zankoku_zen

Honey, lavender, red musk. On wet, there is a heavy citrus note and swirls of cognac. But then the honey and red musk make an appearance. \ Nice, honey lavender blend. Honey, musky, comforting. (i find all blends with lavender comforting).

Nocturnus starts off with the big hit of TKO - creamy lavender and marshmallow fluff, but the drydown is much different. I get notes of chamomile, mugwort, geranium, and frankincense. Much more complex thank TKO, multi-layered. Take TKO and perhaps mix it with Midnight Bell, and you get an idea of what that would smell like. Very relaxing. I can see how this really works. [Don't really need sleep blends, but this one definitely intrigues me]

Thanks to a generous forumite for the tester of this. You know who you are. Okay, you have to be able to wear the black leather note. Which I can't. I amp the black leather note. This is a sister scent to De Sade. This is the same inky black leather note in in De Sade, but feminine - which means LESS chemical noxiousness. Instead I get hints of jasmine, tonka and amber which soften the leather. But yes, feminine black leather. [Yes, its heartbreaking in how much this does NOT work for me, and yet part of me is utterly deliriously happy that I actually don't like something THIS rare]. ETA: So I am re-testing this again and aging has done a real number on this. It's much more cologney, I get a hint of the jasmine and the leather has receded to the background. I get more of the white sandalwood. It still screams ninja girl assassin but instead of being introduced to her in her all black leather outfit, its more like you got the kimono version and then you realize that this girl also happens to be hiding an untold number of knives under her skirt.

I have to agree. Dark Chocolate Merlot Star Anise [i know, redacting the title] was actually pretty awesome, but you have to like star anise, which to me smells like a combination of cardamom and anise.

Orris, powdery amber and hints of golden musk. This sort of reminds me to Leo 2007, minus the saffron. Warm, citrusy amber.

Lemon vanilla custard, with hints of cocoa and skin musk. Custardy, lemony, warm.

Warm, spicy floral. Hints of sandalwood, balsam, and a floral I have tested recently in Lupercalia. Like a more desert version of Morocco.

Spicy ground cocoa. I smell hot chili pepper, spices, and dusty cocoa. Spicy, dusty, cocoa.

Ultra creamy chocolate, honey and fig. Hints of citrus, and green. This one is a very interesting chocolate. I'd actually be interested in EATING this if it were an actual bonbon. Toothsome, creamy, tasty.

Musk, cumin, patchouli and honey. This one is warm, stinky, and kinda dirty. The honey sweetens the patchouli and musk up, the cumin makes it spicy. It's tends slightly toward the masculine on me, and I can see the right guy carrying this off gorgeously. I think out of sheer contrast, I have Voyeuristic Monkey on one hand and Angry Crab on the other and they are like complete anti-thesis. Fuzzy, dirty, warm.

Salty seas! This one is ambergris, oakmoss, and sea kelp greenness. It's cool, watery, but with tinges of sea kelp and life. Pretty strong throw. Sadly, it does turn a little Irish Spring/deodorant on me. Salty, clean, aquatic.

Champaca, amber, and a hint of rose. Slightly sweet, the bergamot gives it a nice citrus edge, I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how wearable, feminine and pretty this blend is. I am actually considering hunting some more of this down. Pretty, feminine, floral.

Creamy milky oakmoss and hints of tuberose and pear. On the drydown, I get more of the carrot seed which adds more warmth to the blend. This smells soft, and comforting. Like a good down blanket. Warm, creamy oakmoss and carrot seed.

HEMP! This smells very HEMP-Y *like Banshee Beat hemp), but greener and springier. This one was a green hemp and flowers (you know, like if you stumbled upon it on a sunny field), and there's a sweetness from the honey. On the drydown, several hours later, its mainly a honey/amber blend with a tinge of hemp. Green, warm, springy

Plum incense + sandalwood. I get a hint of mint on wet, but its really a plum-tinged sandalwood. Very well blended. Very wearable. It's not the type of blend I enjoy, but if you adore plum OR sandalwood, give this a whirl. Plum, smooth, sandalwood.

Giant hit of lemon verbena with swirls of dark chocolate. It's like Batty and Sugar Scented Lemon Bat combined, on steroids. Eventually the lemon verbena dissipates, and I'm left with wormwood, dark chocolate, a hint of white sugar. Tasty, but not for me.

At the beginning, this is like a three-way between the boozy cherries, the dark chocolate and the star anise. However, its obvious that after a while, star anise has just tied both the other two to the bed, and just straight up out lasted them both. This is star anise, dribbled with dark chocolate and sweet boozy cherry juice.

Sharp jasmine, orris and mimosa. It's a very white floral. The amber and benzoin make a REALLY late appearance. Meaning, three hours later this is a slightly less high pitched white floral, and slightly warmer. On me, this smells like some really nice soap. Meh.

Sweet, thick honey, sweet sticky apricots, and just a teeny hint of spice. This really is apricot honey. Very sweet and heady.

This tobacco accord is soulful, earthy, and multifaceted: the scent reverberates like a deep bass note, possessing a very faint citrus-like twang and an almost animalic caramel richness. Caramel and tobacco. It's got a burnt patchouli on wet, and it takes a while for the scent to drydown into a smooth, caramel laced tobacco. I sort of enjoy it on the drydown... certainly not during the first hour of wearing it. This, however, is a fabulous layering note and I can see why its so highly coveted.

This one was a juicier floral on wet than the previous Lunar New Year blends. On the drydown, I smell PEONY, hints of lychee and peach blossom. Pretty, juicy, floral.

Amber, leather, cedar. This is dark, golden and leathery. Not for me.

Gentle, musky roses, hint of tuberose and hint of jasmine. Soft, feminine, floral

Red musk, hint of leather. If you're a fan of either, I'd suggest Krampus as it would probably give you a nice layer of subtle scent for any perfume that you'd like to wear. Sexy.

White chocolate, rose and hints of amber. This is a rich, opulent, foodie blend. Very pretty, very warm, very comforting. I can see why this is a very sought after bath oil.