rawgirl75

With the right chemistry, I bet this would be beautiful. But for the rest of us... horrid horrid horrid.

 

The scent in the vial is really nice. But freshly applied on skin, it went absolutely foul on me. Wet vomit indeed. It took about 15 mins for the stench to fade and then so it wasn't so bad. I could start to smell a little bit of that nicer scent I sniffed in the vial. But there's no way this will ever work on me, not even with aging.

 

Full chemistry fail. Rating 1 of 5 (hate).

 

I should add that this blend didn't have any of my deathnotes (well maybe jasmine, but sometimes that works) so technically it should have worked. Drat.

I'm super picky with scents and I have to admit that this is really really good. I can definitely see the Snake Charmer comparisons here for the thick rich sweet smokiness.

On me it smells like a combo of: Aged Temple Viper (champa snake oil), Snake Charmer (red musk), Schwarzer Mond (cola) and Tombstone (creamy cedary vanilla).

[edited to add]: My only complaint is that it's got MAJOR throw and lasts too long for my sensitive nose to handle it. In less than an hour I already started getting a migraine. Will keep my decant, but gonna pass on seeking a bottle.

Lucifera, Madame Moriarity is a general catalog (GC) item - it's part of the Carnival Diabolique Collection - it's here, first item under Act II:

 

http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/cdiabolique.html

 

ooeh im getting snake oil for sure guess mm moriarty is an LE?

 

Madame Moriarty is a Limited Edition that's been up far longer than it was originally intended. After the last Carnival Diabolique act goes up, all the scents in that section will come to an end. Start saving now to pick up extra bottles.

Also reminds me of Pumpkin V from last year -- which I love, thankfully.

 

The coffee note is very strong indeed so those who dislike or can't wear coffee, *most definitely* avoid this blend. The coffee is not subtle at all, it's a hit-the-back-of-your-nose-as-soon-as-you-take-a-sniff sort of note.

 

Happily, it reminds me of sitting in my local coffee house with my girlfriends and husband, sipping on flavoured coffees and watching people go by outside the window. It's nice and warming for this time of year and the throw is wonderful.

 

Pumpkin V 2009 failed me terribly last year because the spices amped too much for it to be wearable on me. Not the case at all with this lovely Pumpkin Latte, where the spices stay on the downlow and it's the creamy coffee that comes out instead.

 

Now speaking of coffee notes...

 

This is the FIRST coffee blend EVER to work on me!!! SERIOUSLY. And I've tried several over the years, including ones from other etailers. They just never worked on me before - I kept getting an unpleasant plastic smell, which isn't present here in Pumpkin Latte. I'm so glad I didn't give up trying!

 

Like other reviewers, I can't smell pumpkin in this either. I'm guessing that has something to do with it being pumpkin syrup, rather than pumpkin pulp. And it IS syrupy too - sort of like a pancake syrup - it started out light and is slowly getting sweeter as the day goes on. I amp sweet scents, so I'm glad I like my coffee drinks on the sweet side already, otherwise I'd have to stick to using this in a scent locket.

 

[added] This is foody. I don't usually do foody. But I used to work in a high-end coffeehouse many years ago, so this brings back wonderful memories. I smell like someone spilled their drink on me. And I don't mind that one bit in this case

 

[added] Good lords this stuff lasts a heck of a long time. It's now 8 hours later and it's still going strong. That's too bad. I prefer scents to have faded by this time so as to give my poor nose a rest. I guess this one's for the swap pile after all. drat

Wow. Huge surprise success for me.

 

It's the first honey scent I've ever tried that actually smells, on me, like what alfalfa honey smells like in the jar. Beth's honey note usually amps and turns into a strange b.o. smell on my skin, but this one isn't doing that. No tea or lemon here for me, just honey.

 

I think I just found my honey layering blend.

 

ps. Did I mention that I also usually hate chamomile too? So that's two normally death notes in one blend, and it still works. Bloody miracle.

I was counting on this to be a subtler version of Saint Foutin de Varailles - and I was RIGHT!

 

Less sweet, less wine and softer overall. I do notice the frankincense a lot more in this, but thats probably because the other notes aren't as pronounced. (If your skin amps frankincense, I would suggest avoiding this blend).

 

It will be hard for me now to choose which one is better: Cicuta or Saint Foutin... hmmm

I clearly have weird chemistry.

