forspecial_plate

There was a chance I might like this, but it was pretty risky too. Fortunately a kind forum member sent me a decant with a recent purchase, so I got to try it, risk-free. : )

It's way too harsh for me, and it kind of reminds me of Hastur or Ligur (I always get them confused), which didn't really work for me either. The black pepper is way too strong, and it's a note I'm not crazy about in the first place, but especially here, it's just too much. Underneath that is some kind of weird chemical note, which might be opoponax, but.....I thought I liked opoponax! I think in some blends it just turns bad for me, for whatever reason, and it's happening here. This is indeed a dark scent, harsh and peppery, with a strange chemical quality that I just didn't like. It's not very often that I have to wash off a bpal scent but I had to wash this one off.....and then apply something else to take away the memory! : (

PS.....If you liked Hastur and/or Ligur, and you like black pepper in your perfume, I think you should try this scent!

I'm another one who can't always wear the earth/soil scents, but when they go right on me, I really enjoy them. This is a good one! I love how the sweet resins and plant mingle with the soil. The dirt is a little sharp for the first few minutes, but it fades as the scent dries, and the slightly powdery resins emerge. I looked up melilot and apparently it's sweet clover. I get where people are smelling Old Spice in this, but to me it's not screaming dude-fume like some other blends I've tried.

My favorite soil scents so far are Premature Burial, Potter's Field, Earth Phoenix, and now this (Season Of The Inundation). I'll have to try them together because I want to get a larger amount of one of them, but I have to decide which one I like best. I have a feeling it will be this or Potter's Field.

This is more sharp and nearly soapy than I was expecting. I thought black gum would be a sort of dark resin, and I was also hoping for that sassafras to show up. Mostly what I smell is a sharp piney floral scent that kind of reminds me of Golden Priapus. I do enjoy pine scents, but this one is on the verge of being too sharp. It's another scent that I'm going to put away for a while and come back to later, hoping that it will soften a little bit and some more complexity will emerge.

Edit: 5 days later....well hello, totally different scent! Still sharp, I smell mentholated earth, with some other stuff. I'm still not sure about keeping this. It seems to smell different every time I wear it. It's going in a drawer for a while.

I agree that the spices are on the softer side. However, I think it's the frankincense that's giving this a bit of sharp edge that is a little too much for me. It's close to being something I can wear....I'm going to put it away for a few weeks and see if that makes a difference.

At first I thought it was like the old Blood Moon, so I tried them side by side, and they are actually quite different. Egg Moon is sharper but, again, it's not the spices that are sharp. Frankincense does have a way of standing out for me....not sure if it's my skin or my nose, but it does seem to come to the forefront in most scents that have it. Hopefully it will mellow out a bit because this scent has a lot of potential to be soft and spicy, and a little sweet and almost creamy.

I agree with aquatic, metallic, and ozone. I also get a hint of grape. It's a very light purple tin foil hat.

It reminds me of some other aquatic scents that I like, but it has that bracing metallic quality, too. Interesting but it's a little strong and after a while it's a little too much for me.

Yep, this is really good......

It starts out really buttery, kind of like Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, but also like Glowing Vulva......both of those are very rich to me, and this seems the same......but ASL is a little more restrained. Still, this is buttery at the beginning.

As it warms up, I'm getting a more cologne-y element, almost like ozone. This is not what I expected at all, and I can't detect any milk or cream. I thought this scent would be very foody but what I'm getting is a very elegant, refined scent that would be great for special occasions. It seems almost too elegant for everyday wear. I would wear this with a suit and tie (and definitely will, whenever I wear those again!). It's not literally "sarsaparilla and cream".....there is much more going on here. I couldn't say what other notes are here, but I keep thinking of ozone, and someone else mentioned woods, and I'd say that is accurate too.

It's exquisite. It's a very special scent that I will savor for special occasions......or for those days when I'm feeling decadent and needing a comfort scent. It works both ways.

I like this scent a lot, and I really can't pick apart any notes although I always try. I'm always drawn to the labs bay rum scents and this is another good one. I have to agree that there is some kind of chemical thing going on here. It has the feel of dood-fume to me, but there's a sour sort of sharpness about it. I also agree that it's very light. I need a larger amount because I apply a lot when I wear this.

