absinthetics

I have to say this has the ozoney and hazy quality that was also found in Thriambus atmo spray. Which I did very much like. Since there is gothy club mist in there, I imagine that's the same note.

The last fleeting moments of sunset, casting a perfect, magical, golden light across a damask-adorned dining room, bathing a father and daughter in an enchanted glow. This really is a golden, perfect scent. But it is warm and golden in a way that isn't sharp or bright, but warm and soothing. There is a vanilla softness to this that also illustrates a warm luminescence. There is also a richness to it that deepens the vanilla in a way that grounds it and doesn't leave it too etheral.

Just a hint of gorgon blood: bright nectarine, honey, sandalwood, green musk, sea buckthorn berry, and oakmoss. This scent is a beautiful fruity but somehow earthy scent. It has a very far throw. The sandalwood is very present while the buckthorn berry turns the nectarine a little bitter. But not in a bad way! I recommend at least getting to sniff all the Pandy scents. They are lovely!

Golden amber, juniper berry, white sage, leather, cardamom, and black pepper. I'm still waiting for this scent to dry down and hoping the golden amber is a bit more prominent however for the most part this is a heavy juniper berry blend. The leather and black pepper make it an equally dark scent. I can't really discern white sage at this point but I think it blends in with the juniper berry in a fascinating way.

HAGSGATE “When those words were first spoken,” Drinn said, “Haggard had not been long in the country, and all of it was still soft and blooming – all but the town of Hagsgate. Hagsgate was then as this land has become: a scrabbly, bare place where men put great stones on the roofs of their huts to keep them from blowing away.” He grinned bitterly at the older men. “Crops to harvest, stock to tend! You grew cabbages and rutabagas and a few pale potatoes, and in all of Hagsgate there was but one weary cow. Strangers thought the town accursed, having offended some vindictive witch or other.” Molly felt the unicorn go by in the street, then turn and come back, restless as the torches on the walls, that bowed and wriggled. She wanted to run out to her, but instead she asked quietly, “And afterward, when that had come true?” Drinn answered, “From that moment, we have known nothing but bounty. Our grim earth has grown so kind that gardensand orchards spring up by themselves – we need neither to plant nor to tend them. Our flocks multiply; our craftsmen become more clever in their sleep; the air we breathe and the water we drink keep us from ever knowing illness. All sorrow parts to go around us – and this has come about while the rest of the realm, once so green, has shriveled to cinders under Haggard’s hand. For fifty years, none but he and we have prospered. It is as though all others had been cursed.” An accursed bounty: rich black soil and hay, cucumber, tomato, red lettuce, summer squash, black eggplant, arugula, grape vine, artichoke, and a tangle of herbs marred by an undercurrent of vetiver, patchouli, and black moss. An evil, wooden gate a midst a deeply wooded area. The wood is old, gnarled and worn with time. This scent is woody but green. The lettuce, tomato and eggplant make this a sharp, interesting blend. They come out brightly when worn, but in the bottle they make this a cloying green scent like none I have smelled before. Though there is a dirt/soil note it's not dominant either in the bottle or dry-down. This is much more complex then something like Premature Burial. There is an herbal note like Marshwoman's Beer. The vetiver and patchouli add to the depth of this scent but they are not something that would ruin this for people who dislike those notes. Overall this is a VERY interesting scent! Recommended for RP scent people, you could create an interesting place with this.

Five honeys with vanilla orchid, gardenia, dragon's blood resin, gingergrass, and turmeric. I expect this to be one of the favorites from this series. In the bottle: Honey, orchid and gardenia. There is a heaviness in the background that could easily be the dragon's blood resin, made even deeper by the gardenia. On: the dragon's blood comes out more, and this deepens. The honey is still delightfully there but the flowers are coming more to the foreground. After 20min: lovely honeyed vanilla orchid and gardenia. Only a hint of the dragon's blood in the background that gives it some depth. Beautiful foody floral.

