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Not a fan.... I still am not sure if I like opium, because some scents that I like have it and some that I don't like also have it. Darkness makes me think of jasmine when first applied, then it starts to turn powdery. Overall just too floral for me, not in the right way. I like myrrh but it can't really save this one for me.

I love this scent! My usual MO of dissecting a scent to bits isn't working here, because nothing really stands out above anything else. I smell soft mint, and maybe a bit of moss and woods. I don't smell any rose. But it's the overall effect that grabs me. I agree with those who found this a lighter scent, and it will be great for wearing to work when I don't want to fill the whole room with scent. I do have to say that this comes off as slightly aftershave-y to me. It reminds me of one of the anniversary Phoenix blends, Quicksilver I think, except Ded Moroz is much softer and more agreeable to me. I am very glad I took a chance on a bottle.

What I smell here is a soft, clean musk, with just a hint of the camellia petals, which sounds like some kind of tea blossom, right? Anyway, this is kind of a posh scent and reminds me of the rice wine and black tea that's in Men Ringing Bells With Penises, except this scent is softer and even more gender-neutral. I was expecting something more sharp because of the leaf and red pepper notes, but I'm really not getting those at all. It's a great scent, and I'm glad I have it! I had a feeling I would like it but I was trying not to get my expectations too high. Oh this also reminds me a little bit of Falling Leaf Moon, so I guess I'm picking up on the leaves after all. I wanted to mention, I don't smell any ice or frost when I wear this.....it's not like other wintery scents, in my opinion.

Wolf Moon '07 ....I also have '04, and I'm trying to remember what it looks like.... .....I'm pretty sure it's the same as the older-style GC labels. Mine is in a cobalt blue bottle.

After trying most of the latest batch of Yule scents.....and after trying many other snowy scents in the past......I can honestly say that Cloister Graveyard In The Snow is my absolute favorite snowy scent. Nothing else comes close. : )

I guess basically it's insecurity that I'm feeling. NYE was fun, but ever since then I've been worrying that I made an ass of myself....said the wrong things.....acted like a dumbass......etc. I hung out with 3 of my friends, 2 of them are a couple I know, both very good looking, good friends, always gracious to me and I know I worry needlessly. They were nothing but nice and let me crash on their couch, invited me to a great dinner, went out of their way to make fun drinks I hadn't tried before (caiphirina? I don't know how to spell it), but I can't seem to just let go of my worries and just have fond memories of the whole night. I envy them because I am single and when I let myself think about it, not really happy about it, so I usually just try to focus on school and work. Anyway.....just feeling totally unworthy and trying to write about it to get it all out. Really nothing new in my world.

I had a hard time deciding tonight....I finally settled on CB I Hate Perfume, Fire From Heaven. Not sure why....I was considering Midnight Mass, but then changed my mind. So there ya go. Happy New Year!!!!

I've tried this a couple times, and it doesn't quite work for me, I'm sad to say. It smells interesting, and I kind of like how it smells, but in the end one or two notes just go wrong for me. I'm blaming the lettuce but it could also be the tobacco. I want to like tobacco in perfume but it hardly ever works. As for the lettuce, it just give me an association with kitchens and compost, and unfortunately ends up reminding me of garbage. I hate to say that, but.....well, I wasn't sure how else to put it. That is not to say that I wear this and think, "Ew, garbage!". In fact, I smell a lot of potential, kind of sexy and dark, very much illustrative of the concept.......with sneaky little hints of wilted lettuce. It smells good for a while but after a couple hours, I just grow weary of it, and it has really good staying power. I might hang onto the decant just to try it again in a few months, because of the potential great smell that I do get when I wear it. So, bottom line, I want to love this, and I almost do, and maybe with time I'll be able to accept it. This happens a lot with me....I have certain expectations for a scent, and get disappointed, only to come back to it later and end up loving it. I hope that happens!

