Zii

ITB: Strawberry shisha and thick heavy coffee really jump out at me. The spices are nice and mellow in the background. Wet: The candied shisha is very strong, followed by a coffee note that is rich and sweet and spicy. I'm not really getting the spice notes on their own, but I can get a little bit of clove in the sweet foody rush. Drying: It's much smokier and drier and thankfully WAY less foody. It's much smokier and warmer now, and the coffee has faded way back. However, this candied shisha scent isn't my favorite version of smoke or tobacco. It's occasionally a wee bit artificial smelling. Dry: Here it is. This has dried beautifully. It's spices almost ground into wood, like a spice box, and the smoke has died down to a pleasant tingle not unlike a hit from a shisha pipe. Right now it is very much like Herr Drossylmeyer, which is another foody and smokey blend I'm quite fond of. I'll have to test them side by side to see if it's worth keeping both of these, but this is a stunning blend once it's actually dry.

I'm not going to spend much time reviewing what this actually smells like, because from wet to dry, it's spicy dark patch with wood and incense being background players. It's dirty, sensual and feminine without being unisex at the same time. What I am hear to say is that I love this so much I am halfway through my imp after three days. I've used some in my hair, slathered it on my wrist and neck, and even down my bra. I have found what they mean by a signature scent. I have worn this every day since I got it, which never happens, and I'm still not even close to tired of it. A bottle will be coming home ASAP.

This was a blind buy that I then tested at NYCC and I am so happy I got it. ITB: Of all things, this smells kind of like lemon zest cookies in the bottle. Not really foody, but clearly the citrus in the fougere and the vanilla are really playing with each other here. Wet: This is really hard to pin down, though I love it. The vanilla and the incenses are probably the most noticeable if I had to pick from the notes, but the fougere is turning them into practically unrecognizable versions of themselves, in a great way. Drying: So most fougeres contain oakmoss and I can very much smell the greenness in this perfume as it starts to dry. There is also an odd citrus thing that occasionally smells a little odd to me, but it tames itself quite quickly as this starts to get creamy and soft on my skin. Dry: I'm really not sure quite what I feel about this. It morphs a lot on me as I wear it, and some stages are amazing and others not so much. The dry stage is utterly amazing, though. It's much more what I thought this was going to smell like based on the notes. The incenses are much more recognizable, and the vanilla has backed off to add just a hint of sweetness that clashes a lot less with the green and citrus of the fougere than it did during the middle stages. This is a perfume that I can tell is going to be served well by aging. Both frankincense and myrrh really round out scent wise with age, and vanilla gets a lot less chemical, though I don't have a huge issue with it in this blend the way I can. Right now this is about a 6, and I think it could be something really stunning in a month or two.

"Why do you wait at your door, woman, Alone in the night?” “I am waiting for one who will come, stranger, To show him a light. He will see me afar on the road And be glad at the sight.” “Have you no fear in your heart, woman, To stand there alone? There is comfort for you and kindly content Beside the hearthstone.” But she answered, “No rest can I have Till I welcome my own.” “Is it far he must travel to-night, This man of your heart?” “Strange lands that I know not and pitiless seas Have kept us apart, And he travels this night to his home Without guide, without chart.” “And has he companions to cheer him?” “Aye, many,” she said. “The candles are lighted, the hearthstones are swept, The fires glow red. We shall welcome them out of the night— Our home-coming dead.” - Winifred M. Letts A welcome for the home-coming dead: an incense of dried ivy and maple leaf with honeyed fig, black cypress, and grave dirt. AHHH first review!! No pressure. ITB: Green dirt. Basically Beth's graveyard dirt is my favorite thing, and I leaped at the chance to try this. There is also a deep, almost vetiver like feel to this in the bottle that I love. Wet: The green dirt is now lightened by the honey, but the smoke in this really keeps the cloying in check. The dried leaves are very much burning incense and not just leaves, which gives this a super smokey and evocative feeling. Drying: The harsh smokey edge has worn off, making this much more rounder and balanced. I think I can smell something that must be fig as the honey fades a little, and it's really surprisingly wonderful and not foody. Dry: I had no idea I was going to find this sexy when it dried, but something about the honey and fig combined with the smoke and dryness of leaves really reminds me of some sort of fall/Halloween seductress. I can imagine Morticia Addams smelling like this. The smoke and leaves are very much in the back now, but they ground the sweeter scents really well and add really interesting dimension to this perfume. This is really feminine without being at all typical or overly floral, and I can see this aging amazingly. So glad I tried it!

