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Showing results for tags 'Yule 2015'.
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The Day of Kings, the Celebration of the Magi. In Mexico, on January 6th, children place their shoes by their windows. If they have been good during the previous year, the Wise Men tuck gifts into their shoes during the night. Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar. Right out of the bottle this pretty much smells like hot cocoa to me. It's a milky chocolate. On my skin I can only detect a faint whiff of coffee. The cinnamon does not come out to play til it starts to fade out and it is very, very mellow. I hoped this would be more of a cinnamon coffee scent but on me it is more of a really chocolatey cafe mocha. Chocolate scent lovers will adore this.
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THE PEACOCK QUEEN In dramatic contrast to the soft innocence of Snow White and the dew-kissed freshness of her sister, Rose Red, this is a blood red, voluptuous rose, velvet-petaled, at the height of bloom. Haughty and imperious, vain, yet incomparably lovely to the eye, but thick with thorns of jealousy, pride and hatred. I love rose. Let me just get that out of the way. That said, The Peacock Queen is not necessarily my favorite incarnation of the versatile rose. However, Beth has flat-out nailed the concept of "haughty" in scent. This rose is haughty. It is very much a fresh, blooming rose . . . but there's something very distant about this rose. It's not a rose that's blooming from the earth. It's one dozen very expensive, perfect red roses, bought for a woman who expects that sort of thing. It's perfume. It's striking. It's very beautiful, but not approachable. Remarkable. Like I said, this isn't my personal favorite of the rose blends, just because the vibe it evokes isn't entirely "me," but I am incredibly impressed with the artistry of the scent and with how many different ways rose can smell and feel.
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CHANUKKIYAH Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, Asher kid'shanu b'mitzvosav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Chanukah. Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, She'asah nisim la'avoseinu, bayamim ha'hem baz'man hazeh. Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, She'hecheyanu, vekiyemanu vehigi'anu laz'man hazeh. Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig. Ha'Neiros halalu anachnu madlikin al hanisim ve'al hanifla'os, ve'al hat'shu'os ve'al hamilchamos, sh'asisa la'avoseinu bayamim hahem baz'man hazeh, al yedei kohaneicha hakedoshim. Vechol sh'monas yemei Chanukah, haneiros halalu kodesh hem. Ve'ein lanu reshus le'hishtamesh ba'hem, eh'la lir'osam bilvad, ke'dei le'hodos u'lehalel leshimcha hagadol al nisecha ve'al nifle'osecha ve'al yeshu'oshecha. Ma'oz tzur yeshu'asi Lecha na'eh leshabe'ach Tikone bais tefilasi Ve'sham todah nezabe'ach Le'es Tachin Mabe'ach Mitzar ham'nabe'ach Az egmor beshir mizmor Chanukas hamizbe'ach. In bottle/imp: Brown sugar and amber, with a sweet bakery/foody note thrown in. There’s a little spice as well. Immediately on skin: This is such a warm, yummy scent. I smell brown sugar and something buttery and foody, but not overly so. It might be the olive oil, but it’s subtle and blends well. The beeswax is in here, but it interacts nicely with the other notes. The amber is tame, and very warm. The fig is adding a nice, soft earthy fruit scent and almost a warm spiciness, but I can’t seem to smell the pomegranate at all. After a few minutes: Even though I seem to have listed all the individual notes above, I have to stress that this scent is very well blended. This has become a little sharper, with the pomegranate peeking in to add a sharp but light fruit note. The sufganiyot (donut, I believe) is definitely present in this blend; I can smell some sort of baked, warm cake and it’s certainly yummy. The beeswax adds something to the blend that tames the foodiness quite nicely. There’s almost a nutty feel to it which is probably from the olive oil blending with the beeswax. This blend has gotten extremely sweet though, with an almost maple syrup quality coming from the sugary notes. (added a couple hours after wearing) A while later, there's also a smokiness that smells just like a burning beeswax candle mixed in with the other notes. It's amazing! Overall Impressions: If you love warm, sweet blends, then this one is for you; it’s not just straight-up foody in my opinion, but the sweet notes come out very strongly. The beeswax is a nice addition, and it’s evident in the blend amongst the other notes. This scent is on the verge of becoming almost maple-syrupy on me, so if you tend to have a problem with that, you may find it happening here. Everything is beautifully blended, however, and creates a beautiful scent. Overall, it’s a nice warm, comforting, sweet scent that is just wonderful and perfect for the name Chanukkiyah!
