fairnymph

Sniffed: Light amber coloured oil. Crisp, juicy apple (not green, but red and ripe) and slightly earthy, murky vetiver.

 

Wet: Still appley, but the vetiver is a bit stronger, and I get some distinct myrrh now as well - giving this a slightly bitter dustiness, as well as that oddly both vaguely earthy and clean/cologney/slightly soapy vetiver. An odd mix.

 

Dry: The apple as usual is virtually completely gone after 10 minutes, and the myrrh has taken over and gone very dusty with that hint of smoky bitterness. There's another spice here too - I think white pepper, though it could be black pepper, or both - it's very peppery in an almost savoury way, and provides heat. 

 

Later: The vetiver has settled a bit, and I don't mind it here. But this is totally a masculine scent now, to my nose, and reminds me sort of of Lot & His Daughters. The apple that does remain is a more 'cooked' sort of fruit note - it has lost its fresh, juicy crispness but still provides light fruity sweetness. 

 

Summary: Dusty, myrrh-infused fruit. Lower throw and fades a lot on my skin.

Sniffed: Colourless oil. Rose! Lovely fresh, girlish tea rose, with maybe some soft green and woody notes below?

 

Wet: Darn. This goes sharp on me, the way that Rose Red does - it's plasticky/slick.  It almost has a fruity nuance, too.There's also a spicy note that smells like clove. Actually this reminds me more of Red Rose, the Lupercalia scent. I think the clove is partly what's giving the woody note. 

 

Dry: I think there may be the fir note as well, and something almost foody - I think this has tonka too. It reminds me GREATLY of Red Rose - the clove note is definitely identical. But the rose note is slightly different here, more like Rose Red as said, slightly sharp and chemically.

 

Summary: The clove doesn't amp and the fir, if it's here (I think it is but I'm not as sure about it as I am the clove), is much lighter, so this works better on me than Rose Red - but it's still far too rich with the tonka, and I really just hate clove. Very strong throw and longevity.

Sniffed: Extremely pale yellow oil. Milky/creamy (not sour milk) vanilla tea with a very intense, strongly-brewed tea note - definitely black tea. Doesn't have that sugar note, way more tea than  released Dorian and a stronger vanilla note.

 

Wet: TEA! This is by far the strongest black tea note and scent in BPAL ever - like true tea, it has those slight piney and citrusy nuances - it's complex, both fresh and rich, light and deep. I still get the vanilla, but most of the creaminess has vanished. I also get an almost sort of soapy note - maybe it's just the freshness of the tea? It's not BAD, it does impart a nice cleanness.

 

Dry: The tea is mellowing, losing its sharpness, and the vanilla is amping. Now I get a bit of musk coming out, and a bit of that very slightly dry white sandalwood. Nearly identical vanilla-musk-sandalwood base as Jingo-Kogo, in fact! It also reminds me a bit of Antique Lace's faded flowers & vanilla.

 

Later: Creamier now, as if the cream has returned, though I think it's just a facet of the vanilla and the tea note softening. The musks, too, are almost creamy. And there are definitely multiple musks. Still that faint sort of floral-vanilla note from AL as well.

 

My skin is being a bit weird on later drydown due to menstrual stuff, so I need to retest this as I got such a delicious J-L like musky drydown before, but then this was too near other scents on my arm second time around. But so far, this is my favourite of all the new protos I've tested so far, which is about half.

Sniffed: Golden oil. Rich, sugary, buttery cake and nutmeg! It's like Eggnog Cake, quite eggy and creamy actually, as well as cakey. Possible even a little rum-butter type note.

 

Wet: Spicier on my skin, as usual (I amp spice), and now I get a little ginger too - this is starting to remind me of Gingerbread Poppet (& Shub), it's that same spicy-dry-hot ginger note with the foody-buttery cake below. More buttery on my skin, but not more sweet. Very rich. Still eggy and quite creamy too. It's sort of like eggnog custard poured over gingerbread with a hard butter sauce on top.

