VioletChaos

did you see that there's about ten new scents with the Yule update, that all have ginger and gingerbread as dominant notes??? Looks like you picked the perfect time to try out some new goodies!

In The Bottle: Wow. It's pure apple pie filling. Like, actual filling, not regular apples. I can practically taste the cinnamon and pie spices! Wet On Skin: More of the same! This is crazy delicious! I must restrain myself from licking my skin!!! Dry Down: Ah- *there's* the bit of crust! It's slight- really slight- but it's there. the apple pie filling is definitely the star of the show. This is just incredible. In All: Medium throw and just beyond delicious. This might be the perfect foodie scent!

In The Bottle: I agree there's a strong almond note when I first open the bottle. It's a really rich almond, stronger than I was expecting from a 'milk' variation, but I like it. Wet On Skin: The almond subsides slightly and the balsam of peru-which always smells like a resinous vanilla to me- begins to come out a bit. Another minute or two passes and I'm also getting orris root, though it's less powdery and more woodsy in this mix. It's another thing I didn't expect but that's totally working. Dry Down: Wow. This scent keeps shifting and morphing and kept me guessing a little. But everything has now come together in the final analysis to produce a scent that's rich, deep, woodsy without being over-bearing about it and resinous- just so beautifully, sweetly, richly, resinous. In All: This is really remarkable, named for a remarkable unsung hero of history. It befits her, and I'm so so so glad to have some.

In The Bottle: The saffron is most dominant in the bottle, giving a slightly "root beer" vibe, of all things. Wet On Skin: Saffron is still most prominent, but the frankincense is making a bit of an appearance from around the edges. Dry Down: It's mostly root beer and a touch of frankincense. No woods on me, which makes me *supremely* sad. Still, I think I know someone that will love this tremendously, so off it goes to a better home!

In The Bottle: This is the rich, dirty patchouli from #OccupyWallStreet and then some very fine, very clear honey laid overtop. It's surprisingly elegant, I must say, at least at this stage. Wet On Skin: Yes, this is indeed a root-y, earthy patch, certainly similar to the kind I used to sport from a tiny bottle I carried around in high school. The honey softens the sharpness that straight patchouli essential oil sometimes has. Dry Down: The honey really is nothing more than something slightly smooths and sweetens the patchouli. In All: Surprisingly low throw, given the general behavior of these two notes. Sweet, rich and earthy, this is a pretty great scent as we glide effortlessly into autumn. Knowing how well all kinds of patchouli age, I'm really looking forward to seeing what this is like in a month- though make no mistake, it's just hauntingly beautiful right now too.

In The Bottle: Yup, that's myrrh and rose alright! Wet On Skin: More of the same. As it warms, I'm noticing that the myrrh is turning the rose into one of those dried, "sitting in the attic" kind of roses. It always reminds me of gothic romances, actually... Dry Down: The myrrh has gone all baby powder on me, which is par for the course, unfortunately. But for those that love myrrh and like rose, this scent will be a dream come true!

In The Bottle: Wow. Yes, I agree that this is like an incense. I don't *quite* get Nag Champa from it, but rather something else that might burn speficially in an Indian temple, possibly to Lakshmi. Wet On Skin: Strangely, I'm getting something that's reminding me of violets. I think it might be the pearl orris, which seems like a less dusty, more sweet version of itself. Dry Down: There's a feeling of sacredness with this scent. There's enough "white" notes in this that I can very well see wearing this for Full Moon rites. It's not resinous on me, but it's strong- a little goes a long way. I can't wait to see how it ages.

In The Bottle: Yellow cake and cardamom! Woo hoo! Wet On Skin: Hey cardamom, heeeeeeyyyy! In All: I have been waiting for what seems like for-ev-er for a real, true, cardamom scent, and this is it. Many years ago, when I first found out I had a gluten allergy, there was one tiny bakery in Seattle, where I lived at the time, and they made a gluten free cardamom cake with a rich frosting and I got a slice once a week to remind myself that the world wasn't *totally* conspiring against me. This scent is that cake.

In The Bottle: Mostly sarsaparilla with a bit of vanilla cream. Basically this smells like rootbeer, and I LIKE IT. Wet On Skin: Mostly the same. I hope it stays, because I tested something many moons ago with the sarsaparilla note and it turned to cardboard on me, which was really, really sad. Dry Down: YAY! I win! The sarsaparilla has stayed true and this is a really yummy rootbeer float! Oddly, I get *no* leather, which can be a deal-breaker note for me, but appears to be nowhere to be found in this blend on my skin, except perhaps as the vaguest, slightly smoky afternote. In all: I am loving this way more than I thought I would. Glad to have a bottle!

