VetchVesper

Any My Hero Academia fans out there?

 

Midoria

All Might

Bakugo

Uravity

Tenya Ida

Froppy

Todoroki

Shigaraki

Endeavor

Eraser Head

 

And any other favorites. There's so many!

SN Stage Blood

Something about this one seems Christmassy to me, but Christmassy in a witchy, pagan way. There's a swirl of incense among dark fur trees, and a deep fruitiness from the orchid and currant that makes me think of dark, blood red berries. To me, this evokes druid circles on starry, Solstice nights. It doesn't seem menacing, just dark, mature, and kind of sacred?

 

I'd group this one with Morgause and Nemisis.

 

i know, right? I'm usually resist the Lilith release, but Puppet Kitty caught my eye as well. Really cute idea.

 

I'm doing a decant circle once I have time to get the post up!

I will totes jump on that thing.

i know, right? I'm usually resist the Lilith release, but Puppet Kitty caught my eye as well. Really cute idea.

You might keep an eye on the Lilliths. There tend to be a lot of light, sweet lavenders in those releases.

Is there anything similar to Paper Phoenix? I know its basically dorian and antique lace, but I'm really looking for something similar to the vanilla linen dry-down

 

I can't think of anything in the CG's that's an exact fit. White Rabbit has the linen, but the blend has a pretty different feel, at least on me. Cheshire Cat has lavender, citrus, and sort of a playful light feel that's similar, but it doesn't smell the same. Schrodinger's Cat is another one you might look at, but again, it's different, just kind of in the ball park. Possibly Embalming Fluid and Shanghai for the light, lemony tea smell. That's all I got! Hope it helps.

Bust'n out some old Weenies! .... waaaaait.....

 

Anywho, it's been a few years since I got a decant of this one, and I wanted to revisit it since I'm more acquainted with the lab's beeswax note. This is a nice example of it. I get dry, green herbs supported by beeswax at first. I can smell the mandrake as sort of a sharp, dry earthiness that's kinda similar to ginger. After it start warming up on my skin, the beeswax takes the lead, but there's a singed sort of smell going on, like I'm smelling the candle and the snuffed wick and smoke. There's also a sweetness that strikes me as the bay rum, but is probably a mix of the rum with the honey and myrrh. The last thing on my skin is myrrh and beeswax, gentle, warm, and glowing. It only lasts a couple hours on me.

Server Gremlins has crept into my brain and taken hold. It's spicy, dirty, earthy and lovely. There's definitely some cinnamon in there, but just a bit. Probably some patchouli. Maybe some mint? There's just a hint of something soapy in the dry down. Sometimes I get a whiff of bubble gum at the front end, but that's gone in a flash. Over all, Server Gremlins reminds me a touch of The Rat Speakers, but it's wonderfully shifty. A discordant little blend that plays tricks with the nose and hangs around happily for many hours.

I got a brief whiff of the original several years ago. These were my notes.

 

"Very sweet and bright w/ a softness that reminds me of Fae and a juicy sweetness that reminds me of Titania b/ better. I can smell the sweet pea, reminding me of BB&B. It's nice, but I like Fae better."

 

This version smells pretty different than Fae to me, but it does have that soft, feminine musk note. It reminds me a bit of the Mouse's Long and Sad Tale as well, undoubtedly due to the sweet pea, but also b/c of it's gentle, feminine, and cozy feel. I have a set of soft, baby blue pajamas that this scent seems perfect for.

 

The musk is powdery soft and feminine. Hazy. I can smell a gentle, dry sage, and the light fruity floral bouquet of the sweet pea. There's a touch of dusty green to the smell, but over all, it's an unobtrusive floral. I don't really get the tonka note, but perhaps it grounds Aeval and adds to the coziness. I bought a bottle, and will be wearing it as a night time and bumming around sort of scent.

This stuff's pretty glorious. Amber and Lace starts out as a wonderful, grown-up caramel, with a subtle, warm, earthy core. Gradually the dusty amber becomes more pronounced, turning this to a sweet, golden, brown sugar crusted resin. It's sensual, dry and raspy in texture, and I am very happy to have a bottle.

 

ETA: Yeah. I definitely get some smooth tobacco going on too, but tobacco tends to smell caramelly to me, so that, with the vanilla creme. There ya go. Mmmmmmmmmm.....

