tharsei-thanate

Got a tester of this from sfsassy! I've been super excited to try this and now that it's finally on I'm a bit startled. It smells like Christmas! Like the smell of a Christmas shop, minus any pine or fir. If I concentrate hard I can get marshmallow specifically but casual sniffs pick up cinnamon and sugar and a very light smokiness. I loooove cinnamon so I'm very happy! Oh wow, the sugar becomes more recognizable as marshmallow the longer it's on. So glad I got to test this! I think I need more.

When I first smelled it in the imp I was disgusted. It was just nauseating, cloying, gag-inducing awfulness. Still, I always do a skin test no matter how bad something smells in the imp or bottle. I dabbed some on, preparing myself to run to the bathroom to scrub it off if it got too bad, but oh my goodness, this is amazing on my skin. Sweet and boozy and totally drinkable! At first there was a lot of honey which I was able to ping as clover before checking the notes, then it blended with the boozy, almost candyish pumpkin. There's the lightest drizzle of maple throughout, adding extra depth, and spices start to come out the longer it's on. Now, after 45 mins of wear, it's just pure deliciousness. I wish I could better describe how wonderful this is, because damn, this is some good shit. I need a bottle!

2013 Hm. I got a decant of this hoping that it would work better on me than Samhain. While there is a striking similarity to Samhain that's making me frown, overall this indeed works much better. Instead of gross powder like in Samhain, Samhainophobia has smooth balsams and a gentle kiss of vetiver and a light whirl of soft leaves. It gets more leafy and sweeter as it dries, which I quite like. This is nice, and I will definitely keep my decant. Not sure about a bottle at this point, though, since that Samhain smell lingers through every stage and I'm not a huge fan of it. I'll see what more aging does.

This is yummy. When I first got my decants this was one of the first ones I tried and it was awful. After letting it rest a few days, it's become delicous foody sweetness. I'm getting the texture of the marzipan more than the smell- it's not as almondy on me as I thought it'd be, which is fine because almond goes weird sometimes. Then there's chewy pumpkin candy and glorious pumpkin spices and a hint of buttercream. No lemon zest at all. The longer it's on, the more boozy the marzipan gets and the more the spices amp. I really like this! I don't know if I'd wear it enough to justify a bottle (as much as I like foody blends, this is a little bit too foody for everyday wear!), but I'm glad I have a decant and I may track down another decant.

This starts off really nice. Sweet florals and juicy peach. But then the amber pokes its head out and it's unpleasantly powdery. At least the peach is behaving and not turning into hard candies. This one's a bit of a no right now but I'll keep it a bit longer. Hopefully the amber learns to behave itself because this smells quite nice otherwise.

I found an imp of this hidden away in my purse and I don't remember ever trying it, which is a travesty because this smells so good! Effervescent citrus over sweet flowers gently embraced by light musk. In the dry the fruits lose their fizz but they're still lovely and bright and not going wonky on me. Further on, there's a touch of patch and the lightest breath of sage that help deepen the overall scent. This is a really happy blend, definitely something I'll reach for when I'm feeling down.

May I recommend an atmo? I find that Thrive is really invigorating. It's fairly rare, but I found someone who's selling it.

Pretty much what it says on the tin. Figs and dirt with oakmoss and mushrooms and patchouli. Patch is powdery in this one, but luckily it's not too loud to be a problem. The fig gets stronger the longer it stays on, which is good. Overall, just a nice earthy blend with enough fig to brighten it and make it yummy. Glad I have an imp. :-)

I bought a bottle of this blind in October. I did one or two quick tests since it arrived but I think it's time I do an official test and see if it's a keeper. In the bottle: Pumpkin, spice, and sugar. There's a vague burnt quality. It's not bad, but the pumpkin reminds me of Halloween in the Misk U library, which is a blend I reacted very negatively to. The bad associations still linger, so while objectively this smells good, subjectively I'm not fond of it. Wet: Smells like spiced pumpkin cookies. It's good but the bad associations are keeping me from enjoying it. Drydown: A veeery light plastic emerges along with the scent of chai tea. The plastic is likely the vanilla in Dorian. Aged Dorian doesn't have that problem but it looks like fresh does. Luckily it's not overwhelming. Dry: A cookie/spice/plastic/sugar mix. The tea has disappeared. Further on: Becomes a rich, spiced pumpkin bread kind of smell, but there's still plastic. I really want to like this but the HitMUL associations and the vanilla plastic are preventing me from doing so. Sorry, friend, but I'm going to have to get rid of you. I wish things could be different.

At first I'm mostly getting soft florals with a touch of sweetness and wisps of smoke from the opium. Nice, but not thrilling. Then it gets green, and the greenness adds a vague bitterness to the blend overall. Eventually, I can catch some sugar. Right now, it's gotten powdery. This isn't necessarily a bad blend, but it's rather boring on me. Not worth keeping the tester.

I have Wolf Spider on right now, but I think I might put on Third Charm when I go out tonight. Tomorrow will probably be Sugar Skull '08 and the day after Autumn Lace. :-)

No problem!