I thought it was interesting that here is an incense scent that is proper enough for me to wear to work. I like the lab's incense scents but usually wouldn't think of wearing them to work, but this one is different. More, please! : ) When these came out I went straight for Kroenen but as it turns out, this one is more to my liking.

This scent brings an association that is very unfortunate. I've had asthma and allergies since I was a child, and there was a certain asthma medicine, Theophylinne (sp?), a liquid medicine that I am guessing was supposed to be grape flavored. Unfortunately, it tasted and smelled hideous, and this scent brings it right back......it was a medicine that made me gag the second it entered my mouth. There is only 1 other bpal scent that brought back that memory, and that was Delphi........I had to wash that one off too.

I can understand how people might like this. I do like some wine scents like Montressor and the newer Poe one, but there is no way I could ever wear the Zadok Vineyard. In a way, that is appropriate, given the subject matter. I had the same kind of emotional reaction to Al Azif.....I can't even bring myself to try that one again.

Very much not what I was anticipating, this scent is airy, ethereal, somewhat papery.....which I get from sandalwood sometimes, especially when it's white sandalwood. I was expecting warm and a little spicy but that's not at all what I smell. I like it, but it's nothing like I thought it would be.

This is what I thought White Phoenix would smell like. It's more white than anything else to me.

I was surprised that bamboo turned up so few results on the lab's site. However, I can think of at least one or two lighter woody scents that might appeal......things like Ochosi: "His ofrenda is the soft shea he shares with Obatala, forest herbs, and sprucewood arrow shafts".

More reading about wood scents, if you have the patience to wade through them:

"The Woods Are Lovely, Dark & Deep..."

Woods

Forest and Woods Scents (with & without evergreens)

Wow, the description and concept are really captured in this scent.......it really does hit like a sting! At first I thought I might like the moss and earth. After a while, though, there was a hint of ammonia that kept bothering me. Eventually I just couldn't take it any more and so I tried to wash it off. Six or seven hours later, after a shower, I was sitting at school and I kept thinking "Is someone here wearing bpal?", until I realized it was me.....I could still smell Snowball Fracas. It is so, so strong and tenacious, just like getting an icy snowball in the face......very effective but unfortunately not for me! It's okay, though, I have other snow scents that I really do like and are a little more gentle. : ) Also, I like the warmer earth, grass and bark of The Potter's Field more than the icy assault of Fracas.

This is one of those scents where all I can smell is honey. Honestly, the honey was so strong and rich, I only got the barest hint of any other notes the one time I tried it. I tried!

It's okay though.....my decant moved on to a new home, with someone who likes honey in her perfumes a lot more than I do! : )

I am sorry to say that this doesn't work for me. It sounded so good, but it smells overwhelmingly like black musk......I guess that's part of the blackened sandalwood. Too powdery and kind of papery, which turns me off usually. I want to smell the other notes so I will hold onto my decant and maybe it will work out eventually. Or I might swap it, I'm not sure yet.

I have to admit....I want naked menz on my Ode To Ares bottles, just like the Odes from last year w/naked ladies! Oh well, it's what's inside that counts most, right??

 

Naked menz ... oh yes please! lol. Now my husband might not like that but since he get's to look at all of the Naked women on Odes last year I'd say bring it on. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Heck the label doesn't even have to have a face just make them firm and hunky! What say you Beth?

Well......Glukuprikos is not my favorite scent, but I kept my partial bottle mainly because of the guy's cute butt on the label!

I have to admit....I want naked menz on my Ode To Ares bottles, just like the Odes from last year w/naked ladies! Oh well, it's what's inside that counts most, right??

Just smelled Torture Queen - White amber, vanilla musk, white tea, ambergris, gardenia, and chrome

 

I am considering this for myself or my boyfriend very unisex and very very nice.

 

Also - Embalming Fluid and Ded Moroz i think would be nice on a man.

Have you tried Metal Phoenix? I'm wondering if Torture Queen is anything like it. I love Metal Phoenix but can't seem to find a bottle for sale.

Oh and yes......Ded Moroz is really nice on this man! : ) It has a masculine quality without being 'dood-fume' to the extreme. I like it.

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.

Does anyone happen to have pictures of the labels for the Wolf Moons (apparently '04 and '07)?

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 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.