Nachtwulf

Just from the list of notes, I knew I'd like this. Clove? Red sandalwood? Vanilla? So very there. It's /not/ a sexy scent to me, though... it's surprisingly light and clear for what you'd think of its notes. It's sweet, and on me, most of it blurs together into a pleasant sort of quality that isn't nearly as foody as you'd expect. I suspect it's softened by the florals, and just enough clove to keep it from being -too- sweet. It doesn't seem to have a lot of throw to me, but that's not so bad... you can wear it to work or something and not worry about being in a fog of scent that'll give you a headache in an hour. As it sets, it gets a bit less floral and a bit more clovey, but remains quite nice. Definitely a keeper, may be a bottle.

Bottle: Yay, nothing to go on! So you get what -I- think it smells like. Distinctly citrusy, with a hint of something that's probably lavender. It's definitely more floral than foodlike, though... this is more of a bright unsweet lemon than rich oranges. At least in liquid form, it makes me think more of 'good morning, sunshine!' than it does 'naptime!'. Wet: .... Lemons. Lemon lemon LEMON. And maybe a hint of something else but mostly LEMON. Good heavens. Hm. Orange blossoms, maybe. Dry: Lemons and.... seawater? I swear, it's like someone washing dishes in lemon Dawn on the seashore. Greh. Final opinion: Okay, I do kinda like citrus scents, but this is waaaaaay too over-lemon for me. I'm debating keeping it and layering it with something like Bengal (since lemon spice tea is one of my favorite things), but just by itself, I can't say I fancy it. It just smells too much like dish detergent to me.

Bottle: Hooyah. Spicy it is. It -is- masculine, like their little tagline says, lacking the sweet notes you find in Chimera, Bengal, or other spice-type blends. However, it avoids smelling like pot roast. (Don't laugh, one of the Chaos Theories I tried smelled EXACTLY like pot roast spices. Eugh.) Wet: ...Hm. Unlike most spice, this doesn't say 'warm' to me, but is still spicy. It smells...very much like something REALLY FREAKING FAMILIAR, but I can't place it. It sweetens up a bit, but remains far from sugary. It also seems to retain that masculine edge. This would be uber-sexy on a guy. It's not too bad on me. Dry: Hmnnn. (This scent obviously makes me go 'hmm' a lot.) It still smells familiar. The spice has largely died down, leaving myrrh, and something else (poppy? I have no idea what poppy smells like). Weirdly, I get the impression of leather and smoke, even if there isn't an obvious leather note to it... with a sharp kind of spice in the background (which I presume is the nutmeg, though it seems sharper than that, almost like aniseed). Final opinion: It is definitely mansmelly. If you're a guy, and you like spice, and you don't want to smell like a breakfast confection, this is definitely for you. It's sweet-ish-, but not sweet like Chimera or even Bengal. There's quite a bit of throw, which is less masculine... it's more of a vague sort of vanilla-spice kind of thing. I think I'll keep the imp, though I don't think I'll wear it enough to warrant a bottle.

In the imp, this is sort of like...well, someone said 'Zombi with the roses replaced' and it is... it has the same sour/rancid smell that I got off Zombi, that I was attributing to roses. Guess it's not the rose after all. There's a bit of sweet magnolia and booze, but mostly... I get 'sour dirt'. Graveyard Dirt is a lighter, wetter smell to me than the dirt/moss in Zombi. This lasts for a minute or two while it's wet, but then, poof, it all goes away again. I still get a bit of the sour dirt, but only up really close. From any distance at all, it's like Bayou, but with the sweetness of bourbon and bay rum, very light and pleasant and less plantlike. Basically an aquatic floral, the other things give it just a bit of warmth and spice that it wouldn't otherwise have. Although I don't think I'll wear it much, it's a very interesting and complex scent, and I'm going to be keeping the imp. It's a good 'day to day' scent, since it's not overwhelming; the sort of thing you'd wear if you're going to be around other people and don't want to gas them out with something strong and overly recognizeable. On me at least, the enjoyment comes from the throw, since wrist-snurfling keeps turning up that sourness.

