mamoyer

Settle in for a nice long fairytale, folks! Or you could just scroll down... but that's much less fun. --Shollin Ivanushka took his little sister, Alenushka, by the hand, and whispered to her, "Since our dear mother and father have died, we have had no joy. Our wicked stepmother beats us every morning and every evening. Our stepsister is cruel, and she laughs as stepmother beats us with switches. Our meals are dry, moldy crusts of bread. May the Lord have mercy on us! Come, little sister, we will set forth together into the great, wide world, for surely there can be nothing worse for us than we have in this house." They walked and walked through meadows and fields, past sagging, abandoned cottages, and through barren, stony plains. Rain began to fall upon their tiny brows. "Heaven weeps with our hearts", Little Alenushka sighed. At nightfall, they came to a large, dark forest. Though the forest was frightening, the children were so weary with fear, hunger, and fatigue that they crawled into a hollow tree and fell asleep together. The children's wicked stepmother was a black-hearted woman, and a witch, to boot. When she discovered that the children had run away, she crept behind them, using her magic for stealth, and watched them as they walked, and watched them as they slept. They awoke as the noon sun beat hot and bright upon the hollow tree. Ivanushka said, "Sister, I am terribly thirsty. I think I hear a brook; please, let us find it!" Laughing to herself, the witch sped to all the brooks in the forest, ensorcelling them. The children came across the first brook, and Brother Ivanushka rushed towards it. Alenushka, though, heard the voice of the water as it skipped over the slippery stones: Whoever drinks of me will be a tiger. Alenushka cried, "Oh Brother, please, please do not drink, or you will become a wild beast and will tear me to pieces!" Ivanushka ignored his thirst, and did not drink. "Sister, I will wait," he said, and the children continued through the forest. When they came across the next brook, Alenushka heard it whisper: Whoever drinks of me will be a wolf. "Dear Brother!" she cried. "Please do not drink from this brook, or you will transform into a wolf, and you will eat me!" Ivanushka did not drink, but he was truly suffering. "Sister, I will wait." When they came to the third brook, he could take the pain no longer, and he rushed forward, plunging his hands into the water even as his sister wailed, "Oh Brother! This brook speaks as well! You will become a roebuck, and you will run away from me!" But Ivanushka could not resist, and as soon as the first droplets of water touched his lips, he became a deer. Alenushka wept, and collapsed to the ground. In his heart, the roe wept with her. The roe moved slowly and sorrowfully closer to his sister. Alenushka dried her tears and whispered, "Dear Brother, I will never, ever leave you. This, I promise." She untied her golden garters and put them around the deer's neck. She plucked pliable rushes and wove them into a simple cord. She tied the cord to the garters, and led her brother deeper into the forest. They walked on and on, for hours and hours, deeper and deeper into the forest. At last, they came to a small cottage. Alenushka peeked into one of the windows, and the cottage seemed be empty. She thought to herself, "We can stay here together; we will live here." Every morning she gathered berries to eat, and brought grasses for her brother. Ivanushka's voice whispered to her heart, and she found that though he had changed to a deer, her brother still retained a boy's voice. They walked together through the forest, and played what games they could. At night, she said her prayers, and laid her head upon the roebuck's back as she drifted off to sleep. One day, hunting horns sounded in the distance. The howl and bark of dogs and the raucous shouts of the huntsmen echoed through the forest, and the siblings knew that the King's Great Hunt had begun. "Please, Sister! Let me be off to the Hunt!" the roebuck cried. She hesitated, worried for his safety. "Sister, I am wild, and this is now my nature. Please, I cannot bear it. Let me run with the hunt! I am fleet of foot, and I am young; I will outrun them!" He begged and pleaded, and her resolve crumbled. She agreed, but said, "Come back to me in the evening. I must shut the door to the cottage, as I fear the rough huntsmen. So when you return to me, you must knock and say, 'My Little Sister, let me in!' I will then know it is you. If you do not say this, I will not open the door." The little deer kissed his sister's hand, and leapt merrily into the forest. The King and his huntsmen saw the graceful roebuck with the golden collar and started after him, but he was swift and spry, and they could not catch their prey. When it was dark, the roebuck sped to the cottage. He knocked upon the door with his hoof and said, "My Little Sister, let me in!" Alenushka opened the door, and her brother leapt into the tiny house. They whispered and sang until they both grew tired, and slept the night through on the soft bed of grass. The next day, the Hunt began anew. When the roebuck heard the trumpets and bugles in the distance, his blood stirred. "Sister, please let me out! It is time, and I must run!" She opened the door for him and said, "Remember: you must come back to me in the evening, knock, and say the password." When