This was way greener than I expected. It's not a brown pile of raked up leaves, but rather leaves that have been blown off a tree after a storm. Sappy, green and a little aquatic. Wanderbyy is right in her comparison with the leaves in H:SF. This is going to be an amazing layering scent, which is great because it means my dreams of an 'In the Leaf Pile' weenie run can be realized.

I tried this at NYCC and it is scarily like what it says it is, to the point where I couldn't buy it. It smells EXACTLY like really bitter heavy woodsmoke, and I could never see myself layering it or using it, despite really being a fan of the notion. It was just too bitter and heavy and smelled like it would drown out everything if I layered it. If I really want to smell like this, I'll spend a weekend making charcoal in Vermont with my dad.

This was probably one the the surprise hits from my testing at NYCC. I adored it so much I bought it outright. ITB: Smokey and surprisingly green and aquatic. At this point, I was not super interested, but it turned into something wonderful on my skin. Wet: The smoke really blooms and blends amazingly with the hay, which is deepened by the earthiness of the patchouli. The herbs are very much the deep green type, and I am getting almost no wood. Drying: This is Halloween: San Francisco's smokey cousin. It has that same wet, almost rotting leaf scent, but instead of foggy salt air, this one is smoke and dryness. But despite that, there is a very similar feel during the wet and drying stages to H:SF, which is one of my favorite scents. Dry: The wood is the major player now, and it almost smells smoked. Like wood that's been drying next to a fire that has taken on a little of the scent but doesn't smell burned. The patch is still noticeable, but unlike most times, it's very much a background player, deepening and dirtying up the wood. It has a very evocative fall feeling to it, like open fields and camping. I can see myself getting a ton of use out of this one and am so glad it wound up coming home with me.

Seconding Laughter of Loki. It's green and sharp and very much NOT a head shop scent while still being patchouli heavy. Crowley is a great beginner's patch blend because so much else is going on with it. For me, it's much more leather forward, and the patchouli blends really well with the musk and oakmoss to really become something different but still recognizably patchouli.

Black Rider is much more leather dominant than smokey, but there is this really sweet tang to it. It is one of my favorites for dark and masculine, but it is not smoke dominant at all on me.

Wet: I don't know why this is screaming floral sap to me, but this is very green. Very similar to my SN Dandelion of all things. Not what I wanted at all... Drying: This must be the orange blossoms drowning everything out because this is a nasty sappy green floral with the barest hint of something musky. No tonka, no sandalwood, and the only thing that might be ambrette seed is the musky thing floating around, seeing as the googles tell me it smells like musk. But it's really just smelling like cheap floral soap right now. Dry: Well, now at least I can figure out that this is ORANGE blossom and not just generic floral. But I had no idea that this was going to be so floral on me. Florals and I do not get along in the slightest, and both tonka and sandalwood are usually very rich on me. We'll see what a little aging does to this, but I think this one isn't going to work on me.

ITI: Leathery, woody patchouli. God this smells amazing. I never get tired of deep leathers OR Beth's patch, and this is promising both. Wet: This is stunningly true to the ITI, which NEVER happens, but I am so thankful it is with this blend. Something in this makes me feel like a woody cousin of one of my favorites, Black Rider, and it very much has that same deep feel. But there is something stunningly clean and light here as well, cutting through the murk that can happen with patchouli. I can only assume it's the floral and the vanilla. Drying: Something that I swear is hay is shining through the patchouli now. It's lost most of the deep leathery feel from the wet stage, but is still really spicy and rich. I think it must be the balsams and woods. Dry: Yeah, this is very much a wood scent now that it's dried. This is really a crazy morpher on me, and while every stage is nice, it doesn't live up to the wet stage. For sure when I tested this I though I wanted a bottle, and now that it's dried down, I'm not so sure. I am very happy to have my imp though, and I know it will get use.

