edenssixthday

Falling Leaf Moon - From first sniff, this reminded me so much of Samhain that I came to this thread and did a search for the word "Samhain" and was blown away at how many times it was mentioned. So it's not just me! To me, this is almost exactly like Samhain without the apple fruitiness. It's incredibly autumnal, positively gorgeous, and something I would wear a lot if I didn't already love Samhain so much.

Gacela of the Dark Death - When I sniff the bottle up close, I smell something gorgeous and amazing. It kind of reminds me of what I smell when I open up my BPAL drawer for my "dark/sexy/autumn" scents. When I open the bottle, all I smell is pitch. Heavy, thick, syrupy, and slightly astringent pitch. Within two minutes, the clove starts to warm up on my skin, and as clove will usually do on me, begins to rear its head and roar...and roar...and ROAR. Oh yes, in the end, this is a clove single note on me. On me, clove is like the bad guy in an old Western film, who comes charging into town, guns a'blazing, shooting and killing all the good guys, rapes the women, drinks the whiskey, robs the bank, and then proceeds to gallop around town, shooting his gun randomly into the air as a sign of his victory, gloating in the faces of all the cowards, women and children who wish they had the will and the skill to draw and quarter him because he just killed everyone they love and they want to see him die. Yup, that's what clove is like on me. I actually think I would like this on someone else like my husband. Just not on me. My skin and clove don't play so well together.

Ogygia - I am having terrible luck with my BPAL testing today. Every time I try on a scent that I should like, it turns out to be worse than the previous one I just tried. This one is something I should love -- an ocean aquatic with kelp -- right up my alley! But it's just horribly rotten on me. It smells like... I don't know. It just smells awful. And it's soapy. Very green and soapy. Like Irish Spring. I'm definitely going to wash my arms now. I'm covered in all sorts of BPALs that went wrong on me. Maybe my skin chemistry's off today (?)

Litha 2009 - I loved the original version of Litha. This one, not so much. This smells like soapy honey and parsley. It's actually a nice honey (since honey doesn't always play so nice on my skin -- I'm looking at you, O!), but the parsley... OH EM GEE it is green and bitter and STRONG!!! I can smell a hint of gardenia beneath the honey and parsley, but that's it. This is a really bad one on me. Must try to wash it off now!!!

Diable en Boite - This is a really interesting scent. It's dark and woody, slightly spicy, and yet has a ribbon of sweet fruity-floral trailing through it. The musk and redwood are the foundation of this scent with the clove giving it some kick, and the peach blossom smells more like straight peach, giving it a sweetness that is quite enchanting. For the first time ever in a BPAL scent, the black currant is not turning to "cat pee" on me. This is a gorgeous scent, yet something about it -- something I cannot quite put my finger on -- is not quite "me". I'd rather smell this on my husband than on myself.

Old Man Ackerman's Instructional Toys - In the vial, this is bright, citrusy, fizzy, and has a nice metallic tang to it. On my skin, it's much more metallic and loses the fizz and citrus. On my skin, there's something "off" about it... something about it reminds me not only of the smell of metal, but of the taste of metal. I don't know if that makes any sense or not. The smell of this makes my mouth pucker. To me, it's not entirely bad, but it's also not good at all.

Voyeurs Among the Cherry Blossoms - I don't typically like cherry blossom fragrances...unless they're BPAL's cherry blossom note. This is a gorgeous "pink" scent -- a lovely floral bolstered harmoniously by the vanilla musk. It's sweet, pretty, and sexy. The moss is a really nice touch, as it gives this scent a little depth and texture. I really like this one. A lot.

It's a discontinued LE, but I found Velvet Unicorn to be OH EM GEE PINK SUGAR!!!

Season of the Emergence - This is a strange little blend. It's not perfumey at all. It's the scent of green, growing things and fresh grains. It opens up with a blast of cucumber and radish, but quickly settles down into a very soft and subtle, warm, grainy fragrance that's backed up with the mellow scents of seeds and roots and herbs. It's actually a really fascinating scent that's entirely different from anything other perfume I've ever smelled. However, having said that, I also have to admit that it's not the type of fragrance I'd ever choose to wear as an olfactory representation of myself. It's unique and interesting, but I'm going to have to pass on this one.

