incoherent and dissonant. It doesn’t smell like a pancake breakfast on me-rather, it smells like one gone terribly wrong. But then again, my skin is not as tolerant with the really gourmand notes as it used to be. In all, not my thing. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? No. If you like this, try: Spring Training, Love’s Philosophy, Drink Me, Chanukkiah, Beaver'versary, Sugar Cookie 08

Moon of the Terrible In the imp: lavender with an almost floral/rosy lychee note. Wet on skin: sweet lavender with a hint of other darker herbs, and sharp lychee. Dry on skin: oh, this is gorgeous! It has turned a tad powdery now but this is dominated by the lychee, and I love it! This fruit note is so underused in perfume so it’s always a joy to smell it as the main note, like in here. It’s not a sweet lychee like I’m used to eating, but it smells just like lychee syrup, very aromatic and complex, exotic and quite floral, almost like a white rose at times. Underneath it I smell the lavender and benzoin, I’m assuming the powdery smell comes from the white resins. Or maybe the snow note? I don’t smell the usual ‘BPAL snow note’ in here. this reminds me of Lurid with a brighter fruit note (lychee) in it. After a while: the lavender fades, and this becomes a bit more powdery. But I’m not complaining. It still smells strongly of lychees. It’s pretty much a lychee perfume. It’s a little drier now, not as juicy as before, this now has a more floral feel to it, and there’s something almost clean, skin-musky, to it. I was hoping for a more resinous aspect from the resins, and a bit of sweeter benzoin, but I love this anyway. I don’t get much cool snow though-other than a feel of powder. It’s a warm powder though. Verdict: lychee! I love lychee and it’s a note that I don’t often see, so this lychee-dominated scent makes me happy. It’s the lighter sister of On Darkness, a lavender-benzoin scent brightened with the fragrant, almost floral fruit note of lychee and it lasts for a good long time too. I don’t smell anything particularly wintry here-and nor does this smell terrible, or even dark or gloomy, in fact I find this scent quite bright, comforting even, especially when it goes into the powdery skin musk and lychee drydown. I’m very glad I bought a bottle of this. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes. If you like this, try: Lurid, On Darkness, Earth Ox, Rozpustnica, Dolce Stil Nuovo

Water Phoenix In the imp: washing powder and cleaning fluid. This isn’t promising. Wet on skin: soapy notes, but now I smell more pleasant notes of lavender and juniper. Dry on skin: still soapy, but it’s not too bad. I smell more of the rain and juniper now, with hints of lavender and some gentle floral notes-mainly sweet pea. No frankincense, but I do get a similarity here with the rain and juniper to Visiting the Temple on the Winter Solstice. I think I also smell more of the musk too, a soft white musk. But the oceanic notes do smell soapy/detergent like on me. After a while: the soapy smell does retreat a little, and the scent becomes a soft ozone and juniper scent. kind of like Old Moon’s juniper with a soft ozone to it. it’s not bad, but it’s not the ozone I like very much (it’s the kind that smells of tumble dried clothes crackling with static) but it’s actually quite gentle, like a distant thunderstorm, not the smell of the storm passing directly overhead. It’s also a little bit misty, vapour-like in feel, a little humid but cool too, reminds me of Faeu Boulanger. I can smell hints of sweet pea and lily, but these flowers aren’t turning bad as usual. Verdict: this is my least favourite of the 08 phoenixes, which isn’t surprising, considering my poor track record with aquatics and ozone. This does smell strongly of ozone and marine aquatics, and does indeed do the soap and laundry thing on me. but there are some nice, interesting moments in here where I can smell the other notes-the cool clear scent of the juniper, the lavender and soft flowers, hints of mist and drizzly rain and wet evergreens, and clean musk. But overall, it’s too soapy and detergent-y for my tastes. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? it’s better than expected, but still too ozoney for my likings. If you like this, try: Visiting the Temple at the Winter Solstice, Pool of Tears, Sturgeon Moon, Old Moon, Faeu Boulanger

