forspecial_plate

Sharp and herbal, minty eucalyptus at first. Then the lavender comes out pretty strongly, which I like. I'm not sure I would wear this with any regularity, not because it smells bad (it doesn't), it's just not really my thing. Although it has lavender, I think this would wake me up like a sharp little pinch.

Incense and woods. At first I feared it was too much like Al-Azif, which was too rich for me. Later the woods come out and I find that I like this after all. Polished woods, incense, and almost smells like it has leather. This is 'cologney' more than 'perfumey' to me. Reminds me just a little bit of a more mellow Les Infortunes Des de la Vertu.

Tweedledum is a very appealing scent, fruity but not like candy....deep, tart, and a little earthy from the patchouli. Quite a nice scent, not a whole lot of throw, but up close it's really good. Kind of reminds me of Xanthe the Clown. A lot of fruit scents turn into candy on me, so I don't really seek them out, but this is a good one.

My 13 is clear in the bottle. No layer of cocoa absolute that I can see.

13 is like a scent journey. Most of the throw is dry, spicy cocoa. It's when I sniff up close that other notes come out to play. This goes through a few different stages. It starts out, like I said, dry cocoa with spices. Up close I can smell the spices more strongly. After a few minutes, there is a sweet, almost watery tea-like note, which I would guess is the chamomile and/or rice flower combined with the sweetness of fig. Later, the spices, especially clove, are getting stronger. For a while it reminds me of Christmas spices. Also, I think the chamomile and catnip are getting stronger. This is probably the longest 'stage' of the scent. Much later, it's all herbs and flowers. At this point it's just a little.....stale, I guess. My skin just doesn't like the long drying stage of the scent.

I would call this a jovial or cheerful scent. In that long middle stage the spices threaten to become too strong. I will have to try this one or two more times to really decide if I want to keep a whole bottle. I do like it! It reminds me a little of Hungry Ghost Moon with a shot of cocoa.

Edit....after about a year, this scent has settled down a lot. I get very little chocolate or cocoa. It's mostly subdued herbs and some fruit or tea. In fact, no one note stands out....not even the clove. I still like this and will probably enjoy wearing it from time to time, if I don't end up swapping it.

Bloody Mary is tart and sweet, cherries and sugar, very appealing to me. It's a deep scent, too....with substantial throw and endurance. I am picking up just a hint of something darker or spicy way down in the scent. I didn't really smell the cream accord, unless it's just melding with the powdered sugar.

I have no idea where or when I would wear this since I'm a guy....I guess wherever I feel like! I think this might be great layered with some kind of deep, dark musk, and I have CBMusk on the way so maybe I'll try that. Also, I think this would be an awesome scent with a Count Dracula costume, for some reason, even better than the actual Count Dracula scent (although I love that scent, anytime, anywhere!). And finally, on its own, I found it strangely a comforting scent, in much the way that Sugar Skull is comforting to me. It would be a nice scent to just relax with after a rough shift at work (which is exactly what I did today).

It took me a couple tries to really love Red Phoenix, but I do. Cassia dominates, which it usually does, but the other notes get to slowly come forward, especially the tobacco. It's definitely a Red scent. As it wears, it remains a dry and spicy scent, but it has that characteristic 'bpal' feel which reminds me of incense. It's something akin to Hellion, or a much drier Snake Charmer, both of which are great. And this is, too.

Note, 2009/January: Skip to bottom for final edit

I have some mixed feelings about BLWB. It took a whole day of wearing it to figure out that I do really like it. See, I absolutely love Mr. Nancy, and I can't help thinking of BLWB as Mr. Nancy Deluxe. They are so similar to me, I guess because my skin is emphasizing the sugary notes of both scents. So I was a little sad, because at first I thought, 'I should have just bought Mr. Nancy instead!'.