This one is odd and discordant to my nose. I get lavender mixed with a thick fruitiness at first, which I think is a combo of the ylang ylang and lychee. During the dry down, I get some of the floral of the lily of the valley. It doesn't go soapy, which is a plus. I don't have tons of experience with BPAL's magnolia note, but I think I detect it coming forward as the fragrance wears, adding a bit of floral lushness. The blend is just to discordant on me though. The lavender seems screechy and harsh against the cloying fruit and not quiiiiite soapy florals. This one is not a win for my chemistry.

So, I did a review of the original Silk Road a while back, albeit, my experience was with a well aged imp. I was happy to grab a bottle of the resurrected version and I find it pretty tasty, but it smells pretty different to me from the original. Of course, I never smelled the original Silk Road fresh, so maybe with age, they will be more similar.

 

The original Silk Road smelled like dusty, mellow cinnamon with a backing of sandalwood and unidentifiable spices and woods. There was an old world feel to it, like something you'd expect a gypsy wagon or some hole in the wall shop in Egypt to smell like. It was very, very smooth and much calmer than most of the red hot candy cinnamon my skin tends to project. I'm guessing it was Ceylon cinnamon.

 

The new version is much more vivid. It still smells exotic and dusty but less esoteric. More like a bustling bazaar than a place of antiquity. At least, that's how my brain reads it. The cinnamon is still very nice, but it's more in your face. It doesn't burn, and it doesn't go red hots. There's a backing of something floral behind it though and a tad soapy. Perhaps champaca? It's still very hard to pick out individual notes. I don't smell sandalwood, which makes me sad b/c I love sandalwood. It's still a very nice spice fragrance though, and a nice alternative to Plunder, which just made me smell like strait up spice cabinet and gave me a headache to boot. I'm hoping, as this ages, more complexity will emerge.

Really a nice warm chocolate. Aging has brought out the amber, and there's definately a resinous undertone that lends some sophistication to this one. The caramel adds a touch of warm sweetness. I don't get a strong maple note, but I'm guessing it's adding strength to the caramel effect.

Yup. This one is DEFINITELY all about the magical chicken feet. Smells just like em.

 

Far from horrifying, I actually find this fragrance very comforting. I think it's got a bit of patchouli in it and there's something very nutty in the opening. It's very bready smelling, but with a backing of hay and earthiness. I do get the herbs, though they don't smell green to me, more like dried. This fragrance is warm, homey, and slightly dusty smelling. I don't get any sweetness, just savory nut bread. It's a jeans and comfy t shirt kind of smell, comfortable and down to earth and different from anything else I've come across in the general catalog.

My first sniffs are greeted by a well tempered oudh and a moss that smells gently of evergreen. The notes begin to blur together and the whole thing becomes sort of dusty wood. This smells foresty, but not in the typical bpal way. As it wears, I begin to notice the labdanum on the back end when I inhale very deeply. The note isn't as sweet as I'm used to though, and I get almost a peppery sassafras vibe from it. I don't get any obvious leather, but there's a warmth holding everything together. This blend is very masculine on me.

 

Proverbs 24:11-12 is interesting, and though it's not what I would normally wear, I think I'll hold on to the imp and see where this one goes in a few months. If you are an oudh connoisseur and like foresty/woody blends, this one might be to your liking.

I can smell the sweetness of the honey, and the sandalwood adds a bit of complexity to this blend, but over all, this is a gorgeous champaca incense on me. It' has a very nice throw as well, and is light weight enough to not feel oppressive in the summer heat. If you're a champaca fan, check this one out.

This is kinda beautiful. LOTS of hazelnut in the opening. I can smell the fig too though. The almond is present, but subdued. I feel like maybe there's a dash of rosewater in the lokum, but perhaps that's my imagination. It's just a lovely, powder dusted hazelnut.

 

Uh oh.... :/ My skin seems to be eating it now. It's been on less than an hour and it's becoming more hazelnut scented powder. Hopefully, with a bit of settling in, I'll get that opening for a bit longer. It's really different from other blends I've smelled, and the opening is so lovely, I really want this one to work.

Initial sniff. Interesting. Something vaguely evergreen/minty, verging on soap but not quite. There's something underneath that seems a tinge mildewy , like when you turn on an old air conditioning unit that's been off a while.

 

On my skin it stays gently soapy with a hint of sweetness. Ambergris I'm guessing? It's definitely aquatic, but it seems to be behaving itself on me. Gonna give it some time.

 

Hmmm... This teeters somewhere between smelling of evergreen cleaning products and verdant swampiness in the dry down. Oddly, I rather like it. It's cool and clean with out smelling generic, and there is soft, resinous sweetness just below the surface that makes me want to keep sniffing. It also does it's inspiration justice. At one point I definitely got a whiff of well cleaned motel room with a hint of stale air conditioner. It's rare that this kind of aquatic works on me, but I'm glad to have an imp of this.

