InaraRedCloak

Date: April 2018 In the vial: Right away I get dark chocolate powder/incense and deep red rose. As I suspected, it's very similar to The Orchard. To my nose, there is no bitterness, it is all warm, deep rose. Very unisex but bordering on masculine. Smells amazing to me. Wet on Skin: Smells like melted chocolate with a little rose hiding underneath. Like hot chocolate coating a rose and heating up the petals. This is a little sweeter than The Orchard (no woods note) very lovely. Dry 30+ mins: The chocolate s holding steady. The roses are actually a little sweet. This is lovely. I have the cotton swab in the scent locket, and it's almost toasty. Worn 3+ hours: The rose is pure and perfect. Everything is beautifully blended. This is going to age beautifully.

The Radiant Glory of Love: Devotion, Understanding, and Unity Centifolia rose absolute, tea rose, bourbon vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, champaca resinoid, myrrh, nutmeg, pomegranate, and benzoin. Date: April 2018 In the vial: I'm getting the champaca almost immediately. There's a resin-like scent, the benzoin probably, and a full, not acrid rose under it all, with a touch of myrrh. A very 'skin' scent here. During application: On my hands, I get nothing but a gentle chocolate. As I apply the champaca comes out and gives me that creamy resin scent I always get with it. After applying, I can smell a slight sweetness to the air, maybe from the pomegranate or rose. Dry 30+ mins: I'm walking in a cloud of champaca, I get hints of chocolate and a deep, dark, mature rose (like Black Rose or Peacock Queen dark) Just walking around, this is a skin, softer, gentler La Roue de Malheur. I'm not getting any spice, or vanilla, and I'm not picking up any sweet/fruitiness. Very nice. Worn 3+ hours: It is a champaca incense, with a chocolate heart and deep rose underscore. This is lovely! Still no heavy spice. Very nice. Update: as my decant has aged, the rose and pomegranate has sweetened the blend. It's sweeter than the first application. I will be saving up for a bottle of this one.

Date: April 2018 In the vial: soft rose, with a little herbal spice and something that reminds me of glue. Wet on Skin: I get roses and herbs. It's a little dusty, a little tea (like before it's brewed). It is turning into a gentle incense rose. Starting to lighten up and becoming like Rose Cross. Dry 30+ mins: Gentle rose, gentle spice and nothing that really impresses me. Worn 3+ hours: It's all but faded, but a lightly herbal rose. Once again, a nice scent, but not entirely what I'm looking for.

Date: April 2018 In the vial: A beautiful floral and incense blend. It remind me of the incense shops at Ren Faire. Wet on Skin: There's a high floral that I'm not that into. There are bright, fresh florals. This is a little high on florals and feminine. Dry 30+ mins: I think I can scent lilies and jasmine. There are too many florals and not enough incense for me. Worn 3+ hours: During the dry down, the lily and jasmine come out more. There wasn't enough incense for me to really enjoy this blend. Good for floral lovers though.

Released April 20, 2018; arrived May 5, 2018 In the vial: Yep, the bottle looks like one of those posters. I get a whiff of earthy incense and then stinky, wet greens. It's almost sickly sweet, then I get that creamy resinous nag champa. This scent is almost off putting in the bottle, but oh so very accurate. Wet on Skin: Not so sickly sweet on the skin. The nag is melting into a cream like blend as it sits in my skin. Now the patchouli is coming out. It's very realistic, turning a little less stinky and more herbal on my skin. I'm loving the nag champa note, which means my husband probably won't like it. Dry 30+ mins: This is becoming a very nag/patchouli blend, more like what I associate with that smoke shop scent. The nag is still very strong. Worn 3+ hours: Everything has mellowed and faded out until I'm left with mellow, creamy herbal resin incense. I really like the dry down. I will definitely give this one a few more tries before I decide to keep it.

Date: April 2018 In the vial: Fresh, really fresh and clean/airy (reminds me of DL Hemp/MossySoil blend) There's a nice blend of high, slightly floral top notes with a deeper under current. This definitely has layers, it's lke a musical chord with scents. I get a little poppy/opium airy note with beginning of the sniff, then everything blends together. Nicely done. Wet on Skin: Patchouli and plum mix together to almost get a woodsy scent. This is a little ethereal. There's a sensuous note at the bottom of the scent. Very airy and gentle. A summer goth sort of scent. The plum i starting to come out. If the jasmine amps up anymore, it will change the entire mood of the scent. Dry 30+ mins: It's soapy (clean) top notes with a spicy plum undertone, almost a cherry plum. I could do with a little less soap. Worn 3+ hours: Soapy spicy plum. I like it, the husband likes it, but I'd like it a lot better if the poppy/jasmine combo settles down. I'll let it chill for a few day and try again.

Date: April 2018 In the vial: It's that dusty almost candy smelling pomegranate. (I prefer the juicy version in Persephone and 7WS Lust) There's sweetness from the black currant. I'm not really getting any sandalwood yet. Wet on Skin: Mostly dusty pomegranate. Starting to get a little sandalwood/resin. This is a fairly faint but fresh scent. It's almost totally feminine. It's nice, but there are other pomegranate scents I prefer. Dry 30+ mins: Pomegranate is turning more into the type I like. The sandalwood is coming out more like a resin wood, but still light and gentle. Worn 3+ hours: This scent stays true to form, it doesn't morph very much. As it fades, the sandalwood comes out more.

From the Lab, arrived April 2018 In the vial: A little spice, sweet and resinous. I'm getting a lot of florals. This is a warm and comforting scent. Wet on Skin: Almost a citrusy musk and amber. The amber is already a major player in this blend. After re-reading the notes, it must be the almond giving Bastet her sweetness. Instinct is telling me to wash this off before the amber gives me a migraine. Oh well, it started nice.

