VetchVesper

There's a certain note in some of the darker "metal" blends that comes across to me like motor oil. It's not bad, just... not exactly what I want to smell like. Writing on the Slate has that note at first, mixed with beeswax. After it's been on me about 15 minutes, it's all beeswax, simple and comforting. Nice, especially if you are a beeswax fan, but I can live without it. Swap!

Spikyfairy and Feral Fae, I don't know if this will help much since it's hard to get a hold of too, but King Haggard is a very nice dry cedar. Maybe the lab will bring it back once all the Beagle drama is over.

This makes me think of horchata in the bottle. It's a light milky cinnamon smell. It gets quite a bit more intense in my skin, but I amp cinnamon, so your mileage may vary. Now I get a strong cinnamon and frankincense combo, exotic and comforting all at once, dusty, but still creamy. It reminds me of Faustus, but the white cognac adds a nice complexity and gives the fragrance a certain buoyancy that Faustus doesn't have, like a ray of sunlight through velvet drapes in a dark, antique drawing room. I don't usually go for cinnamon, but I might keep an imp of this about.

Bright, high pitched, and somehow shiny. I can get aluminum from this. It's far from what I was expecting with those listed notes of myrrh and oud though. this is not resinous at all. It smells dry and effervescent to me, like fruity Italian soda. Unfortunately, white musk tends to lean soapy on me, and Aluminum Phoenix is no exception. Italian soda in a washing machine. Siiiiigh. I could see how this could really be fun summer scent for someone who does well with white musk though. It actually reminds me of Croquet, with it's bright citrus vibe swirling around chaotically with the cool musk.

Red, sweet fruitiness and the lab's classic Pumpkin Floss note, which sadly, I'm having to admit doesn't work for me. It comes off as fakey. The pomegranite/cherry combo is wet and juicy, and makes me feel nostalgic for the fruit punch of my childhood. It's a nice, up front burst, but it just can't save this for me. Alas, to the swaps!

This is the 2016 version. I'll add the 2017 version later. This was a bottle buy for me last year. It's a lovely, snuggly resin scent, but it has a brightness to it that I just love. It does, indeed, have a shining gold quality. I like the smell of frankincense, but find it often turns to baby powder on me. In this blend though, the frankincense smells authentic, soft, and dusty and a little bit sweet. It grounds everything, while the ambergris and tart, white grape give the scent a lift and sparkle. I suspect the "gold" in this is amber. I don't really get the cumin or coriander, and the vanilla bean only serves to add some sweetness from what I can tell. I'm curious to see if those notes are more prominent in 2017's version. This does seem very appropriate to Christmas, and if you are a resin lover, you probably want to check this one out.

A base the color of sweet dark coffee with a shimmer that runs throughout this trickster, shifting from red to green. Ergh. I'm not a fan. This is the 4th claw polish I've bought from the post, and I think they just aren't my cup of tea. All of them have been very thick, which can be nice, since they are usually one coaters, but they take a while to dry and I'm an impatient, thin coats sort of gal. The Jeweled Spider in particular seems REEEEALLY thick. Too thick. Also, their colors always seem more subtle than I'm wanting, their shimmer/holo effects more understated than I'm expecting. When I see holo, glitter, or shifting shimmer, I'm thinking scintillating rainbow swirls to mesmerize my friends and blind my enemies with. That said, I'm sure some might find the understated holo/glimmer more sophisticated or work appropriate, so to each their own. The Jeweled Spider itself reads as creamy black nail polish to my eyes, with a very subtle green tint when it shines. In direct sun it IS really pretty, and the dark emerald green microglitter becomes apparent. It's like what Maleficent would wear. The red shift doesn't seem to show up much to me unless I really am looking for it. Very gothy color and a nice variant on black.

So, a couple years back I got an imp of this from 2008, and I loved it, so in 2016, when I saw it offered, I snapped up a bottle. So this review is a comparison of those two years. 2008's version is a little more salty/musky. The licorice from it has a masculine vibe like in Potteskafil. The leather is more prominent in this blend. There is a foodiness from the cookies (gaufrette) but it's really very much a part of the whole rather than gourmand smelling. Everything is well blended b/each note is present and balanced. Like the above reviewer said, it lasts FOREVER. It smells more leather/licorice/musk on me and a little more cookie/foodie on my husband. It's nice on both of us though, and I QUITE like it - hence the later bottle buy. 2016's version is more buttery. More cookie. Lighter on the musky, verging on animalic vibe. It also doesn't last as long. I have 2008 on my right wrist, and after 6 hours, its still wafting up nice and strong. 2016, on my left wrist is all but gone. That said - I still LIKE it. I just like 2008's more. I'm thinking maybe the age makes the difference? Here's to hoping. If Le Pere Fouettard 2008 is blackstrap molasses cookies, Pere Fouettard is the same recipe with light molasses. But all molasses cookies are pretty good in my book.