 

Dry: Eggnog and Gingerbread Poppet had a baby. It's very creamy, eggy, rich, buttery foody and a little bit sugary sweet (but not cloying at all), with loads of nutmeg and dry, spicy ginger and maybe even a dash of boozy butter rum. Really intense throw & longevity.

 

I don't get any apple or any cinnamon AT ALL.

Sniffed: Root beer coloured oil. Red musk and something else sweet, and some sort of non-obtrusive floral. And some very creamy coconut base.

 

Wet: Coconut, but a black coconut, like Tiki King. This reminds of Shango! Tropical fruits and coconut and red musk, but this is spicier - in a sort of resin/incense way - maybe nutmeg, or allspice? It's not clove or cinnamon, but it's definitely spicy and almost peppery, though I don't get a peppery note.

 

Dry: Oh, I know this spicy note. It's mace! I don't get a banana note, but I get loads of red musk, black coconut, that peppery mace and maybe some other tropical fruits and a light, sweet floral like plumeria. I hate red musk, so I am not a fan. Strong throw and longevity.

 

Sniffed: Light yellow oil. Very boozy butterscotch (like butterscotch extract) and cocoa, like Swiss Miss cocoa mix, not like cocoa powder. Reminds me a bit of the cocoa note in Gelt.

 

Wet: Cocoa all the way, virtually all the butterscotch is just GONE instantly upon hitting my skin. This is Gelt minus the amber -and like Gelt it goes sort of musty and oddly rancid-nutty very quickly on my skin. This is not the sort of cocoa note I can wear. 

 

Dry: Turns nutty (hazelnut) as both Gelt and Bliss do and a little rancid; fake nasty artificial cocoa powder. And very powdery it is. Good throw and evilly long longevity. It won't wash off, of course.

 

Sniffed: Slightly brownish amber coloured oil. Sour rose (see: The Empress, The Miller's Daughter) and some heady white florals, a little soapy and powdery.

 

Wet: Same, but instantly more powdery. There is definitely a massive amber base. The rose is SO sour, almost makes my mouth pucker to smell it. For the other white floral(s) - I'm getting magnolia, I'm almost positive. And something else that goes straight to soap on me, which could be any number of things. Also, orris/violet for sure is contributing to this powderiness.

 

Summary: Rose & violet powdery soap with rich, warm amber. Decent throw and good longevity.

 

Yech!

Sniffed: Light and airy, almost aquatic, along with a feel of dry sand or dusty winds. Definitely a sandy/crushed rock sort of note. But very light and wispy and quite nice. Faint sweetness below.

 

Wet: Darker, spicier, heavier. Now I get a lot of the same resins & incense that I get from N v2., but more faintly. There is a slightly sour vaguely citrusy note here that N v2 lacks. Still lots of balsam. I think here, it's elemi that gives the sour citrusy note, but I also get a hint of sweet orange. This is a tiny bit soapy-cologney in that vetiver masculine way, but lightly and pleasantly - it's clean, not overwhelming. Still that dry, warm sand note - really amazing.

 

Dry: Now it's softened again so that it's much more like it was in the bottle - that dark spicy phase was just a phasee. The sweet orange note has amped a tiny bit (!), but the sour elemi has almost completely faded. Light balsam and tobacco hold as does that vetiver which gives this an airy aquatic note and I think some of that sandy feel. I do still get the whisper of incense and resins, but it's more like incense that was blown out and only faint swirls remain in the airy.

 

Summary: Airy sweet orange, dry sand, and a faint whisper of incense. Unisex, good throw and longevity.

Sniffed: Spicy, slightly woody, resiny. Smoky, a little astringent - tobacco? Frankincense for sure, and some sort of sweeter resin, maybe some benzoin. Very much INCENSE.

 

Wet: Even smokier, heavier and darker incense. A little earthy/dirty - maybe a patchouli note? Strong frankinsence and a sweet, rich delicious tobacco note. There is also something a little citrusy-piney which I'm almost positive is balsam - very strong and lovely. This reminds me of a cross between No. 93 Engine & Minotaur. Definitely some black musk, and I do think there are some other citrusy notes like elemi or litsea cubea. This is both bright/fresh and dark/intense.

