PurgatoriX

VI. THE LOVERS After she was dead, she began to come to him in the night. He grew pale, and there were deep circles under his eyes. At first, they thought he was mourning her. And then, one night, he was gone. It was hard for them to obtain permission to disinter her, but they got it. They hauled up the coffin and unscrewed the lid. Then they prized what they found out of the box. There was six inches of water in the bottom, the iron had colored it a deep, orangish red. There were two bodies in the coffin: hers, of course, and his. He was more decayed than she was. Later, someone wondered aloud how both of them had fitted in a coffin built for one. Especially given her condition, he said; for she was very obviously very pregnant. This caused some confusion, for she had not been noticeably pregnant when she was buried. Still later they dug up her got one last time, at the request of the church authorities, who had heard rumors of what had been found in the grave. Her stomach was flat. The local doctor told them all that it had just been gas and bloating as the stomach swelled, The townsfolk nodded, almost as if they believed him. Black Phoenix's most disquieting scent: baby's breath and upturned soil. I've been away from the forums for ages, but I just had to come back for this In the bottle: rich, wet, black dirt, perfect for planting. Or digging. Wet on skin: The dirt sweetens immediately, but it's not "floral", per se. It's still rich dirt, but there's a sharp, sweet green-ness to it now. Not fresh green, though; old green, like roots or something. Drydown: Stays very much the same. The dirt gets a touch softer & actually smells dryer without being dusty. The green sweetness calms down & blends in perfectly. My favorite stage! Throw is not too strong, but it lasts all day on me & is very consistent. A strange & lovely scent!

In the bottle: Sweet melon, lychee & tangerine. Wet on my skin: Wow, sweet fruity goodiness! The lychee & tangerine battle it out with the melon, with what might be coconut in the background. Drydown: the fruit fades, allowing the florals & greens to come forward. A surprisingly quick drydown; the bamboo & plum blossom are gorgeous & the dragon's blood is not really noticable until the very end. And then it all fades away too fast. Verdict: I really love this scent, but it vanishes too quickly on me. I have to press my nose against my wrist to smell anything after about an hour or 2 All that really remains is a hint of dragon's blood. Perhaps I should try a little more next time...

In the bottle: Straight-up baby powder with a hint of sweet. Wet on my skin: The sweet amps up & it's almost fruity, but what kind of fruit I couldn't say - it's somewhere between a pale citrus and an appley scent. There's also something like smoke, waaaay in the distance... Drydown: The baby powder is really mellow & almost unnoticable, but it's presence still softens the smoky fruit. It's rather smooth & lovely, like perhaps this diabolical child isn't so bad... <3 Verdict: I'm not overly fond of smelling like baby powder, but this has enough blending of other things that I might consider more in the future

In the bottle: Bright, flashy green! Like this is what I imagine neon green would smell like; it's amazing! Wet on my skin: Very bright & citrus-y, not too sweet. Lime & maybe starfruit? Maybe yuzu. There's a muskiness (is that a word?) in the background, but for the most part it's all fruit. Still very green & fizzy Drydown: The fruit has calmed & the spicy musk has taken over, like I've opened my spice cabinet after slicing up fresh fruit or opening a ramune soda - & yet I still love it Verdict: Most excellent & perfect for summer! I might need at least an imp or 2 of this in the future...

I'm continuing with my 1-a-day reviews In the bottle: Thick, deep incense wafting through old, dusty, heavy velvet curtains. Wet on my skin: Wow! It's like I pulled back the curtains to reveal a candlelit, hidden boudoir filled with burning incenses & drying roses. It's heavy yet well-blended, & there's something like the scent of spice-on-skin, which I guess is the clove, but it doesn't seem like clove? If that makes sense. Like perhaps this hidden boudoir is full of beautiful people perfuming themselves with misters or powders, & they've been doing so for ages & the scents have seeped into the walls & floor... Drydown: It's fading a little too fast, but the rose has all but gone, leaving behind a faint, myrrh-tinged incense. Really lovely Verdict: Love! From bottle-opening to drydown, this scent is fantastic! I will be looking for more!

3rd review, I'm on a roll ^__^ This was a hard one for me to in down, but I'll do my best. In the bottle: Sour, bitter rusted metal & salt mixed with old motor oil, for lack of a better word. I was amazed & yet really hesitant to put this on Wet on my skin: The rusty metal amped hard & I got a strange whiff of what I can only describe as dry peanut shells? There's a burnt, smoky smell underneath, but I don't really get the "pork" so much as just "burnt". Drydown: It's become a warm, smoky & almost spicy musk, not bitter at all! I actually really like this stage. Verdict: Well, an amazing metamorphosis, to say the least! I may want more of this in the future, but for now I'll let it sit & try it again whaen it's not so hot outside, see how that changes things...

It smells perfectly normal: a lovely, unassuming, traditional mid-20th century musk with something not quite right lying underneath. Ok, my second review! (I know, I'm quick ) In the bottle: Vanilla musk, very light & sweet, and plain. But there's something I can't put my finger on in the background. Wet on the skin: Baby powder, but not like in-the-bottle baby powder; more like on-the-baby baby powder, which is weird. And the something is still there, just under the powder, an almost... aquatic? scent, like looking into what seems to be a clear pool of water, but you SWEAR you see something wriggling at the bottom, in the shadows. Drydown: There's much less baby powder & more Little Old Lady scent now. Like old withered flowers & vanilla perfume. The aquatic thing has now turned almost, I dunno, metallic? Like dear old Norman got dressed up as mom again & went to the knife drawer... Verdict: I'm not 100% sure about this scent as of yet, but it certainly has left me guessing. I like it, but enough to invest in more? I don't know... Still, quite a masterful job!

My first review! Here it goes... In the bottle: Thick, sweet, sticky butterscotch! Wet on my skin: There's a sudden blast of ripe red berry (and I do mean BLAST - I actually drew back from my wrist with a "Woah!"). It mixes with the creamy butterscotchy scent and is almost overwhelming. It almost reminds me of making fake blood out of corn syrup & red kool-aid powder! Drydown: Oh gods, I'm in love! The scent has mellowed & the berry has calmed down to something really lovely. And I can seriously say that I kinda want to eat my arm Verdict: A definite keeper! I wish I'd gotten more than a half-imp, but it was my first decant circle so I wanted to be cautious. Now I'll probably be hunting for more! BRRRAAAAAAAIIIINNNSSS...