Fresh from the Lab, received May 2018 Since I'm allergic to chamomile, I won't be doing a skin test. Here's my "review from the bottle". I'm totally allergic to chamomile and the honey notes seem to go sour and over power on me. I won't be able to even use this one in a scent locket. There's a very gentle, airy yet fuzzy quality to this scent. It totally evokes the idea of the fairies as seen in the film, however, I'm so allergic to the chamomile that a few deep breathes triggered my allergies. However, this is a lovely, soft scent that's reminicscent of fuzzy white puffy hair and iridescent delicate wings with a bite.

Age Unknown: Date: November 2016 In the vial: beautifully sweet. Since I opened the package, there was a sweet scent mixing with camphor. This is the sweet scent. At first, I smell sweet oranges, and then red rose. I can't recognize the sandalwood here. Wet on Skin: I get a lot of honey and rose and orange blossom. No bitterness other than the heavy rose. At first this one make me sneeze. This one smells like perfume. The scent is bold at first then mellow. It almost disappears in my nose. Dry 30+ mins: Everything blends. The scent has reappeared, but if I breathe it in enough it disappears. All the scents mix together. This is sexy and smooth. If I close my eyes, I can smell sandalwood. This scent is everything I wanted Catherine to be. Worn 3+ hours: Wow! This one has a lot of throw! It's almost overpowering. (the honey notes tend to do that to me) The sandalwood is fading out and the honey and rose is coming out. This is a very syrupy effect to the scent. This is very heady and sensual. To me, this is not an everyday scent. I have to be in a sensual, seductive mood for this one.

Age Unknown: Date: November 2016 In the vial: The wisteria comes out first. Then lilac and the rose on deep inhale. I knew I would love this blend based off its components. I was right. Wet on Skin: Everything blends beautifully. The rose and wisteria feel like they are on either end and the lilac ties them together. This is so very floral yet gentle, not a single note overpowers the others. This is surprising because all three are strong. I'm really liking this. Dry 30+ mins: I missed my timing to record this blend. My friend said it smells like "baby powder". Worn 3+ hours: a really mellow, faded wisteria. The rose is still gentle and mellow, the lilac is slightly sweet. This is one of my favorite floral scents. It's lovely. It brings to mind ballroom dresses waltzing in a beautiful twilight garden.

Age Unknown: Date: November 2016 In the vial: absolutely beautiful blend. Lilac tends to overpower but here. This is a garden at night. All of the flower blend perfectly together. Wet on Skin: violet and lilac in the forefront. There is a little heavy rose grounding everything and keeping it from being too airy. It blends together in the deep breath inhales, then fades. Dry 30+ mins: The scent is very soft and gentle. The sweetness of the violet mixes well with the lilac. This is like a more innocent version of Les Fleurs du Mal. There's a very calm night impresion of this scent. Worn 3+ hours: There is a sweetness in this floral. The violets and lilacs give the sweetness a very fruity scent. This reminds me of Oya. If Oya is the Goddess of air and ozone, Nocturne would be the night sky trailing in her wake. This a clear and airy scent. I could wear this everyday. It isn't a dark scent. Very feminine.

Blend released from the Lab 2018, swap arrived April 2018 In the bottle: Plum and patchouli, but resinous patchouli, not the 'green' herbal type. No spice from the sniff off the bottle, just beautiful semi-sweet dark plum/patchouli blend. Wet on Skin: A 'chewy' tobacco (the kind I like) and dirty plum. Right wrist, which was applied 2nd, has a more resinous patchouli than the first wrist. I'm getting a little spice to the plum on the first wrist. I seem unimpressed, but my instincts want me to slather this on my skin. It's starting to melt into my natural scent. Gods I hope this one doesn't melt into my skin. Dry 30+ mins: This totally reminds me of Black Moths without the vetiver. The plum is more prevalent. The spice comes and goes. This is very nice. Worn 3+ hours: This is lovely and everything (almost) that I could want in a gothic plum. I'm just missing an incense note. The plum is dark and full, no fake, or candy scent here. The tobacco is gentle but sweet (like Dead Leaves Black Currant Tobacco Tar scent), the patchouli is a little earthy and gritty, but not oppressive. This is a beautiful black plum, gothic scent. I might have to save up for a back up bottle.

I love "The Orchard", the woods give it a depth on my skin that keeps it from going too foodie. I've noticed that there are a lot of scents in the GC that have great rose blends. It seems that we (the fans) are forgetting to recommend them along side the LE's. I'll all for bringing back the GC love!

If you like chocolate and roses, I loved Quatre from the Une Douzaine de Roses Lupers this year. It's a wonderful cocao/rose blend. (If you ever tried The Orchard ; Quatre has the same elements without the woods. It's a very "Valentine's" scent to me. I think the strongest rose/wine blend in my experience has been Blood Rose. The wine is pretty bold and not too boozy. The Dragon's Blood creates a great resin that might go well with the coffee scent. Otherwise, if you want more airy quality with more throw, you might want to try The Forest Reverie. The lilies and opium smoke in there give it a very "drugged up rose" sort of quality. The grape scent teases a wine note, but it doesn't seem to have any booze at all. And there is Obsidian Widow. The wine boozy note is pretty strong right away, but it melts into a great rose wine. Blood Rose: voluptuous red rose bursting with lascivious red wine and sultry dragon’s blood resin. The Forest Reverie: wild roses, grape vine, and queenly lilies, clothed in swirls of opium smoke. The Obsidian Widow: Pinot noir, dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose.