Dark Alice

Ironically...the phoenix at midnight.

If you love frankincense and myrrh GO GET THIS!!!!!

Wet: Light frankincense and myrrh with the barest hints of leather.

Drydown:The frankincense and myrrh blend beautifully to make a wonderful kickass leathery badass scent. I love it!

Wet: Peach musk. Delicious wet peach. I want to lick my wrist.

Drydown: Light peach musk. This really doesn't change much from wet to dry! It is absolutely gorgeous and stays close to my skin once dry. My skin loves to eat this one up so I am going to have slather it on.

Powdery=the moon gazed upon my moonlit labours. It was an LE from this past Yule 2011 update. Gorgeous powdery goodness.

 

I also recommend Old Demons of the First Class (GC) The pepper is mild and the orris root and musk make it powdery on me as well. It's one of my favorites.

Purple spotted swallow tail is amazing!

Harsh herbal lavender that softens to an almost powdery herbal lavender on me. Off to the swaps with it goes.

Black currant, black orchid, lavender, black dammar, myrrh, oakmoss, champaca flower, and mandrake root.

 

This calls to mind a Smashing Pumpkins song of the same name that is very near and dear to me (well it's actually Behold! The Nightmare! but close enough), because they both have the same dreamlike quality. I must admit that at first I didn't know what to make of it; the lavender was trying to hold its own, the other notes all seemed to be sparring for dominance and there was a an underlying sharp edge, I believe from the mandrake root. However, this changes entirely after a couple of minutes. The lavender softens, supported by the depth of blackcurrant, and the most gorgeous, slightly (but pleasantly) powdery melange of champaca flower and orchid on a soft bed of oakmoss comes through. I think the type of myrrh used here is also contributing to that dreamy powdery feel. The champaca and orchid also have that heady sensuality that makes it impossible to associate this with a childlike dream involving glitter and rainbows. It is potent, mysterious and hypnotic, almost opiate. If you took an innocent, almost "baby" scent and tinted it with shadows, that's what this is--a perfect evocation of corrupted dreams.

 

I couldn't agree more with this review. However, I will add that the lavender comes out slashing through the scent up front and then dries down to this lightly sweet, baby soft lavender that makes you want to cuddle the cute little monster with very sharp teeth. The dry down is worth it. Totally. So glad I bought this and I foresee multiple bottles in my future.

Sweet delicious vanilla. (while wet that is)

 

Dry: Light vanilla and more vanilla bean. I need this in my life. Must try to find a bottle. This shit is amazing.

This smells like generic men's cologne with a strong linen note on me. This one is nauseating as well and needs to find a new home ASAP.

Wet: Sweet juicy citrus oil and water.

 

Drydown: Still citrusy with the barest hints of parma violet. This is so interesting. This the first bpal citrus that has stayed on my skin. And it's causing a headache. This has got to go.

Wet: Amber mixed with a woodsy and medicinal scent to it.

 

Dry: POOF! Everything but a little trace of galbanum left. Up Close I can smell some roses and no Egyptian musk. I am a sad panda as I was hoping this would work on me but alas it doesn't.

Wet: This smells like apricot/peach jolly ranchers.

 

Drydown: This turns into a soft apricot scent. Light, and soft. Too bad it's not a me scent, but overall it is very pretty.

This smells like cheap dryer sheets mixed with dollar store detergent on my skin. Must wash off now.

This starts out with peach and red musk. Strangely sparkly effervescent peach. This dries down to a flat peach soda and red musk with hints of cranberry. Definite pass.

Marotte has a wonderful dry, sparkly pear to it as well. (LE for April Fools) And Perilous Parlour-is straight up pear and vanilla. Good luck in finding what you seek.

Right now...to not stop...go and get The Vine that is still available in the lupes. The notes are "Bradford pear, honey, and vanilla cream". It lives up to the hype too bad my skin does not like it.

Wet: Sharp, wet smacked leather with skin musk. This does smell like someone might have been spanked in the forest. Too bad that this leather, again this type of leather causes migraines. Drydown: Clean, skin musk, leather, with sharp pine pitch. This has got to go and I will be rehoming my bottle when it arrives.

Wet: Wet small red roses and the unmistakable gloriousness of Calla Lily. As this dries the frankincense and Egyptian amber peak through the roses.

 

Drydown: Frankincense, with the hint of red roses and warm musky Egyptian Amber. This is lovely...but not for me. But I will keep this decant.

I smell like a payday bar. Literally...the Payday candy bar. My skin amps nutty scents and this is no exception. There is no fruit, winter notes, or even pine. Just Payday. Nuts.

This is truly disgusting. It smells like fake coconut/suntan lotion with too much incense and sugar. Truly an epic fail and this will be going to a new home and so will the bottle I ordered.

This is the same patchouli on me as in Occupy Wallstreet. Dark, earthy and gritty. The amber barely lightens it up but the patchouli and tar make this too dark for me. It smells like bitters sweetened by old honey. Pass.

This smells of blindingly bright sweet powdered sugar sweet tarts to me. Like snorting pixie sticks. I think this is just my personal reaction to peony, and would probly be the only thing I could smell no matter what else it was blended with. Probably not very helpful, but just in case there is anyone else out there with a similar sensitivity as me, thats what I got out of it.

 

 

I have to agree with Melliflous. This start out smelling ultra-sweet on me. Dry: It turns into a nauseating blend of sugar and what I suspect is peony. Definitive pass. But I am glad I got to try it!

Street Festival. Gorgeous fruity loveliness.

This is delicious. The plum, black currant, lemon, and vanilla make me hungry and want to find some fruit and dip it in honey and eat it. 2 bottle purchase for sure.

Wet: Fake Strawberries with barely there cream and incense.

 

Drydown: Cream incense? The strawberry is thankfully dying down and the what I assume is champaca is taking over and no tea rose. hmmmmm.........I think I like this and that the bottle will stay with me. I will have to retest just to make sure.