OctoberGwen

Thank you to Mellifluous for the chance to test this! This started out sort of aquatic, then I got something that made me think of bandaids. I don't get anything like cooking fires, but it does smell vaguely outdoorsy and yes, grey.

I loooooove this. It's a dark, sexy, complex, more-than-floral; sophisticated and smoothly dangerous blend. I do not get "foody" from it, thankfully. I am super happy to have found a partial bottle of this. I'll be hoarding it for occasions that call for power with a dose of sexy.

OMG....WHAT!!!! The fabulous Mellifluous very kindly (or very sadistically, LOL) included a little sniffie tester of this for free with his Yule circle decants. I wasn't interested in tracking this down because I dislike smelling of pears. And wine. What a fucking idiot I am. This is...beautiful. I love it so much. Something about the way the notes blend together is just magic. It smells like...harvest time. LOL. All golden grains and smooth lazy end of summer and sunshine. There's just a touch of fruity sweetness, not much, and not cloying at all. I need a bottle of this.

I have a confession: I am a closet citrus fan! I really, really love the smell of pretty much anything citrusy; sadly, in perfume form it tends to fade fairly quickly. It also doesn't usually age very well. Lightning Storm is perfect. The scent wafts and lasts in my hair, and this is just going to be the perfect summer hair gloss. I am really wishing I had three bottles of this, instead of three bottles of Silkybat. (I still love and adore the Bat, but...) I really don't think one bottle is going to be enough. It's a beautiful blend of the white tea/ginger/mint, with a very strong lime element. (I honestly have no idea what yuzu smells like.) Refreshing and pretty, and it doesn't smell 'clean' or shampoo-like; it's very distinctive. LOVE.

This is quite lovely. I get a lot of beautiful gleaming wood, a bit of currant and Tonka, a hint of snow, and an unfamiliar sweet note that has to be the Muscat. It is a very mellow and comforting blend, not too masculine on me but unfortunately just a bit too sweet. If you like sweet wine, woods, and resins you will probably swoon for this one!

While I adore zee zee's description above ("a cursed female pirate"? how fantastic), I really couldn't stand this scent. Too strong, too salty, way too aquatic and clean. The anti-me smell, basically. Well, I wanted to know what sea-kissed patchouli smelled like. Now I know.

This smells really nice, kind of like Ivanushka with champagne. I don't find it overly masculine, either. Probably not something I will wear, but I'm happy I tried it.

Oh dear! I'm a quarter gone!
 Gingerbread and exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla. I am not a foody gal, but the combination of this ridiculously gourmand-quality gingerbread with my beloved Snake Oil is just...to die for. Really, really good. Just get it, already.

This reminds me of one of those super good-looking, "pretty boy" type men: it is too smooth and too certain of its own charm. Those qualities are almost a guaranteed turnoff for me. Heh. I like all the notes here (except for brown musk, which is never my friend), but somehow the sum of the parts plus the gingerbread just doesn't do it for me. Overconfident, self-satisfied musky gingerbread.

I tried a couple of last year's Snowballs (Pink and Yellow), and I find these to be very fun, fresh scents. Purple is no different, and I think the combination of currant, cardamom, and sugar plum (the one sort of plum I like on my skin) is really lovely. I don't get Beth's distinctive snow note with these, they just smell fresh. Not something I'd wear regularly (maybe on a super hot and muggy day, but that's about it), but still fun to try.

OMFG. I love this. I was hoping against hope that this would actually embody the poem, and it does. In spades. If I close my eyes and sniff, I'm standing against a cold window, looking out over the snow-lit moors with the firelit cottage room at my back. I definitely smell peat and heather, over a lovely musky wood base. I know that my beautiful red musk is here, but it's blending and not dominating. I've never smelled anything like this, and I will most certainly keep my decant, and may get a bottle. Gorgeous, haunting, so evocative, and unlike anything else I've ever smelled. Bravo, Beth.

2013 version. This is gorgeous, golden and rich. I'm getting mostly beeswax and amber and a touch of fig; no pom per se but perhaps it's balancing the fig. I do get an unfamiliar sweetness which must be the sufganiyot, but it's not nauseatingly sweet. A very nice, quite distinctive scent. I really like this a lot. I am happy to have a full decant.

Oh, Skadi is lovely. Beth's distinctive and unmistakable snow note, plus a hint of berry. I'm not getting much pine needle - perhaps a touch, nothing more. The snow eases back in the drydown and the whole thing becomes soft, like a blanket. A truly beautiful scent for the Norse goddess. This is something I would never wear, so I think my little half decant will be just fine. I am so happy to finally try this legendary Yule, though. Of course, I may change my mind and get a bottle. Really, the drydown is so pretty, and I have nothing else like this in my collection... ETA: I can't stop smelling my arm.