Anyway, the throw is almost all sugar. Up close, I can smell the other notes. Moss that smells almost mildewy, but not in a bad way. Spices and herbs start coming out later. I can tell that other notes are there, supporting the scent. But really, it's so complex that not many notes stand out on their own, except the caramel accord which is very strong for me.

This scent is a winner, and now I don't really have to get a bottle of Mr. Nancy for a while (I still want to eventually). Although, I bet if I tested them side by side, they differ more than they seem to in my mind.

Edit (nearly a year later) I'm wearing this tonight and it has aged into something incredible.....still caramel-sweet, but the lime is more pronounced, and as a whole the blend is just drop-dead sexy! I am so glad I didn't get rid of my bottle!

Final Edit! This scent has become one of my favorites, from my whole collection. It has aged incredibly well. It's mostly moss, herbs, caramel, and lime. Caramel can be too sweet for me to wear, but in this blend it fits so well. It's balanced and complimented weirdly by the other notes. I guess it took some aging for it to come into its own, or maybe my sense of smell is just more educated now. Whatever the reason, I love this one so, so much~!

The reviews before mine are pretty accurate. I personally don't know the difference between grass and dandelions. However, I can smell the resemblance to Garden Path With Chickens. There is something a little sweet and billowy floating behind the sharp, green grassy smell. The scent has medium throw and barely changes at all as I wear it. The only change I noticed is a little bit of soapiness starts to come out after a while. The soapy note doesn't ever become strong.

For some reason I'm just not excited about this. It's not a scent that I love. I prefer the complexity of Garden Path. However, this is a great evocative scent, conjuring images like the other reviews pointed out.

This starts out mainly coffee, and that's coffee with a fair amount of sugar....sweeter than I thought it would be. At first, I can't tell if I'm going to like it enough. I love the smell of coffee, but it doesn't excite me that much as a perfume note. There is one coffee blend that I love and that's Possets' Ribbands, and Pinched does remind me of that at first. The throw is medium, not real strong but I can tell it's there.

Later, though, it seems the scent gets stronger, and the woods come out a lot, and the cinnamon a little. I love woods in certain cases and this is a great woody scent. At this point, I'm so glad I put it on today, because it's dreary and a little cool outside, cloudy, and this is a great contemplative scent for this kind of day. The coffee is still there but I think the woods have nearly overcome most of the sweetness that was there in the beginning. I love this now, and this is another that maybe I should have bought a whole bottle.

edit: I wore this again yesterday, and my perceptions have changed a little bit. I really like this and I will cherish my decant. What smelled woody to me before, now comes across a little different. It seems to have a sweet cream note that comes forward in the dry-down, very pure and slightly sugary. This lasts and lasts, for hours, and even through a shower. I'm glad a little goes a long way, so I know my decant will last for a long time!

I was expecting this to be sort of faint, based on previous reviews, but it still surprised me just a little, just how subtle it really is. I was also expecting it to be more on the powdery side from the musk, but it’s not powdery in the slightest for me. I think the leather helps with that. Actually I’m not sure I can identify the other 2 notes, but I can tell there’s leather here. So, yeah…..soft, sweet, beautiful, definitely androgynous, this is a real winner and I may regret not getting a whole bottle. It seems to be the more civilized brother or cousin of Doc Constantine, and that's the biggest reason I didn't order a whole bottle, since I already have a bottle of Doc, and like that just a bit more than this. Both are great, though.

A Bold Bluff smells like sweet tobacco, and I forgot it was cherry tobacco until I re-read the notes. Now that I know, I can smell just a faint suggestion of cherry. I’m glad I don’t smell hops because actual dried hops smell a little vomity to me (maybe the hops here are fresher). This is a touch more powdery than I thought it would be. I think the hops combined with tobacco are giving it a sweet, slightly powdery feel. Usually I avoid most things powdery but it doesn't ruin this scent.

It's a comforting scent that I do like and will wear again.