June Gloom 2009 - This opens up as a super-floral. I smell none of the lemon that the original June Gloom had. Initially, I think it's just another floral blend, but then something happens, and I start catching wafts of gorgeousness and I really think I've got a winner here, and right about the time I decide to put out an ISO for some more of this, something goes horribly, horribly awry, and I end up with the scent of floral soap that's been sitting in the back of my great-aunt's closet, collecting an inch of dust and cobwebs for more than 40 years. What a shame something so pretty can turn so horribly wrong on my skin.

Knick-Knack - This smells like the inside of an orange peel -- the white, pulpy part that's definitely orange, but not as bitter and zesty as the peel and not as sweet and juicy as the fruit. There's a slight hint of clove, but amazingly, it doesn't amp on my skin as clove usually does. This fragrance sadly does not last on my skin once the scent dries down, either. It's a great scent when wet and I'd probably do best using it in an oil burner rather than on my skin. But it's nice, very nice. I wouldn't mind, either, if my clothes smelled like this, so maybe I'll use a drop or two in the dryer.

Trinket - Hmm.... nope, not a single drop of cherry or cola or honey in my Trinket! It's a faintly sweet, lightly powdery, warm amber scent with a hint of incense smoke and a trace of spices. It's very pretty, cozily warm and comforting, and seems to be the perfect "sweater weather" type fragrance. Lovely!

Violens - I've been on the hunt for the perfect sandalwood scent for years and years now. I was hoping this would be it, but it looks like I need to resume my search. The sandalwood notes are really nice, but this scent has too much musk for my taste. The musk overpowers the sandalwood and combined with the leather, there's a weird, charred-meat quality to this scent that is just not quite doing it for me. I do prefer it when layered with Sachs, as the sweetness of Sachs tempers the "meaty" qualities of Sachs...but it still smells too much like barbecued meat for my taste.

A sensual scent, compelling and passionate, that stays close to the skin: Roman chamomile, bourbon vanilla, and smoky vanilla bean. Sachs - Sachs opens up with a strong chamomile and super-sweet vanilla scent. This combo of notes somehow = banana (???) Once it dries down, it's a simple, sweet, creamy vanilla. It's pretty, but I've had this for months and never find myself reaching for it. It's soft and subtle without much throw and my skin eats it up, so it has no staying power on me.

Blue Moon 2009: Elizabeth's Creation - This opens up very light and ethereal, with the blue musk and moonflower at the forefront and reminding me a lot of Silver Phoenix and Under the Harvest Moon. Then I smell soapy spicy florals, almost like carnation, but not. That doesn't last long at all because it quickly becomes evident that the lavender in this is going to make this scent completely unwearable for me...but then that impression only lasts for a minute or two. As it starts to warm up on my skin, the cypress note moves to the front of the blend and really dominantes it, and the other green and tart notes bolster the cypress. Once the oil actually dries on my skin, all of the notes that were vying for the top spot settle down significantly and it becomes a much more balanced and well-behaved scent. I can smell that gorgeous blue musk again along with the dry floral scent of iris, and the frankincense giving them depth and texture. It's pretty, but so subtle that once it quits goofing off with all of it's crazy morphing, it kind of loses all of its personality, and on me, it becomes a bit boring. This is a really, really fun scent for the first 10 minutes or so with all of it's crazy chameleon-like changes, but in the end, it's not something I'll likely ever reach for.

Hatmehit - My skin amps the dirt in this scent. I also smell wet, green reeds and soft herbs among the fresh aquatic notes, but that wet riverbank dirt scent is too much for my liking. So sad.

Whirling Wind Moon - This is a really lovely fragrance. On me, it's predominantly plumeria and cold, dry, ozone-like winds, which must be the musks and white sandalwood. I'm quite surprised that I can't identify a few notes at all in this blend (Lily of the Valley, gardenia, amber). It smells the same to me in the vial, wet on my skin, and dry on my skin. It's not a morpher at all. It's quite beautiful.

Overportective Possessed Talking Doll - This is a really bright strawberry-mimosa blend. It's so simple, yet so fun and wonderful! I don't know which note is giving it a touch of bitterness, but I love that part of it! It's got a tartness/bitterness about it that keeps it from being candy-sticky and candy-sweet. It's very strong with a ton of throw. I love it a lot and think it's going to get worn a lot this summer. I wish I had more than a little partial decant, but since that's all I've got, it's good that a little goes a very long way.

Playing with Dangerous Toys - I had the impression this was one of the big-time hits from the Inquisition, but I have to say I just don't understand why. It doesn't do anything for me. It smells okay, but nothing to write home about. It's mostly a chocolate-wood scent that's bolstered by the tobacco and a hint of coconut. A couple of previous reviewers used the term "flat" to describe this, and I definitely echo that sentiment. It has no pizzazz. It also doesn't last long on my skin at all and once it dries down, has virtually no throw.

