dementia_divine

I decided to buy a leftover decant of this one because it was one of the only Post Lupers I was interested in this year, and I decided to skip those in favor of getting more Yules. Upon first spraying the scent, I get lots of cedar, white tea, and a whiff of cherry blossom, but it ends up settling into a cedar scent with a bit of clove. I will happily use up my decant, but I don't feel the need to track down more of this one.

Snake Oil with blood orange, blood apple, lemon peel, plumeria, and red gardenia. Note: I bought two bottles of Coral Snake on eBay in 2013. One was a partial bottle that essentially smells of Snake Oil apple cider. I only have a few drops left. The other one smells drastically different, and I don't get much of a Snake Oil vibe from it at all. It's heavier on the plumeria and gardenia. In any case, this bottle is more like that aged partial that I purchased (though it's a lot lighter on the Snake Oil spices). In the bottle: When this arrived, it smelled of sun-warmed red apples in an orchard with the addition of Snake Oil spices and orange slices. The apple note smells so realistic. After settling for several hours, the blood orange ends up being the strongest note in the bottle. Wet: Oh hai, blood orange! The blood apple note is extremely realistic and similar to the apple note in one of my favorite atmosphere sprays, Apple Orchard. The apple and orange notes are the most prominent, followed by the tropical floral notes, but the spices from the Snake Oil seem to be gaining strength with time. I'm not getting very much lemon peel from this. Then, it morphs. This is sweet, juicy, and pretty, but not like the aged partial that I have which reminds me of Snake Oil apple cider. Dry: The floral notes are more prominent now, and they are very sweet, almost verging on bubblegum-y (but not on the same scale as lotus). Several hours later, the apple note returns, and the spices and vanilla have finally emerged. The floral notes are still present, but they aren't as intense as they had been. At this point, the scent is very light and stays rather close to the skin. Verdict: I had to order this to compare to the bottles that I have. The Snake Oil base isn't very prominent now, so I can't wait until this ages into the Coral Snake I know and love, because the aged Snake Oil with this blood apple note is going to be stunning.

In the decant: Flowers, berries, polished wood, some honey, and a bit of leather. Wet: I think the polished wood note may be mahogany, the same one used in The Red Queen. I’m getting that note, honeyed flowers, some tart, red berries, and some leather. Dry: I’m getting a lot more of the whip leather now, backed by the polished wood (still thinking mahogany) and tart, red berries (maybe currants). Behind those notes, I can smell the amber and a smattering of florals, but they are not as strong on me. Verdict: This one is not my cup of tea, but I’m glad that I was able to try it.

In the decant: Red musk, ginger, black pepper, patchouli, and some creaminess that must be due to the honeysuckle. Wet: When freshly applied, this is strong on the ginger, black pepper, and spices, but the red musk quickly asserts itself so that it’s red musk like whoa, infused with some ginger and spices, with the creaminess from the honeysuckle. As it begins to dry, the patchouli note emerges. Dry: Super strong red musk, with some ginger, pepper, and patchouli, and a hint of creamy honeysuckle lingering behind it, but mostly I AM RED MUSK, HEAR ME ROAR. Verdict: This is just too much red musk for me.

In the decant: That’s some earthy, ginger apple cider, all right. Wet: It feels weird to be testing this in the summer. One whiff of this and I am already longing for autumn! At first, predominantly like apple cider with some ginger in the background, but the ginger note seems to be getting stronger as it sits on my skin. I’m reminded a bit of Lambs-Wool without the presence of spices like cinnamon. I have sensitive skin, so I was worried this might burn and leave welts, like Dwarven Ale, or be too heavy on the spice like Autumn Cider, but I haven’t experienced any burning so far! Dry: It still smells like cider, but the ginger is more prominent now, and now I think there is cinnamon at play here adding some extra spice. I keep thinking like there’s some waxy red apple peel involved in this, so maybe my skin chemistry is doing something odd with this and trying to pull it into candle territory. Verdict: This is a nice autumnal GC! I don’t need more of it because I vastly prefer Lambs-Wool, which doesn’t have an odd quality to it on my skin. I am really glad I tried this one, though!

