samarablackcat

Starting off, I get the pine pitch; it's sharp, acrid and loud. As it dries, this goes through the most wonderful transformation into something that reminds me of Illustrated Woman (it doesn't smell the same, just gives the same, sexy vibe). It is the most gloriously smooth, creamy smelling frankincense with something almost floral underneath. (The frankincense reminds me of that used in Peach lV, soft and creamy). It's hard to put into words the emotion that this evokes; warm and chill/ light and shadowy all at the same time. I imagine that this will age deliciously. I believe I will need more.

Mine must be a batch variation. This is more of an almost camphorous smell, with something sort-of sweet (maybe fig?), a light splash of benzoin. No lavender, no patchouli or frankincense, no amber, nothing honeyed. Not unpleasant, but not what I was expecting. Where are you, lavender? I miss you...I really wanted lavender top note with a resinous base.

This reminds me of a fall festival and a Renaissance faire, taking all the smells from both, mixing them up and voila! On Halloween! A bit earthy, a bit incensey, a bit fruity with wisps of sage and magical herbs slowing simmering in a pot. If you listen very closely, you can almost hear the murmur of harps and laughter. My decant arrive just today and I rapidly put a bottle in my cart, for I want this scent to calm me in the heat of the summer and remind me of gentler, slower times. I love how this takes me to another place instantly.

Wet, it's almond with the lime popping out. Dry, it's mostly lime with a bit of leather, which in some weird way reminds me C. Auguste Dupin. I don't really get the anise or absinthe (because that is a no scent for me), but something a little herbally. Limey herbal with a tad of leather holding it down.

 

 

eta: Lilies. I don't think I recognized lilies as this smells nothing like my spider lily, but it's similar enough for me to place it. So, all of the above with lilies. Would be pretty for spring and oh, the changes this one goes through is amazing!

Wet: gentle vanilla creme. I can smell the candle wax before I apply to my skin, As it dries, a gorgeous vanilla (which is saying a lot for me as vanilla can be problematic on my skin) with a touch of gentle sandalwood. Dry, it's waxy vanilla with a hint of smoke. I don't get spices, per se, but something mellows the vanilla/sandalwood.

 

This ends up being the residual of burning a high-end vanilla sandalwood candle for several hours, blowing it out, the the smoke mixed in, wafting through the room with a delicate reminder of what was. Not typically my kind of scent, but really pretty and feminine.

Tobacco and burnt. Not burnt tobacco, just something obtrusive to my nose. I swear I get a little bourbon vanilla.

 

Drying this mellows and becomes tobacco and bourbon vanilla; close to the skin I still get the burning smell; that must be black sandalwood.I was hoping for a little bite of pepper. Much sweeter than I imagined, but not something I would reach for. I thought this would scream multiple bottle purchase, but alas, it was not meant to be.

Wet, hello vetiver! and citrus (?). I either have come to enjoy vetiver or this is a very special blend because it's soft, warm and smoky (no stinky, burnt smell). I'm not getting any tea or cedar. If I huff the place where testing, I get a little whiff of apricot, but it's more of an afterthought.

 

Dry, all I get is vetiver. It's becoming more of the heavy, stinky variety as it dries, knocking everything down, overpowering until it becomes a single note. Maybe aging will mellow it out, because I rather enjoyed where this journey began.

Wet, I get verbena. I actually had to look at the notes because, whoa, verbena. As it dries, it gets a little powdery, but only for a moment.

 

Dry, everything blends so seamlessly I cannot pick out any one note.Stays close to the skin, a warm and slightly herbal reminder of the end of summer.

Well, count me in the lemon tea group. Was hoping for more of the other ingredients, with the fougere in the background, but it was not meant to be.

Wet, lavender, but not sharp or bitter. As it dries, I am picking up the oakmoss and a little sage, like this was lightly smudged.

 

Dried, it's predominately lavender and oakmoss, but with something underneath to keep it mellow and close to the skin. Very pretty and would be wonderful for sleep.

My bottle is LXX

 

Something in this reminds me of Implacable Beautiful Tyrant. I get a little lemon-like scent as it dries, but that goes away (maybe lemon balm?). I'm guessing amber and maybe oudh (or frankincense, although it's not the same as Frank/Clove, maybe a sweet frankincense?) Wonderful golden globules float at the bottom. Great addition for me!

Wet, patchouli and honey. Wow, this really morphs a lot from the wet stage. It stays pretty much patchouli and honey, but as it dries, the patch mellows and the honey recedes enough not to be cloying (honey is a problematic scent for me. Not like rose geranium, but still. I digress).

 

This picks up a little of the bourbon vanilla, again smoothing the honey into liquid gold and turning the patchouli sweet and sexy. There is no cinnamon to be found (on me). I also get, when dried, some kind of pine (slightly reminds me of something in Illustrated Woman; maybe it's the honey/patch combo?)