Fury, have you tried - Behind the Veils? Heady red musk, myrrh and honey, drops of cinnamon and crushed cardamom pod, the taste of opium-laced black wine, sweet oudh, and threads of saffron. Now Winters Nights Enlarge? vanilla-infused red musk, champaca, petitgrain, ylang ylang, patchouli, nutmeg, honey, galbanum, and traces of caramel. Or Tombeur? vanilla-infused sandalwood, blood musk, antique patchouli, vetiver, lavender, bitter almond, amber, and a trickle of Snake Oil. I'd recommend those b/c they are loves of mine and we seem to have similar tastes. Sort of spicey/incense smells that have a foodie tinge but don't cross into gourmand territory. Since you love Shub, you might also check out the 2016 Gingerbread yules. They were all pretty great. P.S. Oooo... try Goblin too, if you like coconut and haven't yet. Also, Voodoo might be up your ally if you are okay with pine. Both those are GC.

Soo..... I have never actually tried any of the "lace" scents till now, and this was a total impulse buy cause the notes just looked deeeelicious! Initial impressions - Holy Moly. This smells like Portrait of a Young Woman Holding a Unicorn hair gloss, which is one of my FAVORITE scents and has hither too had no equal in perfume form. But this! I know this smell. Looking up notes...... Hmmmm.... ok. Looks like it's the vanilla, red musk, honey combo. I wonder if "crepe de chine" and "lace" are in the same family of bpal notes. Anywho, on my skin, this becomes it's own thing, though it's still seems like it would blend nicely with the hair gloss. The tobacco is definitely prominent in this, along with the delicious red musk/vanilla sweetness. I don't really smell the leather as LEATHER, but there is something giving this a somewhat feral/masculine vibe. I'm getting the congac too, that alcoholic burn at the back of the scent. This is yummy and indeed fierce, like the sexiest, randiest Krampus you could imagine. My compulsiveness is rewarded. Mmmmmmm Definitely worth checking out if you are a red musk and tobacco fan. I think this could be quite sexy on the right man as well.

I'm breaking out my festive GC's. This is one foody fragrance I wear pretty well. I think it ages well too, as my imp is about 3 years old, and it's gotten smoother and richer. It's smells like dark, chewy plum, brandy, and soft spices (clove and allspice), with a hint of brown butter. So basically - gooey plums and mince meat pie. I love it for an old fashioned Christmas feel, and it's got a heavier, darker vibe going on than a lot of the cake scents. It wears for 6 hours or so on me and eventually fades to soft, sweetened spice. If you are a plum or spice fan, give it a go, or if you like foody frangrances, this one is rather unusual.

Bust'n out the cranberries for November! Lampades mostly smells like tart, sugared cranberries at first. It's a tad fakey on the front end, but as it warms on my skin, the smoke, ginger, and spices start to make an appearance, turning this into a tart, dry, fruity incense. I really like it. If you are worried about the lilies going soapy, I don't get even a hint of that. I think these are more the lush, juicy smelling lilies, like in Cobra Lily. I don't really get a strong musk element either, though I'm sure it's in there tying things together. If you're a fruity fragrance fan, this one's definitely worth checking out, especially with that unusual cranberry note.

This is the first 13 that called to me so irresistibly that I was forced to answer with my wallet. It's perdy good. Boozy, dark syrupy chocolate in the bottle. I can smell the almond and it comes across almost like maraschino cherry. I'm thinking, chocolate covered cherries, with all the yummy syrup and gooey sugar center. The coconut is more prominent on my skin. There's still plenty of gooey chocolate though. I THINK I might detect some sage and cardamom in the background just adding a little complexity, but this is very much a CHOCOLATE dessert sort of scent on me, which is fine. That's what I was wanting. This makes me think of Almond Joys now, and I know, b/c I ate a ton of em this Halloween. Oooo... okay... dry down, I'm starting to get some coffee. Had my doubts, but there it is. More coconut mocha. Mmmmmm.... Overall, I'm pretty happy. It only lasts a couple hours on my skin, but it lasts on my clothes a good bit longer. I'm curious to see what it will do after it's had a few months to settle, if the louder notes will mellow and I'll get some more subtle undertones. A nice alternative dessert scent if baked goods notes down' work on you. A fancy and schmancified Bliss.

LunasMuse - I haven't smelled Hanami, but last year's Art of Winter series had Night Snow at Kambara - Cascading frozen cherry blossoms, iced lily, and wisteria. It's very pretty, but a little too floral for my tastes, which is why I have a partial up for swaps! <------- shameless self promotion. You might also try The Grindhouse if you haven't already. It's lovely sweet florals laced with red musk, though... ok, I see you hate clove. Drat. Behind the Veils? Heady red musk, myrrh and honey, drops of cinnamon and crushed cardamom pod, the taste of opium-laced black wine, sweet oudh, and threads of saffron

Ummm.. I'm getting bubblegum? O_o. Like REAL heavy on the orchid, but it's reminding me almost of lotus. Black Lotus, to be specific. Then the floral gets sucked into the black hole and I get a weird, charred incense smell. Not sure what to make of it. Definitely one of the more interesting BPAL scent journies I've had.