In the decant: This 13 is really strong on the Lab’s red wine note. Behind it, I can smell the dark chocolate and the Spanish moss. Wet: Mulled wine, moss, and just a bit of dark chocolate. Dry: I tend to amp the Lab’s red wine note, as well as spices, so I’m not surprised that this smells mostly like mulled wine on me. I can smell a lot of caraway now (alas!), and the moss is still a main player, but it’s calmed down a little from when it was freshly applied. After several hours of wear, it’s a curious combo of red wine, moss, spices, and just a hint of coconut. Verdict: This one is way too strong on the red wine for me. And it has some throw, too! I wish I had gotten the marshmallow root from this, as well as more chocolate. I like how the spices make it more like a mulled wine, though. If that’s your thing, you may want to obtain some of this and wine up!

Oops! I guess I neglected to review this one. In the decant: Chocolate and cologne-y foil. Wet: The cologne-y foil note is the dominant note on me, backed by the chocolate. As it sits on my skin, the chocolate becomes creamier. Dry: The cologne-y foil note continues to reign, but it is softer now, and not as sharp. The creamy milk chocolate is stronger than before and really does smell like Easter chocolate. After several hours of wear, what remains is the cologne-y, metallic foil note with a light, creamy milk chocolate in the background. Verdict: This is cologne + milk chocolate on me. It’s unique, but I should probably stop holding on to it just because of that, as I haven’t reached for it since I originally tried it.

I’ve never tried any of the sufganiyot scents, thinking they’d be too heavy on the berry filling for me, but the amazingness that is Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut has made me interested in them. In the bottle: I’m getting lots of the jam with the golden-brown, sugar-dusted pastry note. Wet: The powdered sugar note on the pastry is very realistic. I am getting a lot more of it (and the golden-brown pastry note) on my skin than I did in the bottle, with lots of the blackcurrant jam oozing out of it. It smells delicious! Dry: The golden pastry note is still going strong, and so is the jam. I think this may be the sufganiyot that was mixed with Snake Oil on accident that resulted in Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut, but I could be wrong. I’ll have to do a side-by-side comparison one of these days. After several hours of wear, the powdered sugar reigns, with the blackcurrant jam and the warm pastry in the background. Verdict: This really does smell like a jelly doughnut covered in powdered sugar! And I bet it would be wonderful paired with Eat Me hair gloss. I am going to try layering this with Snake Oil to see how that goes. I will be keeping my bottle, and now I’m even more curious about the raspberry one!

I love Neverwhere (and the Marquis is my favorite character!), so I wanted to try this for that reason alone, even though the notes don’t really grab me. In the bottle: I’m getting black leather, with some spiced rum in the background, and what I think may be the wool note. Wet: There’s an aquatic vibe to this that I wasn’t expecting, but it makes sense that it would be there! I can also smell the bay rum. The leather in this a well-worn black leather (which is lighter on my skin than I was anticipating, and I think I’m getting the Marquis’ dusty wool coat and and some opium. As the scent begins to dry, I start getting more of the leather and less of the rum, and the aquatic vibe is still present. Dry: The leather is a lot more prominent now than it was during the wet phase of the scent. This now smells like an aquatic black leather on me with some wool from the Marquis’ coat, and the light spice of the rum and opium in the background. After a while, the scent becomes warmer and a bit sweeter. I am guessing that’s the massoia bark at play with the bay rum. And I can now smell the dusty aspect of the wool! But the soft leather is still a main player. Verdict: Aww, I was hoping to get the root beer that some of the reviewers mentioned. This is more pleasant than I thought it would be from the list of notes, but it’s not something I could see myself wearing often. Maybe I’ll pair it with Mikado Saloon hair gloss and see how that goes. In any case, I am holding on to my partial bottle, because I am fond of the character.

I have Eve (from 2014 release) on one wrist and Eve WSFU on the other. This was super strong on the sage when it first arrived, so I let it settle for over a week. I get more of the honey from Eve WSFU than I do from Eve. Eve smells like a drier, saffron-infused incense on me. Although I normally see Eve as a magical, sweet resin and incense scent and haven’t really gotten a lot of rose from it in the past, smelling it side by side with the roseless sage version has now made me aware of its presence in the original. The sage version is a lot smoother, and while sage can be a dry note, that is not the case with the two sage notes in this blend. This is more honeyed sage incense on me, while the original is warmer and more resinous, with the saffron playing a greater role on my skin. By the end of the day, the main note I get from Eve WSFU is honey. I am super happy to have both, but I have to say I enjoy the original more (which makes sense, as I enjoy rose more than sage).