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Sevivon, sov, sov, sov Chanukah, hu chag tov Chanukah, hu chag tov Sevivon, sov, sov, sov! Chag simcha hu la-am Nes gadol haya sham Nes gadol haya sham Chag simcha hu la-am. A bounty of chocolate coins! Dry cocoa and golden amber! Gelt is gorgeous. I'm not a foody fan, but I will be hoarding this. In the bottle: perfect cocoa powder, with a dash of hazelnut. This is not very sweet at all, it's exactly like sticking your nose into a fresh box of expensive cocoa powder that's got some hazelnut flavor. Application: The same, but it immediately starts warming up. The amber is poking it's head through the cocoa and giving it a homey warm feeling. This is the scent of curling up on a chilly night with a steaming mug of cocoa, prepared from scratch the stove-top way, with a healthy splash of frangelico. 15 minutes: Much the same as application. There's still beautiful, dry cocoa and the golden warmth of amber. It hasn't sweetened up or collapsed in on itself. Overall: This is a remarkable scent. It smells precisely as described by the lab, and I think can be appreciated by both foody and non-foody fans. I will be stocking up on this before it vanishes.
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Rose roots reaching deep into soil thick with memories of eons of the dead. Rich, rich, loamy in the bottle. Definitely can get a bit of drier rose in the background, but this is a gritty, husky rose. These are dried, crushed rose petals. I feel like I've sunk my face into a pot of soil. Over a few moments, what's a bit odd is that the scent starts migrating towards... spicy? While the rose doesn't amp, I'm getting an odd, but very fitting and pleasant swirling smoke. It's not vetiver, but, it's quite... oh! Yeah, that's a nice, beautiful smoky cedarwood. Not cedar or pencil shavings, but like the good essential oil of cedarwood. Deeply rich, very grounding, quite rooty. I have a bottle of Himalayan Cedarwood (Deodara) and this is immediately pushing buttons for it. I may be nose hallucinating, but it lends this blend a very true woodsy depth that is frankly amazing. Is there a bit of a white patchouli in here as well? The rose plays quietly in the background, and on me never really has a diva moment (this is a good thing). I would classify this as environmental, still wearable but probably special circumstance. Over time the loam and soil note fades and this is a rose-kissed light golden woods blend. Starts heavy, ends on a nice thrummy middle note.
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Favorite pastime: stealing candles from children. Such a scamp! Beeswax, strawberries, and bits of hard candy. Oooh, scary, I'm first! ...and I'm having to edit this review, because much as this scent is still very, very sticky-sweet, for some reason I found myself reaching for it again today, and I think it's growing on me! Previously I said: "Anything with beeswax in is an automatic buy for me, and strawberries too - hell yes! Sadly though, the 'hard candy' is the killer here for me. The strawberry note is very similar to Strawberry Moon '12 - which I love - that same sweet/tart effervescent pink, fresh zingy strawberry, but whereas in 'Moon it's got the grasses and sap to balance out the sweetness and keep it really fresh and mouthwatering, in this the additional sugar-hit of the candy, plus the richness of the beeswax, tilt it wayyy over the sweetness edge, and it's just toooo strongly candied and cloying for me I think a lot of people will like this though - it's definitely very fun, very childlike (kinda reminds me of a toy in the 80s that was strawberry scented...I forget what toy it was, but it smells a lot like that!), and it's got great throw and long wear time, but for me it's sadly a nope :ghost:" ...but now, today, I'm quite liking it! Beeswax does always seem to need ageing, and today it's just a little more deeper and golden smelling with that beeswax note, less honey-sticky-candified. It's such a happy smell! Nose, you are incredibly indecisive, but I guess I'll be keeping this guy for a while, and see whether he continues to grow on me!
