porcelina

yummy fluffy cake with a refreshing citrus twist- very sweet and sugary, but not gooey! the citrus is just there to brighten things up a bit. as someone who doesn't "do" foody scents, this is astonishingly wearable.

piper... could either have smelled really good or really bad on me... it's the latter. astringent and chemical.

soft piles of moss, a light touch of sandalwood and the barest hint of patchouli. mole is surprisingly soft, sweet and cuddly, in an earth way.

this is a sea rat on land, as some others have said- it's not overtly aquatic, but there's a touch of salt and sea air clinging to the sea rat's whiskers. the musk is gorgeous and blends very well with the smoke and wood. this is amazing on my bf. on me, the berries go a bit sharp, but it still smells wonderful. i'm hoping aging will tame the berries some. i knew i would love this one!

mmm. hanerot halalu is so evocative... warm, golden, glowing candles, smoke and darkness. it's *lovely.* i think it would work well as a layering scent, as well. this is the perfect beeswax and smoke.

bitter clove and vanilla with a touch of pine... the way pickled imp smells actually reminds me of red bull cola, which i believe contains all of those things... i am not sure i want to smell like it, though. i'll hold onto it and see if it ages well.

aha! this is the note ("hot leather") from hellfire that went funny on me. loviatar is bitter and unpleasant on my skin... the myrrh+leather combo is not a good one and red musk and i don't always get along.

this was the surprise hit from my recent order. tart, juicy plums with a scattering of wildflowers for sweetness (hurray- a floral note that doesn't amp to insane proportions on my skin!) smoothed by a base of rich cream. prunella is seriously great and has really good throw. a 5ml for sure!

gah. the flowery osmanthus ruins belle vinu for me. i can smell the peach and sandalwood and vanilla, buried somewhere under all that screaming osmanthus. alas.

i randomly stumbled across fascinum, a blend i hadn't heard of, ever, and was intrigued by the golden musk/resin/wood combo. i was so excited to try it, and with good reason! this stuff is great... elegant musk and woods with amber and a touch of saffron, how could you go wrong?

i think the incense in hellfire goes a little odd on me- it almost smells like anise? after a little while that goes away, however. it's really nice- smokey musk and leather. i can definitely see myself wearing this.

at first, WooD is very woodsy and smokey, with a touch of bitter clove. and this clove is REALLY bitter. i think i'd like it better if that was a bit sweeter. it goes through a stage at the beginning in which it smells, deliciously, of burning leaves- the way i wanted last halloween's october to smell! not much spice. it's lovely, at that stage. the myrrh starts to peek out and that doesn't agree with me so much. later, it morphs bizarrely and becomes strangely soapy. i think this one needs to settle down some more. we'll see how aging affects it.

at first, lilith victoria smells almost like a lighter, more complex TKO. the lavender here is much softer than the very strong, almost astringent lavender in tko, however. as it dries, a bit of warm snake oil spice comes out. it's a light scent, compared to my usual tastes, but it's really comforting and sweet and cuddly. i didn't think i'd be hanging onto my 5ml, but i think i will keep it.

in the bottle: smokey, buttery, a bit of woodsy sweetness on skin, wet: kind of bitter... it almost starts to smell like vetiver, which is a huuuuge no-no for me. it actually kind of smells like burning leaves and wood, which is really nice, but there's something medicinal (the cherry?) and unpleasant lurking beneath. there is no real pumpkin to speak of. dry: smokey but with an unpleasant artificial edge. theoretically, i should really like this, but i don't.

inez is like a softer hay moon on my skin. i like it a lot, but it doesn't last nearly as long as hay moon and i have three bottles of that, so i will be swapping this.

ok, THIS is my perfect incense blend. midnight mass is effing fantastic. i want to wear it, spray it around my room, use it in my oil burner. it's curling blue smoke and dusty pews. it's like having sex in a church. i think it will age spectacularly... i need exactly 500 more bottles now.

snow bunny is skiing down a mountain covered in fluffy glittery snow in and out of pink marabou christmas trees. its chilly and girly and sweet, the most feminine pine note i've ever encountered. it isn't what i expected, but i like it a lot.

chocolate = plastic on my skin. it's not so bad with gelt, because the cocoa is quite dry and not creamy or sweet, but it still smells a bit like a cocoa candle. not foody in the least, but not good on me, either.

i like my resins and incense blends, but i like them dark and smoky. jacob's ladder is much lighter and brighter than i expected. it hints at florals, which totally turns me off. i had the same experience with all saints. meh. not the best, not the worst.

a dusty, citrusy floral. surprisingly, the phantom wooer is not unpleasant to my nose, but it still isn't something i want to wear.

mmmm. this is so thick and dark, light does not show through the bottle. it's a creamy snake oil with dark cocoa, but it's not foody. it's a very elegant cocoa, and a sophisticated scent. unfortunately (like regular SO) it doesn't last very long on me.

i want to love fearful pleasure, but it smells like a cheap autumn candle on me and fades within 15 minutes.

hmm. i can't decide if i like brom bones or not. to me the leather does not smell as worn as i expected... maybe i was expecting something softer, like suede, but it smells a bit plasticky and shiny to me. more like pleather than leather. the musk is wonderful, though, and it really comes out on my skin. i wonder if aging will improve it.

yesterday i placed a paypal order and my order information did not go through. > i sent an email to the lab with the actual contents of my order but have not heard back, and i'm worried.

masculine vanillas are some of my favorite bpals (i am something of a scent cross-dresser). many of my favorites have been mentioned already, but these are my thoughts on the subject: tombstone - rugged, woody cowboy desert vanilla. this goes a little funny on me now and i can't wear it anymore, but that's just my finicky chemistry. it's great. golden priapus - a masculine o. antikythera mechanism - rich and warm, like polished wood and dark vanilla hellhound on my trail - a smoky, rich, slightly spicy, unbelievably delicious vanilla. it is a recent LE, hard to find but *totally* worth it if you can get it! snake oil - pretty unisex, smells like musky vanilla incense on me. voodoo - a really dark, well-blended mix of vanilla, myrrh, vetiver, spices... to me it smells like incense and vanilla cola, in a good way. very good when aged. i can't recommend antikythera mechanism and hellhound strongly enough!