You know what, there are people on the forum selling Gluttony right now. Here's someone with a 70% full bottle: http://www.bpal.org/topic/81989-mostly-bpal-bottleslegc-for-sale-nothing-over-20/page__p__2357540__hl__gluttony__fromsearch__1#entry2357540 This person's selling an imp if you want to test it first: http://www.bpal.org/topic/74301-the-purge-continues-sale-or-swap/page__p__2007355__hl__gluttony__fromsearch__1#entry2007355 As for a recommendation for something easier to come by, perhaps Hellcat is worth a shot? A soft, sensual, luxuriant blend with a wicked bite: hazelnut, buttercream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond. It's not quite the same but there are some similar notes. It's in the Diabolus section of the general catalogue.

Wow, just noticed that I haven't reviewed this one. I have an imp of the '08 version. Sugar Skull is a surprise winner on me. Fresh fruits can go wrong on me, but these candied fruits smell so good. It's like wearing brightly colored pieces of candied fruit crusted with sugars- very well behaved sugars, since this blend isn't making my teeth ache like some other sugary blends. There's also a boozy/syrupy quality that emerges in the drydown that makes my mouth water. Overall it's just a delicious blend that works super well with my skin chem. I need more!

Received an imp from the lovely HJackson. In the imp: Very pretty tonka/lilac musk mix, with a touch of benzoin. Wet: Violets! Just a lovely blast of violets with a fruity sweetness just behind it and a hint of tonka. There's something... solid about this. Sturdy. Grounding. It's really nice. Drydown: The violets bow out and the lilac musk takes over. The fruity sweetness is a little further in the background while the tonka is a tad louder. There's something else in here too... lime? Just a little sparkle of lime. Overall it's dense and woody and dark green. Dry: Not much change from the drydown, except I'm catch violets again, and a suggestion of myrtle. This is an interesting blend! I thought it would be more masculine but it's very gender neutral on me. I like it, I'm glad I have an imp!

Wow, this is really really good on me. Beautiful, sweet, lush white florals with very well-behaved greenery (sometimes green can get high-pitched on me but it's not doing that here). It's not morphing much at all and there is no soap or powder as it dries. Just lovely, almost mouth-watering florals and greens throughout. :heart:

I have been on a quest to find a coconut that works. A few months ago some helpful forumites suggested I try black coconut, and I snagged an imp of Goblin. I misplaced it for a while but I just found it again so I think now's a good time to try it. In the imp: That's coconut, all right! Like suntan lotion smeared over patch and benzoin. This is really nice. Wet: Sweet, slightly plastic coconut and vanilla-y benzoin. Certainly not as bad as other coconut blends, even with the plastic. At least it's not sour? Drydown: Smooth, sweet patch starts to emerge and it blends nicely with the coconut and benzoin. The plastic is more subtle now, and I'm sure if someone sniffed me it would smell like coconut to them, but my noise has been trained to find plastic in certain notes and as much as I want to ignore it I can't. Dry: The coconut is a touch sour now. Slightly sour plastic, sigh. It's really not as strong as in regular coconut blends but it's still here all the same. Other than that, the patch is well-behaved and benzoin is perfect. Furhter on: The plastic becomes even more subdued which is a yay but. Still. It's there. Verdict? Well, I'm conflicted. I want to like this because the patch/benzoin combo is really nice and the coconut could be worse but still. Slighty sour plastic. Juuust enough to bother me. I'll try aging it some more but if there's even a hint of plastic next time I try it I'm gonna have to get rid of it. :/

Bought a bottle of this back during the Etsy rush earlier this year! I had to let it age because when I first tried it it was good but there was something a liiiittle off about it. It's been over six months, let's see how it smells. In the bottle: Sugary vanilla with a touch of spice and sap. I'm reminded of the sugar cookie note in Mr. Nancy. Wet: Initially it's just vanilla but the cinnamon quickly emerges and gently envelopes it. I have to say, I'm having a very similar experience to JazzieCazzie- it's like cinnamon sugar cookies with a vanilla that def isn't of the Play-Doh or plastic variety. Drydown: The cinnamon calms itself a bit. In the wet it almost felt like if I inhaled deeply enough actual cinnamon powder would make its way up my nose but here it feels more incorporated. The cloves are light and there is just a touch of pine sap to tie it all together. Dry: Just lovely, creamy cinnamon and vanilla with a hint of clove and sap. Absolutely perfect. This was so totally worth a bottle! I was nervous when I bought it because cinnamon and cloves are a win but vanilla does that Play-Doh thing on me sometimes. Happily, this is a very doable vanilla. So glad I risked it.

Wow, this is surprisingly wearable! In the imp it's floral with a touch of clay and on my skin it's an interesting mix of stone and clay and subtle herbs enveloped by a light, sweet floral perfume. A dirt note emerges when it's dry and blends in very well with the other notes. This is so unique- I'm quite pleased with it! I just wish it lasted longer, haha.

