Bluestblood

A scent with no depth: a light, reedy, almost vapid take on a classic men’s fougere. Before I start the review, I am going to begin with an anecdote. When I saw this scent go live, I got excited, had no idea why and bought two bottles thinking "well, if I don't like it, I can always decant it". This is not something I usually do and felt stupid after I placed the order. So the bottles arrived today, and I stared them down for a few minutes before I put some on my wrist. Here comes my review. Initial thoughts can be summarized in the following disjointed words and sentiments: "Wow", "bathtub full", *grunt*, and "MINE!" Wet: Fougere, unisex, light green plants, floral I cannot identify that may be rose (if it is, it is unusual), a light/oily wood note similar to Thieves' Rosin - the combination does smell very light. Dry: My skin amps the floral/green aspect quite a bit to the point where it gets really loud with my skin chemistry. Reedy IS an excellent way to describe it as there is something hollow and superficial about it. Sadly, it does not work well with my skin chemistry but I can see this being amazing on someone else. There was this jerk guy I dated once who liked dressing up in white suits so he would stand out at parties. He was very charming at face value and had a smile that could bite someone's soul out draw just about anyone to him. This reminds me of him.

This is amazingly nostalgic for me. It reminds me of my backyard as a kid. This scent encapsulates the local flora, the sun baked towels we would lie on, and the wood of the old gazebo that came with the house (of which hundreds of butterflies fluttered around every summer). The tonka, orange peel, mate, and cedar stand out the most for me giving the blend a creamy citrus and wood vibe. It is both warm and refreshing.

Once this dries on my skin, it smells exactly like old piano. I can see where people are getting the church comparison from. It kinda reminds me of The Coiled Serpent's more conservative cousin.

Gum Arabic is my go-to for grounded, rational thought. Unfortunately, Hunger Moon is the only scent I can think of that has it. I keep a stash around the house for burning. Lotus, anise and celery are supposed to also be associated with clear thinking but I find all three distracting for different reasons As far as GC scents go, I find The Coiled Serpent, Mad Hatter and Magus to be excellent thinking blends.

This reminds me so much of a more masculine Kataniya the Clockwork Woman. The metal and leather (which is not the soft kind) stand out the most, but it is tempered by something distinctly cologne-y and almost floral. It has a hot electric quality to it that makes it devastatingly sexy. It has an average to long throw and is long lasting on skin.

I lean toward male/unisex scents. My go to leather scents are Red Rider, Cyborg and Fighter.

This is indeed creepy. I smells like a freshly painted white room in an old house. Oddly, it smells exactly like the description and dries into something similar to Whispers of Monstrous Things.

I am a major rose amper. Seance, Ouija and Othello are the only ones that tend to work on me.

Disclaimer: I love red musk. This is gorgeous. It manages to be innocent, sinister and sultry at once. When wet, it smells like a blast of sweet - almost honeyed - red musk with very little complexity... ...but holy mother of god, when it dries, something magical happens.... The red musk is still the top note, and there is something vaguely naturalistic about it like laying out in a field. There is also an undertone of something tannic like the dryness of black tea (just so I am not mistaken, it does not smell like tea, it just has a similar dry quality). The patchouli is detectable and adds a gentle gritty earthiness. It has an average throw, but when you sniff it close to the skin it has an almost sharp quality to it which is my only peeve; however, considering this beauty's namesake is a dude who shoots people in the name of love, I guess it should be sharp. I smell zero vanilla, and barely a hint of the bergamot and currant.

Blue, you hate apricot. What were you thinking? About the apricot...it's unusual. It not the sweet, juicy flesh of the apricot. It is indeed the muted, firm peel (i.e. it's not all in your face like "HI! I'm an apricot!"). Apricot peel, vetiver and a little patchouli were showing up for me the most when it was wet. It got really interesting on the drydown: The wood notes showed up more and the vetiver mellowed a lot. The apricot added a subtle sweetness to an otherwise dry and very sophisticated wood base (with the ho wood being the most subtle). There is barely a hint of vanilla (which is awesome in my book - sorry vanilla fans). I was deluding myself into thinking I might be able to tolerate the apricot because of all the adored wood notes. HOWEVER, I can absolutely appreciate this blend which is more than I can say of any other stone fruit blend. It is a complex creation. It's just not for me.

