Balame

I hope you can work through that too; not to sound presumptuous, but you sound like a kind, fun and talented person. I know for a fact that there are plenty of people not having to deal with constant pain and mental illnesses that choose not to accomplish half the things it sounds like you have. Dragon's Heart - Dragon’s blood resin, red and black musks, a throb of fig and a sliver of black currant. Haunted - Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk. Sissy, the Ascendant - Sassafras and smoke for black vulture feathers, and King mandarin and red musk for the deep red-orange of the vulture’s face. Blue lilac and chamomile / opoponax and vetiver for the blue and black of her eyes. Vanilla bean and fig represent her innate goodness and instinctive kindness. The Visionary - Lush, honeyed red musk twined with heart-thrilling white musk on passion-warmed skin against a backdrop of raw, iced peat, common heather, and hearth wood. Imaginer - Honeyed patchouli, Madagascan black pepper, fossilized amber oil, beeswax absolute, massoia bark, Egyptian myrrh, and a thin thread of blood-red saffron. Fractured Singularity - Tobacco flower, saffron crocus, myrrh, ambergris accord, and a touch of vetiver grass. Halloween: Las Vegas - Walls smeared with red and black frosting, copious amounts of spilled red wine, the leftover contents of three full bars, dry leaves and desert flowers crushed into carpet, tobacco smoke, and champaca incense in a cloud of body-heat amped Snake Oil and Dorian. Anubis - Holy myrrh, storax, balsam, and embalming herbs. Mr. Jacquel - Golden amber, hyssop, North African patchouli, and embalming spices. The Lights of Men's Lives - The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave. Death Shall Come in with Thee - Opium poppy, smoke, and tar with green cognac, brittle white vanilla pod, white sandalwood, and clove bud.

I never got to smell Delphi, but a few thoughts: Valentine of Rome - Ecclesiastical incense, Roman flora, and the fruits of martyrdom: cypress, olive blossom, frankincense, myrrh, and blood accord. (Maybe a similar incense-y blend with some green? Lacks the honey but should still be fairly sweet. It's LE but brought back every year for Lupers, so not hard to find it floating around.) Eros - Myrrh, lilac, and honey wine with crimson tea leaf and sweet resins. (This has honey wine and resins; seems like it could be a close match.) Fairy Wine - An ethereal vintage, steeped with dandelion, honey, and red currants. (This is one of my favorites! It's bright, fresh and sweet. It doesn't have any incense like Delphi, but it might be a good substitute.) Lady Una - Honey musk, green tea leaf, blackberry leaf, vanilla bean, and fae spices. (Not really boozy, but it is green, sweet and a little hazy due to the musk.) Molly, The Reaper of Justice - White lime with lily of the valley, oudh, Himalayan cedar, nagarmotha, and tobacco for the sheen of raven feathers, and saffron, white honey, and amber for her fierceness, strength, and courage. (No wine again, but this is a deeper mix of foresty notes with the brightness of herbs, tied together with lovely honey.) O - Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla. (I feel like this might be a good base for what you're after if you layered it with something greener? Maybe like Mage?)

Dorian - A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea. Delight and Consternation - Bourbon vanilla, custard accord, white rose, cocoa absolute, oudh, lemon blossom, and skin musk. The East - Bluebonnet, passion flower, freesia, jasmine tea, mint, thyme, and redcurrant. Contemplating the Moon Through An Open Window - Milk accord, tuberose, oakmoss, Asian pear, opoponax, and carrot seed. Vasilissa - Creamy skin musk and blushing pink musk with soft sandalwood, white amber, dutiful myrrh, and star jasmine. Brood XIX - Tree sap, almond blossoms, moss, hemp, corn stalks, acorn, sweet amber, and rice milk.

Sure thing! I know the Sheikah are sort of supposed to be ninja-y, but I feel like since it's there should be some brightness in there... hope your cosplay goes well! Nice choice by the way.

Haha, you're welcome! I suppose I have my moments of magic (though I wish there were more of them). Golden Priapus seemed to tie into Fascinum well, plus you have a theme of woodsiness, musks, amber and vanilla. A nice mix, if I do say so myself! Hope you can track some of them down and enjoy.

Depends how "gritty" you want to get. Fighter is one of my favorite blends for strength and confidence, but it's pretty powerful if you're not a leather fan. I also like Fairy Wine for work, weirdly enough. It always makes me happy, and since work can get pretty dull and depressing sometimes, it's nice to imagine drunken fairies now and then (plus the currants are delicious). Dee is very studious but soothing, same with Aziraphale. Hm... and I'd also go with Penitence. It's quite solemn but seems to bring me focus.

