alicia_stardust

Tezcatlipoca is the most fantastic mix of cocoa, leather, and patchouli that I could have possibly imagined. It doesn't come across as foody to me. Instead it's exotic, deep, calming. I can't really express how amazing this blend is. It has a long staying power and ends up being heady and intoxicating but not overpowering.

Yemaya is all melon on me, and after time the grape comes into play. I really like the oakmoss' contribution in here because it keeps the melon from becoming sticky or too-sweet. Instead it has a calm, comforting, mellow, nurturing vibe to it. I keep this on hand and it makes a great room scent, especially in the summer months.

Eris is a flashy scent, in the sense that it has a sort of apple-fruit bite to it with a sharp slash of mimosa. It is sort of heady and juicy, bold, floral. It's one that I keep on hand and reach for even if it's not my usual scent niche. I don't know what it is about this but it's worth trying especially if you like bold, fruity, floral scents.

Fae is a lovely, sweet, ethereal scent. It initially seems to transcend any particular note, but if I focus on breaking it down I tend to smell a lot of the bright, fresh, near-citrus bergamot. It keeps the peach note from becoming too sticky or fuzzy. Instead those two notes combined with the oakmoss and musk give this an innocent, playful, flighty, outdoors, sunlight sort of essence. Fae, indeed.

Dirty is really clean-smelling. It's light and refreshing and makes me think of a child's laughter as they run through a maze of clean, white sheets that are hanging outdoors on the line. This is lovely and crisp.

When I made my recs above I was specifically thinking of red Hawaiian fruit punch. I still think Swank and The Hamptons are going to be your best bet, and I've tested about 95% of the general catalogue by now. And I do love Hawaiian fruit punch.

Old Moon is GORGEOUS. It has the perfect mix of snow and evergreen, the soft coolness of juniper, and an under layer of lunar florals and herbs. My favorite part, however, is the way the berries cut through the snow and evergreen to give this a cool, sweet bite. Even though this isn't the same as Skadi when compared side by side, it's the closest any scent has come to it since. Old Moon is just so evocative and wintry; not too snowy, not too piney, not too much of anything. It's just perfect and beautiful.

The note listing in Aquarius was unexpected, and yet now that I smell it I think it is a perfect expression of this zodiac sign. I smell mostly pomegranate and myrrh in the bottle, but after it dries I smell mostly wisteria. Just behind that there is an herbal anise bite, but never fear anise haters! It is not overpowering. It lends itself well to the wisteria, the dark but subtle myrrh, and the juicy pomegranate. This is a lovely Water Bearer fragrance.

Reminiscent of hothouse blooms on a humid night, ripe, but touched with decay. Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice. New Orleans reminds me of a humid night spent walking about, with wafts of night blooming flowers reaching out to caress you. In the bottle I can really smell the lemon and jasmine, but after it dries it becomes a sweet, watery, humid honeysuckle and jasmine blend. The lemon stays in the background but that, together with the spice, adds a nice complementary zing. I think this is a perfect New Orleans fragrance. Sweet, heady, spicy, watery.

You could check out any of the BPAL scents with pomegranate or other red fruits in it. Check into tracking down some Spiked Punch if you can because that smells the most like true fruit punch to me, but there's also Swank or The Hamptons! There are, of course, many other scents with pomegranate in them but those come to mind first.

This is gorgeously calming. In the bottle I can smell a soft, herbal minty quality; the mint is tempered and almost reminds me of a gentle eucalyptus and tea scent. Beyond that, I get rose geranium and lavender. There is possibly a touch of chamomile and something woody or earthy, though only as an accent. This is a quiet, peaceful elixir that works wonders. I've been wearing it in my scent locket and I think I'm hooked. =) ETA: It took me a while to pinpoint it but I think there's a touch of vetiver in this!

FRUITCAKE I really loved this prototype, which was out at a couple of the most recent will calls. I am thrilled that I got a frimp in my last order! Wet: This smells like cherries and cake. Dry: I still get cherries and cake, but there is a warmth and depth added there: booze, baking spices, other fruits, almonds, and an extra kick of dry spices at the end. Considering that eating fruitcake is not my thing, this is a fantastic scent!

Hony Mone smells like layered honey that is warmed by the sunlight. Behind that, there is a sensual sweetness from the fig and almonds. The almond is less biting than it tends to be in most blends and it mostly seems to add a rich and earthen quality to the honey. I also believe that it's the fig and almond that, when combined with the other notes, give Hony Mone an almost white chocolate sort of accent. The honeysuckle and jasmine are very prominent to me, but they do not take over the blend. The jasmine behaves differently than in most blends. In fact, the way it behaves reminds me strongly of BiggerCritters. The honeys remain ever-present and they are all grounded by the fig and almond. The carnation seems to be a supporting role and while I do pick out its general floral fragrance and its spice, I still find myself paying more attention to the honeys and the sweet florals. This invokes the sense of love and romance, decadence, warm sunshine, and the image of glowing golden honey.

In the bottle: Fresh pine, but it is tempered by the other notes. On my skin: This starts out smelling like fresh cut pine and bark. It has an almost sticky pine sap quality to it. The cypress is not far behind and together with the pine they evoke a cold winter forest. That is all softened and warmed by the ambrette and an accent of tobacco. Despite the crispness of the pine, this is a very wearable scent and it is more gender neutral than most pine scents. That said, try this as a room scent for the month of December. It. Is. Amazing.

Oh, you naughty little raccoon-dog! This is a joyous, raucous blend that is full of playfulness and energy. In terms of synaesthesia, this is a medley of color just as Sarada said. Initially I smell a blast of cold pine beneath the bright fruitiness. The plum blossom, mandarin, and flowering cherry start things out but as it warms to my skin I can smell the wisteria and magnolia. The bamboo pulp lends this a characteristic Asian feel, much like the arc of lunacy blends that were released during 2006. However, in Tanuki the bamboo is less dominant than I am used to, and I like that because it allows the other fruits and florals to swirl together without being overtaken. This is a really fun, uplifting blend.

SEA OF TRANQUILITY Wet: This smells clear and light, but I do get a blast of white poppy that is lighter, yet reminiscent of, Sleepy Moon and Lotus Moon. Dry: As it dries on my skin, Sea of Tranquility becomes a cool and crystalline night scent; it smells white and silvery. The white poppy is the most prominent and it lends an almost soporific quality to this. I find that the combination of white poppy and white sandalwood reminds me of Stardust, but the similarity ends there. The lotus and passion flower add a higher, almost fruity floral fragrance and the white amber provides a nice, light, resinous powder quality to fill in the gaps between the poppy, sandalwood, and florals. Highly evocative. Very pretty. White. Silver. Silent. Sad.

This fragrance starts out as honey and fruit, but quickly settles into a vanilla-gardenia with a touch of tartness. As time passes I can smell more of the honeycomb and currant but they are still layered over the ever-present vanilla and gardenia. This is a beautiful gardenia blend! Something about this gives off a feminine strength but still retains a touch of sweetness and whimsy. The blend has a strong throw and lasts amazingly long on my skin.

The Black Swan starts out as a very pungent aquatic floral with a green, peppery bite to it. However, once it is on my skin it is a haunting peony fragrance with violet leaf, water lily, and moss not far behind. There is a tinge of murkiness to the otherwise cool florals. This casts a wide net of fragrance around me and has amazing staying power. I'd classify this as a dark aquatic floral, but it is truly a unique and gracefully haunting fragrance.

Oak, tonka, vanilla, white sandalwood, lily of the valley, white ginger, amber, and apricot. Haloes is a gorgeous vanilla and tonka fragrance. In this blend the vanilla is highly comforting and the tonka adds more depth and richness. It's like wrapping myself in my favorite blanket. The sandalwood is the next thing I notice. Beyond that and the vanilla-tonka, I get a sweet and spicy kick that is more of a general accent than any one note. I expected the apricot to really amp on my skin, but it remained a subtle background note. Overall this is a white and golden glowing scent that is immensely comforting.

Back when Et Lux Fuit was released I asked a friend of mine, who knows a fair amount of Latin, how to pronounce it. If I remember correctly it was "fweet".

The fragrance of Parsifal so closely matches the feeling I get from the painting that it astounds me. While this isn't "my" kind of scent, it's still a perfect execution of concept. This smells like a high-pitched ozone scent. It is very clean and almost sharp. Blinding white. The narcissus gives this an edge that reminds me of expensive perfume. The only other note I am able to pick out of this is the rosemary. It remains subtle and only makes an appearance after a while. At that point Parsifal starts to take on an almost-masculine edge to it. I think fans of cool, clean, ozone fragrances will be impressed with the beauty and uniqueness of this.

This starts out as a sweet, bright peach scent that is married with the sensual sweetness of jasmine. Behind those two things I can detect the lily of the valley, osmanthus, and rose. As time passes, the wine grape and cream come into the picture and turn this into a high and heady, wispy, feminine fragrance that hints at hypnotic summer fragrances.

This starts out smelling like wood dust and patchouli, but on my skin this starts to take on a sultry, honey-like quality with a very light and close skin musk and a side of magnolia. The carnation lends a touch of floral spice but it doesn't take over the blend. Overall this has a sensual but strong quality to it. The florals and musk are hypnotic, the honey is sultry, and the patchouli brings in a strong and earthy quality. The immortelle,almost seems to have a tea-like undertone and a herbal tinge to it. I this blend to be complex yet gestalt.

This is a cool, light musk scent with a blanket of fruit and verbena. The verbena is light and sweeter than I am used to and it settles into my skin well. At that point I am able to smell the rose and magnolia and they are divine. This fragrance is very uplifting and refreshing. After the florals come out and the verbena has settled this becomes a beautiful piece of art that would be perfect for anyone that lights light, summery fragrances.

Oh Lucifer, I love you so! This is the first time I can say that the presence of vetiver has not put me off. Lucifer is a richly glowing red and gold scent with veins of darkness and earth pushing through it. The patchouli and amber meld together perfectly and the fig adds and earthy, sensual sweetness to things. This is a true work of art and the fragrance nailed the artwork after which it was created.