Irrelevant and Disturbing Surreal Crawdad Dream In the bottle: surprisingly tart, I can smell currant and green tea for now. Wet on skin: very tart and sharp! Red currant and tea dominate, with a bit of ginger. Dry on skin: mmm, not bad! it’s a very sharp currant-tea scent, spiced with ginger, but I can smell hints of blueberry and coriander as well, the coriander adds a pungent spice to it all. no sweet vanilla or benzoin yet, but I think I smell red musk. There’s an overall blackcurrant smell to this, maybe a mix of redcurrant and blueberry causing this. It is an unusual scent and a lot more biting than I expected! After a while: the scent still remains sharp and currant-y, but the throw this scent has (which is nice and strong) is of sweet blueberries and creamy vanilla! And the scent close to the wrist has changed a bit too. It reminds me of the first 13 scent, a creamy currant and tea scent, but without chocolate. I also smell something almost like honey in here, as well as more of the spice notes. Retesting this after it’s aged a few months-and it’s improved dramatically. It was lovely before but now the vanilla, currant and musk fuse at drydown into this wonderful, sexy berry sweetness. Not sticky sweet or cloying at all. Just rich red musky berries, which I love. the coriander adds something unique to it as well. Verdict: this scent has really grown on me. The downside is that this isn’t as blueberry-dominated as I hoped it would be, as there are very few blueberry BPALs. But that’s no bad thing because this scent is wonderful enough as it is. It starts off reminiscent of the first 13, currants and tea with something almost honeyed to it as well as a creamy sweetness. And then it changes into a stunning redcurrant and red musk blend. I love red musk combined with fruit, and I’ve discovered that currants + darker sexier musks = utter gorgeousness on me. So it’s no surprise then that I adore the sweet red musk, berry and vanilla drydown this has. Incredibly unique in all ways-notes, inspiration and name-and it works! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yup! If you like this, try: Blue Fire, Daiyu, Cheshire Cat, 13 (first version), Anactoria

I Fell in Love with a Floating Brain In the bottle: strawberry creamy cake with just a hint of grapefruit. Wet on skin: stronger grapefruit now, but also stronger sweet creamy strawberry. Dry on skin: whoa, grapefruit! There’s a lot of it and it adds an interesting bitter slant to what is otherwise a very sweet scent. I like that. The sweet pink cake underneath is so yummy. This also reminds me strongly of BiggerCritters, the exact same blend of grapefruit and vanilla, but with cake and fruit instead of flowers. After a while: now the grapefruit has retreated a little, and the strawberry takes it’s place. Unfortunately, this strawberry seems to be going a little odd on me. it’s doing the same thing as it did in Pink Moon 05, which is that it is turning very tangy, and also oversweet. It’s a strange thing, how something can smell so sharp and yet also too sweet. However, that lovely spongy cake underneath is so appealing that it seems to balance out the strawberry. I love Beth’s cake notes, and the pink cake in here is no exception. There’s something to the scent which reminds me of scented dolls-but not an outright plastic smell like I get with some scents, but it smells like strawberry-scented dolls. The strawberry gets stronger and sharper. Eventually this becomes less cake-scented and more like strawberry sweets, or lollipops. This then turns into something very similar to Pink Moon 05, only this doesn’t have that odd ‘burning’ scent I got from PM05. It does have the sharp strawberry and carnation blend though. There are hints of cake to it and it does remind me of Beaver Moon 07, one of the few strawberry scents I can wear, that creamy berry-vanilla (only this is a little drier), but then the sharpness returns. The scent then turns back to cake. Verdict: strawberry is tricky-sometimes it works, sometimes not. I’ve come to the conclusion that though I love carnation notes, somehow the combination of strawberry and carnation doesn’t work on me (with the exception of 2008’s Pumpkin V). This has the most wonderful cake scent to it, it smells very much like those fairy cake mix sets from my childhood-the cake mix was pink, and it came with pink icing and little rice paper circles printed with Disney characters. This smells like those fairy cakes. Maybe a little bit more strawberry buttercream added. The grapefruit initially adds a tart scent which counters the sweetness. But sadly the strawberry here does funny things on me, turning to that acidic yet cloying scent that I don’t like. That’s the only thing that stops me from truly enjoying this scent. I prefer Beaver Moon 07 and White Choc Strawberry for sweet creamy strawberry. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I’ll keep an imp’s worth... If you like this, try: White Chocolate and Strawberry, Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal, Beaver Moon 07, Pink Moon 05, Monster Bait Bigger Critters