The way people were going on about incense, I thought this would be -really- incensy. And yet...it's not. It has incense notes to it, but clearer, drier ones than the heady, smoky perfume of Gypsy Queen, but even those take second seat to the warm smell of cedar. After about 45m, I get a surge of florals... the flowers on the altar, perhaps... but then that goes away and mellows back down to cedar and a bit of incense smoke again. For some reason, I find this scent -incredibly- comforting. I'm not a Catholic, I think the only times I've been in a real cathedral were for sightseeing. But all the same, this is familiar on some level I can't identify, and I find it reassuring and wonderful where other similar scents (Hymn, Penitence, Anathema) fell horribly short. I'm very glad I finally managed to secure a bottle of it.

Only got one bottle of this, since I figured it had dragon's blood in it... and DB is either a hit or a horrible, horrible miss, and I never know what to make of it until it hits my hide. Bottle: Yeah, it's got dragons blood, but there's so much else in there! It's faintly smoky, and there's....SOMETHING... I can't identify, whether it be musk or ambergris, or ....maybe even a black vanilla, but there's something that's warm and -just- shy of sweet lying in wait under the other things. Wet: This rapidly gets so blurred together I can't hardly identify any of the notes, individually. There is still dragon's blood, but it proves to be a warm, almost feral kind of scent, very much 'gender neutral'. Dry: The feral qualities seem to settle down, leaving what amounts to dragonsblood and a dark vanilla, from what I can tell. It's still got some 'manly edge' to it, from whatever the musk or ambergris I was picking up is, and it's not the least bit foody, but it's a rich, warm sort of smell that I find quite sexy. Edit: It could be that I'm misreading the 'red sandalwood' as dragonsblood... but I dunno. Tough call either way! I don't suppose I need a second bottle, but I'm definitely glad I have the one.

In the bottle, the first thing I got was 'clean linen', which isn't even on the ingredient list! But it seemed like a very light and clean scent, and not fruity at all. Once on, though, it went /terribly/ soapy. I'm not quite sure what the culprit is, but honestly, it reminds me of lemon dish soap more than anything, and while Dawn is a nice enough smell, it's not what I'd call perfume. I'm afraid this is one for the swap box.

Got this as a frimp...from the desc, I /never/ would've ordered it. Violet and vetiver are two terribly baneful scents on me, and in violet's case, has totally wrecked my enjoyment of a blend before! (Anathema.) Ahhh...but...Saturnalia. For some reason... utterly incomprehensible... I like this. Nevermind that it's two notes that I hate... it's clean and green, and not sweet...faintly floral, but not soapy.I get something of pine or forest, somehow, which some have offered as being an oakmoss note... I don't know, it's just a lovely woodsy scent that actually smells like the /woods/, not of pine sol. ....It /doesn't/ say 'rampaging sexuality' to me in any sense, though... more the kind of smell that encourages peaceful daydreaming, as if sitting under an isolated grove of trees on a bed of moss. I doubt I'm going to run out and get a bottle, but I'm going to keep the imp, I believe. It's quite nice, in my book.

I got this as a frimp... I probably wouldn'tve ordered it on my own, but I'm very glad they sent it along, because I really enjoy it. Many people have mentioned rose and citrus. To be entirely honest, I don't get either one of them, and the blend doesn't seem to be all that floral on me. Instead, it's mostly a rich, golden amber, with hints of sweetness and spice. It /has/ floral and fruity qualities to it, but they remain in the background of the amber, keeping it from turning sicky-sweet and powdery and keeping it exotic. It reminds me of vampires... of the decadent, brocade-endraped Edwardian variety, rather than anything tawdry or feral. It's a coy, coquettish smile from a painted face beneath a huge powdered wig, the gleam of a fang hidden away by a fan edged in jewels and peacock feathers. It's a hunger, but one with dignity and grace. I wish it lasted a little longer, but 2-3 hours certainly isn't a bad showing.

