dementia_divine

I have not tried the original.

In the imp: The red musk stands out to me the most, followed by the leather, and then the resins. Red musk tends to declare dominion over other notes on me, so I do not have high hopes for this… but I couldn’t resist trying it!

Wet: The red musk is indeed quite prominent, and the leather note definitely reads as hot. I am also getting more of the black amber on my skin than I did from the imp, which is a pleasant surprise. The red musk is going strong, but it hasn’t succeeded in stomping all over the other notes, which seem to be getting more prominent as the scent begins to dry.

Dry: The red musk is still the dominant note, but the leather and resins are stronger than they were before.

After a while, the red musk calms down a little to allow the hot leather to play a greater role. The black amber and myrrh are a lot stronger now, too. This is a warm, sexy leather and resin scent.

Verdict: I am so glad that the red musk allowed the other notes to have a chance to shine! The wet stage is still a little too heavy on the red musk for me, but it’s pretty great once it is dry. I am definitely going to hold on to my imp, and I’ll give it a full-day test before deciding whether or not I need more.

In the imp: Lots of sweet peach, sandalwood, and rosewood with some vanilla.

Wet: The white peach and rosewood are the first notes that leap out at me. I also get a lot of the red sandalwood and some of the osmanthus. The vanilla is present, but not a main player at the moment.

Dry: The rosewood and osmanthus end up playing pretty big roles on me when it is first dry, with the sweetness of the white peach and more vanilla than before. After a while, the red sandalwood reasserts itself, so that I get sandalwood, rosewood, white peach, and a little creamy vanilla.

Verdict: I was really curious about this one for a long time and was excited when it came back in stock so I could grab an imp of it to try out. Tamora was a little too sweet on me with its peach and heliotrope. This is decent, but peach in this is pretty sweet too, and I’m not sure how I feel about it in combination with these particular resins. I am going to hang on to my imp and retest it once it has aged.

In the bottle: Silvery musk, powdery benzoin, and just a little vanilla husk.

Wet: The musk is the most prominent note on me, and I do get the crystalline quality of it on my skin. The benzoin is right beside it. I agree with the comparisons to scents like Lyonesse and Zorya P, although I get far less vanilla from this scent. This smells very powdery on me.

Dry: This isn’t a morpher. It’s still a powdery crystalline musk and benzoin scent, which is slightly sweeter than before thanks to the vanilla husk.

After a few hours, I get a bit more of the vanilla husk, and the benzoin has grown stronger and feels more resinous. I prefer this stage of the scent.

Verdict: Alas, this is just too powdery on me. I just don’t think I’d reach for it over the other scents I mentioned. I am happy I bought it to support the cause, though!

In the bottle: Spicy clove, saffron, and resin-y goodness, with the amber being far more prominent than the sandalwood to my nose. Yaaaaaaaas. This is even better than I had imagined.

Wet: The clove is the most prominent note on me, followed by the amber, saffron, and then, the sandalwood. This is a spicy clove, perhaps the Indonesian variety that was released as a single note (I no longer have the decant to compare), as it does have a bit of a cinnamon-y vibe to it.

Dry: This is primarily an amber and clove scent. The clove remains the most prominent note near the crooks of my elbows, but on my wrists, the cozy, golden amber reigns. I can still smell the saffron, and the sandalwood is stronger than it was before, but the amber and clove are the stars here.

After several hours of wear, what remains is a lovely golden amber.

Verdict: I am so happy to have a bottle of this! This is one of my favorite Activism scents so far. It’s a really nice spicy resin scent, so if that’s your thing, grab a bottle. You’ll smell amazing, and it’s for a cause that still needs support even though media attention is dwindling.

I have not tried the original.

In the imp: Oh, this is lovely. I think this is a conglomeration of leather notes rather than a single one. Black leather, brown leather, clean, white leather… all well-worn.

Wet: This is a very realistic leather scent. When I smell it, I am immediately transported into a room full of leather and can even envision the texture of it. I still believe it is a mix of leather notes. The leather is fresh and soft… I’m not getting any harsh, chemical-y leather here.

Dry: This one isn’t a morpher on me. There’s a point at which I feel like there’s a bit of a farm-y aspect to the scent (for lack of a better description), but that ends up going away.

After a few hours of wear, it is somewhat softer, but it still smells the same.

Verdict: I typically only appreciate leather scents when they’re paired with a sweet note. De Sade Resurrected does not contain one, but I still enjoy it. I will be hanging on to my imp, and I’m going to give it a full day test with Mikado Saloon HG before deciding whether or not I need more of it.

In the decant: Can I just say that I love that there’s pulverized pyrite in this?

Also, it smells like the Trading Post’s Bourbon Vanilla Bath Oil as it contains the same vanilla oleoresin note, but with some cinnamon added to it. I loved that bath oil, so scent-wise, that’s a win!

I dressed a candle with this oil and applied it to my skin.

Wet: Soft cinnamon, bourbon vanilla, and vanilla oleoresin (with the resin being benzoin to my nose). This. Smells. AMAZING. It’s probably the best smelling TAL I’ve smelled so far. I get a bit of almond as well. It does smell kind of like the cinnamon and glaze on a cinnamon roll.

Dry: It remains that way while dry at first, but then it very quickly becomes a skin scent. The soft cinnamon is super light now, and what I’m left with is a really soft bourbon vanilla and benzoin scent.

Verdict: I really enjoy the scent, but I wish it weren’t so faint. If it proves to be effective for its purpose, I will likely buy a bottle. If not, I’ll probably be content with the decant.

I did not notice any effects from utilizing this today, but I used it in combination with Block Buster while applying for a job that I really want. I’ll update if it worked for its intended purpose or if I receive results from future use.

In the decant: This smells musky and resinous to me.

On my skin: I think I am smelling musk and a powdery resin like a soft myrrh, but I don’t know for sure. It’s soft and powdery on my skin with a dash of what I believe is black pepper.

The second time I utilized it, I got some patchouli and something lightly cool (maybe a light mint note?).

As far as its purpose goes, I found it to be very effective. It made me focus on what needed to be done, and I had a very productive day, revamping my resume, writing a cover letter, and tackling some cleaning that needed to be done.

I am so happy to have a decant of this and may need to invest in a bottle for the purpose (not the scent). Thank you to the lovely forumite that frimped me this decant so long ago!

This is a review of the original release.

In the decant: A treasure trove of cinnamon and cassia poured over Snake Oil. I really, really hope this one doesn’t burn my sensitive skin.

Wet: Tons of cinnamon, cassia, and red ginger. The Snake Oil spices are also at play, but they are not as strong as these spices, and I’m not getting any vanilla at the moment. I’m not sure if it is the cinnamon or the cassia, but one of these notes is dry.

Dry: The spices are still going strong, but they’re not as strong as they were before, and the Snake Oil base is far more prominent. Snake Oil’s vanilla is present now, but it is not nearly as strong as the spices.

After a few hours, the vanilla does end up playing a greater role, so that it’s vanilla mixed with lots of spices, with the ginger standing out to me in particular.

Verdict: I like it, but I am not in love with it. I have so many Snake Oil variants in my collection that I feel the need to be pickier about which ones join, and I just don’t think I’d reach for this one over scents like Pumpkin Spice Snake Oil or Gingerbread Snake. I am glad my skin didn’t end up being too sensitive for this one, though!

I have been curious about this goth for ages, because I love citrus scents and identify with the archetype.

In the bottle: Fizzy lemon-lime soda! The Lab’s champagne note provides the fizz. The lemon-lime aspect reminds me more of Sprite than Mountain Dew, although I can see why some people have mentioned Mountain Dew in their reviews. The boy agrees.

Wet: Fizzy, with lots of lemon and sweet lime. In the bottle, I got more of the lime, but on my skin, the lemon is more prominent. I don’t really think it smells like either of the aforementioned sodas on my skin. While Shade is the Lab’s champagne note plus pink grapefruit, Geek.Goth is the Lab’s champagne accompanied by lemon and lime.

Dry: So. Much. FIZZ. It’s mostly a fizzy lemon scent on me for a long time.

After four hours of wear, what remains is the lightly sugared ghost of the fizz note and a twist of lemon.

Verdict: I kind of wish the lime were more potent on me, but I’m amazed at the longevity of the citrus anyways, since this is 8 years old! I am glad that I was able to get my hands on a bottle, and I will enjoy wearing it during the summer months.

In the decant: A really wonderful golden amber accompanied by some red patchouli.

I sprayed three sprays into the length of my wet hair. I don’t always get good throw with hair gloss applied to wet hair, but this one definitely has it. I’m in a cloud of cozy, sweet, golden amber with the warmth of the patchouli underneath it. I was wary of this one for a long time because of the patchouli, but it isn’t the star of the show here. This is absolutely lovely.

The next day, I sprayed one spray of the hair gloss into my hands and ran it through the ends of my dry hair. I felt like I got more of the patchouli from it this way, which I think may be a red (or as someone mentioned earlier in the thread, a brownish-red) variety, but the amber still shines.

