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This is definitely an orris-forward scent to me; the orris-leather-vanilla combination definitely brings to mind Porcelain Bat, but the leather is a lot more prominent in this one, and with the woodiness of the cedar and the heaviness of the tonka and red amber, it lacks Porcelain Bat's softly comforting energy. As it dries down, I get hints of the floral notes, but can't make them out specifically. This has a solid presence, but low throw; though it's not musky, the cedar-orris-vanilla creates a skin scent effect that reminds me of Like the Very Gods, though The Woodland So Wild is nordic and forested and pretty substantially masculine; the similarity is one more in the category they fill then in the nature of the scent itself. Though Porcelain Bat somehow managed to keep the leather from taking over on my skin, unfortunately I get more of it here than I like, and the whole skews far too classically masculine for me. I really like it on my partner (who likes and wears perfumes across all gendered associations), but it's not for me.
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Am I really the first one to review this scent? I mean I'm in the EU so shipping does take a while and I'm the first? Wow.... Pomegranate and Scarlet Chypre was delivered today. I can't stop huffing my wrist. It's so good! I love me some good Chypre and this is no exception. It's intoxicating A deeper review will follow
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In Philly this weekend? On Saturday, Haute Macabre will be part of a spooky sleepover-themed evening event at Endless Night Studio in Philly, from 6-9pm. Event info is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTakvKSlb0A/?igsh=Y2ZyZDJtbHR2amU1 That evening a new scent will be debuted, available at the event for $34: LIGHT AS A FEATHER, STIFF AS A BOARD This is the breathless euphoria of being lifted by unseen hands, friendship blurring into invocation, play into wild belief. The body is still, heartbeats thrum and murmur, the spirit floats. Something listens. This is a fragrance of surrendering gravity and trusting the darkness. It opens like a breath held too long, cool and smoky, trembling with anticipation. Pale, translucent florals drift upward, buoyant and unreal, while incense draws you back just enough to feel the disorienting pull between here and elsewhere. The base settles into dry wood and shadowed resins, like the floor beneath your back, solid, unyielding, waiting.
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I agree that Pine Cone Sack Attack is reminiscent of the sticky sap of a Christmas tree. My cousin invited my partner and I to attend a wreath-making class at a bar last month that involved clipping actual fir, pine, juniper, and cypress branches to assemble the wreaths. This reminds me of the pine and fir sap that got all over my hands while creating my wreath. While the amber lurks beneath the pine sap at first, it eventually gains strength and becomes the dominant note, backed by the pine sap. It reads as a golden variety of amber to my nose. I really enjoy the pine sap forward phase of this scent, and at first, I was bummed that the amber ended up taking over -- as I prefer my evergreen scents to stay evergreen-forward -- but this ended up growing on me the more I spent time with it, and I think this particular amber complements the pine sap note really well. I'll definitely be keeping my decant, and I plan on giving this a full-day slather to see if need a bottle.
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Snowman Beatdown smells like a cool cologne on me. I'm getting a minty (or something mint-adjacent) ice note, and I think some ozonic snow and sage that are all combining to remind me of cologne. I slathered this on my partner and tested it on myself, and it smelled the same on both of us. Great throw and longevity. I'll be keeping my decant around to slather on my partner, but this isn't something I could personally see myself reaching for over other icy scents.
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This wasn't something that jumped out at me on my first few perusals of the Yule collection, but I decided to grab a decant in the end just in case it ended up being a flormand. Alas, this is definitely more of a straight-up floral on me, despite the honey and cream notes. I get a smattering of honey behind the pansies when I sniff up close, but it's all about the pansies in the throw (which is strong), and I'm not getting much cream (on a positive note, the cream isn't a butter bomb?). Dismembered Noggin Bouquet is sadly not sweet enough for me, but it was fun to get to try it.
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Deer Moon: Golden Tobacco and Beeswax
Lucchesa replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
How did I miss this duet? These are two of my favorite notes, and they combine beautifully on me. I do get how people are reading a soil note in the opening, and the tobacco is as sharp and cologne-y as @doomsday_disco says (cologne-y is not a negative for me -- my tastes definitely run to the unisex), but it settles in with the beeswax which is not a honey note on my skin but something distinct, much less sweet, and the whole thing is just lovely, and it lasts a long time. -
Vial: Alllll oakmoss and patchouli, which comes across as very cologne-y to me. I am dubious. Wet: Yes, definitely lots of patchouli (which I amp) and that cologne note from the oakmoss, which is likely mixing with the subtle sweetness of the fig, but also a nice dirt earthiness Dry: The oakmoss flounces off, thankfully, and it turns into a beautiful dark earthy scent that's somehow like leather. I do actually really like this but I don't see myself wearing it often enough as I have other leather and/or patchouli scents I adore. I'll be sending it to a friend who wears these kind of scents; I think it'd smell great on a guy.