The Rose In the imp: very similar to Rose Red, but a lot warmer maybe? I do indeed smell stem and leaf. Wet on skin: now I smell sharper, almost fruity nuances in this rose. Dry on skin: ooh, I like this. It’s rose, pure and simple. Though quite different to Rose Red. It doesn’t have the icy smell to it, it’s not as dewy. This also smells a little more traditional, more along the lines of Peacock Queen, but a lot more wearable, less haughty. This is a delicate and warm rosebud scent, warmed by sunshine. There are interesting hints of fruit, almost like citrus, to it, sharper and drier rose elements too, as well as rose hips, stems and leaves. It actually smells just like smelling a real rose blooming. It reminds me of the rose gardens of Regent’s Park-in fact, this is the kind of rose scent I was hoping to get in Two Five and Seven. After a while: instead of just fading away like it does in Rose Red, the rose here develops into a really nice clean rose scent. almost like a white rose under the red rose and a hint of clean linen, it’s become a lighter, breezier rose scent that smells fresh and delicate. There’s a hint of dry rose petals too but not as much of the stem and leaves-this is a purer floral. Verdict: this smells just how I’d imagine the rose in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast to smell. The sparkling glowing rose shedding it’s petals, the last one falls and the spell is broken. That’s what this smells like to me. it’s a pure, shimmering rose, warmer than Rose Red, and like in RR, I can smell all the parts of the rose as well as the flower. The rose note stays true for a good long time before turning to an almost linen-like scent, almost like clean sheets fragranced with rose…but it’s not soapy. This is a very beautiful scent-showcasing a rose in all it’s facets. Not a dry rose, not a dark rose, not a tea rose, not a rose-scented perfume type scent or even a rose essential oil single note, but a gentle, innocent and very natural rose scent, the smell of actually sniffing a rose in a garden-in liquid perfume form, now that’s art...magic, even. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? I think so. I may one day get a bottle. If you like this, try: Rose Red, Peacock Queen, Two Five and Seven, London, Lucy’s Kiss

Orange Phoenix In the bottle: ooh, bitter orange. There is also something sweeter, like orange flavoured sweets. Wet on skin: orange fruit, and now orange blossom! Dry on skin: oh yeah, this is ORANGE to the max! I’ll need to compare this with my little snifter of Gaiman Orange, but this one is much more of a bitter orange scent, and I love that! It’s a very peel-y orange, the scent of orange rinds, and bitter ones at that. I do get the hints of Pez and orange soda (Orangina comes to mind) but to me this showcases a bitter orange rind note more than anything. I can almost taste it at the back of my throat. it makes me think of marmalade, because it has a sweet component too. After a while: I think now that I smell a little bit of blood orange mixing in with the bitter and sweet oranges in here. There’s a hint of that sometimes grapefruit-ish scent and sanguine redness I get with blood orange scents. It seems I can actually distinguish different orange notes in here…it’s quite multi-faceted even though it’s almost entirely citrus to my nose. I also smell orange blossom-or neroli perhaps. Orange leaf too. I remember reading somewhere that every part of the orange tree is fragrant and can be used in perfume. I wonder if this scent has components from all parts of the tree too. I’m also surprised as to how long this is lasting on me. Usually most oranges fizzle out fast but this is still going strong after about two hours. It’s still definitely orange. There’s no doubt about it’s orangeness. And it stays orange right until the end-other than sugar notes, I don’t really pick up on much else here that doesn’t seem to be derived from orange…and that’s no bad thing. Verdict: I had a dream about Orange Phoenix long before this scent was ‘announced’. In my dream, OP contained five or so types of orange note. And it seems that this scent is almost like the one I dreamt of! this scent out-oranges Orange. A blend of orange juice, orange fizzy drinks and Pez, and the chunkiest, most bittersweet Seville orange marmalade, with blood orange and neroli as supporting notes. I’m testing the two scents (Orange and Orange Phoenix) out side by side in fact, and Orange is much, much sweeter, and actually more of a sweet orange scent (and possibly mandarin, come to think of it) with just a hint of bitter peel at the back, and lots of other things like amber, flowers and sweet notes, whilst Orange Phoenix is a much more in your face orange, straightforward, uncomplicated and much more orange-centric. It’s the orange scent I’ve been looking for, in fact. And I’m so glad I have a bottle. I also really hope that this phoenix does indeed flee the nest (ie, goes live) in some form for an upcoming anniversary update! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes! this is very a-peel-ing indeed (ha ha, terrible pun but this scent calls for it!)