Hmm, I don't really imagine her smelling like Rogue. It's too heavy and modern to me - plus it doesn't have that touch of mystery and magic that Sheik evokes. Maybe something like Mage (Gurjum balsam, Sumatran dragon's blood resin, olibanum, galangal, oleo gum resin, and frankincense) and Good (Shimmering celestial musk with vanilla, white honey, acacia, and sugar cane). Others for consideration: Sea of Glass - A scent of inimitable purity, crystalline grace, and limitless light. Mouse's Long and Sad Tale - Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood. The East - Bluebonnet, passion flower, freesia, jasmine tea, mint, thyme, and redcurrant. Tristran - Redwood, tonka bean, white sandalwood, lemon peel, patchouli, rosewood, coriander, and crushed mint. Heroine - Nepalese amber, East African patchouli, dark musk, apple blossom, petitgrain, aged leather, skin musk, and rhubarb. Aelopile - Glowing amber and citrus, labdanum, verbena, cedar, and oud. All of these are bright and somewhat airy to me, yet strong. They're enticing but hard to pin down. To me I think her scent should evoke adventure, light, energy and mystique.

Golden Priapus - Vanilla and amber with juniper, rosewood and white pine. The Raptures and Roses of Vice - Red roses, heady Moroccan musk, cinnamon, lobelia, coconut flesh, magnolia blossoms, and tobacco tar. Countess Karnstein - Red musk, purple orchid, frankincense, smoky vanilla, Styrian herbs, peru balsam, tonka, Zanzibar clove, and patchouli. Morocco - Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia. Pallas Athene - Antiqued amber, cumin, saffron, frankincense, Atlas cedar, myrrh, mandarin, Ceylon cinnamon bark, and osmanthus. Anteros - Throbbing red musk and shimmering chypre with saffron, sweet patchouli, Italian bergamot, red currant, and vanilla bean. Ranger - Buckskin accord with Terebinth pine, Russian birch, black ironwood, elder bark, hay, armoise, juniper, patchouli, galangal root, Spanish moss, and cabreuva.

Add me to the list of people who was mystified by the name. According to a Hans Christian Anderson reference, the Grave-Pig is the ghost of a pig that's been buried alive, and it portends death and calamity. So, rather sad and distressing reference! Yet despite the unfortunate title the blend is quite nice. I tested it without reading the notes at first and could've sworn there was ozone and potentially sandalwood in this. For supposedly being an "eathy" scent I find it surprisingly airy. It smells like very, very light fig with a touch of oakmoss that's somehow not dry at all (like it is in all other blends I've tried). There's the faintest touch of patchouli that gives it some woodiness in the backdrop, but it's amazingly delicate. This would be a great scent during warmer weather. Definitely more on the "ghost" side rather than being heavy due to its wispy nature.

For "darkness" in general The Final Darkness and Midnight Mass are both really beautiful. For disturbing, Battle of Vigidr. It just smelled "wrong" to me. I actually think Pain is terrible as well, though not in a dark way. It's bright and screeching and reminds me of being in a dental office from Hell.

According to other reviews of Tanuki Fire Pig and Budding Moon are fairly similar. If it turns into melon with your skin chemistry then Titania might give the same effect, or Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat.

Welp, I was initially drawn to Mouse Circus due to all the talk of it drying down to a sugary vanilla, though I was weary of the very obvious "popcorn" note. I gave it and shot and sadly it did the opposite of what I wanted. On me it's essentially caramel popcorn which, while very nice to smell when you're eating it, is not something I want in a perfume.

This is one of those blends that I've loved for ages but never got around to reviewing... I guess because my adoration for it was such a given? It all started when I got a super low partial bottle from someone during a swap. Years later I finally got a full bottle and I will treasure it for ages! It's a darkly sexy and exotic blend. Interestingly enough, when I first tried the new bottle it started out intensely peppery with shrieking orange blossom. I was confused because I never smelled spice before and the orange was much more well-behaved, but I gave it some time since I figured it probably hadn't settled much after its journey. My patience paid off, and I got a strong base of mahogany, earthy vetiver and swirls of incense-y opoponax, all brightened by orange blossom. For me the tea isn't as pronounced as it is in other dark orange blossom blends (like Nefarious Plan), but I suppose it contributes to that flash of brightness amid the deeper notes. It makes me think of a mysterious figure swathed in black, but there's a shimmer of gold in their attire. Maybe a glinting mask or necklace. It's powerful, but understatedly so. S&D is actually quite soothing as well. Whenever I wear it I feel confident but at ease. Perfect both during the day and for sleep.

