VioletChaos

What IS this?!? It's driving me a little mad- there's something in here that's incredibly distinct and I'm not...quite...able to figure it out. Part of it is that there's a sweet citrus-y quality to this, I *sorta* agree with the person that mentioned lime and *sorta* agree with the person that mentioned quince. Both feel like they're on the right track, but... I can't name it. It's like grapefruit citrus soda mixed with a light, twinkling musk. If anything, it reminds me of Juba, a perfume that I used to wear from the Body Shop some 23 years ago, mixed with a Betsey Johnson perfume that *also* hasn't existed for nearly two decades. So, I think that's the bottom line. Which for me is pretty great, because I was missing both of those scents of my past, and now here they are in one handy bottle.

This is the painfully-beautiful note that was in Death of Autumn, I feel certain. It's indeed a pile of wet, autumnal leaves. (At least when it's in the bottle as wet on skin.) As it dries, the change is subtle, but distinct, and the Pile indeed dries up too, leaving the unmistakable fragrance of sweet, dry, crackly leaves. I don't know that this is something I'd wear on it's own, but I can certainly see layering this with possibly something foodie, to give it a bit more grounding, like Cranberry Cider or perhaps even Eat Me or Crumpet Rebellion. Maybe it's pure madness to speak of such things, but I have a feeling that this is an avenue worth exploring.

I was delighted (delighted, I tell you!) to see the mighty return of Graveyard Dirt. I had a bottle a number of years ago, during one of it's previous incarnations and even at that time I remember thinking to myself "This really is a Single Note" because it was just SO purely what it is. But then, as we all have stories of, I swapped it away for something else and have regretted it over the ensuing ages. Until now! And so, it's been a total pleasure to uncork this latest vintage and discover that it's just as it was in past versions and I really couldn't be more relived or pleased. Graveyard Dirt has a name that can be perceived as silly or sinister or Goth-y, but the scent is pure evocation of this very real world. This is rich, black, damp soil. This isn't dusty city dirt, baked and frozen too many time to harbor or support life. This is the mineral-rich topsoil that grows robust fields of nourishment and holds summer rains and sweet longing. This is long, hot nights laying back in tall grasses and autumnal harvests and the whispering promise of spring's return and the chance to ride hobby horses and dance around maypoles and find hands-feet-nails caked and coated with rich, fragrant life. Bottled. Perfect for layering since, as is the case with many Single Notes, Graveyard Dirt stays true from bottle through dry-down, I find that it's eminently wearable all on it's own. Glad to have this beautiful scent back in the fold.

In the bottle, the tobacco was the strongest, followed by the pumpkin. At this level, I got nothing more than those two notes, but they were STRONG. Wet On Skin, the tobacco immediately started pulling back and the pumpkin got rich and buttery- a classic pumpkin note maneuver on me As intense as the scent was in the bottle, I was surprised how quickly after application it started to calm down. Dry Down found the pumpkin losing it's butter side and becoming a fresh, still-on-the-vine kind of pumpkin. A "green" note, it reminded me of the smell of all gourds this time of year. About 40 minutes later, the scent has gotten incredibly light on my skin and what's remaining is a whisper of tobacco with a tiny hint of the caramel (which isn't doing the sugar-amping thing on me, and I'm super happy about that) and a faint trace of the bourbon vanilla- which isn't reading as foodie in the least. In All: Very low throw- if this oil doesn't deepen with age I'll have to slather it- and a delicate, sweet smell. This is a good one for daytime use. I'm hoping with all those rich notes that aging it will bring some of that stuff up close and personal.