2018 release. I actually did try the original release of Adam back in 2014, but I apparently never reviewed it. I gave the decant to my brother, because he wanted it. I am now retrying it since I’ve grown to appreciate some leather blends since that time. In the decant: Lots of black leather backed by some ambergris, a pale sandalwood, and fougere. Wet: Fortunately, the leather was a lot stronger in the vial than it is on my skin. I still get some leather, and now, some dust, but I’m also getting lots of ambergris and more of the pale sandalwood than I did in the decant. Or perhaps I spoke too soon. The black leather note has gotten stronger as it sits on my skin. Dry: The leather ends up calming down after some time, and I end up with a soft, black leather (like a well-worn leather jacket) and cozy ambergris, with some fougere and sandalwood, and a bit of dust, but I also get something sharp from this. I’m not sure if it is the plastic, metal, the magnetic tape, or a combination of these things, but the sharp not threatens to give me a headache. Alas! I think it’s the metal, though. Verdict: I enjoyed Adam more than I did back when I tried him in 2014, but unfortunately, there’s a sharp note present in the dry phase that is going to give me a headache if I continue sniffing it. So Adam is still not for me, but I am glad I got to give him another try.

2018 release. In the decant: Deep, warm resins accompanied by a bit of spice. The frankincense in this smells amaaaaaazing. Wet: This is definitely one of those church-y resinous scents, only better. The frankincense note in this is full of win. I’m reminded of the frankincense in Hope and Fear Set Free. Dry: The frankincense dominates, and it is glorious. I am not able to single out the other resins, but they all combine to create this wonderful resin cloud. Verdict: I don’t think I reach for pure resins scents enough to warrant getting a bottle of this, but it is gorgeous. I think this would go really well with the Post’s Implacable Beautiful Tyrant hair gloss. I’ll be keeping my decant for sure, and if I end up reaching for it enough, I’ll consider a bottle.

2018 release. In the decant: I’m getting lots of champaca and some cognac. The cognac is indeed reminiscent of Lush’s Snowshowers, only this scent is far more incense-y thanks to the champaca. Wet: The white champaca and cognac notes are the notes that jump out to me the most. It really is like Lush’s Snowshowers infused with champaca, at least at first, but then the champaca note becomes stronger and the white musk asserts itself, so that association goes away.This reads as a clean, incense-y scent to my nose. Dry: The champaca and white musk reign, with some floral notes in the background, and some very light cognac behind them. It’s more floral and less clean than before. It does have a glittering quality to it. Verdict: I was really looking forward to this one, and it was really promising when first applied, but the champaca note, while nice, ends up taking over and making this a little too one-dimensional on me. I am glad that I got to try it, though!

2018 release. In the decant: The Lab’s lovely ambergris accord accompanied by warm resins and some immortelle (which I recognize from Black Silk). Wet: The warm resins reign on my skin, backed by the musky ambergris. I can smell the immortelle as well, but it’s not as strong as the resins or the ambergris. The scent is very warm, like being wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket. Dry: The ambergris reigns, accompanied by the warm resins. I am getting more of the sweet benzoin now, and myrrh is also more prominent. After a while, the myrrh becomes the dominant note. Verdict: This is a lovely scent, but it is also rather light, until the myrrh becomes more prominent after a few hours of wear. I like it a lot more than I thought I would! I’m not sure that I need a bottle of it, but I’ll definitely hang on to my decant.

In the decant: Lilac (but it’s sweeter than normal, perhaps honeyed?) and white musk with frankincense, tobacco leaf, and some tea. Wet: The lilac and white musk are the first notes to jump out at me, followed by the tobacco leaf, frankincense, and black tea. The lilac note does smell like it is honeyed. Sometimes, the Lab’s black tea note has an anise quality to it on my skin, but that is not the case here. The frankincense in this isn’t heavy, and the tobacco leaf isn’t really smoky. Dry: The black tea, tobacco leaf, and frankincense are more prominent during this phase of the scent, but the honeyed lilac is still present, and so is the white musk. There’s a tinge of smokiness now from the tobacco leaf, and the scent is not as sweet as it was before, since the frankincense and tobacco leaf are playing greater roles. It’s a warm scent, slightly sweetened by the honeyed lilac, with a wisp of smoke from the tobacco leaf. Verdict: I did not expect Famine to smell so nice! I do not think I need more of this one (I preferred the wet phase of the scent), but I do enjoy it. I think I’ll hold on to my decant.