This is too gorgeous. The myrrh is so rich it smells like golden honey, while the frankincense and copal brighten it up. The frankincense actually verges on giving it a metallic vibe, like a sun-warmed brass - but it's backed by that deep (and yes, "chewy") sweetness. I love resins so this is a big winner for me. It's like the cheery, charismatic brother to gloomy/sexy Penitence or Midnight Mass. It makes me think of a hot day in the Middle East... which is most days I suppose, heh. There's a vibrancy and energy to Herodotus, yet it still feels like an "old soul" and a bit mysterious. Beautiful.

I'm really loving this one. I was a little unwhelmed when I first put it on. Everything was muddled and it smelled like a generic musk with equally vague resins. Thankfully I wasn't getting the cardamom since I was worried it would be very herbal and sharp, but I wasn't smelling any coconut either, which I wanted. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, then it became amazing. It wears really close to the skin and turns into a slightly powdery but sweet amber with a smooth toasted coconut and hazy woods. I love that all my favorite notes became more defined, yet the cadamom didn't decide to rear its head - at least in the way I expected. When my husband smelled it he could pick out a "camphor" sort of scent, and when I try to find it there is a slight sharpness among the top notes, but it blends very well with everything else. The only thing that would make it better was if it was stronger (because why not be enveloped in such a great scent?), but it's really nice. Makes me think of Banshee Beat + Black Pearl, but it's much softer than either of the two (and not boozy like BP). Still equally sexy and complex.

I think Dorian is the closest I've come across, though you already mention that. Rigorous Love (Coconut, balsam, lemongrass, anise, vanilla orchid, mimosa) is in the same vein as well, but alas, I don't like anise. If you can tolerate it then it's similarly foody but with a nice smooth citrus that keeps it from smelling like dessert. You actually might like Contemplating the Moon through an Open Window (Milk accord, tuberose, oakmoss, Asian pear, opoponax, and carrot seed) too. It smells like milk tea to me, but with added sweetness from the tuberose and pear. The carrot note is nice and fresh. The Shunga Lupers from that whole series (2013) kind of had a foody but not vibe.

La Mort: Mon ironie dépasse toutes les autres! Pomegranate accord, red rose accord, opopponax, benzoin, champaca flowers, and star anise. The Laughter of Loki Serpentine green musk with fiery red ginger, sweet basil, alder leaf, white patchouli, cistus, and mistletoe. The Ship of Hel Black oak and sprucewood with opoponax, myrrh, black ambergris, and the silent ice of Niflheimr. Fenris Wolf Rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood. Half-Elf (v5 is the best, I think) White sandalwood, beeswax, white tea leaf, oud, and a hint of sophisticated urban musk. Molly White lime with lily of the valley, oudh, Himalayan cedar, nagarmotha, and tobacco for the sheen of raven feathers, and saffron, white honey, and amber for her fierceness, strength, and courage. Beauty A white rose draped by a delicate, pale, sheer veil of vanilla, the depth and darkness of her black lace embodied by tobacco absolute, Indonesian patchouli, Bulgarian oakmoss, frankincense, white sandalwood, and myrrh. Sissy Sassafras and smoke for black vulture feathers, and King mandarin and red musk for the deep red-orange of the vulture’s face. Blue lilac and chamomile / opoponax and vetiver for the blue and black of her eyes. Vanilla bean and fig represent her innate goodness and instinctive kindness. September Midnight A myrrh-darkened amber chypre sweetened by newly-ripened black pomegranate. Black Lace A delicate sugar-spun vanilla cream cotton, stained by tobacco and incense, Indian musk and drops of cognac. Sheol Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka Dee Soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods. The Cat Sleek, black, dark, and clever: benzoin, honey, cedar, and dark musk. Lady Death: Savage White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin. Pallas Athene Antiqued amber, cumin, saffron, frankincense, Atlas cedar, myrrh, mandarin, Ceylon cinnamon bark, and osmanthus. Velvet Gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

