dementia_divine

In the decant: I’m mostly getting the red currant and honeyed fig. Wet: The red currant is the most prominent note on me, followed by the honeyed fig (I get more honey than fig). Dry: The red currant and honeyed fig continue to reign, with the fig being more prominent now. I am not getting any of the patchouli or amber oudh, but there’s a whiff of vanilla cream in the background. Verdict: I have never tried Nasty Woman. I thought it wouldn’t really be my thing after deciding I didn’t want a strong patchouli and fig scent like To His Mistress Going to Bed. But I wanted to try this one since the notes are lighter and sweeter. For some reason, I am mostly just getting the fruits and honey from this, and none of the darker notes. It has had several days to settle -- maybe it needs more in order for those notes to come out? I may retest this in a few weeks, but at the moment, I feel like this is too fruity for me.

In the decant: Honey, a soft patchouli, and some cinnamon sugar (more cinnamon than sugar). Wet: On my skin, the honey and cinnamon sugar notes stand out the most, backed by a soft patchouli. The cinnamon sugar is reminiscent of the kind you’d put on toast, and it’s stronger on me than it was in the decant, but that may be because I tend to amp spices. The patchouli in this is a red variety that’s becoming more prominent as the scent begins to dry. Dry: The red patchouli is now the dominant note. It’s soft and does give the impression of “yesterday’s patchouli” like in the description. It’s backed by the honey note. The cinnamon sugar is faint now -- there really is just a dusting of it in the background. Verdict: I’m always looking for more sweet patchouli scents since I thought I didn’t like the stuff until I tried Banshee Beat. This is nice, but it didn’t wow me, so it’s not something I need more of. I will probably keep my decant, though!

In the decant: I get a ton of dandelion sap, which is just what I’m here for! Huzzah! There’s just a tinge of the blackcurrant bud. It’s mostly dandelion sap on a bed of white musk. Wet: The dandelion sap is the star of the show on my skin. I get a little more blackcurrant bud on me than I did in the decant, but it isn’t making the scent fruity, which makes me glad. The white musk is definitely present, adding a clean, fresh air feel to the scent. Dry: The dandelion sap is no longer king. The blackcurrant bud has stolen the show, so the scent is fruitier now, but you can tell that it is the bud and not straight up blackcurrant (although the fruit is definitely a part of that note). I can still smell the dandelion sap, but it is not nearly as strong as it was before. Verdict: I really enjoyed the wet phase of this, but the blackcurrant bud is a little too strong for my liking once the scent has dried. It’s a pleasant blackcurrant bud and milky dandelion scent, but not something I need a bottle of -- I can’t see myself reaching for this over other dandelion scents in my collection.

In the decant: This actually smells like a bouquet of flowers. Sniffing it makes me envision touching the soft petals. The carnation and rose stand out to me in particular, but I can also smell the peonies, lilies, and sweet pea behind those notes, with just a little vanilla in the background. Wet: Yes, this is exactly like stuffing your face into a bouquet of flowers. The carnation, rose, and peony notes are the first notes to leap out at me, followed by the sweet pea and lily. The carnation is somewhat spicy, and it's warming my skin, but it’s normal for me to get a lot of it because I amp that note. The sweet pea also becomes stronger after a few minutes, and I really love the sweet pink feel that it adds to the scent. If you’ve tried Muse of Fire and are wondering how this compares to that scent, I have to say that they are really different. The floral notes in this are far more realistic and able to be picked out of the scent, and this has more of a fresh flower feel to it than a perfume-y one. Dry: The carnation, rose, and peonies remain the dominant notes for a while, with the sweet pea deciding to retreat to the background. Then, this turns funky on me. I am so sad, because I enjoyed the wet phase so much. It’s doing something similar to what Winter Landscape did on me, even though this doesn’t share any notes with that one, and these notes are normally fine on me. There is only a whiff of vanilla, far in the background. Verdict: I went for a decant of this instead of leaping for a bottle, because I was not sure if this would have enough vanilla in it for me (since I prefer vanilla-ed or sugary floral scents). Well, there’s not as much vanilla as I was hoping for, but it was still really lovely before my skin chemistry decided to ruin it. So no bottle for me, but maybe I’ll try my decant in a locket and see how that goes.

