LiberAmoris

If the red sandalwood note in Crimson or Sinus Amoris is your happy place (as it is mine), you should try The Women's Song of Mourning! It's delectable here, and at least on me, makes this hair gloss smell like an early Lupercalia treat—red and sexy and decadent. The honeyed amber is married to the sandalwood very smoothly, and the clove and saffron are detectable but not overwhelming. I'm trying to write the review and I just want to huff my own hair...one of my favorite hair glosses of 2015, for sure!

So, I saw the notes for Lullaby and basically had Wile E. Coyote eyes over it. Moonflower, tuberose, and vanilla orchid are three of my favorite notes, and they don't pop up all the time...and certainly not all together. I also really enjoy French lavender and white sandalwood, and gardenia, iris root, and moss can be lovely. But nothing could have prepped me for how much I love this. On my skin, it's lavender with all the other notes in its skirts, a purply, night-blooming flower-driven masterpiece. This is a sleep blend if you want to stun before you sleep, like if you dropped a dram of glamour into a Midsummer Night's Dream.

A Specific Aberration smells both ghostly and summery—it's such an interesting juxtaposition! I'm not sure if the white petals here are tuberose or some other white flower, but they do seem to actually drift through the ambergris and frankincense like an apparition drifting through a wall. There's something truly supernatural about it, and also supernal...there's an effect here of an open space. The ambergris here seems pale compared to ambergris in other blends, and the frankincense is light as a feather. This seems like the kind of scent I'd want to wear with a white dress in summer. There is something a bit soapy about it at first, but it doesn't bother me...it smells fresh and haunting at the same time.

Gelt 2015:

 

This is the first year I've tried Gelt! I'm not sure why I didn't try it before, but am glad I took the plunge this year. In the bottle, it smells a bit like Nutella: hazelnuts and chocolate. On my skin, it smells like chocolate and amber and something a bit nutty. It's delicious. This is almost like Velvet + Bliss + amber on me, and I love it.

Fuzzy marshmallow goodness. This smells like the base of Lick It—if you take away the mint, there's this awesome vanilla musk base, and that's what Stekkjarstaur smells like on my skin. I also see the comparisons to Boo—this smells a bit like Boo minus the cotton note. As I said in the Yule thread, this is simple perfection. Not only is this fun on it's own, but I bet it will make for some layering magic.

I'll echo reviewers above and say that Palmyra was a real surprise. I also expected a cascade of full-throated notes, but this is soft and fuzzy, a scent with a very light touch. It's very well-blended indeed, making it tough to pick out individual notes. I can smell the amber, frankincense, and myrrh, and the vanilla-infused sandalwood is detectable and divine—as is the sand-smoothed leather. The cinnamon is so subtle that I can't pick up on it in any measure that might trigger sensitivity. On the drydown, this is amber, vanilla, sandalwood, and leather...all so light that they defy gravity and seem almost wispy. I like this a lot, and could see myself wearing it to work when I want light-as-air scent that's very soothing.

Fairy Tales and Lies does smell classic. The amber chypre is a bit brassy and high-pitched on me at first, but it settles down relatively quickly into a beautiful, soft warm base, giving the impression of candlelight. The lilac and rose come forward on the drydown, and I get both in equal measure. There's really just a touch of bergamot, but it brings a spot of brightness. It smells like a still life by an old master: lilacs and roses in a vase, bergamot oranges on a branch with glossy green leaves, dark background, golden light.

 

This is beautiful, and it layers so well with both Edith and The Waltz.

Pecan Pie is a nutty, cinnamon-strong scent on my skin for the first five minutes or so—smelling more like nut bread or carrot cake than pecan pie. But then it settles down and a golden, caramel note comes forward. I smell like pecan pie filling for a good hour or so before it fades into what smells like spiced brown sugar. I have no problem with any of these stages.

Yes, this is beautiful. No One Heard Her Except the Sparrows is like a fancy white chocolate, the kind that's been melded with other notes so that the chocolate manages to be both central and incidental. The orris, white sandalwood, and grey amber provide a very gentle, subtle, and elegant pushback against the chocolate. The orris is absolutely gorgeous here—I don't think I've ever enjoyed this note as much as I do in this blend.

 

I sprayed my hallway, and as the scent expanded, it reminded me a lot of Lush's Skinny Dip! Not sure how that's possible, but it does, and it's making me very happy.

Gold of the Heart of that Holy Kiss is like a golden cloud! The amber, honey, and golden peach give this a sunshiney, warm feel, with the patch leaf, bergamot, and sweet vanilla grounding it. The peach is forward here, but it's nicely balanced with the amber so it doesn't overwhelm. I think this atmo would be wonderful to spray on a grey day, because it's super cheering and sunny. It's reminiscent of the lovely Golden Peach and Bergamot HG, and I think I'll be spraying the inside of a winter jacket with this beauty and pairing it with that HG soon.

I agree that The Painted Rose is a sexy atmo. When sprayed in the air, it makes a room smell red and woody and sweet—dried rose petals, mellowed patch, and a bit of something candied and plummy. Sprayed on the sleeve of my shirt, I get a brighter rose and more patch. The sugarplum is toothsome but not overwhelming. Very nice!

