hammy

One of the biggest joys of my life is holding hands and walking with Lilith. My lovely wife is always walking behind us taking these photos, and I love how you can see Lilith growing up over the years. Lilith, please never stop holding my hand. Dorian holding hands with Slime Queen, with Snake Oil happily trailing behind. In the bottle - Daaaaamn. I can smell it all. This is gonna be a doozy. Wet - Aw shit. The SECOND I put this on, it transforms into something glorious. Slime Queen, is that you? It feels vibrant and young and carefree. There's a tinge of Snake Oil watching over the mix, making sure things don't get too out of control. Drydown - Hot DAMN I love this. It's like listening to a mashup of the classic BPAL hits with a fresh new twist. It's still there after a couple hours, and every time I catch a waft of it there's a slightly different angle of the scent showing. Not content with being a lovely blend, this is also interesting AF. Verdict - Folks are going to be hoarding this. I might be one of them.

Lilith loves RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she thought it would be fun to dress up for Drag Con 2018 as Lil Poundcake. I made a promise to her when she was tiny that I would carry her on my shoulders for as long as she wanted me to, and I am pretty positive that I will carry her down the aisle for her wedding. As I carried her around Drag Con, and I would hear people whisper, “oh my god, it’s Lil poundcake.” Some people would yell “Lil Poundcake!” and she would happily flip them off in character. When people would stop us and ask to take a photo, I would set Lilith down, give her the boa, and she would pose for the photo. Then she’d hop back on my shoulders and we’d continue on our way. Ah, the life of a dad. I wouldn’t give it up for anything. Dorian smushed into a cherry lollipop. In the bottle - It reminds me a little of cherry cough drops. Uh oh. Wet - Turns more into a sticky cherry lollipop scent, thank goodness. A hint of mintiness behind the cherry, which is unexpected but not unpleasant. Drydown - The cherry has mostly disappeared, and now it smells like Frostbitten Dorian with some sugar on top. Very curious. Getting harder to detect as it wears. Verdict - Dorian makes everything better. Some people are really into the Snake Oil variants (and deservedly so; they're awesome) ... but me? I'm all about the Dorians. This one didn't topple Dorian in the Pumpkin Patch from my top spot -- but then again it's 80 degrees outside and I snatched it straight out of the mailbox. I'm going to let it settle and try again.

In the bottle - Spicy sweet Snake Oil bubblegum! Wet - Spicy bubblegum. Like ... carnation bubblegum. Drydown - More Snakey as it dries. Snake Oil can be a bit much for me if it's not aged. In this scent, the sweetness of the bubblegum cuts the intensity of the Snake Oil. Verdict - It stays pretty linear throughout the day. Snake Oil and bubblegum, just like it says. Not much else to add, except that I can't WAIT for it to age. It's going to be a gorgeous blend.

In the bottle - This smells kind of like Amicitia with a little coastal flavor. I LOVE Amicitia (seriously -- I have 6 bottles) so this feels like a new spin on an old favorite. Wet - I'm getting sage for sure, along with a whirl of other things I recognize from my time in California but can't quite place. Herbal, slightly floral, green-brown smell. Drydown - It stayed pretty true to my first impression: a breeze full of local summer vegetation. The floral component has disappeared, though I suspect that's just my skin chemistry at work. Verdict - Sage is the main player in this blend. It's not as sweet as Amicitia, not as resinous as Chinigchinix, and not as dusty as Djed. It's just the dry sagebrush aspect of those. Think Halloween: Los Angeles without the fire/smoke notes. Man, this has some serious layering possibilities. I think it'll bring scents "home" for me, since it smells so much like the area where I grew up.

My baby, please never stop singing whatever goddamn song you want to sing, and never stop singing it at the top of your lungs. Never stop doing silly dances, never stop making jokes. Never stop talking about unicorns, never stop howling like a werewolf, never stop making wishes on dandelions. Never stop playing, never stop laughing. Dont ever let anyone tell you that youre too old to be joyful, or that the things you love are foolish or childish. Lilith, never stop blowing bubbles. Dandelion sap and blackcurrant bud with opalescent, shimmering white musk. In the bottle - This is beautiful. It's somewhere between Fairy Market and Butterflies, Flowers & Jewels Attending. Wet - LOVE how this smells on me! It was almost grassy in the bottle, but it morphed quickly on my skin into crystalline musk and juicy blackcurrant. (I know the description says blackcurrant bud, but I swear these berries have some flesh on them.) Drydown - Magical berries and milky dandelion sap. I had to huff pretty closely by the time it was completely dry. There's a sort of nectar aspect to it -- not quite spicy, but still tickles the nose. Sometimes currants go tangy on me, and that's not happening. Verdict - My skin chemistry sucked all the crystalline qualities out of this blend so it's now an incredibly well-blended perfume of soft, milky blackcurrants -- like an ethereal, non-pastry version of Eat Me. It ended up as a very cozy close-to-the-skin scent, perfect for the coming fall months. It kind of reminds me of a commercial perfume that I can't quite put my finger on. I'll update if I manage to narrow it down.