I found this description on ebay: "Hana is a citrus-spice composition highlighting sandalwood and lemon. The Japanese "Hana", or floral bouquet, reflects an artistic tradition of order and purpose and serenity. The word means "flower scent" in Japanese and the Japanese tradition in Hawai'i is reflected in the beautiful undeveloped town of Hana on the isle of Maui, appropriately named for the scent of flowers in its warm breezes. In Japan, there is a tradition of repose called "hana-mi", in which eager sufferers of spring-fever may indulge themselves in an orgy of celebration when the delicate pink cherry blossoms first make their appearance after a cold and bare winter. During this time, they go to a park or beautifully-planted area, spread out a mat, drink sake, and do hana-mi -- THAT IS, to lie down and look up at the blossom-filled trees above." Based on that, I found a couple of possibilities on the Lab's site: Ave Maria Gratia Plena..."A pale, delicate, truly angelic blend. A scent created to emulate Adonis' halo of beauty: fragile, distant, and radiant. Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris." Namaste...."Sandalwood, jasmine, rose, patchouli, cedarwood and lemongrass." Zephyr...."A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla." Carnaval Diabolique (currently limited edition)....."Straight from the twisted alleys of Dis, by way of the City of Angels: opium smoke, lemon flower, heliotrope, tuberose, black musk, vanilla, coconut, apricot flower." Cordelia...."The essence of faith, love and devotion: lilac, lemon, green tea, wisteria, osmanthus, white cedar, and Chinese musk." The Zieba Tree....."A dreamlike, listless scent, misty and hazed, with wisps of white sandalwood, eddying musks the colors of eventide, shimmering pale resins, davana, lemon blossom, orange blossom, and white peach." The Scales Of Deprivation...."Thin, dark, and shadowed. A scent that offers no sustenance, comfort or satiety: lemon peel, white sage, frankincense, lavender fougere, sandalwood, vetiver and labdanum." Death And Life Completed....."Grey amber, carnation, lemon balm, hydrangea, Chinese peony, white sandalwood, cypress, juniper, cedar, hibiscus, and African daisy." Manhattan....."A meeting of modern, sleek elegance and rich, passionate history: sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid." New Orleans....."Reminiscent of hothouse blooms on a humid night, ripe, but touched with decay. Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice." Venice....."A complex, voluptuous scent that captures the robust beauty of the Italian Renaissance: lemon, red currant, wisteria, red rose petals, heady jasmine, Florentine orris root, waterlily, red sandalwood, violet plum, and violet leaf." I've never tried Hana, so I don't know if any of those would actually resemble it. But I just did a search for lemon and combed the results for anything sounding remotely like the description. Hope that helps a little bit!

Snowball Fracas is incredibly similar to Death Of The Grave Digger in the beginning, and as it dries, more of the moss comes out. I think I like Grave Digger a little better, because I like the myrrh. Iron Phoenix reminds me a bit of Bloodlust, except...well, more metallic, obviously! : ) And not as gritty as Bloodlust. Iron Phoenix is more sleek, but still has a bite from the pepper and other spices.

I am pretty much in agreement.....toasty nuts, and hazelnut is probably right, although I would add that I'm getting a bright, frosty mint note, icy and crystalline, at the very "top" of the scent. It's subtle but I would swear it's there. I agree with the powdered sugar part....I sort of get that feeling too, but not heavy sugar like Sugar Skull, not caramelized. This would be something like.....candied nuts dusted with sugar, cooling next to a slightly open window on a chilly day.

When I first put this on, it smelled like bright, candied cherry to me, with possibly some light, chilly fir, like the first reviewer said, although I could have been influenced by her review! : ) I wore it to the movies, and as it dried, it changed to a deeper wine-like scent that reminded me of Montresor. Then it eventually ended up smelling strongly of honey and musk. I don't really like honey in my perfume so this stood out strongly to me. I also kept thinking I smelled patchouli, just small hints of it, although it is possible that someone else near me was wearing patchouli (I was at a sold-out showing of Avatar). I'm not sure if I want to try this again, because of the honey impression, but if I do, I'll come back and confirm if I smelled patchouli again or not. So my guess for notes would be.....I guess some sort of cherry wine, maybe some bright and airy fir, with honey and musk, and possibly patchouli. Cherry mead around the Christmas tree?

They had me with "sooty licorice incense", and bay rum sealed the deal. I knew I wanted this or Playing With A Loaded Gun, so I left it up to the goblins. I think they made the right choice for me! Black licorice is a note that I always want to love, and should love, but it's very tricky in the actual wearing of it. Too many times it smells rubbery to me, but I think I have finally found the perfect black licorice blend! That is the main note that I smell in this scent, backed up by subtle hints of the other notes. There is a white fluffiness which I guess is coconut, and I can't distinctly pick up the bay rum but I think I can tell that it's there. I love many of the Lab's bay scents so it's a note that I am always attracted to. So, after dissecting and picking apart the scent, I've worn it a couple times to just appreciate it for what it is. My impressions are different from surlygirl's, because for me it's mostly about the black licorice. But it's not quite a candy scent. Sooty black licorice incense is a great description because that really is the impression that I get, with some white fluffiness. I agree that the coconut note is different from others that I've experienced, and I do think this will get even better as the notes have time to mingle. I'm hoping for the bay rum to come out a little stronger. Overall, this is a winner!