 

Vespillo turned into Hellhound on My Trail on my skin, but with a touch of jasmine instead of vanilla.

I have such a hard time describing why I love Dragon's Reverie so much. It's one of those blends that I wear only once in awhile (because I have so many others!) and thus rediscover my love for it over and over again.

 

~

 

In fresh imps, the amber, poppy and dragon's blood notes tend to make this powdery. Happily I report that goes away with aging. This is definitely another one of those blends that needs atleast 6 months to a year of cellaring before it really comes into its own.

 

Dragon's Blood was too floral soap on it's own and Dragon's Milk, although deliciously creamy, amps too sweet on me. With Dragon's Reverie however, the amber softens and smooths the florals and the ylang-ylang sweetens it up for me without overdoing it.

 

~

 

I broke down and ordered a bottle of this earlier this year after I realised how much I would be heartbroken if this ever got discontinued. And it solidly reigns on my Top 10 list to this day.

My vote is for Sin too. It's subtle and earthy.

There's only one way I know of...

 

Ebay.

 

It'll cost more now, but she'll get exactly what she wants.

Whoa! This is awesome!

 

Wet: Goes on just like Milk Chocolate and Matcha Green Tea Ganache Truffle does on me, but without chocolate.

Dry: Soft Embalming Fluid and/or Shanghai, but without the dreaded lemon pledge. Love it!

 

Verdict: 5 out of 5 (Gorgeous!) This might potentially beat out Kumiho as my favorite citrus summer scent!

 

ETA: During an Ehecatl vs Kumiho deathmatch I discovered Ehecatl has incredibly strong lasting power which went all wrong on me (probably the white musk) and I couldn't wash it off, which dropped rating down to 3 and I gave it away.

YES!!!! A light and more gender-neutral version of Satan and Death with Sin Intervening.

 

Wet: Satan and Death Light.

Dry: Outdoorsy (not pine, oh what's that other tree-like note that's foresty?), cool, fresh, tart tea but not sour. Instant love.

 

Verdict: 5 out of 5. (Gorgeous!).

 

I love you, Lab

 

(Yes, its also really close to The Shivering Boy too, but without that snow note that gives me migraines.)

 

 

[uPDATE: Can't slather this one either - will give me a migraine* even without the snow note. Will have to drop rating down to 4 and not get any more of this because of that. Bloody heck that sucks. (*I'm way more sensitive to scents than most people. This happens to me a lot.)]

Well HELLOOOO THERE! I really like this!

 

*sniff sniff* Is that Lust? or Sin without the cinnamon? or Lucy Kissed without rose or violet? I pulled them all out and Lust v7 Prototype was the closest to it (well according to MY nose)... Yes yes, all very similar to me.

 

Wet: mmm.. dark resins

Dry: Same, but better. Made me a little woozy when I slathered too much on later though.. (note to self: must apply lightly).

 

Verdict: 4 out of 5 (Love). Seeking a bottle. Am glad I have similar enough blends to not need hoarding. I'd probably have rated it a 5 if I could handle slathering.

 

(ps. I pulled out Minotaur for comparison too, but they don't smell as much alike to me as the above others do. Neither did Schwarzer Mond, but Panther Moon is definitely in the same dark smooth resin family.)

 

(pps. Thank gods this isn't even close to Snake Charmer on me - I HATE that blend.)

EWW. Just eew.

 

Based on the notes, this should have been gorgeous on me. I'd nearly bought a bottle of it unsniffed when it came out, but am sure glad I didn't. We got here several baby-powder-causing notes (black musk, violet, amber, sandalwood, iris), which on their own my skin would have easily transformed into a win, but all at once? They didn't.

 

Wet: Cheap department store perfume. Black talcum powder with smelly dust.

Dry: Amps powder powder powder.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5 (Don't Like). Heading for sales post asap.

 

 

Oh darn it! Another coconut fail

 

Well atleast the coconut note is the last note (therefore smallest amount) and its not really all that strong anyways (just slighty weird chemical plastic smell), so it might age away someday, right? After about an hour on my skin, it finally faded away enough for me to begin to enjoy this.

 

Verdict: 3 out of 5. Keeping decant to cellar for a couple years.