LYONESSE Then rose the King and moved his host by nightAnd ever pushed Sir Mordred, league by league, Back to the sunset bound of Lyonesse -- A land of old upheaven from the abyss By fire, to sink into the abyss again; Where fragments of forgotten peoples dwelt, And the long mountains ended in a coast Of ever-shifting sand, and far away The phantom circle of a moaning sea. Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss. This scent has inspired me to be a first review, even though I doubt my ability to pick out notes. So I will review it... a bit more on impression. In the bottle -- If this scent had a colour, it would indeed be golden ambers-- like the faded golds of medieval ikon halos, flaking but vibrant... and haunting. The ambers and musk are beautiful and somehow bright. In the bottle it seems a bit more traditional than I expected, the vanilla is a bit hard to find under the sandalwood and orris root. There is definitely an aquatic-ness to it, but it's almost like an afterglow. Primarily though, i would say it was definitely an amber-musk at this stage. Wet -- Here is where the vanilla leaps out at you, Lyonesse shows its character when wet and on the skin. It's a little more light hearted and feminine here. The gold has softer edges and becomes a bit more 'princessy' when you thought it would be more for a 'queen'. I can smell the lily now, when I didn't think I could before. The vanilla adds a creamyness to the floral. On the skin, and dry down -- On the drydown, the two natures seem to intermingle, and the scent just seems to ... glow. It is feminine and pretty, but regal and elegant. The stargazer lily comes out even more so now and it doesn't seem as creamy as it did before, but you can certainly tell there is vanilla in there. The dryer tones come out here, yet it somehow remains vaguely aquatic. I suppose it smells 'older' when it dries down. And reminds you of the history behind the beauty that are the legends of Lyonesse. In a way it's this 'mature' and musky vanilla scent. The dry down is my favorite part, and really... it simply 'glows'-- a happy, perfect, even a bit yummy 'glow'. All in all, Lyonesse is extremely beautiful and every girl should have a bottle.

In the long, sleepless watches of the night, A gentle face — the face of one long dead — Looks at me from the wall, where round its head The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light. Here in this room she died; and soul more white Never through martyrdom of fire was led To its repose; nor can in books be read The legend of a life more benedight. There is a mountain in the distant West That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines Displays a cross of snow upon its side. Such is the cross I wear upon my breast These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes And seasons, changeless since the day she died. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Cypress, Spanish moss, and clove bud with labdanum, Italian bergamot, and white tobacco flower. This is a woodsey, slightly citrusy snow note. It's rather jarring and there is definitely something earthy in the background

Wild strawberries, strawberry flower, strawberry blossom honey, vanilla-infused sugar, early summer grasses, and milky dandelion sap. What a beautiful moon! Wild, ripe strawberries, the extra red ones! And you can smell the tang of the 'leaves' (which i imagine is the summer grasses). The vanilla infused sugar smells like a bowl of cut strawberries dusted with sugar just before you pour the cream on. At the end of it all you really do smell the dandelion. This is my most favorite moon lately, up there with Pink Moon this year. (Yes, my foodiness has come out.) I can't even express how, once you get past the ripe strawberry scent, there is even that...center of the strawberry scent...which is slightly muted but just as juicy. So great! This and one other bottle actually leaked in my order >.<; but I can't say it wasn't an amazing smelling box!

Saffron, pimento, cardamom, beeswax, cajeput, tomato leaf, geranium, and pink pepper honey. What a great scent in the bottle. The first impression is the honey, saffron and cardamom. The beeswax lies waiting in the background and there is a tang of tomato leaf. I would say this is a pink and green scent. Very interesting!

PRINCE LÍR "Heroes," Prince Lír replied sadly. "Heroes know about order, about happy endings – heroes know that some things are better than others. Carpenters know grains and shingles, and straight lines." He put his hands out to the Lady Amalthea, and took one step toward her. She did not draw back from him, nor turn her face; indeed, she lifted her head higher, and it was the prince who looked away. "You were the one who taught me," he said. "I never looked at you without seeing the sweetness of the way the world goes together, or without sorrow for its spoiling. I became a hero to serve you, and all that is like you. Also to find some way of starting a conversation." Chivalry, love, and sacrifice. A noble cologne touched by a sweet sadness: vanilla fougere, bright citrus, juniper berry, ambergris accord, and basil. What an amazing scent. Mostly I am picking up juniper from this scent, which is made a little harsh by the citrus notes. However, I wouldn't think 'citrus!' when I smelled this bottle. It's almost like a bite at the back of your nose, but not in any way orange or lemon. I'd almost say that this scent smells like leather. I looked for it in the notes but it's not there, and I'm honestly surprised. This smells like a knight going into battle. Like oiled grieves and a hyped up male-ness. There is something soothing and pretty about it, but I mean male-prettiness, grace, glowing.... it's warm in a way that it's well-worn but somehow bright. I think this is the mix of sneaky citrus and the vanilla Fougère. A work of art! I want to cuddle up next to Prince Lir so he can keep me safe at night.

Cacao, tobacco absolute, Chilean coffee bean, osage-orange, and ebony. You do get a deep understanding of the cacao note the second you put this under your nose. I think it's dancing somehow with the coffee bean, that isn't quite coffee. There is a dark smoothness to this scent that is very elegant. I don't know if it's specifically the ebony, or ebony + the tobacco. The orange is just the slightest bite to the nose in the bottle, but really comes out more when worn. So far, I think this is the most bottle worthy scent in the butterflies.

A dark scent, sultry but sullen: tobacco absolute, birch tar, blackened clove, whip leather, and spiced rum. This is a dark scent that settles more around the blackened clove and birch tar. The spiced rum and tobacco give it a hazy, slightly sweet quality but overall it's rather dark and murky. For now, as it is wet, it's more sullen than sultry. After settling, this scent gets a bit more foody, with the spiced rum and blackened clove giving it a warm, spicy bite to it. The leather sort of comes in waves, almost totally gone sometimes, and then sneaking back in... like a whip. >.<; =D It's a little more sultry now.

Apple and white mint layered with tobacco flower, pink pepper, white jasmine, bourbon vanilla, orange blossom, and champaca flower. I picked up an extra bottle of this at NYCC. The jasmine and vanilla and orange blossom are just so sweetly pretty in this scent. The mint and champaca give it this interesting ethereal quality. Somehow it ends up a bit juicy and sweet but not too much. The apple is also not overpowering.

Je veux, pour composer chastement mes églogues, Coucher auprès du ciel, comme les astrologues, Et, voisin des clochers écouter en rêvant Leurs hymnes solennels emportés par le vent. Les deux mains au menton, du haut de ma mansarde, Je verrai l’atelier qui chante et qui bavarde; Les tuyaux, les clochers, ces mâts de la cité, Et les grands ciels qui font rêver d’éternité. II est doux, à travers les brumes, de voir naître L’étoile dans l’azur, la lampe à la fenêtre Les fleuves de charbon monter au firmament Et la lune verser son pâle enchantement. Je verrai les printemps, les étés, les automnes; Et quand viendra l’hiver aux neiges monotones, Je fermerai partout portières et volets Pour bâtir dans la nuit mes féeriques palais. Alors je rêverai des horizons bleuâtres, Des jardins, des jets d’eau pleurant dans les albâtres, Des baisers, des oiseaux chantant soir et matin, Et tout ce que l’Idylle a de plus enfantin. L’Emeute, tempêtant vainement à ma vitre, Ne fera pas lever mon front de mon pupitre; Car je serai plongé dans cette volupté D’évoquer le Printemps avec ma volonté, De tirer un soleil de mon coeur, et de faire De mes pensers brûlants une tiède atmosphère. – – – More chasteness to my eclogues it would give, Sky-high, like old astrologers to live, A neighbour of the belfries: and to hear Their solemn hymns along the winds career. High in my attic, chin in hand, I’d swing And watch the workshops as they roar and sing, The city’s masts — each steeple, tower, and flue — And skies that bring eternity to view. Sweet, through the mist, to see illumed again Stars through the azure, lamps behind the pane, Rivers of carbon irrigate the sky, And the pale moon pour magic from on high. I’d watch three seasons passing by, and then When winter came with dreary snows, I’d pen Myself between closed shutters, bolts, and doors, And build my fairy palaces indoors. A dream of blue horizons I would garble With thoughts of fountains weeping on to marble, Of gardens, kisses, birds that ceaseless sing, And all the Idyll holds of childhood’s spring. The riots, brawling past my window-pane, From off my desk would not divert my brain. Because I would be plunged in pleasure still, Conjuring up the Springtime with my will, And forcing sunshine from my heart to form, Of burning thoughts, an atmosphere that’s warm. — Charles Baudelaire, translation by Roy Campbell The pale moon pouring magic: Tunisian opium and mugwort with blackened bourbon vanilla, tuberose, glittering white musk, datura accord, wild plum, and tobacco absolute. This scent is absolutely gorgeous and will certainly be a hit for years to come. The burbon vanilla has a lot of burbon in it which is really magnified by the tobacco. The Plum is barely a fruit note while the datura does temper it so it's not that foody. Excellent!