 

Overall, I am pleased with this as I thought my nemesis would ruin this. Warm, comforting and snuggle worthy. FWIW, this doesn't remind me of Banshee Beat at all. That was all eww stinky hippie on me (blasphemy, I know!).

 

eta: I kept huffing and thinking this smelled familiar. Something in here reminds me of This Is Your Wilderness, with the honeyed patchouli. Not exact, but reminiscent.

Wet, rose geranium.

 

Rose geranium walks into a bar with balsam, opoponax, violet leaf, leather and patchouli. Being the spoiled, snotty little bitch that she is, she insists on being first, slapping all the other scents into submission, demanding all get out of her way. She dominates the others, drowning out their desires to become a harmonious reminder of autumn. No, she is selfish and obnoxious, taking the credit for everything they could have become.

 

Rose geranium, why do you thwart me so?

Wet, I get cedar and pepper. The amber gives it a warm glow and stays close to the skin.

 

After it dries, I feel as though I am walking in the woods on a rare, warm autumn day, the sun peaking through the canopy of yellow and red leaves, dry branches on the ground, cracking lightly as I step and somewhere far in the distance, the smoke from a fire, not overpowering (more like the residual of fire picked up by the breeze).

Whiskey and tobacco while wet, with a snuggly musk underneath. It reminds me of being in a close conversation with a person who has been drinking whiskey (no bourbon) who has been smoking a cigarette and has a nice, musky personal scent about him/her (or kissing said person) with whiskey/tobacco breathe. Now you may think, eww, but that is one of my favorite scents ever, and this takes me back to younger days. As it dries the musk is the most prominent note but stays close to the skin.

 

I seem to do well with three or four note perfumes and this is wonderful. Had it not been for a decant circle this would never have been something I would have tried, but I am very glad I did! The musk reminds me of the musks in Hunter Moon 04, Buck Moon and Ivanushka, warm, slightly feral and oh so snuggly when dry.

Pumpkin with spices, heavy on the clove, with a little cinnamon, while wet. While drying, the creaminess appears, becomes perfectly blended. The lab must have changed the pumpkin because this is very wearable for me (I'm not a foodie and pumpkin in the past has been very buttery and eww on my skin). Dry, a soft, creamy pumpkin with cinnamon. I never thought I would say I like pumpkin, but this is bpal, so never say never. Not a typical scent for me, but smells so delicious and would make a perfect candle or atmo!

My skin is weird. This smells very similar to Luna Negra 13 on me. It reminds me of Our Lady of Pain a little, but more Luna Negra. I get no leather or patchouli. I thought this would be horrid on my skin but I am pleasantly surprised. I get more of a fruity/herbal vibe from this and I'm still scratching my head as this does not smell anything like I imagined from the notes. Maybe this is mislabeled? IDK, I'm going to get a bottle and hope it's the same because it's beautiful!

Fresh out of the mail, it's a soft rose (like four rose petals floating in your bathtub), light myrrh sweetened by the bourbon vanilla with just enough resinous base to balance it out. I was afraid of the rose, but it's stellar in this (rose is not my favorite note and tends to be overpowering). FWIT, I'm only testing on skin as a moisturizer, but I would love to take a long bath with this in the tub...it brings to mind royalty in times gone by with ingredients added by ladies-in-waiting. Or scented water Inara would use to bathe.

I used as a moisturizer after my shower as soon as I got this (Friday); I felt so regal at work, unstoppable, nothing worrisome, in charge. Stayed close to the skin and was only able to detect the frankincense upon close sniffing of skin.

As I test again, the frankincense is mixed with the rose upon initial application but still not overpowering, and quickly subsides to the background, balancing, never letting any one note overtake the whole. First testing out of the mail, it got a little powdery/dusty (myrrh?)but I haven't experienced that again.

This is not something that falls in my normal range but something spoke to me and I couldn't click "Purchase" quickly enough. I am so pleased that I did as it exceeds my expectations and is so beautifully blended that I never want to be without. An absolutely gorgeous and feminine addition to the BPTP family.

Apparently my shadow self is queenly; we are pleased to have in our collection and demand more immediately.

Any information on how the labels of the 2004 and 2007 runs of the Celestes differ? I have bottles of Pisces and Capricorn that I'm trying to date. (The labels don't look that different from the bottle of Leo 2007 that I have).

 

Thanks!

 

The Celestials from 2004 were paper and the regular labels that were on the GC like this (Miss Twilight's) and the 2007s look like this (opacity). Does that help?

I was very excited for this as I have fallen hard for King mandarin and must try everything that has it as an ingredient.