At first Eve was a curiosity with her encyclopedia of notes, then she enraptured me with her depth. I'll do my best to describe a scent that has everyone scampering for more, but it's a complex one. You start out at a crossroads between Morocco, Egypt and Britain. It smells like rose water insulated by fresh, foresty plants. This is sweetened by a vaguely grape-y incense that's darkened by frankincense and myrrh. Calamus smells similar to cinnamon and so there's a gentle hint of spice. Eventually the Roman honey trickles into the mix and I smell hints of airy, soothing sandalwood. There are a few scents from BPAL, like Morocco, that have been described as being the scent of "trade winds" amid a bustling marketplace. I love Morocco, but I have to say that Eve fits this descriptor more than any other blend I've tried so far. It smells like warm, sweetly spiced, gauzy air sifting through the souks. The haze of a mirage. Indulgence and beauty tempered by wisdom. I really adore this blend and feel disappointed that it was released in such limited quantities. I try to avoid anything overly exclusive due to this exact reason, but I never imagined I'd fall in love with it this much. If you currently own some, savor it!

This is a sexy blend in ways I did not expect. The florals are very noticeable and I’m actually liking them. This is surprising since florals normally don’t cooperate with me, but they smell perfect here – like being outside with the scent of flowers wafting around you from a nearby garden. They’re fresh, clean and atmospheric, not cloying. The rice powder makes things a bit dry, in a good way. This blend would probably be less dignified if it wasn’t present. As times passes the florals subside and it becomes warmer and more intimate. Wears closer to the skin as well. At this point it’s predominantly chestnut and rice powder. I really couldn’t have guessed vetiver was in here, but there is a certain wet earthiness that's likely its contribution. . I’m enjoying this quite a lot. It slightly reminds me of Following Instructions, in that it feels woodsy, a bit spicy and warm. But Harimise is lighter, floral and elegant where Following Instructions is heavy, very spice dominant and fierce. Still, that’s not to say Harimise can’t hold its own. It makes me think of an elven ranger that lives in the forest. You get the sense of nature but it’s presented in a dignified, dainty way.

Thank goodness I ended up being ambivalent about this one considering how many people love it. It's just... okay. In fact, I'd say on the lower end of neutral for me. When wet the oudh + bourbon vanilla is really astringent and alcoholic, which was a huge turnoff. A while later the amber pops out but it's very subtle and powdery. I much prefer strong, bright amber like that in Jacob's Ladder. The softer side of the vanilla is very faint and doesn't really doesn't make itself known. In the end it's still sharp and medicinal, and the sweeter amber just sort of muddles around the edges. Not a hit for me.

MASTERMIND The first of the Grendel legacy, a stylish, best-selling author who leads a double life as a relentless assassin and all-powerful mob overlord. An elegant cologne of olibanum, opoponax, leather accord, black amber, bois de jasmine, cade wood, pale balsam, orange blossom, oudh, black plum, bourbon vanilla, and sandalwood. In the Bottle: A first first! Wish I could say I loved Mastermind more, but while he's not quite my style, he's still wonderfully unique. This scent is very jasmine intensive, but this is the jasmine I knew before BPAL. It's very wet, well-rounded, and "full" with a distinctly Middle Eastern harem sort of vibe. Not in a bad way, just that it's exceedingly indulgent. Makes you think of sensual nights in a lush garden. I've never smelled this sort of jasmine from BPAL before, to the point where I thought the other brands I'd tried years ago must have been substituting something else, and yet here it is. (BPAL's jasmines tend to turn "baby diaper" on me, sadly enough, and come across as much drier and powdery. Not sure if this is the "bois de jasmine" specifically, but I'd assume so.) Wet: The jasmine is still largely predominant at this stage, and continues to smell languid with a touch of the sweet incense-y smell of opoponax. I can definitely tolerate this more than usual jasmine fare, plus the olibanum is hovering in the background giving this just the slightest smokey vibe. Dry: Largely the same. Between the wet stage and now I could pick up a hint of the plum coming out, but it quickly got gobbled up by the other notes. The leather also made a brief appearance, but it's still come back down to the jasmine and incenses. It's sweet, yes, but not horribly overt. Never even got a whiff of the resins, vanilla or orange blossom. Overall: Definitely a traveler of the night. Sexy, elegant and probably rich, Mastermind is the devilishly good-looking type you see in the movies, but you can't help but wonder if he or she has some questionable secrets. Highly recommended for those looking for a dramatic jasmine scent.

Sure thing! I hope you enjoy some of them. It seems like the lighter scents need some sort of heavier note amid them to work for you, if only so they don't disappear as quickly. I totally forgot to add another one I enjoy, Lady Death: Savage (White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin). It's very "rawr" but feminine and unusual. It might be better than Vasi for you since it's heavier/more edgy due to the white musk and resins, but still has pretty vanilla/amber/jasmine.

I don't know how much I can nail "foresty floral" for you since that's not my particular bag, but there are a few understated floral blends along with fruity/floral hybrids I could recommend that you might enjoy. Water Dragon - Peony, China’s national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, Buddha’s Hand for introspective spiritual growth, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, coconut for camaraderie, chrysanthemum for a life free of grief and struggle, tangerine and orchid for wealth, orange for happiness, lychee for household peace, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat, pussy willow, and quince for prosperity, sesame for sweetness, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, and peach blossom for longevity, with a splash of blazing red of dragon’s blood... to help you scare away the rampaging Nian. This is a bright and playful scent that falls under the "fruity floral" category, while still having a few deeper notes like dragon's blood to ground everything and make it more mature. A Thought From Propertius - Sweet honey, white apricot, and a touch of cayenne pepper. Sadly there aren't any actual florals here, but it's a rich yet bright blend that has a youthful allure. Avenger - Plush vanilla bourbon and rum accord with pink pepper, patchouli, clove, pikaki, golden amber, caraway, tuberose, and jacarandá-da-bahia. This one seems to divide people. They either love it or hate it. The consensus is that it starts out really strong and a little freaky, and after that it's up to your skin chemistry. For me it dries down into a feminine (but still fierce) spicy/floral/fruity mixture. Tamamo-no-Mae - Soft skin musk, brushed by white tea leaf, rice flower, black locust flower, white sandalwood kodo soke, dry ginger, benzoin gum, and Amacha. I think several of the Asian-inspired blends could actually be great for you, like the recent Plovers Above the Waves or Reflected Vulva. In my experience Asian florals are very much "sweet/innocent but strong" and some of the few I can actually tolerate. Tamamo has a gorgeous creamy floral component with an almost candy-ish background, but it isn't overwhelming. This got too astringent on me but that was due to my skin chemistry, not the perfume. Go to Sleep, Darlings - Kiss-soft clouds of spun-sugar snow. This and Snow White (which I actually haven't tried but I hear is very similar) are probably the ultimate innocent but non-childish blends. I don't think I've even put up my review for GtSD yet but... it's just perfection. It's like blown kisses and soft fluffy clouds and cuddly blankets. Which I guess translates into the softest mint in the world, a touch of white floral, along with something almost coconutty? Love it. Vasilissa - Creamy skin musk and blushing pink musk with soft sandalwood, white amber, dutiful myrrh, and star jasmine. Vasi was one of my first "cute" GC picks that didn't make me feel like a little girl. It's really kind of alluring but has such a gentle mix of delicate musks and lightly sweet amber/jasmine that it's dreamy like its inspiration. Takes me back to earlier years, but not in a goofy way. Morocco - The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia. My other "soft but womanly" GC fave. The carnation in this is killer with the spices, making it very warm but smooth thanks to the beautiful sandalwood. Tristran - Dust on your trousers, mud on your boots, and stars in your eyes: redwood, tonka bean, white sandalwood, lemon peel, patchouli, rosewood, coriander, and crushed mint. I was initially going to put down The East here since it's drawn comparisons to The Unicorn, but I also think it's similarly bright. Tristran is gorgeous and ethereal yet there's also something a little rough and tumble about it thanks to a lovely brown leather note (sticks to the background but it's noticeable). Could be a great fit. I'd also check out the recently released Pretty Deadly blends! They seem kind of perfect for what you're describing... there's quite a few florals listed but they're either backed with woodsiness, resins or tobacco. I'd probably go with Alice, Beauty or Lily.

Sugared honeydew melon with a drizzle of lime. It's bubbly and bright, but I wouldn't consider it fizzy like blends such as Geek Goth. For all the notes used it's not very complex on me, and I end up thinking of a little grade school kid chewing on melon bubblegum. If you love melons (hurhur, sorry my mind is in the gutter) and want something youthful, this would be a good pick.

It's my old pal sensual lover French Tobacco SN but in a blend, yeah? I do get the "Yankee Candle" reference because wow is this butterscotch rum/barrels of candy corn sweet. But it's got that rich, deep and yummy tobacco in the background. I get whiffs of coconut as it dries and the rum loosens its death grip, but despite smelling less commercial it's still a sugar overload. The combo of the caramel-like scent from tobacco coupled with sweetened rum and coconut is just too much. Pretty sure I would've loved this if it was only the coconut/tobacco since I can tell both of the notes are gorgeous here, and the tobacco's earthy edge would've come into play instead of getting smothered with sweets. Should be great for anyone into intense gourmand blends though.