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In the long, sleepless watches of the night, A gentle face — the face of one long dead — Looks at me from the wall, where round its head The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light. Here in this room she died; and soul more white Never through martyrdom of fire was led To its repose; nor can in books be read The legend of a life more benedight. There is a mountain in the distant West That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines Displays a cross of snow upon its side. Such is the cross I wear upon my breast These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes And seasons, changeless since the day she died. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Cypress, Spanish moss, and clove bud with labdanum, Italian bergamot, and white tobacco flower. This is a woodsey, slightly citrusy snow note. It's rather jarring and there is definitely something earthy in the background
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On Christmas Eve, French children leave shoes filled with carrots by their fireplaces as a treat for Gui, Père Noëls donkey. If the child has been good, Père Noël takes Guis offering and fills the childs shoes with sweet fruits, candies, and small toys. Bright Sicilian oranges and sweet tangerines with a clink of lavender candy and a drop of anise. I wanted to cry when I put this on. It reminded me of growing up in Italy, and the Christmas holiday. Captured perfectly. Have you ever had those anise cookies from an Italian bakery? That's what the anise note is like in this one, and the orange is distinctly Sicilian I don't know HOW they captured this so perfectly but they did. I'm not a huge citrus scent based fan but this one, wrapped my heart up in magic and took me back to being a child at Christmas time.
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cold first winter rain poor monkey, you too could use a woven straw cape Compassion: pink lotus root and fig milk with ylang ylang, bourbon vanilla, soft myrrh, fir, khus, and sandalwood incense. I bought this mostly because of the adorable monkey on the label and the cute description, but it has wound up being one of my favorites of the Yule scents I purchased this year. Poor Monkey is a very foodie fragrance on my skin. I love the lab's fig note, and the fig and lovely bourbon vanilla are the strongest notes on my skin. It's like figs drenched in milky vanilla cream with a slice of moist vanilla cake and slight, sweet spice to it. There's a soft swirl of sweet lotus floral perfume, temple incense and sweet myrrh, and a hint of fir that fades in and out of the fragrance. But it's mostly fig milk and bourbon vanilla, with the other notes keeping things interesting and more perfume-like in the background. I really love this one <3
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Favorite pastime: creeping around gullies until the opportunity to steal milk appears. You do you, buddy. Coconut cream, sheep’s milk accord, and a drop of Ceylon cinnamon. This was an insta-buy for me because I am a slut for anything coconut related. In the bottle, it is all sheeps' milk with the coconut and the cinnamon nicely balanced. Wet on my wrist, it becomes very decadent and I'm falling madly in love. The coconut starts to sing louder now and it's just so effing beautiful, I can't even. The spice from the cinnamon is subtle and absolutely necessary. The sheep's milk is there too - perfectly creamy. On the drydown, it stays true and the throw is amazing. I am so good right now, you have no idea. This blend makes me smile so much. An hour later, we're still giving off huge waves of spiced coconut-cream perfection. This really is one beautiful blend. It's stunning! Gosh, I could with a vat of this so I could swim around it. 10/10
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Now winter nights enlarge The number of their hours, And clouds their storms discharge Upon the airy towers. Let now the chimneys blaze, And cups o'erflow with wine; Let well-tuned words amaze With harmony divine. Now yellow waxen lights Shall wait on honey love, While youthful revels, masques, and courtly sights Sleep's leaden spells remove. This time doth well dispense With lovers' long discourse; Much speech hath some defence, Though beauty no remorse. All do not all things well; Some measures comely tread, Some knotted riddles tell, Some poems smoothly read. The summer hath his joys And winter his delights; Though love and all his pleasures are but toys, They shorten tedious nights. Shorten those tedious nights with a surge of body heat: vanilla-infused red musk, champaca, petitgrain, ylang ylang, patchouli, nutmeg, honey, galbanum, and traces of caramel. In the bottle this is warm and slightly foody. A burst of the caramel, ginger, honey and vanilla. First on those notes pop up right from the start and make this seem too foody for me (I'm not a foody lover) but very quickly the darker grounding notes start to pull down the top notes to make the blend warm, sensual, and though slightly foody very dark in a sensual way. The dry down is a warm scent, with the patchouli, ginger and nutmeg dueling for dominance but with the other flowery notes pulling them away from being too floored. A very yummy scent that would be wonderful to wear on a cold and snowy night.
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Stand here by my side and turn, I pray, On the lake below, thy gentle eyes; The clouds hang over it, heavy and gray, And dark and silent the water lies; And out of that frozen mist the snow In wavering flakes begins to flow; Flake after flake They sink in the dark and silent lake. See how in a living swarm they come From the chambers beyond that misty veil; Some hover awhile in air, and some Rush prone from the sky like summer hail. All, dropping swiftly or settling slow, Meet, and are still in the depths below; Flake after flake Dissolved in the dark and silent lake. Here delicate snow-stars, out of the cloud, Come floating downward in airy play, Like spangles dropped from the glistening crowd That whiten by night the milky way; There broader and burlier masses fall; The sullen water buries them all- Flake after flake- All drowned in the dark and silent lake. And some, as on tender wings they glide From their chilly birth-cloud, dim and gray, Are joined in their fall, and, side by side, Come clinging along their unsteady way; As friend with friend, or husband with wife, Makes hand in hand the passage of life; Each mated flake Soon sinks in the dark and silent lake. Lo! while we are gazing, in swifter haste Stream down the snows, till the air is white, As, myriads by myriads madly chased, They fling themselves from their shadowy height. The fair, frail creatures of middle sky, What speed they make, with their grave so nigh; Flake after flake, To lie in the dark and silent lake! I see in thy gentle eyes a tear; They turn to me in sorrowful thought; Thou thinkest of friends, the good and dear, Who were for a time, and now are not; Like these fair children of cloud and frost, That glisten a moment and then are lost, Flake after flake- All lost in the dark and silent lake. Yet look again, for the clouds divide; A gleam of blue on the water lies; And far away, on the mountain-side, A sunbeam falls from the opening skies, But the hurrying host that flew between The cloud and the water, no more is seen; Flake after flake, At rest in the dark and silent lake. – William Cullen Bryant Flake after flake – All lost in the dark and silent lake: a snowflake dissolving into an indigo pool of blue jasmine incense and violet leaf. Oooh- am I first?! Well, for starters this is very evocative. As it opens, I can't detect any of the incense or violet leaf; it literally smells like frozen water falling into cold water. The chilliest top note burns off a little and the resinous floral becomes more apparent. If you're a violet hater, don't worry because violet leaf is more of a cool green almost herbal note. This isn't the powdery purple flower. The Jasmine is apparent but is somewhat mellowed with the incense. This could be a unisex aquatic blend. I really do enjoy it. However sadly the snow note can be headache provoking for me and this does come on pretty strong at first. But I will keep the bottle because it is so unique and I am hoping it will mellow with age. <3
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DED MOROZ Grandfather Frost! Accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, he bestows gifts to virtuous and hard-working people, rewarding their decency and integrity, and punishes those who are lazy, shiftless, and unkind, killing their fields with frost, cracking the trunks of their trees, and destroying their homes. The first incarnation of Father Frost was not at all benevolent. He was the personification of the darkest aspects of winter, winter's destruction incarnate. He kidnapped unruly children, and slew people capriciously by freezing them to death. Light, darkness, kindness, and malice: golden amber, white amber, redwood, teak, bois du rose, sage, tree moss, and snow. The label is the same as all the 06 Yuletide scents. waaahhhhhooooo, this finally arrived, i couldn't wait! in the bottle:very light scent, slightly green smelling and something almost minty, this smells somewhat familiar, yet not something i can readily place my finger on. wet: hmm, yes there is something slightly minty here, even though i don't see mint as a listed ingredient, but it isn't a pepperminty scent, i am getting i think spearmint? and the very faintest whiff of "snow" and the barest touch of sage. this is such a soft scent, up close i get something greenish, and minty, but so amazingly light. the waft of teh scent is a soft almost powdery scent, but not old lady powder, more the soft fuzzy powder type feel. not florally, not slushy, just a fuzzy, almosty hazy, minty, goodness. i also at this point can detect an aura of redwood, it confused me at first i was thinking evergreen, but then when the scent settles, i realized it was redwood and teak, more redwood though. the longer this is on, the more the scent settles and melds into this beautiful, comforting scent, it is definitely a cool scent, definitely a soft scent and definitely a scent i am proud to own. adding after a long drydown time, this does get a hint of rose, it is a very soft rose, not sharpness even hinting at the edges, and teh amber really starts to step forward as teh mint softens i really hope beth can resolve the component issues, and offer this. i love it.