In the bottle - This really does smell blue. Sweet and blue! (Can't wait to wear it! Probably my favorite cold sniff from my Luper order.) Wet - Warms up right away. It's like frosting, but not your regular everyday frosting. This is all smooth magic unicorn frosting, and then bam! BLUEBERRY GLITTER GUMBALLS. Drydown - Still blue. My skin tends to absorb sweet stuff so it soaked up all the sugary goodness, leaving me with almost a floral-vanilla aftertaste. Still very nice, still sweet. I agree with the above review -- something about this reminds me of the soft florals in Love & Sleep and maaaaybe Poor Monkey (both of which have fig milk, vanilla, and ylang-ylang). I wish the saccharine bubblegum phase lasted a bit longer, but I still love it when it turns into vanilla-blue territory. Kiiiind of want it in a hair gloss now. Verdict - This isn't the type of sugar that will keep you up at night. In fact, I'd almost use this as a sleep scent because it goes so dreamy-vanilla-sleepytime-moon on me. Lilith, you're awesome for making this and I look forward to sniffing more of your signature scents. High five, girl! This definitely put a smile on my face.

Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree Luminous golden amber, lemon peel, and royal agarwood, tonka bean and bone-white orris, and a splash of blood. In the bottle - Definitely got that "bone white" feel going on. Dry. Wet - Instantly juicy. These bones are fresh, with lemon zest and amber. Amber is dominating. Drydown - A lot more wood now. Damn, I rather like this. It's a vibrant amber-wood blend with a hint of juiciness. There isn't a lot of throw, so I don't have much more to report. The amber does go a little powdery as it wears on. I'm sneezing a lot. (Potentially unrelated since I've been breathing wildfire smoke for the last week, but thought you should know.) Verdict - For the most part, I like it. I'm going to have to give this a couple more tries, though. I haven't quite figured it out.

The new discovery of “Table Moving,” by means of an unseen power from the human hand, has only been introduced into England within the last few weeks; but it would be difficult to dingle out any scientific subject which has with such rapidity, taken so extensive a hold of the popular mind. If we travel by railway carriage, steamboat, or omnibus, this is the universal topic of conversation. From the aristocratic saloons of Belgravia to the “Parlours” of Whitechapel – the Green Park to the Cat and Mutton Fields, “table moving” is all the rage. From the Royal Institution, where the secretary pokes his head through a forest of electrical apparatus, to inform the audience that the facts are established, down to the humblest Mechanics’ Institute, all are full of it, and the tables, to quote the words of the old song – “are all a moving, move, move, moving,” – Every evening party must of course have its experiments; accordingly, gentlemen come provided with very elegant chapeaux for the occasion, and many an innocent flirtation occurs consequent on the proper arrangement of the little fingers of some of the fair operators. As “sweet eighteen,” with her blue eyes and golden locks, gracefully links her little finger with Charles’s, in a retired corner, what wonder if the hat should tremble? And Charles, being of course fond of poetry (his very name is a guarantee for that), cannot resist softly breathing into Lucy’s ear, that exquisite line from Waller, on his fair one’s harp – “Touched by that hand – who would not tremble too?” And after a little more conversation of a strictly scientific character, they feel quite satisfied with the success of the experiment. Mamma, who has been watching the progress of the magnetic influence at a distance, “has no patience with such nonsense, and wonders young men and young women cannot find something better to do.” She forgets that there was a magnetic influence at work about twenty years since, and what little trifles served as conductors then. – Table Moving, its causes and phenomena: with directions how to experiment A spirit-touched courtship: sweet orange blossom, white honey, jasmine tea, white sandalwood, green apple, and lily of the valley. In the bottle - Very buoyant, happy greenery. Wet - Warm. I get lots of honey. Sweet green springtime scent. Drydown - I'm smelling honey, but thinking nectar. It actually reminds me of the Nectar hair gloss, and I'm picturing a miniature butterfly garden. Tickles my nose a bit. I'd have to re-sniff my decant, but my mind is drawing parallels between this and Venus Verticordia, which I also liked. This has more going on, though. Less grass, more tea. It gets less heavy as it wears. By the end of the day, this was a spectral memory of spring. Verdict - Just lovely. I can't see anyone being offended by this. Might even be a good work scent, since it doesn't have much throw.

