Happicuppa

In the bottle: this smells like Lilith's HG!

Wet: okay, this is a nice lavender and coconut!

Dry: Oh hey, it's the Single Note: French Vanilla vanilla in here and unlike the SN:French Vanilla this DOES NOT go to plastic candle hell! It's a nice and simple blend of lavender, coconut, and vanilla and I can tell all three apart on my skin. Bonus: my husband even likes it! I can't wear TKO due to the hell of burning-sugar-dryer-sheet but this, this I can do. It goes great with Lilith's HG at bedtime... I need more!

Verdict: Buy a 2nd bottle.

I split a bottle with someone mostly because my first dog was named Mabel and I miss her like crazy. I know that doesn't make sense since the notes don't really remind me of my doggo, buuuuut I'm glad I did it

First off, I don't usually like most of these notes...Rose-tinted amber, golden chypre, ambergris, tobacco leaf, and clove...but the chypre got my attention. Clove is usually a nope for me, as is tobacco as I amp them. I'm pretty on the fence about ambergris as well.

When I put this on wet, I smell like someone's sophisticated granny. It doesn't go into powdery sharp granny-mode but it gets damn close and I was definitely worried for a few minutes there.

On drydown, I'm getting a little more rose and tobacco. Touch of rosy amber.

About an hour later, this is absolutely lovely. I can smell pretty much everything but the ambergris. I'm getting a soft rosy amber that neither goes powdery like some ambers or sharp like some roses, a hint of warm tobacco, and the clove isn't coming off as a roundhouse kick to the face like usual...it's mostly just a spicy background note. It may be a 'mature' scent, but I wouldn't call it 'granny-like' anymore. It's sophisticated and warm and pretty perfect for fall.

I may have to find another half bottle...

God I want to like this...I really, really do...but it's another exercise in failure for The Illustrated Woman for me. I was hoping fresh 2017 wouldn't go wonky on me but argh, she's gotta go.

In the bottle it's amazing...but all I get on my skin is sharp hamster-bedding pine or pencil shavings. It crushes everything else that's beautiful about it and I'm just...a stinky pine. SO SAD!

Off to the sales bin...

In the bottle - kind of a chocolate-floofy-creamy mint, mmm...like those little melt-in-your-mouth mints you get at a fancy event with a touch of marshmallow.

Wet on skin - creamy sweet mint with a light floral edge and sharp sugar, huh...not what I expected. Where's the rose?!

Dry - oh this is nice, the white rose and frank comes out sharply but complimentary and mingles with the vanilla mint. Not sure I got any red currant, but it's very pretty and lightly floral.

This smells great! I put it on at 10 p.m. to test and it was going strong when I woke up the next a.m. I think she's a winner!

I just anointed my chakras so we'll see. Smells woodsy and minty and actually really nice in the bottle.

I have internet drama I just want to let go and I'm hoping this helps remove the obstacle. May add some White Light to help calm me down.

The scent alone is actually really centering and calming.

I let it rest for a day but couldn't wait.

In the bottle: It smells like a vanilla that's going to go plastic on me. Noooo!

On wet: Ok, well, no plastic! Yes! Very vanilla. My husband said "mmmm" so this is promising.

Dry: I swear, is this the Pediophobia vanilla?! It's lovely vanilla now that it's dried down. There's something high pitched in the vanilla for me that reminds me of Pediophobia, though. I am pretty sure 'dry flowers and linens' is coming off just a weeeee bit crayon-wax but I actually enjoy that? Plus my husband is like, in love with this one. He's huffing my wrist without me asking.

Verdict: keeping at least one bottle. Maybe I'll just keep both because my husband is never this interested in my bpal... He is adamant that this is amazing and I should bathe in it. I like it, but not as much as he does!

Torture Queen's chrome reads ozone on me, but your mileage may vary.

I'm so bummed. All I get is dryer sheet and cologne. Sneeze fest. Noooo!!!!

Also The Girl is my grail and I found no hint or relation to it here so sad.

Ok here I go again:

1) The Girl

2) Parsifal

3) Pediophobia

4) The Waltz

5) Morocco

Thanks!

It's beautiful in the bottle, but I get fake strawberries on my arm. ALAS! Off to the swaps...

This is really soft and beautiful - creamy vanilla apple with patch. It starts off with a strong flow, but dies down very quickly. I really like it, but I wish it stuck around a little longer.

This patch seems similar to the one found in Fake News and Badgers. I definitely get a more woodsy dry scent thanks to the sandalwood and Frank. Not my thing, but it definitely does evoke a very pirate-y feel. Maybe I should wear this on Pirates at Disney!

This is straight up amazing. Basically the same patch that's in Badgers to my nose but more upscale and spicy where Badgers goes sweet. I will be adding a bottle to my next order. Very nice.

Anything similar to the 1955 perfume Intimate? Here's a description:

"Intimate by Revlon was launched in 1955 as a distinctly sexy floral - animalistic chypre fragrance. It opens with crystalline notes of aldehydes, bergamot, rose, coriander and gardenia, leading to the sensual heart of jasmine, iris root, sandalwood, cedar and patchouli and the wild base of castoreum, civet, musk, amber and oak moss."

