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- Today
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This is a beautiful, very well blended and well balanced scent. To me it feels very cozy and comforting but without being cloying or leaning too gourmand (like It Was but the Wild Blast was, sadly), which was kind of exactly what I needed today. It opens with a lovely, buttery-smooth, sweetish chestnut, but right away I can pick up on a little more going on underneath, it's accompanied by a barely detectable lift of earthy freshness. As the hours go on and the chestnut opening fades, Seven Horses proves itself to be a beautifully complex blend. There's a touch of cool, peppery spice that winks out every now and then, although this blend is mainly about the nutty, golden, enveloping warmth. I can smell the sweet fresh hay, the spicy-sweet herbaceous tobacco, and I think I'm getting just a faint, somehow very smooth touch of vetiver's slightly leathery smokiness. It is sweet and deep and I keep repeating this word, but Seven Horses is so well balanced it gives me the overall impression of smoothness, which is decidedly not to say it's boring, but rather it feels sort of round and comforting, enveloping. I associate this smoothness with the pu'er, but it's possible it's the overall effect. It's a delightfully smooth, perfectly blended cup of tea. There's an almost cinnamon-y aspect that comes out every now and then, too. A couple of hours in, I start getting almost a dried-fruit aspect. The hay, the pu'er? Something else? I'm not sure where the effect comes from, but it's fascinating and really lovely. I'm not sure if I ever got the cacao or the coffee bean, although perhaps what I'm taking to be cinnamon-y could actually be cacao. 3-4 hours in it gets softer and more cinnamon-y, and there's this sweet softness to it that almost approaches powdery, I think from the hay, that I find so soothing I want to curl up and take a nap in. To me Seven Horses feels like a very deep, rich brown scent. A gorgeous, rich, autumnal brown like chocolate or freshly tilled soil, a mahogany credenza or a cup of tea. Just really mesmerically beautiful, in a quiet way that invites but doesn't demand attention. Frankly I'm a little upset that I want a bottle, because there are already so many bottles I want to snag before their down dates. I'm going to have to sit down and take a long hard look at my budget, I think. This feels like an absolutely *perfect* scent for November, the cooler latter days of autumn. Beth knocked it out of the park with this one.
- Yesterday
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This is recognizably the same rosewater note from Razors in a Doll's House in the Carnival Diabolique collection - it's a sweet, gently fruity rose, here blended with a soft, lightly powdery gardenia. It feels very pink to me, and feminine in a very nineteenth-century type of a way. Tremendously pretty, and there's a cleanness to it as previous reviewers have suggested, though it's not at all soapy. I assumed the painting of which this was an interpretation was the George Seurat of this title, and so my immediate association was of course Bernadette Peters in this iconic Sondheim role. After a little bit of research I realized that the inspiration for the scent was a different 19th century painting by the same title, and I am mildly disappointed! But I could still absolutely see this as Dot's perfume, and love imagining as the scent she applies before her mirror in the above-linked song, imagining herself as a follies girl. The scent doesn't feel quite me, and it's not my dream gardenia (so far that spot goes to Mrs Emma Marsh), but it's so pretty and likable, and I'm delighted to have a scent that makes me think of Dot, even if that association was based on a misapprehension. I'll definitely be keeping my decant.
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Maybe it’s the cider because it’s the only note in common but this is giving me Meatball Jazz Hands sibling energy. Luckily I adore both of these. This one does have more of a green tinge to it (scent-wise, not actual color) but on me they are very similar. I never got around to picking up a backup bottle of my beloved MJH, and this one will easily scratch that itch if I ever run out of my precious.
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Dark to the point of being unsettling in the bottle; murky, bitter, medicinal terebinth dominates alongside the green, pitchy galbanum. These screechy notes make the jump onto skin, bringing the olfactory chaos for a good 20 minutes before settling down. At that point the patchouli reveals itself, muddy and baked, along with the myrrh and black amber. Finally, it is tolerable! Once again, I'm unable to locate the balsam note even though I know it is there. Sweetness continues to increase post drydown, as the myrrh gets increasingly soft and powdery. Screaming projection at first settles down to something more moderate, lasting about 7 hours. This was a ride, friends. It smells absolutely putrid in the bottle. The first half hour on skin is (subjectively) pretty awful to experience, and would benefit greatly from 50% less terebinth. But once that terebinth fades away, it's enjoyable from a distance. I still would not recommend huffing too deeply from the skin, but it has a pleasantly resinous, dry aura about it.
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In vial, blackberry and dank mown grass. On, I get green bananas and fizzy blackberry. Like one of those flavored sparkling waters with no sugar. I can tell there’s honeysuckle but it’s not super prominent. Very pleasant, refreshing for hot weather. This should be perfect for summer.
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Heart-Shaped Beanie on the Metro
tinyvulture replied to TheIceMaiden's topic in Black Phoenix Trading Post
Sugared red rose and orange blossom. The red rose is a bit stronger than the orange blossom. This is a medium-throw scent, sweet but not cloying. I love all sugared florals! -
There is a Burke & Hare candle I love, Eros, with notes of chocolate and clove. This is like Eros but with the addition of fresh, ripe strawberry! I’d love to get a bottle. It’s so fun and sexy. Is there labdanum? Maybe, but all I get is chocolate, clove and strawberry. ( Not really in the sense of ice cream flavors but actual chocolate and strawberries). So good!
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Very herbal to start with. The mugwort is strong. Then there’s light white tea and neroli. It’s very crisp, clean, grassy. Like a garden tea party, among citrus trees and herb plants. Different than what I usually go for, but nice!
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Soft May the Worms About Her Creep - A lovely creamy floral. Gentle star jasmine, powdery and honey-sweet, blends with soft white coconut and pale pink strawberry cream. Really understated. Makes you feel like the most relaxed, happy version of yourself on a tropical vacation. I am not getting any oud at all!
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Imperious Three-Headed Dragon in a Jaunty Blue Coat
tinyvulture replied to zankoku_zen's topic in Event Exclusive Oils
Imperious Three-Headed Dragon - A sweet, fruity scent packed with ripe blackberries and blueberries. I’m not getting licorice root or jasmine. Instead, this is a straightforward berry blend. The berries are warmed by the present of black amber and musk. Later the jasmine does appear, and it’s a welcome addition, adding complexity. The licorice never shows up. Still, I like this blend quite a lot. -
This is kind of like pumpkin French toast. I’m definitely getting maple syrup! This has a crazy amount of throw. Tons of cinnamon sugar, and sweet fried dough. Not a lot of pumpkin to be honest, but it’s there. Foodie fiends, get you some!
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Hungry Ghost Moon: Oven-Warm Pizza Crust and Oregano
tinyvulture replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Pizza crust! It’s like you can even smell the fermentation in the dough. Flecks of oregano worked into the crust. A touch of salt. A couple of nice charred areas. Now I want some breadsticks! -
Chocolate powder mixed with cream, like a powdered hot cocoa vibe. But also creamy basmati rice! Not really getting coconut or spices. Hot cocoa and basmati rice are amazing together. Definitely want a bottle. So comforting.
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Simple and lovely! Rich fossilized amber sprinkled with sugar. Sweet and warm. This one works very well with my skin chemistry.
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I picked up a decant of this in the hopes of better understanding and recognizing tuberose, and it certainly is serving that purpose for me. This is a very soft, gentle amber, just supporting the tuberose which is which is rich, lush, and buttery, sister scent to gardenia but without gardenia's perfumey sharpness; I think it's a little less complex than gardenia or jasmine as well. It is strong and unmistakable here, and it is absolutely helping me make sense of all the other blends in which it plays a more supporting role. At the start the butteriness is a little much for me, though the scent is beautiful; over time the butteriness calms down a little and it becomes a much more wearable, elegant perfume. I am very glad to have this and will most definitely wear and enjoy it, though I don't feel the need to seek out a bottle.
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Winter Wakeneth Al My Care - Strong patchouli and frankincense! Mild champaca. Not picking up any vanilla or amber. So this is quite a strong, energizing scent. Not shrinking from anything. Sharp, earthy, spicy, masculine. I enjoy it but don’t need a bottle.
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Old-fashioned, ladylike, clean blend. The dusting powder is strong, along with the rosewater and sharp gardenia. I would like a soap of this scent.
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Strong gin and lime. Not for me.
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A lovely goth blend of rose and clove. After a few minutes I also notice the honeyed saffron. Not much from the sandalwood, tea, or frankincense. But wow! Exotic, feminine, I just love clove blends. Need a bottle!