I have tried this three unique times and each I get something different, so hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

In the bottle, mint is the most prominent. I'm not a mint lover (but I don't hate it, either) and not very familiar all the varieties. It's not soft like Go To Sleep, Darlings, Ded Moroz, Green Tree Viper or Snow, Glass, Apples, but sharper, ice-inducing mint, take-a-deep-breathe-and-feel-it-in-your-nose and the back of your throat. But the mandarin is there, tempering the cool with sunshine.

I was most worried about the tea as it seems to overtake most scents on me, but this is not the case. It wants to hide, buried deep under the mint. Right now I'm not getting any musk (white musk, like in Fae, is one of my favorite notes).

Now for a caveat: I always step outside to test my perfumes. Normally, it's very humid here (Florida) and it helps me judge sillage. But a wonderful thing happens as I step out (and it's cold for Florida today with low humidity); the mandarin steps up and now I am getting a perfect balance of mint and mandarin. A perfect scent for summer; cooling and refreshing.

As this dries, there is a battle for dominance between the mint and mandarin, each in time taking the lead. The mandarin stays on top; the mint closer to the skin. The mandarin is crisp, clean; the mint, cooling; a perfect reflection of the battle of nature and season, yin and yang, finally melding together as one. Tea is making a quick appearance and stays close to mint; very fragile leaves needing a slow, steady warmth to expose its true nature, too afraid to take the lead.

I am hoping with a little age the musk will help to temper and keep everything in check. The first time I tested (right out of the mailbox) I thought this needed less mint and more mandarin/musk, but today, after sitting for three days, it feels absolutely perfect and is an accurate representation of the image chosen for the label; quickly aggressive, calming, soothing and then, surrender and passion.

eta: After several hours of being on my skin, the tea made itself know. A light, close-to-the-skin scent of tea, orange and a hint of musk. No mint to be found.

This is a beautiful scent, and not the type I usually am drawn towards. I was intrigued by the two musks and white patchouli; honey or honeyed things usually do not play well on my skin. I cannot identify any one note (although I don't really know what myrtle and yarrow smell like); it's blended seamlessly.

This reminds me of spring...light, playful, feminine. The verbena doesn't become problematic for me. It's office appropriate and still flirty enough to wear out, taunting your intended with wisps of potentiality. Sillage is closer to the skin than I prefer (I like big, bold oh hai) but produces an aura of sultry femininity. This is my second day of testing and I can't quit huffing myself. I've been needing something a little more professional for work, and I think this fills the bill for me. Contrasts nicely against Schwarzer Mond and layers nicely with Luna Negra.

Juicy black fruit! With fig!

I get mint when this hits my skin, mixed with snow. As it dries I get the subtle citrus and the snowy minty smell still is the most prevalent. Orange/grapefruit blossoms covered in those early spring snows, giving everything an ethereal look but lasting only a few hours, like the scent itself.

Will Call Sniffie Circle participant checking in!

 

I am rather hesitant about this scent; honey is my nemesis and screws up everything that it's in for me. I do love plum, so here goes...

 

In the decant, I smell honey (very light) and something woody(?). Wet, hello fruitiness! Big, juicy and ripe fruit, red in color, dripping off your chin as you take a bite. As the fruit dissipates, I am reminded of The Orchard (plum, roses, chocolate and wood; go figure). Dry, I still get the woody scent, with honey. I recognize rose from other blends (not like Rose Red, more like the subtle rose in Mictecacihuatl. And that's where this stays for me; rose and honey, reminding me of a medicine I took as a child.

 

It still amazes me (after six-plus years)the journey a scent can take through drying stages. While this does not play well with my skin, the depth and transformation this scent makes me glad I to try it. Thanks, Suedonym!

Another of Suedonym's Will Call sniffie circle participants checking in!

 

I am thrilled to get to try this! I have no preconceived notions; I'm not familiar with tamarind, am very picky on my patchouli, am fond of golden amber, tonka bean I'm hoping to be better than tonka and fig is hit or miss.

 

Sniffing the decant, I get a resiny aroma: thick, a tad smoky (?). On the skin: sweet, sticky fruit (reminds me of peach without being peachy, if that makes sense; when you bite into a really ripe peach, breaking the skin, the juice running onto your hands and down your arm, making them sticky. Like that. Probably the fig, which I only eat dried ). It's difficult to pick out on one component; they blend together seamlessly.

 

I am still getting a very resinous wafting. It takes me to an ancient temple,like Angkor Wat, surrounded with strangler figs choking the the stones. Overgrown, monks chanting, incense billowing, voices resonating towards the heavens.

 

I would really like this as an atmospheric spray. I may hunt down a decant strictly for sniffing purposes. Very evocative (which is how I like my scents).