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Dreary and dark, heavy with sorrow: vetiver and raw leather suffused with amber oudh and nagarmotha. This hair gloss it just superb. It's leather-heavy, with amber highlights and a touch of vetiver in the background. Everything is blended so perfectly. The leather is a med-brown raw piece of leather in my mind when I smell it. Soft, and not glossy. It's so distinct to me I could even tell you what it feels like. The amber and oudh are just enough to take it from a raw, masculine feel to an expensive, luxurious unisex perfume scent. The vetiver appears at the tail end with just a little zing to my nose. I'm not sure what nagarmotha smells like, so I can't really pick it out. I haven't been able to stop smelling my hair since I put it on, it's such an amazing scent and I'm glad I took a gamble on it! I like to pair my hair gloss with my perfume oil scent-of-the-day and this is going to be just perfect for my leather-forward blends, but will also add a neutral pairing to my amber and woody scents.
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On the night of the Epiphany, a joyful, broomstick-riding hag clad in a tattered shawl drops into chimneys all over Italy, bestowing gifts to good children, and dropping coal into the stockings of naughty kiddies. La Befana vien di notte Con le scarpe tutte rotte Col vestito alla Romana Viva, Viva La Befana! As the Three Wise Men searched for the house of the Christ child, they found themselves lost. Eventually, they stopped at a small house and knocked on the door. A small, wizened woman opened the door, holding a broom in her hand. The Astrologers asked the woman if she knew the location of the child, but, unfortunately, she did not know who these men were looking for, and could not aid them in their search. It was deep into the night, and the air was chilly, so the kindly woman offered the three men her hospitality. They spent the night in her warm, comfortable home, and shared bread and stories with one another. The Astrologers explained to the woman why they were looking for this blessed infant, and invited her to join them in their search come morning. Though she was touched by their tale, she declined, as she had a great deal of housework to do. At daybreak, the Astrologers awoke. They thanked the woman for her generosity, gathered their things, and prepared to leave. Before they departed, they, again, asked the old woman if she would like to join them on their journey. Again, she declined, and sent them on their way. After they had left, she regretted her decision, and she set off to find the Three Wise Men. After many long and frustrating hours of searching, she still could not find them. Saddened, yet still filled with hope, she stopped to give a gift to every good child she passed. La Befana comes by night With her shoes old and broken She comes dressed in the Roman way Long life to the Befana! Candy charcoal, winter lilies, parma violet, a sprig of cypress, a poof of chimney dust, and holiday sweets. straight sniff from bottle is purely sweet and gooey....absolutely nothing else ... holy moly...once applied the violet is astonishing and the dust and candy charcoal....ZomG... if you are a violet lover of bpal blends this is for you!! words cannot even describe the beauty and depth of this one...it is heartbreakingly beautiful i love it to death
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Held on December 5th, this is the festival of the Horned God of the Forest, one of the di indigetes of Rome, god of cattle, fertility, wild, untamed nature, and prophecy through dreams. The scent of a thick, starlit, unspoiled forest, with a burst of wild musk, opobalsamum, black bryony, mandragora, and hemlock. The label art on this is a little strange, a dapper young man riding Krampus. The dood on Krampus has a Victorian mustache. Anyways... Sniffed from the bottle, this is a sweet, cool pine with a touch of a skin-musk, sort of like Coyote / Ivanushka. On the skin, this scent develops a little bit of the metallic snap of pine, similar to Black Forest/Nocnitsa (without the dirt). It's not a sharp, airy pine by any means, and there may be a hint of snow but this is not a predominant note. The scent dries down to a soft, snuggly Coyote-esque forest aroma, with the pine and woods being a full, rounded note as opposed to bracing. It's actually quite nice and close to the skin, and if you're scared of 'forest' notes, you shouldn't be of this one!
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The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. Red Rose. Limited edition. My favorite rose so far. This is the first rose scent I haven't melted off within an hour. (I was amazed the first time I wore it. Eight hours, and no need to reapply!) In the bottle, it smells like a rose from the florist - that cold hothouse smell. On, it warms up slightly, but not too much - it's got a slight bite, which is a nice change from most roses that fade to a powdery softness. I'll be very sad when I finish this one.
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Favorite pastime: peeping in yer windows. What a creeper! Spiced rum leather, frankincense, black cedar, sweet tobacco, and honey-gold sandalwood. In the bottle: Thick, strong rum with tobacco. Wet on my skin: Spicy, boozy rum with tobacco and frankincense. Dry: This is a win on my skin! The primary notes on me are spiced rum, frankincense, and tobacco, in that order. Under those are cedar and sandalwood, and a hint of brown leather. It's on the sweet side of spicy and incensed, and a bit on the masculine side of things as well. The throw is medium, though the frankincense is detectable much further away than the rest of the notes. My skin tends to amp that note, however, and I'm fine with that since I love the Lab's frankincense note. After it has been on several hours, the leather starts to come out more, but it's a beautifully sweet and soft brown leather similar to that in Blood & Judgement So Well Commedled. This is definitely one for the tobacco/incense/rum lovers! In my mind, it's a bright, shimmery gold (almost golden-brown) in colour.
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Favorite pastime: sniffing doorways. Everyone needs a hobby! Baked bread, apricot, mandarin amber, and CO2 of butter. In The Bottle: Mandarin orange and a little bit of apricot Pez. Wet On Skin: Okay. The "Pez" aspect is gone. It's just a bowl of mandarins and apricots now. Nice fresh ones Dry Down: Ah! *there's* the bread note! It's subtle, but there. I think I might be detecting a trickle- just a tiny trickle- of the butter, but it's very slight. I'm used to the abundance of it, such as in Mitzvah or Shill. In All: Medium throw- start with just a bit, it goes a longer way than one might expect. It's still primarily a fruit scent- foodies take note!- and then the bread note secondary. It's warm and also bright, a good scent for a frigid, sunny day, when a trip outside is to be avoided, but oh!- it looks so pretty out there, everything sparkling and radiant. A good winter scent!
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Anything BUT jolly! Draped with chains and bells, wielding both whip and rod, this rag-clad, horned, red-skinned, soot-covered leering creature is both the companion and the antithesis of rosy-cheeked and ebullient Kris Kringle. He is called by many names, and, in a myriad of cultures, he is seen with different robes and faces, but he is nevertheless always a sinister and fearsome instrument of Santa's wrath: he wields a switch on all irredeemably naughty children before tossing them into his large black sack and whisking them away. Be good, or Krampus will toss you in a river! Sinister red musk, black leather, dusty rags, and wooden switches. straight sniff from bottle reminds me oh so much of my beloved anne bonny!!! patchouli and red musk...l-o-v-e it!!! OMG...ok, honestly...i was so afraid this would be in the same league as "rat king"...i did want to love rat king....really i did....but it was far too hot and peppery for me... this one is truly, truly nothing as is described...it is all sweet and thick and resinous in the most amazing way possible...after 30 minutes or so, something almost green & herbal...anyway, for those who know me, know my chemistry with leather can be nothing less than spectacular...meaning whatever the masses smell, i usually don't ... but i do know that krampus is amazing on me and i love it beyond belief....gah!!! :D ETA: in my haste and amazement of this gorgeous scent, i found a misspelled word or two.....
