luna65

Thanks to Gwallahay for the imp. Imp: Boozy cough syrup. Skin: Apricot syrup. The brandy accord retreats but leaves that alcoholic bite to my nose, like when you know something's got liquor in it, even if you don't know what type. Drydown: I really like Beth's apricot note, it's so sweet and true. The booze ends up fading pretty fast on me but the apricot hangs on, and it's got a thicker quality than in Katherina, for example. I think you'd really have to like apricot to enjoy this, which I do, but I believe I'd utilize it more for the purposes of mood than of fragrance.

Thanks to GypsyRoseRed for the imp. Imp: Clean and fresh and cool. Skin: The ozone accord really comes out on my skin. It's like I'm dryer fresh. . .or a sweetened pot of boiling water (I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just the best analogy I could come up with). Drydown: I get the soapiness some others have mentioned, but this is a nice clean soapyness, not like some experiences where that note just comes seemingly out of nowhere. This is the kind of aquatic that makes sense to my nose, so I'm enjoying it on this rainy day.

Yes, sometimes the dairy-based accords can go sour on me (like with Mitzvah or Hellcat), other times it's fine (Drink Me, Pumpkin Patch II), so it's really hard for me to say, at least, that a note will always go bad. It all depends on the percentages, I think.

Thanks to nursekins for the imp. Imp: Very fresh and true red rose. Skin: I love the "damp" quality that this definitely imparts. I love roses, but in terms of rose perfume, it has to have a certain dewy or spicy quality in order for me to want to wear it. This is a beautiful rose note. Drydown: The leather never really becomes prominent, which is a shame because I love the leather in Spanked, and was hoping for a different twist on the same sexiness; but I do get the suggestion of leather, like finding a leather-clad man in a rose garden at midnight. . .and maybe he's got a riding crop with my name on the handle.

Thanks to bloodpoppies for the imp. Imp: Really sweet, I can sense the resinous quality to the musk, but the coconut sort of balances it out, it's less refined and more raw. Skin: Wow, orris is really aquatic on me. I mean, I'd noticed this same characteristic in Black Pearl, but this is x10. Drydown: The musk tones down the saltiness of the orris, but the coconut pretty much retreats on me, which is sort of disappointing, but this is an intriguing type of scent; I don't think I've ever worn this type of musk before, it's definitely interesting in the way that it reacts with my chemistry.

Thanks to GypsyRoseRed for being the lovely Will Call fairy and hooking me up with a bottle. Bottle: Earthy mums and piquant ginger. Gorgeous label! Skin: This strikes me initially as a very classic and essential floriental: the flowers and the musk are heady and sensuous. I can truly sense the perfume as well, the quality of how it changes when exposed to body heat, takes on a different character than when you smell it in its' pristine state. Drydown: Over time the opium and the musk sweeten and then develop a powdery quality. I get that same mood of an opium den but with a different characteristic than that of Red Lantern: a cacophony of notes, but a more languid and sinister interpretation.

Thanks to Gwallahay for the frimp. Imp: Astringently minty. Skin: It becomes very freshly minty, like if I'd just muddled some mint leaves in a pestle in preparation of a mint julep. Drydown: The mintyness fades very quickly and leaves a powdery, vaguely sour scent behind. The bourbon accord is much the same as it is in Spanked for me, but it lasts longer in this blend. I'm not getting as much sugar as other people have experienced. I'm kind of disappointed that this didn't really evolve into the smell of a mint julep on me, but it's a really good example of how true the accords are that are used in the blends.

Thanks to Gwallahay for the decant. Vial: Yummy creamy chocolatey goodness. Skin: Nutty pumpkin. The pumpkin is more a green note initially, the walnut and the hazelnut are very strong, but not in a bad way. Drydown: The chocolate returns to add a sugary quality and the end result is sort of reminiscent of pumpkin roll without the spices. This is a great foody blend; I was rather afraid the pumpkin wouldn't work on me, but now I'm ready for Autumn!

