Lady_Fire

This stayed very close to my skin, which really surprised me. Based on the notes I thought it would have a lot more projection. It was straight up fruity patchouli on me. Mostly currants, with a bit of fig. It was sweet from the honey. It was really pretty but because I could only smell it by huffing my wrists, I'll have to pass on a full bottle.

This starts out with a honeyed patchouli. The patchouli is soft and reminds me of the lab's white patchouli note. It's not funky or strong and doesn't have that "hippie" smell many patchouli notes have. It's inoffensive and slightly woody, tempered by the sweetness of the honey. As it dried, I could smell cinnamon sugar just in the background. Not a spicy cinnamon at all, but just like cinnamon sugar toast but without the toast! As the day went on this just settled to a comforting, sweet patchouli that I really love. It reminds me of Yucca Yucca Giant Skipper, one of my favorite perfumes.

Mine is fresh out of the mailbox. I find the dragon's blood to be really simple. Not super complex like some I've smelled before. When it was wet I smelled the honey pretty strong. A sweet, non-floral honey note. As it's dried I am noting more of a beeswax note, similar to Lights of Men's Lives, as Duskinhereyes noted. I am hoping with some aging the dragon's blood becomes a bit more complex.

This smells like sweet, powdery violets on me. I am not familiar with orris, so perhaps that is what is going floral. It reminds me of violet candies.

This has a green, grassy vibe when it's wet. I am getting a bit of sweetness, though I'm not sure if it's the hay or the tonka. I do not smell any cocoa. This is very light on me. I have to put my nose right up to it to smell anything. As it dries, I still get some greenness from the grass, but the hay and tonka are coming out, turning it into a sweet, dry scent. I was hoping for a bit more hay from this, so I probably won't get a full bottle.

This is straight up Tide laundry detergent on me. If you tossed me a fresh from the dryer shirt and I sniffed it, I wouldn't notice any different to this. Fresh, clean and aquatic, verging on masculine to my nose.

All I get from this is tea and greenery. Not my favorite. I will be passing along my decant.

I have a very aged decant of the original and the new version. The new version is much softer with less throw. It's lovely, but I won't be buying a bottle because it really has no projection and stays so close to the skin you have to huff your wrists to smell it. It's a light, sweet pea scent. I don't get the sage but I get some vanillic sweetness that must be the tonka. I wish it was as strong as the original because I would snap up a couple bottles.

When freshly applied, I could really smell the Snake Oil base of this. But there was also a sweetness to the blend that isn't in the original. I usually amp honey and in this, it's very soft and well blended. It's not the honey from O or Womb Fury at all (both of which I can't wear). This perfume, instead of the dark sexiness of Snake Oil, smells more girlie to me. Something you'd wear when you want to feel pretty. As it dries, the Snake Oil takes a back seat and I get mostly vanilla cream, a hint of honey and just a bit of the spices from Snake Oil. It's very soft and wears close to the body at dry down. It's a lovely scent and if you love Snake Oil I think it's a good one to add to your collection.

This smelled like the sweet, putrid scent of something dead on my skin. It was really unpleasant. I kept thinking there was a rotting, dead animal nearby. I think it was the jasmine. After about 2 hours it settled down into an unoffensive floral, mostly honeysuckle. But the opening makes this a never again for me.

The musk is dominant on me. It's a heavenly, musk, gently sweetened by the sweet pea. The vanilla is non-existent. I'm getting decent throw, as I only put a drop in the crook of my elbow a few hours ago and I keep getting whiffs. I imagine if I applied like normal I would get good throw. This is a really beautiful scent.

CT Oriental #206 was an interesting ride. I don't think I've ever experienced a cedar topnote before (it evaporated within the first 5 minutes or so, whereas usually I amp it more than other notes), but it definitely has one. Then it goes a little in the hairspray/bugspray floral direction for a short time, finally setting in as a sort of light creamsicle-vanilla, possibly with a bit of floral or amber support. Overall maybe it's a little like Pallas Athene, because that has a similar drydown on me.

I swapped for bottle 206. It starts off a strong incense to me, heavy on the frankincense, which is giving it a citrus-y sort of vibe. As it dries I also get that bug spray smell, which I associate with rose. So I think there is a hefty dose of rose in here too. Dry, that rosiness has faded slightly but the frank is still detectable with it's citrus tang. I'm not getting any vanilla sadly. I don't particularly care for this, but I think my mom or sister might, who both love florals and incense, which I think this has both in spades.

edit: Now that I've been wearing it for a couple hours it has indeed calmed down into a soft, sweet vanilla type scent. I still think I smell rose, and some sort of resin (maybe the frankincense I smelled earlier?) that does give it a slight creamsicle scent.

