LiberAmoris

Sweet sugar plums with myrrh and benzoin to anchor it—this does smell red, somehow. I gave my office a good misting, and when I walked back in the room, it reminded me a bit of some strawberry incense that I had in college and loved. Like incensey dessert in a bottle!

A Grateful Heart is very pretty. This is soft rose, vanilla, and sandalwood sweetened with sugar and honey. I know tea rose is a kind of rose, but I get the suggestion of tea itself from this as well (must just be how the notes are interacting). I don't find this too sweet, and it strikes me as the kind of hair gloss that would make a perfect 'gateway BPTP' gift. I really love the combo of rose and sandalwood, so this is a keeper for me and I'll enjoy the many layering possibilities with perfume!

Caw-Caw is true to its inspiration; this smells like black feathers with a hint of iridescence. The black patchouli, black amber, and clove provide a velvety dark backdrop for the lilac to subtly glint against. The agarwood provides a continuous line of golden woods through all stages of the scent. This is a hair gloss that smelled better the longer I wore it, as some of the heavier notes lifted a bit. The clove is a stronger player than I thought it might be—it holds up well even next to the patch, amber, and agarwood. Overall, the notes seem to sort of knit together, though. There's a phantom note of fresh soil that I get every once in a while, not unpleasant, just smells outdoorsy.

Eight Maids-a-Milking was a good blind buy for me. If you like the hay note, consider at least trying this, because it's used to great advantage here and comes through strongly. Actually, I can smell all the notes: chestnut, milk, honey, and hay. Ultimately this is essentially a 'milk and honey' scent, but better. The hay and chestnut add a lot and really elevate it to something more interesting and for me, wearable. Comforting and cosy, mellows into a skin scent for my hair.

Mme. Moriarty in hair gloss form makes for a great layering hair gloss with other red musk scents, and of course, with Mme. Moriarty the perfume. This smells very similar to the perfume oil, a red musk/patchouli/plum blend, with the pomegranate, black currant, and vanilla chiming in on the second level. It's an incensey scent for those of us who like red musk. I'll enjoy this!

I get more than a thread of lavender from The Air & The Ether, but that’s not a problem. Wet, this is like an ambered lavender honey with a hint of chamomile. It’s gentle, herbal, and yes, ethereal. As it dries down, the ambergris and amber assert themselves more and the lavender turns into a dusky musk. This, like Lullaby, wears right on the line between beautiful daytime scent and perfect sleep scent. It vibrates at a very relaxing frequency.

The sentiment behind Wynter Wakeneth Al My Care is really lovely, plus it has champaca, so I was all over this. Somehow, I don’t know how I managed to get this lucky, but this is champaca-forward on me. Champaca and patchouli lead the pack, followed by the amber. The vanilla and frankincense are in the back, but they add anchoring warmth. This is a beautiful incensey blend, and I imagine it will only get better with time.

Nebulaphobia was one of the Halloweenies that I was most excited about this year. I love all the notes, especially grey ambergris. This is such an amazing capture of fog! Wet, this has a surprising smoky, leathery, camphorous assertiveness. At this stage, it’s kind of challenging, but when I parse the notes, I smell the leathery cade; the sweet, resinous frankincense that codes as smoky incense; and the marine, salty, caramel-y ambergris. These notes separate as this dries down, moving apart to signal themselves more singularly. The drydown is the stage that I enjoy most, when I can selectively pull the ambergris forward with each huff.

I took a look at the notes for this Thirteen and it was the quickest blind buy ever. This is like my dream liquor: coconut-coffee-chocolate-almond-vanilla. Well ok, that might be a bit too busy for a liquor, but it’s heavenly in a perfume. This smells like Cacao Pod went on a bender, and I am here for it.

Amaxophobia is one of those blends where I’m speechless with Beth’s ability to capture a place and feeling. This smells like motor oil and exhaust. It’s absolutely dead-on, and on the drydown I get a smidge of the tree air freshener, piney and a bit soapy. The chocolate note is barely there, just a suggestion of it floating around the car where it’s slipped between seats. Stunningly accurate. Not a blend that I would wear as a perfume, but one that I will keep to marvel over.

Joy and Fear is resiny rose musk and sandalwood on me with a tangy hit of benzoin, an 'enhanced' rose musk that does feel timeless. I love red sandalwood, and that note helps pin this down to something very grounded and gently woodsy. This smells classic in the best way.

Not Such an Agreeable Seat does smell rich. Rose, saffron, and oudh are the most prominent notes on me, with the orris trailing. I find the oudh well balanced here, but the oudh-sensitive should sample before taking the plunge. It's a rosy, golden, smoldering blend, brought down to earth by the oudh and made lightly powdery and classic by the orris. Layers beautifully with Rose Oudh & Myrrh HG.

Head-clearing, focal, cobweb-banishing business, Stillness is. Herbal, woodsy goodness. The primary notes are available like stripes in the sillage: pine, chamomile, and lavender. The palmarosa and patchouli are less prevalent on my skin. This is wintry stillness distilled, for those who leaned into trees as kids to get a good inhale and who blurred sap with their fingertips. The scent version of seeing your breath hang in the cold air—so simple, so binary. Beautiful and perfect for this time of year.