I think this is just too much clove for me....it's a note that doesn't always work for me, mostly when paired with patchouli, but in this case it's just too heavy. I like clove sometimes like in Plunder and Velvet Bandito. I love pine but this scent is pretty much all clove for me. It's not horrible......it doesn't do the sour thing that I got from Smiling Spider, but I blame the patchouli in that scent. Anyway....just not working for me.

I third or whatever Bow And Crown Of Conquest..... Try to find Kingsport for your sea fix. I haven't found a better ocean scent, and it was my first bpal purchase (on ebay).

This is total dood-fume on me! I like it. It's about as traditional as I want to get, as cologne-y scents go. It's the leather and metal that make it cologne-like, cold, and kind of hollow to me (very fitting of the character). I'll be honest, the first few times I wore this, I wasn't sure if I could really enjoy it. But tonight I happen to like it. I think the labdanum and myrrh are really saving it for me, even though they are really subtle. The resins smell almost like sweet smoke when played against the metallic notes. This stuff lasts and lasts. I put it on almost 8 hours ago and it's still going pretty strong, although by now the leather has faded back a lot. Overall, though, it's a very well-balanced scent. It's funny to me that most other reviews mention vetiver because I don't detect it at all. But, I am not opposed to vetiver, so it probably wouldn't stand out as much to me. But to me, this is all gleaming leather and metal, with little puffs of sweet smoke here and there. I was expecting sinister and dangerous, but the feeling I get is more stern and cruel. A subtle difference but there ya go.

Gacela.....almost works, clove is really iffy on me and it doesn't quite work for me here. It comes off a little dusty or something. Faunalia.....Eek....this reminds me of Golden Priapus, a lot, which I hated, except this isn't quite as bad as that was. Still, this isn't for me. Men Loved Darkness......Another miss.....a lot of times clove and patchouli combine and turn really sour on me, which is what happened here, just like in Smiling Spider. They amp each other up until it's all sour clove and patchouli. Season Of Ghosts.....Very odd for a citrus scent....actually I don't even get much citrus. I recognize the rose geranium from On Darkness, and overall this scent turns weird and soapy on me. Did not like at all! Joulumuori......Big winner for me! I love this scent, and I had a feeling I should have gone straight for a bottle. Well, I was right. For all the foody notes, this is a wearable scent that isn't as foody as I thought it would be. The wood smoke or hearth note is very, very much like Djinn, my favorite GC scent. But it has the fabulous cheery spices mixed in, and I just love this. Kind of reminds me of the best parts of Djinn and Jolasveinar, with none of the snow or pine notes from Jolasveinar. Just great. Pink Snowballs......Not a fan.....I understand the comparisons to Snow White, but Pink Snowballs is more perfumey, fluffy, almost powdery, and not cold at all. Very commercial smelling to me. It's not terrible, but not what I was hoping for. Snowball Fracas.....Familiar snow note, but I do smell the soil from Graveyard Dirt underneath it. After a while more moss comes out. It's a good scent because I like these things, but doesn't stand out enough for me to want more. The soil note can be a little yucky but mixed with the snow notes, it's not bad. First Soft Snowfall......At first reminds me of Death Of The Grave Digger, a lot. Then as it dries, it becomes more floral, and I find myself thinking of Archangel Winter. Again, not a bad scent, but not quite as good as Death Of The Grave Digger.

I am all moved in now at my new apartment. I like it a lot more than the old one! I'm still unpacking and arranging, which will probably take me a while, but I have 5 closets, which is wonderful. I'm looking forward to a couple of relaxing days just getting settled in.