Bottle: It didn't seem very distinguished in the bottle... kinda sweet, fruity or something, but it didn't step out and whack me in the face with its personality or anything. Wet: Definitely more appealing. It's mostly what I'd call black cherries, and maybe something like vanilla musk. Mostly, though, it's thick, boozy, dark cherries. Dry: Lo, and cinnamon has flared wings and set the phoenix on fire. It doesn't change -too- much from its wet stage, aside from developing that very cinnamony quality, that's much more prominent in the throw than it is when I get right down on it and snrfl my arm. The vanilla seems to have gone, so... I'm going to say cinnamon and cherries. Final op: Mmm. I /do/ like it. I dunno if I need a bottle, or if I'm just going to be sure I have an imp around. I think I'd rather have Bengal or Chimera for cinnamon, but... it's sort of like the illicit love child of Chimera and Hollywood Babylon, so if you like either/both of those, Black Phoenix will probably float your biscuit just fine. If you don't like foody scents, you probably won't go for this one either.

Well, I didn't get 'cat pee'... (I live with four cats. I /know/ what cat pee smells like.) Most of BPAL's 'fire' blends just plain don't bring fire to mind, to me. Fire eater, Salamander, and Living Flame all came off as nothing like fiery enough to me personally...or what I think of as a 'fiery' scent. Fire, to me, should be heavy and smoky and resinous and spicy. It should have cinnamon and incense and hot-blooded musk. It should...well...smell like Flame of Desire. Although I thought that it was going to be 'enh' like Salamander, from the bottle, on skin the cinnamon really surges up then warms down into something musky and a bit incensy. There's a leetle bit of floralness, but I think it still works overall. While I don't know that it's something I'd wear all the time, I do like it quite a bit and am happy I got the bottle.

In the bottle, this is very piney or evergreen... I tend to think 'cedar' by choice, but it's almost acrid in its resinous pineyness. On skin, though, it softens, gaining a warmer sort of scent. There's a bit of sandalwood, I think, but what I mostly seem to get from it is a combination of that cedar and...coconut. I swear it's coconut. Cedar, sandalwood, and coconut. I like it more than I thought I would...most of the Orisha scents don't like me much, and when I smelled it in the vial, I thought it would be the same way. But this is a much warmer and sweeter scent; just enough cedar to keep it from being foody, not incensy, just warm and slightly resinous-sweet. Although I don't feel compelled to track down a whole bottle, I -do- find that I like it, and plan to keep the imp for the occasions when the mood strikes to wear it.

Bottle: This is kind of acrid to me in the bottle, to be honest. Not sharp and unpleasant like things with ozone, but not the green/spicy scent I was expecting. I suspect the ginger is trying to crawl up my nose and stab me in the brain. Wet: Okay...that's better. The ginger's still overwhelming at first, but then it seems to dry back to... to... you know, I think it's somehow really WRONG that something named 'Shub-niggurath' reminds me of Christmas, but it does. It's winter evergreen mixed with the faint scent of baked goods. It's not uber-foody... it's got sweet-spice notes in it, but it's not /sweet/, like Chimera or Bengal. Dry: The cedarish qualities return a bit...the closer you get to it, the more evergreen/moss it gets, but the throw remains sweet ginger-spice. I tell you, it smells like a Yule scent! Not that that's bad. I like it. I only have an imp; I dunno how much I'll actually wear it... but it's a keeper.

I /should/ have loved this. All the notes are wonderful, spicy and heady and just a bit of fruit for sweetness. In the bottle, it was just like I imagined. On my skin? .....URGH. I have no idea what exactly is in this that decided to abuse my body chemistry, and while this smells much like something I've smelled before, I can't place it. It does, however, turn into Assault with a Deadly Odor, and what's more, it sticks around. And around, and around, and....JEEBUS, it has a lot of throw. It's sort of like musk and hot plastic and something else, but anyway... I know that isn't too much of a 'review', but all I can say is, it went Totally Funktastic on me, and I had to swap it.

