forspecial_plate

Amber is what I smell mostly in the Haunted Palace, but that could be the power of suggestion. See, moonarcana gave me a decant of this, and as I was sniffing it for the first time, she said "It has amber!" (we were on an amber kick that day), so immediately that's what I smelled!

Anyway, it's a beautiful scent that I really enjoy. Before I knew what notes were in it, I just thought it had a characteristic bpal-incensey feel to it. I didn't guess that it had that many floral notes. Whatever, I love it, and I know I can get away with wearing this somewhere, at some time.

Right now it's reminding me a bit of Snake Charmer, maybe because of the amber, musk, and/or vanilla. I have to say, I can almost imagine how this would have smelled brand-new. I bet the orange was stronger (I can barely smell it now), and the notes may have stood out more from each other, whereas now they are all blended together seamlessly. That's just a guess, though...for all I know, it smelled pretty much the same! But I do think the citrus has faded, and the scent really hasn't suffered for that (not that I don't like orange, because I do). I will cherish my decant, but I doubt that I need a whole bottle of it.

From a male perspective....

I like almond a lot too, and Baron Samedi is one of my favorite GC blends. It replaced Demeter's Almond for me. It's a deep, dark, spicy almond scent that I love and it lasts for hours on me.

On the other hand, avoid it if you don't like bay rum.

How weird...what I'm smelling doesn't match the notes in the description, at all! And for a long time I thought I must have a mis-labelled imp of Bow and Crown of Conquest. The throw here smells like sweet vanilla to me. If I sniff up close, I can smell something herbal, which must be the patchouli and/or vetiver.

Overall, this is a faint, sweet scent, not powdery, but reminds me of vanilla, and without the cedar of Bow and Crown. It smells good, but doesn't have a lot of throw at all. Not at all what I was expecting, and a lot of the notes in the description are nowhere to be found, so I guess they are just supporting. But there's nothing tart like I would expect from yuzu and lime, and I would think I could pick up on the sandalwood, but I can't. So I guess the sweetness is the musk.

It does smell good, don't get me wrong, and I have enjoyed wearing it. I think for a 5ml bottle I would pick Bow and Crown over this, and I really don't think I would need both.

Schwarzer Mond has a note of Pimenta racemosa which is bay rum.

I happened upon a decant of this, and even though I have no desire to smell like whiskey, some of the reviews made it sound so good.....

Yup, that's whiskey! I couldn't pick up the subtleties, it does smell like good whiskey, but definitely whiskey. After drying a bit, it's a sweet woody smell, and still not something I want to smell like, even though I like a lot of woods. This one just wasn't for me!

This is a very pleasant, slightly fruity floral at first, and I don't really get a sense of 'banana'. It reminds me a little of lotus, maybe a little lighter, but definitely a bit fruity. This doesn't last long....a lot of the floral part fades and then I can smell the woods. Very nice overall, not a whole lot of throw, but my skin is dry this weekend and I've been doing a lot of dishes today, so maybe it just sucked up the scent. It has that characteristic 'bpal scent' for sure, and I do like it a lot. Maybe a little too floral for me to keep but we'll see.

Not to bring the thread down, but....I just read that the original painting was destroyed in a fire in 1945! : ( Okay, on to the review....

This is all about green. On first try, I really thought it was too sharp, and I almost sensed an ammonia aspect. I have tried it a couple more times and have grown to really like it. I don't smell any gardenia, rose, phlox or verbena. All I can smell is grass, leaves, and sharp herbs. I'm sure the other notes are supporting here.

I bought this for my mom for mother's day (of course I had to try it, to make sure she'll like it! ....), because she does a lot of gardening, and I thought this would appeal to her. I think she'll like it, and I may have to get some for myself one of these days, too. The other reviews here describe the scent really well.

I was excited to try a discontinued blend, and I tried it without reading the description first. Right away I knew there was civet, and I could smell just a touch of the grape. Pretty soon the civet just took over....and civet is just not for me, I'm afraid. I think I can handle it in Black Annis, but not here....I had to wash this one off and that doesn't happen a lot! Hopefully I will find a happier home for Puck.

This is skillfully blended, light and fresh, fruity and very well balanced. I was expecting a lot more citrus.....the citrus elements are delicate and subtle, and they fade fairly quickly. It's true, the patchouli is Very subtle and patchouli haters should not shy away from this scent. Actually, I can barely pick out the patchouli at all. It's just sweet and lively fruits over a slightly woody and musky base. Really well done.

I almost like Brown Jenkins....somehow it's just not working for me, ultimately. Something about it is too sweet, and almost plastic-y, which is something I've had with coconut before (the plastic-y). I like sandalwood and it almost saves this blend. But the incense note is too sweet or something, and it reminds me of Al Azif, which I couldn't wear (which itself is strange, because I like incense blends, especially Midnight Mass, Pit and the Pendulum....but not Al Azif *shudder* or apparently Brown Jenkins either). I think I'll pass this along to someone who likes it more!

