alicia_stardust

This is so interesting. It is the pure white innocence of snow, defiled by dirt and grime. I get a sharp coldness for a while, and then the vetiver makes an appearance. Whether by suggestion or an actual note, the asphalt makes a very brief appearance as well. Very evocative and artistically rendered. Beautiful!

Lick It Again, when compared to Lick It, is very similar and yet different. The differences like in the mint. Lick It Again's peppermint has a sharper bite to it and more of a menthol effect. The sugar calms that down and gives it a nice ending. I really like this one, but I think I like the slightly vanilla aspect to the original version.

This is a very innocent and virginal floral scent. I get mostly rose and a light, wafting feminine scent. The myrrh comes out but only just barely, and my skin seems to skip over the rest of the darker notes.

Beltane is such an amazing floral. I have tried both version of Beltane and both of them seem to have such a smooth, sweet mix of florals that I do not pick out any single flower scent. Instead it is a general mood of springtime, sensuality, frivolity, and joy. I truly love both versions of Beltane. It took me a very long time to decide which one I liked best. In the end I chose the second version because it is slightly less sweet and a bit more dry.

Herr Drosselmeyer is a comforting scent that reminds me of male heroes from my childhood and years spent in wintertime rehearsals for The Nutcracker. I get a dry but sweet tobacco smoke, a touch of cherry-like heft, and a resinous quality. It's not too masculine, not bitter, not too sweet. It's just right. It has a strong throw and long wear-length.

Yule was initially a let-down, but now I feel like I was so wrong to make that judgement. The touch of lemon and thyme initially drove me off but now I feel it is part of the symbolic battle between light and dark, Oak and Holly. Yule has a very wild menagerie of notes in it that reminds me of the chaos of the forest and the battle between the two kings. I think this is a perfect sabbat blend and while I don't tend to wear it often, I keep it around for use as a room scent surrounding the holiday.

Where Rose Red is fresh and full of green stems and fresh blooms, Peacock Queen is lush and velvety rose, at the height of their bloom. I am so glad I was able to track down a decant of this because it is so lovely.

Undine has a very watery quality to it, but it is darkened my something; perhaps vetiver. This is just as the ocean; we know it's surface but it has many uncovered mysteries. This is a scent that evokes elemental water spirits and sad, flowing, luminous creatures of the sea. I wear this rarely, but when I do I am always captured by it.

Salamander is red and dry. I get a strong sense of spice like cinnamon but there is an undercurrent of something bitter and herbal. This has a magical quality to it. After a while there's a bite to the scent and it seems to sit sharply on my sinuses. It is a very accurately executed scent.

This scent is relaxing and cheerful (hello, lemon!) but in a very muted way. I almost envision an aura of subtle sunshine and happiness that is surrounded by grey skies and clouds that are pouring down rain. This reminds me of Portland's liquid sunshine, of melancholy days, and soft gentle rays of sunshine that poke into the window as the clouds momentarily part. Eeyore, is that you?

This is fiery, peppery, red. It has a very dry quality to it, with a touch of resin to it. After a while I get a very strong kick of pepper before it fades off into the last little remnants of a fire scent.

... This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God. This is a soft, sweet incense at first; mostly frankincense and myrrh. After a while I get more of a dry woodiness to the resins and it turns bitter on my skin. HOWEVER this makes the most amazing, comforting, magickal, peaceful room scent on the planet!! For that alone I will always keep a bottle of this for as long as it is offered at the Yule updates.

Creamy pumpkin, a red muted sort of spice like ginger or cardamom, and a regal quality to it. This isn't too food, not too spicy, and it's definitely not the buttery sort of pumpkin that I can't wear. Love this to bits.

I so desperately wanted to like this scent, and in the bottle it is very nice, but on my skin I smell the sharp tang of dryer sheets. I will swap this to someone that will love it.

Fir, herbs, dry smoke, woods, incense. This is a heady, magical autumn scent that has a dark mood to it. It is the most amazing autumn scent I've ever tested. The notes seem to oscillate between showing themselves one at a time, or else mingling together into a single gestalt. It is truly stunning.

I can faintly detect the blackberry but once it's on my skin it's all cake and blackberry, with a strong side of buttercream. My favorite part about this is the way that Beth captured the buttercream scent. I love that so much that everytime I smell this scent it makes me crave a bowl of frosting. Lovely!

I smell dry cocoa, cassia, and the barest hint of cake with shreds of coconut. This scent is definitely foody, but there is something about it that is so strangely comforting. It envelops me in a soft, beautiful blanket of dessert scent. I'm normally not a foody sort of scent girl, but this one has won me over bigtime! (The cassia seems mild and does not irritate my skin unless I apply it straight out of the shower).

This is candy corn, alright! Those things are my biggest weakness when Halloween rolls around and I am thrilled to have them captured into a scent. This is sugary, buttery, sweet, and sticky all rolled into one! This wears well and then fades off into sugar before disappearing.

I LOVE that Taurus is earthy but doesn't smell like dirt or heavy patchouli. Instead I get a soft, springlike scent that is full of florals and green garden scents. This scent makes me feel strong and grounded. I give this 5 out of 5 stars because not only is it beautiful, but it doesn't morph or start to smell funny after it's been on my skin. It stays true and wears well.

The sandalwood, starfruit, and mimosa are the most prominent notes for me. This starts out almost foody, but dries out into a sort of bright but sultry scent that leaves me feeling comforted but leaves my husband leaning in to sniff for more. I think this is a keeper.

Warm, cozy gingerbread spiced with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. You know those thick, fat ginger cookies that are moist and soft and crumbly and just the slightest bit chewy? With a sprinking of sugar on top? Well, that's exactly what this smells like to me. It is pure decadence, in scent form. This is a strong scent that stays true on my skin. After about 2 hours it fades off into a dusty sugar scent, then is gone. Lovely!

This is a beautiful scent, and one I didn't expect to like. For the most part I get cakes. They are very sweet but not as sugary as some of the other cake scents out there. I really think that has to do with the wine aspect of this scent as well as the olive leaf. I really think those ground out the cake nicely. This is a warm and comforting scent and one that I am glad to have a bottle of.

Snow-Flakes and I are very acquainted. I spent an inordinate amount of time huffing myself silly while trying to compare this to The Darkling Thrush and The Snow Maiden, because while they are all different, they all share the same snow scent. I was trying to compare the way each one morphed and changed. Snow-Flakes is very slushy and cold. It has a slight tinge of mint in it, and a sort of sweet and innocent scent. Very lovely, soft and unassuming.

The Snow Maiden and I are very acquainted. I spent an inordinate amount of time huffing myself silly while trying to compare this to The Darkling Thrush and Snow-Flakes, because while they are all different, they all share the same snow scent. I was trying to compare the way each one morphed and changed. The Snow Maiden is very innocent. It is cold and snowy and definitely blanketed in winter, but it also has hints of early spring crocus and small shoots of bright green stems that are peeking out of the snow. There's almost a "yellow and green" sort of scent to this. I find it very lovely, very hopeful.

Ostara is a perfect sabbat scent. It is balanced between light and dark, yin and yang. There are many resins in here that are neither too sweet or too dry. I especially love the benzoin. Those mingle well with the orris and other florals. I find that I tend to reach for this on dark, stormy mornings and anytime around Ostara. It wears really nicely on my skin but I actually prefer using this as a room scent. It's simply gorgeous.