gloame

Lilith “All-Night Party Bean” Barrial begged us to allow her to stay up past midnight and ring in the New Year at the Los Angeles Zoo with her oldest friend Novi. How could we refuse? We all danced, we sang, we drank apple cider, and we partied all night long. They would have stayed until the dawn if the zoo had not kicked us out. You know what they say, you don’t have to go home but the monkeys want you to leave. Vanilla cake with sprinkles and red velvet cupcakes, with a touch of climbing wisteria and sparkling apple cider. At first, quite sharp, I think from the wisteria mixing with cider. Then it mellows into this lovely, fun sweet scent with sweet, soft wisteria backed by just a hint of cider. This was the only Lilith/Fatherhood I bought this year and it was a huge surprise to me. I would never have expected to go for something with sprinkles in it, but this works. It's much more ladylike than girly once it settles. Will probably get even better with age. Low throw. Where I'd wear this: New Year's Eve party with my niece

Electric eucalyptus with veins of green oud, black currant, ti leaf, and mate. Picked this up straight from the Lab at the Midsummer Scream fest. This blend is pretty, clean, and fresh. Wet, it's all green tea and eucalyptus, and I was so worried for a minute. But that doesn't stick around. On drydown, it's very nice. The eucalyptus isn't overpowering. For me, at least, it's a smooth blend of the green oud and ti leaf, with just a touch of sweetness from the black currant. Not too electrified on my skin, but that's a plus for me because I don't do well with sharp greens. This has a low throw, but it decent wear length. Nice! Where I'd wear this: Summer beer gardens

Coffee and rum laced with allspice, nutmeg, clove, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon gently whipped into buttercream. I picked this up yesterday at the Long Beach Midsummer Scream fest. The first sniff is very reminiscent of The Jeweled Spider from the American Gods collection. It has that 'fruited coffee' vibe. I recently switched from drinking regular coffee to fig coffee to give my adrenals a rest and this reminds me of that coffee: deep, dark, purple, but not exactly "coffee". Satisfying in a different way. There's a heaping spoon of cinnamon in here. I don't go red on my skin like I do with some cinnamon blends—which is great!—but the cinnamon definitely sits near the top of the scent for a long while. I don't get any distinct rum. On drydown, it's a lighter version of the same thing. No morphing. To me, this is a cleaner version of The Jeweled Spider. No cigarillo, but otherwise a similar stack of notes. Where I'd wear this: Autumn hay ride with friends and thermoses of spiked coffee.

Mm, like honey and red sweetness. There's a tiny bit of tang underneath, but overall this is really feminine and confident, while staying soft. It's a quiet warrioress. I really dig it. SO GLAD I remembered to bring the donation to will-call to get one of these! Where I'd wear this: On a feminine crusade

Masculine and dominant for sure. It's got a kind of green tang underneath the blood. Really interesting scent, but not my jam.

Ahh so lovely! Not too cinnamon-y, which is a good thing for me. It's very soft—an undercurrent. Not nearly as strong as I would've expected, and I wonder if the formula's been changed because others are saying it's very cinnamon. To me, the honeysuckle is forward, followed by copal and myrrh. I really love this. It smells sweet and innocent. Where I'd wear it: A girl's birthday party

Dry, spicy, warm. Definitely sensual and pleasant, but nothing that screams "Must have!" to me. Where I'd wear this: Late summer afternoon date

Started off extremely Cherry Coke, but does evolve with the dry-down. Still a bit too sweet for my tastes, but pleasant overall. Where I'd wear it: Biker bar

Smells really warm and pretty. Reminds me a bit of the Lush Godiva shampoo bar, but creamier. A definite favorite. Where I'd wear it: Date night, early summer

Smells very fresh and clean, like spring flowers. It's uplifting and pretty. I've been reaching for it a lot just for daily wear by itself. Where I'd wear it: Spring mornings

Irish whiskey, granulated sugar, brown sugar, whipped cream, buttercream and coffee. I got this yesterday from the Long Beach Midsummer Scream fest. As you might expect from the notes, this is indeed reminiscent of Miskatonic University. It's better, though. The coffee is darker and richer—a French Roast to Miskatonic University's medium roast. The cream is smooth without being little-girl-lip-balm or Bath-and-Body-Works-esque. I'm actually not a fan of Irish Whiskey, but this is lovely. I'd for sure drink it. As it dries, I do get the dreaded play-doh note in some sniffs—just as I sometimes did with MU—but I didn't always get it and I really don't know why it sometimes goes play-doh and not others. Menstrual cycle, maybe? I liked Miskatonic University a lot, but it never quite worked for my skin. I think this is one that works better for me and I like it more. Worth trying if MU's one of your faves! Where I'd wear this: Last days of summer, walking through Mexico City