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I'm the first review! That always feels like too much pressure. On me this is predominantly a narcissus scent, and it's the paperwhite-like sharp indolic version with which I am familiar from the GCs Langour and Hunger. As it dries down, I get more hints of the other notes; a soft sandalwood, earthy saffron, and just the faintest hint of vanilla. The narcissus remains central, but a couple hours in the other notes have given it a lot more balance; it still has the thin, grasping quality I associate with this narcissus note, but tempered by the calm of the other elements. Narcissus is one of the few bpal floral notes with which I struggle, and I'm struggling with it here; it simultaneously fascinates and repulses me, in what feels like a quite visceral way. I like it in combination with these other notes, but it's still sort of on the edge of wearable for me. I think is a very well-done narcissus, and if you are a fan of the lab's narcissus note I would definitely recommend it as a lovely showcase for it, but if you're narcissus-ambivalent like me it might be a little much. I'm going to keep my decant while I continue to make sense of my narcissus feelings, but won't need a bottle of this one.
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I tried a super aged bottle of this that was paint thinner on me. Trying again with 2025. I do get rose, red, crisp. This reminds me of the Mr Lincoln roses my mom used to grow. However, the shiny green leaf and frost occasionally goes a little towards paint thinner. I can understand how a bottle could go off in that direction. Compared to other rose scents this is sporty? almost. Nice but The Peacock Queen is still my champion among roses.
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"I am not a greater reader, and I take pleasure in many things", Elizabeth Bennet once said, in an effort to correct assumptions about her talents and habits. I have very few things in common with this famous literary heroine, but this is one of them. I don't know Mr. Croup as a character, have never read a word by the author who created him, and have no pre-formed concept of how this scent matches itself to its namesake. I do, however, take great pleasure in broody notes of a masculine persuasion. Opening the bottle, I get a deliciously dark smokiness. It's a little swarthy, but there is a cold bone dryness, too, that keeps it in the realm of appealing. Applied to skin, the porcelain note bursts forth in a glorious shattering, underneath which the booze dampened geranium and tonka warm on my skin. Glory was short-lived, however, as it fell off in intensity precipitously in strength almost immediately after drydown, lasting barely 3 hours even when I smooshed my arm into my nose. I was so bummed at how fast it faded that I tried it a second time a few days later with better moisturized skin, without any appreciable difference in longevity. Should a stray bottle come across your path, wear it to a winter gothic themed gathering like a secret that only you know, because it's very possible you will be the only one who can smell it. Mr. Croup The Scent is fantastic, unisex by my measure, utterly enjoyable independent of any character or writer association.
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Faiza, The Lady of Serpents (2016)
SmellsPrettyGood2Me replied to missnix's topic in Carnaval Diabolique
First wet whiff: Black musk and many other things that cannot be sussed out individually, other than a slightly sweet orange oil note. On skin: A true melange, lighter and less (non-indolic) floral than the notes would suggest. A little spicy from the green cardamon, a bit astringent from the bergamot, a touch woody from the oakmoss. Post dry down is where the blackberry really shows up, but I never end up getting much vanilla on it's own. Moderate projection for the first hour, then another 3-4 of a much softer, skin-close experience. Overall the impression is overwhelmingly positive, one of true perfumery talent at it's best. Not gimmicky or pandering, just really nicely balanced and overall well done. For some reason it reads very much like a modern French perfume with a bit of a kick to it. This bottle dates to 2023 or 2024 (I forget) so it's had a little time to sit with itself, which has only enhanced the beautifully blended features of the scent. I recommend getting your hands on an aged bottle if possible, or buying one to put away for later. -
I love what this scent stands for, and I would wear it proudly if not for the fact that the almond cream note is a double whammy of no for me. It's all I can smell in the bottle, and dominates on skin for the first 10 minutes, at which point the fig and jasmine take over. I don't get a lot of honey, but what is there is smooth, sweet, and quiet - not dusty or sneezy. Very tropical, and great for those who love florals. Moderate to low projection post dry down. This scent will work for you if these notes work for you, but they're not for me. My personal interpretation of the groundbreaking lawsuit would be a bit different: the cold granite stone steps on which protests are launched, the silk ties of the lawyers on both sides, a deeply warm, golden amber of universal love and the paper on which the official documentation of said love is printed.