KUMARI KANDAM The hollow scent of a vast antediluvian civilization, now frozen and buried, smothered by a thick sheet of ice and trapped deep beneath the ocean. Thick incense, clay, stone, and hothouse blooms with a spike of frost, a hint of decay, and heavy, dolorous aquatic notes. This scent has inspired me to be a first review, even though I doubt my ability to pick out notes. So I will review it... a bit more on impression. In thebottle -- this scent is a cool, wet incense. I have to say it smells like a beloved child of Whippoorwhill and Ice Queen. The spike of frost is a touch piney, a touch sharp. But the papery and aquatic feel of the whippoorwhill-like notes wet it down, and melt the queen to something a bit more somber. It's amazing how something green and aquatic can hold that 'hint of decay'. Beth did something amazing with that. Wet -- Wet, she dies down a bit. The clay, the dark, and cold grotto chambers of the sunken city come to mind. Long abandoned hallways, memories of inhabitants... the piney scent dissipates into an incensy aquatic. Something I've never smelled before. It's delicate and old, but you never forget the 'ice'. On the skin, and dry down-- For me she sweetens up a bit. The incensy notes become more accessible and it becomes a bit more delicate, a bit more vacant and haunting. I can't decide if this scent embodies a perfect winter scent, or would be a lovely solace from the staggering summer heat. Regardless, on the dry down she gets a little more earthy, and the 'clay's begin to form. You can also get the feeling of those 'hothouse' blooms, as they seperate from the aquatic notes.

II est amer et doux, pendant les nuits d’hiver, D’écouter, près du feu qui palpite et qui fume, Les souvenirs lointains lentement s’élever Au bruit des carillons qui chantent dans la brume. Bienheureuse la cloche au gosier vigoureux Qui, malgré sa vieillesse, alerte et bien portante, Jette fidèlement son cri religieux, Ainsi qu’un vieux soldat qui veille sous la tente! Moi, mon âme est fêlée, et lorsqu’en ses ennuis Elle veut de ses chants peupler l’air froid des nuits, II arrive souvent que sa voix affaiblie Semble le râle épais d’un blessé qu’on oublie Au bord d’un lac de sang, sous un grand tas de morts Et qui meurt, sans bouger, dans d’immenses efforts. – – – Bitter and sweet it is on these long winter nights To sit before the fire and watch the smoking log Beat like a heart; and hear our lost, our mute delights Call with the carillons that ring out in the fog. What certitude, what health, sounds from that brazen throat, In spite of age and rust, alert! O happy bell, Sending into the dark your clear religious note, Like an old soldier crying through the night, “All’s well!” I am not thus; my soul is cracked across by care; Its voice, that once could clang upon this icy air, Has lost the power, it seems, — comes faintly forth, instead, As from the rattling throat of a hurt man who lies Beside a lake of blood, under a heap of dead, And cannot stir, and in prodigious struggling dies. — Charles Baudelaire, translation by Edna St. Vincent Millay A new interpretation, inspired by Millay’s translation- A soul, cracked across by care: blood and ruin, smoke and sorrow, incense and ice. This scent is dark, with dark incense. The Ice is that of black ice, and the smoke is definitely in the background, but not too burnt smelling. I don't smell any "blood" and the "ruin" is just this overall sharpness. Very intriguing scent.

