chapatti

Covert Operations - Enigmas - Defiance - Psychoanalysis - Terror - Anonymity - Immortality - Sadism - Transformation - The Unknown - Discovery Of Error - Detection Of Injustice First whiff: ...I... know this smell. I just know it! But what is it? ...Vicks vapo-rub, that's what it is - seriously, it's dead on, meaning it's probably got camphor, menthol and eucalyptus. Drydown: the Vicks-like smell goes away quickly (the menthol part vanishes almost instantly), leaving way to something still cold, although not chilly like it was in the first place, and, frankly, indescribable. I could say it's softly herbal, to the point that I can smell actual grass in it, it's medicinal, masculine, with maybe a bit of cedar, and an almost imperceptible, lingering sweetness. I know I'm pushing the analogy too far, but oddly enough, it's almost threatening, yet soft and gentle at the same time. Verdict: I was both eager and scared to try Pluto, as it is so prominent in my chart, and means so much to me, both in good and bad... and I'm under the spell of this blend. Again, the Celestial Specialness (™) is there in full force. It's eerie. I don't know how I could rate this - let's say 6/10, purely scent-wise, but this blend, even more than the other Celestials, feels more than just a scent to me. Can't explain it ^^

First whiff: soap. Not "soapy", as in, "reminds me of soap", it is actual, pure, concentrated, bigger-than-life soap. Drydown: the soap actually strengthens at first, lasts for at least half an hour, then slowly leaves the scene, to be replaced by something paradoxically warm, feminine, delicate and which totally evokes a... peach/salmon pink color to my nose. It's slightly powdery, and it doesn't smell aquatic at all to me. And no citrus, no sir. - Why, yes, it is Neptune I'm talking about, why are you asking? Overall, it's delicately floral/fruity and, again, very "peach/pink", but I'm incapable of identifying what's in the blend exactly. I would venture there is lotus, though - but "fruity" lotus? ...now is this a helpful review or what? ;p Verdict: OK, so either my nose is on crack, or Neptune morphed in my own imp into being something I personally would like, considering my experience with it is so drastically different from everybody else Anyway, I quite like it as it is, and it fits the way I perceive Neptune, another prominent influence in my chart. 7/10

Eccentricity - Adventure - Clairvoyance - Defiance - Humanitarianism - Lawlessness - Magnetism - Paradoxes - Astrology - Whimsy - Progress - Electricity - Invention – Satire First whiff: clove and lavender? Drydown: I swear, I can really smell lavender in this! Lavender, under clove and and soft, unobtrusive cinnamon, and a hint of camphor-like note in the background. Ooooh it's becoming lovely, with the clove mellowing and blending with the cinnamon! It actually reminds me of Mercury - which is fitting, with an added, prominent clove note. It's not as candy-delicious as Mercury, though. Still, it's very pleasant, with the cinnamon being quite demure, not in-your-face at all. Verdict: Uranus does share that "airy", "quicksilver" vibe that I already felt from Mercury, and... well, it feels dead-on with what the blend's astrological namesake stands for. Plus it smells really nice, so what's not to like? 7.5/10

First whiff: urgh!... it's just, ahem, unpleasant ^^ Drydown: it's very hard to describe, as I can't identify any note for certain. Dark, for sure, very dark - color-wise, it evokes dark gunmetal to me... the smell itself is medicinal, peppery, smokey, bitter, almost camphor-ish. It is, in a nutshell, entirely in accordance with what Saturn stands for. And it makes me want to run in the opposite direction, to tell you the truth. Verdict: I dislike it. And that's coming from a Capricorn Sun, raising and Venus, who doesn't like her astrological overlord at all 5/10

First whiff: ... pencil shavings. You know, when I read the reviews here, I couldn't believe it could possibly smell like that at all, but... yes, pure, unadulterated pencil shavings indeed. Drydown: Pencil shavings, the Single Note (™). It just keeps on like that without varying at all, just pure pencil shavings. I might venture there's some cedar in this, but.. gah. It's the woody note of Tombstone, but without Tombstone's delicious vanilla and sassafras and, well, everything that made it so good Verdict: What can I say? Pencil shavings, duh... And it's hard for me to associate pencil shavings with optimism and expansion... 5.5/10

First whiff: OUCH IT BURNS US, IT BUUUUURNS!!! Drydown: Hmpf. Now that Mars has stopped showing off with his skin-scortching, I-am-god-of-war-feel-me-roar routine, I can actually smell a strong dragon's blood smell (so, lilac, pretty much), with an overlayer of spices, most prominently pepper - not perfumed, pink or white pepper bays, mind you, this is harsh, ashen pepper from the pepper mill. The resulting smell is, frankly, unpleasant - but I do feel the trademark Celestials Special-ness®. Joy. Still, it smells bad Verdict: honestly, scent-wise, it's really not great, and that's a euphemism. The smell is actually so distracting that I haven't been able to focus on any possible effect from the blend. ...and to think I was hoping for cinnamon. Ha! 4/10

First whiff: slight mint, and the rose greenery from Rose Red. Drydown: The mint goes away quite quickly, leaving the still the greenery, and a rose flower note very close to the Peacock Queen's. As it goes, the Peacock Queen-style rose flower scent takes the front of the stage, with the green note softly wafting in the background. It manages to be, strangely enough, both fresh and warmly radiant - glowing, I'd say. Verdict: I love this blend. The scent itself, with all its minty greenness over soft rose, is very pleasant to start with, but the effect is there as well - now maybe it's the strong visualisation I do when wearing this blend, but it makes me feel, hm, graceful, open and elegant. And that's a feat, believe me Also, I sometimes layer it with Dragon's Milk, my comfort scent, for an extra feel-good kick, and the result is scrumptious, can't recommend it enough! 8/10

First whiff: lavender and cinnamon. Weirdest thing ever. Also, it's burning my skin like a mofo right now. Drydown: the burning feeling is gone pretty fast, fortunately. The lavender scent is quite strong, and slightly sweet. It's surprising, unusual, but really pleasant, actually. The cinnamon asserts itself more through the drydown - although never getting in-your-face the way it can in some blends (*coughcassiacough*), coming down to a balanced cinnamon/lavender that also sweetens, but not cloyingly so. This is what a lavender candy would smell like, if you can imagine it! The throw is strong at first, but after two or three hours, it turns into a soft skin scent, unfortunately - but still lovely, as it is a mellows more and more, to the point you can't really tell the lavender and cinnamon apart. Verdict: I really like it - the scent is absolutely unique, to start with, and very, very pleasantly so. I couldn't tell how exactly, but it does evoke Mercury to me, especially in the "quick wit", "mind agility" aspect. 8/10

First whiff: almonds. Lovely, and not bitter almonds like in so many, if not most, other almond-enhanced BPAL, it's almost marzipan-like! Drydown: the almonds quickly vanished, although not quite instantaneously like in aforementioned other be-almonded BPAL The body of the scent is mostly white florals, and I could swear there's jasmine in there, although it's not turning as hideous as it usually does on my skin (smell Ma, no pee! ). The scent itself reminds me quite a bit of Tarot: The High Priestess, sans mint. Aaaand... well, it's just that, plain white florals, with a tiny hint of powder, and something that feels almost acrid to my nose. I never smelled any cherries in this. Verdict: it's a simple - dare I say boring, to my tastes? - white floral. And I'm judging it for the scent only as, unfortunately, I never felt the "vibe" I get from other Celestials... it may also be because I'm a bit scared of some of the facets of the Moon as ascribed to this blend 6.5/10

First whiff: I can't identify it. It's citrus-y, there are orange rinds, definitely, and a dash of orange juice, but otherwise... some amber, I'd say, and a hint of pepper. Drydown: Er, this is turning very much like The Lion, i.e., pepper over dried orange rinds on a background layer of amber, and I don't care for the smell much. It feels special, though. The pepper does calm down eventually, and for a few hours, I'm fluctuating between "meh" and "not bad". ... and then something just happens, and Sol blooms on my skin. I don't know how to express it, except that it suddenly turns into olfactory... gold. I assume it's the amber finally asserting itself in full force? It's amber, and dried orange rinds, with still a hint of the pepper.By that point, it's intoxicating, and exhilarating... yet purely scent-wise, I - still don't like it? This is SO confusing Verdict: Sol confounds me. I dislike the scent at first, still don't care about it all that much in the drydown - yet I invariably end up with my wrist firmly glued to my nose, as there's something I can only describe as surreal-ly exhilarating about it. 7.5/10

First whiff: Woof. Dark, bitter, dirty, unsweet cocoa, on a strong layer of vetiver... and a dark, background murkiness. Drydown: The cocoa has receded down into the background, while the vetiver is still obvious, and the blood musk smells like... the funky note from Smut, actually. It smells like red musk with a bad twist The murkiness is taming down half an hour in; it now smells a bit "brighter" (though not bright by any means) and, frankly, it's extremely close to Smut on me. A dark, be-vetivered Smut. After hours, the very end of the drydown is... heaven. Sheer heaven. A wonderful, dry spiciness (maybe the allspice and pepper?) that reminds me quite a bit of my beloved Kingdom, by Alexander McQueen, and its beautiful, sensual headiness. If the scent could be like that through its entire life, I'd buy galleons. Verdict: Smut lovers should really like this, methinks. If on you, Smut develops this muskyfunky note, though, you might want to be careful, as that note is especially strong here. A very unusual, dark and complex scent. 7.5/10

First whiff: oooh, blackcurrant wine! Drydown: it stays pure, unsweet, slightly tangy blackcurrant wine for about an hour, then the vanilla note emerges, and it's delicious! Still barely sweet at all, though. As it goes, the scent morphs subtly but constantly, a woody note coming to the front, then the tanginess amping up then down, the vanilla coming to the front then receding, with always a strong blackcurrant note in the background... and it's delicious all the way. The end of the drydown - and this is after 12 hours mind you - is soft, muted vanilla with a last hint of blackcurrant. Verdict: lovely. Really, really lovely. Very unusual as a personal perfume... but I'm delighted with this scent. Bottle plz! 8.5/10

First whiff: Oh bummer. This smells like everything I didn't like in Athens. Drydown: Yes, that's Athens all right, thankfully without the sourness-turning-into-cat pee note. The honey note isn't sweet whatsoever on me, it's actually much more like beeswax than anything else, on a dark, masculiney note. As it dries down, the carnation becomes more obvious... and Athens' sour note comes up, but thankfully goes away quite quickly. I don't know where that similarity comes from, I don't believe they share a note except for the honey and incense, maybe? It keeps on being unsweet, strong beeswax on a dark background for many hours, without changing much. Nice throw and nice staying power, I must say. Verdict: I thought it was going to be my favorite of the Maelström, what with the wonderful list of notes and the honey and all, but it's not "me" at all. I guess I was expecting something sweeter and "girlier" (which, ahem - hello, it's The Masque of the Red Death?! Stoopid me ) It's already gone to a more loving home. 6.5/10

First whiff: hmm, this is very unusual, it's hard to tell the notes apart. There are orange rinds, obviously, and a background, woody note. Drydown: it's so nicely blended, with still the orange peel on the front, intimately mixed with this dark, woodsy note... but what's this? There is this note wafting now that smells like a damp basement. The very smell of wet stones surrounded by, erm, rot. Just... color me flabbergasted. This is incredibly accurate and evocative. It then keeps on being this well-blended orange peel/wood/damp basement scent for hours, without morphing much at all. Verdict: completely true to its name, I'm really, really impressed by the very artistry on show here, to create a scent so evocative. Personally, I don't especially like the rot note though, so I won't be getting a bottle as I don't see myself wearing this blend too often, but I will sure keep my decant. 7.5/10

First whiff: Musks, obviously, but much tamer than I thought. Drydown: Ah, it's getting kind of "perfumey", unfortunately. Within an hour, though, that "perfumey" layer vanishes, and I'm left with a very pleasant muskiness (now that sounded wrong ), surprisingly light (definitely can't smell any red musk in there), with a soft, unobtrusive green note, slightly woodsy and with a very light tanginess to it. The amber is detectable but very subtle, and I can't smell the orange peel. I don't know what ambergris smells like, unfortunately, I'd love to tell it apart here... actually, I believe that smell I didn't know before (boy is that a helpful review or what? ), that's very slightly reminiscent of white musk, might be it. And it's really lovely. This puppy is getting better by the hour! There's definitely something special and pleasant about this blend, it's unique and beautifully blended. Verdict: frankly, I got a decant of this mostly because, Hilariously Legendary Blend Name! But I wasn't actually expecting to like it all that much, and I'm very pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't hunt down a bottle, but it is definitively unique and really, really pleasant. The throw is almost non-existent, unfortunately. 7.5/10