In The Bottle: The strong, thick coffee note from Bah! mixed with a sharp, astringent poke from the chicory. Wet On Skin: Wow. The chicory give the coffee an earthy vibe at this stage. It's so deep and rich that it *almost* reads like a leather note. Dry Down: Yeah, this has become coffee-and-leather on me Surprisingly, the pastry/sugar notes aren't present AT ALL on me, which is highly unusual, as generally, any sugar near me amps to the heavens. This scent is very perplexing! In All: I know that this coffee note gets better and better with age, so I'm not cashing in my chips just yet. I don't know that I've tested anything with a chicory note before, but my hope is that given some age time that the notes might influence each other in a more grounded and mellow direction. *Fingers crossed*

In The Bottle: Yup, that's some bananas, alright! But not just any bananas- to my nose, this smells almost *exactly* like Laffy Taffy Banana candy. Which I would've lived on as a child if I'd been left to my own devices, so I'm in already. Wet On Skin: The banana immediately starts to tone down as the oil warms on my skin, even at this wet stage. And what comes to fill in the void is a beautiful, light incense. It reminds me actually, of a very light version of Midnight Mass, oddly enough. Dry Down: Okay, so the "flambé" aspect of the bananas foster- that is, that which makes it caramelized- is now out. So what remains is a light, slightly fruit-based incense with some beautiful caramel note rounding it out. In All: It might sound strange, but this scent feels holy, and silly and magickal, and, having just spent my honeymoon in NOLA a few months ago, I do declare that Puddin has done an near-impossible thing, which is transmute a place into it's essence and make it utterly wearable and sacred. Well done, sir! Definitely a keeper!

The rum note that was so dominant in Hot Buttered Rum makes its triumphant return here in this atmo spray. I am a person whose skin amps rum notes to high heaven (and also sugar- maybe a connection? Hmmm…), so I was very curious to see what I'd make of a rum scent that wouldn't come in contact with me. And the verdict is, it's delicious The rum note on it's own wouldn't really tempt me. It's not complex enough to keep my interest. But paired with the cream and something really yummy happens between the two notes. The cream tempers the boozy aspect and makes it more sophisticated, but also more accessible. I didn't get the Red Lantern association the prior reviewer mentioned, mostly because there's a rich, foodie, caramel feel to that scent (especially the atmosphere spray version), where as this, for me, created less of a feeling of envelopment (RL always makes me feel somehow like I'm actually transported back in time) and more of pure atmosphere in this present moment- timeless and timely. Of this year's crop of atmo sprays, it was definitely my favorite.

In The Bottle: Yummy chocolate! Less rich than the chocolate in, say, Bliss, but more than what might be found in a random bottle of 13. Wet On Skin: Oh MY. This is sweet, light cacao, like sitting in the kitchen in the winter and opening a packet of instant cocoa and little dried marshmallows and dumping it into a mug. Dry Down: This? Is. GLORIOUS. The honey, vanilla and cacao make this pure foodie heaven, whilst the sandalwood grounds it just enough to keep it respectable. While I don't get the patch, I don't miss it at all- this is just lovely the way it is. In All: Low throw, this is something of s skin scent. I might be inclined to slather, as I'm wont to do with some foodie scents, but I like that this scent is subtle enough to be played either way. My personal hands-down favorite of this year's NYCC scents. While Lips of Flame might be the obvious choice, I predict Little Maggie to be the sleeper hit of the Con.

In The Bottle: Tobacco, followed by a bit of apple and some dirty patchouli bringing up the rear. Wet On Skin: The apple is gaining some footing now, and the smokiness of the khus is peeping it's head in. Dry Down: Mostly this has become apple and tobacco in even portions. I get no red musk (which is odd as usually in any blend that note dominates on me), nor do I get any vanilla or clove. The khus *is* still a presence, but it's like a whisper, holding the others down behind the scenes. In All: Of the NYCC scents I've tried this year, this one plays closest to the skin. Because of the strength of the notes, I wouldn't pour it on, but don't be surprised if you want a little extra dab once it settles on your skin. I am not writing off the other notes, since those earthy-resiny notes sometimes take a while to age and blend more fully into the scent. It's lovely now and will be exciting to re-test in a few months.

In The Bottle: Compelling! The apple hits my nose before the bottle is even up to my face.The copal and saffron combine to make it, at this stage, a glorious adult candy apple. Wet On Skin: The sophisticated candy apple vibe continues, getting richer, deeper and sweeter than in the bottle. This is NOT the crisp apple of Snow Glass Apples. This is like biting into an apple covered not just in caramel, but in…whiskey caramel. Or…rum caramel. Something not kid-like, but still delicious. Dry Down: This is not a morphing scent. It has stayed relatively true from bottle to dry down. At this point, the only thing that has changed is that it's softened a little around the edges. In All: Low throw, but because of the sweetness, I wouldn't just slather it on, either. This has stayed what I originally surmised from it: a mature, adults-only candy apple.