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DIABLE EN BOÎTE The crickets sing, and man's o'er-labour'd sense Repairs itself by rest. Our Tarquin thus Did softly press the rushes, ere he waken'd The chastity he wounded. Cytherea, How bravely thou becomest thy bed, fresh lily, And whiter than the sheets! That I might touch! But kiss; one kiss! Rubies unparagon'd, How dearly they do't! 'Tis her breathing that Perfumes the chamber thus: the flame o' the taper Bows toward her, and would under-peep her lids, To see the enclosed lights, now canopied Under these windows, white and azure laced With blue of heaven's own tinct. But my design, To note the chamber: I will write all down: Such and such pictures; there the window; such The adornment of her bed; the arras; figures, Why, such and such; and the contents o' the story. Ah, but some natural notes about her body, Above ten thousand meaner moveables Would testify, to enrich mine inventory. O sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her! And be her sense but as a monument, Thus in a chapel lying! Come off, come off: As slippery as the Gordian knot was hard! 'Tis mine; and this will witness outwardly, As strongly as the conscience does within, To the madding of her lord. On her left breast A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops I' the bottom of a cowslip: here's a voucher, Stronger than ever law could make: this secret Will force him think I have pick'd the lock and ta'en The treasure of her honour. No more. To what end? Why should I write this down, that's riveted, Screw'd to my memory? She hath been reading late The tale of Tereus; here the leaf's turn'd down Where Philomel gave up. I have enough: To the trunk again, and shut the spring of it. Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning May bare the raven's eye! I lodge in fear; Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here. One, two, three: time, time! - Iachimo, Cymbeline Act II, Scene 2 There are few things more disturbing than a Jack in the Box. A strangely sinister, unnerving holiday scent: redwood, bitter clove, tonka, hemp accord, and tobacco with peach blossom, black currant, and red musk. Oh no! I'm first on another Yule. In the bottle, it's very astringently medicinal. I was snorting so I could pick up what it reminded me of and it sort of burns at the back of the throat. Again, not what I was expecting when I ordered and not something I'd necessarily want to wear. But like with Yule Cat, I went ahead and put some on. Wet on skin: It's the red musk from Mircalla, but much smokier. Smoky is really the main thing I remember about first application. Drying: The smoky has wafted away and a dry wood is mostly prominent now. I really wish I knew what individual notes smell like instead of giving just general impressions. I don't know if this is the redwood or what. A sweetishness is still lurking, but it has a distinct woodiness. Specifically a dried out wood, not freshly chopped green wood. This stage gives me the impression it's just a tad on the masculine side. Much later this evening: All has settled down and Diable is just lovely. There's a soft sweetness to the deeper, rich tones of the scent that make it very wearable. I'm sure that has to be the peach blossom. Masculinity has went away and it's leaning more on the girly side now. Overall: I'm very happy that Diable hopped into my cart unsniffed. I've enjoyed all stages of this morpher and I don't plan on him just sitting around unworn. Added after I was thinking about it... I have a feeling that Diable will be supremely lovely with a bit of age.
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Favorite pastime: collecting meat hooks, sharpening meat hooks, polishing meat hooks. Sleep with one eye open? Labdanum, patchouli, dragon’s blood resin, and clove. I got this one, because I *loved* all the notes - granted, clove tends to overpower on me. But I was hoping it wouldn't, since I like the other portions of the scent more than I do clove. The liquid is very, very dark....I knew it would be strong. But, sheesh! I wasn't expecting like this! A little dab will certainly do ya' here. In the bottle, the labdanum and patchouli reign. Wet on me, the patchouli and clove. Tons and tons of clove. I'm really afraid that clove will play out like it usually does on me.... Settled in, patchouli, dragon blood, and labdanum are working in perfect levels, and the clove is noticeable only when I bring my arm up close to sniff (even then, it's taking a back seat). Exactly what I was praying for! I'm really sad that these bottles are small. I think I've found my favorite out of the 40 or so bottles that I have. Luckily, the throw is so incredibly strong, that I only need a teeny bit.