Wet: I grate a lot of orange peels for cooking and this is exactly what this smells like. Clearly and very orange, but with a kick of bitter slightly green sharpness that keeps this from going overly candied. Drying: I think the tobacco is making this a little bit bitter. Still yummy and very true to the basic notes, but something is verging on Citri-Solv here. Now, I adore the scent of Citri-solv, mostly because it's a very true orange note, but it does have a chemical feel that I am getting a bit from this perfume. I think the hay is also starting to come out, giving this a slightly musty feel. Dry: Oh yes, there's the hay. This is much nicer now. The chemical ick hanging around the middle stages totally revolved itself, and I am really loving this. It's rather low throw, but most citrus is like this. I can't see myself wearing this a ton, so I may not get a bottle, but it will be a great warm weather scent for sure, and I'm super glad I got it.

ITI: Sour, sharp tea. Not a great start. Wet: Tea and orange are the most notable, with something high and sharp behind it. Something almost like citronella is hanging about, but instead of being gross, it gives a sharp lemon coolness to the blend which I find surprisingly nice. This quickly settles into a sharp, citrus green tea, which I am really coming to enjoy. Drying: The tea is very much fading, but what is blooming is a remarkably dimensional and sweet orange. There is a flower keeping the orange in check which I can only assume is costus, though I am unfamiliar with the scent, and there is a little roundness from the cedar which makes this really warm and spicy. As much as I love cedar, I am very glad it's a background player here, so this orange really gets to bloom. Dry: Orange heavy and really delightful. Now that it's dry, I'd say this is mostly a spicy orange, with a little deepening from oakmoss and cedar. The teas are not distinct anymore like they were wet, but they are adding a depth to this along with the tonka that makes this very comforting and beautiful I got this on a bit of a whim hoping for a good tea scent, but instead, I think I found my dream citrus. Not foody, long lasting and complex. A winner in my book. Hopefully, aging is kind to this. I know cedar and oakmoss age well, so I'm excited for this all around.

Wet: Smokey and very sweet tobacco. Someone I knew smoked vanilla pipe tobacco and this is almost a dead ringer for that smell. Drying: It's getting spicier and deeper, and I can really get the orange now. Something not so nice is hanging around here, almost like burnt resins or herbs. It's a little sour and leaves an odd taste in the back of my throat. Dry: This is starting to smell like burnt orange peels. There is something in the smokiness of this that really just doesn't work at all for me. It also has this old fashioned vibe that I really just am not interested in at all. I'm going to let it settle to see if anything lightens up about this, but so far, this is really not nice for me.

ITI: Delicious, green and sharp! I am very much getting the juniper and mint, and a little bit of the musks as well. Wet: Lots of patchouli now, with the musks playing second. The mint's backed down a lot, and is now just a refreshing tingle along with the juniper. There's also a bit of an incense vibe from the sandalwood and maybe the resin, which is also adding a little sappy smoke to this. There's also a lingering sweetness, which must be the vanilla. Overall, this is delightfully complex and wild. Drying: Almost a berry sweetness is coming out, but unlike a lot of Beth's berry, this is deep and red and true and not at all medicinal, even with the mint. It's also a bit plummy and I am very much getting the vanilla now. I have no idea what makes this smell like berries though. And the floral is much clearer now, but it is tempered by the darker notes so it's quite pleasant, despite me not being a floral person. Dry: Vanilla and floral. This really loses all out it's outdoorsy vibe and settles into something quite sweet and snuggly. I am still getting gentle sandalwood, but am overall stunned that this is not patch and juniper heavy, given how much my skin loves those notes. I think I like the wet stage the most, but this is a real morpher in a really fun way. Super glad I was able to try this, and I will very much wear this again.