White sandalwood, opium tar, tobacco leaf, and white amber. This is a gorgeous scent. I would say that all of the notes are equally represented both wet and on the dry down. The sandalwood and opium tar are more prominent but in general I find tobacco leaf and white amber to be more subtle scents. The throw is excellent and the scent sticks around for quite some time. This is definitely a sandalwood heavy scent.

WITCH-CURSED CASTLE You whom Haggard holds in thrall, Share his feast and share his fall. You shall see your fortune flower Till the torrent takes the tower. Yet none but one of Hagsgate town May bring the castle swirling down. Beyond the town, darker than dark, King Haggard’s castle teetered like a lunatic on stilts, and beyond the castle the sea slid. Drinn stopped him as he raised his glass. “Not that toast, my friend. Will you drink to a woe fifty years old? It is that long since our sorrow fell, when King Haggard built his castle by the sea.” “When the witch built it, I think.” Schmendrick wagged a finger at him. “Credit where it’s due, after all.” “Ah, you know that story,” Drinn said. “Then you must also know that Haggard refused to pay the witch when her task was completed.” The magician nodded. “Aye,” and she cursed him for his greed – cursed the castle, rather. “But what had that to do with Hagsgate? The town had done the witch no wrong.” “No,” Drinn replied. “But neither had it done her any good. She could not unmake the castle – or would not, for she fancied herself an artistic sort and boasted that her work was years ahead of its time. Anyway, she came to the elders of Hagsgate and demanded that they force Haggard to pay what was due her. ‘Look at me and see yourselves,’ she rasped. ‘That’s the true test of a town, or of a king. A lord who cheats an ugly old witch will cheat his own folk by and by. Stop him while you can, before you grow used to him.’” Drinn sipped his wine and thoughtfully filled Schmendrick’s glass once more. “Haggard paid her no money,” he went on, “and Hagsgate, alas, paid her no heed. She was treated politely and referred to the proper authorities, whereupon she flew into a fury and screamed that in our eagerness to make no enemies at all, we had now made two.” He paused, covering his eyes with lids so thin that Molly was sure he could see through them, like a bird. With his eyes closed, he said, “It was then that she cursed Haggard’s castle, and cursed our town as well. Thus his greed brought ruin upon us all.” In the sighing silence, Molly Grue’s voice came down like a hammer on a horseshoe, as though she were again berating poor Captain Cully. “Haggard’s less at fault than you yourselves,” she mocked the folk of Hagsgate, “for he was only one thief, and you were many. You earned your trouble by your own avarice, not your king’s.” Drinn opened his eyes and gave her an angry look. “We earned nothing,” he protested. “It was our parents and grandparents whom the witch asked for help, and I’ll grant you that they were as much to blame as Haggard, in their way. We would have handled the matter quite differently.” And every middle-aged face in the room scowled at every older face. One of the old men spoke up in a voice that wheezed and miaowed. “You would have done just as we did. There were crops to harvest and stock to tend, as there still are. There was Haggard to live with, as there still is. We know very well how you would have behaved. You are our children.” Weed-strewn oak, opoponax, wet stone, creaking redwood, and desolate olibanum. Wow. I literally said 'wow!' when I smelled this scent in the bottle. It's perfect. It's deep, dark and terrifying without any sort of dirt note in it. It's terrifying, and woody. If you close your eyes and imagine the place and then smell the scent you would be instantly transported there. It's foreboding and heavy. I'd recommend this to anyone who would like to create the scene in an RP session with the RP scents. It calms down when you wear it, but it lurks for a long time. This and Hagsgate are incredibly complex.