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Je veux, pour composer chastement mes églogues, Coucher auprès du ciel, comme les astrologues, Et, voisin des clochers écouter en rêvant Leurs hymnes solennels emportés par le vent. Les deux mains au menton, du haut de ma mansarde, Je verrai l’atelier qui chante et qui bavarde; Les tuyaux, les clochers, ces mâts de la cité, Et les grands ciels qui font rêver d’éternité. II est doux, à travers les brumes, de voir naître L’étoile dans l’azur, la lampe à la fenêtre Les fleuves de charbon monter au firmament Et la lune verser son pâle enchantement. Je verrai les printemps, les étés, les automnes; Et quand viendra l’hiver aux neiges monotones, Je fermerai partout portières et volets Pour bâtir dans la nuit mes féeriques palais. Alors je rêverai des horizons bleuâtres, Des jardins, des jets d’eau pleurant dans les albâtres, Des baisers, des oiseaux chantant soir et matin, Et tout ce que l’Idylle a de plus enfantin. L’Emeute, tempêtant vainement à ma vitre, Ne fera pas lever mon front de mon pupitre; Car je serai plongé dans cette volupté D’évoquer le Printemps avec ma volonté, De tirer un soleil de mon coeur, et de faire De mes pensers brûlants une tiède atmosphère. – – – More chasteness to my eclogues it would give, Sky-high, like old astrologers to live, A neighbour of the belfries: and to hear Their solemn hymns along the winds career. High in my attic, chin in hand, I’d swing And watch the workshops as they roar and sing, The city’s masts — each steeple, tower, and flue — And skies that bring eternity to view. Sweet, through the mist, to see illumed again Stars through the azure, lamps behind the pane, Rivers of carbon irrigate the sky, And the pale moon pour magic from on high. I’d watch three seasons passing by, and then When winter came with dreary snows, I’d pen Myself between closed shutters, bolts, and doors, And build my fairy palaces indoors. A dream of blue horizons I would garble With thoughts of fountains weeping on to marble, Of gardens, kisses, birds that ceaseless sing, And all the Idyll holds of childhood’s spring. The riots, brawling past my window-pane, From off my desk would not divert my brain. Because I would be plunged in pleasure still, Conjuring up the Springtime with my will, And forcing sunshine from my heart to form, Of burning thoughts, an atmosphere that’s warm. — Charles Baudelaire, translation by Roy Campbell The pale moon pouring magic: Tunisian opium and mugwort with blackened bourbon vanilla, tuberose, glittering white musk, datura accord, wild plum, and tobacco absolute. This scent is absolutely gorgeous and will certainly be a hit for years to come. The burbon vanilla has a lot of burbon in it which is really magnified by the tobacco. The Plum is barely a fruit note while the datura does temper it so it's not that foody. Excellent!
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Shaggy fur, snow-flecked and rose-touched. This immediately caught my attention when I read the update, and I am very glad I took a chance on a bottle. It starts off as mainly fresh dewy rose petals with a snowy sweet background. After a little while the fur starts peeking out and the scent becomes more snuggly. It is like the snow from Snow White, the rose from Rose Red, and a touch of fuzziness from the fur. He really is the beautiful cousin of those two, but I would say the scent is mainly feminine, although the right guy could pull it off as well. Throw is fairly good, decent wear length.
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Favorite pastime: licking spoons and ladles. Theres no accounting for taste. The scent of well-worn wooden utensils, lightly fondled, and a wisp of kitchen herbs. In the bottle: warm, wooden spoons. For real. The herb side of it is the sweet thyme-y basil-y type. Wet: Herbal-floral. I'm sure I can smell thyme, not sure what else is in there though. Dry: still mostly herbal but there is definitely something like a wooden spoon coming through. Amazing, really. I'm so glad I bought this! The label art is adorable and I can see me getting a lot of wear out of it.