MY MOM WITH THE SUN IN HER HANDS Crayon on copier paper, 2012 This is my mom with the sun in her hands. I put my name on it because it's my mom. Champaca flower, cardamom, yellow sandalwood, Italian bergamot, magnolia, and lemon peel. My Mom With the Sun in Her Hands Just a side note here that I love the artwork and title for this one SO MUCH. This smells beautiful and has a 'classic perfume' feel to it. It's very well blended and I'm not picking out any individual notes thus far, but if I close my eyes and concentrate I can smell the influence of the sandalwood, bergamot and magnolia for sure. It smells (dare I say?) a bit magical, almost in a TAL-like way, which is fitting, I think, given the imagery. ETA: This has smoothed out considerably and I am really loving it. I'm definitely getting bergamot now, as well as sandalwood and magnolia (I freaking love magnolia) with just a hint of lemon. I'm not sure about the champaca, though clearly it's adding something to the mix. "classic" = yes, "old lady" = no, at least not to me.

I've never had a desire to try this because of the peach, which is always awful on me. I got a frimp from a fellow forumite, though, and finally decided to give it a go. The Zieba Tree is really, really lovely. It's not my usual sort of scent, but sometimes I am in the mood for just this type of fresh/pretty. The white blossoms are grounded by the dreamy musks and the sandalwood, and fortunately the peach is nowhere to be found, save for a hint at juiciness. It is a bit of a soapy scent, but as I said: sometimes that suits me. And I am always a fan of lemon and orange blossom. This is definitely a pale and dreamy scent, and I very much like it. I probably won't get a bottle, but I will keep my imp.

Love the musky undertone, hate the super sweetness. I really need to stop trying blends with dragon's blood resin! I simply don't like it, it's far too sweet.

When I first apply this and for quite some time after application, I get a note that is just screaming-sweet bad on me. Is it the copal? The cardamom? I'm not sure. I can smell yummy black coconut underneath, but that's about it. Much, much later this softens down into something quite beautiful. Alas, it's not worth suffering through the initial phases.

Sadly, neither this nor Scrappy Damsel worked for me. Maybe I'm Naughty and I don't even know it. I got no patchouli and no amber; on my skin this was mostly honey, cacao and ylang ylang. I'm just...not a fan. Note: I used a small tester amount as an after-shower moisturizer.

I had very high hopes for this, because the only note that gave me pause was the honey. Lately honey has been behaving quite well for me, though. Alas: something in Scrappy Damsel disagrees pretty violently with my skin chemistry. All I get is plastic! No orange blossom, no white musk, no cedar, no sandalwood.

That is actually my exact experience as well. I much prefer Red. Just as an aside, I actually thought #occupy was Black, because it is extremely gnarly on me and not like BB at all. I highly recommend Tricksy as a rich, delicious Patch blend.

I love this. Heady, sweet jasmine with a touch of coolness. Sambac seems to be a jasmine that works nicely on my skin, but I would have bought this even if that were not the case. Sometimes I am just in the mood for a lush floral, and this will fit the bill perfectly. The label is beautiful, too.

Somewhere between the wet stage and the complete drydown I get a bit of the "metallic" quality that MountainGrrl spoke of, but thankfully it is short-lived. This is an interesting, amber/woodsy, warm blend that I find oddly comforting. I wanted this for its good fortune drawing properties, but I love the scent as well. Thank you, Lab! It is always such a pleasure to shop with you on Black Friday.

This smells like smoky marshmallow graham crackers with a hint of pumpkin. Absolutely delicious, and my husband always hopefully inquires if I've made cookies after I spray it. I have so many dark resiny sprays that I really appreciate a good foody one now and then. I am very happy to have a bottle of this.

I really wanted to love this, since red musk and black patch are fabulous and I like roses, too. (I don't amp rose, in general, and I love how it smells with some of the darker ingredients.) Sadly, though, sugar is never my friend and apparently sugar blossom is the same. It makes this too sweet for me to consider using as a moisturizer, which is how I most often like to use my bath oils. I'll keep the decant, and will almost certainly use it in the actual bath, but I don't need a whole bottle. Dodged a bullet that time!

I didn't like this on my skin, but man does it ever work beautifully as a room spray. A unique, wholly Autumnal Day of the Dead olfactory experience. I was hoping my decant would be enough but I think I really want an entire bottle of this. Shit.