2018 release. In the decant: Well-worn leather, beeswax, smoke, yellowed pages, and a bit of the salt. Wet: The leather and beeswax are the strongest notes on me, followed by the yellowed pages. Far in the background, I can smell some of the salty tears and the metallic knife. It becomes smokier and less sweet as it sits on my skin. Dry: The smoke has calmed down. The well-worn brown leather of the books continues to dominate the scent, followed by the beeswax, and then a bit of smoke. The dusty, yellowed pages are not as prominent as before, and while I can still smell a bit of the salty tears, I’m no longer getting the metallic note in the background. Verdict: This is a nice leather and beeswax scent. I don’t feel the need to obtain more of this, as there are other leather scents and beeswax scents that I’d reach for before this one, but I am glad that I was able to try it. I may end up hanging on to my decant for a while to see how it ages and try it again before deciding to swap it away.

This scent wasn’t originally on my radar, but after seeing the glowing reviews, I just had to buy a leftover decant! In the decant: Sweet vanilla musk intertwined with sweet resins. This also makes me think of a lighter Antikythera Mechanism, without any of the sharpness that that scent has on me, mixed with Banshee Beat. Wet: Sweet resins and vanilla musk. Something in this reminds me of Banshee Beat. Oak can be sharp and cologne-y on me, but that’s not the case here. It’s also not a heavy scent. As the scent sits on my skin, it becomes brighter. There’s an effervescent quality to this, like the wand is surrounded by its own magical aura. Dry: The sparkling, glowing quality still remains. It’s vanilla musk and sweet, light resins, but it’s more than that. It’s a wand that leaves a trail of magic in its wake. Verdict: I am so thankful for all of the wonderful reviews of this scent that led me to track down a decant before this collection goes down. I need more of this in my life!

In the decant: Exactly what it says in the description! Fresh cotton and soap. Wet: I am getting a lot of the linen and the soap. It really does smell like well-scrubbed soapy skin and cotton. I am testing this against Boober, and Boober is much softer and more floral with less linen. This is a bright scent. Dry: I can still smell a lot of fresh cotton note and soapy skin. It’s interesting to smell the variations between these clean scents. While Boober features very realistic soap suds, Wensleydale features a bar of soap. Verdict: The scent description is spot on! It’s not something I could see myself wearing, as clean scents aren’t generally something I reach for (and I do prefer Boober over this one), but I am glad that I got to try it.

In the decant: This Lick It is stronger on the mint than the sugar! Wet: There’s a blast of mint accompanied by some sugar. But the mint is a cool peppermint, not the kind that leaves a cold burn on your skin. Dry: The cool peppermint is still going strong. It’s actually tingling my skin now. There’s still some sugar present, but it is not nearly as sugary as I’d like, and I’m not picking up on any vanilla. After a few hours, I get a soft, sugared mint backed by a base of vanilla. Yaaaas! Verdict: I am really glad I got to try this variation of Lick It! It is very strong on the mint, but fortunately, the sugar and vanilla ended up becoming more prominent after a while, after the mint calmed down. I’m going to hang on to my decant and wear it on hot summer days or when I need a sinus-clearing scent.

In the decant: Definitely smells like a candy cane! Wet: This Lick It does not contain a bracing mint. It’s a soft one, and sugary, and it does seem as if this candy cane has been licked. But there’s a dusty quality to this one, like it has been dropped on the ground. I wonder if that bit of oddness is meant to be a metallic note or just my skin doing weird things. Dry: This smells like a mixture of peppermint leaves to me and cough drops with menthol in them. It definitely smells less candy-like on my skin now. I’m not picking up on any vanilla. After a while, it just smells like dusty cough drop to me. Even the boy says he can smell a dustiness to the scent on me. Verdict: I am glad that I got to try this, as I am curious about the different variations of Lick It, but this is the Lick It scent I’ve tried that I like the least so far, as there was not enough sugar for me, and I did not get any vanilla. And then there was the odd dusty quality to it on my skin. Not for me.