In the bottle - Crystalline dog fur. I don't know how Beth does it. Wet - The fur aspect is almost sassafras-ish? But also crisp and cool. It's awesome -- I just don't know what's going on. Drydown - It's ethereal and snuggly at the same time. Approachable. Verdict - Rapidly climbing the charts as one of my favorite Yules.

Fear of Gaiety Clacking white teeth bared in repugnant, feral upturned leers. Laughter, hideous laughter: bubbling white ginger gurgling through hot red carnations, shreds of orange peel, and cloying globs of honey. In the bottle - Ooh baby. It's sweet-citrus-ginger. I have a good feeling about this. Wet - Yup, that's carnation. Drydown - I want to say that I'm getting something else -- anything else -- but it's alllll carnation. Damn you, skin chemistry. Verdict - Although I like the scent, I didn't need a whole bottle. I might look for an oil burner so I can get that in-the-bottle ginger back in my life.

In the bottle - Lots of pumpkin. Wet - Still lots of pumpkin. Drydown - OMG. This is amazing. I'm too excited to be useful with any sort of description. It's not craft store pumpkin. It's like you dumped a jar of grenadine and a pumpkin tart into the cotton candy machine, and this popped out. It's not terribly complex or subtle, but that's not what I want out of it. Verdict - This dissipates quickly, like most scents I love. Not a problem; I will happily slather. Already bought a backup.

In the bottle - Cool and refreshing! Not getting much beyond that. Wet - Unmistakably Dorian, but with an additional element I'm not loving. It almost feels like there's more lavender than usual? That might be it. Drydown - God, I wish I could have a bit of this with just a little less lavender. It's gorgeous as it wafts, and then I stick my face into my wrist and ... it's super herbal. I think the lavender is actually amping on me. Damn it. (For the record, I don't have this issue with regular Dorian.) Verdict - You know what, guys? I don't even care. This scent will get stuck. in. your. head. I find myself absentmindedly raising my wrist up to my nose every few minutes just to get a little closer to the magic smell. I just have to remember not to get it too close or I have herbal issues. The medium-to-low wear length left me wanting more. Gorgeousness.

The great joy of 2016 was the creation of the first perfumes in our collaborative series with Blood Milk. Jesss creativity, artistry, immense talent and beautiful soul is a true inspiration, and designing scents based on her jewelry talismans that inspire me so deeply was such a profound pleasure. 2016 is a hard year to talk about, as that year also saw the onset of tremendous darkness in the United States a brittle victory for hatred, intolerance, and cruelty. We launched our opening volley against it with Nasty Woman, a scent benefitting EMILYs List and Planned Parenthood. A scent of stubborn hope, a light in the dark: golden frankincense and clove, a drop of fiery cinnamon, and white cognac. In the bottle - This is a gorgeous spice, likely thanks to the clove-cinnamon combo. Wet - Oh god. Alllll the cinnamon for a hot minute. I smell like a really creamy Red Hot right now. I like it. Drydown - Maybe it's the season getting to me, but this smells like Christmas. The frankincense lends just enough resin to balance and ground the fierce spice, which has now softened from "hot hot heat" to the warmth and coziness of a fuzzy blanket. I think the cognac keeps the blend from overheating. This is a comforting, robust scent that fades fairly quickly. Verdict - I'm so SO glad to have this. I almost didn't buy Ivory Phoenix because it has a couple worrisome notes for me, but dammit... Stubborn hope gets me every time.

In the bottle - Berry pumpkin gorgeousness. Light, though. Wet - Moist berry pumpkin. Why do I ever buy things that aren't pumpkin? Drydown - The berries and pumpkin are getting along great. They've melded into this spicy-fruity combo and it's amaaaazing. Like an upscale seasonal candle (in a good way). Verdict - Even later in the day, it's happy spicy berries. Puts a smile on my face every time I catch a whiff. Love it!

In the bottle - God, I love the Liliths. They're so good, every damn year. And this is no exception. It's soft, sweet honeysuckle with a touch of aqua. I'm hoping this is an aquatic that agrees with me. Wet - Whoa! Hold on, because this is getting grassy and sharp ... and maybe slightly salty? Drydown - I think it might be the water lily that's keeping me from truly loving this blend. It reminds me of a plant called water hyacinth (basically an invasive water weed that I spent a lot of time clearing out as a kid) so I don't have entirely pleasant associations. An hour in, it morphs to waxy sunscreen. What the heck? By bedtime, it's a faintly pleasant honeysuckle aquatic. Verdict - This was so so pretty in the bottle. I want to smell the way it does in the bottle, before the water plants took over. I'll have to retest at another time of the month.