Ooh, this rubbed me the wrong way. I could tell immediately that it's not for me. Very soapy and sharp. I wasn't expecting this sharpness, I thought with the wool it would something softer. And I like wood so I had hopes that this might work. I've had it on for almost half an hour now, and there's no need for me to keep it on any longer....I can tell with certainty that it's not my thing. Piercing, soapy and floral.

Right away I can tell this isn't going to work. The lilac is too strong and piercing for me. I can smell the leather, and I was hoping after a bit the musk would soften the blend. After over an hour, it's still not a scent I really like. Just not my kind of floral. Very clean smelling, almost soapy, but not quite. It has a kind of dewy quality. I think maybe I don't like fougeres in general, although I do like Theodosius a whole lot.

This is an absolutely great scent on me.....at first I smell red musk big time, like some other people have already said. Whether or not it's actually in this blend I don't know, but if it's not, that's a great trick! And at first there is just a dash of cinnamon, but the cinnamon gets stronger and stronger, until it's threatening to take over. This bums me out just a little bit because I want more sandalwood, more amber. None of the other notes really stand out, and I never would have picked out patchouli. It's still good, though, and after a while the cinnamon does back off a little and behave itself.

The mood of the scent is definitely 'sin', and I bet this will smell even better after a few weeks or even months, so I may add this to my bottle wish list.

so I think I found a good dupe for Anaconda.

 

I used a 5/8 dram vial and mixed together~ 1.5-6 ml Snake Oil, ~ 0.1 or 0.2 ml Sugar Skull, 3 drops Sugar Cookie.

 

It smells fantastic. I just hope that I can recreate it using larger amounts!

For me, Anaconda had a sugary start, but dried down to incense. Other people smelled tobacco, but to me it smelled like sandalwood. BUT....if it is tobacco, Mr. Nancy might be even better than Sugar Skull as far as what to blend or layer with Snake Oil, to get something close to Anaconda.

Just a thought!

moonarcana, you're so organized!!

I know I've replied here before, but what the heck....

For testing a new oil, I am careful and just apply from the inside of the lid, or the rim of the bottle. I apply pretty lightly if I'm going out, too. If I'm just hanging out at home and I really want to lay it on, I will upend the bottle against my wrist on the inside. I like how olympia301 applies directly on her palms, so sometimes I do that too. Then you can cup your hands over your nose and really get to know a scent. : ) Some scents like Antonino are a little too heavy to wear that much, though. But Snake Oil is great for that.

Even with the bottles I'm keeping, I am careful to apply only where I don't have some other scent on my skin already. I don't want to 'contaminate' the bottle.

I like woods, aquatics, even some flowers. For whatever reason, I just wasn't sure about the notes in Roux-Ga-Roux, so I didn't take the plunge and order a bottle. Turns out I was right!

Honestly, I don't hate this scent. My problem is, I'm starting to think my skin amps sweet notes like nobody's business. In short, this is like cotton candy on me. Or marshmallows. I get the impression it's the milk weed and/or sweet flag causing the trouble. Actually, it reminds me somewhat of Midnight On the Midway, but I like the incense in that a lot more.

I have to really use my imagination to pick out any woods or aquatic notes in Roux-Ga-Roux. The moss is there at the beginning but it's quickly drowned out by whatever sweetness is going on here. Nope....I will eventually get a bottle of Midnight On the Midway, and wear that happily. This decant will be finding a new home!

This scent is really wonderful. The Masque is not subtle. I smell heavy, sweet florals, made more sweet by the honey. There is some incense smoke as well, and a slight sense of woods from the patchouli and/or tobacco. I think the tobacco is coming out more strongly as it dries. Reminds me somewhat of Chrysanthemum Moon, but I think I actually like The Masque even more. I think this would be great to wear at a party or in a group, because it seems like it would really stand out. I may have to find more than 1 decant of this.

Envy is green and slithering, indeed....I like herbs, mint, and lime very much. This is mostly herbs with a hint of mint, and the lime is just faintly supporting the rest. Lavender is pretty strong here. The mint fades pretty quickly. This scent has medium throw and duration.