Thanks to Ah Xia for the decant. Vial: The cocoa is most prevalent, with the blood musk giving it a different character of sweetness: thick and syrupy. Skin: The dragon's blood resin is the first thing I notice, this becomes more heady and spicy almost immediately upon application. Drydown: The spices are like a bed that the resin sits upon, I can distinguish the differences between the notes, though I don't really get any sense of the vetiver, unless it's just meant to suggest a more earthy note, as others have mentioned. Although I don't really get a sense of dread from this blend, there is an evocation of secrets, and of a sort of delirious excess which is much more understated (again, like a secret) then with those scents that are meant to celebrate such decadence.

Thanks to Gwallahay for the decant. Vial: A fruity chocolate sweetness. Skin: Definitely white chocolate (i.e. more sugar, less cocoa) and florals. I think my chemistry really amps the Lab's iris, it's always very prevalent in whatever applicable blends I've tried. I wonder if there are any other floral notes, since we don't know all 13 components. I get a suggestion of the tea around the edges, a kind of clean note. The citrus is very tangy as well in this. Drydown: The chocolate fades on me, and the powdery quality of the florals comes to the fore. The other notes seem to leave as well, but this is lovely: pretty without being overwhelmingly sweet or ornate. So I guess you could say it's downright lucky that this works so well on me.

Thanks to bloodpoppies for the imp. Imp: Very sexy sweet spicy musk. I know Red Musk is often a spicy type, and this blend is gorgeous. Skin: This too reminds me of Smut, in that the red musk in that blend must be very prevalent, but this has a different kind of ambience, not as "dirty." Drydown: The spices are sweet on me, and this is where it also differs from Smut for me. The saffron is not as strong, I don't get its' dryness. I'm guessing there's more aniseed and nutmeg, maybe (?), coming out. This is definitely a favorite, because it beautifully blends many of my favorites into a wonderful melange - it's not just musk, not just spices - all these elements become something else entirely. . .much like a well-told story.

Thanks to bloodpoppies for the imp. Imp: I get an aquatic feel from the blend, but it's more flowery than watery. I'm detecting iris. Skin: There's some sweetness, which I attribute to the Bay Rum, and some savoryness, perhaps from the leather or the woods. Drydown: This transforms into almost complete salty wood after drydown. It's very true, but sort of almost too representative for me, if that makes any sense. I don't find it as evocative as Black Pearl, but this would be great on a male, naturally. . .argh!

Red Phoenix is also a tenacious one on me: it lasted through about twelve hours, then a shower and multiple hand/wrist washings. I finally had to resort to some dishwashing liquid to get it off. . .not that I didn't like it, but I didn't want it to clash with what I was planning to apply next.

Thanks to bloodpoppies for the decant. Vial: The florals are the most apparent, along with the amber and the honey. Skin: The incense takes precedence, and accentuates the sandalwood. The amber remains a prevalent note upon application. Drydown: Its' final evolution has a powdery quality, which I imagine is the combination of the tobacco and the labdanum, and tempers the patchouli - giving it a resinous quality - though not as pungent as it's generally known to be. The honey is brought forth by my chemistry at the end, a thin, high note above the others, just a suggestion of sweetness. There's something decadent and disturbing about this blend, as I imagine it's meant to be - a gathering which has gone from gentile pleasantries to wild revelry and finally dissolute collapse. Heady and mysterious, indeed.

Thanks to bloodpoppies for the imp. Shadesong, I just wanted to say that your review is one of the best I've ever read, period. It made me giggle and go "Awww!" Imp: So, you mix toffee and hot-buttered toast together and you get a popcorn thing happening, right? To me, toast has a particular odor that I'm not scenting here, just the butter. Skin: Luckily the buttery accord in this one doesn't turn sour on me. Oh I'm so yummy! I get a bit of the cherry tart too. Drydown: The sweet and savory effect that this concoction is meant to have eventually appears. But I can't say I get any kind of meat evocations like I do with Hearth '05, heh. But fruit + toffee + toasty butter = delicious! I'm so happy a gourmand blend that intrigued me truly worked with my chemistry!! And it gives me hope for my other future adventures with attendees at the Mad Tea Party.

Thanks to nursekins for the imp. Imp: You know, I don't smell the roses in the vial; it's all sweetness and coffee, no florals at all. Skin: The rose says I'm coming out! I want the world to know, got to let it show! Drydown: Boy, those five roses ain't foolin' around, baby! They let jasmine come to the party too, though. There's a little fig and a little woodiness once the roses tone down. This is sweeter than I expected, and I like Beth's rose notes, but I almost feel this is too girly on me, not femme fatale enough.

Oh that's right, I've read so many reviews of Dinner where the person bitches about the cumin note, although that's a bit of a gamble, since it's supposed to evolve to at least three different states before the final drydown.

Thanks to maewitch for the decant. Vial: The plum is very strong in the vial, it's such a luscious note! Underneath I can sense the mandarin lending a certain juiciness to the blend. Skin: As with most blends containing cassia, it's very loud on me to begin with, although it doesn't take over completely. I get a floriental feel from the initial application, spicy-sweet. Drydown: And also as with most blends, the musk meshes everything together. In the drydown I'd say that the musk and the tobacco are the most prevalent, there is a powdery quality in the end. This is a very mature blend, which I think is entirely fitting with the theme: as a phoenix is reborn, so does this perfume evolve from a seemingly unassuming gaiety to a more dramatic resolution.

What I meant was "too bad it didn't work on you like it did on me" in the sense that it's all saffron on me. I remember reading your review and how you liked it, so I didn't mean to imply that it was a bad scent for you, sorry. *edit* Thanks portalkat.

Thanks to clover for the frimp. Imp: The pine is a sharp note, but it's immediately tempered by the juniper, which becomes sweeter in a blend, in my experience. Skin: The greens are all there, with an undercurrent of the ambergris (which is normally sweeter on me than musk is). The musk emerges eventually, with hints of pine remaining. Drydown: This is very evocative: a scent memory of the deep woods. I also think it would be wonderful on a male, because it's okay for guys to smell like pine. But I will use it to assist me with twisted fairy tale conjuration.

Heh, it's too bad Underpants didn't work on you like it did on me, because you'd probably enjoy it (i.e. saffron)! I mean, I like it too, I just didn't expect it. But I second the recommendation of Bengal. it's delicious, and the cinnamon isn't as prevalent in that blend as the cinnamon/cassia note in other BPALs, in my experience. Spanked has a great cardamom note. Even though Bastet has lotus, it's not flowery at all to my nose. I think it's worth a try in that the other notes are likely ones you'll enjoy.

Thanks to maewitch for the decant. Vial: This smells like maple bacon in the vial, that's how the notes add up to my nose. It makes my mouth water! Skin: I think the wood comes out more with my chemistry, the sweetness recedes immediately and the smoke is more noticeable. Drydown: This one stays mainly toasty, but a little sweetness returns. I guess it's for the best because I really couldn't wear something that makes me smell like maple bacon.

Thanks to bugsmama for the decant. Vial: Patchouli with a splash of bourbon. Skin: Mmm. . .spicy leather. I actually powdered myself (lightly) with cardamom once, as an experiment for a story I was writing, and I smelled like this, except nowhere near as awesome. Drydown: Everything blends on me so delightfully, this is hella sexy (as we say in SoCal). If I knew a man that smelled like this, I'd bend myself over his knee. I'm so happy to have gotten a sample of this one, considering how highly coveted it is, I'll have to use it carefully.

Thanks to bugsmama for the decant. Vial: A definite creme brulee type of odor: both the burnt sugar crust and the custard underneath. Skin: I get the same buttery note that many others do, although on me it's a little boozy and sour. Drydown: The sweetness comes back, but I guess I can't really hold on to the caramel accord that the Lab utilizes (I have the same problem with Red Lantern, although in that case I'm not complaining). On me this ends up smelling like I imagine Grog would, a butter rum type of note. This is another one I'd like to try in a scent locket to retain the original sugary notes.

Thanks to lorajc for the decant. Now this is another serial concept that I just adore because musk and I, we mesh well, so I'm all for musk, enraged or otherwise. Vial: Almost all clover, fresh and lemony. Maybe a little of the cotton blossom beneath. Skin: The blend remains the same, although eventually the MUSK! emerges and I begin to think that cute fluffy bunny is going to hump my leg any minute. Drydown: This stays fairly soft, the musk is eventually tempered by the powder and is definitely silky sweet. The fresh kind of sweetness, that is. I can wear this when I want some MUSK! but don't want to alarm anyone in my immediate vicinity. Oh, and for Ostara, of course.