In The Bottle: SO MUCH COFFEE. I am in love! Also a slight boozy aspect, which would be the coffee liqueur. Wet On Skin: Oh man, this is amazing. It is indeed spiked coffee with a tiny, tiny bit of cinnamon. Really, the cinnamon plays a small role- if cinnamon is a possible deal breaker, I think you should try this, especially if you adore coffee, cause this is the greatest coffee scent since Bah! came out. Dry Down: Yup, dark, rich, almost-Turkish coffee with a slightest dusting of cinnamon. This might be heaven. I am in deep love.

In The Bottle: I think this is the banana scent of my dreams. Wet On Skin: Yummy banana candy (were you a fan of banana Laffy Taffy as a kid? Because THIS is IT) and yummy, yummy vanilla ice-cream. Dry Down: The banana fades slightly on dry down, but it's okay because this is the most incredible cake-cream-banana concoction of ALL TIME. I WANT TO CHEW MY ARM OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In The Bottle: That is some serious vanilla sandalwood combination. Wet On Skin: At this stage, sandalwood dominates. It's the same variety in Tombstone- sweet dry, very desert-y. Dry Down: Dry, clean meat bones, indeed. This arid, sweet blend is a lovely, 'bare bones' (no pun, I swear!) kind of scent in that it's stripped away everything non-essential to become what it is. A good 'sister scent' to Banshee Beat, which smelled differently, but had a similar vibe. Honestly, Banshee Beat didn't work our so well for me in the end, but this here, this is going to be JUUUUUST fine!

In The Bottle: A sweetness, like fruity bubblegum. Wet On Skin: More of the same, the bubblegum aspect seems to be intensifying. Dry Down: I concur that it's a "warm" scent, not given to easy classification, as is true with nearly all the original Tarot oils I've had the good fortune to try. There's something about this scent that reminds me, in feeling, of Hod- that warm, cozy, comforting aspect, as if I might wear this on a day when I'm mourning the loss of something less significant than a death but more significant than a hangnail. This card, being about liminal, in-between spaces, is tied closely into my thesis work this year, and as such, I'm especially glad to have this bottle come into my life at this point in time.

In The Bottle: I get sugared pink grapefruit! It's juicy and yummy and has a nice citrus bite to it. Wet On Skin: It has a bit of the sweet-fruit-cereal vibe that I got from Cheshire Moon, but it's not so overtly Froot Loops as that one was. It *is* kissing cousins, though! Dry Down: Yep, the Strawberry Shortcake doll comparison is an apt one, though without the weird plastic undercurrent that those dolls had. It's very playful and child-like, less like Ouija Yes or Faith or Hope in terms of being "sugared" and more like a cross between Pink Moon and Cheshire Moon.

In The Bottle: The incense-y vibe, combined with the orange blossom remind me more than a little of Rich Hippie's Kalachakra. This is a wonderful comparison and also, anyone that can't get their hands on the ridiculously-priced $750 bottle, the sniff from Peach IV is a fabulous substitute! Wet On Skin: It's become soft and powdery now- not baby powder, but the kinds of dusting powders ladies used to keep at their dressing tables with big, fluffy puffs. Dry Down: I get no peach from this. It's morphed slightly and become a soft, floral incense. In All: Low throw, definitely a "skin" scent, as it stays very close to the skin. There's something that feels poignant to me, like I would wear this while listening to "Summertime Sadness" by Lana Del Rey. It's beautiful and sweet and very unassuming. Just lovely.

Orris, luminous ambergris, and golden amber illuminated by a sunlit golden musk. In The Bottle: The dusty-sweet scent of the orris is sharing a spotlight with the ambergris as soon as I put my nose close to the mouth of the bottle. I do not get anything else at this stage. Wet On Skin: More of the same, with a slight powder edge coming out of the orris. This has definitely got a similar vibe similar to what was in Silver Haired Bat. It's a subtle scent, but has a strong presence as well. Dry Down: Pure orris and ambergris. I get no musk or amber, which honestly is a relief as golden amber can go powdery on me and golden musk often smells like syrup on my skin (in a bit of an unpleasant way). In All: Low to medium throw. Dry, sweet and dusty, this almost comes across to me as a desert scent. It also smells like a pared-down version of Silver-Haired Bat, which is great, because I love that scent quite a bit. I'm glad I have a bottle- I will definitely wear this sometimes in place of Silver Haired Bat!

