themeaningofV

I am so thankful that I'm not amping the sandalwood this time around, because this is the sultry leather/tobacco scent I have always wanted. Makes me want to wear loud lipstick, a fur coat, and start smoking outside a sleazy club at night.

I was afraid to skin-test this one, because I kept getting this incredibly funky note that put me off. On the skin, I can make out the coconut, but the rest kinda melds into this weird diaper-esque thing that's just not very pleasant. I'm gonna let this sit for a few more weeks and try again.

Hm. Can anyone who has both Dragon's Hide and Dragon's Musk tell me how they differ? I got a frimp of Dragon's Musk in my latest order, but I sniffed and tested it and it smells JUST like Dragon's Hide - I swear I'm getting the leather and smoke, even. I'd definitely smell SOME musky notes if it were Dragon's Musk, right? Or do I just really amp dragon's blood?

Leather and a splash of gin, whiskey swirled tobacco, rose petals, and bourbon vanilla. Oh, gosh, am I the first? Here we go... In the bottle, it's sweet and boozy. It's a little bit overwhelming, a little nail polish remover-like, but have no fear! It's quite the morpher on the skin. Wet on the skin, the gin is initially the strongest note. Leather comes out a little bit to play. After a while, this settles into a BEAUTIFUL chewy tobacco, with a little sweetness from the vanilla. I want to point out how well-blended the rose petals are - they really are just a "swirl", adding a nice subtle floral top note. The leather really grounds everything and really feels like more of the "black jacket" variety. Overall: awesome, awesome, awesome. If you like your leather and tobacco scents on the boozy side, get this. My immediate scent associations: Tavern of Hell; Perversion; L'Heure Verte

I love this. Predominantly vetiver, with maybe a whiff of black coffee if I concentrate, but it's SO ROUNDED by the vanilla. This is one of the nicest vetiver blends I've smelled, honestly. It's not too green OR too smoky and doesn't go super acrid on me like some other blends sometimes do. If you're a vetiver fan, this is well worth checking out. EDIT: Letting this rest for a few days worked wonders. The black coffee is now at the front when it hits the skin, with a wonderful smoky vetiver as support. This is sexy, man. Bottle upgrade.

So, I also tend to turn the Lab's black tea note into anise, but there's a roundness and depth to this that I haven't found in other similar blends (ex: A Peculiar Spirit). I find the clovey smoke adds a little depth and the cake crumbs add a soft, vanillic note. Going to give this a full-day wear before deciding whether or not to spring for a bottle before Liliths come down.

Happy, happy sighs. I serendipitously received a goblin squirt of this in a recent BPAL community order, and I'm in love. I have problems with the Lab's rose notes going sour or rotten on my skin sometimes, which is a shame because I looove rose notes. I had to let Two, Five & Seven go after one too many wonky skin chem days, and this is very similar, but now I can sleep with it. ❤ It's also very reminiscent of my Rose Red hair gloss, but nowhere near as overwhelming. A beautiful rose scent with a hint of greenery. Will definitely upgrade to a full bottle from the Post at some point.

So, I loved the apple/honey combo from Eve (the DC'd Excolo), but sometimes the florals would misbehave. This is like the Lab heard my unvoiced prayer. What it says on the tin - lots of apple and honey with a hint of SOMETHING musky. It's smooth and golden and lasts FOREVER, with pretty strong sillage, to boot. There is something almost high-end shampoo/perfumey about this, but it just smells airy and GOOD. May have to spring for a bottle.

You know those big, chewy cookies that are always on sale for $1 at the grocery store? The big ones that come in packs of six or something and come in flavors like Dutch Chocolate and Oatmeal Raisin? That's what this is reminding me of - super-chewy soft sugar cookies with, indeed, just a "swirl" of caramel and chunks of fresh apples. Unfortunately, there is a note that threatens to turn to plastic on my skin as well, but I'm going to test this one a few times before making a final judgment.

If you can't find any of the Bonfire Night renditions, I think you'll be happy with Malediction from the general catalog.

I think I have to be wary of myrrh in the future - I really wanted to love this, but this winds up way too sweet and powdery on my skin. It also has very little throw - I have to press my nose to my skin to smell anything. I was hoping for something a little smokier, I suppose. Oh, well. Will pass on this half-decant to someone who loves it! I should mention that I tested this three separate times, and it was faint all three. And I barely get any clove. But it does remind me a lot of Old Demons of the First Class, so if you love this, get that (and vice-versa).

The ivy really comes out on drydown. Super ozone-y. The wine adds just a touch of sweetness. There was a stage in the middle with a lot of leather that was very nice. The overall effect is like a slightly bitter, green cologne. Will hang onto this imp!

I've had bad luck with the cider-y/autumnal scents in the past, but this one might FINALLY be my holy grail. This had pretty strong throw when first applied - I could smell heavy cinnamon while holding my wrist about a foot away from my face. The spicy sillage dies down after a while, and closer to the skin it actually smells like something I'd drink as opposed to a craft store candle (which Fearful Pleasure unfortunately turned into on me). Repeated testings are necessary, but I may upgrade to a bottle. I also agree with those who say this would be a great room scent!

Ack! After the success I had with one of the Dead Leaves glosses from last year, I thought maybe my reading of the "leaves" note as celery was just a one-off thing with Harvest Moon '13, but alas! This is a very, very GREEN dead leaf note. Like... moist leaves in a leaf bag after a rainfall? Yeah. The cinnamon incense smoke is very nice, but the different notes all seem to be warring for dominance and aren't really meshing well. I'm going to let this sit for a while before retesting, but for now, it's not for me

This is a nice, slightly sweet, low-key rose - it reminds me a lot of the rose in Harlot. The resin notes add a nice background to it. It's soft and delicate without ever going into Full Soap Mode. I like this and can see myself reaching for this imp in the spring/summer.