bellumed

Honeyed greenery with an edge of citrus. Then, wet, honey powder and some funky-smelling orris and moss. This is smelling a bit sweaty, tbh, not a fan. On the drydown, it loses the dirtiness and takes on more of a floral musk, but it's still sort of powdery and dull. I think I'll pass.

I have Elspethdixon’s bottle (hello!) so no chocolate sludge, but fortunately I LOVE lemon! So the blast of creamy lemon I get is pure goodness. It reminds me of a subtler, less sugary version of Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat. The bourbon makes this a little “polish”-like fresh on my skin, but it eases quickly and leaves behind custard, clean lemon, and a strong rose that eventually takes hold as the most powerful note. Not an all-time favorite, but more delight than consternation for me.

Lots of sticky cacao I have to tap and roll to dislodge from the bottom. This smells, oooh, mystical. A witch’s ritual performed out in the barn. Drydown is salty ash and an air of pepper.

Foodie and creamy with a pop of citrus; it's not literally fizzy, but that’s the word that came to mind. Light and bright. Wow, this smells perfect for me.

Smells like breakfast on my skin, as the above post mentioned, something smoky… alongside something oddly clean, which settles back into the lemon cake on drydown.

And then, and then…!

Playdough. Sonofabitch.

If Tootsie Roll Industries put out a cologne, this would be it. The chocolate slowly burns off on drydown, leaving behind “fuzzy” oudh and musk. Oleander sneaks up and takes over (accompanied by sandalwood), a clean and floral note that doesn’t lessen the masculinity. Not for me but nice.

Imp: splash of juicy pomegranate and tamarind, followed up by something powdery and a touch bitter.

Skin: Soft lavender and wood, much drier fruits. It's cozy, kind of a "laid back" scent. Pleasant.

I think White Light is a good choice. Take a look at Peace, too (soothes frazzled nerves, brings serenity to the heart and tranquility to the home).

And it's a little less direct about eliminating dread, but you may also find courage blends useful given that you're feeling paralyzed. Particularly Crucible of Courage (imbues you with enormous amounts of courage. Use this blend when you feel weak, scared, or intimidated. Helps you find the strength to confront dangerous or frightening situations). Maybe also Wolf's Heart or Lionheart?

It smells perfectly drool-worthy in the imp, with a very prominent chocolate mint. The chocolate eases back on drydown, and while the mint is still distinctly at the front, it's brighter, more fresh and summery. Still sweet, and the citrus isn't obvious. This is a nice one!

Traditional Victorian masculinity which transforms into a more typical modern cologne on the skin. Something about this, though, I do not dig. I think it’s the leather and armor polish giving it a hard edge that clashes with the other, more dandy-ish notes (think Jareth’s lilac fougere). Just not quite right.

I adore Bliss and pumpkin scents and foodies in general, so this is an absolute no-brainer for me. I was VERY excited to try it out. GIVE ME THE SWEETS

The oil separates easily, and even when I shake/roll the vial and use the wand to stir in the cocoa, it's still a bit lumpy. The smell in the imp is the unapologetically dessert-like POP of scent you would expect, fresh out of the oven and made with 4 sticks of butter.

Freshly applied on my skin, I had some concern because it was sickly sweet, almost pukey (noooooo!!). Fortunately that burns off after a minute. Surprisingly mellow on drydown! Buttery chocolate cinnamon, tasty but very quiet. Kind like you baked something delicious yesterday.

Kooky poem and a fun blend to match. The wood is obvious in the vial but goes away completely on drydown. Fruity and musky, thick and dark with a touch of sweetness. Weird indeed, but not strong or off-putting! Just something that makes you lean in to sniff and think “curiouser and curiouser.”

I love sweet bakery cinnamon in perfume and can’t stand spicy candy cinnamon, so All Night Long made me a little nervous from the start. The spice hits you right in the throat when you inhale from the imp, and when I applied it to my wrists, it was straight-up Red Hots. But the drydown was a pleasant surprise, still distinctly cinnamon with a spicy kick in the background, but it becomes much gentler, not quite sweet but certainly softer. I would categorize this more as comforting than sexual, but hey, maybe it’s about context.

I would never have expected to like this so much! Foresty and cool in that menthol way. Certainly suitable for a guy, but I like it on myself as well.

Similar to Samhain but I prefer Thanatopsis by far. Also reminds me of Triumph of Death (which has peru balsam and dark musk).

Very simple, gentle, and yes, honeyed and sweet. Relaxing.

I love Mouse Circus SO MUCH. It just smells like joy! Kettle corn with a little woody edge in bottle. Just really pleasant and fun! Polished wood comes out more on the skin. It still has some sweetness but it’s a lot less femmey and gourmand, wood glazed with popcorn-sugar. There’s a certain wafting puffiness that I do associate with cotton candy.

Primarily kettle corn but not a straightforward foodie, as that comforting (not at all chemical) clean wood smell comes out to give it some complexity. I wear this in my apartment more than out, but either way, drool.

A bright white scent, with loads of sharp lime and a rather pointy musk. This blend is a kick in the pants! Pretty quickly calms down into a fresh, clean, much softer laundry scent with citrus around the edges.

A darling little Halloween scent. Yellow-orange, candle-y beeswax and pumpkin baked into muffins or bread. Cozy.

Reminds me of Persephone (for good reason, as that is pomegranate and rose) but much softer and more complex. It almost seems like a take on sangria? Rosie sweet fruit juice, all grown up. It's fairly subtle but also inviting.

Very beeswax, with a bit of a smokiness to it (yes, candle-smoke rather than a tobacco or mechanical smell). Reminds me a bit of a workshop, a craftsman sort of smell.

Try this one if you like No. 93 Engine.

How could anyone resist this?? A strong, happy, sugary lemon scent that also reminds me a teeny bit of gummy worms. Love love love it.

Wow. Lovely and ladylike, all vanilla and orchid. Just beautiful and delicate, but not faint, Celeste does have some body to it. Really a perfect feminine scent, a keeper for sure.

Much as I'd like to have some thrilling new insight to offer, naw: The Other Hot Chocolate is straight-up delicious cocoa with marshmallows. Good wear length, and I won't lie to you, applying it when it's snowing and you're bundled up warm inside is almost as satisfying as the real thing.

Unisex, gentle and grassy and just a little bit dandelion-sweet. No sin or sleaze, not really, just countryish and unpolished innocence. The little girl running guilelessly past her parents’ smoke, clutching a fistful of dandelions she has collected.

For something called “Flower Moon,” this actually doesn’t smell very flowery in the bottle. I probably would’ve said it was a foodie if I was smelling it blind. A bit like one of those tarts with jellied fruit or something, though I guess it’s wildflower honey I’m smelling. It’s actually grassy and banana-ish more than anything, though it doesn’t hit you over the head.

It’s more floral on my skin, but waaayyy too subtle. This one basically disappears on my skin, with some light jasmine being all I can detect. Boooo.

2007 version (my label clearly says “Attrocious” fwiw)

Opening the bottle, it's stale and discolored white linens and a dried bouquet along with something that reminds me of sunscreen. Sharp and a bit headachey. On my skin, oldness is definitely present, but more in the vein of an old house than an old lady. An old lady’s closet, maybe, with dust particles floating in the sun.

It’s a teeny bit herbal soon enough, mostly dried flowers now, with lavender and lily the most obvious. Not at all sharp on drydown, very soft, though I’m still getting that just slightly chemical thing. Actually, once this is dried all the way down, it’s quite pretty and creamy, just sunlight and florals, no old smell at all.

A surprisingly winning blend once you give it a chance!