the King and his men saw the roebuck again, they gave chase. The creature was so swift and nimble that the chase ran on the whole day. At twilight, one of the hunter's arrows found the roe's foot. The roe was forced to slow his run, and as he limped back to the cottage, one of the hunters tracked him. As the hunter hid behind the large and shadowy trees, he heard the roe knock on the cottage door and he heard the roe whisper, "My Little Sister, let me in." The hunter saw a flash of pale skin and gleaming russet hair as Alenushka opened the door for her injured brother. The huntsman raced back to his King, and told him all that he had seen and heard. Intrigued, the King said, "Tomorrow, friends, we will hunt once more." Alenushka was terrified when she saw that her brother was hurt. She cleaned his wound, and washed the blood from his fur. She laid herbs on his foot, and bound it with fresh cloth. The wound was so slight that, after a night of rest and with the aid of his sister's gentle ministrations, he did not feel the injury at all. When he heard the calls of the huntsmen and the howl of the dogs, his blood stirred again, and he said, "I must run, Little Sister! Let me out!" "I shall not!" Alenushka cried. "You are injured, and they will catch you. They will catch and kill you, and I will be alone in the forest. I will not let you out." "Sister, I am wild. This is now my nature. If you do not set me free, I will perish from grief." Alenushka had no choice, so she opened the door with a heavy heart. "I am weak with fear for you, Brother." "You have nothing to fear, Little Sister. I am fleet of foot, and I am young; I will outrun them!" With that, he bounded joyfully into the forest. Soon, the King spotted the roebuck with the golden collar. He said to his men, "Chase him all day long; he will tire. But take care, and none of you shall do him any harm. We will track the beast." At twilight, the King said to his men, "The roe is still giving chase. Now you will show me the cottage in the woods." The King crept to the door, knocked, and whispered, "Dearest Little Sister, let me in." The door opened, and the King entered the tiny house. Before him stood a young maiden, the loveliest he had ever seen. Her ivory skin shone like moonlight, and her auburn hair hung in long, thick waves around a perfect, beautiful face made wise by sadness and despair. The maiden was frightened when she saw, not her beloved brother, but a tall and dark-haired man with a golden crown upon his head. But the King's face was handsome and his eyes were kind, and he said to her, softly, "You have won my heart, fairest of ladies. Will you go with me to my palace and be my wife? I will love you all of my days." His voice struck her heart, and she said, "Yes, sir, I will. But the little roebuck must come with us. I cannot leave him." The King took her tiny hand in his, and said, "The deer shall stay with you for as long as you live, and you both shall want nothing." At that moment, the roe came running into the cottage. He stopped, startled. His sister stroked his fur gently, and looped the cord of rushes through his collar. The three, together, left the tiny cottage in the woods. The King set the maiden upon his horse, and carried her to his castle. A splendid, joyful wedding was held with great pageantry, and courtiers from across the land came to pay their respects to their liege. Alenushka was now Queen, and they lived together in happiness in peace. The roebuck was cared for and cherished, and ran happily through the castle gardens. The King and Queen basked in the joy of true love. The wicked stepmother, whose cruelty had forced the siblings out into the world, believed that Alenushka had been torn to shreds by wild beasts in the forest, and that Ivanushka, as a roebuck, had been slain as a trophy by huntsmen. One day, while the crone was purchasing herbs in the marketplace, she heard that the King had married. She heard tales of the kindness and beauty of the new Queen, and her curiosity was piqued. She traveled to the castle, huddled under the rags of a beggar woman. The Queen was outside the castle giving alms to the poor. Her pale face was lit with joy, and her auburn hair was set aflame by the light of the sun and her golden, bejeweled crown. The wicked stepmother saw that this Queen was the child she had scorned. When she saw the happiness in Alenushka's eyes, her black heart clenched with poisonous envy. She fled back to her home, seething with hatred. The crone had no peace, and thought of nothing else over the next few days except how to bring the Queen misfortune. Her own wretched daughter, one-eyed and ugly and bent as sin, groused, "A Queen, indeed! That ought to have been my luck. You should have killed those children yourself. You should have slashed them with a knife, or beaten them with a cudgel. Then I would now be Queen." "Be quiet," hissed the old woman. She turned to her daughter and cooed, "When the time comes, we shall be ready." After a time, the Queen gave birth to a beautiful boy. One day, the King went hunting, and the wicked stepmother seized upon the opportunity. The old crone used her magic to take the form of a chamber maid, and went into the room where the Queen lay. She said to the Queen, "Come, my dear, your bath is ready. It will do you good, and will renew your strength. Make haste, or the water shall go cold!" The