Nascargot

The dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious. This was unexpectedly lovely on me. I picture a portly, carefree lion lazily rolling about in the shade of a tree. Typically I am not interested in ambers for no reason other than that they just....don't interest me lol. The Lion plays so tenderly on my skin, however, that I may have to rethink that stance. I'm glad I don't get any spice - cinnamon or otherwise - from this, because I feel that would make it less remarkable somehow. I'd wear this if I planned on getting close with someone, as it's very coy, almost teasing.

Wet, this has a very sweet, cherry cola vibe. I can also pick up the clove right away. As it settles it becomes a little muskier and spiced, and the 'syrup' starts to fade - maybe because my skin drank it up. A bit of a shame, since that's what made it so appealing to me initially! I like it and could see how it's very well-rounded to some, but this becomes a bit too generic for me during drydown. I do not have the most refined sense of smell so it's easy for things to start smelling a bit too 'blended' for me. I think it must be the myrrh and patchouli taking over. Had my initial impressions stuck around, I'd consider buying a full bottle, but they disappeared too fast for me to maintain interest...

A tribute to New York’s 21 Club on West 52nd, formerly the speakeasy Jack & Charlie’s Puncheon Club. This is the scent of the perfect martini. Y'all weren't kidding when you said this was straight liquor, oh my gosh. I've never smelled effervescence without it actually being present, but 21 accomplished that nicely. Bright and very fizzy, with a tang of citrus - lime, maybe? Those tend to turn bathroom cleaner on me, but it seems I've been spared this time around. Still, it really packs a punch. Throw is medium but by no means feeble - kinda stung the back of my throat to take a whiff up close. I'm lucky to like it, since I found it kinda hard to lift from the skin. I personally would not describe this as clean or refreshing, but it certainly piques the senses. Summery for sure, but I'd go with something else on humid days.

I honestly did not expect all three s'mores ingredients to be so distinctly present. I agree that the graham cracker does have a cinnamon flair and is the most noticeable, but the slightly-singed marshmallows and milk chocolate certainly weren't invisible; just needed a while to peek through. I got a tad emotional smelling it as I haven't had the chance to make s'mores with anyone in a while! I'm really impressed with the richness of this. I tested it on my wrist as I wasn't quite ready to put it on my hair, and it endured all day long, even through the tossing and turning of a nap. I'm tempted to wear it elsewhere on the body just because it holds up so well.

Sweetened with brown sugar. Pecans are among my favorite nuts, and as such I was looking for a scent containing them during this holiday season. This smells less blatantly like pecans and much more like some Christmassy candle I know I've smelled somewhere, albeit much more genuine and full-bodied, as Black Phoenix does. I can't pick it apart very accurately, but the 'caramelized' effect is most dominant for me. I feel like you can't go wrong with this. I wouldn't call it generic, but there is very little that is niche about it - I imagine most would like it quite well. Inoffensive yet still undoubtedly seasonal.

Milk and honey scents are usually a bit meek for my tastes, so I'm thankful for the hay note to give it a bit more presence. This is mild and sweet, though not in a confectionary way. I have extremely short hair and usually just smooth the gloss over after spraying it into my palms. As such, this lingered on my hands for a bit and left me smelling at them for an hour or two afterwards. Subtle and not exactly long-lasting, but noticeable enough for me to think "awh, that's nice" a number of times while smiling to myself. Has sort of a Sweater Party vibe? Smells the way you feel when someone says your favorite knit looks cute on you, haha~

This churned my tummy and made me tilt my head for a second - might be because of that olllllddd leather and dust mixing together. However, this is spot-on. My grandfather was passionate about cars and all things mechanical, but being he was forgetful and liked to, er, collect things, many of his projects just, well, sat. Before my grandmother spurred him to clear it, their yard was mini scrapyard of sorts - kind of a picker's delight. I never really shared his zeal for it all, but it was nice to watch his eyes light up while attempting to explain something to me. He's gone now, I'm sad to say, but in this bottle is a little bit of what he used to love. The Haunted Locations line really has a profound effect on me. I'm definitely hoping to scoop up a couple more while they're still around.

This is throwing open the doors of a locked-up shed in the dead of night only to find nothing inside. Still and somewhat metallic - maybe a little bit woody - with a cold gust carrying the scent of nearby fields. A sort of lonely smell, though not necessarily sad. When I was 10 or so, my parents and I spent the summer living with an uncle of mine in a rural Colorado town while we were without a place of our own. While it was plenty sunny during the day, it could grow eerily cold at night - pretty unsettling when you're basically in the sticks. On the day we moved into our new apartment, we lost him to a car accident. Some time after, we returned to the property to sort out his things. He was a bit of a hoarder, so it felt odd to see the storage completely void of anything. Staring at all that empty space afterwards - it felt (and smelled) like this. I try not to think of him much, as it's too hard, but this is very nice to remember him by.

Throughout all stages, I get primarily bright figs and a paper note from this. I was worried because of the ripeness of the fruit that it might turn a little funny on me, but thankfully not. The cream shows up after a bit but for the most part it stays the same. I get pretty good wear on it too but the throw is rather limited. Glad I acquired it during winter since right about now seems like a good time to wear it!

Does anyone happen to know if Roadhouse and Scarecrow have been discontinued ?

Fear of Riding in Cars Encased in a roaring tomb of vinyl siding, strangled by nylon bindings, arms bruised and battered by writhing bodies punching and pummeling—punctuated by wild cries of SLUG BUG and CALL BOX—and endless discordant choruses of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. Motor oil, a burst of exhaust, a faded tree-shaped air freshener, and crushed gas station chocolates. Based on description alone, this is less an everyday scent and more of a marvel, not the most wearable but certainly impressive in terms of accuracy. That said, this is a very nostalgic scent for me. My father is what some might call a 'gearhead', and as such I was made familiar with the smells of everything automotive from a young age. This reminds me of all the times I was dragged into the garage to unwillingly assist with some project, and the smell that clung to my clothes thereafter. All the fumes without the headache; the smell of a busy garage or mechanic's shop. The exhaust note is strongest at first but the air freshener (pine, like the little tree-shaped ones) is apparent too. I also get a whiff of what smells like tires, and perhaps antifreeze as well. This is not a casual scent by any means! I'd likely wear this to a racetrack, rock concert, or out drinking.

I find this to be a very gentlemanly scent, but not in the manner of a typical cologne or anything overwhelmingly masculine. There's a sort of cavalier curiosity to it - proper, but eyebrow-raising, which I suppose falls in with the paranormal inspiration. Leather is most prominent for me; worn but well-cared for. What lingers in the background is smoky enough to add some depth but sweet enough to avoid being too brash. I'm glad the vetiver takes a bit of a backseat - I think too much of it would disturb the 'picture'. Multi-faceted and descriptive without being muddled or confusing to the nose.

Odd woods. Peculiar and foreboding forests right off the bat, with a hint of something vegetable that I suspect is the tomato leaf (though I'm aware it's a fruit lol). This lingers for a half-hour or so before the berry notes begin to progressively sweeten - unexpectedly morphs in a really nice way! I've never tried the original Jersey Devil, but this is certainly befitting of a cryptid. The 'frostbitten' effect is less a sharp, stinging cold and more of a wintry hush - vegetation succumbed to the cold not by blizzard but by frost. Had my doubts about this when first trying it, but it's quickly begun to grow on me. Up-close the 'strangeness' remains but from a distance the throw of berries is surprisingly sweet. Makes for a very interesting holiday scent.

2017 edition: In the bottle: Exactly like spiced eggnog. Spot-on. Wet: Extremely plasticy on me; the eggnog is there but it's struggling to make it to the surface. Drydown: The plastic/play-doh vibe is still pretty strong, but I can tell the intended notes are trying to break through. It becomes less synthetic with time. I think I may've overestimated how strong this would be - subtle isn't always my style and this has very little throw. Plenty nice, but took a while to adjust to me, and a bit too subdued for me to wear all that often.

Admittedly, my first whiff of this made me recoil and gag. The strong smell of what seemed like peat and something vaguely deathlike was very surprising at first (and I love dirt notes!), but going back to the imp isn't as alarming now that I know what to expect. Wet, it's much like in the bottle - heavy on the dirt and something eerily shroomy. During drydown, I can see why some drew comparisons to a mallow plant. It becomes very soft and almost comforting in some odd way. After an hour or so, it fades pretty rapidly and leaves behind the ghost of something powdery. Morphs quickly but doesn't stick around long. Intriguing overall; still debating whether or not to go full size.