In The Bottle: Mostly I'm getting the gardenia, with some of the honey providing a nice base to ground the scent. Wet On Skin: As the gardenia warms, it becomes sweeter, fuller. The jasmine is definitely the same as in the BPTP atom spray Cathouse, and to similar effect: there's a lush, timeless quality to this floral. As if I might fall asleep and awaken in a Victorian sitting room. Dry Down: The is a heady floral, thick with jasmine and gardenia, the vanilla adding a bit of resin to the mix. The honey has become a little like honey powder on my skin, but I find I'm enjoying it, that it's not a baby powder note at all (so don't worry!). I get none of the frankincense or rose, but the scent feels complete unto itself. In All: Medium throw and a little goes a long way. I'm not generally much of a floral person, but I'm happy to have this one in my collection. A must-have for floral enthusiasts.

As this was the one I was most hopeful about, I figured I'd start here... In the bottle: The champagne note I remember is certainly present, and to my nose smells strongly like gingerale, as with the first batch of these scents from two years ago. but the opium is holding it's own, in a lovely, rich, slightly smoky way. Wet on the skin: Where as in the bottle, the champagne had the edge at about 70-30, the opium is gaining ground and is now at almost a 50-50 ratio to the champagne. I want to say that at this point, I detect no other notes. Dry down: Opium wins by a nose, in a 60-40 lead. The opium note by this point has become more stable, and is blooming into a sweet, almost summery version of itself. Don't get me wrong, this can definitely be worn through the winter months, but will be a fine treasure for sultry hot nights 7 months from now as well. The champagne is there, but it feels like a supporting cast member now. Which works for me, because in the past this note has gone horribly wrong on my skin. In all: A keeper for sure, but I'm anticipating more subtlety in about a month, after it's had a chance to settle and blend more completely. <3

CELESTE: HER BATH Vanilla-infused honey and saffron. This is a fabulous counter point to the Celeste perfume- clearly great for layering with her oil, but a stand-alone as well. Without the orris of her perfume, Celeste's bath is sparse, stripped down to her essence. The bath is also sweeter, lacking the dryness the orris gives as counter-balance in the perfume. I could therefore going either way in terms of scent layering after-bath with this: pick a sweet and creamy number like Love's Philosophy or MB:Underpants (the latter having the saffron note in common, the former great for amping the cream) OR you can pair it with something dry or earthy, I'm thinking that putting on Penny Dreadful or Chant D'Autumn wouldn't be out of line here. If you adore the strong notes like vetiver or graveyard dirt, I could see those being just gorgeous on top of this, for sure. I predict this to be *very* popular, indeed. :wub: ETA: The above review was entirely about the scent and the makeup of notes therein. but to be fair, I hadn't yet included anything about the bath experience itself. Now, I adore the BPAL bath oils. But they *do* tend to leave a very heavy, oily film on my skin, which is why I use them more frequently as a body oil or leave-in hair conditioner. So I thought that perhaps, by contrast, the salts would be somewhat drying. They're not. In fact, they're the perfect amount of moisturizing I want for my skin. the amount of scent left behind after towel drying is definitely less than with the bath oils. and if that's important to you, you might want to spike your bath water with a little extra perfume. but I find that this actually gives the salts a bit more versatility in terms of when I can use them. I had a hard belly dancing lesson that left me very sore. A bath with Celeste this evening loosened me up in all the right ways- enough so that I'm considering getting a backup pouch for when my current one runs out!

