renfair

2017 Version, from a decant circle of my first Lupers! First Sniff Impression: Definitely smutty. Like Blood Kiss but somehow lighter and more tolerable for me. A musk I could see myself actually wearing. Wet in Vial: Kind of literally how it's described: sweet, boozy, not overly-heavy musks. Drying Down on Skin: Since I'm really not great at describing musks I'm not sure what to say besides it's definitely a sexy, smutty scent. NOT one you'd want to wear to work. The sweet to musk balance seems pretty good. So since I'm trying to be "creative" I guess it's a "hanging out in a relatively nice but dark and red-lit bar" scent? Dry on Skin: This has sweetened now that it's dry. The musk is still there, but now I'm able to notice how amped it was before, now that it's slightly less. It's now kind of more spicy than musky, and it's hard for me to pick out of I'm smelling booze or if it's just part of the musk. Conclusion: This has an interesting morph that I think would really appeal to fans of this sort of scent, but it's just so not for me. It's too heavy and kind of hurts the back of my sinuses while making me slightly nauseous. It's totally personal preference thing, though, and I can imagine this one is extremely popular with others. I can tell a lot of work went into making this one!

I got this from a decant circle, because I really wanted to try it because of where the scent came from, but I was a little nervous about the actual notes. First Sniff Impression: Metallic, incense floral Wet in Vial: Wet in the vial it's a very harsh, metallic, cold floral. Drying Down on Skin: Fortunately there's some iris there, but I don't know if that and the golden oudh will be enough to pull this off for me. At the very least, it smells completely fitting for the name and label art. It's a cold, steel, badass scent. Dry on Skin: This actually softens up into a really nice, cool floral after a while. A lot of the metallic edge is gone, leaving behind a femininity that's still strong. It's one of those I probably wouldn't wear, but I'm really glad I got to try it. Conclusion: This somehow reminded me of another scent, possibly The Raven with the cold floral. I don't think I'd try this again, but it was still very interesting to test. Fortunately I bought enough of the other for-charity scents so I don't feel bad passing on a full bottle of this.

I was sooooo glad I'd got a decant of this from a circle once I smelled it. The notes on the lab site turned me off right away, cause I couldn't imagine how any of that together would smell good, but it was totally heaven to wear. I ended up buying a full bottle of it. First Sniff Impression: Peppery, spicy, kind of bitter. Wet in Vial: Definitely dry and spicy. I feel like the notes I'm smelling should be gross, but they're actually pretty nice together. Drying Down on Skin: This is one that's super strong in the vial but starts to separate into notes immediately upon application. I thought I might be smelling patchouli, so at least I was right about that. The tobacco gives it a dry note, and the pink pepper pod a "hot" spiciness (as opposed to earthy spiciness like patchouli). I get the forum reviews that say this smells like an "expensive, department store perfume." Dry on Skin: This has a bit of a throw to it, but it's not too bad, and it helps that the patchouli seems to kind of fade into everything else, so it definitely doesn't have "hippie" smell to it. It's actually really, really nice. Warm, spicy, sophisticated, and EXPENSIVE-smelling. I really think I'm going to get a full bottle. Conclusion: Yup, I'm continuing to totally love this as it sits on my arm. I'm going to have to get a full bottle, especially because it's Limited Edition and also I want to have the money go to charity.

I don't know if I would've sought this out, because I'm really turned off by cherry, unless a friend had highly recommended it. So fortunately around that time I'd learned about decant circles, so I was able to get a decant of it to try it out without needing to blind buy a bottle. First Sniff Impression: Fruity in a strange way that's half cotton candy, half cough syup Wet in Vial: Sour and fruity sweet. It's like my first impression, big clouds of puffy cherry-lemon candy floss. Drying Down on Skin: Applied this isn't nearly as fruity as the vial-sniff would lead me to believe. It has an almost foggy, smoky, aquaticness. It dawned on me that it reminds me of the way fog machines on stage smell, that kind of warm, smoky, cherry candy smell. Dry on Skin: This is still fruity dry, but it's not so sticky sweet anymore. The sourness works well as a perfume, and I'm crap on picking out notes but I feel like there's something amber or the tiniest bit powdery but not in a bad way. It helps to muffle the sweetness a bit. Conclusion: This was really so much "fog machine" it was crazy. It had that almost mechanical cherry smoke smell. It was very interesting, if you think about it like a metaphor. Sweet smoke to hide all the lies. I don't know how often I'd actually wear this, but I'd like to keep the decant.