There is a note, which I think is camphor, that is in Yggdrasil, Kathmandu and Hamadryad. What is it and what other scents have it? Thanks =)

On me, this smells EXACTLY like one of those big, rainbow swirl lollipops!

I am not entirely sure, Sakura. I have never smelled The School-House. The note I am thinking of smells like wintergreen lifesavers.

Ivy, I did some research, and you are absolutely correct. The smell I was trying to figure out is sweet birch. Teaberry also smells similarly, but since I doubt the lab uses that, it must be birch. I wish there were more scents with that note. I would seriously buy a gallon!

Wet: Strong menthol and eucalyptus - similar to vaporub. Dry: The eucalyptus mellows out and some very subtle apple peaks out. It reminds me of a metal bowl that has been rubbed in eucalyptus oil, wiped out and filled with big, red apples. There is definitely a metal quality to it that - while subtle - is a big part of the end result.

This is not my kind of scent, but I can appreciate it. It smells like a texture...let me explain. You know the slimy, light green seaweed you get in a seaweed salad? It smells like that (without the seaweed). The actual smell is similar to Faeu Boulanger's mushroom-y light green note. It is almost melon-y, too. Like if a honeydew and a mushroom got drunk at a party, hooked up and had a lovechild. It is light, refreshing and curious. I am not into it because it is not my style, but I can see someone who likes cucumber, melon, and/or mushroom scents liking this.

Well then I guess I am in luck because I have decants of both of those on the way =P Thank you.

Greek musk, violet leaf, carrot seed, and ho wood. At first sniff, I was certain I would not like this. I am very fortunate I waited for the dry down. Wet: Dry and waxy, kind of like wood polish lacking a lemon scent, slightly bitter and medicinal. The violet leaf is detectable in the back of the nose but it is not in your face. Dry: Wow. A rich, yet mellow, wood/musk smell starts to creep through and adds the barest hint of sweetness. The bitterness almost completely fades and what does remain compliments everything else. It starts to remind me of the scent of my mother's skin after she slathered herself in olive oil on and sat in the sun (don't judge, she was a great tanner and was not afraid of skin cancer ). The scent gets very complex and unique and is greater than the sum of its parts. It smells herbal, pale (really!) and absolutely nostalgic. It does not have a lot of throw but lingers for a long time; it's definitely an up close and personal scent. Rating (0 - 5): 4

Oh wow, we will get along (with the exception of your love of vanilla and foodie )! In my humble opinion, try these out: The White Rider (or any of the other riders, this one is my favorite) King Haggard Cathode Stentor Wanda Fenris Wolf

Embalming Fluid Phobos Elaphospyris ...if we are including verbena for the latter two.

To me it smells EXACTLY like circus peanuts wet and on drydown...those marshmallow candies I had as a kid. It absolutely succeeds in making me happy!

I have. The challenge I am having is finding something that is not discontinued.

...and the only cure is more... The Macabray And it doesn't look like I am going to be getting a bottle of that anytime soon. Would any of you lovely people be willing to recommend a similar scent that is still in existence? I would be grateful!

Do sold out scents typically come back? I am in love with The Macabray, would probably love Serpents with Glittering Eyes and Forky Tongues (based on the notes) and my friend would probably do strange and horrible things for a bottle of Antique Lace. Thanks!

Have you tried anything with pennyroyal in it? You may like Mad Hatter (the only reason I didn't was because it had a creamy finish that reminded me of vanilla...and I hate vanilla). It smelled kind of like a butter mint to me. Stentor is nice too. It has what I can only describe as an herbal brightness that makes me happy. I will be following this thread because, I too, am a huge fan of mint.