My mom's grandma used to wear it and she was talking about it the other day.

Thanks!

I'm not sure, but I think I have a bottle of 2008 Anactoria...? Will check when I get home tonight.

So, I was feeling impish today and I just applied a large amount of this prior to work, having never worn it before.

I gotta say, the risk was worth it.

I like it!

2 hours in, I've got a nice sweet-smoky exotic musk with lovely amber. And not too smoky, because scents like Liz and the First Krampuslauf Lilith from 2016 make me feel like I'm in a bonfire. Maybe just the smallest punch of currant?

I smell exotic and intriguing.

Funny story, I bought this because way back in 2005/2006 my World of Warcraft mage was/is named Anaktoria (purposeful spelling edit on my part) and I think my mage would have totally rocked this.

Green musk recs? Smite thy Borders With Frogges almost works but is too soapy. Laughter of Loki and Zombie Green Hair Gloss are amazing, though.

51 & Pollution are my green musk go-to, they have that 'ethereal' green musk vibe vs. 'scaly.' I did not love the 'scaly' green musk in Recalcitrant Dragon, and I probably would not like Laughter of Loki for that reason - hit my nose wrong. Auroraphobia has that ethereal green musk too and it's nice but soapy as well. Die Nacht falls under the 'ethereal' as well.

Sounds like I need to try Venus Murcia and zombie green hair gloss...

Also ...Speak to me of Egyptian musk. What is it?

Wow, this is perfectly balanced and it has three notes that I usually steer clear from: Ambergris, champagne, and rose. It is amazing. Just amazingly beautifully blended, and what I get is an effervescent rose with wood and vanilla and a touch of ambergris and it's just heavenly. Seriously - top 10 material right here. I'm super glad I took a chance on this one, and I'm definitely going to need a backup bottle eventually.

Two oils have given me verified asthma attacks now:
Marshmallow Pumpkin (LE SIGH!)
Hesiod's Phoenix (Okay, so...my pocketbook thanks you oh shitty lungs!)

Not sure what did it in Hesiod's, but I get a cinnamon-y note in Marshmallow Pumpkin?

Who can say, really? At least it hasn't been too many blends that make me wheezy and reaching for the inhaler.

Okay I did a quick search and I'm desperate for an oil that smells like delicious chai tea - a little creamy and with all those amazing spices. Slightly sweet, spicy and foodie to some extent is what I'm looking for. I'd accept non-foodie too, tbh. Just gimme warm spicy goodness!!

I struck out on My Little Grotesque. Whatever the cake note is lately, it's going plastic on me.

Suggestions?

Oh man, I am SO let down. Where is the perfect Cake Smash cake note that doesn't go to plastic?! I had such high hopes. Sigh.

Bottle: minty sweet cake, mmmm

Wet: minty sweet cake, mmm

Dry: artificial plastic vanilla cake, no mint.

Later: plastic vanilla, then nothing.

Let me go sob into my pillow for a while. This was not the perfect foodie confection I was hoping for. Gonna have to splurge on some Cake Smash, I guess...

White tea is reading as mint on me in this blend?? I'm ending up with minty orris as my main notes. If I smash my nose against my wrist I can smell the tea better and some dry vanilla. However the throw is pure minty iris.

It's lovely but I don't think I need the blind bottle I bought. I had really high hopes for this one but minty iris is too dominant. Le sigh.

This is just...hands down amazing. It's made me a foodie believer.

Wet: buttery Rice Krispy treats with lots of marshmallow.

Drydown: Just the hint of burning sugar and luckily this phase blows by in a few minutes

Dry: Beautiful and yummy foodie vanilla marshmallows. O. M . G. I love marshmallows and even my SO likes this one. We have a winner!!!!!

Synopsis: One bottle is not enough, folks. Needs moar bottles.

That must be one big drop of red musk, guys! Good thing I like red musk for the most part

Wet: RED MUSK CORN CHIP PARTY! Red musk always initially smells like Fritos to me, or puppy toes! This persists into initial drydown which isn't usual. I'm a bit worried.

Dry: I'm getting the white sandalwood, vanilla, and either the mallow flower or sweet oudh (possibly both, but my smeller ain't that good with the sniffles.) I still get red musk, but it's calmed the eff down and is relaxing with the others. This is about an hour into wearing it at this point, but it's lovely and sweet and definitely sexy thanks to the red musk. The sandalwood is grounding it for me, and it's not --on me at least--a foodie vanilla at all.

Overall: I like this after about an hour. It's a little obnoxious when wet and hoo boy, a dab will do. Strong throw. But it is SO WORTH IT to let it dry and become this beautiful sexy scent.

I've got one bottle, and I think one bottle will do me on this lady.

I'm currently trying to broaden my bpal horizons, so I'd love some suggestions!

 

Snipped

 

The Last Unicorn (love me some lettuce notes)

Cancer 2007 is a lovely watery lettuce!

Well this went poorly.

Wet: cocoa puff!

Dry: sickly sweet and almost acrid/rotten and not gonna lie, it smelled like my cats rear end...so gross.

Even scrubbing could not kill the cat ass smell. *cries*