Your tastes seems very similar to mine. Most of these scents are pretty gender neutral unless specified otherwise. All or GC. Satyr, Phoenix Steam Works, Tezcatlipoca, Bow and Crown of Conquest and Voodoo were all big bottle purchases for me. Fenris Wolf, Theives' Rosin, Oblivion, Vixen (more feminine), The Coiled Serpent, Salome (feminine), Haunted, Black Rider and Debauchery are also very nice and possibly up your ally. White Rider, Half Elf, and Kyoto (feminine) all have really nice sandalwood in their mix. I LOVE Kyoto, but I like licorice a lot. The Mouses Sad Long Tale is very nice too, and more obviously light/feminine. I know you said you aren't into florals, but if you can stand them at all, Defutata, Bast, and Masquerade are gorgeous. Hope that big ol' list helps, and welcome to the madness! P.S. Those 3 you already have on your list are good choices. Shub- Niggurath and Miskatonic University both went into definite foody territory on me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just letting you know in case you aren't looking for that.

Astringent and high pitched metallic notes intertwining with a soft, lush gardenia. This is a very appealing white floral and very classic smelling. Torture Queen smells like it could be from a designer perfume house. After an hour, the gardenia settles down, and it becomes more vanilla and white musk prominent for another 4 hours or so. I still like it, but not as much as I do with the gardenia floating over the top. I'm still considering a bottle though. One thing I've noticed about this one, the silage is more prominent to me than the scent is when I smell my skin. This one is definitely a wafter. Bright, high pitched but nice, classic white floral with a twist. If you like gardenia, I'd definitely check this one out.

Herm. Got this off Etsy. It's a dusty floral that reminds me of other floral blends in the Ars Moriendi line. It's pretty and soft and feminine, but really just not me. I swear I smell lily, but maybe that's just the orchid. I get a hint of dusty violet. No soapiness or baby powder, so that's good. The resins aren't obvious to me, but probably add some of the depth and warmth I'm getting. I do get a purple vibe. Still not to my tastes though. Off to the swaps!

LOL. Definitely something with blueberry. A manly blueberry?

I tend to amp cinnamon in perfumes, and Behind the Veils is no exception, but the other notes are strong enough that the fragrance is still balanced. I get sticky red wine, spices and red musk at first, but as this lingers on my skin it becomes hot hot hot. Super dry, spicy heat. Little sweetness, but much more interesting than most cinnamon fragrances on my skin. Definitely sexy and resinous with something bordering on animalic to my nose. I have quite a few red musk blends already, but I'll definitely enjoy wearing my decant of this when I want to imagine dry dessert heat blowing through Arabian nights.

Not doing too much for me, though it does smell like it's components. I'm getting sort of a smoky red wine with hints of spicy cinnamon. I'm also getting a red musk vibe. It doesn't seem to last on me very long, which is surprising. I think I'll pass, but if you want your hair to smell pleasantly sauced, here ya go.

OZONE! A little bit of darkness. Lot's of vivid green, teal, and purple visuals. I can smell powdery anise/wormwood, but it blends into the whole just adding a cool feel. This would work great for a storm sorceress I play. Unfortunately it goes generic aquatic on me pretty fast. SOAP! Seems to last a while though. Would have liked more of that plum incense though. Sadz.

This reminds me instantly of Troll, but he's out of his forest, and all up in your face after a heavy bout of wine drinking. Harsh, acrid vetiver, dark charred wood, and a sourness that makes me think of oak aged whiskey. I actually kind of dig it though. It's more along the lines of what I was expecting but didn't get from Mr. Czernobog. After putting it on my skin, it stays pretty intense, but the wine note becomes more prominent. It's where the sourness comes from. There's this off-putting yet intriguing charred wood/sour wine thing, which is indeed very evocative of a black beamed, blood smeared, medieval chapel. After half an hour or so this becomes really nice. It's softer and less sour. Still dark, but the wine has a hint of sweet warmth and spice. This one's not grapey though. The wood has become old and polished vs. rough and black, and it no longer reminds me of Trolls. This is kinda sexy, and I wouldn't mind smelling it on a guy one bit. I will enjoy wearing on dark and moody occasions. Beware though. Vetiver lurks here.

Hoo! This is all kinds of weird. The oil is very dark, which surprised me. In the imp, it smells tart, sharp, and slightly soapy. I definitely get an aquatic vibe, but it's different from the one I usually get. It's dark and the anise makes my nose tickle. It's reminding me of a murky Robotic Scarab. It starts sweetening up a bit after a few minutes on my skin. It seems less aquatic and more resinous now. I still get an anise nose tingle. I'm not sure if I love it or not, but I'm glad I tried it. Very interesting. If you like Robotic Scarab or Mary Shelley, you might check this one out. If you are looking for a light, juicy pear scent, this one might disappoint.

I got a decant of this in the hopes it would be compatible with Die Begierde, which I am madly in love with. I think it is indeed a good match and would also work well with Hope, with a scent that falls somewhere in between the two. The scent lacks the depth of Die Begierde, but shares it's luscious, sweet, and creamy rose. There is a hint of something softly synthetic lurking in the background. It reads less to me as metal and more as aerosol. The rose teeters on the brink of syrup, but then returns to sweet creaminess. This is very nice. There are so many I want from this release though, I'm not sure if it will make my short list. Must squirt more up my nose and think on it.