Got an imp from spiralmissy's ParaNorman decant circle! In the imp: Yeah, smelling that vinegar that others smelled. It's overshadowing the sweet tobacco and warm, fuzzy musk that are in here. Wet: Blast of vinegar which morphs into wood varnish which morphs into... wood? Nothing rich or healthy, though, it smells like dried out, rotting logs of wood left on a forest floor for months. Bizarrely, I don't think it smells that bad. It reminds me of camping trips I've been on. Drydown: The weird wood note morphs into sweet cigar smoke with a very slight nauseating edge. A vague brown musk emerges as well. Dry: The cigar smoke becomes nicer, there's another sweet element in here that I can't place, and the musk is acting as a nice grounding agent. There's a nostalgic factor to it now, but I can't specifically pinpoint anything this reminds me of. So this was a weird one. It's ok overall and the best stage is the dry, but I don't think I like it that much. Bit disappointed, I thought I'd like this a lot because I love tobacco but this is very different. Tobacco yea, smoke nay? I'll keep the imp around for now. Maybe it will get better with age.

In the imp: That is a dead ringer for Watermelon Jolly Rancher! Wet: Blast of Watermelon Jolly Rancher. It calms down a little after the initial blast and there's a bit of fresh honeydew, grapes, and water just beyond the candy. Drydown: The candy is more subtle now. There's a touch of moss in the background, just enough to keep it interesting. There's also a very soft floral emerging. Dry: Hmmm. Fresh fruit scents sometimes go weird. They're doing that now. Kinda like they're hard candies sticking to their plastic wrappers. This was ok in the wet, nice in the drydown, and disappointing in the dry. Too bad, I was hoping melon would be a fruit that works.

Spell-soaked herbs and flowers, cold iron, broom twigs, bundles of moss and patchouli root, and moth dust. In the imp: Flowers and a hint of cold iron. Not bad. Wet: Gorgeous, sweet flowers! I think they're white flowers, though I can't pin down anything specific. Ohh, this is nice. Drydown: There's something wafting in the background adding depth to the sweet flowers. I honestly can't place it, it's too subtle, but it miiight be a sweet herb of some sort? Some sort of wood from the twigs? Musk??? All I know is that there's nothing bitter or metallic in here and I don't think the patch is making an appearance. Dry: That mystery something in the background is so so soooo lovely. It's just making the sweet florals smell even better. Also, I swear I caught a berry of some sort just now. Oh wow, yes, it's amping now, there's berries! They're behaving nicely on me. So berries, sweet flowers, and a rich, subtle something. Wow, this was a surprise winner! It's not a me sort of blend so no bottle, but this imp will certainly get some use!

I had gotten this in a decant circle when it went live. I tried it shortly after getting it and I recall not really digging it, so let's see if aging it made it better! In the imp: Cool sweetness and lavender with a touch of green. Wet: Warm, sweet honey and musk and ambrette seed splashed with cognac. This is nice! Drydown: Bit of sharp greenness now, and I'm catching whiffs of lavender. Dry: Much of the same. Overall it smells like a fantastically complex flavored honey. I feel like I'm catching tea, too. Maybe that's from the red musk? So a jar brimming with honey next to a little cup of tea. Aging really did wonders! I quite like you, Lesbia. Da mi basia mille, deine centum!

In the imp: A cologne/aftershave sort of smell with citrus in the background. Not unpleasant but not my cup of tea either. Wet: Blast of vetiver followed by bergamont. There's a weird sort of bitter greenness that's probably artemisia, which I'm not too familiar with, and waaay in the back is a drop of lime juice. Drydown: I can faintly smell the king mandarin now, but interestingly I'm not getting the spices. I usually amp those. The strongest note now is the artemisia, which I'm not really liking that much. Dry: Ah, there's the spice. It's adding a gentle warmth overall but artemisia is still king. Sigh. Nooot really digging this. The artemisia's too strong for my taste. I really wanted to like you, Spider, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Got Courtney in a decant circle a few months ago, and I placed her aside and forgot about her. Whoops! I just found her in my purse so I might as well review her. In the imp: BUBBLEGUM! Loud, pink Bazooka bubblegum. Very yummy. Wet: It's a blast of Bazooka, but it slowly becomes warm and a little bit musky and a bit cinnamony, like there's Big Red gum in here, too. I can also sense the tanning lotion behind all the gum. Drydown: The gum becomes a bit more subtle and it actually doesn't smell all that bad. It's a musky Bazooka and Big Red combo. The tanning lotion smells a little bit artificial (coconut doesn't like me :<), but it could be worse. It's a bit plastic, but it's not Play-Doh. Dry: Just a sugary-spicy-musky gum mix with a hint of plastic. It's surprisingly wearable, even with the plastic. It's making me nostalgic, it's like I'm a kid again, sitting at my little plastic pink and white table with my barbies and carefully chewing a giant wad of gum, preparing to blow the world's biggest bubble. Verdict? I like it but I don't think I'd be able to wear this when I'm with other people, tbh. I'm sure they'd smell the plastic in it and make a face at me. I'm fine with just my imp for those times when I'm alone and want to reminisce about my childhood. (: