Lethran

In Bottle: This is unusual and very realistic. Those really do have that dry scent of holly berries and the sharpness of real mistletoe. Wet: The Mistletoe is dominant now, but the berry sent keeps it sweet. I’m really liking this. Dry: The berries win out in the end, but the mistlete lingers on. This is a really lovely holiday blend.

2004 Version In bottle: I think that’s mostly mullein, patchouli and the woods smells on top. The rest is very understated. This is really too strongly patchouli for me. Wet: It smells less of rot on the skin, and the spices are more noticeable. The whole thing lightens a little, which is all to the good and the apple becomes more prominent. Dry: It really is pleasant in the dry down. The patchouli and rot back so far down that the warm apple and spice blend really works out.

In bottle: That is a lot of grape and plum. Underneath lie musk and honey, mostly. It’s very complex and a little overwhelming. Wet: The carnation and sugar come out more. Soon, the other elements follow, lightening what was a heavy grape/wine/plum combo into something sweet and carnation floral. It’s like stepping around a turn in the hedge and a whole mixed garden opening up into sunshine. It’s still not right on my skin, mostly because I amp grape, opopanox and wines really don’t work for me, but I can smell the possibilities on someone else’s less difficult skin. Dry: Pleasant womanly perfume.

In bottle: Rose, cypress and lavender on top. It’s mostly rose those. Given the things my skin does to rose, I’m not skin testing.

In bottle: Almond dominant, with vanilla support. It reminds me a popular almond pastry who’s name escapes me. The frankincense changes it up a little in a pleasing way. Wet: still mostly almond with a bit of vanilla and frankincense, but the heliotrope becomes more prominent as it warms. Dry: Wow, there’s the cinnamon, and the vanilla gets stronger as other elements fade. I am genuinely enjoying the evolution of this one on my skin.

1. Had you just bathed when you applied? I find skin is more sensitive without a layer of natural oils to cushion it. 2. Sometimes repeated application to one spot can have the effect the previous posted described. 3. Patchouli and pumpkin can both me irritants, but concentration matters. Patchouli is very light in snake oil, I don't know about your blend. I find pumpkin can cause irritation with il aging as evaporation increases concentration. It's not in all pumpkin blends though, so it's hard to track. 4. It could be that you are fine with two elements that are irritants, but not enough to cause a skin reaction, but may be too much together.

In bottle: The sugar in this is so rich it’s almost caramel. The pepper nuts are fascinating. The spice combination is one of my favorite, and I use it all the time in my cooking. I would love to eat this, honestly. Good thing I know better. This is profoundly foody, as you likely expect. Wet: The nuts really come out with warming and the spices are so rich and well blended. The sugar keeps things sweet, but is more pure sugar and less caramel now. I think the cardamom is strongest among the spices, but really, it’s the nuts that shine here. Dry: The sugar ends up whipped cream like, and is reminiscent of boo. It also ends up dominant, though the spice and nuts stay present, if subdued. I really do like the way the whipped cream compliments the nuts. I’m really tempted to make a nut joke here, so I hope y’all appreciate my restraint.

In bottle: I’m not skin testing this due to the rose content. The rose is heavy and nearly overwhelms the other more delicate flowers, which I can barely make out. There is nothing special here, though I suppose if someone really likes rose, this could be nice enough for them.

In bottle: There will be no skin test due to mint content. It smells very clean. The Ambergris and mint combine to create an ozone effect. The mosses combine to anchor it and great an pleasantly androgynous effect. I really don’t like mint, but I do think this is lovely and well blended.

XCIX In Bottle: A lot of musk and imcense. Strangely sweet and beautifully complex. The vanilla lifts and enhances the incense. Wet: The snake oil really comes out. I was expecting this to be too much musk, given my skin chemistry, but it isn’t. somehow, it is softened and modified by the snake oil an incense. I think there may be a hint of mint, but not enough to cause skin reaction. I can’t stop sniffing this; the various elements keep shifting in relation to each other. This is beautifully blended. The dark sexy bottom glides seemlessly upward to the heights of the incense blends. Dry: The musk comes back out, but stays just within the strength I can wear. It still retains a lovely tree oil/vanilla/incense combo, though it’s really all about the musk and snake oil at this point.