HARVEST MOON Harvest Moon is celebrated in almost every culture, and the bounty of the season is marked in a myriad of ways. Harvest Moon touches the Equinox, the festival of Janus, the culmination of Homowo, the “crying of the neck” in Cornwall, and the Women’s Festival of the Moon. This is a day that celebrates abundance and beauty, fertility and progress, and the light of this full moon blesses new undertakings and reunites lost loves. The Harvest Moon, by definition, is the Full Moon that falls closest to the Autumnal Equinox, and thus, it shares some of that Sabbat’s characteristics. This Full Moon was thus named because it rises within half an hour of the sun’s setting, in the Northern Hemisphere, and at this time farmers are able to work longer into the night by the light of this Moon. As the year draws to a close, the Full Moon rises an average of fifty minutes later each night, with the exception of a few nights surrounding the Harvest Moon, which only rises 10-30 minutes later. This moon is also, to the human eye, the fullest and largest of the year’s Moons, hanging gloriously huge, yellow and low in the night sky, and many lunar illusions play tricks our eyes at this time. The Harvest ushers in many celebrations, including the Equinox and the Festival of Janus, God of Doors. Janus is the Roman Lord of Gateways, beginnings and endings, and transitions. Thus, the Harvest Moon is a time for blessing new ventures, the onset of new and progressive phases in one’s life, and rites of passage into adulthood. This time of year also marks one of the Festivals of Dionysus, Lord of Ecstasy and the Vine. This Harvest lunacy combines the autumnal scents of dry leaves, warm, brown spices, white oak, Himalayan cedar, Russian sage, red apple, sweet black plum, juniper berry, clove, saffron, verbena, and yarrow with Dionysus’ sacred grapes and ivy, the amaranth and lingum aloes of Janus, and a gentle breath of Harvest Festival woodsmoke and sweet red wine. Wow! What an amazing Lunacy. This is an example of why Lunacies can really surprise and amaze me still. In the bottle it is glowing warm, the dry leaves, saffron and brown spices are really amazing. There's this buttery wonderfulness that is not foodie per se, and nowhere plasticy. The fruits I was hoping to come out the most were apple and plum. Though apple isn't your typical apple note the plum is there. But it slowly settles down as it dries. On the skin, the clove comes out a bit but mostly as a heat in the background. This is not a boozie scent, nor an overwhelming wine. It's almost like a halloweenie that got lost. In the end, the hay and woodsmoke creep up, taming the fruits.

It’s nature. A savage world of little things dying or eating each other right beneath our feet. Flora and fauna, man and beast entwined in a cycle of endless brutality: soil and rot and the heat of rage, blood-smeared musk and sharp decay. This scent is sharp and biting. There is the deep scent of the grave but there is also something warm and wet in it. It's a fascinating blend. There is a dry and dustiness to it too.

His eyes were the same color as the horns of the Red Bull. He was taller than Schmendrick, and though his face was bitterly lined there was nothing fond or foolish in it. It was a pike's face: the jaws long and cold, the cheeks hard, the lean neck alive with power. Dry cedar, bitter balsam, and ashes. Overall this is a startling dry scent. You could almost leave it as its notes-- it smells like ashes and cedar. The cedar isn't sharp like cedar can be. It's the dried, splintery kind that you can't activate with sand paper. There is a bitter quality to it that speaks of something else, un-nameable, in the mix. I can't imagine this being a person, more like the withered, husk of what a person once could have been. In keeping it in mind that this is King Haggard, it makes me kind of sad. If a scent could be lonely, this would be the one.

The first time I saw a ghost, I was ten years old… It was my mother’s. A slightly morbid admission: I lost my mother when I was 15, and I still remember how it felt to hold her hand after she passed away. The scent I’m trying to capture here is love mingled with grief and a peculiar horror, reminiscent of the chill of her skin and the weight of her hand. English roses as a symbol of the love a child feels for her mother, chilled by eucalyptus blossom, iris root, and white lily aldehyde. This sharp is bright and light hearted, with pretty roses and iris, but the aldehyde and eucalyptus are this strange, sharp essence in the back ground. They become this chemical bite to the scent that is very hard to get beyond.

Whiskey, tobacco, and incensed bear musk. The bear musk is a nice brown quality that probably takes the bite out of the whiskey note. This is a very smooth, brown scent that has great throw.

Teak, ebony wood, osmanthus, patchouli, red sandalwood, vanilla orchid, tonka bean, tobacco, wild musk, spikenard, and sugandh kokila. Right out of the mail, the patchouli is strong in this one. Straight up Banshee beat patchouli but without the creaminess. I would say the second note is the teak. On the skin, the sandalwood and tobacco make a play but the patchouli is still quite strong. The notes I smell the least are the vanilla orchid and tonka.