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This is a very creamy blend, but also very ...earthy? Velvety ribbons of milky jam weave through wobbling mounds of coconut custard. Lumpy dollops of an almost figgy milk jelly jostle jiggingly aside pillowy palm sugar flan. But there is also the starchy nectar of sweet rice, beans boiled in fruit syrup, and the subterranean, geosmic sweetness of mashed tubers. This fragrance has all of those things...plus a tiny spoonful of salty, nutty, browned butter.
- Today
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I'm not usually drawn to orange as a note, but I loved the past vintage blow mold scents so I had to get this one. And I *love* it. To my nose, the crystalline amber is different from the plasticky, milky amber of the previous scents. It's lighter and quite ethereal. The white musk is the game gorgeous, gauzy note as in My Soul Aquiesced. The orange note is sweet, not at all sharp or high pitched. It reminds me of those chocolate covered candied orange slices. I don't detect much pumpkin. Maybe there's a hint of it if I really try to find it, but I keep forgetting this has a pumpkin note honestly. This doesn't have much throw, but it lasts forever on me. I put it on one night and could smell it all throughout the next day. It's a backup bottle contender for me, and I'm not even an orange lover.
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Monstrous vegetation breathes a verdant miasma, its exhalations heavy with the weight of countless eons. In the same space, the same breath, the other eye observes a study in boreal archaeology: a drift of dead branches, ancient pine cones, desiccated moss. Tendrils of primordial green intertwine with crumbling stone, suspended in time. Undergrowth, thicket, and canopy exude a vast murky viridescence, revealing a mirror world where forest and ruin reflect endlessly, an unsettling symmetry of growth and decay.
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An unexpected autumnal breeze; crisp leaves carry secrets of golden fields. Honey-tinged sunlight clings to weathered bark, earthy roots anchor fleeting warmth. Tattered pumpkin rind scrapings compost with the sweet decay of fallen foliage. Deceptively fresh, almost cheerful, yet a ghostly chorus lingers in wind-stirred branches - a chill, whistling echo of summer's fading warmth.
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A spectral chill in frosted glass; anise and verbena spark with eerie luminescence. Icy tendrils spill over the rim, a fog that bites at curious fingers. The elixir shimmers, a cold vapor suspended between tipple and mist - green herbal whispers and sharp, aromatic secrets swirling in misty limbo.
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First few minutes of applying: The tea roses are quite strong at the outset here, no blackcurrant to be had yet. The lace lends a nice creaminess. It's a very clean, sharp, almost soapy scent. After 15 minutes: A touch softer, but not much movement from the first impression. I was hoping for a bit more jamminess here, but I layered her with Eat Me and really liked them together!
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I definitely get the caramel as mentioned above the strongest. Shockingly on me I do not get much smoke or burnt if at all! But I’m totally ok with that! I was nervous it would be too scorched. In the dry down the sweet corn syrup like candy corn comes out and stays close to the skin. It’s sweet and hauntingly calm. Wish it had stronger throw but still delicious 😋
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I'll be the only outlier here and say that this is super toasty to me, even after a bit of rest 😳 This smells like dry roasted rice with a syrupy lightly poached peach. Not a lot of coconut to my nose
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We’ve reached the last post in the portion of this countdown devoted to the creepy Gothic books beloved by the women working in 19th-century mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. Today’s entry is the controversial autobiography of Maria Monk (1836). Read it here. Quote: We all believed in ghosts. ALT View the full post.
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This broke my heart because it smelled so good from the bottle. It's smells exactly like a gooey honey cake with little dried-smelling buds lavender on the side. It's positively mouth-watering while still feeling light and not too dense or overly sweet. But as soon as I put it on my skin? The honey cake note turns into plastic. Which is weird because I've tried BPAL's honey notes before (like Good, Cerberus'ish, The Lights of Men's Eyes, and the 2020 shunga 'Women Copulating' scent), and all the honey notes worked well on my skin. I also thought the cake wouldn't be a problem because I've tried Two Frames and Dragon Slide, and both scents smelled exactly as they should with my skin chem as well. So with great regret, I'm going to have to destash my bottle and make a note to avoid specific honey-cake perfumes in the future. It's such a shame because it's a wonderful and well-crafted perfume, but thankfully I have other options should I need to reach for a honey-based scent.
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Opens with a thick glossy patent leather, but quickly morphs into a warm, brown musky vanilla that smells nothing like Snake Oil, save perhaps a distant relative. The leather makes a few more appearances before the drydown, which smells a bit gourmand in comparison. It's slightly greasy like the deep fry oil note of a sufganiyot but sweet like caramel. I enjoyed the scent journey but won't need more than a sample.
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Sewerwo1f joined the community
- Yesterday
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Oh this is so lovely! It really is true to all the parts of the coconut. Takes me right back to my trip to Hawaii many years ago, where I enjoyed many coconuts fresh off the tree. I need to try layering this with Snake Oil as a preview of my pending order of Snakes In The Coconut Cake, although I expect that to be a much sweeter version of coconut.
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Pureed gourd flesh and nutty, toasted grains steep in dusky, caramelized sweetness. A slice of pumpkin bread devoured at a forsaken crossroads, where a witching-hour deal is yet to be struck.
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Upon request, and inspired by election signs Beth made for the Barrials' yard, BEHOLD! https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-tag/political-buttons-2024/
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Velvety pigments and wine-darkened lips, inky midnight fruits, rich, jammy, plummy, plush malaise-as-a-lifestyle-choice kisses.
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This is my level of Dead Leaves. I don't love that note when it's the lead player, but here it's softened and sweetened by the Snake Oil you know, plus some supporting spicy and smooth elements from the additional notes. Very comfortable and cozy, capturing fall in a bottle without needing any pumpkin or apple.
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Another dark and dreadful novel that women working in 19th-century mills in Lowell, Massachusetts reported enjoying was Alonzo and Melissa (aka The Asylum) by Isaac Mitchell (1804/1811). Read here the later version attributed to Daniel Jackson, Jr. Quote: The person in her room then uttered a horrible groan, and gliding along by her bed, took his stand behind the curtains, near the foot. The noises below, the cry of murder, the firing of the second pistol, and the running up stairs, were all corresponding scenes to impress terror on her imagination. The pretended ghost then advanced in front of her bed, while lights were slowly introduced, which first shone faintly, until they were ushered into the room by the private door, exhibiting the person before her in all his horrific appearances. On her shrieking, and shrinking into the bed, the lights were suddenly extinguished, and the person, after commanding her to be gone in a hoarse voice, passed again to the foot of the bed, shook it violently, and made a seeming attempt to get upon it, when, perceiving her to be springing up, he fled out of the room by the secret door, cautiously shut it, and joined his companions. ALT View the full post.
- Last week
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The earthy, euphoric scent of autumn rises from a carpet of fallen leaves, their colors a blanket of umber and gold spread beneath rusted wrought-iron gates. Wisps of aromatic steam curl from an abandoned mug on a weathered stone bench, mingling with the garden's fading sighs. At twilight, a crisp breeze rattles the trees, carrying a jolly, vegetal brightness that disperses the melancholy haze like a peal of laughter at an unexpectedly inappropriate joke! A moment, a reflective pause between seasons, rich with the comforting warmth of autumn and the lingering mischief of the departing summer, the last chirp of a cricket giving way to the first croak of an autumn toad.
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What is it about the human heart that loves a place forsaken? In a forgotten corner of an abandoned homestead, weathered tools rest against crumbling walls, their once-gleaming surfaces now a canvas of rust and patina. Shadows pool in the pitted surface of an old axe head while a fallen hammer's handle smooths under an invisible touch. From between warped floorboards, gnarled tendrils reach upward, seekers in a realm of twilight. Their twisted forms, pale and insistent, push through layers of debris. A murky, green scent rises with them, vegetal and searching. It mingles with the musty air, a complex perfume of damp wood, old leather, and the faint memory of smoke. Dust hangs suspended in slanted beams of light; each mote a silent witness to creeping decay and desolation.
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Well, I didn't expect or want to be first, and I rarely write reviews anymore, but here goes... Must love black musk. Seriously. There is only a hint of rose so far and the black currant is missing. The black musk is the same as By day she turned herself into a cat (you know which one) and is awesome. I am curious what other folks will say about this one. Also curious to see how it will age. So...black velvet=black musk 🙂
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Ok, when I first tested this, it reminded me of type of darkness that not only takes all the light out of the room, but the sound too, and I thought of sound insulation. But now that I've given it some rest, the darkness has a comfy quality like a favorite black sweater. There are some notes in here that have a big bossy reputation, but they are all knitting together in a lovely way, and I could see this becoming a classic. If you're on the fence about the oud, I would still recommend giving this one a try. I'm not getting anything indolic, and it's not even super perfumey - more light woods that balance really well with the almond notes (also behaving!) and burnt caramel. However if you're looking for something sweeter and skewing more foodie, this might not be the blend for you. I was worried this would be too sweet, which is super subjective, but it's the perfect amount for me. No sticky honey-caramel-marzipan toothache. I was also concerned about whether the pumpkin would have spice in it at first, but I don't think this actually has any cinnamon in it, just a lightly spiced aspect in the oud. Anyway that's how it's wearing for me, and I'm enjoying the modest sillage and just-right amount of fall vibes.
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Warm golden spices enveloped in a swirl of deep resinous amber incense and palo santo, sparkling with a celestial bouquet of heliotrope, bergamot, and star jasmine.
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Very evocative and chemical smelling. I can really smell the sealant, as I've been married for 48 years to a man who refinishes furniture and uses many sealants. This smell exactly like it's described. Stays true on the drydown too. More of something I enjoy as an example of Beth's expertise at creating atmospherics and odd scents than something I will actually wear.
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It's rare for me to enjoy a coconut scent, but I love this one. The coconut is thickly sweet and super creamy, but not in suntan lotion territory. The white amber makes things a little powdery at first, which I also usually hate, but the Oman frankincense is gorgeous. It has qualities that smell of spicy everygreen sap and wood and a rich, honeyed edge that's like beeswax candles, but minus the wax and smoke, if that makes sense. The resinous, woody amber is also more present in the drydown. The sweet parts are meshing so well with the resins, which I didn't expect. The Paintings of the Month series continues to be one of my favorites ❤️.
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Strawberry Moon 2024: Green Tea and Green Strawberries
Little Bird replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
This is an odd scent. I don't get green tea at all and the green strawberry is like a hint of red strawberry covered in green twigs. It's also very musky, dry, and sharp to me, though, and reminds me of potpourri and air freshener. It has a scratchy, dry, white musk quality to it, but it also does smell slightly green, so I was wondering if it has green musk (but it doesn't smell like the usual green musk that the Lab uses either). A little breezy, soapy, and reminiscent of dryer sheets as it dries down. It's a scent interpretation of green strawberry while not smelling natural at all. I don't like it when perfumes smell like cheap home fragrance or laundry products, so this blend isn't working for me.