In the decant: I smell the lavender, musk, bergamot, and iris. I was going to leap for a bottle of this, but I thought I better make sure the iris plays nicely first. Wet: The opalescent lavender and musk are the most prominent notes, followed by the bergamot. The iris is present but seems to be behaving at the moment. This is a bright scent, and I agree it is in the same scent family as scents like Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending. It has that classy perfume feel to it. The white amber and ash emerge as the scent begins to dry. Dry: It remains that way for a while, but the iris just seems to be getting stronger on me over time. It’s somewhat powdery on me, but not overwhelmingly so, and since I am not getting tons of Dr. Pepper from this, I do not believe it is the Florentine variety. Eventually, this becomes a musky, powdery iris party on me, with hints of bergamot, white amber, and ash in the background. Me right now: Verdict: I really enjoyed the wet phase of this, but alas, my skin is running away with the iris note. I am not willing to give up on this yet. I am going to have to try this one in a scent locket.

In the decant: Dates, cream, and spices (not cinnamon, though)! Wet: I’m getting the same notes on my skin, but the cream is more prominent than the dates on me. The spices are very light at first, but they seem to be getting stronger as the scent sits on my skin. I think there may be a ginger note in this, and possibly some turmeric, as zee_zee mentioned, but I can’t say for sure. But I will say that I’m enjoying this more than I thought I would! Dry: This is a really creamy, comforting scent. The spices continue to be light, but the fig and date notes are a little more noticeable now. I’m pleasantly surprised that the fig hasn’t taken over and that it hasn’t turned waxy on me. Verdict: This is lovely. I am not sure that I would reach for it enough to warrant getting a bottle (I’ll have to give it a full day’s wear and see if I still feel that way before the Liliths come down), but if I don’t end up buying a bottle, I’ll definitely cherish my decant.

In the decant: Whoa, that’s a very realistic, just-bitten-into honeycrisp apple! Wet: Same! And it’s so real you can envision the texture of the inside of the just-bitten-into apple when you smell it! Dry: The honeycrisp apple remains the star of the show, but now the sugared milk has emerged, and I agree that it smells like leftover cereal milk! The cereal milk note becomes more prominent after a few hours and is mingling with what is now a much softer apple note. Lovely! Verdict: This was a contender for a bottle purchase, but I went for a decant because I thought it might be too much like Apple I. Well, the apple in this is stronger than the apple in Apple I on me, and the milk note is different, because it’s leftover cereal milk and not goat’s milk. I am really happy with this and will definitely be hanging on to my decant. I am going to give it a full-day test to decide if I need more of it.

In the decant: Pink grapefruit, honey, sparkling apple cider, and a hint of a floral note. Wet: I get the pink grapefruit, the sparkling apple cider, and I think that the previous reviewers might be right about plumeria, as there’s a honeyed floral present that makes me think of C%^T from SDCC. This is definitely a pink scent. The grapefruit and sparkling cider started out being the most prominent notes, but the honeyed plumeria just keeps getting stronger over time. Dry: Alas, the honeyed plumeria took over. I get some of the sparkling apple cider behind it, which ends up losing its effervescence after a while, and just a hint of the pink grapefruit in the background. Verdict: I almost bought a blind bottle of this, but I am glad that I went the decant route instead. I was here for the grapefruit, but this ended up being mostly a honeyed floral scent on me. I don’t dislike it… it’s just not what I was hoping for.

I got to try this one at Dark Delicacies yesterday! At the time, I had not looked up the notes, and I just remembered thinking it was a cemetery scent. I remember being interested in it when it went live, but I skipped it. Now I see why: the blood note and the scorched descriptor. Midian Unmade was actually my favorite of the three scents I tried at Dark Delicacies yesterday. At first, I got a blast of dirt, but there was something sweet beneath it. I just kept thinking that this was sweeter than I was expecting and that it was a really nice dirt scent. I did not get the cypress from it (but I was wandering around in the heat, so I wasn't paying attention like I would when I review scents at home), and I certainly didn't get a scorched vibe from it. After several hours of wear, I just kept thinking... dirt and cinnamon! The cinnamon was a light variety and must have been from the blood musk. I am happy to report that I did not get any red musk from this. So don't let the blood musk or scorched descriptions scare you away! I did not get a bottle because I have a slew of dirt scents that I don't reach for often enough, buuuut I may end up caving and ordering it at some point with the release of a future Lace scent.