I received a tester of this from a really wonderful BPALer with an order for my birthday First Sniff Impression: Cavities, here I come! Wet in Vial: Sort of a strawberry cotton candy. It's actually not quite as bad as I was expecting. It's just about six kinds of sweet Drying Down on Skin: I feel like this would be adorable on a little girl. It just reminds me of everything I loved growing up in the 80's: My Little Pony, Lady Lovely Locks, Strawberry Shortcake, Barbies that came with fruity lip glosses, getting cotton candy at the amusement park (along with these little unicorn figures they used to sell), and every bit of sugar I could stuff in my mouth. At least on me, there's something almost boozy about it, which is helping me to not get a toothache and to also make me feel a little bit less like I'm four years old. Guessing it might be the meringue, for it's sort of like a vanilla alcohol. Dry on Skin: This is really remarkably pleasant. Besides the price tag, I never would've tried this if it hadn't been generously frimped to me. But I'm really glad I did, because it's great! It's sweet and yummy, like those body sprays and lotions you got as a teenager, but without any of the yucky chemical smells you can now pick out as an adult. It's also amazing that I can pick out a hint of the cherry, and it doesn't bother me. I feel like if any one note was stronger than the others then it wouldn't work, but as with many of the really good BPAL perfumes, they're very well balanced. Conclusion: So I don't think I'll be dropping $200 for a bottle of this any time soon, but I think I'd be very open to trying another similar scent with a more forgiving price tag. And I definitely wouldn't say no to Velvet Unicorn if it was gifted upon me again!

First Sniff Impression: Light, aquatic lavender Wet in Vial: A cooler lavender, probably from the white musk. The raindrops and wet asphalt come across as an aquatic note. Drying Down on Skin: Right off this is a more pleasant lavender than some of the Liliths I've smelled. I think it needs a light musk or vanilla to cut it, so it works in this blend. The cooler notes become more prominent quickly, making me go from "Wow, I should see how much a bottle of this costs" to "Maybe I'll hold off ..." I like it, but it's almost a tad too cool. Dry on Skin: The aquatic notes in this faded fully dry, but so did a lot of the lavender. A sweet floral was left behind. Pretty, but not really very exciting, and I don't think worth a whole bottle. Conclusion: The bottle art on this one is really pretty, so if I come across a mostly empty bottle I might pick it up to empty my decant into, but I was a little disappointed with this scent. I wish it had stayed more the way it was directly upon application.

First Sniff Impression: Fresh, light, ever so slightly incense floral Wet in Vial: Florals hit me first, which must be the fougere. Then I was able to get the bourbon vanilla, and a hint of something that was frankincense or myrrh. Drying Down on Skin: This has almost a fresh, new green leaves smell drying down. The fougere must be a different blend than others I've tried because it's much lighter and fresher, not so heavy sweet. It's very pretty, but I'm not sure how long it will last on me. It feels too delicate in strength. Dry on Skin: The frankincense and myrrh are getting stronger, coming out over the fougere. I haven't been able to pick out the bourbon vanilla outside of the vial yet. This is definitely getting more "womanly" than fresh little girl, as it started. If that morph was intentional, then it's genius. Conclusion: There was no musk in this, but it felt like it got a little musky near the end. It definitely turns into a warmer scent the longer it sits. It has a similar morph to Faun, which I tried the other day. I'd love to try this one again. The ones that really morph are fun.

First Sniff Impression: Somehow not what I was expecting? I thought it would be much sweeter, but that's probably my own fault for confusing it with something else. Wet in Vial: A nice vanilla sandalwood. We'll see if sandalwood plays nicely with my skin today. Drying Down on Skin: I guess from the "pretty meat bones" I thought it would be creamier or heavier or something. This is actually pretty light. Ooh, there *is* a bit that's walking the line with Play Doh scent, though. Dry on Skin: Fortunately fully dry it never goes completely Play Doh but I understand that scent complaint at least now. It's still an almost soapy scent, however. Not in a bad way, but in a clean, almost linen-like way. It's nice but not really my favorite of the Lilith scents. Conclusion: I'm fine only having a decant of this. I'm glad I tried it because I thought I'd like it way more than I do, merely from how popular it is. It's one of the ones that might be fun to try again later and see if I like it more.

Last year, we spent a little time running around ghost towns in California. There was one that wasnt quite a ghost town, but was it was an Old West movie set that was abandoned. A ghost town of a ghost town? It was so peculiar, and so very California. The three of us made mini movies together in that odd ghost town until it got too cold to hold a camera. This photo isnt from that trip, but it reminds me so strongly of our silly little films. This one is for my little bandit: sarsaparilla, leather, and vanilla cream. First Sniff Impression: Birch beer. Wet in Vial: This is all sarsaparilla in the bottle. It's a very root/birch beer scent that overpowers anything else in it. Maube the vanilla cream is there, giving it the birch beer smell. I don't know what sarsaparilla itself smells like. Drying Down on Skin: Now it's going right to this Trident bubblegum my mom used to always have in her purse. Crazy I forgot it existed until I smelled this. The birch beer smell is getting less creamy, more light and almost fizzy. I'm getting no leather whatsoever. Dry on Skin: Dry this is very much an almost minty bubblegum, but real bubblegum and not the artificial bubblegum fragrance smell. I might be getting the faintest whiff of leather, but it's really barely there. Conclusion: Never got much of leather with this at all. It's an interesting one, but I'm glad I didn't buy a whole bottle. If you're looking for a leather and vanilla scent, there are probably better ones out there. If you love root beer, this one's for you!

First Sniff Impression: Ooh, dark, dark hazelnut. Wet in Vial: The dark hazelnut, which must be made that way from the cacao. Drying Down on Skin: This is a really nice one right off the bat. Like a very dark hazelnut chocolate I might've gotten in Germany or something. There is a tiny bit of the pine in the background, which makes the scent interesting and keeps it from getting too foody. Dry on Skin: Fully dry the chocolate and hazelnut fade to a warm, very light incense, floral, like I'm finding some of the Motherhood Liliths with coffee/chocolate food notes tend to do. It makes it a little bit more wearable. There's this other sort of note that I've noticed pop up in Liliths, that I can't really describe except maybe like "autumn air." It's kind of a fresh, dry leaves, teeny bit smoky scent. I'll have to keep track and see if maybe it's the tonka. Conclusion: This doesn't have much staying power, especially when you consider that the hazelnut and cacao only last for less than an hour. But it's still really nice. I wouldn't mind adding more to my bottle decant when I stop spending money on other things.

I'm always on the fence if I actually like foodie scents since they're hard to actually wear for me, as opposed to breathing in for yumminess, but I love Earl Grey so I wanted to try this one. First Sniff Impression: Very sweet. Tea and cookies! Wet in Vial: Mostly the cookies, and a creamy tea. Drying Down on Skin: Right away getting a cookies and cream smell. It's sweet but not super duper sweet like some other cake/cookie smells I've tested. Drying down the cookies are fading a little and a sweet tea smell is coming forward. Dry on Skin: The fully dries as a semi-sweet cream. It's nice, but not really stand-out to me. I also didn't get much of a specifically Earl Grey tea in this. Conclusion: This is one of those ones I thought I'd really love, and I do like it, but I'm glad I only have a decant. It's much sweeter than I thought it would be. I think it would be hard to wear it often.