A heavy-lidded perfume, the quintessence of beauty and power shrouded in mystery, swathed in a deep, velvet-clad cloak of dark omens: Romany incense and candle smoke mingling with an alluring, body-warmed whiff of bergamot, neroli, Bulgar rose, carnation, and amber musk. I got this in trade for Snake Charmer, which I read the description of and thought I'd like, and which then turned into Assault with a Deadly Odor as soon as it hit my skin. Gypsy Queen had a list of stuff that mostly, I wouldn'tve bet on, but at this point I've come to the conclusion that I can't hardly make a judgement without trying it. Because frankly... I -love- Gypsy Queen. Possibly even more than Freak Show, which seems odd. It pulls no punches; it's a heady, thick, overpowering sort of scent (I underestimated it 'cause it's floral in the bottle and put a bit too much on), but it's not totally overwhelming. Largely, it's what it says...smoke and incense. It's a warm, thick, sweet incense, though, mellow and not sharp or churchy at all. I pick up vanilla from it, though that could be the bergamot for all I know, and what I swear is cinnamon. It's a lot more mellow, and like some others have said, almost 'creamy', which is what keeps it from being ecclesiastical. It's a warm, inviting incense, and yes... I can totally see the fortuneteller's tent smelling of this. Come in, precious child. Have a seat...

Bottle: Rose, tempered with something warmer and sweeter. Many rose-scents seem to go sour on me (Zombi HATES me; anything with the 'dried flower' scent does) but this seems more like Moon Rose, a softer sort of roseness. I can pick up a hint of jasmine and/or honeysuckle in the bottle too. Wet: When I /first/ put it on, it threatened to go rancid. But then, that 'old rose' went away. In fact... I think almost /all/ the rose went away. o.o I'm getting almost nothing but whispers of vanilla and a bit of spice. It's still there, but has fwoomphed way back into the background. All the florals are still there, but subtle. In fact, this scent seems very delicate on me overall. Dry: As it dries, it becomes a warm sort of vanilla-rose with faint incense undertones. Again, it's not a powerful scent, but it's nice. Final opinion: Well, it's not at all what I expected, and I'm glad I ordered it on the whim I had to grab it while it was there. I thought it would be smack-you-inna-face floral, and really, it's not. It's more of a warm-spice floral, like a florist's shop in autumn, when they're using all the cinnamon bark for their arrangements and things. It isn't foody, quite, despite the vanilla-cinnamon I seem to get from it, it's just sweet and pleasant, and not a bit overwhelming. Definitely an autumn/winter scent, though, to me.

Bottle: Okay, I was disappointed with how un-Dark 'Darkness' was. /THIS/ is Darkness. It's a dusky, thick oil, it's pungent and resinous and powerful. It also strongly reminds me of SOMETHING and I have no clue what. Wet: Strangely, this seems to pick up some odd sweetnesses when I put it on. It's not food or floral, though; I can only imagine it's some musk or another reacting with my skin. I'm picking up a peculiar clove/pepper kind of note too. Weirdly, the vetiver (which usually tries to stab me in the sinuses when I'm not looking) is totally absent. It still reminds me of.... something. Drying: It gains a weird, kind of unpleasant pepperish note, but it's pretty transitory. Dry: It mellows a bit more, gaining a more woody quality. It's still sweetish, but not food or flower or anything like that. I can pick up a bit of champa or something similarly incensy. It's like a Black Mass in a bottle! I don't know that I'll wear it all that /often/, but I do like it a great deal indeed, and I'll probably pick up a 5ml at some point for those days when I need a bit of forcefulness in my life.

I. Love. This. No, seriously. Nevermind that the freak show was always my fave part of the carnival (bastards for getting rid of them, BRING BACK THE THREE HEADED COWS) but after going through all of the scents, this was the only one that said 'buy me or else'. So I did. Bottle: Fruity, spicey, impossible to pick out notes. But it's sweet, and yes.... eerily familiar... I don't know what this reminds me of, but it's a happy thing. Wet: Very very figgy. There's some other fruits and things in there, but it's fig, with a bit of tonka and clove for the most part. I normally don't care for clove, but in this it really seems to work; it'd probably be way too sicky-sweet if it wasn't there. Something to prod things along, more to see, more to see, move along there, folks. Dry: It mellows out when it's dry; the fig warming down into a melange of other things. It's still -largely- fig, but unlike other fig-based blends, I like it in this one. It doesn't go particularly acrid or nasty; the tonka and a sort of vanilla undertone keeping it somewhat tamed down. I never got any chocolate or lemon, but that's okay. I have my 13 for when I want chocolate. I love that it's sweet, but not entirely foody, nor is it -too- cloying. I'm sort of regretting not getting another bottle. Throw: Lots of throw. Gentle, warm, vanilla-fig-spice throw. Yummeh.

Bottle: This is a light, sweetish floral. Somehow I'd expected it to be fruitier than this, but maybe I just had apples on the brain. Wet: Sweet, but warm, not as light and fragile as some. There's rose in it, all right, but it's tempered with everything else, so it doesn't go all powdery or sour. It does, however, remind me of those little expensive rose soaps you find in pricey hotels. Hn. I'm not, however, getting too much else /besides/ rose, except maybe a little carnationish thing, or something. It's just...rose. Dry: Hm. The worst of the soapiness goes away, but there's enough there I can still call it that. I think I'll probably swap this, since it doesn't bypass Moon Rose for my favorite rose scent.

In the bottle, it does smell of sea air, but there's something sour under it I'm not sure I like. It kind of reminds me of Zombi's sour-rancid qualities. Wet: Yup. Still there. There's definitely something gone squidgey under the deck, matey. Dry: Well, at last, the sourness has gone away, but it's left behind something that smells to me rather like 'Sea Breeze Bracing Splash'. It looks like this one is not for me. Ah well, there be other fish in the seas, me hearty.

Got this as a frimp. You'd figure it smelled like roses, from the name. In the bottle, it does /kind/ of smell like roses. But it's overwhelmed by something almost salty, or buttery. It's kind of unpleasant, and threatens to overwhelm any sweet floral notes in it. Wet: Still has that gross salted-butter cast to it. Am I the only one that's getting this note? Everyone else seems to be all 'omgsweetfloral' and I'm thinking '...hot buttered...roses?' Dry: Well, it gets rosy-er, but it never quite manages to get past that funky salt note. Off to the swaps with ye! I'll stick to Moon Rose, I think.

CT2-CIII(103) Bottle: Sort of a warm cognac in color. Scent: Sharp, pungent, kind of sinus-clearing. o.o; It's not sweet at all, it's a very woody scent, and I think that's eucalyptus that's boring a hole through my perpetual slight congestion. There is a hint of resin. Wet: It's actually a little cold. Probably the eucalyptus again. Still woody and kind of sharp, though it softens a bit when it goes on. It becomes considerably more woody and less acrid, and is much nicer on than in the bottle. It verges slightly on Man Scent, though. Definitely 'gender neutral'. Dry:The eucalyptus has subsided (it's transitory stuff anyway), leaving a sort of warm, wood-resiny scent behind. I like it well enough, but I think I'd like it better if it were sweeter. It isn't sweet at all, though it isn't sour or pungent or anything. It's just woody and a bit peppery. Final Opinion: Well, I certainly don't hate it, but it's not a fragrance I'd wear, I think. It's just a little bit too much Man Smell for me. CT2-XII(12) Bottle: Low serial number! 12 is a light straw color. It seems like a light, almost peppery herbal. Again, not sweet in the imp, but it's like the spice of radishes and pepper more than anything like cinnamon or nutmeg. I am reminded weirdly of cilantro. Wet: Again, instant metamorphosis. (CTs do this more than any other type of scent I've found.) There is a musk in it, but it's not white musk (which smells icky on me); I think it might be red or black. There is an undertone to it that reminds me very strongly of my other Chaos Theory (the one I have the 5ml of) but this has no fruit at all. It's a pleasant musk along with some sort of warm woods. It gets less peppery, but the presence is still there. Dry: This is /definitely/ peppery. It kind of reminds me of Medicine Show, though without the icky kind of 'used cigarette' smell I got from that one. It's pepper and herbs, and it -still- kind of reminds me of something you'd put into salsa and I DON'T KNOW WHY. It's not a 'light' herbal... it's a warmer, dried sort of herbal, and I think there's some kind of 'fig' thing going on in the background but it's being stomped upon by the other notes. Definitely reminds me of Medicine Show, but somewhat nicer. Final Opinion: Well, I didn't happen to care much for Medicine Show, so this isn't floating my biscuit much either. The fact that I keep getting 'cilantro' out of it isn't helping. Very gender-neutral, pleasant enough in its own right, but not 'me'. cricketshay's review CT2-CCCXIX(319) Bottle: Deep brownish gold. This was the darkest of the CTs I got. Pine...berries? o_O There is pine in this, or cedar or juniper maybe; something evergreen, but not bitter. There also appears to be berries in it. It's sweet, but toned down by the evergreenness... it vaguely reminds me of Jabberwocky, but with the citrus notes replaced by something that seems to be currant or something similar. (Could be fig or plum, I can't tell.) Wet: It's still pineberries. Although if anything, the berryness has faded back, making it just a sort of 'sweet evergreen'. It's still much like Jabberwocky-but-different. It's pleasant, though I'd label it as 'inoffensive' and at least at this stage, not terribly distinctive. Dry: Pine's mostly gone, save as a kind of background note. I'm thinking it's 'juniper' actually; it's too mellow and sweetish to be pine proper. It's settled into a sweetish kind of foresty smell that's pleasant enough. Final Opinion: I like Jabberwocky, and I like this. I'll probably keep it, though it's not something I'm likely to wear a lot. It's a winter-type scent, I think. It dimly reminds me of christmas trees with a whisper of berry pie on the air. yeahbutnobut's review CT2-XXXI (31) Bottle: Light yellow in color. Faintly herbal, and I think a light musk. No recognizeable florals or anything. Not overtly sweet, but may turn that way. Wet: Hmmm. Lemon musk? I'm getting a faint citrus note, and some kind of light musk under that. It's a wee-bit Pledge-like, but not bad. Dry: On drydown, it gets sweeter, and picks up a hint of something I'd call 'white chocolate'. It's not the omgchoklit of 13, though, and it's not really sweet enough to be 'foody', but it's warmed up enough to be noticeable. Of course....then the chocolate goes away. Poopy. Final drydown appears to be back to lemon musk. Final Opinion: .... I dunno about lemon musk. I think I'm going to have to try this when I'm not testing other things to make a final call. CT2-CII(102) Bottle: Clear. Entirely colorless. Spooky. Again, citrusy, kind of. And some kind of herbal underneath. And I think I can pick up the dreaded 'butter' note, though I'm hoping that's not it. Wet: ...I have no idea what this smells like. Again, not sweet, though. *tries to put it in words* It reminds me of... well, not pot roast, but that kind of spices. Basil, bay, rosemary, that kind of thing. And there's something under it that's almost... mimosa? ....Ocean water? ....Christ, this thing is impossible to describe! Dry: It still smells like cooking spices to me. o.o Pepper has raised its terrible head, and that spot smells like the spice aisle in a high-class grocery store. Final Opinion: This smells a lot like 103, which bears out my theory about how these were produced. What my guess is, is that Beth mixed a certain scent, probably in a 10ml vial, or perhaps 15ml. A 5ml of that blend is decanted, then, leaving the remainder in the bottle, she added new oils to bring the level back up to full. Then, after a thorough shake or two, that blend was decanted, and the process repeats. This produces a continuously evolving scent-bloodline that would represent the idea behind 'the butterfly effect'. 102 is slightly more floral, 103 is muskier (and to me, less pleasant), but they're -obviously- related. As for my opinion, though? .....Pot roast. Grgh. Not for me. Diana's review CT2-CCC(300) Bottle: Medium straw-tone. Hmm. This one's kind of a vanilla floral. A nice change from all the pepper-wood-cookingspice things I've had prior! The vanilla is subtle, though, mingled with...well, it's not rose, it's something lighter. Carnation, maybe? And I think there's a bit of musk, though it's unobtrusive. Do I detect a subtle hint of coconut? Wet: Okay, no more vanilla. Perhaps it's tonka instead, which can seem kind of vanillalike. This is much sweeter than the past selections, though not foodlike. I want to say it's tonka, sandalwood, and....something. There's something else in there, half lost. Dry: I'm getting a sort of clear tonka-musk...hint of something...else. I can't figure out what the 'else' is! I don't think it's fruit; it's probably some kind of floral. It's nice, but with all the pepper miasma floating around me at the moment, I think I need to try this one again by itself. Final Opinion: This is probably the best CT from this batch so far, though at least my initial impression isn't screaming 'omg love me keep me'. I'll give it a second go when I'm not soaked in pepper. ._.; Diana's review Edit: One more. CT2-CDLXXXVI ....481? Bottle: Pure yellow with a slight cast of green. Very fruity, reminding me of Bordello in a great degree. It's less winey, though, and seems to have milk notes in it. Mostly fruit and cream. Wet: Still fruit and cream, though there's a weird funkiness to it that I'm not sure I like. Maybe it's the milk qualities. The throw is distinctly 'funny'. Dry: ...Yay, the funk went away! It's become a sweet fruit blend (which I can't for the life of me pull apart) with a sort of cream-vanilla under-note. Berries and cream all the way... with...maybe the subtlest touch of incense? Final opinion: Yay, keeping! It's too bad it's an imp, though. The first stage is a little 'ick', but it goes away fairly quickly. I keep thinking that must be the 'milk' note, which is sour and weird as hell on me until it has some time to break down slightly. The incensey-fruit aftermath is a pleasant surprise.