Alas, so far all I get is tobacco. The sweet, chewy caramel-y French tobacco as found in Red Lantern and the single note of the same name. Don't get me wrong- it's a lovely tobacco. I just wanted, you know, the other stuff. To be fair, I tested fresh out the mailbox. I know that many of these notes do well with a bit of aging. And the notes sound incredible! So I'm willing to wait. For the present, it's All Tobacco, All The Time. But I'll see what happens in about a month and hopefully have a solid edit to make then

I expected tis to be similar to other fruity/Froot Loop-y types scents, like Cheshire Moon. I expected a sugary-sweet explosion of crystalline candies in glittering fruit-shapes. In fact, this scent turned out to be a study in subtlety. Even when I sniffed from the bottle, even when the oil was still wet and slick on my skin, it was all soft, natural fruits, melding gently, caressing my skin. It's a skin scent, meaning the low is incredibly throw, the scent clings close. Five minutes after application, I had to put my wrist right up to my nose to really huff. That said, it hung around for hours, even after I washed the area twice. It has the distinction of being long-lasting while still being so soft and gentle. In all, a beautiful late-summer scent. <3

In The Bottle: A dry tobacco, definitely very different from the French variety I've become accustomed with. It's so dry and dusty that it could be in Tombstone. Wet On Skin: Someone of the FB thread was talking about how this has a vanilla extract undertone to it, and I can now see what she meant. It's not foodie in the least, but there's definitely a dry vanilla thing going on and it's really, really working here. Dry Down: This is really, really beautiful. Honestly, I've gotten to a point with French Tobacco where it's usually too heavy and over-powering for me to handle, unless it's part of a heavy, rich blend, like Red Lantern. But this, this I can wear all its own. It's dry and light and slightly sweet and smells like the desert and sweet sands and crackly leaves. I think I'm in love.

2016 version. In The Bottle: Whoa, cassia! I *adore* the cassia note and that was the reason I took a chance on this bottle. It comes on strong, and that's how I like it! Wet On Skin: Still the primary note, tiny bits of Snake Oil are coming in at the edges and it's pretty great. Dry Down: If the cinnamon and ginger are present in this at all on me, it's just in a faint support of the cassia. The cassia by far remains the dominant note. I expect that the Snake Oil will make something of a comeback, once this has had a chance to age, but honestly, even if it stays as-is, I will be totally happy to have this sweet, spicy bottle. ❤️

In The Bottle: Champaca incense note. Straight up. Wet On Skin: Same, but as my skin warms it up, I get slight hints of the Snake Oil underneath. Dry Down: The champa settles in, becomes more incorporated. There's a sweet, soft roundness to the scent, and I'm acutely aware of the fact that SO on its own needs to age for me to really appreciate it. The other Snake Pit scents I've tried, it hasn't been an issue- I felt I was able to start wearing them right away. But this one, I can tell that it really needs a chance to age a bit, so that the various elements can really mingle with each other more completely. But I like what I'm experiencing now- it's a promise of what the future will bring!

In The Bottle: Yummy almond cookie! Wet On Skin: Yep, that's some almond cookie alright. Dry Down: Goodness! It really *is* fortune cookie incense! This is AMAZING! I never would have thought I needed such a thing in my life, but yes, I needed this exact thing! It's sweetly resinous incense-y, but definitely still fortune cookie. It might sound odd- how can those two things line up? but they do. they really do, and this has immediately jumped to become one of my favorite incense scents of all time. Just like that.

I think I'm in love. This is not just cotton candy, but to my nose, it's *coconut* cotton candy. It's fluffy, sugary-sweet and yet not over-powering or cloying. I don't own any wigs, but I will be more than happy to spray this in any room that requires it. It's fun and light and yummy and lovely and I'm *so* glad I got a bottle.

In The Bottle: All sweet pea, all the time. It's very "perfume-y" in that way. Wet On Skin: The vanilla sugar i starting to make its presence known now, though at this point, it's still reading mostly as a very feminine traditional perfume. Dry Down: *There's* the pink musk. It gives this scent a bit of depth so that everything else isn't just a reading of tinkling high top notes. In All: Medium throw, super, duper, über girlie, indeed, you don't get fishier than this. If you're a fan of ultra-femme perfumes, then this is one you'll fall in love with.

Bolsters sexual vigor, stimulates sensuality, and inspires relaxation: cacao with coconut, vanilla cream, and shea. Normally I don't bother with massage oils. I no longer live with an MT, so I feel like "what's the point?" However, when I saw the note list for this item, I felt that there was just no possible way I could ignore such a thing. so here goes: In the Bottle: Imagine the most delicious edible suntan lotion that has never existed. Cocoa butter? Check. Coconut? Check. Vanilla frosting in a can? Check, check, check. On the Skin: Oh, holy crap. This smells AMAZING. Not only do all the above elements stay true, but the shea butter shows up and adds a little sugary note, right on at the end. the oils texture is light and absorbent, leaving my skin feeling moisturized without being slick or greasy or sticky. In All: A must have, I will use this post-shower or post-bath as a nice light moisturizer and I will also put some into the ends of my hair, where it's most thirsty. In other words, do not deny yourselves something so yummy and lovely simply because you don't get that many massages. Trust me- you'll find ways to use this heavenly treat!