 

**update** This VERY much improved with age. Upgraded to a 4 and now looking for more!

This really reminds me of Blood Moon 2005, but lighter and sweeter and more feminine than BM05. After reading WC reviews, I was a bit afraid to get this but I'm so glad I did because its positively delicious. I don't smell potpourri (thank heavens because quite a few spice scents do) and frankincense thankfully really works on me.

 

Today's Egg Moon initial test is rated a 4 out of 5 for me. Further testing will determine if bottle is required.

 

Others have said this oil has caused red blotches on their skin and I first thought "haha I'm one of the lucky ones" but then I looked down at my hand, and sure enough - red blotches. I highly recommend a scent locket for those with sensitive skin.

This is on it's way to me... finally.

 

I think it's kind of Tombstone... maybe?

 

Joining the Black Lace camp... it's fitting - both because of the black lace AND the other colors of it.

what scent would you wear with this?

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0...mp;color_name=1

 

i'm being deliberately vague about the event, etc. just curious what you'll come up with!

 

Perhaps I'm nuts, but the dress speaks for itself - I think the perfume should be soft, musky and understated - like Morocco or Hod or yes, even Inez.

I ordered a bottle of The Harp unsniffed (before receiving my decant) because I was so positive it would be fantastic on me based on reviews. But I was wrong, so so wrong. The decant went straight talcum powder on my skin. Which is funny because the stuff that usually turns baby powder on other people (like black musk, certain roses, etc) works fabulously on me. But this one, which should have been fantastic, is just awful with my skin chemistry.

 

I'm right up there with the other reviews that say this smells like a certain hair oil. I think it also kinda reminded me of Neutrogena Bath Oil but I haven't smelled that in years, so it might be my imagination.

 

Aging isn't going to make this work with my skin. Will find a new home for it asap when my Lab order arrives.

Anyone know of a BPAL that smells like TAL Crucible of Courage?

The only blend that reminds me of it is an LE called The Atrocious Attic. I'll test them side by side soon to be sure.

Overwhelming spice that gave me a migraine... which is so sad, because I usually love spicy blends. No vanilla, no peach, no amber - just spice spice spice amping to beat hell.

 

Gonna go cry now

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT This is gorgeous!

 

I love Kumiho in the summertime and this first started out like fresh strong Kumiho with that lemony note amping like WHOA. Fortunately, after awhile, the lemon started mellowing out (as I knew it would - citrus fades with time) and then the soft chocolate came out with the green tea to back it up.

 

YUM

 

My only success this year from the 7 Lupes I've tried and this one is gonna be a bottle. Chocolate notes don't usually work on me (except in a few cases like 13 Orange 2006*) but this one surprisingly did - YAY!

 

(*Lovers of that should try this. Same with fans of Shanghai and Spirits of the Dead)

 

...Shanghai with extra LEMON VERBENA and some faint milky creaminess...

YES exactly. I think you really need to love citrus notes to really dig this.

 

HA! I figured it out: Green Tea Lemonade and chocolate!

 

This was the one of this year's Lupes that I'd really REALLY wanted to work on me. Musk, amber, orange blossom and ylang ylang are all beloved notes of mine. But I also was worried about that coconut death-note, because Beth's coconut fails me EVERY SINGLE TIME.

 

And sure enough.... it's killed this one too: A strong, plastic-y, chemically and heavily perfumed lotion smell.

 

I agree with Venneh above, if your skin doesn't like coconut - AVOID this.

 

I'm going to the washroom immediately after posting this to wash it off.... I feel a migraine coming on....

 

ps. and it doesn't wash off easily either. damn.

Hello!

 

I am looking for a recommendation with rose as a note- I seem to recall a Lupercalia blend with similar notes, but for the life of me can't track it down. Basically I am coveting a BPAL blend similar to Turkish Delight, as described on the back of my bag: dates, honey, rose, jasmine and sugar (or some sweetness). Any recommendations?

 

Was it Abhisarika or Her Voice?

 

Other suggestions which could work might be Delight, Les Bijoux, Othello or Vasilissa.

 

*edit* HA! Found it! It's The Presence of Love: White musk, rose-swirled amber, pink grapefruit, and jasmine.

I just love Rumpelstiltzchen! See my review of it to know why

 

And don't forget Smoky Moon.. although its not campfire type smoke, but rather the feeling of heavy grey smoke - gorgeous!