My early impressions, which as usual may be edited:

At first, this was like....Whoa!! PINE, EVERGREEN....almost like a single note pine! But I could tell there was some complexity, after a little drying/warming on my skin. I'll give it another chance.......

I tried it again today, and I'm very much growing to love this scent! Very dark, and still lots of pine/evergreen. However.....there is more going on here, in the background. There is a sweet note that I love, and I'm not even sure what it is. The damp grass, maybe? Or possibly, the cedar has a sweetness when it's played against the pine. It's not a berry sweet like juniper. I dunno, I'm guessing it's the grass. It plays very nicely with the deep, green pine and woods.

This isn't a juicy fir scent, like Nocnitsa (to me!). It's an evergreen forest on a very dark night, with a little wind and smoke in the air, like there's a fire burning in the distance. I CANNOT stop sniffing my wrist right now!

I'm afraid someone standing next to me would ONLY smell pine in this scent. But I personally really dig the complexity and subtle supporting notes. I don't know where or how often I would wear this, but I could definitely see myself wearing it on a cool autumn night, chill in the air, bundled in a sweater. *lovestruck*

Edit, almost a year later. This is it. This is the epitome of a majestic forest of fir at night, with smoke in the air. I will cherish this bottle of scent.

A lot of times I revise my reviews, but I want to add my impressions of this while it's still available. I may edit later.

At first I was afraid Minotaur was powdery. I tried it straight out of the mailbox, even though I should know better. I think the oils sometimes get travel-shock or something. Anyway, I let it rest over night and tried it again.

This is utterly gorgeous, and different on me than the reviews so far. For me, something sweet in here is amping way up. Maybe the myrrh is really sweet. The overall effect is close to powdery, but it's more like a luminous honey dust or sweet gold powder....NOT like baby powder though. It does strike me as masculine. It's like a smooth, thrumming, glowing scent with power held in check. I can sense the darkness that the others mentioned here, and agree that there is some similarity to Schwarzer Mond. For me it's more like Penitence than Midnight Mass, if that helps at all. But Penitence was very powdery for me, and this is slightly more....I don't know, polished or something. It has just the right amount of throw, not too strong but definitely there.

I just love this.....I really am not sure I'll wear it often. It's more like a special occasion scent to me, not an everyday scent. But I agree that this will most likely deepen and improve with aging. It's wonderful!

My very first thought was...

Perhaps something that's very subtle or faint on your skin, or even no scent at all? (blasphemy, I know!) The only reason I say this is, might it not be better to avoid distracting from what you're presenting/talking about? Maybe just something that sticks close to you, to give you a little boost....but doesn't throw a whole lot.

As far as specific scents, though, that would depend on what scents behave this way on you, I guess. For me, it might be Count Dracula or Satan and Death with Sin Intervening (but I'm a guy).

Anyway, good luck, and that's just my 2 cents!

This is a quiet, thrumming scent. Spicy. Dark. Delicious. For me, it definitely smells like a headshop, but not like incense somehow. It's fruity, yes...but seems dry to me, whereas something like Snake Charmer is more of a ripe fruity scent IMO. None of the notes really stand out strongly...it's all blended into this swirling, delirious cloud of loveliness.

Another thing I love about this is that the champaca doesn't take over and clobber everything else, like it usually does on my skin! It gives me hope for the other champaca blends that I'm holding onto, aging, hoping that note will calm down a little. Maybe it will!

I love this scent!

Aureus

Malediction

Mr. Jacquel

Typhon (discontinued)

Malice

This has a light, wistful feel that seems 'hollow' to me. I've heard other people use that word to describe perfumes, and I wasn't sure I got it. This is it, I think. Others might disagree, though. All the notes are here, and nothing is disagreeing with me. It seems more feminine to me than I was expecting. It smells white to me. I like the sweetness of the vanilla flower.

Mr. Ibis reminds me of F5 at first (not surprising with the musk and aloe ferox, whatever that is) then later it reminds me a lot of Oblivion, only this is sweeter with the vanilla flower. As much as I like it, it's really not the kind of scent I feel like wearing a lot. I can imagine it smelling absolutely wonderful and subtle on someone else.

I found this to be very pleasant and wearable, which shocked me a little, because I had such a visceral reaction to Golden Priapus. The juniper seems to be strong in both, and for a while I thought I hated juniper, just because of Golden Priapus. But here it isn't bothering me, I actually like how it smells with the musk.

It actually doesn't strike me as being really 'piney'. It's more of a sweet, fruity juniper berry scent with the other notes supporting. I would call it gender neutral, but that's coming from a guy, so there ya go. : )

Try Port-Au-Prince. It turns into pure clove for some people.

This is a unique scent, light and clean, not nearly as much citrus as I was expecting. There is something almost minty here, and I wasn't expecting that either. Maybe it's the artemesia. This is another one of those scents that is so well blended that none of the notes really stand out strongly. Sorry to make comparisons, I know some people don't like that, but I can't help but compare this to Antonino and Faiza from Carnaval Diabolique. I think it has some of the herbal aspect of Antonino, only much fainter. And I don't know why it reminds me of Faiza, maybe the mandarin. It's not humid like Faiza, but it has that dark almost fruity slinky aspect a little bit. It's a great scent, though, and I think I'm going to need more than the testable amount that I got to try!