crone's daughter was also nearby, and the two of them carried the birth-weak Queen to the bath room. Gently, they lowered her into the bath, then they crept out, and shut the door. Using her magic, the crone set a huge, ferocious fire blazing within the bath room, and the Queen died from suffocation. When this evil deed was done, the witch took her daughter and laid a glamour upon her wretched daughter's countenance so she would take the shape of the dead Queen. Her magic could not replace her daughter's missing eye, so she bade her daughter lie down in bed in a way that the King could not see it. In the evening, the King went to the bedchamber to see his wife and infant son. But the crone called out, "My King! Keep the bedcurtains closed. The Queen should not see light yet, and she must have rest." The King left, and did not see that an imposter lay in his bed. At midnight, while all in the castle slept, the nurse, who was sitting by the Prince's cradle, saw a ghostly form approach the baby. Shocked, she saw that this phantom was her Queen. The Ghost Queen took the child out of the cradle and held it. She crooned a soft lullaby to the child, and set him back down in his cradle. She tucked a blanket around the infant, and caressed his tiny face. In the corner of the nursery, the roe lay on a bed of velvet. The Ghost Queen stopped and stroked the roe's fur lovingly, then glided silently through the door. The nurse did not believe her eyes, and thought the shadows within the castle and the lateness of the hour were creating strange fancies. The next morning the nurse, shaken, asked the guards whether anyone had come into the palace during the night, but they answered, "No, we have seen no one." The Ghost Queen visited the nursery many nights in silence. The nurse always saw her, but she did not dare to tell anyone about it, though she feared that she might be losing her mind. Meanwhile, the King tried to visit his Queen every evening, and each time, the crone waved him away. "My King! Keep the bedcurtains closed. The Queen should not see light yet, and she must have rest." The King left, and still did not see that an imposter lay in his bed. After many days, the Ghost Queen finally spoke to the nurse as she left the Prince's bedchamber -- "How fares my child, how fares my roe? Twice shall I come, then never more." In terror, the nurse did not answer, but when the Queen had vanished, the nurse could bear it no longer. She ran to the King and told him all she had seen and heard. The King said, "What phantom is this that stalks my son's bed? Tomorrow night I will watch by the child." In the evening he went into the nursery, and sat hidden in the shadows. At midnight, the Ghost Queen appeared and said - "How fares my child, how fares my roe? Once more will I come, then never more." The King did not dare to speak to the ghost, but on the next night he returned to the shadows of the Prince's bedchamber. At midnight, the Ghost Queen returned, and said -- "How fares my child, how fares my roe? This time I come, then never more." The King leapt forward, and stared deep into the ghost's unearthly eyes. He saw the maiden that he had fallen in love with, and cried, "You can be none other than my beloved Queen!" The ghost whispered, "Yes, my Lord, I am your wife." The King rose to embrace her, and as the King's tears fell upon her ghostly form, the Queen was filled with life. Her body became solid, her cheeks flushed with love. Weeping, Alenushka told her husband the tale of her murder. The King and his guard stormed into the Queen's bedchamber and arrested the witch and her daughter. They were dragged before the judge, and were sentenced. The daughter was taken to the forest, where she was bound and left to be shredded by wild animals. The crone was cast into a fire with stones tied to her throat, and died a terrible death. At the moment of the crone's demise, the roebuck was transformed back into a young man, and thus the sister and brother lived the rest of their lives, happily ever after. Soft, velvety fur and warm musk, brushed by forest woods and dusted by dry leaves. First review, hmm? I'll try my best. In the bottle, it smells like pickles. Not strongly. Very faint. Smells the same way wet on my skin. Five minutes later: this smells exactly like fur. Like, a rabbit's foot. Or a fur throw. It smells just like sticking your nose in a clean fur, or going into a store that sells only fur/leather products. My nose is still n00bish, but I can't really make out any other notes. Maybe the musk, but it's blended really well. Verdict: The scent is really evocative and comforting, but do I want to smell like fur? Maybe--I mean, it smells GOOD after the pickle fades, don't get me wrong. I'll wait and let it settle, try it a few more times, etc. ETA: Almost 3 hrs later, this smells like fur covered in musky powder. Deodorant, is that you? Anyway, it's a strangely clean scent. I'm also thinking of wearing a coat, boots, and hat (all lined with clean fur) on a crisp autumn day but staying inside a log cabin with no fire in the fireplace while your sister or something coats herself with dusting powder. I have a strange imagination. 2nd ETA: Regarding the pickle smell, I think the bottle was just too fresh or something. I tried Ivanushka again today and the pickle smell that had assailed my nostrils upon opening the bottle before was gone!

"Rum punch is not improperly called Kill-Devil; for thousands lose their lives by its means. When newcomers use it to the least excess, they expose themselves to imminent peril, for it heats the blood and brings on fevers, which in a very few hours send them to their graves." Sugar cane, molasses, oak wood, and honey. I couldn't find any reviews yet of Kill-Devil, so here goes. In the imp: It's super-foody. Kill-Devil smells like thick, sluggish, honeyed molasses in a wooden cask. However, it's not exactly "sweet." It almost reminds me of this cough medicine I once had--I think it had a honey-eucalyptus flavoring but there with added sugars for taste. It made me sort of nauseated, to tell the truth. Wet on skin: I can smell the oak in the background, but the smell is still very thick. I am picturing a glutinous golden syrup moving ever so sloooowly and covering everything in its path. Dry: It's strange--with every whiff, my nostrils feel an almost minty chill--is it just my mind tying the cough medicine in with the scent so that I think I'm smelling the eucalyptus too? Hmm...now it reminds me of honey-eucalyptus cough drops. Bah. Final thoughts: I'm definitely going to have to test this one again. It's definitely different--I just can't tell whether I like it or not! Points to Beth for an accurate portrayal of the notes!

LONG NIGHT MOON The nights are at their longest, the sky is at its darkest. The air is still with reflective silence. A bouquet of night-blooming flowers, petals dusted with frost. Cereus, moonflower accord, night phlox, honeysuckle, silver thyme, white mint, and blue musk. Trying to get the reviews out to you guys, since I seem to be one of the first to get their LNM order. LNM makes it easy-- this smells just like Midnight on the Midway on me, except blue musk instead of sweetness, more floral, and IMHO, prettier. And I can't describe to you what blue musk smells like, but I smell it. It's right there! It's musky! It's blue in my head! It feels lonely and wistful. Oh, and as it dries, I smell just the tiniest touch of an aquatic/ozone note--the frost, I'm guessing. It does smell like frost! This blend is more complex than it seems at first sniff. Mmmmm...I like. ETA: Almost two hours later, it smells even more beautiful. Between this and Swan Maiden, BPAL is trying to kill me dead with perfect florals!