121: Straight vanilla in the bottle. Almost a boozy vanilla, like vanilla extract. I was so excited for this one. Once it hits my skin the vanilla nearly vanishes and some spicyness takes over. It took me a while before I recognized what I was smelling, but it smells just like chai tea spices. So this is vanilla chai spice without the tea. I strongly dislike chai so this will be going to another home.

154: Strong chocolate-y note in the bottle. The chocolate calms down on my skin. It's still there, but it's distant, more of a supporting player. Something else is coming out but I have no idea what it is. Green? Citrus? I really can't figure it out. This is also going to swaps.

Bottle 117: Very, very faint. Sugary and fruity. My husband says it smells like cotton candy. To me it's cotton candy spun with fruit. Not berries, not citrus. I don't know what fruit, but there is definitely something fruity there. I think the base must be vanilla. This one is going to swaps.

Bottle 137: Whoa. If 117 was faint, this one is STRONG. This smells like a floriental to me. I think it's an amber base. I get no sweetness from this at all. It's intense and kind of dark. I don't wear florals at all, so if I'm right about them in here, I have no clue what they are. This is something to wear at night when you want to feel powerful and sexy. This will also probably go to the swap pile.

Bottle 145: Definitely a sweet base, like vanilla or benzoin. I think there is maybe some sort of pine or balsam in here too. It's resinous but sweet smelling. I also get a licorice impression but not in your face and not strongly of anise. This seems rather masculine to me. It's actually quite nice. I may keep this one.

Take my reviews with a grain of salt. I'm horrible at picking up on notes!

Arana sounds amazing. I've never even heard of it. I'll have to put out an ISO.

Golden Priapus is nice but much too pine-y for me. I had and swapped away Hesiod's Phoenix and am kicking myself now. My tastes have developed so much since those days Antikythera Mechanism was all smoke on me, not in a pleasant way. I may have to look for a decant of Mars Ultor. Thanks!

No, if that's the one I am thinking of it turned into bubblegum on me.

Lately I have been really loving woodsy or patchouli vanilla blends. Some favorites are yucca yucca giant skipper, fulvous snow, NAVA egpytian sandalwood and possests silver sandalwood. Any recommendations for BPALs? I tried BPTPs RR and it's perfect and can't wait til the lab version releases. A lady tall and white did not work at all. No vanilla on me. Thanks!

Initially this is OMG CHOCOLATE while it is wet. I'm on the fence with chocolate scents so I wasn't sure about this one because it was super, super sweet on me. As it's dried the chocolate has receded and let the patchouli and sandalwood come out to play. Those three scents intermingle beautifully and the chocolate continues to burn off as I wear it. I have to put my nose right to my skint to smell it, so very low throw.

Sweet coconut overload. Coconut is not my favorite, but sometimes it does amazing things *ahemcaptainlilith* but usually it just isnt something I'd reach for. This is, as stated above, a honey doused coconut, reminding me of drinking tropical drinks on a warm beach. I am not familiar with saffron, but there is a slight spiciness to this that I don't recognize so I imagine that's it. If you like tropical, sweet scents I think this would be a hit for you.

This is very musky on me, in a good way. It's dark, maybe a little masculine. It's a very dark scent, but there is something bright, almost green to it? I wonder if that's the frankincense? I'm thankfully not getting any of the clove while it's still wet. As it dries some of the sweetness from the honey is coming out. I really like this. I'm not sure it's something I would wear, but it smells delicious and I bet it'd be awesome on my husband if I could ever get him to wear scents.

I think you may also like Alice from the Mad Tea Party collection. The notes are milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot. All Souls is a beautiful cakey incense scent, though I find it wears close to the skin. Should you ever have the chance, I think you'd LOVE Reflected Vulva from last years shungas. It's very rare and coveted though. I also think Dana O'Shee would be a good one for you to try. It's a very comforting scent.

Decant - labeled LXI

 

WOW!!! Smells like a cherry/almond pastry. Maybe a slight hint of some booze note. Can't wait to try! Will update when I use it in my hair tomorrow!

I think I sent you that!!! I got cherry/almond pastry from LXI as well!

Ava gave me the same vanilla perfume-y vibe as Black Lace.