*sigh*

I really do love this. Basically, I'm getting woods and resin, with something more....something tart, maybe some vegetation or citrus like others have mentioned. But this is far from sweet. I can pick out cedar when I sniff up close, but that's just part of the whole.

There is a middle phase where a little bit of powder comes out, and at this point I'm reminded a little of King Cobra. They must share a note, maybe the frankincense. It's not enough powder to bother me here in Doc Buzzard. It's just part of the complexity.

Then much later the powdery aspect has faded, but I can still smell that resin that reminds me of King Cobra. I feel like I'm not doing this scent justice, the way I'm dissecting it. Overall, it's just amazing and I'm just a little heartbroken that it's so hard to get. I'm so lucky to have a decant, and I will treasure it, but I won't be able to resist wearing it!

This one did not disappoint! First off I smell a lot of spice. I thought, 'what the heck, does this have ginger??'. I guess it's the bay rum giving me that impression. To be honest, for the first half hour to an hour, the throw from Mr. Nancy smells a lot like Count Dracula on my skin, but sweeter. The sugar aspect comes out as it dries, and I'm definitely getting the Sugar Skull comparisons, but there is more going on here with the spiciness. I didn't get a whole lot of lime, unless it's just blending so well I didn't notice it.

Much later, if I sniff right up close to my skin, it smells exactly like sugar cookies. Excellent!

Not only is 51 a wonderful concept, but it happens to be a great scent as well. It's light and glowing, something similar to F5 (from the white musk and citrus), but 51 has some strange elements that make it a little more mysterious and complex. It is well balanced, and works well for my skin. None of the notes are really standing out above the others. It's a spooky glowing night-time scent, airy and ethereal, with not much throw. If I sniff up close, I think I can pick out the woods. I was expecting this to be more fruity and juicy, but it's much drier, maybe because the woods, scrub, and night air are balancing things out. I'm not sure but I think I can almost pick out the hazelwood that's in 'The Great Red Dragon....' from the Salon. I think it's a possibility, although 51 is nothing like that scent.

I am not heavily into this kind of scent (light, bright, refreshing, cool...), and I already have a bottle of F5, otherwise I might want a whole bottle of this. I might want one anyway....it's just a fun scent that works well for me.

Most of the Arkham scents that I've tried have a bold, garish quality that is interesting, but for me unwearable. There are a couple that really work for me, but most of the ones I've tried are too......I don't know, amped up or something. They remind me of when you look at a TV screen and the color setting is turned all the way up. I realize that this is on purpose, and I applaud Beth for her creative interperetation of Lovecraft's universe. They really are unsettling scents.

The Deep Ones has that quality too. It is so sharp, tart, and bold that I can't imagine wearing it with any frequency. And don't get me wrong....it smells good to me! It's just too much for me to handle. On first applying, it smells very green and juicy, with something lurking in the background that smells.....almost skunky to me. It reminds me a little of Hemlock, if you've ever tried that. This is deeper and murkier. I agree that there's something tart and bitter here like grapefruit. It has a little ozone that comes out more strongly as it dries, and I think that's where the 'dryer-sheet' smell is coming from.

This scent is so juicy and full it almost feels like you can take a bite out of it. It reminds me of a distant cousin of Kingsport. Kingsport is like standing on a cliff overlooking the beach, with crashing waves, and mist all around. The Deep Ones is more like being tossed around in those waves, with the seaweed trying to strangle you and coral poking at your skin. It's really extraordinary and I know some people are really going to like it.

This scent is sensual, but may be too sweet for some. Basically it smells exactly like a sweet Indian incense. You have smelled it before. I would have guessed honey is in it, but not caramel, at least not at first. As time goes by, the caramel starts to come out more. Red musk is nowhere to be found by my nose. It's a really pretty scent, but I fear too feminine for me. Very sweet, but not powdery to me. I would not call this gender neutral. However, I had my imps in a cigar box and this one leaked just a little bit. Now my box smells very lovely. I doubt I'll get any wear from it.

I prefer Chintimani-Dhupa with its woods over this. If you like honey scents like Bengal you might want to try this.

I'm a guy and I like some of the woodsy scents. Add me to the Dee and Aureus fans. I wasn't crazy about Black Forest...but that's when I was going through my 'hating juniper' phase, and I would actually like to try it again. Burial might be good for woodsy and earthy.

My favorite 'foresty' scent is the newer Wolf Moon (it came out in December of '06 but the bottle says '07). "This is the dead of winter: a frozen night, chill wind, and the sharp, warm perfume of blood, fur, fang, and claw. Winter air, Terebinth pine, juniper berry, dusty orris, deep amber, white sandalwood, black musk, blue cedar, and tonka." Actually it's one of my favorite bpal scents, period.