Verdict: I will be holding on to my mini decant of this one. Since I already have bottles of Revenant Rhythm hair gloss (for patchouli) and Implacable Beautiful Tyrant (for beautiful amber and resins), I don’t feel the need to leap for a bottle of this one just yet. But if I ever do run out of one of those and am not able to obtain more, I will consider a bottle of this one.

Yeah… I haven’t tried straight-up Sin before now (only Sin in the Pumpkin Patch).

In the imp: I’m getting lots of patchouli and cinnamon, with the resins in the background. When I first opened in the imp, I thought I was smelling red musk. It is not red musk, but I think the combination of the patchouli, cinnamon, and amber made me think that at first.

Wet: The soft cinnamon is the dominant note on me, followed by the patchouli, amber, and then, the sandalwood. It still smells like it has a musk in it to me, so I’m not sure if it’s an unlisted note or me just associating it with other scents that contain these notes and have red musk.

Dry: The cinnamon is softer now, but still a main player. I’m still getting the black patchouli, and there’s a lot more amber than before. I prefer this phase of the scent, since the resins are playing a bigger role.

Verdict: Sin is decent, but ultimately, not something I’d reach for. But I’m so glad I was frimped this so that I could try it after all these years.

In the decant: I smell the sugar-spun lace note, the linen, cognac, Indian musk, and incense. It’s sweeter than I thought it would be! I suspect that the vanilla has come out more with age.

Wet: The creamy vanilla is really prominent on my skin. I’m also getting the linen and cognac, followed by the Indian musk, tobacco, and incense. This is more vanilla-heavy on me than most laces are during the wet phase, which I think must be from aging, and as it dries down, I wonder if there is some Mysore sandalwood in the incense.

Dry: Lots of creamy vanilla, cognac, linen, musk, and incense. I’m not really getting the dry leaves, which is fine with me, since that note can be problematic for me.

After a while, I get the black tea note.

Verdict: This is really lovely! I think I may need to try to hunt down more of this in the future.

In the decant: The papyrus reed stands out to me the most. It smells lemony to me. Behind it, I get some myrrh and a bit of the frosting.

Wet: This is very lemon-y, fresh, and green on me, which I attribute to the papyrus reed. I get the myrrh in the background, which doesn’t seem to be a dark variety, but it’s also not the powdery, soft kind in scents like Bastet, either. I am not getting any of the vanilla cream frosting on my skin. Sad!

Dry: The papyrus reed continues to be the dominant note, but I’m getting a little more of the myrrh now and a bit of the frosting --- it really is just a smear of frosting, as it’s described in the description.

After a few hours, it becomes myrrh-dominant with just a hint of the vanilla frosting. The myrrh in this smells incense-y to me.

After several hours of wear, I finally get more than just a smidge of the vanilla frosting. It has become a vanilla frosting smeared over an incense-y myrrh with a little papyrus reed. This is the phase of the scent I enjoy the most. If only it didn’t take so long to get here!

Verdict: While I enjoyed the scent after several hours of wear, I spent about four hours wishing for more vanilla. I do not think I am patient enough to wait for it to become stronger since it spent a long time being mostly papyrus reed, and then mostly myrrh. I am glad that I was able to try it, though!

In the imp: Whiskey! Absinthe! Lavender fougere! Orange blossom! Tobacco flower! There’s a lot going on in this one.

Wet: The lavender fougere is very prominent on me. I’m also getting the licorice-y absinthe, gardenia, and orange blossom, followed by the tobacco flower. As it sits on my skin, the tobacco flower becomes more prominent, and I start to get the ylang ylang. So… licorice-y, slightly smoky lavender fougere accompanied by some floral notes. And then the whiskey joins in. Yeah, there’s a lot going on here.

Dry: The notes stop clamoring with each other, allowing the scent to finally calm down. The whiskey is now one of the main players. It’s now mostly boozy, tobacco flower and fougere with some florals in the background to my nose. I’m not getting any of the absinthe note anymore.

Verdict: I was curious about this because of the lavender fougere, but there’s too much going on in this one for me.

In the imp: I smell the vetiver, soft cinnamon, jasmine, and a little leather.

Wet: The vetiver, gardenia, and cinnamon are the first notes that leap out at me. Then I get the night-blooming jasmine, rose, and some leather. The cinnamon in this is definitely a soft variety, and the leather is well-worn. As it sits on my skin, the cinnamon becomes more prominent, but the vetiver remains the dominant note. The floral notes in this are soft and well-behaved as opposed to heady. And as far as vetiver goes, this is a slightly smoky variety that doesn’t smell like BBQ or beef jerky on me.

Dry: Lightly spiced vetiver, well-behaved jasmine, and sweet gardenia in a well-worn leather jacket.