Earth Ox In the bottle: I smell melon, even though it’s not listed, as well as plum and other fruits. Wet on skin: melon, bamboo, some citrus, and lovely lychee, and plum. Dry on skin: if the plum blossom ruins this I will cry, because for now this is a gorgeous fruity scent, bright and lively and sweet, juicy and joyful. I smell plum fruit, a light plum like the one in Prunella, as well as the quince and lychee. I smell these fruits more than the citrus, though I do catch a hint of sharp tangerine every now and then. There is something floral, which makes this scent very springy. I think I also smell the moss and even a hint of smoky tobacco which seems to make this scent more grounded than the previous two Chinese year scents. After a while: ok, so it seems that the plum blossom is behaving! I hope it stays that way because it’s a PB note that could potentially do the doom-blossom thing on me but for now it’s stable. I smell a lot of lychee in here actually! Even more than in Moon of the Terrible. This is a sweeter lychee, it’s got an almost fruit-salad feel to it, like lychees soaking in fruit syrup made from plum and orange juice. I also smell more of the moss too. The scent doesn’t seem to go completely bad on me even after a few hours. Either my skin tolerates plum blossom more or it works well in this combination of notes. But even though I prefer the wet stage, it’s actually a really pretty floral scent at the end with sugar plums and powdery moss. Verdict: I think this is my favourite of the Chinese New Year scents, and I’m not surprised, as I am an Ox. It’s growing on me a lot and smells like a springy, joyful floral-fruity grounded by moss. The plum is very pretty, a sugary pale plum as opposed to a deep black plum, and it merges nicely with the plum blossom-which, in here, is actually really nice! My skin doesn’t mutate it into bananas as usual. The scent starts off with that bright fruity citrus, with melon-y plum here and that wonderful lychee note, and then turns into a springtime floral with moss and tobacco to ground it. It’s not spectacular…but I have a feeling I will appreciate this a lot more once the weather warms up and the trees burst into bloom-it’s so springy, after all, incredibly pretty and cheerful. I’m keeping my bottle. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? yes. If you like this, try: Earth Rat, Fire Pig, Moon of the Terrible, Prunella, Kitsune Tsuki

All They Had Seen and All They Had Lost In the imp: roses and honeysuckle! Or frangipani? A heady yet delicate floral scent. Wet on skin: so pretty! Delightful rose and a sweetish floral. Dry on skin: now the rose develops crisp, sharp tones, but that’s not a bad thing. I have no idea what the yellow blooms are, but I can smell them in the background and they are gorgeous. They smell like a mix of gentle blossoms with heady sweet exotic flowers. I don’t smell anything leafy, I have no idea what aspens smell like. This is an incredibly pretty and luminous floral. After a while: tuberose! I think there’s tuberose in here, maybe that’s one of the other floral notes? It reminds me of another tuberose scent, maybe La Primavera. This is a lot headier now, the rose has settled and the sweetness of the other flowers comes out. There’s a very sophisticated feel to it too, reminds me of expensive perfume…this reminds me of the Heroine scent with the rose and orchid now. I also smell something a bit green and earthy-the aspen? Verdict: my decant and bottle smell slightly different…I prefer my decant greatly (which is what my review is based on), as it really does make me think of sunlight gleaming through translucent yellow petals. It's a warm yet ethereal scent. I smell tuberose and other heady yet delicate blooms mingling with roses and a soft hint of something green and leafy underneath. The scent is sophisticated yet airy and light, certainly not obnoxious. Though unfortunately, my bottle has floral notes so faint that they disappear quickly on my skin, leaving a strange green note underneath. I was a little disappointed by the bottle scent-I think it has a bit more of the aspen note. But I will cherish my decant. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? the decant. If you like this, try: Epitaph, Magdalene, La Primavera