In the decant: Dusty blonde woods and musk. I think one of the woods is a yellow or golden sandalwood note. Wet: A light musk accompanied by the dust and blonde woods, which I think may contain two sandalwood notes now (white and golden). It is evocative of a shop filled with bookshelves of dusty tomes with yellowed pages… which fits Aziraphale perfectly. As the scent sits on my skin, a cedar note emerges, but it is not the kind of cedar that stomps all over everything else. Dry: The scent is less dusty now, as the ethereal musk has asserted itself and is now the dominant note, backed by the warm woods. It smells bright. After a while, the ethereal musk has an aquatic vibe to it. Verdict: Aziraphale’s scent matches his character, and it’s a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be! I am not sure that I need a bottle, but I’ll certainly cherish my decant. It’s a wonderful book scent!

Source: This is a fresh decant from Ajevie. In the decant: I’m getting lots of red musk, patchouli, some lemon rind, and lilac cologne. Wet: I get lots of musk, lilac cologne, and lemon rind at first, and then the patchouli and leather notes emerge. The red musk was super strong in the decant, which made me worried, as it tends to declare dominion over everything on my skin, but the lilac cologne and lemon rind are helping to tame it on my skin. The red patchouli note is getting stronger over time, and the leather seems to be a well-worn variety as opposed to a fresh, sharp, chemically kind. As the scent begins to dry, the oakmoss note appears. I’m not getting any of the vanilla husk at this point. Dry: It’s darker now, as the lilac cologne and lemon rind are no longer playing prominent roles. I’m getting a lot of red musk, red patchouli, leather, and oakmoss. After a while, the red musk and patchouli are still going really strong (and have huge throw, too), followed by the leather and oakmoss, but the scent is a little sweeter, as the vanilla husk finally decided to peek out. Much later, I get the mahogany in the background, adding more warmth to the scent. This is the scent of a sexy guy in a leather jacket. Verdict: I am not a fan of red musk, and sadly, Crowley’s infernal musk is too much for me. But I love the character, so while it is not a scent I would wear myself, I’m going to try it on the boy and see what he thinks, as this would be wonderful on a guy.

Roll-ups, mildewed raincoat, sweet tea, and condensed milk. In the decant: I’m getting the roll ups, mossy raincoat, lots of tobacco and sweet tea, and some condensed milk. Wet: The roll ups and sweet black tea are the first notes to emerge, along with an unlisted tobacco note. Then I get a strong aquatic vibe from the scent, which I’m guessing has to do with the raincoat. As it begins to dry, it is mostly strong sweet tea with the aquatic note and some tobacco. Dry: The scent is a lot sweeter now. I smell coconut. The sweet tea and roll ups are very prominent, and I’m getting more of the condensed milk now, adding a creaminess to the scent. I no longer smell tobacco, the aquatic vibe is still present, but has calmed down significantly, and there’s no sign of mildew to be found, although I think there is some moss at play here. Verdict: I like this a lot more than I thought I would! It’s a curious combination of notes, but somehow, it works. I may need to obtain more of it at some point.

In the decant: The tea rose, violet, and ume blossom stand out to me the most. Wet: The sweet ume blossom and violet are pretty strong on me, and then the tea rose quickly decides to join them. I get the geranium and the lily in the background. Dry: The violet is the dominant note on me, sweetened further by the ume blossom. I can smell the tea rose in the background, but it is not as strong as it was before. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Marie, only that one had more of a balance between the rose and the violet. This one is far stronger on the violet. Verdict: I’m not particularly fond of violet, so Madame Tracy is not for me, but I do think that the scent matches her character. There’s the type of florals you’d see in the Victorian Spiritualism blends accompanied by the sweet violet and ume blossom that show that she’s not who she seems to be.

2018 release. In the decant: A bouquet of soft white flowers. Wet: This is definitely a bouquet of soft, white flowers. I am not able to pick out individual notes, but I will say that none of the flowers are sharp, sour, or competing with one another. At the moment, I’m not getting any of the tobacco, bourbon vanilla, or tonka, but perhaps they’ll emerge after some time? Dry: This stays true all the way through: it’s a bouquet of soft white florals that never vie with one another for attention or veer into soap territory. The scent is softer now, and I’m still not picking up on the bourbon vanilla, tobacco, or tonka notes. Verdict: I think this is a lovely white floral scent, but as I do not really reach for straight-up floral scents, I don’t think I’d end up reaching for this one. That said, if that is your thing, you should definitely get this one!