YUM. The Strange Old Woman, when wet, skews a bit almondy/cherry extract. But five minutes after application, it's a bready, pecan-studded, caramelized cinnamon roll. Mouth-wateringly delicious and true on my skin, and pairs like a dream with any of the Pecan Pie items. SO GOOD.

Taste the Cherries and Look at the Flowers is like a breath of spring—agree that this smells like carnation, but I'm getting a very light kiss of cherry even freshly applied out of the bottle. There's an even lighter touch of the snow note, which I'm happy about. Once this dries, this smells almost like carnations and linens and the barest bit of cherry in my hair. I suppose that sounds weird, but it smells good, like cherry blossoms, and laundry drying in the spring wind, and carnations. It doesn't have a ton of throw in my hair, which will make this great for wearing to work.

A Shadow in the Elevator's cashmere patchouli is so voluptuous! With the black plum, dark oudh, and spectral musk, this like a plush oubliette. The vetiver is really nice here, and I say that pretty rarely! Definitely glad I took the risk with the vetiver, and I can't wait to see how this ages.

Lucille is beautiful, a smoky gem of a fragrance. I always worry that ylang ylang will be too much, but it's nicely balanced here. This wears like a classic, vintage perfume from the 40s...it's shadowy and elegant. The faded red roses are a nice touch, and add a bit of pathos. This dries down to a plummy, musky amber with a veil of red rose and a bit of sharpness from the ylang ylang. Lovely!

Crimson really knocks my socks off. On me this smells like dark red musk and red sandalwood in equal parts, with just a touch of clove, saffron, and oudh. The red sandalwood and oudh combo reminds me of Sinus Amoris, and like that blend, this smells like gorgeous, implacable incense. The saffron gives this a kind of tang that does smell a bit like blood, but it's very subtle. Stunning stuff, and I like it more each time I wear it.

Like others, I was unsure whether or not The Waltz would have a strong champagne note, as it can be so strong on me that it drowns everything else out. But this is truly so smooth. On my skin, it's like someone took the champagne note and buffed it down until all the bubbles are gone. The ambergris accord and white rose are brilliant here, and the vanilla amber gives it that Edith feel. This smells like Edith in love.

Key Lime Pie bath oil sounded like it might be nice on mornings when I need something a bit zippy and foody to get me going. And this is perfect. The lime isn't too bracing here, it's really just a great mix of sweet limes and something creamy, with a hint of a graham cracker crust. So fun!

The note list for Edith is sort of like a dream list for me...grey amber, white patchouli, oudh! PEARLESCENT VANILLA MUSK. On my skin, I get a lot of the grey amber and vanilla musk with the white sandalwood and patchouli providing a nice warm base. The amber is so beautiful—almost like salted caramel. This is so beautiful, and I'll enjoy every drop.

Marshmallow Cookie Pie bath oil leans a bit more milk chocolatey on me than the perfume...this is a lighter chocolate, with more marshmallow fluff. I also catch a tiny bit of coffee in here, and I'm not sure if it's just my imagination or my skin chemistry, but it makes the chocolate even more substantive. Very yummy and super fun scent. I'll enjoy having this in my weekend rotation this winter.

You know those cheesecakes that have a dark chocolate cookie crust that require one to smash the cookies and then press them into the pan? This smells like that dark crust, if it were mixed with a tablespoon of espresso powder. This is dark chocolate cookie and some kind of fancy vanilla extract and a touch of coffee on me. There's a bit of marshmallow on the drydown, just a dollop of fluff. YUM.

Marshmallow Cookie Pie hair gloss smells like dark chocolate pudding to me. Compared to the bath oil and perfume, this skews more marshmallowy on me, definitely a bit more creamy. Some chocolate cake recipes call for a shot of espresso to deepen the chocolate flavor, and this smells like there's a hint of coffee lurking here, in a good way. Really fun, and now when my husband tells me I smell like a cookie, I can say: BINGO! (Well, close enough.)

Peach Pie really is so bright and juicy! I'm not picking up much of a pastry or crust note, on me this is primarily scrumptious peach filling with the tiniest drop of butter and lemon. I think this would make for a great pick-me-up winter or spring scent...it's very zippy and lush.

Yes, Black Moths will do nicely. Although the vetiver makes this smell a bit prickly to my nose when wet, once this dries down it's a patchouli, rose, plum, and blackcurrant blend on me, with tonka and opoponax rounding things out and the vetiver falling over the top like a thin, translucent, green veil. It adds an aura of decay that seems just about right here, but doesn't dim the roses a bit.

 

I agree that this is reminiscent of The Tumultuous Virtues of Stern Passion—on me, it's a bit like if Vultures and For Each Ecstatic Instant got together. I love both of those blends, so it's a true compliment.

 

One of the things I love about Black Moths is that after a half hour or so, there's almost a tea-stained linen note that comes forward. It's so perfect for a Crimson Peak perfume, and it really makes this unique and haunting.

Mare Vaporum is jasmine writ large but in a script that unravels like smoke. The white sandalwood and smoky oudh have a lot to do with that, as they do an excellent job of loosening the joints of the heady flower. The amber and bourbon vanilla sweeten and stabilize. After a bit, this smells like the remnants of jasmine incense, surprisingly subdued and ghostly. I think it's beautiful, but I love jasmine so this is right up my alley.