I think I've been spoiled by Green Tree Viper, because I loooove that scent, and I wouldn't reach for this as much since I have a bottle of that. Otherwise, I do like Envy on its own merits.

I grabbed this at random from my 'imps to try' box, and thought it appropriate since Rose Moon is coming up so soon.

I found Harlot to be a very dry rose scent. It reminded me of dried rose petals in the harlot's jewelry box. The cinnamon is just a hint for me. Over 4 hours later, there is still a faint woody note left on my skin, still very dry. I can't say that it reminded me so much of incense, but more of woody dry rose. I do like woods but this has too much of a 'dusty' feel to it for me to enjoy. I didn't find it really powdery or soapy though, so that's good.

This is quite wonderful....I get along just fine with vetiver, and although I'm not crazy about dragon's blood, this is one of the rare blends where it works for me. For the first half hour/45 minutes, the dragon's blood predictably tries to take over, although I can smell the vetiver and definitely spices (cinnamon, mostly) patiently biding their time. Then, for a long while, Serpent's Kiss becomes a swirling, slithering dance of notes, seeming to show off each one at intervals. I know we talk a lot about scents smelling like incense. This is one scent that really tricked me a couple times into thinking I had lit some incense and forgot.

Much later, like 3 hours or more, the scent is still going strong. It's mostly spices now, and cassia is really strong. I don't know if it has both cinnamon and cassia, but now I'm getting mostly cassia with, I swear, a smidge of ginger. I can still sense the vetiver providing a solid base for the other notes.

I definitely agree with the Blood Moon comparisons, although this scent seems to last longer, and Blood Moon loses a lot of spice as it dries/fades (the musk comes out stronger), whereas Serpent's Kiss stays very spicy for a long time.

Aah, yes....Absinthe....I've wanted to try this since day 1. I have always stubbornly insisted that I love anise as a perfume note. I've been second guessing myself on that one lately....although I do love the smell of the actual herb.

Anyway....yeah, this smells like anise, with lemon and some more herbs. I can almost make out the cardamom if I use my imagination. For whatever reason, this scent isn't exciting me all that much. : ( I'm not sure I like Black Annis much either. Maybe I should give up on anise?

I still think I would like a heavily sugared, spicy anise scent with a little citrus. Wait, isn't that what Absinthe is?? Well, maybe not heavily sugared. *sigh* I really should like this much more than I do. As usual, I'll give it a couple more tries before I give up completely.

edit: I meant to say that I'm getting the faint rubbery-ness that someone else mentioned....also that I don't get much mint from this scent.

Hmmm, I have to honestly say I don't like The Hamptons. I do like sweet and fruity scents (Sugar Skull, Xanthe, etc...), but something about this is sickly sweet and cloying to me. Maybe it reminds me of my drinking days. It does have a citrus aspect, but generally just smells like a too-sweet drink. I've never had a Cosmopolitan, and I think I would like them if I still drank. But this scent just doesn't do anything for me.

Hmm...this is floral, and that's almost all that I can really tell you. I picked this out of my imp box without reading the label, to see if I could guess a scent. My first guess was Somnus, which is also very floral to me. But Languor had a slightly buttery note at first, that I didn't remember from Somnus. But the point is....both are lazy, heavy-lidded scents, I guess. Langour is sweet and clear to me, not smokey. I also thought it might have honeysuckle, but that just shows how well I know florals, which is not at all.

So yeah....to me it's very floral and not something I would choose to wear often, unless I was laying down for a nap maybe.

The myrrh just seems to overpower everything. Where is my patchouli and moss? *cries* Much later, it has faded to almost nothing...except faint moss. (finally). I'll try this again but looks like it's not going to work. That myrrh note is nearly powdery and won't let anything else play.

edit: Oh, and I can't smell juniper at all which is odd for me.