 

Dry: Increasingly peppery - a black pepper note, I'm pretty sure, and there's the dark, bitter dustiness of myrrh (though it's light), and definitely a strong honeyed benzoin based. I'm pretty sure the citrus is litsea, and not elemi. The benzoin is really amping and it blends with the litsea beautifully. This is also getting more smoky - I think there's something beyond the noted resins and tobacco, and actual smoke note of some sort. It's almost waxy, like the candle smoke note in Gypsy Queen.

 

Summary: Smoky resins, black pepper and BALSAM over a lightly citrusy, earth incense base. The first three notes really dominates here, making it a very masculine scent IMO. More like Minotaur than No. 93 Engine in the final drydown, though it's definitely a mix of both. Great throw and good longevity.

Sniffed: Colourless oil. Rich hot chocolate, the thick European kind, both milk and dark chocolate notes. Very rich, but not too sweet, and not buttery, though it is creamy - sort of like Candy Butcher's creaminess.  This is very much like Candy Butcher but with extra vanilla - a sort of super creamy vanilla note on top of CB.

 

Wet: Instantly disgusting nutty chocolate, like Bliss. Nasty rancid hazelnut, with fake cloying vanilla, extremely nauseating. Very much like CB's drydown which is also disgusting on me though it smells delicious in the bottle.  It's like nearly all the rich, strong chocolate of the bottle has just vanished and this scent is also going sort of musty/oddly floury as many baked goods blends do on me.  

 

Summary: Eventually it's just rancid peanut butter. Off to sink.  Very strong throw and impossible to remove, of course. But I'd bet with different skin chemistry this would be the extra-chocolately, extra-creamy, extra-vanilla-y CB that I get in the bottle. That's how it is on my friend. NOT FAIR.

 

Sniffed: Colourless oil. Vanilla, amber, and something fruity - a light red berry note, or maybe a type of cherry? The vanilla reminds of the note in Antique Lace quite strongly. This appears to have the same base as AL.

 

Wet: Boozy, in a way that reminds me of Montresor - that same sort of sherry note, but no black currant. The AL base is very strong now and absolutely definitely AL. This is like an AL Chaos Theory (which would be a great idea!). In fact, the AL aspect is strongest note. I do get a bit more amber, the 'perfumey' sort that smells almost-floral even though it's not, for lack of a better word. It's the same note that's in AL, but it's just in higher proportion here. The vanilla isn't weak by any means, though! It's that same rich boozy vanilla.

 

Dry: Slow to dry, and this has very strong throw - if anything it is amping as it dries. I still get the tiniest hint of berry of some sort, and I think it's either wild strawberry or wild cherry, because it's tart and red and juicy, though as said, there's only a little dash of it in here. This is going the tiniest bit powdery on me, just as AL does. And this is much boozier than AL, though the booziness does appear to be fading.

 

Later: After a while this is really almost identical to some batches of AL I've had - it goes just a taaaaaad too powdery in an almost soapy way that makes me feel like sneezing if I inhale too deeply, too close. The only difference I can pinpoint is the additional amber - this is a warmer blend, more golden and sort of languid in feel than AL is. Actually, I think this has a more 'lineny' feel - it reminds me a bit of Berenice that way, though the linen is not THAT strong here.

 

Summary: The booze and the berry gradually fade to faint whispers after 30 minutes but then linger steadily, and this is nearly all vanilla, amber, and that mysterious faded floral blend that AL contains. Like I said - Chaos AL, one with extra amber, a bit of linen, and those berry & sherry nuances. Fantastically strong throw & longevity.

Sniffed: Pale yellow oil. Black cherry/harvest fruits & berries with mulling spices and some woods and maybe light herbs. Very autumnal. Reminds me a little of Mabon, or a black cherry version.