Agree, Hemophobia is crimson musk and vetiver. I really like all the permutations on red musk, so that part of this scent works well for me. Vetiver is very scent-specific for me, although I find myself enjoying it more and more. There is something slightly metallic here that does remind me of the tang of blood. This is one to test on my husband, because I think it will be fantastic on him.

The Mournful Influence of the Unperceived Shadow has that same cola note that I get from Sin—it must be the black patchouli. I adore 'coca cola' patchouli! This is patchouli untethered, dark, sweet patchouli that you fall into like a swoon. 'Shadow musk' is an amazing note in a note list and I think we should pause and appreciate that on its own. The black patchouli, shadow musk, labdanum, and myrrh super-collide to form a dark, resiny-vegetal wave wall that comes so fast that the saffron is practically swallowed up. But it persists, bringing warmth and a slightly leathery, bittersweet, red-orange currency. This is definitely and without question a patchouli blend, and I love it.

Purple! Violets, lavender, iris, orris. The 'smoked violet' note is beautiful and appropriately complicated, dark. This could either go super-pretty sleep blend or sexy day perfume for me. Stealthily, Stealthily reminds me of Carey Mulligan's purple-grey-blue dress in Luhrmann's Gatsby (when she meets Gatsby for the first time after many years). It's absolutely stunning.

You Fancy Me Mad is so fascinating—I had no idea what this might smell like from the notes, and even after a couple of tests, this has eluded me a bit in terms of how to describe. I guess this is a patchouli blend, but there is just so much going on. It's like patchouli with a bunch of flashing flights. The lemon, neroli, and orange blossom are particularly vociferous when wet, raising a chorus of bright voices. The bitter clove, opoponax, and vetiver work like an undercurrent, pulling in the opposite, baritone direction. As it settles and dries down, this is still a patchouli blend, but the markers of patchouli have been modified or replaced. There's a citrusy, blossomy thing happening instead of something vegetal. The vetiver brings something earthy and dank, but the clove is enriching it so it smells more rooted and spiced. All in all, I think I like this and I imagine I will like it more in time, after aging.

I Heard Many Things in Hell is an herbal iris on me with an underpinning of frankincense. The chamomile and lavender combo makes this very calming, and the end result is something like a meditative, herbal cologne that I imagine a viscount might dab on as part of his morning toilette. I don't know that this is one I'd reach for often, but I really admire the use of iris here.

Groan of Mortal Terror is probably my favorite Halloweenie this year. On my skin it smells like a straight-up split of ambergris, opoponax, and Bulgarian tobacco. Sweet, resiny, ambered tobacco—uncomplicated and perfect like a fuzzy fall sweater. A backup was necessary.

The Eye of a Vulture on me is a watery milk, lilac, and iris blend. The milk note is like skim milk—it's not excessively creamy, just a sheer whitewash of milk. The overall effect is of a pale milky floral, like the lightest purple lilac ever—nearly white. I don't get any coconut milk at all. It's a very delicate floral, but has a lot of personality. It's quite unusual, I'm not sure I can think of another BPAL scent I've tried that's similar. I really love this, but I'm a lilac and iris lover, so it's kind of a no-brainer.

2017 version: La Calavera Catrina starts off with a strong scent of dead leaves and marigolds. The dead leaves note backs off quickly, and the chrysanthemums start warming things up. The wild roses, bourbon vanilla, and chamomile ease in about 10 minutes later—much to my relief, as they're all notes I love. Dry, this a lovely dry autumn floral with dead leaves skittering around in the far background. The chamomile is surprisingly active in the drydown, adding an herbal powderiness that's really pleasant. Marigold and dead leaves still aren't my favorite notes, but they really recede and I quite like the end result.

I can't believe this is my first year trying Day of Skulls! I love how the florals, tobacco, cocoa, sandalwood, and beeswax cycle in and out and the sillage, like they're all tumbling around in a revolving door. The florals are my favorite part—hydrangea, rose, kantuta, cactus flower—telegraph lush ornamentation. The sandalwood and frankincense are as dry as bone. This feels very much in the vein of Kali, Dia de los Muertos, and Mictecacihuatl.

I threw a bottle of Solstice Lace in with my Krampus Lace order, and I'm so glad I did—this is gorgeous. Everything here is so well balanced. The bonfire smoke and lightly tangy apple wine are present but really subtle. The 'vanilla cream lace' and amber and copal are divine together. The cognac, tobacco, and St. John's Wort bring an herbal depth. All together, this reminds me a bit of Mabon (2004). It has that same apple-y, fall-ish vibe, although the 'lace' here pushes this in a more gourmand direction rather than earthy. Such a beautiful blend!

Wow, Beaver Moon 2017 is a dead-on hit to the description of a chipotle-, caramel-, cocoa-, and coffee-inflected cheesecake. It's a piece of cheesecake that you order and arrives festooned with chocolate-covered coffee beans and chipotle dust, with a plate striping of caramel and chocolate. This is an over-the-top dessert that you think you'll only have a few bites of but end up finishing. Not an everyday scent for me, but I'll enjoy pulling this out when I'm craving dessert.

Mmmm, champaca. Dead Leaves, Coconut, and Champaca Blossom is light on the dead leaves note, letting the champaca blossom take center stage. I don't even get much coconut from this. Dry, this is champaca with a darker shadow than it normally throws, a beautiful, golden autumn floral. I'm so glad to have this in my collection!