Uncertain Horror In the imp: sweet yet dark, heavy tobacco and patchouli, with polished woods. Wet on skin: this is unusually sweet, but overall this is heavy and doleful, dark wood and smoke. Dry on skin: tobacco is the dominant note. A blend of sticky pipe tobacco and dry cigars with a hint of smoke. Underneath it is dark wood, smelling less like sandalwood and more like mahogany or ebony, as well as spicy oud. I also smell that wonderful tea note from Lunar Eclipse. The sage is there but it is faint. There’s an intriguing, if unsettling, sweetness to it all, almost like a resin. And the patch underneath is like the darkest of shadows. After a while: money? Yes, this smells a bit like money now. Like old paper notes all crumpled up and mixed with coins inside a worn leather wallet-I don’t smell the leather but I do smell the lining of a purse here. I still smell cigars too, as well as the polished sandalwood and that heavy, heavy patchouli. It reminds me of the GOP scent, but I prefer this-I found GOP too smoky and boozy for me, but this has that feel to it…I get the impression of men with untold riches, cigars and dollar bills aplenty, but the shadow lurking behind the scent of decadence tells of a gloomy future…eau de recession? Verdict: overall this scent gives off vibes of doom and gloom and reminds me of the scents of the demons of Good Omens (Hastur and Ligur), and yet also has something gentlemanly and sleek to it, reminiscent of the Dogs Playing Poker scents. I thought to myself that the names of the Yet To Come scents could be headlines relating to the recent economic crisis…and interestingly, this scent does have something money-like to it at times, like paper notes and worn coins in a leather purse, as well as the scent of cigars and glossy furniture made from expensive woods hinting at past riches, now clouded in darkness. This scent seems to fit so well with the times, a little too well I think. Even so, I find it too dark and masculine for me, and the tobacco is too much for me here. So not one to keep...but very well crafted. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? no, but this scent really does capture something unsettling and uncertain, and I’m in awe of that. I just wouldn’t wear it as perfume.

L’Heure Verte In the imp: sweet rosewater with a volatile hint of absinthe. Wet on skin: is there mint here? My skin is tingling! The scent is sugared roses and absinthe. Dry on skin: ooh, this is very pretty. Faint, but very pleasant indeed, for now at least. The rose is dominant, and it has a sugared quality reminiscent of Hope, though not as vanilla-sweet. over it, I smell the anise-dominated scent of absinthe, cool and icy and ethereal. I smell just a hint of lilac but surprisingly this lilac isn’t amping like it usually does-it’s so quiet here. I don’t smell any opium for now. After a while: soft, sweet, gentle rose. I’m surprised as to how gentle and dreamy this scent is. The absinthe still lingers but it too is soft, and it’s not a soapy absinthe. The scent is now reminiscent of slightly fruity roses…in fact there’s a Turkish delight thing going on here. Yup, this smells like Turkish delight served with absinthe-an interesting combination! Verdict: I have tried a decant and a bottle of this-and both were quite different. The review above is for the decant-which I greatly prefer. It smells of roses softly kissed by the Green Fairy. The roses are sweet, gentle and cool, sugared lightly, but it does have a rosewater quality to it. the absinthe is subtle, the cool clear green scent goes really nicely with the roses. I especially loved it when the rose turned to Turkish delight. Unfortunately the bottle I got didn’t have this enchanted rose scent, but was heavier on the lilac, which then went bad on my skin, and the scent wound up smelling of sour roses and wilted lilac with opium. it’s a shame really…I’ll definitely keep the decant of this with the sugared absinthe and rose scent though. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? the decant, not the bottle. If you like this, try: Hope, Pontarlier, Absinthe, Margeurite, Two Five and Seven, Victoria