 

Wet: Much spicier, a bit more like potpourri - CINNAMON, ginger, nutmeg, allspice - total mulling spices. A ripe red apple note now in addition to the black cherry. Then there's something woody below it, a little dry - oak, I think, and sage. 

 

Dry: It really is greatly like Mabon, but less boozy, and no blackberry - black cherry fills that role, but the apple cider note is very similar if not identical. This is also much spicier with a much stronger cinnamon note in particular, though I am cinnamon.

 

Summary: The spices settle down! And note that on my friend, there is almost no cinnamon - the spices are very soft as in Mabon, on her - so it's my skin amping that cinnamon note. It's still a tad too potpourri-ish for me and the fruit notes fade on my skin, but the oak and soft sage (not harsh) hold nicely. Lower throw but decent longevity.

 

I don't get any caramel, sugar, or tea. Not at all, not the least bit.

Sniffed: Soil, dragon's blood, and crushed new green leaves. Dewy, almost aquatic. Quite light and sweet and almost melony or cucumbery.

 

Wet: Much the same, still surprisingly light/airy/green/misty. The soil note is a little more like crushed rock mixed with soil and rain - very outdoorsy and evocative. There's also a dry woody note (maybe a sandalwood or cedar) that seems almost plasticky - slick. I do think it is a type of light cedar. It reminds me of Bony Moon's cedar note and overall this scent has a similar feel.

 

Dry: CEDAR definitely in control now, amping as it nearly always does on my skin. Still those other aspects, but in the background - though the dragon's blood is a strong second place, and is its typical fruity-floral-soapy thing. This is unfortunately making my face itch, so I'm off to the sink. But drydown for me is DB + cedar, faint honeydew melon and soil with a 'mist' note. Definitely unique & unisex. Lower throw but good longevity.

Sniffed: Rich golden/pale amber oil. Slightly sharp, bright florals. Maybe something a little grassy? Fresh, spring-like sorts of florals, but quite complex - there is one floral note that stands out that I recognise but can't quite place. A little soapy, mostly in a clean way that's rather nice.

 

Wet: Grassier, soapier. I find this vaguely cologne-y - less overtly feminine than the other AFs. Definitely a mix of herbal/green notes in here - one is slightly minty, I believe hyssop, and then I get something a little spicy, maybe nasturtium? It's also heavier, more floral, so that this is sort of like a white/heavy/classic floral mixed with Garden Path with Chickens. I get a gardenia note, but a once again, a different one from the lower-numbered AFs - each seems to have a unique gardenia note. This is also a little citrusy but in a green way - maybe bergamot?

 

Dry: This has settled down and integrated quite nicely. The gardenia has amped up a bit, but doesn't overpower the other notes, though it does dominate. Once again I get lily of the valley, orchid and I think now some sort of lily. It's a lot heavier and more floral dry - the green/fresh/spicy notes have faded though I still detect traces of them.

 

Summary: There's a sweetness here that reminds me of tonka, and a lunar sort of feel - I'm thinking Lune Noir. I also get a little thyme and maybe some honey, so this reminds me more distantly of Honey Moon a bit, too. All the new AFs seem to have a similar base of gardenia/orchid, but this one is definitely the least unpleasant of them, IMO. Sadly, it's still too heavy-handed on the florals. Strong throw and longevity.

 

Sniffed: Slightly cloudy pale yellow oil. Foody, slightly boozy. Pancakes, maple syrup, butterscotch, and coffee? Very sweet, but not heavily or cloyingly. Oh wait...I know what this is - BANANA BREAD! But delicious. I usually recoil from banana, but not this.

 

Wet: I take it back, it's not maple syrup - it's fake pancake syrup with a hefty dose of butterscotch, over rich, fluffy, buttery banana pancakes. It's much sweeter, a bit tooth-achingly so, on my skin. Corn syrupy. The buttery note is not like the lab's typical butter note - it's not a savoury note, or artificial. It's a very TRUE buttery note. I can even smell the buttermilk and baking soda (very very slightly tangy) in the pancakes - it's that realistic. Amazing.