I got a goblin squirt of this directly from the Lab (mods, I searched high and lo for a topic thread and found none: if there Is one, by all means, merge mine with it, thanks ! ) Okay, so because of the name, I'd just randomly assumed that there would be a strong coffee note in this scent before even smelling it and was therefore startled when it was a bright, sweet floral in the bottle. It was SO sweet and cloying that, honestly, it smells like bug spray to me. Like, the type we used when I was a kid in the 80's, that was supposed to smell like air freshener but, you know, smelled like roach spray instead. Still, i know that first sniffs are often deceiving, so I gave it a little squirt in my living room, into the couch cushions. While wet, the spray stayed the same- sweet floral bug spray. but now it's about 10 minutes later and this has turned into *heaven*. I'm getting what seems to be some of the gardenia/vanilla mix that is so dear to me in the Cathouse room spray, but with a different subset of other notes. The change makes this something more for daytime use in a living room, whereas I strictly use Cathouse in my boudoir in the evening time. There's a "green" freshness to this that makes it a good choice for daytime use, whereas Cathouse is all sultry and sexy. In all: If the notes are an indication, I'm betting this will be even better with some aging. Trading Post: I'm keeping my eye out for a full release!

In the Bottle: Currants and cream! Wet On Skin: The above, with some ginger to spice things up a bit! Dry Down: A soft, white vanilla with a bit of spice around the edges. In All: Low throw, and close to the skin, this reads like a sister scent to Eat Me- which isn't much of a surprise, but it's like a more sophisticated version. Where Eat Me was very foodie-heavy, this has subtlety, and although I discern all the food notes in here, I wouldn't call this a foodie scent at all. It's sweet and light, and yes, I can see the comparisons to Antique Lace, though don't expect *too* close a relative to AL or you'll be a sad panda. Still, if you like AL, I'm betting you'll like this scent too.

In the Bottle: Brown musk (?!) and cocoa powder Wet On Skin: Red musk, myrrh and a little cacao thrown in for good measure. Dry Down: Much the same. the red musk is stronger now, and since I adore that note I welcome it. There's still some myrrh, making it a bit earthy, which is a nice twist, and now just the faintest hint of cocoa powder (no cinnamon). In All: I confess that in all my years I do not recall testing Lust. Since I'm really only getting the two notes on my skin, I am curious how the original would compare. In any event, I like what I'm getting just fine, and am happy to have a bottle to play with.

In The Bottle: Chocolate and a little dark cherry juice. Wet On Skin: Clove enters the mix, and the chocolate hangs back, but just a little. I'm getting a trace of the red wine, and this is really making me want to drink a dark syrah and eat mouthfuls of 72% cacao (which, under normal circumstance, I don't even care for.) Dry Down: Oh, this is just lovely. Many years ago, I tried to love Blood Kiss. I really did. But alas, the cherry amped into something sticky-sweet and the rest of the notes became jarring, disquieting. Whatever has occurred with the addition of the dark chocolate and the rich vanilla has worked some magic. The scent is spicy, sweet and dead sexy, all without being foody. The vetiver in this is so subtle that it almost reads as a soft whisper of leather and the trace of dark musk grounds the whole thing making it just slightly earthy. In All: I shall give this a spin several more times over the next few weeks- this might be multiple-bottle-worthy for me

In the Bottle: The sweet pea note in this is coming across as more fruity than anything. It's throwing me a bit off balance. It's not that I don't like it- I do. It's just very unexpected. Wet On Skin: Even though it's not one of the three notes, I'm getting a distinctly coconut-y thing from this scent at the wet stage. Like suntan lotion kind of coconut. I *think* it might be the sugared cream. Again, it throws me off balance, but I'm liking it- it's just odd. Dry Down: Wow. This is like summertime in a bottle. It's morphing every second. I get melon and then cotton candy and then the suntan oil and then vanilla ice-cream and then candy floss once more. It's bizarre and delightful and like walking a midway set ion a beach town. In All: Sweet and strange and lovely.

In The Bottle: Sweet incense hovering over some light coffee. Wet On Skin: The incense is mostly dominating. It's that sweet incense that one could fine at all goth and punk clothing stores in the 90's. I like it! Dry Down: The coffee is mostly a very spare hint in the background with the sweet incense dominating everything. In All: If there can be such a thing as an Incense Single Note, that's what this would be like. Which is great, because finding the perfect incense scent is something I've been attempting to do for quite some time now. Low to medium throw, I can only assume this will get deeper and richer with age. Glad I have a bottle!

