PinkoCommie

My bottle is from the 2009 release.

 

At first sniff, I thought there was something of a Yankee candle scent about it, but that was unfounded, thankfully. Deeper sniffing gives me a whiff of mashed spiced apples, something boozy and the merest hint of something creamy. Honestly, I put off reviewing this for a while because I was offended at the idea of taking my wrists away from my nose long enough to type it out. But review it I must. The scent isn't particularly long-lived on my skin, but the dry down is beautiful, leaving the whisper of autum and spiced apples with cream. I love it a lot and am so grateful to have my bottle.

Even knowing what I know about my skin and anything rose, I tried Alice anyway.

 

The imp is what did it. In the imp, I smelled the beautiful milky, honey, carnation-y goodness that this scent wants to be with a hint of the light white rose in the background. I thought it would be okay, that it would behave. And to its credit, it did...for a whole 30 seconds. After that, the rose got stronger and stronger and now all I can smell is overpowering roses and something green and it's giving me a headache AND OMG I SCRATCHED MY NOSE AND NOW IT'S ON MY NOSE AND IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY SEND HELP OMG.

 

My epitaph should read "killed by Alice, with a rose."

Like everyone else has said, this is a freshly peeled orange. I definitely got the perfume-y notes when mine was right out of the mailbox, but days later, it's settled into a gorgeous citrus. Unfortunately, like all oranges, this one fades so quickly. I'll enjoy my bottle, but I don't feel a need (or indeed that it would do me any good, given the lifespan of citrus scents) to hoard.

I wanted to give this a week to settle before I reviewed it. The first time I tried, the notes hadn't really married together yet. The scent on skin was kind of soapy, which while not *bad* it is also not perfume. Giving it time was the right thing to do.

 

I can smell the delicious cardamom tea and the gentle sandalwood. It feels like sitting in a clearing, drinking my favourite chai and admiring the beauty around me. Very soft - but not invisible. It sticks close to the skin and I like that. It's something that can match a summer day or be perfect to recollect that summer's day when the elements are not so kind.

 

I'll love my bottle and am excited to find out how it ages. <3

I know there's no pine in this scent, but when I put it on, it smelled lovely and smooth and a bit herbal.

 

Within 30 minutes, I was being strangled by the mf'ing Christmas spirit. PINE EVERYWHERE. My nose probably mistranslated something, but I couldn't handle it. Luckily, this was a joint order with my BFF because we both wanted to try this and Southern Cloudywing. On her? No trace of murderous Christmas trees anywhere to be found. It because a soft, warm herbal scent and it was amazing. So that became her bottle. I will not risk invoking the wrath of an invisible Christmas tree again.

This is a bottle from the original update, well cared for and aged splendidly.

 

First on, I feel a bit like someone spike my cider. As it melds with my skin, though, it become a soft, smoky scent, as though I've been drinking mulled cider while seated on a rough log near a bonfire. No note is overpowering. The spices are gorgeous and the skin scent is not even remotely foody. It just gives the aura of a perfect autumn eve.

 

It makes me happy, remembering crisp nights around a bonfire, beneath a twinkling sky with a sliver of moon high above. This is the smell of a night when it's just cool enough to grab a scarf and a light jacket and trust the mug to warm your hands. It's a perfect night.

This was a gift from my two best friends because, it was unanimous apparently: I am the Saturn phoenix. (My best friends are awesome.)

 

I don't know how to describe the way it begins, but the way it ends is with a spicy lily bathed in myrrh incense and smoky opium and I love it.

This scent smells like I've just stumbled in after a memorable night with a very sexy pineapple.

 

In all seriousness, wet, it's a bit fruity, but not at all in a "foody" way. More in the way that walking through an orchard can have a fruity scent; it's ambient. On the drydown, the nice sexy Mr. Pineapple has settled down and left behind a hint of vanilla and strange spice.

 

Egads am I glad I have a bottle.

Sniffing from the bottle, I wondered if I'd made a mistake buying this. I got straight up dusty red sandalwood. I like sandalwood as much as the next chick, but I didn't need a single note!

 

I persevered, though, dabbing a bit on my left wrist. *sniff sniff* It almost immediately sweetens up. There are my lovely lilies! Making it a bit rounder and warmer, less dusty. Mmm. Some vanilla in the background. Not at all foody, just smooth. There might be some mandarin in there to keep it light, but this is a cobalt bottle and I'm almost certain that anything remotely citrus has long since burned off. The opium makes an understated appearance, though, deepening the blend and making it just a touch smoky.

 

Over all, this is a sophisticated blend. Not for a blue jean day, for sure! (Not unless they're some kickass blue jeans....)

 

ETA: For people who might have liked Haloes but wanted something softer, less perfumey or more toward the femme end of the spectrum, this is a definite contender. They remind me lots of each other.)

This is even more a favorite now that it's got a year of age on it. In the beginning, it was too foody for me, but now it's perfect: dusty cocoa powder laced with spices, a hint of sweetness and a whiff of coffee. <3

This is amazing. At first whiff, it was love -- a nice citrus (real citrus, not cleaners or tang) wafting out. But I dabbed it on my skin and in 5 minutes, I sighed. It seemed to have gone to a muted ... something... it seemed like it was headed to powder the same way that Mourning Moon goes on me. I had to leave for an appointment, so I just sighed and put on my fingerless gloves and coat. When I peeled myself like a woolen onion, I noticed the most amazing smell wafting up from my wrist. I thought it might be the bakeneko I'd dabbed on the gloves before -- but no, this was not a Bakeneko smell...

 

The person who said clean baby skin, beeswax and a touch of smoky honey -- that's exactly what this is. It's amazing and I adore it. I need a million and three bottles.

I enjoy this. It's soft and warm and sweet and gentle. I can see why it's a perennial favorite and why it causes such a panic when it happens not to be reissued. On me, it's a soft vanilla almond with a velvety flower that I *think* might be white rose -- but I can't say for sure. And honestly, I should hate this blend. But I don't. I quite like it -- it's just not me.

 

However, I have a friend for whom it would be absolutely perfect.

I'm not a green scent person, but this is fantastic. It's like an edible sweet grass or clover of some sort, with cucumbery-melon (but not in the B&BW way) somewhere in there. It's fantastic. If I hadn't split the order with a friend, I'd hoard it, but Democrat fared better on my skin than on my friend's and this one absolutely smelled made for her. It's fantastic, though; if you get a chance, get some.

This is a very pretty, soft, sweet, well-blended floral. It's gorgeous. It really sings on my friend, though; whether there's wood in it or not, I don't know, but something goes very wooden on her in the best possible way. Very nice. But my heart belongs to Tabella.

This is absolutely gorgeous on me. It starts out kind of aquatic, which is not my favorite, but in 10 minutes fades to a ginger-spiced sage-sprinkled resin.

 

Also, on me, Democrat is a fantastic beeswax scent. So I layered a bit.

 

... oh my goodness. I feel like I just unlocked a secret in the da Vinci code, some riddle left by the secret Smell Society, because I can't help but think Beth had this in mind when she mixed up these little parties.

 

Wow.

 

Dear Beth: Plz send me all leftovers, kthx.

This is fantastic. It's beeswax, but with drips of clover honey. I can't usually do the Lab's honey note at all, but this is stellar. I'm also a little insane about the beeswax note; I adore it. This is a smooth, wonderful almost skin scent. I can't applaud this enough.

This was my first bottle and I really loved it. Now, it seems bitter and piercing and headache-inducing. I'm not sure if my tastes/chemistry/nose has changed or if my bottle (which is in the old cobalt bottles and of indeterminate age, bought second-hand from LJ) has finally gone off. Originally, I'm certain I got primarily almond and fantastic spices.

This is one I picked up back when I thought I was a foody. It really does smell like chocolate covered cherries. Fantastic how she can do that, but just not me.

This one is so much FUN. I keep some around just to sniff. I find it disconcerting to smell of candy, bubblegum and light perfume (with a surprising touch of spice!), but I love the way it smells in the imp. Simply fantastic. It's exactly what the description says.

This was week old, cheap, stale, crystalized, vaguely metallic, imitation maple syrup. It would not go away, no matter how much I washed and it gave me a terrible, terrible headache.

I wanted green tea and sweetened lemon. I got lemon pledge instead. So sad. Why can't all lemons be Phobos?

Halitosis in a tube.

I thought it smelled like milk chocolate, if a little chalky. My friend, sniffing my arm, smelled saltine crackers and peanuts.

I wanted to love this one. I love cranberries and I thought it'd be perfect. Instead, it was a cheap car air freshener -- the tacky cardboard ones that hang from the rearview mirror. It didn't smell fruity, I detected no spices and none of my beloved lily. Just cardboard, generic "red" scented air freshener.

I love this one. Fun, fruity, kinda boozy -- kinda like a friend of mine....

 

Anyway, it's lighter than I expected and almost fizzy. It's not overly sweet, nor does it smell like you've had a bar accident. It's just a light, fun, flirty, fizzy scent. I love it.