 

Dry: My roommate thinks it smells like caramel corn, and I do agree - that corn syrup/butterscotch note is quite caramel-corny indeed. This is getting increasingly buttery, and it's going TOO buttery for me. Wet, the syrupy sweetness was in command, while dry, the butter is definitely in command. The light, natural banana note holds. I detect a slight trend towards that sort of musty/powdery drydown that many baked good foodies do on me.

 

Later: I think there is definitely some tonka in this. Also, this is now reminding me a fair bit of Eggnog Latte's later drydown. Also, those golden-orangey-yellow butterscotch hard candies that come in the sort of orangey plastic twisted wrappers, with a faint hint of flavoured coffee & buttery creamer. It's odd how the coffee note comes out so much more on drydown but isn't really present in the earlier stages. This also reminds me of Splatter Comedy, but it's a much richer scent and the banana note is much, much, much lighter and totally different (realistic).

 

Summary: Morphs alot, and it's very complex for a foody. It never actually goes musty, but stays bright. It's very rich and very sweet. I pick out butterscotch, butter, natural banana, pancakes, corn syrup, coffee, and cream - with probably some combo of tonka and vanilla. Definitely some tonka, actually. Strong throw and crazy strong longevity.

Sniffed: Light golden oil. Rotting florals (i.e. iris), spring flowers, white florals, soap, and maybe a soft aquatic rain-like note.

 

Wet: OH HI GARDENIA. Stompity stomp! I'm not sure what that super-soapy note is - several florals go very soapy on me, but I strongly suspect moonflower because I get that sort of cool/lunar/blue feel that I associate with moonflower, and it isn't totally terrible or overwhelmingly soapy. The iris here is stronger than in AF18 or maybe it's just that because this gardenia note (which is different) is less intense, I can smell other things more.

 

Dry: There are some herbal notes in this - some slightly bitter greenery, and a sort of sappy/crushed new leaves sort of note, and some cucumber, which I think gave it that aquatic aspect I picked up on earlier. I'm reminded of some of the floral lunar blends, it has that sort of feel. Gardenia is still the strongest note, but it's settled a bit and isn't totally dominating, though it's what I do smell first from faaaaar away. I do believe there is an orchid note in this and maybe a touch of ylang-ylang. Very complex, and pretty well blended.

 

Summary: The orchid and ylang-ylang amp over time, and I also think there is a lily of some type and lily of the valley - there's a heaviness to this blend that I get with LotV. This reminds me of a few different BPAL blends - Eternal, The Lady of Shallot, Veil, Ace of Hearts, Kindly Moon and vaguely, Blue Moon 2007. There is a definite sweetness to this that builds over time, as does the heaviness, while the soapiness of earlier mostly dissipates. The drydown's not bad - a complex, sophisticated, feminine floral - but it's too heavy for my tastes. Powerful throw & longevity.

Sniffed: Pale golden oil. Slightly sweet, rotten, and strong white florals. Which means iris, ugh. I also get a floral that's sharp and sweet, like mimosa, a jasmine note, and walloping dose of gardenia. This is a LOUD and evil floral blend of notes I detest.

 

Wet: GARDENIA. Stomping over everything, piercing and amping like a crazy thing on my skin, with that base of other nasty flowers below. This is the type of gardenia that can induce migraines, so I'm off to sink. I guess at least the gardenia beat the jasmine and iris into submission? Of course, like all horrid blends, it refuses to come off my skin and has absolutely insane, inescapable throw. Eeeeeek.

 

Sniffed: Colourless oil. Almost candied, vaguely foody, sweet-tart and bright citrus! Orange and lemon candies come to mind, but much brighter, quite a bit fresher. Something slightly creamy below, possibly a vanilla - reminds me of the creamy note in Absinthe v5.

 

Wet: More lemony, but in a slightly Pledgey way, alas. Lemon verbena, though it's not taking over (yet). Virtually no trace of the orange in the bottle - oh why oh why does my skin eat (true) citrus? Now I get a licorice note, but it's different from the one in Absinthe v5 - lighter and smoother. I don't really get the wormwood here. This is lemon verbena, vanilla, and something licoricey.