I got to try this one at Dark Delicacies yesterday! I applied a drop to my arm and then walked around Magnolia Park some more, so this isn't the most detailed review as I was walking around in the heat and just sniffing my arm occasionally. Plum isn't really my thing, so I didn't order a bottle of this when it went live, and I didn't end up grabbing one at the store either. But I do want to say that, even though I'm averse to plum, this wasn't as intense on the plum as I expected. This is not a cloying variety of plum, so while the plum remained the dominant note at all times, I never felt like I was in an irksome cloud of it. The plum and cognac were strongest notes on me at first, and then I got some of the Lace vanilla and tobacco, and then the oudh came into play after a few hours, making it a resinous plum scent. After a full day of wear, it was back to being mostly plum-infused Lace (cognac, vanilla, and tobacco). Shadow Lace is evocative of its name, and I recommend it if you're a fan of darker plum scents.

I tried this at Dark Delicacies yesterday, not expecting it to be there or having a single idea what was in it beforehand. The only thing I could think of when I smelled this was GREEN COLOGNE. Not cucumber-y like Lordy, though. And now I see why. I must have been getting the metal (which tends to be sharp and cologne-like on me) and grass. I did not get any popcorn from this at all or find it to be particularly leather-y. Not my thing, but I'm glad I got a chance to try it!

In the decant: Definitely a resinous scent, although it’s brighter than I expected! Wet: I am getting rose, which I see some other reviewers have gotten from this as well. I wonder if it is part of the incense note? This is all about the rose and resins on me. Dry: It is now a dusty, resinous rose scent, with the rose calming down (but never going away) after several hours of wear. Verdict: Aww, I was hoping for resins and clove. Instead, I got resins and rose. Not really my thing, but it was nice to get to try this!

In the decant: Black musk, pine, dust, and resins. Wet: This is sour on me when first applied, and I think that’s due to the khus interacting with the black musk. Then the myrrh emerges to smooth things out. After a few minutes, the pine joins in as well. The pine is a welcome addition, adding a coolness to the scent and the impression that there’s a dark forest nearby. The musty velvet note ends up creeping into the mix as well, making me think of neglected tapestries in an ancient castle… which fits Nosferatu very well! There’s just a hint of patchouli and pepper in the background. Dry: This ends up being a musky, dusty, smooth myrrh and velvet scent, with creeping pine tendrils and a splort of pepper adding a jarring quality in the background to remind you that something is not quite right. After several hours, it becomes sweeter, probably due to the musk. Verdict: I really did not think that I would like this from the list of notes, and maybe some of them are more subdued because this was an aged sniffie, but this is a nice, atmospheric, shadowy scent, which I think is very evocative of its inspiration. I am really glad that I got to try it! Thanks to the lovely forumite that frimped me a sniffie of this to try!

In the bottle: The frankincense is the first note that leaps out at me. It reminds me of Hope and Fear Set Free, which I love, but with a different vanilla. Hope and Fear Set Free has a bourbon vanilla note, and this has that spun sugar vanilla Lace note. I think there may also be some amber behind these notes. Wet: The frankincense is by far the strongest note (and it’s pretty strong). It’s backed by the vanilla, which is lovely. There’s a light spice in this that is warming my skin, maybe a spiced amber in the background that’s representing the gold note? Dry: The vanilla is a lot stronger now, while the frankincense is much softer. It’s a wonderful, vanilla-infused, light resin scent, and I cannot stop huffing my wrist! Verdict: SO GOOD. I am going to need more of this. I am running low on Hope and Fear Set Free, and I was dreading running out of it, but now I have a new vanilla and frankincense blend to love. Thanks to the extremely generous forumite that gave me a partial of this. I will treasure it.

This bottle is from 2016. Source: swap (I’ve never been to the museum, alas!). In the bottle: This is very dusty, somewhat peppery, and dry. I get the balsams and dust the most. Wet: The balsam and leather are the first notes to leap out at me, followed by a light vanilla and a generous amount of dust. As it sits on my skin, it gets sweeter thanks to one of the balsams becoming more prominent (I think one of them is the variety from Tombstone). The balsam and dust end up being the main players on me. The leathers in this are pretty restrained for leather notes. Dry: The balsams and dust still hold the center stage, and I get some paper and more vanilla in the background now. It’s still somewhat peppery to me and like others have noted, greener than expected. After several hours, it ends up being a very woody and dusty balsam scent. Verdict: I am unsure about this one. It doesn’t really make me think of an old library or books, which is what I was hoping for, and the dust is quite pronounced on me. But I like the vanillic quality behind the dust. I will probably hold on to this for a little longer, retest it, and maybe try it as a room scent, but I have to say that I thought I would like this one more from the list of notes.