Bottle: Cherryish, but not as sweet as I'd expected (I was thinking it'd be a lot more like Bordello). The amber is probably the strongest note, in the bottle. Wet: Mostly amber and musk, with some vanillafruit backnotes. It's gratifying that the musk doesn't go all gross on me. Dry: It becomes more cherrylike (or at least fruity in general) but the musk and amber remain fairly consistent, keeping it from going foody. The cherry is fairly clear and bright, without coming off like maraschino syrup. It doesn't have much throw, but it's nice. Final Opinion: Not as foody or as sickly sweet as I was afraid. It's actually rather nice, and I wouldn't mind having some of it around. If a bottle shows up in the swaps, I may pounce on it, but it's not a driving rush to obtain.

Bottle; This actually seems a little sour to me, like the milk's gone 'off'. I think it's probably the carnation, though. Wet: Hmn. I expected this to be a bit lighter in quality, more dainty. It's pleasant in its own way, but that 'sour' quality is threatening to drown out the other notes that lurk in the background with such promise... maybe it'll go away when dry. Dry: Okay, phew. The sour has gone away. It leaves behind a gentle, soft sweetness that meanders the line between floral and foody. I think it could stand to be a bit more vanillalike, but it's pleasant. Final Opinion: Hmn. It's nice, but I really don't think it's me. The sour stage is gratifyingly transient, but the remainder is a bit too...well...innocent and girly for me. I dunno what else I would've expected from "Alice", but there you have it. It's all about Victorian lace and linens and tea (one lump or two care for a spot of cream. I'll keep the imp, I think, but I can't see me wearing it daily. ^__^

Bottle: It's like Gluttony's lightweight brother! It's sweet as hell (like you'd expect with 'five sugars' being the main component, but there's other stuff in it too that I can't identify in the imp. Wet: I don't think there's any fruit in the 2004 version, because I'm not getting any. What I am getting is a wonderful sweet-burnt caramel scent, that unlike Gluttony's butterscotch, does not make me want to choke with its presence. It's very simple, but it's quite nice all the same. Dry:It's still 'toasty caramel' with a hint of smoke. Final Opinion: I like this. I'm not entirely sure I want to smell like a slightly burnt marshmallow, but it does have its appeal, and the throw is nice; it's like being where you catch whiffs of baking. I'm looking forward to the bottle I ordered, though! A touch of fruit would indeed make this really special.