Pumpkin I 08 In the imp: pumpkin, brown sugar, and mango. Wet on skin: pumpkin with smoke and another fruit note which is probably persimmon. Dry on skin: interesting. I smell a bit of mango, and not too much pumpkin. What I do get a lot of is persimmon (it reminds me of the fruitiness of Tanuki) and also the myrrh, which is doing intriguing things to this scent…it smells smoky and dry, this myrrh. And, unusually, it also has a hint of brown sugar or treacle to it, or even roasted butter…the pumpkin makes this a buttery myrrh, but it’s not a cloying scent, this is definitely incense. in fact, it smells like myrrh resin gently smouldering as incense, and I love that. The fruit notes are bright and tropical-smelling, especially with that hint of coconut that pops up now and then, but the incense and pumpkin add a surprising twist. After a while: buttered myrrh and coconut! This reminds me a bit of my Chaos Theory, which has mango and coconut in it, but with added pumpkin and myrrh. The mango isn’t too obvious, now this scent is a really nice toasted coconut scent with a smoky, dry myrrh undertone and a hint of melted butter…but it’s not a sickly, overwhelming butter note. There’s a dryness to the scent as well, a hot crumbly and almost sandy dryness, the juicy aspect of the fruit is now gone. The scent then gradually turns into buttered coconut and toasted myrrh, the smoky aspect in this scent is a foody smoke, almost nutty, reminiscent of roasted chestnuts or walnuts, or the foody smoke in some Yule scents…like overcooked butter, but not as acrid, and not unpleasant. Verdict: I can’t decide whether I like this or not. It changes a lot on the skin, I think…sometimes I love it, when it smells of juicy mango and coconut and then turns to incense. But then it goes into stages I’m not sure about, when it smells like burnt butter, sometimes the fruit in here smells a bit odd as well, a little sharp, a little artificial? I love myrrh, but in here this note has a strange buttery smell, probably from the pumpkin. I also get a bitter nut smell like walnuts. The coconut at times is lovely, but at other times it’s a little too dry and scrubby. It’s not a bad smell but I don’t think the notes are meshing well together on my skin. It’s a very unique and intriguing combination though! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? not sure. If you like this, try: Tiki King, Goblin, the Dodo, Tanuki, Spawn of the She Devil

Shrunken Heads In the imp: spicy leather with herbal accents. Wet on skin: mmm, this is a nice leather, like the one in Hand of Glory. Dry on skin: ooh, I like this. The leather is strong and pungent, hovering somewhere between the aged leather of the likes of Dee and Hand of Glory, the black, slick De Sade leather, and with a hint of the strong rawhide of Quincy Morris. In here, I also smell the fresh greenness of the ferns, a rich scent of greenery which is mossy and herbal, warm and damp, not a fresh grassy dampness but a dense jungle canopy, with hints of spices and smoke. After a while: the spices, herbs and ferns fade and this turns into pure black leather. Now this smells like the black ‘kinky’ leather from De Sade and Loviatar…the kind of leather that my skin amps and which drowns out all other notes. However, this isn’t going into the burnt/rubbery stage that those leather notes sometimes get to, it’s softer, and it still has that spiciness to it. Verdict: of the ‘shiny black leather’ scents I’ve tried, this one is really nice. I prefer the worn, old, bookish leather to the shiny black variety (which I smell in here-I was expecting something a little more raw, I admit), as that kind of leather tends to amp on me. And it does so here-but I actually don’t mind it. it has a scent reminiscent of new shoes, and I quite like that! It doesn’t go into the slightly burnt/asphalt stage I get with some ‘new leather’ scents. the herbs are really interesting, they add a nice green scent, somewhere between dry herbs and wet grassy/leafy mush, but at times I also smell something like incense or smoke to it. it gets very, very leathery at drydown, almost like De Sade or Spanked, but there’s a cosy quality to it, like the smell of a leather jacket. But I wish the herbs and ferns stuck around. I’m unsure as to whether I’ll keep this for now…I like it, but will I wear it much? Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? not sure yet. If you like this, try: De Sade, Loviatar, Nanny Ashtoreth, Pirate Moon, Black Tower