In bottle: This is really well balanced. The musk and leather are a gentle compliment to the sandalwoods. It is rather more wood than incense in affect, but that’s all to the good. Wet: I’m surprised there is no clay in this, but I guess that’s the “dusty” in the leather. It’s a little more playdoh than I expected and the musk is rather stronger on my skin. My skin is naturally musky, so it tends to multiply any musk in a blend. Given time, it looses the playdoh and the sandalwood unfold to display all sorts of fascinating complexity, from light incense to strangely sweet wood. Dry: mostly a pleasant sandalwood blend with a hint of musk. The playdoh is back, but softer.

In bottle: Weirdly citruslike. I’m actually guessing that is caused my something reacting with the weirdly realistic cling wrap scent. It’s pleasantly soft and powdery and not at all what I expected. Wet: Ah, there’s a bit of blood and steel, under the plastic/citrus note. My skin isn’t amping the citrus, so I’m really thinking it’s an artifact of plastic+steel. I’m liking it. The whole effect is unaggressively masculine, soft and competent. Dry: I really liked this. The blood reminds me of red moon a little. I really like the sweet powdery feel to it. It’s maybe a touch too delicate, but it’s lovely on the dry down.

In bottle: That’s a lot of machine oil, right there. It is mostly oil and steel and soil. The weeds add a green note and the groceries add a faint, unexpected sweetness, to what is mostly the scent of dirt floor garage. Wet; It is much nicer on the skin, with the industrial scent damping down. I’m now guessing there might have been a touch of cake in the groceries. It is much sweeter on the skin, though doesn’t loose that motorcycle leaking oil smell. It is wearable, but only just, being vaguely unsettling. Dry: The oil gets less aggressive, and the various earthy smells come out more. It’s a little strange still, but easier to deal with.

In bottle: The leaf note in this reminds me of ivy and deep thick decayed leaf piles of late fall. If floater is October, this is November. The dust, fabric, and concrete all make a pleasantly complex support for the rich scent of those leaves. Wet: The fabric note strengthens, though the leaves stay strongest. It is a pleasing sort of decay. There is a faint chalkiness to the blend as the dust comes out better. Dry: This fades fast, to something very soft and weirdly comforting, like my mother’s attic when I was a child.

In bottle: Unfortunate. Lots of ozone, mint, and fir. I know mint isn’t in the notes, but I’d swear there’s wintergreen in there. The fir is strongly dominent, yet the mint turns it too sweet. Wet: Still strongly fir dominant. The mint note backs off rather, though it stays in the background adding it’s minty sweetness to the blend. The ozone calms down too, making the blend much improved on the skin. The mint is strong enough in the blend to cause a mild skin reaction, but I’m toughing it out to get the full effect. This really is Christmas tree and Christmas candy in a bottle. Dry: It only gets richer and more lovely as it wears. The sweet candy ends up blended so smoothly with the fir and the other elements that it’s an absolute joy to smell.In bottle: Unfortunate. Lots of ozone, mint, and fir. I know mint isn’t in the notes, but I’d swear there’s wintergreen in there. The fir is strongly dominent, yet the mint turns it too sweet. Wet: Still strongly fir dominant. The mint note backs off rather, though it stays in the background adding it’s minty sweetness to the blend. The ozone calms down too, making the blend much improved on the skin. The mint is strong enough in the blend to cause a mild skin reaction, but I’m toughing it out to get the full effect. This really is Christmas tree and Christmas candy in a bottle. Dry: It only gets richer and more lovely as it wears. The sweet candy ends up blended so smoothly with the fir and the other elements that it’s an absolute joy to smell.

In bottle: This is a surprisingly ozoney aquatic. It’s light and feminine and the silt note gives it a pleasant grounding. Wet: It has more depth. I do pick up a leaf note similar to many lab Autumn theme scents. The aquatic note stays dominant and the silt is still only just detectable. As it warms, the leaves come out even more, adding a depth and complexity that really grows on me. Dry: Surprisingly sweet as the aquatic breaks down into something almost, but not quite citrus rind. It is weirdly attractive in an Autumn stream sort of way. I really do like how the leaves decay into the silt.

In bottle: Musk, incense, and patchouli are dominant. It is pleasantly complex. It’s quite masculine with the spices giving it an edge. Wet: The benzion is doing some exciting things with the nutmeg and chili. The vanilla comes out as it warms, sweetening it. It continues to lighten on the skin, smelling almost fruity. It’as a lovely scent for late fall and early Winter, spicy, insency, sweet, and richly dark. I was worried about this blend due to the ebony musk, but while it has a dark affect, it’s not too strong. Dry: Mmmm…. Myrrh and nutmeg dominant. This is quite the morpher, but in a good way. The musk is just at the upper end of what my skin can handle and imparts a masculine sexiness to the blend even as it gradually lightens in feel with wear. I am so happy I swapped for this. It’s surprisingly delicate and spicy without loosing its sophistication.

In bottle: Chalky and chemical, which suits the concept. I’m picking up vetiver and already have a headache from a previous test, so I’m not chancing a skin test. It is sweeter than I expected and might make an interesting scent if one has the right chemistry for vetiver.

In bottle: Pretty much as advertised. It’s copal with something scintillating in the top note. It is very heady and womanly in an incense sort of way. Wet: Wet paint and copal. The effect is rather unfortunate when blended with my core scent. It does improve as it warms, turning into an insencey men’s cologne. The “gold” is fascinating, but mostly overwhelmed by the copal. Dry: It really is pleasant on the try down, a sort of elevated smelling men’s cologne, but it gave me a pretty bad headache in the wet stage, so I’m thinking it’s simply to strong for me.

In bottle: Surprisingly spicy. I’m guessing a cinnamon jelly bean. It also rather reminds me of cinnamon tooth polish at the dentist. Wet; The effect is warmer on the skin. The anise comes out It still tastes vaguely clinical, but less annoyingly so. Dry: goes a touch marshmallowy, though the cinnamon remains strongly dominant.

Have you tried Jazz Funeral? Not yet, but it's fast climbing it's way to the top of my list as dirt is also a note I'm hanging to try out and think I will actually like a lot, also a big fan of white florals. Was going to buy zombi unsniffed, but Jazz might be substituted. My only worry is the booze as I've only tried gin and it amps and goes like acetone on me. I can only have a few booze notes (gin/juniper, wine, beer are right out). I get a fresh water aquatic with dirt and a very light floral with my skin. The booze is so light, i forgot it's in there. Your mileage may vary.

Have you tried Jazz Funeral?

I had forgotten how much Gothic Horror smells like coyote until i wore it today.

Snake Oil gets more vanilla as it ages, yes.

In bottle; Mmmmm…bay rum and incense. This is a really pleasant cologne, which manages to evoke both an academically inclined man and an understated sensuality. The paper note is soft, yet pleasant. Wet: Smells a touch like shoe polish on top of the interesting cologne already discussed. It may also be a little too sweet for my skin, in a sweet tart sort of way. It still evokes a Victorian Gentlemen’s explorer club or the like, but apparently, my skin chemistry just doesn’t like it. As it warms, the incense really comes on strong, superseding the sweet tarts, so I’m thinking that’s where it came from. As it develops, I think the problem is in the bay rum/incense combination, when added to my natural musk. It just doesn’t work out. Dry: OMG. This is stunning. The remainers of the incense mingle with the paper and the bay rum to create something incredibly elegant and really interesting. This is heartbreaking as the wet phase is so offensive with my skin chemistry that there is no way I can wear this. It’s the near misses that hurt the most.