tinyvulture

I can pick out each note separately – hippie patchouli, soft cocoa, and sunny hay. Normally, I love all of those notes. But there’s something here that is just not interacting well with my skin. It smells like stale popcorn that’s been left in a hot car or something. I think it’s the way the hay is combining with the other notes. Sounds like it is working out great for others, though. Off to swaps!

Yum! After an initial, confusing, “Fruit punch?” moment, I get mouthwatering apple cider, heavy on the cinnamon. I like how the sweetness of the apple is tempered by the tartness of lemon and orange. Wish I could smell the butterscotch liquor more – or at all. I love the apples and cinnamon, just not sure if I need a whole bottle.

Dark, yet beautiful. Smoke rising out of a spooky forest on a cold night. As you approach, you realize you’ve stumbled upon a witches’ bonfire. The chilly air is heavy with not only the smoke from their fire, but thick, resinous incense smoke as well. Pine, smoke, frankincense and styrax are the dominant notes. Now I want to wear this all winter.

This is my kind of perfume! I can indeed smell the creaky wood, the smoky dying embers, and the chilly, heavy fog (which is a combination of cold/rain notes, without ozone, which is perfect since ozone turns sweet on me.) It’s a scent that makes me want to put on a sweater, as though I can feel the damp cold closing in. So oppressive and hopeless, yet the scent is somehow beautiful. My only slight criticism is that I wish it were stronger. It fades too quickly.

It’s been a long time since I’ve tried a honeysuckle blend from the lab, and today I see that we are still not friends. The rose is lovely but, before I can even pick out any other notes, the honeysuckle appears and goes all turpentine on my skin. Boo.

First sniff: maple leaves and fir needles. Amazing! A minute later, the wildflower honey appears. It really does smell like wildflowers and honey, ha. Add faint fruity, nutty, and boozy notes from the plum leaves, hazelnut, and cognac, and all of a sudden my nose is a little confused. The herbal, astringent qualities of the fir grow stronger and stronger, and now I’m not enjoying it so much. I love Samhain, but this is like a fruitier and far more herbal version of Samhain that isn’t really working out for me.

Think of a shop that sells bushels of ripe, sweet apples, gourmet teas, and colorful bunches of fresh flowers. That’s what this scent is. I can’t pick out any specific floral notes. The tea note takes a minute to assert istelf. No sign of ginger or amber, but that’s OK. It’s an apple-y autumn blend that’s not all apple. Lovely.

Salted chocolate at first. Like a salty, buttery version of Bliss. Then the incense starts to come out. It’s not very strong, so I'm left with faint incense mixed with faint remnants of chocolate. No kelp or sea plants, that I can pick up. I love how it started out.

Happily, this is all vanilla honey and soft, powdery brown musk on me. It's sweet, cozy and comforting -- which is not what I imagine when I think of Henry Fuseli, but that's OK! I'm not picking up the patchouli or magnolia at all. Reminds me of a baby's scent (not baby powder, that's different.)

Lovely, dangerous, slick, and bitterly cold: chilly white sleet-like notes with a hint of vetiver, a breath of smoky asphalt, and winter wind. At first there is slushy snow, piercingly cold, combined with a sharp vetiver note. Then a perfumey, floral sweetness appears out of nowhere and confuses my sense of smell. I was expecting something dark. Pure, biting, cold. But this is kind of girly. The vetiver has disappeared completely. There are a lot of other wintry blends I prefer.

Imagine drinking an ice-cold blended pina colada while relaxing at a fancy Hawaiian resort, without a care in the world. The scent of tropical flowers is carried on the breeze. The coconut note is similar to Obatala, but Obatala is clean and refreshing, while Tiki Princess is sweet and fruity. Really wish I’d picked up a bottle of this. A perfect scent for lazy summer days.

This is baby scent taken to the highest idealized level, the perfect encapsulation of a mother’s love for her precious baby. Baby powder is the strongest note, followed by soothing lavender and gently spicy carnation. Think of a baby’s sweet skin, fresh out of the bath and lightly dusted with baby powder. Ahh, you just want to keep breathing it in!

As the name implies, a spicy, light blend. Love the sassafras and clove together with the caramel-sweetness of brown sugar. Reminds me of snickerdoodle cookies. Just the tiniest hint of plum adds an interesting, fruity depth. A little foody for everyday wear, but really a charming scent.