The Goblin Rider In the imp: gorgeous pine sap and sweet resins! Wet on skin: pine and opoponax! This is lovely! Dry on skin: mmm, this is beautiful. This is the kind of pine scent I like-a pine scent that smells of resin, enhanced by yet more resins. This smells of a mix of crushed pine needles and sap, with sweet opoponax and a hint of frankincense, a touch of cedar too. I don’t smell much ozone/air yet, just rich resinous pine. It reminds me a bit of Geek, but without the smoke and leather, and I prefer it to Geek. There’s a touch of sophisticated (and sexy) manly perfume to it, but it doesn’t distract from the resinous loveliness. After a while: the initial burst of pine and opoponax then tones down and mingles with the distant incense. now the scent turns into something else as equally delightful as the wet stage…it reminds me of the Illustrated Woman but not as smoky, and with more of an incense slant to it, not a tobacco one. This now smells like wafts of incense smoke in a dark forest, a touch of autumn smoke (reminds me of the subtle smoke in Devil’s Night) and pine, and though the scent is warm and almost inviting, there’s a hint of something chilly and crisp, the night air note perhaps? Verdict: this is a more wearable Geek, a darker Hexennacht, a masculine yet sexy pine and resin scent. at first I get a lot of sap and resins, and I love that. warm pine resin dripping down pine needles with a fantastic base of incense resins smouldering gently. I love that! the drydown is a little more perfumey and masculine, the resins losing their edge and the pine turning into something a little like cologne, but I still like it. it’s one of those ‘if I smelt this on a guy I would shag him senseless’ scents, really dark and sexy, shadowy yet approachable. I’m glad I bought a bottle. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yup. If you like this, try: Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Illustrated Woman, Black Forest, Pickled Imp, Stranger in Camp, Capricorn 07, Geek

Nostrum Remedium In the imp: a sharp, almost greenish ginger smell. That’s probably wasabi, it reminds me of That! Wet on skin: soap? No, please don’t tell me this is going the same way as Slippery Poppy Tincture? Dry on skin: I get hardly any tea, and virtually no honey, but this scent really shows off the wasabi note. it smells very much like the biting green smell I got in That! But this one is a little bit less complex, I don’t get the citrus and the mint etc…I just get the crisp green spicy and ginger-ish scent. However, this note has aspects of bitter burnt stems and soapy grass to it, and even a hint of lemon verbena-ish soap that I don’t like. After a while: soap, soap and more soap! This is what turned That! into soap. It wasn’t the green musk, it was the wasabi. It smells like a strange ginger-scented soap. It’s got something in it that reminds me of cleaning products. For some reason, it reminds me of a couple of TAL oils…maybe Ourobouros? (Not that I’ve worn that as perfume, but it does remind me of the smell.) Verdict: this scent has taught me that I cannot do wasabi. I suspected that this was the case from That, but I wasn’t expecting this note to be so bad on me until I tried this. It’s total Soap City on me. I get hardly any tea or honey, but lots of soapy green bitterness which is a bit like burnt grass, ginger and washing up liquid. I think that’s the wasabi, and I don’t think I like it. This also reminds me of Slippery Poppy, similar in it’s soapiness and lack of honey, seemingly overwhelmed by biting and cruel green soap. Not my thing at all! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? no. If you like this, try: Slippery Poppy Tincture, That! The Terror from Over There!

Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills In the imp: like a fizzy berry drink, with ice cubes. Cold, effervescent and sweetly fruity. Wet on skin: I can smell the pine now, and the cold notes, the berries and maybe the amber. Dry on skin: ooh, I like this. If this is blackberry, then it is being very nice on me, not turning to cat pee. In fact, this reminds me, as expected, of my beloved Winter Maiden. Not identical-I’d say this is colder, it has a bit more of that snowy note to it (in here it almost reminds me of a kind of melon sorbet) but underneath I smell that wonderful, sophisticated scent reminiscent of WM, a blend of blackberry and amber and rose. This smells a lot wetter and has a feel of ice to it-I actually find WM a warm scent (maybe due to aging) and this smells of ice. After a while: the ‘ice’ melts, as in, the cold wet notes fade away, and this becomes even more beautiful. It now smells more and more like Winter Maiden! The blackberries are not turning bad, and the amber-rose-berry-musk combination has gone all warm and rich and has gained nuances reminiscent of expensive perfume. This smells really grown up and dressed up. It’s almost identical to WM now but with one difference-there’s still a hint of wintry pine and a bit of sweet snow. But the WM scent seems to get stronger with time, the amber really showing off as it merges with the cedar and the pine (which now seems to smell like pine sap). The drydown is a wonderful, lighter version of WM. It’s an airier WM, lots more ice to it, I think the skin musk is acting almost like white musk, adding that gentler, fresher feel to it. Verdict: this, and it’s sister scent in the bath oils Winter Maiden, are to me the most elegant winter scents. The scent of a beautiful ice princess, rich and complex and expensive-smelling, very mature and classy. This is the perfect winter ‘evening out’ scent. But even though this has a cold aspect, from the snowy evergreens with frozen berries and chilled musk, there’s a warm heart to this blend too, from the richness of rose, amber and sandalwood. These get stronger with time but the ice never really leaves this scent, meaning this is a little more chilly and fruity than Winter Maiden, but the two scents are so close, they could almost be twins. I would love to layer these two scents. I love the way this smells like-and makes me smell like-a million dollars, it’s so well blended and sophisticated, almost regal, but not at all stuck-up, not too mature for me to wear. One of my favourites of the Yule scents. Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? Yes! anything similar to Winter Maiden is always welcome. If you like this, try: Winter Maiden, There’s a Certain Slant of Light, Moon of Ice, Old Moon

Ho Ho Ho In the imp: is there red musk in here? I swear I smell it, under the thick festive spices and apples and mulled wine. Wet on skin: yup, there certainly is some red musk here. As well as evergreens, mulled cider and pears. Dry on skin: cinnamon! Now I smell lots of dry, hot spice in here. This is a really sexy twist on the traditional Yuletide theme. You’ve got your spices-pomanders of orange and clove with cinnamon sticks and some ginger. You’ve got hints of pine/fir and the embers of a burnt Yule log. There’s something sweet here, like vanilla (though this isn’t very foody). There’s something fruity and boozy, somewhere between apple cider and pears cooked in mulled wine. And underneath it all is a sexy, almost incense-y red musk reminiscent of Marianne or the Grindhouse. Mmm. It also reminds me of Shango, but instead of a tropical fruit scent you have a festive winter fruit and spice blend. After a while: ok, this is doing weird things. It smells more like Shango now…right down to the banana. Yes, I smell banana in here. And I’m not sure I like it. The musk scent has also gone really dry and gritty in scent, and reminds me of nag champa-which I like sometimes, but not in here. I love Marianne, but this seems to lean towards smelling like the Grindhouse, which I was not crazy about. i think one of the fruit notes, and the musk’s dryness, isn’t working out on me. Verdict: I’m a bit glad that this one doesn’t work on me, because I don’t need to hunt down more of this, but on the other hand I’m a little saddened by how this didn’t work. At first I liked it and it was very promising-red musk and festive notes! Naughty smoky red musk with berries, apple cider, mulled wine, evergreens, sweet spices, pomanders…it’s a very sexy Christmas scent, and very aptly named! But unfortunately something in here goes wrong-the musk goes very dry and peppery (not in a good way-more like a ‘bad skin chem reaction’ way) and the fruit notes turn to overripe bananas! What a let down, after the lovely Yuletide-themed notes from before. Oh well, at least I won’t need to track this one down in swaps and Ebay! Emoticon rating: Is it a keeper? sadly, no.