ViolentKitten

I can imagine Bathsheba fresh from her bathing ritual with carnation and plum scented oils, then anointing herself with sensual musk. On me, the plum and musk shine, with the carnation very softly in the background, adding a hint of spice. On the drydown, the fruitiness of the plum fades a little and the musk gently radiates. So beautifully sweet and clean!

Very deep and very dark. This is an intriguingly complex scent. Warm, and slightly bittersweet, it's darkest of dark chocolate, red wine, rum, treacle, and coffee syrup with a hint of tobacco, all rushing up to my nose and mingling in a very mmmmm-worthy way. I don't get the metallic tang of blood, but it might be there underneath, providing some of that warmth. Centzon Totochtin might not one I'll wear often, but definitely one I'll want to put on and breathe in now and then. There's something about it. PS: I agree with those who say it reminds them of Dia de los Muertos, because when I first smelt this one, it's what I initially thought Dia would smell like. Dia's got the florals that Centzon doesn't, and Centzon has the addition of a hell of a lot more chocolate and alcohol...perfect for a chocoholic's drunken party!

Oh yes, this is wet rainforest, one which is overflowing with brightly coloured flowers and ripe tropical fruits! It's not a big floral on me though, I mostly smell the fruits and something zippy in there. Zippy...yes...I'm getting 7-Up! Green and zesty lemony and some warm orange. It's quite strong at first, but after a while, a hint of sugar comes out and now I'm thinking of fizzy Fruit Tingles lollies. I probably wouldn't get this one full size, as it can be a bit overpowering on me, but if I dab on just a little, it makes a fresh and sweet summer scent!

Like Rainbow, Spellbound does it for me. And Loviatar. Definitely.

Blood Rose is so lush. Spellbound has a very similar reaction on my man, it's kind of similar to Blood Rose, but Blood Rose is much deeper. Regan gets him going too, not me as much, but it's growing on me. As for me, I drive myself mad with Spellbound, Lust and Loviatar...and now I'm trying this Blood Rose on again, I'm thinking...hmmmmm!

Ooh yes, totally agree with Zephyr ...lovely. Also Fae, I love that one with its heavenly white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss. Also maybe Old Morocco and Tushnamatay.

This is like a strong fruity candy first on. With a hint of herbaliness. As it dries down though, it's reminding me quite a lot of Tamora! Tamora (with its amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean) is prettier, softer, and powdery musky. Block Buster is no less lovely, but bolder, with a touch of cinnamon, and I can smell the peach and sandalwood that I smell in Tamora. The final dry down is a rounded, peachy floral, still with a hint of cinnamon. I'm not sure if I can vouch for it's Voodooishness, I didn't necessarily feel more creative or any of the other things it mentions, but it is a happy feeling scent and I'm not discounting the other effects just yet!

Spicy hot ginger and clove. Whooeee. It's starting to make the top of my hand itch, so I don't think I'll venture to more tender skin with this one. I can be a bit sensitive with spices sometimes... Eep, 5 minutes later, it's really burning. Will have to wash it off.... ssssssss....ahhh. That's better.... Didn't get it all off and it's left a light red welt. It will soon calm down, I can still smell very strong spice though. Ginger, clove and cinnamon are predominant. Maybe, erm, I should try this as a room scent! Okay, 3 drops in my burner. Let's see what happens. Sigh. It smells exactly the same. And in the scent locket. Very nice, but it's mostly spice! I was hoping for more cakey/bread and a little sugar along with that spice. Okay, I've found a way to wear it. If I put it on very softly (only a mini ini, teeny weeny eeny bit), it's very warm...just like a delicious piece of moist gingerbread – but the breadiness is fleeting. And I have to be careful, because that little bit too much and my skin just cannae take it! I think this one will be mostly a room scent me.

This is perfect from the bottle!! In fact, I'm trying hard not to drink it! I agree with whoever said it smells a bit like Baileys in the bottle too...it does! Numnums. On my skin, mmMMMM! Egg Nog is is my favourite of the Yule blends I've tried (Snow White, Sugar Cookie, Gingerbread Poppet and Hearth)....it's just what I hoped it would be, and more! It's really soft, not overpowering in any way, but still has a delicious sillage, and I can smell the smooth, smooth rum and brandy, sweet cream and a hint of nutmeg. The egg is perfectly blended too...a creamy egginess! I'm going to lick my hand if someone doesn't drag it away from me. The final drydown is an edible, soft sugary creamy vanilla with a hint of rum. This is a light fragrance, and the lasting power is only about an hour on me, but it's totally worth reapplying, and overall: Yumyumyumyumyum! PS: I agree too with the mentions of the PlayDoh note. Though I didn't notice it at first, it's slightly reminiscent of the PlayDoh note in CD Hypnotic Poison - but without the bitter almond, carraway, licorice and florals of HP! . I should say though, that this note doesn't play too strongly on my skin in either scent.