How strange- I barely get strawberry at all on my skin OR in my bottle! My skin always loves tobacco and incense, though. And, like others have said, this is a low-amping skin scent. In the bottle, I smell sweet, creamy incense with a hint of rosewater. Dried on my skin, it smells like (in descending order of dominance): tobacco, a hint of sweet incense smoke, a splash of rosewater, a dribble of cognac, and a faint memory of strawberry cotton candy. I really don't get much morphing at all! I did wait to try it until it had settled for a day. I'm very glad I got this! I'm a huge fan of the original Black Lace, and I think that Pink Lace is something that I can wear during the day, and I can apply Black Lace in the evening without having a weird scent clash. Black Lace is sort of my signature going-out scent, but it's not usually something I can wear to work because it does give off a strong--albeit classy--cigs'n'booze vibe. Pink Lace is definitely my kind of scent, and it's work-appropriate and skin-hugging! Yay!

This does not smell like traditional Apple Cider at *all* to me. I'm another big fan of Fearful Pleasure and was hoping this scent would be similar. Autumn Cider is nice, but it's more like Cran-Apple juice, lemon juice, a dribble of cherry juice, and a BLAST of cinnamon red hots. My skin tingled where I put the oil. I can see where people are getting the Hawaiian Punch smell--this scent doesn't make me think of Autumn; instead, I think of a Valentine's Day party, where every kid has a cup of fruity red juice and a bag of heart-shaped red hots. Not a BAD scent, but totally not what I was expecting! I'll edit if this smells different after a few days of settling. ETA: Eek- my friend tried some of this on just now because she loved the scent in the bottle (she says it's a mixture of Hawaiian Punch and Red Hots), and a few minutes later her skin BURNED and she got huge red welts up and down her arms! I feel so bad for her. So--I don't recommend this if you have sensitive skin.

This is so odd. My experience with this scent is not at all what everyone else smelled. In the bottle, I smelled mostly smoke and woods with a hint of marshmallow sweetness. But on me, it became PURE bonfire smoke and burning logs, with maybe a dribble of long-burnt sugar from that one marshmallow that fell off the stick earlier in the evening and is now charred into the coals. I get no cinnamon from this at all. Kind of a bummer, because I love the Lab's marshmallow scents (TKO, Marshmallow Pumpkin, Marshmallow Poof), and was hoping that The Gorobble would smell a bit like the Slatkin Marshmallow Fireside candle. This is nice and very evocative, but seems like it's only going to be used for times that I want to smell like I spent all night tending a campfire. Here's hoping that the marshmallow will be more prominent after a few days of settling.

This one is truly FUCKAWESOME. In the bottle, I was a little scared, because it smelled like grape drink got spilled all over a cake. Then, immediately after putting some on, it smelled like I was in a room full of people eating red velvet cake and drinking fruity red wine. Then, after an hour or so, the cake (and a hint of Snake Oil) became the forefront, with just a hint of wine. It's like Cake Smash is now a gorgeous 30-year-old wearing a little black dress, sipping on wine, and rolling a fresh cigarette. Further on, it reminds me a LOT of Black Lace, but minus the cotton and most of the smoke, and adding lots of red velvet cake. It's totally wearable and gorgeous, and instantly shot up into my Top 20 (perhaps Top 10 when all is said and done). I also have a feeling it will age very well.