 

Dry: The lemon verbena isn't exactly amping, but unless I get close it's definitely dominating - the other notes have faded, perhaps, but if I sniff closely the extremely creamy vanilla-licorice base remains. It's not going powdery, either. This reminds greatly of Humbug's drydown, with a hefty lemon verbena note on top, of course. It doesn't go powdery like A v5 - no florals here, and while there is a similar warmth that could mean amber, it's a light and well-behaved type if it's there at all.

 

Later: Surprisingly, the verbena fades so that after not even an hour, it ceases to dominate. The super-creamy (much creamier than Humbug!) vanilla-licorice base remains, and it truly reminds me of a less sugary/sweet/foody, verbena-tinged Humbug - with maybe a faint touch of booziness. The amazing creamy vanilla I now recognise as the vanilla from Antique Lace - oh yes, that's what I couldn't place!

 

Summary: Humbug and Antique Lace's lovechild misted with verbena. It's surprisingly nice, though sadly I just don't like licorice in perfume - though I wish I did for the AL part. I expect this one to be quite popular! Lower throw and fades a bit, but longevity is decent after initial fading.

Sniffed: Extremely pale, nearly colourless yellow oil. Creamy vanilla licorice with a hint of woody-herbal and boozy wormwood on the finish.

 

Wet: Sharper, more wormwoody, more herbal, and oddly floral-soapy - um, jasmine? Still that vanilla-licorice base that's foody and rich, but that sour jasmine note is not working for me. Also, a hint of spice - this is not licorice, it's anise, but I get something sharper, maybe a peppercorn of some sort. There's also a powdery note now, which makes me suspect another floral and/or amber.

 

Dry: Wow, this goes almost instantly sort of dusty on me - definitiely a very powdery sort of amber. I get a strong sense of warmth. Then again, the amber is also quite creamy - I get a bit of a L'Estate feel. The jasmine and wormwood remain light, while the vanilla and anise are holding well. I'm still not sure what that slightly soapy note is - maybe a rose of some sort? Yeah, I think so. That peppery note has faded, so I think it's white pepper, or else just an aspect of the anise, or maybe there's some star anise in here, too?

 

Summary: I do think that soapy nose is definitely a type of rose - it reminds me of dried roses, old bouquets. The jasmine is faint, not at all dominating - it reminds me a lot of the jasmine note in Peach Moon - it's there, and I can't *not* smell it so it sort of nags away in the background, but it's almost the last note to hit my nose. This is really about the warm, powdery amber, vanilla, and wormwood/anise - the wormwood has amped up a bit, gone a little drily woody in a slightly masculine way. Great throw & longevity.

Sniffed: Fruity (berry - strawberry and/or raspberry?) soapy, powdery, slightly boozy. A little sharp on the finish, like mimosa or narcissus. Old flowers, dusty bouquests. Violet? Also a hint of velvety, slightly spicy-clovey carnation.

 

Wet:: Sweeter but also more floral and going soapy - like floral old lady powder soap. ORRIS for sure! Mimosa definitely, too. It hink the berry is raspberry because it feels slightly fake/plastic as the lab's note tends to go on my skin.

 

Dry: I'm getting a citrusy feel that remnds me of blood orange - maybe that's why I got the raspberry, which is much nicer on me than raspberry usually is. (Raspberry is an overtone in blood orange.) The carnation is very light here and sort of dusty though clove aspect is amping over time on my skin.

 

Summary: Fruity-floral soapy-powder. Moderate throw and good longevity.

Does anyone have a pic or the time to take a pic of Night's Pavilion 2006? I am trying to determine if a friend has a the 06/07 version for a swap, since I already have the 06 version and want to try the 07, and her label has no year marked. *hopes*

 

I also need to take a pic of one of the Misk Yules not yet posted that's totally awesome. The steampunky one. It's my favourite after Pet Magah bird.