Thanksgiving was also my birthday this year, and I wore Pumpkin King! The unsolicited comment from my mom was that she smelled patchouli. : /

I'm a little exhausted....weekends tend to wear me out (the ones when I work, that is), and I didn't get much sleep before work. My landlady showed the apartment to a couple with a little girl. Having strange people in the apt kind of wakes me up and so I couldn't get to sleep after they left, and also, I'm on at the very end of Under The Dome, and I just couldn't put it down to go to sleep. So I had about 4 hours of sleep before work, maybe 5 hrs tops. Anyway....this is okay because in the morning when I get home I will flop into bed and sleep to my heart's content! I am excited to be moving, but most of all, ready for it to be done (and I haven't even started). I can't wait to be in my cozy little new apartment! It is a funny apartment, probably the smallest one I've ever lived in, and kind of retro but not in a cool way...it has a tacky, 70's Brady Bunch kind of feel. The living room has fake brick on the walls (which I think is awesome).

I love Knecht Ruprecht! I love many of the Lab's pine/fir scents, and this is among the best of them. I never really pick up on the almond, but all the other notes play against each other very nicely. It's a crisp and robust pine scent, but the fruit makes it even more special and unique. Three years later I finally have a bottle on the way (not that it was all that hard to find, I just kept putting it off). Hooray!

I wore All Souls to work tonight.

Omen smells very much like Minotaur to me: Omen...."Deep, mysterious, and full of dark portents: oakmoss, juniper berry, myrrh and patchouli". Minotaur...."A deep, swarthy black musk dusted by a dark, resinous blend of sacred bisabol myrrh, atramentous benzoin, tsori, balsam, and galbanum". Omen is darker and huskier (probably more 'masculine', too), and Minotaur is more refined, sweeter, and slightly powdery. However, if you have been searching for a Minotaur substitute, you may find a resemblance like I did.

I have to admit, I wasn't sure about this at the beginning. It smells good but I wasn't sure it was really for me. It starts out with this bright, chilly blast of cold aquatic notes, very bracing, and kind of a traditional cologne smell. However, this only lasts about 10 or 15 minutes. After that, the aquatic fades back, and what's left is mostly frankincense. I guess I amp frankincense or something, because the same thing happens with Valentine Of Rome....straight up frankincense. If I use my imagination here, I can start to pick out the other notes, but no rose (which is okay with me). I do think I can pick out the woods and a touch of clove. Overall, I like this. It turns out to be mostly frankincense with just enough background notes to make it more interesting. So, I'm glad I held onto it! I'm wearing it at work right now, and it's a nice, subtle and somewhat smokey/woody scent.

The Adoration Of The Mi-Go....."Luminous, otherworldly wet and piquant odors mingling with black incense, the pitch-stench of Yuggoth, and fungal lichens". Will watch reviews. 2/5 Mother Shub's Spiced Lait De Chevre....."Goat's milk egg nog with coffee liqueur and spices imported from the Crimson Desert!" I should be more interested, but this just isn't calling to me for some reason. 2/5 Mother Shub's Pfancy Pfeffernuesse......"Sugar-sprinkled pepper nuts with a bit of cinnamon, a bit of clove, a little cardamom, and a hint of nutmeg". LOL, it's all spice, all the time! I may end up trying this but I don't like pepper in my perfume. 2/5 Mother Shub's Toothsome Banketstaaf....."Tubular pastries oozing with spijs, glazed with apricot jam, and dotted with glace cherries". Um, what's spijs? I don't get very excited about most fruity scents, so I'll probably pass on this one. 2/5 Mason And Jenkin's Port Jelly....."Red and sticky!" Well, not so much for me. 1/5 Old Man Ackerman's Instructional Toys......I'll be watching reviews for this one. 2/5 The Smilin' Servitors' Hyperdimensional Holiday Hits....."A discordant scent, silvery and strange like a lunatic's tinsel garland: freesia, eucalyptus, and yuzu, with sicilian lemon, massoia, opoponax, night-blooming jasmine, white bergamot, and copaiba oleoresin". Will watch reviews. 2/5 Pet Magah Bird....."A prism of scent, an explosion of multi-colored feathers: blood orange, black plum, sugar cane, guava, frangipani, coconut, pimento berry, violet, caramel, and pear". A prism of scent sounds very pretty, but with all that fruit, I'm going to pass. 1/5 The Black Temple Burlesque Troupe......"Cacao, black musk, and tobacco absolute". Sounds kind of good except for cacao. Once again, I'll be watching reviews, but I bet this will be popular. 2/5 ....okay, I am at work and I should actually do some work. I'll finish the breakdown later!