alterosen

Versailles is rather nice. It has a very sophisticated feel with the combination of citrus, rose, amber & jasmine. After testing it, I immediately thought my mother might like it, which is a first (she likes Lancome's Magie Noir & not much else).

Miskatonic University - I don't get any coffee, wood or whiskey just buttery caramel.

I found Calliope to be very peppery, though I think it's actually thyme. This is one of the soon to be discontinued GC's.

I wish I could help. I work in a library, too, but we're not supposed to wear scent to spare those of our co-workers with chemical sensitivities & allergies so I haven't had a chance to notice if things work or change. I keep imps in my bag in my desk to sniff during the day if necessary to keep myself happy. It's a large open building, anyway, so it's probably not the same kind of stuffy atmosphere (though the Special Collections division is a different kind of beast). Good luck!

I'm also a big fan of Samhain. It's not as sweet or buttery as Jack but is a bit similar with the apple & spice with an addition of smokiness. You might want to keep an eye out for some of the old Pumpkin Patch blends (2005 & 2006). Pumpkin Patch #1 is full of spicy apple goodness & Pumpkin Patch #4 smells like buttery baked goods to me though it's pumpkin with sandalwood & orris. I haven't tried any of the new Pumpkins yet so I'm not sure how they compare.

Another good autumnal scent is Harvest Moon. Though it has a floral aspect, to me the fruit & leaves are what really comes out. I also really like Sugar Skull. It's a hard one to describe. The sugar note isn't caramel but rather like sugar melting (if you've ever made candy or caramel yourself, you'd recognize it) with light fruit (I get pear) & a bit of spice & smoke as it dries.

If you get some Shub-Niggurath, make sure to try it layered with Miskatonic University. On its own, MU is pretty caramelly but added to Shub somehow brings out this fabulous smoky note in addition to the general yummy gingeriness.

There's always Black Cat, and Velvet has a nice soft fuzziness about it while still being sexy I wouldn't say my cats have that kind of scent but it evokes the feeling of fur, if that makes sense. Bastet would also be a good choice. It never hurts to smell like a goddess when attending a party!

So happy to finally try this version (thank you Ishtar!)

On me, it's like my beloved Samhain with cherries as the fruit note instead of apples - smokey, sweet and tangy - yum, yum, yum. Must find more...

My 3 year old little guy really likes some of the chocolate scents (no big surprise - he's got the biggest sweet tooth ever!), particularly the Candy Butcher & Velvet, though strangely he turned his nose up at Bliss.

I haven't checked to see if he still likes Samhain after he poured 3/4 of the bottle on himself - mostly because I don't want to share the super-precious until I get some more & I'm a little paranoid. He seems to have pretty broad tastes - yesterday he chose Fairy Market for himself

No scent gender-stereotyping here! Hopefully he won't outgrow his open-mindedness, though I suspect he'll start to care more what other people think as he gets older. I doubt I'll ever have to try to steer him away from nasty cheap cologne as a teen at least! Educate them young!!

How does Candy Butcher compare to Lump of Coal? I know it's not nice to bring up a hard to find LE but it's the richest chocolately goodness on me & I only have an imp, so it would be great if something currently available was as good.

I'm going to answer my own question since I got my hands on some nice aged Candy Butcher and ... it isn't really that chocolatey on me. Maybe white chocolate with all that creaminess & hint of floral but not the dark chocolate I was hoping for (though it is very nice). Lump of Coal is way more chocolatey & Velvet runs a close second. Now I need to get a hold of some Boomslang...

KikuPeach, what did you end up choosing?

How does Candy Butcher compare to Lump of Coal? I know it's not nice to bring up a hard to find LE but it's the richest chocolately goodness on me & I only have an imp, so it would be great if something currently available was as good.