Sticky sweet honey drizzled liberally over quince and mandarin. And then the cognac shows up and keeps it from being overly foody. I always love BPAL’s cognac note. This oil is sweet and fruity, yet rich and sexy. I thought there was rose in it, too. I’m getting something light and floral in the background.

On first application, heavy resin, pine and cedar notes give this oil a very masculine feeling. It’s a bold, strong scent. Light, citrusy neroli and sweet saffron pop up after a few minutes and make it a little more playful. Makes me think of a forest at sunset. Golden light shining on towering trees.

Dirt, dry earth…combined with something sickly sweet, like caramel? I’m biased…dirt scents just aren’t for me…but yeah, really not enjoying this one much.

This is the first Bards of Ireland scent I’ve tried. It makes me want to try them all. On first sniff, I sighed, “Aah, ambergris!” So soft and warm, and when it’s combined with honey…oh my god, it’s heaven. Luxurious and rich. I am so surprised that the citrus of the bergamot and neroli isn’t overpowering as usual. In fact, I’m not even noticing it. Same goes for the other notes that usually make me say, “hmm, can I wear this?” – orris root and oakmoss. They’re blissfully absent, and I’m floating on a little cloud of ambergris, honey, and a little black musk – just lovely.

This smells like a super-sweet, artificially flavored fruity kids’ drink. Like a neon green Gatorade or something. But in a good way! It’s a surprisingly happy scent, all sweet and fruity (in a tropical, pineapple-y way, from the davana), and then there’s more sweetness and a little warmth from the musk and amber. I’d love to smell a single note green musk so I can see how it differs from other musks. I think I really like green musk. This isn’t the style of scent that I typically go for, but I’m thinking about a bottle…

The grassy, sunny hay absolute note is recognizable from Needle in a Haystack. It’s so fresh and summery, and the honey adds a touch of sweetness that complements it nicely. I can also smell a little bit of wheat. No cardamom here, and I’m not sure what mallow smells like. This is like summer in a bottle, it really has the ability to lift your spirits on a cold and gloomy day.

A musky citrus/fruit cologne… mandarin and blackcurrant are the standout notes and they are very nice with the warm musk. I thought it would be much darker and creepier. The tea leaf is also noticeable, adding a refined softness. No mint at all, which I’m happy about. Not a typical male cologne but would probably smell quite nice on a man. Glad I got around to trying it.

Somehow, the combination of resins in this blend have combined to smell like…Coca Cola! Who knew that was an appropriate gift for the Christ child? Seriously, I can’t think of another comparison…it’s making me a little thirsty. After a few minutes, there is some spiciness coming out, from the coriander and cumin. Then it turns a little creamy, from the ambergris and vanilla. Now it’s like a Coke float. Sparkly, effervescent, heavy on the frankincense -- a must-have for resin lovers.

In spite of the lovely bourbon vanilla which makes every floral blend more beautiful, Peitho isn’t really my style. A strong jasmine note is too sharp and spicy for me. It’s wearable here, thanks to the creamy bourbon vanilla that smoothes it out a little. The jasmine is still very powerful, however. If you can’t wear jasmine or only like a little hint of jasmine, I would not recommend Peitho for you. There’s another floral note besides the jasmine that I can’t identify – myrtle, I guess. But it’s weak compared to Queen Jasmine.

I can really smell that dry orris note first thing. I’m usually not a fan of it, but it’s nicely tempered here by the soft, creamy bourbon vanilla. I am not really picking up on the patchouli. To me, it’s a dry floral scent with tons of vanilla, and then a little bit of sandalwood. Reminds me somewhat of Antique Lace. Kind of old-fashioned and ladylike, very pretty and sweet.

I’ve never had a butter rum cookie. I’ve had regular butter cookies, and there’s some of that incredibly rich, buttery sweetness here, but it’s overpowered by a strong, sharp, and slightly medicinal boozy note. These cookies must pack a serious alcoholic punch! Then there’s the almond, which lingers in the background. I don’t smell the orange zest. A pleasant foody scent for fans of baked goods, which I am, but this isn’t my all-time favorite in that category. The rum a little too strong for my taste.

This is a very close relative to Samhain, with that gorgeous “autumn leaves” note, but it lacks Samhain’s foodiness. It’s almost entirely autumn leaves, with a hint of patchouli that gives it some depth. I was right to order a bottle unsniffed -- I’ll take all the autumn scents I can get my hands on, especially when they’re as pretty as Falling Leaf Moon!