Schmoozy

 

Straight up vanilla sheets. It's soft, foody and lasts longer than Midway ever did.

 

I always thought I would love this one. Oak, ivy and moss. There are some great notes inside. However, this just doesn't translate well on my skin at all. I think it has to do with the ivy and rotted oak. Combined together they produce this really dirty/moldy wet scent that really rubs me the wrong way.

 

 

 

2007 Dia De Los Muertos

Honeyed floral incense. Not for me. Way to floral, and way to sweet. I think there is too much going on here for me to appreciate, especially when so many of the notes inside are just Meh.

When I first tried this when it was released, it was way to tangy and coppery for my liking. There was that unmistakeable scent of blood. Unfortunately it it really overpowered all of the other notes, and when it didn't overpower all I got was vinegar. 2 years later has improved this blend drastically. The coppery tang of blood is just an afterthought to the vintage wine and red clay. Instead of clashing with the other notes blood, mingles pretty good with wine and vinegar!!

 

October to my nose seemed very similar to The Death of Autumn. However there is less smokiness and more greenery. Almost like the leaves are almost dry but still have a little life left in them. The sap in the air gives October a touch of sweetness and together with the ozone/airy notes this can almost be considered a little perfumey. The way Beth has captured the feelin gof October in a bottle is remarkable.

 

Light musk, incense and smooth polished woods. For an incense-y scent it has a clean feel to it rather than a hazy smoky feel. All in all, its ok. Nothign I would really wear but I do appreciate the chance to smell it.

 

Smoky dry leaves, a touch of dark amber and dirt. At times it is spicy, but for the most part it's dark and earthy and dry. I loved it when I could detect amber and crysanthemum however they both vanish as soon as the oil dried on my skin.

 

A forlorn floral blend. The white sandalwood keeps the florals from overwhelming the senses, while lavender gives it an herbal bite. It is soft, sad and utterly breathtaking.

 

I have to admit, I bought this unsniffed when it first came out, and when I finally got the chance to test it - it was horrible. It was with the Perilous Parlour that I realized some vanillas just don't like me. It was too smoky and to plastic-y for me. However 2 years of aging has finally produced the scent I was hoping for. It is soft, and the pear is so subtle and the vanilla pokes its head every once in awhile. Simply beautiful.

 

Menthol woods followed by a whiff of alpine flora. Once it has been on my skin for 5 minutes, the menthol goes away and in it's place is snowcapped woods. It is gorgeous.

 

The older this gets the better it gets. A clean, masculine blend of lavender & verbena, tea and sandalwood. It is soothing and soft, yet at times it is bright and slightly gruff. Although I orginally purchased this for the hubby, I just can't seem to part with it.

2006, 2007, 2008 Sugar Skulls

 

Burnt sugar, hints of molasses and somewhere inside a touch of sweet candy.

 

But most of the time Sugar Skull is burnt sugar & molasses. Not my cup of tea.

I thought I would honestly love this scent - the spices, pumpkin, fir, woods...and I was hoping that the black patchouli was an afterthought. Something that would give Samhain a little more darkness and earthiness to balance the spice and pumpkin. Unfortunately Samhain and I do not agree.

 

The older it is the more bearable it becomes. It's just too dark and earthy and *shudders*. I can't believe I tried to fool myself that black patchouli in a blend would work for me.

 

My decant from '05 is the only one I like to open and sniff come this time of year. I do it to remind me that Samhain and I will never, never be friends.

The funny thing is that in 2006 I was gifted a bottle from someone who sent out her end very late.

In 2007, I bottle I won off Ebay came with a bottle of 2007 Samhain.

 

I was gifted a decant of Samhain in 2008, and for shits and giggles, because obviously the BPAL world is trying to tell me something, I purchased another decant of Samhain for 2009. So fellow BPAL'ers I will be back in a week to add my .02 cents of 2009 Samhain. Something tells me nothing will have changed.

Creepy 2006

 

This is one of those scents that just keeps getting better with age. Back in '06 when I first received Creepy, it was pretty much coconut apples with hints of butterscotch.

3 years later this is candy apples with coconut. The butterscotch is smooth, creamy and so delicious. The apple isn't as tart and the coconut rum adds a element to the butterscotch that is undescribible. I can't wait to get a fresh bottle of creepy, as I think will enjoy the apple goodness it initally started with, but will enjoy it as it ages.

 

 

Creepy 2009

 

Yup. Tart, crispy apples with hints of coconut! I adore it.

 

Fun, melon-y, citrus scent. Very appropiate for summer. So it's kinda too bad this didn't arrive earlier. It is bright, clean, and really yummy. It definitely has an Earth-Ox/Earth rat/Fire Pig vibe, so for those who love them twinkle will not disappoint.

 

Fruity, citrus and definitely weird. Something's off in this blend and it has to be the musky-weird base. Unfortunately it just ruins the rest of the notes for me. This had the possibility to be something great. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

 

Ooohh this is good. Aquatic with hints of ozone, salt to cure the masculinity that threatens to overwhelm. There is something inside that is sweet, woodsy and perhaps minty. Definitely bottle worthy and will smell especially awesome on B!

Dry red wine that within seconds turns into sweet grape juice.

 

Twizzlers with a bite. I would have to say the first time a cherry scent did not go wonky with my skin chemistry.

 

 

First of all chamomile is underrated and I was so excited to see it in one of the new MTP blends. It would be my luck that the blend with cham. would also contain honey of some sort. (blech) Unfortunately the honey is the only thing that stands out here. It simply overpowers the tonka, hyssop and chamomile, which just sucks.

 

Nuts, mint and chocolate. Whats not to love. I appreciate the addition of cedar, so as not to make this super sweet. An imp will do, because I have enough chocolate blends to last a lifetime, considering the hubby hates the smell of chocolate.

 

Lavender, woods & resins. Kinda herbal, kinda earthy. I can't detect pear or gardenia, and frankly thats ok. I like not smelling them, because then I think this would become to sweet and too floral. This has possibilities to become my new sleep blend.

 

Sweet carnations & pink pepper. Not much more to add. It's whimsical, girly and pink.

Whoso is earthy, musky and powdry. It starts off very rosey and woodsy, and after it dries, the amber comes in and softens the rose, bark and oak. I can detect a little moss, but it really isn't prevalent at all. I guess it just lends to the overall earthiness. As several hours have passed, this is all rose and amber and really reminds me of The Millers Daughter, yet Whoso is more prettier and softer.

Sometimes vanilla can react really badly with my chemistry, so ordering two bottles blindly was definitely a risk. Thankfully this is a vanilla I can get behind. This is melty vanilla ice cream. Wonderful strong thorw, which is unsual for me, as foody blends don't seem to last. Perfect scent for the winter. Warm, comforting and extremely intoxicating.