Yummy and...kind? It smells very nice, like someone who'd give you an orange currant scone. There's something magical to it, like sparkling spells zipping around. Honestly, I'm pretty sure this is what Molly Weasley's kitchen smells like at Christmas. Where I'd wear it: The Burrow, December

Super salty. Undercurrents of Easter flowers, which is lovely. It's bright, confident, happy. Low throw, seems to fade. Where I'd wear it: Easter at the beach

When I first smell this, I always think 'citrus' but then I realize it's the coolness from the hyssop (which I think is what I love so much about Snow White). It's green and fresh, but also snowy and a little bit sweetened. Very lovely. Where I'd wear it: Cold, sunny days

The best Phoenix this year. Smooth, creamy, sexy. I don't get a strong marshmallow vibe, but that's good. It's soft, but I think the almond milk comes through more as a 'softener'. I don't super love Snake Oil on its own, but I do like a lot of the blends, and this one with Snow White (which I love) is really lovely. Where I'd wear it: Casual dinner date

At willcall, I loved this one and bought it immediately. Trying it on a month or so later, it doesn't smell the same to me. I don't smell either tobacco or jasmine now—or really anything. I wonder if I got a bad batch?

Something about the Lab's cigar note really gets me. I can't say I like cigar smoke IRL, but here it just gives everything an, IDK, almost a tanginess. The goat wool too. I would never have expected to like this, but I bought it at willcall and couldn't be happier. Where I'd wear it: Summer fun fairs

On wet, it's a nice, strong floral. I love the hydrangea. It's one of those scents that makes me think I *can* do florals. As it dries, it has a really lovely kind of autumny-greenness, that reminds me of Autumn Coolness (another fave). The cocoa leaves don't give a chocolate vibe (I don't know if they're supposed to or not) but I didn't want it here. The tobacco smooths it out. This was the only Weenie I bought this year (at willcall). Love it. Where I'd wear it: Late autumn hay rides.

Cherry coke and cigarettes is exactly it! It’s warm and slightly sweet smelling, but by no means foodie. The tobacco is ages, like a man who’s been smoking his whole life and never really washes the scent all out. I like it! Unisex, warm, woody, slightly oriental. ETA 1/24/18: Warm and unusual. Such a strange scent, in the best way. It's sweet and smoky. I still like it. Where I'd wear it: New Orleans, hot summer bar hopping.

Wet, this is SUCH a juicy peach. Immediately made me want to eat one. I could practically taste it. It goes very bright, a bit sharp. It's fruity and summery, like the first part of summer when spring is just moving off. Very lovely! Does seem to fade quick, though. Where I'd wear it: Biking on a warm afternoon, through a cute city

I used to play a Druid in World of Warcraft years ago, so I felt an instant connection to this blend. It’s very green and light. I do smell the soil, but the incense is lighter than I expected (not a bad thing). Smells less like Druid and more like Herbology/Alchemy professions. ETA 1/24/18: The fertile soil is strong at first. Still very loamy. It's a lovely smell, but not one I'd wear as perfume. What I'd use it for: Honestly, I'd love this in an outdoor diffuser - here in SoCal, there's not nearly enough loamy soil smell and having this around me on a summer night would feel like home.

The more I try this one, the more I love it. It’s got something very nostalgic in it that makes me think of my childhood. It’s one of the green notes, but I don’t know what it is. The berry is light, just enough to balance the green. Very lovely. Unisex, spring, green, growing. ETA 1/24/18: I got 4 (yes, 4) frimps of this from the Lab when I went this past weekend and all four smell different. The first one smelled really sweet violet/purple berry-ish and I was like 'why did I ever like this?!' The other three are more like I thought I'd remembered: green and alive. Still, I don't love any of them as much as I did the first time I tried it in 2015. Where I'd wear this: A family outing outside, warm spring

This is quite pretty and a little bit crazy smelling. It’s soft and harmonizing, but as you inhale deeper, there’s a little bit of tart craziness in the grapefruit and musk. Very lovely! ETA 1.24.18: I didn't love this the first time I tried it, but it has grown on me since then. It's still very mint and fruit (I now see the mint is actually chamomile+lavender). It's both calm and vibrant. Paradoxical. Where I'd wear this: Brunch on the coast, high summer.

A REALLY nice aquatic. Not soapy to me, and not sneezy. More of a masculine scent to my nose, but would definitely work unisex. The salty wooden floorboards really shine here — it's woody, but has that salty-wet crispness to it. Very summer, very bright. Where I'd wear this: To a themed waterpark, high summer

This smells so beautiful, but disappears really quickly on me! I'm going to keep the imp and try again in a few months because I'm really hopeful. It's soft, warm, dry, a bit dusty, a bit spicy. Just a really beautiful, homey but romantic blend.