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I wasn't sure how this combo would work out, but I decided to grab a decant since I was getting so many Yule decants anyways. This is mostly about the apple pie on me. The black coffee is present and is strongest during the wet phase of the scent, and I'm pleased to report that the coffee and pie notes do not clash, but then it becomes all about the apple pie. If you tried the Apple Pie scent from the Trading Post's Great Pie Debate collection about a decade ago, this is that same apple pie scent that's more spiced apple pie filling than pie crust (I'm sadly not getting any crust on my skin). It is still delicious, though. I think I have less than half a bottle of Apple Pie left, so I'm debating upgrading this before it goes away so it can fill that void when it runs out. I also love wearing my BPAL pie scents during the week of Thanksgiving, so this would be great for that purpose.
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Who would have thought that coffee and root beer would make such a great combo? Sometimes, I get more fizzy root beer in one sniff, and more creamy coffee in the next, but both notes are there, swirling together so well in a way I didn't know was possible, and with great throw. I'm going to need to give this a full-day slather before the Yules come down to see if I need more than my decant -- but at the moment, I think it's a strong possibility.
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Full disclosure: I have never had chicory coffee and have no idea what it smells like. However, I had to get a decant of this because of the beignet note. Yes, I love beignets, but I also love Pralines and Powdered Sugar's beignet note and regret destashing my back-up bottle (never doing that again -- back-ups are bought for a reason!). Well, this doesn't smell like the beignet dust from Pralines and Powdered Sugar at all, BUT it is still made of win. Oddly enough, what I mainly get from this is a toasted sugar and animal cracker sort of scent. I got that from my initial test (which also had some spice to it) and my full-day slather of the scent (which I didn't get any cinnamon from and was all about a toasted sugar and Barnum's animal crackers). I could not resist swooning whenever I got a whiff of this. It has great throw on me and kept making me hungry because it smells so delicious. The coffee itself is pretty light, though -- so those going into this mainly for the chicory coffee note may end up being disappointed that it's not the main player. But as for me? I'm going to need a bottle.
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oh this is so delicate and lovely! on my skin it's more of a gorgeously balanced atmospheric sort of scent than anything especially foodie. bit of frost, bit of berry, bit of spice, etc. my first wild thought was "oh this ikea has been taken over by nordic spirits for the holidays" lol. you know that ikea smell, right? this is definitely better but still reminiscent.
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On me, this goes from lavender and something honeydew-esque to a coconut-y type of ube scent. I'm glad there's no strong fried oil note in this, but the melon-like note caught me off guard, and I wish the ube were more buttery and gourmand and not just a coconut-y ube. I really wanted to like this one, because I love lavender and have been trying all of the ube scents hoping to find one to bottle. But I actually prefer Ube Pumpkin Cheesecake to this (even though that one is way more cheesecake than ube).
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oh Justin is so endearing. a whoosh of minty candy cane on application quickly gives way to a weirdly comforting inky anise. and it does smell a bit more like anise to me than licorice candy or licorice root, but it's so lovely with the trace of mint. and none of this is sharp or herbal, it really does bring to mind the experience of getting a whiff of someone's hoodie, although I would not say it smells like cotton or fabric on me.
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this starts out lightly floral, fizzy, and flirty, then the musk comes through, putting a soft filter on the sparkle.
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I love me some cocoa scents, and I am an absolute goblin for cacao nibs, so I was hype to get into this. I'm getting very much the same experience as the other reviewers, really nicely blended cocoa leading gourmand, extremely wearable and ever so sweetly sinister. I could do with a bit more slap from the leather but I suppose I should have filtered for the appropriate tags!
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this is a stunner. if you are a fan of the mysore sandalwood note you know already, but with the amber?! ugh! so great. I am not a beard-haver, but as with the DILF beard oil I am wearing this in my hair and on my person. I almost wish I had some sturdy whiskers under my nose to smell this more directly! there is a brightness to the scent suggesting something lemony sans sugar and acidity, and the amber reminds me of the Laurel Wreath perfume oil from the Kotinos release. I don't get anything especially floral from this tobacco flower, it brings a slight vegetal aspect, a subtle sepia harmony in this golden chord. just a perfect everyday personal scent, a sophisticated ambery sandalwood for anyone and everyone, suitable for layering with other blends.
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Hungry Ghost Moon: Pineapple and Red Hot Honey
roseus replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Juicy pineapple topped with a thick, sweet honey and some red pepper heat! On my skin the honey overtakes the pineapple a bit, but a very fun and fruity scent. -
I have to admit, this one was absolutely bewildering on my skin! I think I amped something cinnamon and it overwhelmed anything else - I keep sniffing it to see if there’s another layer, but my nose doesn’t recognize anything else. Curious to see if this will settle down with some rest!
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All neroli, ambergris, and myrrh in the imp. Hazy incensey neroli. Slightly bitter. On the skin I get sweet lemon and apricot with a sweet muskiness. It doesn't strike me as distinctly raspberry at first, not super juicy or jammy like it tends to be on me. Myrrh and ambergris underneath for body with neroli floating overtop.
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Ooo I really like this! I've been reading about Patrick Henry and his wife Sarah, so the opening bright greenery plus a sort of metallic note, instead of evoking jubilance, instilled a sort of sadness at first, making me think of "the next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?". It invoked imagery of sons and fathers dying in cold, damp, grassy fields with swords and bayonets clashing. Things get better, though. Henry was once paid for his lawyer duties with 10 gallons of peach brandy, and another time, 30 gallons of rum (could you imagine? ), so this makes me think of that when the fruit notes emerges under the greenery after a while, and the metallic note recedes, going much more cheerful. It's mostly a sweet, bright orange, yet with the cherry and lemon peel, it reads as more of a general fruit than anything specific, and just lightly boozy. The greenery reads more mossy and like a fougere than evergreen thanks to the oakmoss (which stays for the duration of the fragrance). I don't get anything fussy with the juniper berry, either, usually a problem note that goes wet sock on me, haha. No, here it is lending more of a brightness with the neroli perhaps, maybe a teeny bit of spice with the pink pepper. Some of the notes here were used in fragrances of the 18th century (neroli, citrus, oakmoss, etc), and the juniper berry reads more like an aromatic herb that would be added to fragrances at the time. So, it's kind of more, I dunno, fougere-like oakmoss plus some intrigue and depth than any of the other notes really jumping out (fougeres technically are a late 19th century thing, but oakmoss goes back much further in use). I don't get much white amber, which can often be sweet but sometimes indolic, so I don't have any issues with it here, just lending a touch of sweetness overall, but this is largely gender neutral. The final drydown is a clean and green moss, with barely a whisper of the fruits and no metallic note, and some subtle spices and aromatics, which I'm absolutely happy with. BPAL is absolutely eating these historically inspired blends, and I'm surprisingly liking this better than most of the Fire Down Below blends. Tldr: a classic, 18th-19th century, mossy fragrance starting with a short lived metallic bite, with a fruit brandy emerging in the mids, drying down to a clean mossy blend with some herbal, aromatic depth, brightness, and a touch of sweetness.
- Yesterday
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I think had originally bought this for my daughter, but it was too sweet for her and I ended up with it. But I'd never reviewed it or even really tested it. Lola Lee Loo is indeed very sweet, reminding me of the pink notes of Poor Monkey (I was thinking that was pink fig but I just looked it up -- didn't we see a pink fig note somewhere not too long ago?). The clove and patchouli never develop on my skin, perhaps because this doesn't last long on me at all. It's soft and cozy while it's there, but I'm jealous of the people who got hours of wear from this one. It will be going on my swap list.
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This is definitely a rich and sultry scent, but not as heady as the description might sound! I get mostly a mix of sweet tropical white florals in the opening - not-punchy tuberose and a tame jasmine with a teeny hit of bell pepper greenery (à la certain dead leaves), which complements the floral notes super well. As this dries down, a soft orange blossom note takes the forefront, with the other flowers taking a supporting role. I feel like this and the other floral fragrance (Night-Scented Orchid) from the Hurricane Melissa relief release both fell under the radar, but I would highly recommend trying this if you're looking for a rich but not overwhelming tropical white floral scent.
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I agree with ShadowEtienne that this is a wonderful jasmine perfume! This starts out as a tame, moderately humid sweet jasmine that goes quite indolic about 20 minutes in (moth balls galore!!) then comes back to its senses shortly afterwards, retaining a bit of funk at the very edges. The description mentions a breath of citrus and it's pretty accurate - I find this sweet and almost fruity, but not explicitly zesty. On me this was pretty low projection and strength, very subtle but quite lovely. I get a bit of a mainstream vibe from this one but because it's so soft, it's not screechy and headache inducing as some mainstream-y perfumes can be. I feel like this and the other floral fragrance (Jamaican Bellflower) from the Hurricane Melissa relief release both fell under the radar, but I would highly recommend trying this if you're looking for a soft but well-balanced jasmine.