I tend to love the Lilith Lavender scents, so I definitely wanted a sniff of this one. First Sniff Impression: Green, Herbal, Fresh, Summer Wet in Vial: Herbal, slightly sharp lavender Drying Down on Skin: Oooh, this is a nice one. The lavender is a little bit bitter, but the amber adds a nice warm, spicy sort of note. Drying down it's a very clean, fresh lavender with that bit of extra from the amber to make it an original scent, not just straight lavender. Dry on Skin: This gets the tiniest bit medicinal dry, but it's not too bad. It would probably be nice and refreshing on a hot day when you don't want a heavy, sweet smell on you. However, I do feel like I'd like it better with some vanilla in there, but perhaps that would turn it too much into a different Lilith scent. This is subtle and pleasant, but also kind of simple. It also doesn't seem to have much strength, maybe only enough to get you through a "morning." Conclusion: I like this one, but I don't think I like it enough for a whole bottle of it. But as with pretty much all the Liliths, I wouldn't mind a partial in an original bottle. It's ok, but not one of the best Lilith scents there are for me, especially with regards to the lavender ones. First Sniff Impression: Alcoholic, like a white chocolate martini. Wet in Vial: The coffee liqueur is by far the strongest note wet. Drying Down on Skin: This one is immediately more sweet than I would expect it to be, maybe because the coffee is listed as "black." The coffee liqueur definitely is strong, giving it an almost Irish coffee smell. I can't get any cinnamon yet. --Ok, here's the cinnamon after about five minutes. The overpowering liqueur fades quickly, fortunately. Dry on Skin: Dry, this has turned much more into a perfume as opposed to a coffee scent. It's the slightest bit floral and still sweet coffee, but not overpowering. Conclusion: I liked this one. Not sure if I liked it enough for a full bottle, because smelling like coffee just reminds me of when I worked as a barista, but it's still a good one. The cinnamon helped a lot.

First Sniff Impression: Alcoholic, like a white chocolate martini. Wet in Vial: The coffee liqueur is by far the strongest note wet. Drying Down on Skin: This one is immediately more sweet than I would expect it to be, maybe because the coffee is listed as "black." The coffee liqueur definitely is strong, giving it an almost Irish coffee smell. I can't get any cinnamon yet. --Ok, here's the cinnamon after about five minutes. The overpowering liqueur fades quickly, fortunately. Dry on Skin: Dry, this has turned much more into a perfume as opposed to a coffee scent. It's the slightest bit floral and still sweet coffee, but not overpowering. Conclusion: I liked this one. Not sure if I liked it enough for a full bottle, because smelling like coffee just reminds me of when I worked as a barista, but it's still a good one. The cinnamon helped a lot.

I loved the sound of this, so I bought a partial bottle from another member. First Sniff Impression: Kind of spiced, bitter cake? Wet in Vial: This isn't super pleasant in the bottle, but it makes more sense when you know what the notes are. The cake is there, but the cloves and smoke make it kind of sour-smelling. Drying Down on Skin: The clove and the cake smell come out right away and balance each other out nicely. I'm already feeling this would be a difficult fragrance for someone to actually wear, as opposed to experience, because the clove and pipe smoke feel way too masculine for me, but the cake probably wouldn't be very fitting on a man. After about five minutes, both the strong cake note and the strong tobacco smoke note have settled, leaving more of the sweet clove note out in front. Dry on Skin: Having the cake scent fade fairly quickly helped this morph into more of a unisex or masculine-leaning scent, not so decidedly neither now. This one is also reminding me of my grandparents cottage, like Prince Lír did in a different way, though somehow I'm getting a memory of canoeing. Don't ask me why. Maybe it was the earthy smell of the pond and water lilies. So it's probably the tobacco and clove that are most prominent at this point. Conclusion: I don't know if I'd buy any more than the partial bottle I have, but I'll keep what I have and give it another test someday.

This is my absolute favorite scent now, so of course I'm kicking myself for not discovering it just a few months sooner than I did when I could have ordered ALL THE SERPENTINE from the lab. Oh well. This was a review for a tester I'd been frimped from a perfectly lovely, amazing, wonderful BPALer. First Sniff Impression: OMG YES.This is why this is so hard to find!! Amazing! Wet in Vial: Since I haven't smelled Dorian yet, I can't tell how much is "him," but I get a wonderful black tea smell, lavender, vanilla. It's a little bit alcohol in the bottle, since it's so concentrated. [Note: I have Dorian now since writing this review, so it's obviously very heavily Dorian, which is why I love both scents almost equally.] Drying Down on Skin: OOOOMMMMGGG This is OSSUM. It's like this amazing fruity, lavender, vanilla, tea-ish conglomeration of utter yumness. I already want a whole bottle, and it's SO HARD TO FIND. Dry on Skin: So far this has lasted pretty well for a few hours. It's just this constant warm, lavender, vanilla amaze-bomb that keeps on giving. Conclusion: I need to set 100 traps and hunt this sucker down. It's absolutely stunning and perfect. MUST OWN.