Boneshaking Antique Velocipede - Oh hello, my old friends, Cucumber and Sage! I recall again why I love you so much. This is such a pretty little scent. It totally took me by surprise how much I like it. The scent is a strong, summery cucumber and sage scent that is bright and sweet and earthy, yet has a level of depth brought to it by the darker, heavier tonka, coconut, and woods. It's so pretty I can't even put into words. I know this was a Naughty and Nice Inquisition scent, but to me, there's nothing wintery about it at all. It's summery and earthy and airy and just so pretty. The throw is moderate for the first hour or so, and then it fades, which is the only sucky part of this scent. My skin just eats it up. But otherwise, it's wonderful and I it.

Noisome Clockwork Tin Locomotive - This opens up with a super-strong mint-and-anise scent, but quickly dries down to a lovely spiced rum scent backed up with a hint of anise and mint. I can't identify any of the other notes in this blend with the exception of something dark and murky lurking beneath the brighter top notes. This scent has a low level of throw and is fairly subtle on me, but it's really great. It's a fabulous unisex scent. I only wish it were a tad bit stronger. Still Noisome Clockwork Tin Locomotive = Edited because I left out a word.

Chewing Little Bits of String - I can't even begin to say how lovely this smells at first! And then I can't begin to say how awful it starts to smell when the marshmallow turns to plastic on my skin. And then I can't begin to say how lovely it smells again once the marshmallow/plastic note fades and the other notes shine through once more. When it's not in the "awful" stage on my skin, it's really awesome! It smells so delicious and makes me think of drinking sweet tea while relaxing on a shady porch on a hot summer day in the Deep South. The lemon-honey-tea has a creamy quality to it that must be from the cotton note in this blend. Even though this goes through an "awful" stage on my skin, it's only a stage, and the beginning and ending are so fabulous that I'll keep wearing it. Or maybe I'll just wear it in my hair so it doesn't "turn". The scent lasts for a really long time and has a moderate level of throw and wafts very nicely and softly around me. I love it.

Black Death - This is super-heavy on the patchouli and blackened sandalwood on me. There's the lightest hint of clove spicing things up, and I occasionally think I smell a thin slice of lime peeking through, but by the time I catch on to it, it's gone again. There's a hint of bitter orange peel, too, which doesn't sweeten up the scent at all, but adds a bit of texture. It's a deep, heavy, sexy scent, and I really think I like it! When layered with Black Heart, amazing things happen. The sweetness of Black Heart rounds out the rough, dark, patchouliness of Black Death, while the rough, dark, patchouliness of Black Death tempers the sweetness of Black Heart. When layered, the dry-down becomes mostly a honey-sweet verbena over a dark-fruit patchouli. I love these two fragrances together.

Black Heart - When I first apply, all I smell is pomegranate. Lots of juicy, dark pomegranate swirling all around me. When it dries down, it's all smooth, sticky vanilla honey. Nothing more, nothing less. On the one hand, it's disappointing because I was excited by the vanilla-sandalwood and the grape and cognac in the scent description but they don't appear at all on me, but on the other hand, it's still a lovely, soft fragrance. When layered with Black Death, amazing things happen. The sweetness of Black Heart rounds out the rough, dark, patchouliness of Black Death, while the rough, dark, patchouliness of Black Death tempers the sweetness of Black Heart. When layered, the dry-down becomes mostly a honey-sweet verbena over a dark-fruit patchouli. I love these two fragrances together.

Deathly Pride - I took one little whiff of my decant and before I even tried it on my skin I knew I was going to have to track down a full bottle (and I did! WIN!) This opens up on me with a strong licorice and coconut scent, very sweet and semi-tropical. As it dries down, that's when the sheer beauty of this fragrance really comes out. When it dries down, all the notes are evident, but it's predominantly a husky incense scent that's bolstered by the sexy spiciness of the bay rum, sweetened up by the licorice, and smoothed out by the coconut. I don't have the right words to describe it, so suffice it to say that this scent is perfection in a bottle. I not only swoon every time I catch the scent wafting around me, but I've had more compliments on this once scent than I have had on everything else I've worn in the last year combined. If human/perfume marriages were legal in the state of Colorado, I would get down on one knee and propose to Deathly Pride.