In the Bottle: Juicy dark berries and tart yummy currants! Wet On Skin: This smells like a very berry ice pop! I seriously want to freeze this and eat the slush! Dry Down: I get no licorice from this at all. I have to say I'm kinda relieved. My DH says that most fruity scents are TOO fruity, but that, although the licorice doesn't seem to show itself in an audacious manner, it's in there, making the scent grounded and giving it a little bit of an edge. I will agree, although I don't know if that's the licorice per se or just a skillful blending of the other elements. Either way, glad I took a chance on a bottle- this might be my new favorite Snowball scent!

I never tried the bath oil, so I've no preconceived notions about this scent. Let's jump in with both feet, shall we? In the Bottle: LEATHER. And also leather. And, did I mention leather??? Wet On Skin: Leather, now with rose! At this stage, the rose is coming across as a dark, rich red. Almost a black rose, but not *quite* there yet. Dry Down: Amazingly, the leather has been clamped down quite a bit by the rose! Leather scents are always dicey for me, but this one, at dry down, is more like a hint of leather, just enough to add depth to this VERY compelling rose. This is a sugary rose, for sure. But don't think for even a moment that this is anything like Hope from the Carnival. Where that sugared rose is all sweetness and light, this one is deep, dark and sinister. If you can't think that something sugary can be sinister, you need go no further than this scent. In All: I get none of the musk notes. This is merely an interplay between the dark rose and the leather. I shall age this and see what happens next!

In the Bottle: Although not listed in the notes, at this stage, this smells a whole lot like Silver Haired Bat. Specifically the ambergris note from that scent. Which is a note I adore, so I'm not complaining. Wet On Skin: Same Dry Down: If Tombstone and Silver-Haired Bat had a baby, this would be the scent. The dusty, light-musky combination of those two comes alive in this scent. If you love either of them, definitely check out Scrappy Damsel

In The Bottle: A floral through and through. I get a lot of tuberose in there, less gardenia than I thought I would, and at this point, no vanilla at all. Wet On Skin: All tuberose, all the time. Interestingly, this isn't cloying. Usually ANY floral that is not a polite violet or a fresh rose becomes instant fail on me but this is (so far) turning a corner. Dry Down: Well, if I ever want to just wear Tuberose Single Note, I think I now have a bottle. Sigh. I *was* hoping for something more, and I'll certainly age it and see what happens, but for now, it seems like the only thing happening is my new friend Tuberose. :/

In the jar: Wow. This smells seriously, like fresh, on-the-vine honeysuckle. That's amazing. On the Skin: My skin type really likes to eat moisturizer. So it didn't take long for this lovely concoction to sink in. Now that it has, the honey note is starting to emerge, yet without diminishing the quality or freshness of the honeysuckle at all. Additionally, something about this honey note is adding a touch of lemon into the mix, like just a bit of light citrus zest, and it's really a very lovely mixture indeed. (Upon reflection, I think the citrus might be a bit of that sugar cane showing itself!) In all: I join the chorus of those asking for Glop to become a Thing at the Trading Post, and for some version of Nice Glop to be a thing for sure- not only will enjoy this through the remainder of winter, but I hope that it lasts me long enough to go well into spring.

First of all, the label is totally adorable. I only wish the jar was made of glass. I realize that it would be far more breakable and also heavy (adding to shipping charges) but I'm just a purist like that. If it turns out I feel the need to hoard Glop, I might invents in some pretty glass jar and transfer it over. for now, it shall live in the container it was born in. Onward… In the container: Like a VERY leather-heavy version of Smut. Lots of black leather and quite a bit of the beloved red musk. There is perhaps a trace of the vanilla, but it's almost an afterthought. On the skin: The moisturizers in this are stellar. Really generous and very emollient, perfect for this tail end of winter when one's skin is totally depleted of all suppleness. Alas, the red musk has taken off, leaving only the leather. This makes me sad, as I prefer all the other notes to the leather and my skin chemistry appears to not be playing fair. In point of fact, the leather is sooo black that it's actually beaming something of a black licorice on me! Bother! I will see how things develop, but this jar of precious may very well go on my swap page