I pretty much loved the sound of all of the Fatherhood scents, so I gave this one a try. First Sniff Impression: Coffee liqeuer. Wet in Vial: An almost alcoholic (probably the vanilla?) sweet coffee, and I almost get this weird sweet banana smell. Drying Down on Skin: Right off the bat, one of those warm, yummy caramel vanilla flavored coffees that you wish tasted the way they smelled. However, this seems to start fading really quickly. A few minutes later, I'm having a hard time locating where exactly on my arm I applied it. The sweet notes have almost all faded, leaving an herbal coffee behind. Dry on Skin: Totally dry this turns into an almost coffee incense. It's lost its sweetness from the caramel, and maybe it's the vanilla that's giving it an almost musk. It's still really nice. Almost dry, like the clove smoke in Tag-Upon-Avon. Conclusion: This scent surprised me because I thought it would be one of the super sweet ones, but the sweetness only lasted until the scent dried.

I thought the scent notes on this one sounded so nice--lavender, warm earth, and leaves--so I tracked down a decant to try. First Sniff Impression: Hmm, not much there? Wet in Vial: Sort of an herbal cologne. Drying Down on Skin: Oh green leaves, definitely, right off the bat. It does smell like a later summer day, with a bit of the bitterness of the herbal lavender. I'm not getting dirt at all yet. Dry on Skin: The dirt did come out a tiny bit eventually. It's most prominent a few hours later, with a bit of light floral that remains. However, for having a fairly strong throw when first applied, the scent was almost all gone three hours later. Conclusion: There was nothing wrong with this scent, but it didn't feel very memorable. I would've liked Lilith's lavender to be a lot stronger. It felt like a kind of muddles summer, earthy scent without a strong opinion. The most interesting part was the summer leaves right in the beginning.

Meus Amor Aeternus When our tarantula, Pinky, died, Lilith buried her. She cradled Pinky’s little body and placed her in a special box. She dug the grave with her own hands. She composed a memorial for Pinky, and spoke at her funeral. She laid a heart-shaped stone that she had found at the beach on her grave, and many months later, she still does what she can to tend Pinky’s grave. She has a reverence and respect for both life and death that is as beautiful to me as it is uncanny. Just recently, Lilith asked Ted and I to compose eulogies for our Soccer Mom Car, which was recently totaled, so we could share our memories of the car and let the car know how much she meant to us, thanking our poor, unfortunate SUV for keeping us safe for so many years. I love and treasure many things about my daughter, but to me, her big heart is her most beautiful aspect. She seems to love everyone and everything, she forgives all, and she truly values other people’s feelings. Lilith, you are a good person. You are a better person than I, I suspect, and it is an honor to be your mother. A cotton candy-suffused blend of Snake Oil and Dorian, touched by earthy green moss and raiz de moras, hope-filled vanilla bean, sweet honey, and joyous carnation. I think this was a bottle I bought off eBay. I'd been hunting down various Lilith scents with Dorian in them since Dorian's scarce at the moment and I totally love it. First Sniff Impression: Very sweet and a bit floral. Pink. Wet in Vial: The cotton candy is prominent. Hoping it will sweeten out any weird Snake Oil-ness that unfortunately does not work with my skin. Drying Down on Skin: Fortunately there's a quick whiff of the more earthy notes of the green moss and raiz de moras (blackberry root), which is balancing out the cotton candy. There might be a trace of Dorian? But honestly I'm not getting Dorian or Snake Oil at the moment. I can definitely smell the carnation. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pick out carnation, but now I remember how they smell from getting them as a kid. Dry on Skin: The carnation and earth notes have kind of mixed together, so neither is really apparent besides an earthy-floral scent. I think there might be a touch of Snake Oil and Dorian now, but they're nicely blended so I can't pick them out specifically. Fortunately the sweetness is keeping any Snake Oil in it from getting powdery on me. Conclusion: I can't decide if I like this one enough to want to keep it. It definitely does have a nice, sweet, floral smell, but I don't know if it's enough to warrant the price of it. I guess I'll keep it for now and see if it grows on me. It's definitely worth another test down the road.