This smells like Midnight on the Midway (Night-blooming flowers + sugared incense) added to Midway (cotton candy sugary goodness + something faintly cake-like, like the ice cream cone others were talking about). I love it! It's not super strong or distinctive, but it gives the room a very pleasant background scent. You could spray this throughout your house, and visitors wouldn't automatically think "what is that awesome room fragrance?" Instead, they would think "The house smells nice" or even have a subconscious thought of how your house is a pleasant and comforting place to be. I have several BPTP room scents (and adore them all), but I don't think any of them are as versatile as this one. I will be definitely getting a bottle when this is released!

How weird! When I first put this on, I thought "this is amazing...it smells a lot like Angel, actually...but without the patchouli." And I went on here, and lookit that- lots of others think so, too! That said, this is a beautiful, beautiful blend. One of my favorites of the past couple of years, actually. I must get a bottle--or two--of this. A few hours later, I just smell vanilla-tinged amber. The florals are gone. It's just warm and cozy and wonderful. *sigh*

When I first applied this, my nose was overwhelmed with a green, bitter, powdery floral scent, a bit like a dandelion (it was probably the marigold and the powdery part coming from the amber). I was SO disappointed. Not unpleasant, just not what I expected. Then, after about 10-20 minutes, it settled into an absolutely beautiful and soft vanilla sandlewood. I agree with other reviewers that up close, you can smell a little soapiness, so I wouldn't advise huffing up close like it's crack, which is what I do with some blends *coughCAKESMASHcough*, but the scent wafting around you is gorgeous, warm, and light. Reminds me of a sun-lit meadow in the pleasant warmth of early afternoon. There are marigolds and daisies and gardenias blooming, and you're 12 again wearing your Easter dress and bonnet (with white patent-leather shoes), and you're being slightly rebellious by laying on your back in the grass despite wearing your good new clothes. :D

So, I have bottles of every year of Snow White (except 07, but I have a decant of that). This is quite possibly the most heartbreakingly gorgeous scent ever made, EVER (to paraphrase from an earlier review). It ages incredibly well, to the point where if I sniff from my 04 bottle first, my later Snow Whites smell like nothing. If I sniff 05 another day, then 07 and 08 smell very faint. It just strengthens and gets more beautiful as it ages. I don't get coconut or almond or apple, though I see why people are saying that. It's the mixture of cold fresh green (the rare lily musk note?) and chilled creaminess. The throw and duration of this scent are spectacular. If any SW gets on my clothes (like a scarf or coat), it STAYS there, which is awesome.

Halloween: Samhain Turkey Day: Gingerbread Poppet Christmas Eve: Daytime- Lick It, Evening- Midnight Mass Christmas Day: The Snow Storm New Years': One year I wore Bon Vivant, and the other I wore Black Lace And I like Poisson D'Avril for Easter.

The one on the left is *definitely* Pirate Moon, and The Phoenix is a clear-colored scent that supposedly has SO in it, but I could never tell. I don't own The Phoenix anymore, but I still love my Pirate Moon!!

This blend opened up with heavy cypress, myrtle, and orange blossom...it smelled very cologne-y, sort of masculine. I was afraid it was going to stay that way, until it dried down. Now, it's all pink musk, sugar, coconut, and pomegranate. Mayyybe a touch of incense. It's like those other notes disappeared! Weird. It's pretty nice. Sugar is a weird note on me, but I'm interested in seeing how this one ages. I adore Mme. Moriarty, so I'm hoping la petite mademoiselle will work just as well as time goes by! ETA: Auughh, tried it again once it had settled a bit and sure enough, my skin hates sugar in this blend like it does in every other sugar blend. The sugar note amps and gives me a toothache, and then the sugar burned (olfactory-wise, not physically), and I became nauseated, and I had to scrub it off. Waaahhh, Mlle. Lilith ended up smelling a lot like Smut. I can't *stand* Smut. D: I'm sure this would be awesome with someone else's skin chemistry. :sob:

A delicious cupcake with cream cheese frosting in the bottle. Almost boozy, it was so rich. Then on my skin, it's dry, crumbly red velvet cake with a bit of frosting. That sounds bad, but it's really not. It's delicous, and it's the first BPAL cake scent that hasn't turned plasticky on my skin. This is DEFINITELY a red velvet cake. It's beautiful, and I want to roll in it. I can't smell any Snake Oil, Dorian, or Doc C at the moment, but maybe once it ages up they'll come out. This is a wonderful blend, and I'll likely want another bottle before it comes down!!!