But after a few hours, all I get from it is smoky vetiver. Alas!

Verdict: This was a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be from the list of notes. It’s not really in my wheelhouse, but as far as vetiver and jasmine goes, the varieties found in this scent aren’t the kind to fear (although the vetiver does end up taking over completely on me after a while).

In the decant: Brown sugar cookies with chunks of cinnamon-covered green apple drizzled with caramel.

Wet: I get the cinnamon-covered green apples first, and then the brown sugar cookie base and caramel. I was worried that this would be too caramel-y for me (I only like the note in small amounts), but fortunately, it hasn’t taken over the other notes (at least, not yet).

Dry: Alas, I spoke too soon! The caramel note has become a lot stronger, and this scent has some serious throw! The cinnamon-y green apples are not as prominent as they were before, and I am getting more of the brown sugar cookie and caramel.

After a while, the scent ends up calming down, and it ends up being a brown sugar cookie with some caramel and a bit of apple, with the brown sugar being the most prominent part of the scent on me. The brown sugar is really nice.

Verdict: Although I like the scent after it has been on my skin for a while, the caramel ended up being too much for me for a few hours. It does smell delicious, though -- it’s a cookie I’d really like to eat… I am just not sure I want to smell like it!

In the decant: The sandalwood in this reminds me of Kit, but this isn’t as dry thanks to the musk and the vanilla.

Wet: I still think this is the same sandalwood found in Kit (Mysore sandalwood). The vanilla is sweetening the scent, and it’s a creamy vanilla. I figured this would be mostly musky sandalwood and that I wouldn’t get much vanilla from it, so I am pleasantly surprised to get a fair amount of it on my skin! The sandalwood and vanilla are the main players on me, backed by what I believe may be a skin musk.

Dry: The scent remains that way for a long time: vanilla-ed Mysore sandalwood on a bed of musk. After a few hours, the creamy vanilla becomes more prominent, the sandalwood calms down a little, and I get more of the skin musk.

Verdict: I was originally interested in getting a bottle of this back in 2016, but I was studying in Europe at the time and trying to conserve funds for traveling, so I skipped a bottle of this one in favor of ALL THE LAVENDER THINGS and Outlaw. Well, it’s even better than I was expecting, thanks to the prominence of the vanilla, and I wish I had gotten a bottle. I will cherish my decant and see if I can more of it at some point in the future.

In the imp: I can smell the frankincense, anise, metallic notes, and the leather. The metallic notes do smell polished and aren’t as sharp as the ones in Galvanic Goggles -- at least, not in the vial.

Wet: I’m getting the oils, anise, the polished metallic notes, and some frankincense. The metallic notes in this are definitely a lot more well-behaved on my skin than the ones in Galvanic Goggles. They still have a bit of a cologne-y vibe to them, but they aren’t sharp in this one. The leather in this scent is smooth.

Dry: This one stays close to the skin. Anise usually takes over on me, but that didn’t happen here. It doesn’t read as black licorice anymore. It’s hard to pick out any of the notes now, but the frankincense is definitely a main player. This is a warm, resinous scent, with a soft, well-worn leather, and a bit of spice. I’m still not sure which oils are in this, but I can tell that they are contributing to the scent.

Verdict: This one was far more pleasant than I expected to be, given that it has metallic notes and anise in it. It’s my favorite scent of the Phoenix Steamwork scents I’ve tried thus far, but it’s so light on me that I know I wouldn’t reach for it. So I’m passing it on to someone who wants to try it.

In the imp: I smell all of the notes in the order they appear: something metallic, the musk, the tobacco flower, and finally, the balsam. The metallic aspect isn’t as sharp as I thought it would be -- maybe the other notes are helping to tame it? And I’m really looking forward to the balsam note.

Wet: The metallic notes have a cologne-y feel to them, as they usually do on my skin, but I’m also getting a lot of the Indian musk, which is a soft, somewhat powdery musk to my nose. As the scent sits on my skin, the metallic notes become sharper -- alas! The tobacco flower comes out after a few minutes, adding a smokiness to the scent, and while I can smell the balsam, it is not a main player on me.

Dry: This is sharply metallic and smoky. The metallic notes and tobacco flower are now the stars of the show. I am getting far less musk than I did before, and the balsam has remained in its background role.

After several hours of wear, I do end up getting some more balsam than before, but it is still no match for the metallic part of the scent or the tobacco flower, the latter of which has become the most prominent part of the scent.

Verdict: The sharp, cologne-y metallic notes and tobacco flower aren’t really my cup of tea. I was hoping the balsam would take the center stage, but that was not the case. It was really nice to get to try this one, though!