I was soooo excited to track down a decant of this. I loved the sound of the notes, and I'd been looking for another Lilith scent that I might like as much as The Serpentine that maybe wouldn't be quite as popular and hard to find. First Sniff Impression: Pink? Sugary? Wet in Vial: Somehow I can tell in the vial that this is vanilla ice cream, not just a vanilla note. It's a little creamy. The rest is just a mix of sweetness, probably from the Dorian, but I can't pick out skin musk or lavender specifically. Drying Down on Skin: The lavender is a little more prominent when applied. Straight off it actually reminds me of Burt's Bees' Baby Bee wash (guessing the honey and vanilla ice cream with the lavender). I hope the mental reference to a baby product won't end up turning this into baby powder on me. Dry on Skin: Well, unfortunately this just stayed as baby shampoo on me. It's not a bad smell at all, but it's a tad powdery and just reminds me of my son being a newborn. So not something I really want to wear on myself. Bummer. I was really hoping I'd love this one. Conclusion: This smelled much nicer in the vial than dry. In the vial it was almost possible to tease out the hint of Dorian, but dry it was just all sweet honey baby powder scent. It might not bother some people since I just have a very specific association with it. I'll keep the decant but won't bother with a bottle.

I was able to get an almost full bottle of this for a really good price, which was exciting because I loved the sound of all the notes. And oh my goodness, how CUTE is the bottle?! First Sniff Impression: A sharp, sour floral. Wet in Vial: This reminds me of an old floral perfume, that maybe sat for a few years with only a little left in the bottle. Probably just because there's so many notes all together. Drying Down on Skin: Jasmine, lime rind, bright tropical flowers. And I can get margaritas, which is pretty fun. Dry on Skin: This stayed pretty consistent from dry down to dry. A nice, relatively light white floral (unlike Imperious Tiger-Lily that I tried last night) and the lime margarita smell is a nice addition. Would be a fun, bright scent for summer. Conclusion: Fortunately whatever Snake Oil is in this made no appearance (because, alas, it's such a death-scent on my skin), though it's also a little sad neither did Dorian. Still, this is one of the better, actually wearable (as in, not too foody) Lilith scents I've tried. I'll be keeping this and wearing it during warm months!

After getting way more heavily into BPAL the past few months, I found I really loved a lot of the Lilith scents, as well as Dorian. Snake Oil I wanted to love with a passion, but straight and not aged it went immediately disposable diaper perfume on my skin. So I hunted down a bottle of Lilith Victoria, hoping it would have all the good things I wanted in one scent. First Sniff Impression: A little medicinal and alcoholic right in the bottle. But it seems like it could dry down really nicely. Wet in Vial: I'm guessing the medicinal-type smell I'm getting is the Snake Oil. Since this is really aged, I'm wondering how the Snake Oil will work on me. There's also something almost smoky about the scent. Drying Down on Skin: Well, I can definitely get the Snake Oil right off the bat. My nose is probably still traumatized from when I tried the new imp a couple weeks ago. But so far I don't think it's actually baby diaper-smelling, more than I'm remembering it. I really don't get Dorian at all. Probably some of the flowers are there somehow. Dry on Skin: This smells just 100% Snake Oil on me. Which is SUPER disappointing. No Dorian whatsoever, at any point. I have to admit the Snake Oil is slightly more tolerable than the first time I tried it, but I'm still just not a fan. WHICH MAKES ME SAD. Conclusion: I'm going to give this one a couple of weeks to "settle" after traveling across the globe, but if it's still the same then I'm going to swap it for something I like better. SADNESS. But I'm sure I could find it a happy home.

I've wanted to try Jareth ever since I discovered BPAL several years ago, but the price of a full and uncertainty about what it would actually smell like always kept me from getting it. But since a few months ago when I was getting way heavier into BPAL, and discovered I loved Dorian, which of course is currently out of stock, I heard this was actually a great swap for Dorian. So on my birthday I binged a little and bought a full bottle of Jareth, along with a few others. Now I wish I'd bought this years ago! First Sniff Impression: Definitely similar to Dorian, but less sweet. Wet in Vial: Lilac fougere, obviously. The rest are harder to pick out, except that it adds a more subtle support to this than Dorian has with vanilla. Drying Down on Skin: Immediately on it's Dorian with less tartness and sweetness. Starting to dry, the leather is like HERE I AM AND I AM SEXY and the white musk is just OMG and the tonka and oudh are in the back making everything all nice and grounded while there's a fougere party in David Bowie's amazing leather pants, which we're all invited to. There's something just the tiniest bit spicy or astringent, something that shoots up my nose. But it's not very strong, so it simply adds another layer to the scent. Dry on Skin: Oh wow, fully dry the leather pops right out at you (I could make a reference to David Bowie's pants again, but I'm not going to do that cause honestly they never bothered me growing up, being in ballet and all, and I'm much more mature than that.) This is Dorian with a whip. No fancy-schmancy pretty boys here (still pretty, but not fancy. FABULOUS perhaps). Conclusion: I could've figured out that I liked leather scents way sooner if I'd just tried this one years ago when I first saw it. It's absolutely amazing.

Like I think a few other people, I picked up a bottle of Theodosius from the lab when Dorian was out of stock. I ended up really liking Dorian after it was already sold out, so I wanted to have something else on hand until hopefully that one came back. Therefore I got this as well as Jareth to tide me over. First Sniff Impression: Definitely similar to Jareth and Dorian slightly, but I get more of a white tea note with this? Wet in Vial: Green or white tea instead of Earl Grey, whiter fourgere, not so sweet as Dorian and Jareth, more fresh. Drying Down on Skin: This is definitely a lighter, fresher fougere. The Earl Grey and white flowers combine to make a white tea scent to me, while the white musk forms a good solid base, and keeps it from getting *too* feminine, and the vanilla smooths everything over. Dry on Skin: Dry a bit of the citrus tea scent fades and the white musk spreads out. "Pearlescent" white musk makes me think of one that would be creamy, and that seems to fit here. Fully dry it's definitely more masculine than when it first started. It has a good solid base, with the lighter fougere and other floral notes to make it interesting. Conclusion: This ended up being slightly different than I was expecting, but that's totally fine with me. It was a lighter fougere and maybe better for summertime than some of the others that can feel heavier and syrupy. I liked this one a lot!

I got The Lilac Wood in an amazing deal of a Unicorn Horn I pack that was new and never opened. I was so excited because this was absolutely at the top of my Last Unicorn wishlist! First Sniff Impression: Like my backyard in summertime growing up. Fresh and comforting. Wet in Vial: Grass, trees, fresh lilac Drying Down on Skin: The lilac is the most prominent note, though it's a fresh, light realstic lilac, not a perfumey floral. The grass and a backdrop of lighter white forest flowers support it. Dry on Skin: Dry, the leaves and grass smell recedes, leaving a light floral behind. It's a really great one because it still smells fresh, not heavy or cloying like some florals. Only sad part is, I don't know how long this will last on my skin. I also have to take into consideration I have zero idea how old this imp is. But already I feel the flowers fading and leaving behind that unique, fresh autumn air note I get with the Liliths sometimes. Conclusion: Yup, as I feared, this lasted barely an hour on me before all that was left was that sort of base woodsy, air note that I get with the Liliths. It's too rare for me to want to reapply to try again, so I'll have to save this one for when I desperately need to smell the outdoors.

I got Australian Copperhead as a frottle partial with another order from a forum member. I was excited to get it because I'd been wanting to try and aged Snake Oil blend since regular, new Snake Oil did not agree with me. First Sniff Impression: Urk. Robitussin. Wet in Vial: The acai berry is super strong, making it a bit cough syrupy. Drying Down on Skin: So the acai isn't too strong on skin, and the rest of the notes make a kind of nice woody, smoky, sweet berry smell. It's settling into something like the smell of a really nice shampoo. Further drying, it is getting a little powdery on me. So with the fruit, it's like soapy powder? Dry on Skin: Dry it's basically Snake Oil, even so slightly less "baby diaper" than regular Snake Oil is on me. I just don't think I like the scent. But I have to say this is my favorite of the Snake Oils I've tried so far (original, Lilith Victoria). I feel like I can *almost* smell why people love it, but there just something about it that turns me off. Conclusion: This one was almost ok, but Snake Oil simply isn't my friend. I'll probably hang onto it since it might be good for swapping, being so aged.