Pale yellow oil. Surprisingly sweet and soft, and sort of golden and bright - definitely a strong heliotrope note shining through. I get a bit of powder or dust, but not any actual soil or dirt. There's something soapy which I fear is Dragon's Blood.

Instantly more powdery and soapy - definitely some dragon's blood, and something else, like an amber, that's going straight to intense baby powder. Also, now there is a sort of sour or tangy note, I think that evil type of rose from the Miller's Daughter, The Empress, and Clarimonde. *shudder* An extremely effeminate blend. Not feminine, but fake-feminine, over-the-top, too-girly - and the mysterious sweetness only heightens that effect.

Such horribly strong throw of overwhelming sour, floral powder and soapy-air freshener dragon's blood. Egads. Still not a trace of actual blood or soil to be found. The has got to be some amber AND orris in here and I know what that horrible sweetness is - WISTERIA, ugh. And the orris, too. All overwhelm that initial heliotrope that was so lovely in the imp. Off to sink... and of course, it won't come off.

Light amber oil. Sweet, green, floral - and a tad spicy from the poppies. I definitely get the mossy notes and a touch of freshwater aquatic, and the water lily is quite sweet, almost like a nice lotus note (not the bubblegum sort). Gardenia is strongly present.

 

Earthier - the peat is really emerging but in a lovely way, it has sort of woody and smoky and earthy notes but all are light and grounding, not 'dirty' or too strong. The moss is quite green and I get a sappy sort of green note from somwhere, possibly the poppies, which are spicier and a touch dusty. The gardenia is the sharp sort and I fear that it will amp epically. Still sweet in an almost-fruity or juicy way.

 

Gardenia amping as suspected, and it's going that piercing way that gives me dreadful headaches. I'm off to the sink because gardenia headaches stick around if I don't nip them in the bud. Crazy strong throw and how much do you want to bet this won't wash off? Yeah, this would have ridiculous longevity, too.

 

Rich golden oil. Buttery-nutty-spicy - extremely foody. If I didn't know better I'd think this was a pumpkin scent. Very sweet and rich. I get a tiny hint of juniper, but otherwise this is all FOODY 'chestnut' - or sweet, too-rich butter.

 

Still super foody-buttery (caramel is right, as others have noted), but more nutty now, less just straight butter, and a little more juniper appears as well as the labdanum - there's definitely a strong resin/incense undercurrent that adds depth and darkness. A tiny bit of white musk is piercing through, but so far no flowers.

 

How is there GINGER (like dried, spicy ginger - very foody, I agree with the gingerbread assessment) in this? Buttery, nutty, gingery-HOT with that hint of juniper and a little bit more white musk now. Still no flowers anywhere to be seen and still very faint incense.

 

Those chesnuts just won't fade, and the nutty note has turned sort of rancid, like peanut butter & butter both gone bad - and this does not pair well with the piney-sharp juniper berries and cheap/sharp white musk (these latter notes sort of merge).

 

The ginger has faded a little bit but is still giving the gingerbread feel. And now I'm getting some powder below everything, though I never got any actual florals.

 

Rancid nutty butter, juniper, white musk and faint incense and powder - these clash so terribly, and I can't imagine anyone wearing it as a perfume. Strong throw and longevity.

 

 

Sniffed: Soft, slightly sour, lots of skin musk and definitely some roses, and something a little cologney. Also maybe a hint of smoke, like candles blown out?

 

Wet: Much more floral, soapier, with a minty note of some sort (?). Turning quickly powdery, too - definitely some violets in here. I get an old lady talcum powder sort of feel. The rose note is still a little sour - I'm not crazy about white roses. The hefty dose of skin musk helps me tolerate this blend, at least.

 

Dry: Yechhhhh. Floral powder/soap. There has GOT to be some orris in here as well as a sour, dried, soapy sort of rose. This is really nasty generic old lady perfume gone evilly stale.

 

Summary: It definitely conveys decay and revulsion - but even the strong skin musk presence can't make this bearable. Sink. Good throw and moderate longevity.