Manhattan or The Torture Queen. THE TORTURE QUEEN White amber, vanilla musk, white tea, ambergris, gardenia, and chrome.

I'm totally getting quince and sugarplums, and it's AWESOME. It also smells like pine to me, but it may be scent association, because Alice's Evidence smells like Christmas to me! (That is, Christmas quince pie and sugarplums and gingerbread). This will be a bottle purchase, since I'll likely be wearing a lot of this come winter.

Well, that does it. Vetiver is officialy an EVIL note for my skin chemistry. Anathema on my skin is totally AMPED vetiver, and it smells absolutely dreadful. I can't even smell the opium or honeysuckle, which is so sad, because I love honeysuckle. So far, every blend from the lab that contains vetiver does this, so sadly I must write this one off too.

:-O This smells just like Lush Honey I Washed The Kids soap with lemon-ginger hanging out in the background.

Wet: Pure cherry almond with a bit of caramel or pastry in the background. Dry: Now the almond has almost completely gone, thank goodness. What we have left is airy, crunchy profiteroles dusted with confectioner's sugar and drizzled with a cherry glaze. Perhaps there are some actual cherry or raspberry garnishes on the plate. And it's one of the rare sugar blends that does NOT go plasticky on my skin! Verdict: It doesn't do a whole lot for me; I think I was hoping for more of a caramel pastry scent, and I'm really not fond of any cherry or fruity scents. If you like cherry, you'll probably love it! It's almost a girly-girl scent, like Jailbait.

Wet, Sacrifice smells of cracked, dusty leather, smoke, and musk. No difference in the drydown on my skin. This is the most masculine BPAL blend I've ever smelled! My DH is a manly sort of guy, and loves Wilde and Crowley, and Sacrifice may be too butch for his tastes. I myself sometimes wear his BPAL, but it would be hard for me to pull off wearing Sacrifice to work...or really anywhere, unless I was camping or on a cattle ranch (and even then!) It's *very* evocative of a cowboy, with emphasis on the BOY. I never sniffed Brom Bones, but Sacrifice smells just like I would expect Brom to smell like! No elegance or foppery, just pure man-scent, for the kind of man who works outdoors and with his hands. Very sexy! Verdict: So nice to sniff, but sadly not a scent I would wear (unlike Crowley). I know a lot of people want this one, so if DH doesn't fall in love (I *hope* he does, so I get to smell it on him!) then I will send it on to a home where it will truly be appreciated!

This is a wonderful, hot, dry scent. I can smell sandalwood, resins, and cinnamon at first, and then the cinnamon fades during the drydown and a smoky wood smell comes out. I'm going to cherish my imp, but can't afford the set right now. For others who can't afford it, a close GC scent is Sin.

The Salon and Retail-only Salon fragrances usually remind me of French perfumes, like Annick Goutals. The Torture Queen reminds me a lot of Chanel no.19 or Dior Escale à Pondichèry with its fresh greenness. It's sweeter IMO than no.19 though. Is there a certain brand of french perfume you're thinking of? There are a lot of perfume houses that make a wide variety of perfumes! HTH!

This is somewhat like Beaver Moon with cardamom and topped with extra jam and sugar. Smelles just like a hot, sugary blueberry scone! And possibly the ONLY bpal foodie scent that doesn't turn to plastic on my skin! *huffs wrist*

Layer Antique Lace, a bit of Dirty, and either Hellfire, Roadhouse, Isaac the Living Skeleton, or The Parliament of Monsters. (I haven't yet sniffed those last four, so I don't know.)