Huzzah. I DO have an imp of the original from about 3 years ago, and I was quite disappointed when it was discontinued, so I happily snapped up a bottle of the resurrected version. I will now do my best to compare them properly, though the age difference along with simple bottle variation might be responsible for much of the differences in what I'm smelling.

 

The original Ultraviolet smells brighter to me, a little crisper. The mint is also more noticeable at first, so it smells a bit cooler and more metallic. They are still pretty darn similar though, and even more so as they dry down. The old blend seems a little smoother, the new a little bolder, but that could just be their age difference. I think if you liked the original, you will be pretty happy with this version.

 

As a general review for both - When I first smelled Ultraviolet, it smelled like a vial of cat pee. No joke. Something about that potent evergreen punching you right in the nose. Once it's had a moment to vent though, the eucalyptus starts to chillax and a tinge of mint in the background makes itself known. The whole effect is nose chilling and pleasantly medicinal. Once on the skin, the violet blooms. It's a clear, bright violet, and it balances well with the eucalyptus, making a truly interesting and unexpected blend. I don't really smell much neroli in either version, but I imagine it's adding a bit of fresh sweetness. I love this one as a sleep blend or just for when I want to feel calm.

I was expecting something much more floral from the notes, but on me this is basically a chypre with black currant. It's delicate and dark and masculine. Not really my thing, alas.

 

ETA: 2013 version.

When I first smelled this, fresh from the mail box, the pear was prominent and sweet, while the champaca was nowhere to be found. Now Kari has had a few days to settle and she's quite a different moon beast.

 

The pear is still present, but it's drier, crisper, and less sweet, almost like a dry pear cider. Perhaps it's the white musk giving it this effect. It makes the fragrance feel unisex and astringent. The champaca blossom has definately made it's presence known. It's well balanced with the other notes, adding just a tendril of incense to this cool and airy blend. Champaca can smell almost soapy to me sometimes, and that's the vibe I get here. Kari smells clean, mysterious, austere. I really, really like it actually. Very glad I snapped up a bottle of this one.

 

I'm curious to see if the notes continue to reorganize themselves, and if I'll ever get more dandilion sap. ,

When my mom first smelled The Eternal Queen, she said it smelled like Charmin toilet paper, which is kind of hilarious, but now I can't quite get the comparison out of my head. It's the NICEST Charmin toilet paper though, and we both ended up liking the perfume.

 

There's a clean, comforting, whiteness to it. It smells feminine and soft. I thought it might be similar to the Torture Queen, as they share similar notes, but this is pretty different. This is mostly creamy white floral made a bit hazy with soft musk. I smell a light, dry vanilla in the dry down, along with some soft amber, but mostly, this is about the florals which are lady like and gentle without being prim or fussy. It's funny that Lycanthrope found this tropical, because I noted it as far less lush than other gardenia fragrances I've tried. It seems more refined and contained to my nose than scents like Cascading Blossoms, Venus Cloacina, or Swans on the River. Very pretty in it's own right though, and definitely worth a try to lovers of white florals.

The Earth Mother brings to mind soft brown pine needles under foot, dappled sun light, and soft, rich loam. If the Wolves Howled, the Ravens Screamed is a fairy tale forest on a winter night, this is the same forest in the daylight of late summer. It's less green, (the pine was not harsh or sharp on me) and there's no definitive "dirt" note, but it's still got that feel of an ancient forest floor. E.M. is well blended, and there's a gentleness and warmth to it. The patch and vetiver are present, but restrained. I wanted a mellow, calming, forest scent, and I think I got it, but I'm still not sure if I'm in love with it. I'm fickle with forest blends. I'll let it settle a bit before I decide whether or not to put my bottle up for swaps.

 

Brown, contemplative, foresty, unisex.

How is The Manuscript not on this list?! Probably pretty hard to get, but you can smell the ink on the pages! Really intriguing.

 

Also, Jolabokaflod is a lovely leather bound volume with a dusting of chocolate, and I still see that up for trade on occasion.

 

As far as GC's go, Aelopile makes me think of the way an old Victorian library would smell, clean and paneled in lemon oiled wood, and The Red Queen reminds me of an antique shop, but I could see it going library. The wood notes were more prominent on me than the cherry.

 

Lastly, The Writing on the Slate, though technically not a book scent, certainly brings bookishness to mind with it's dust, chalk, and candle wax.

 

This thread needs more love!