In the decant: I’m getting sour moss, dragon’s blood, dry leaves, and a bit of pine.

Wet: This one is heavy on the dragon’s blood. I am also getting a fair amount of moss. Behind those notes, I can smell the pine. As the scent sits on my skin, the moss gains strength, and I think I am smelling the Lab’s stone note as the scent begins to dry. I’m also getting some resin-y incense and something that makes me think of dusty, velvet tapestries hanging from an abandoned castle’s walls.

Dry: Spicy dragon’s blood, moss, stone, and resin-y incense (I am thinking there’s some myrrh in this). I’m getting a lot more spice than I did before. There's some dry cinnamon in here.

Verdict: This is far too much dragon’s blood for me, but it is certainly an evocative, atmospheric scent!

In the imp: Lots of cranberry, with just a hint of ginger.

Wet: The cranberry is by far the strongest note, and I think the musk is making it stronger. Behind that, I can smell the smoky lilies and a bit of spice. I swear there’s some soft, chewy patchouli in this as well.

Dry: The combination of the cranberry and the musk makes me think of red Jello. I no longer get any patchouli, and the smoky lily note just smells smoky in the background. So… fruit punch or Jello with a bit of smoke and a little spice in the background.

Verdict: This is far too fruity for me, and the fruit + smoke combo also isn’t my cup of tea. As far as cranberry goes, I like Red more than this one.

In the decant: I smell a ton of patchouli, followed by the vetiver and oudh. This is a really dark scent.

Wet: The patchouli and oudh are the first notes to leap out at me, followed by the vetiver. Then, the spectral musk note emerges, which has a cool quality to it. After a few minutes, I get a bit of the plum.

Dry: I am getting more of the black plum than I did during the wet phase of the scent. The patchouli and oudh are still going strong. The vetiver is pretty strong as well, but it’s not the BBQ-y variety. The cool, spectral musk continues to intertwine with the other notes.

Verdict: This one isn’t really in my wheelhouse, because plum and vetiver are not really my thing, but it is more pleasant than I expected it to be from the list of notes, and it was nice to get to try it!

In the decant: A cool breeze and leaves (some green, some dead), with a bit of snow in the background.

Wet: I thought the leaves would be the first thing to jump out at me, but I’m actually getting a blast of clean (either white musk or ozone) with some snow behind it. Then, the leaves emerge, some brown, some red, some green. I agree that there are Maple leaves at play here. The snow note adds a bit of sweetness, but it is not the sweet Snow White snow note, and I think it may contain a bit of pine. But the leaves are becoming stronger as the scent begins to dry. As it dries, I smell apple, but it’s more like an apple cider without the spice than an apple hanging from a tree, and there’s a wisp of smoke to the scent.

Dry: The fruity aspect of the scent (I am still thinking cider that’s also been infused with some other fruits, or maybe a combination of apple cider and pomegranate) is now the most prominent, followed by a bit of smoke, with a bit of the dry leaves in the background.

After a few hours, the scent is very soft and chilly. I think there’s a dusting of sweet, powdery snow now, but it may just be chilled air.

Verdict: Leaf scents are often problematic for me: they either give me a headache or smell like peppers on my skin. So I was surprised not to have that happen here! This was a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be, and it is definitely a morpher that showcases various phases of autumn. I like it! I just wish it were a little stronger.

In the imp: This reads as purple with some green herbs beneath it to my nose. I wonder if there is blackberry juice in this, mingling with a perfume-y floral and some herbs?

Wet: I do get some the juice of kind of tart, dark berry squeezed over a sharp, perfume-y floral note, with some herbs behind that.

Dry: This still feels purple to me. I still feel like some kind of berry juice is involved, although I am getting far less of it than I did before, but for the most part, I’m getting a sweet floral scent backed by some herbs.

After a few hours, the herbs come out more, making the scent almost enter soap territory on me… but not quite. It remains a very purple scent, but it’s drier now.

Verdict: I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, but I wanted to try it since as part of the Märchen line of scents. It’s not bad, but it’s also not something I’d reach for. It was nice to be able to try it, though!

In the imp: White sandalwood and a light, clean leather.

Wet: I’m getting a dusty, white sandalwood note with the white leather cuddled up right beside it.

Dry: The dusty sandalwood continues to reign. It’s smooth and slightly sweet. The leather resides in the background, and I am getting less of it than I did before.

Verdict: This one is nice. The dusty sandalwood in this makes me think of some of BPAL’s book scents, although this doesn’t have any of the common paper notes (like tonka) or the leather normally found in those scents. There are other sandalwood-dominant scents that I’d reach for over this one, so I don’t need more of it, but I like it a lot more than I thought I would!