emzebel

This is very light and sweet and almost floral on me, which makes me think that perhaps my chemistry is just really really strange, as I was expecting something dark and forboding. But, whatever, it is absolutely lovely - I think it is probably the ivy and light sandalwood and the wine all coming together, but whatever it is, I want a big bottle.

Umbra was very dark and almost incensy on me - I don't get much woodiness, which surprised me. There was something very evocative about this scent...it reminded me of something which I really like, but for some reason this scent just didn't sit right on my skin.

This is very sweet musk, almost caramely on me...I get a whiff of the orange, and it is not foody per se, in that it smells like cake or something, but it is a very sweet creamy blend on my skin. I like it, but it is not quite what I was expecting...

I received an imp of this from the Trading Post with my locket order...

 

On first sniff I really like thi - it is moist and herbal with a spicy sort of background that reminds me a lot of Sol, but softer and less sundrenched. Alas, after ten minutes or so, the base note that has been common in all of the Tarots I've tried comes to the fore and starts to make me woozy, and I had to wash this off. So sad, because it really was a beautiful blend...

Marie is very very pretty and feminine perfume.

 

But I don't really *do* pretty and feminine all that much. It is a very nice blend of roses and violets, both of which I like when blended with other notes, but together it is just a little too much pretty flower for me.

Mmm. Spicy almond...almost like sugared, spiced nuts that you can buy on the streets of NYC, but without the obvious candy tinge.

 

Saying that may not make this sound overly appealing as a perfume, come to think of it, but it is actually not overtly foody - the sandalwood and rose round it out nicely. I like this. Not sure if I would wear it enough for a bottle, but I am sure this little impsy here will see some use...

Lemon, with a damp, herbal grassy edge...like I can imagine walking through a lemon grove might be after (or even during) a summer rain. I really like this blend and am thrilled to have acquired a decant so long after it was released.

Wow. I have recently discovered that I absolutely adore the scent of lilies in Beth's perfumes, and this is no exception.

 

Black Lily lives up to its name - wet is is a very true, polleny floral lily, which on my skin, just blossoms into a rich, womanly, sultry perfume. If you like lilies, this is a definite winner, and I suspect that this will win some converts to the lily valley as well.

Blood and Chocolate.

That's what this is...and it is absolutely divine.

This is dark, bitter cocao, not some whimpy milk choco bar. And the blood - it's iron tinged and dripping.

This blend is not for the faint of heart or those who cannot revel in the macabre. But it is absolutely wonderful if you can.

In the vial, this is all rum...on my skin, the spicy notes that characterize bay rum come out and this is a yummy spicy rummy goodness. This is definitely a masculine scent, but not a *male* scent...certainly something us women folk can wear too.

Alas, I cannot get past the uber floral stage at the beginning of this blend to anything resembling cinnamon or otherwise. To the sink to avoid a headache I run, which is too bad, because it sounds like it is really very pretty.

A very handsome devil, is Wilde. This is a fresh scent which I did not expect to like because of the jasmine. It reminds me a bit, in a very good way, of a cologne that I used to sniff when I worked at TJMaxx in high school and college - lots of lime, lavender...but unfortunately the jasmine gets me in the end.

I got this as a frimp from the lab just before it was discontinued. It is very sharp and pungent on me, to the point of actually starting to raise some welts - talk about venomous!

 

There is an interesting sweetness here which I would like to like, but between the welts and the jasmine which is deciding to amp on me, alas, Venom is not my friend.

I like all of the notes in this and it is a very nice sweet mellow sort of blend. The plum is a little strong on me and I would probably like this better if the musk came a little more to the party.

I liked this in the imp, but on my skin something turns sort of bitter - I think it is just the wrong combination of flowers, which is too bad, because I had hopes for amber, patchouli and tea...ah well.

At first this smelled very dark and sharp on me. But with time, it's become sweet and fruity with an almost intoxicating tinge. The raspberry is the most predominant note on me, but there are definitely other fruits here.

 

Probably not a bottle purchase, but an imp I'll keep around for when the mood strikes.

I swapped for this imp mostly out of vague curiosity than any sense that it would be fabulously wonderful on me. Luckily, I actually really like it - it is a very earthy natural smelling scent on me, with a definite aquatic tinge, but one that works. It is a smiky hazy sort of green scent, and one that clings to me like woodsmoke. Not something I'll wear often, but something I'll want to keep around.

Mmm. I was looking forward to this the most of all the monsters, mostly because I thought the mix of the sweet vanilla and foody notes with the sandalwood and saffron would be delish, a perfect grounding of alcoholic vanilla with earthy spicyness...

 

Well, right I was...

 

And that's about all I can add to this discussion.

No pickle here...

 

Of all of the absolutely amazing Convergence blends, Voodoo Queen is my far and away favorite. It is sultry and musky and spicy and just clings to my skin with the divine grace of a Voodoun priestess. The vever on the bottle is evocative of Erzulie and she seems to infuse, or at least inspire, this blend with her sultry sensuality.

 

It is hard for me to pick out note, I am so taken with the "sense" of this blend, but I would guess that there is a very nice musk, perhaps some vanilla or tonka, definitely some spice. My mother smelled it on me and though it smelled like mulled cider, although I do not personally get an apple note or an autumnal fee from this. There is a definite "perfume" undertone, but it works in a way I cannot adequately describe...other than just to reiterate that I love this.

 

Sleepy Moon is sharp to me. But in a good way. It is the first opium poppy blend that I've really been able to wear, perhaps because the other soporific notes drown it out, but it is really quite beautiful, in a languid, herbal, sort of way.

 

This is a potion, most definitely.

If I had to describe this scent in just a couple of words, I'd say light green. It is bright and cheery, definitely limey (which is the most prominant note to my nose, quite happily).

 

There's a slight alcoholic tinge, but it's like a splach of vodka to flavor the soup, not like a coctail. This is a light chilled summer soup of lime and apple and mint and a touch of something almost creamy (the ambrette?). It is lucious and I may just need a bottle to slather when the mercury rises into the triple digits...

Another blend I had high hopes for from the notes, but it rings very sharp and bitter on my skin. The honey is a nice touch of sweetness, I think it must be my on-again off-again relationship with sandalwood souring or something.

I've had the opportunity to try both the 2004 and 2005 versions of Snow White side by side...and I should love them. Not necessarily from the description, but from the reviews, the milky, coconutty creamy light floral sweetness should be wonderful.

 

But alas, it is not meant to be...something turns this sharp and almost plasticy on my skin. Sigh...

I had such wonderfully high hopes for this blend, because all of the notes, save opium, tend to be wonderful on me...alas, it must be the opium curse, because while Red Lantern smells nice, something is just off. I get the caramel tobacco goodness, but there is a sharp, bitter undertone that makes this a less than wonderful blend on me. So sad.

I didn't order Smut at first, because I thought it would be a lot like Devil's Night. Then it was clear that it was not, but was darker and swarthier and sexier, so I figured, why not. Plus, who could resist "Smut"?

So I ordered it. And it was nice. Spicy and sort of boozy vanilla, similar to aged Snake Oil, but rougher, more raw, not as sultry...smuttier.

It's nice, but it sort of tickles my nose a little too much and in the end, I swapped it for something I wanted more.