This one instantly and utterly entranced me, even though I don't think it's one I could wear. More than Edgar Allan Poe's poem (which I didn't previously know), I'm reminded of one of my favourite paintings: John William Waterhouse’s ‘Hylas and the Nymphs’. But the dark side of them. The dark woods closing in around Hylas, the crush of dried leaves on wet soil beneath his bare feet, as he walks, almost hypnotised, towards the cool, black water and the beckoning nymphs. He takes his last breath of the woods, the water around him and the scent of the nymphs, which is all of it and white lillies... I can really smell all those things...when I first put Ulalume on, I was hit with that faint aquatic note, but it was instantly covered over in fresh dirt, wet soil and crackling leaves. And then, a moment later, the watery note surfaced again! It is so much like being in deep, dark, dank woods, that it's almost frightening. And yet...it becomes prettier and softer the longer it's on, with a soft floral drifting out. I didn't get the cinnamon at first, but upon further sniffing, there is a touch of spiced cinnamon wood which fades as the florals come out. This is an incredibly inspiring scent for me. It even got me writing poetry...which I haven't done for a long time.

The first sniff of this on my skin elicited an oooh! from me. I'm not sure I'll love it though, as I've really got to be in the mood for it, and sometimes it can be sharply, soapy sweet. There is something about it though...as at other times, it's a richly sweet, warm, round floral.... It very slightly reminds me of Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise, which I have a Love You/Kind of Like You relationship with too, but Tiger Lily is more intimate with its simple beauty, and the addition of the sun-kissed honey and hint of powdery spice.

A bright and definitely pretty floral scent. Belle Epoque puts about a lovely aura, but unfortunately, until it dries down, something in it makes me sneeze, I'm guessing it's either the sweet opium or Lily of the Valley. The opium and vanilla are very sweet and reminiscent of Regan on me, but not as rounded and soft, as it has different florals surrounding it, and the sandalwood which also comes through very lightly, adding a gentle woods. Sometimes I feel I get a hint of jasmine too. As it dries down, it mellows out into a floral with a warm, orangey feel from the mandarin I think (though I can't discern it as that). Not a favourite, but a lovely floral all the same.

Sweet white floral vanilla. Very nice, but very, very sweet. Too sweet for me I think. Jaw-achingly, tooth-achingly so. And a bit sharp somehow. I'd at first put Regan in the sweetness realm of Tiger Lily (honeyed florals), O (sweet honey amber), Le Petit Mort (ylang ylang, jasmine sweet) and even Bell Epoque (with its sweet opium and vanilla) and it also reminds me quite a bit of Stila's Crème Bouquet, which I also find quite cloying. Regan though, does soften and becomes more gentle than all of these, with a slight hint of vanilla powderiness. Quite tempting. Tenacious too. I wore it to bed one night and it was still there, albeit lightly, in the morning. I think I do like it, it just may not be one I'd wear too often. PS: Well, after all my analysing (and possibly winning the award for using the word “sweet” more times than in any other review – I should make better use of my Thesaurus), I had a very unexpected reaction from the man. “You smell nice. Different. You smell like...home... coming home. Like what I want you to smell like when you waft into a room.” This was all said with a dreamy expression. He also said it was comforting, yet sexy. I'd have to say that Regan has great sillage in that case too...and that I'll be wearing it more often.

As soon as Bastet was upon my skin, my first thought was how beautiful and regal she was. Just like a cat when they are sitting up, cooly observing you and all that is around them. This is indeed a golden scent, and it absolutely glows on my skin. The first note which struck me was the almond, but it quickly fades to the background as the musk and amber come to the forefront, with what I think might be the saffron (not really sure what saffron might smell like in a scent though). Sometimes I feel like it's almost lashing out at me, but there's a beautiful softness there too with the myrrh and lotus, and then, I think, a dry cardamom playing about. But it's that soft, gently spiced warmth that continues to radiate from my skin, and it's just gorgeous. I've been very much looking forward to trying this scent! I adore Bastet... I have a little figurine of her and Anubis sitting amongst the perfumes on my dresser. Now that I have her scent, I just need Anubis'...

Rather sexy this one is. Hell’s Belle is a warm and inviting, spicy sweet, slightly floral incense on me. I don’t think I could pick a note in it without knowing them, but while it’s wet, it’s extremely lush and I think I can smell a hint of mandarin and magnolia, but for some reason, it comes out more as strawberry on me. Not a fruity or candy-like strawberry mind, more a piquant, fully grown up strawberry wearing suspenders and burning incense. It has around it though, a rounded creaminess from the oleander and the magnolia. I’m only getting a hint of the magnolia, it seems to be crushed a little by what I’m guessing is the oleander - I can’t be sure though, because I’ve not smelt oleander before. As it dries down, I start to get a sense of a light, airy jasmine (although it’s not mentioned in the notes) mixed in with the other florals, and finally it moves into a sweet floral musky powderiness. Lasting power is very good at about 4 – 5 hours. I really like this one, though I'm not sure if it's full bottle worthy for me yet. PS: I have to be careful with Hell's Belle. Too much and it’s really sweet; so sweet that it clutches at my throat and starts to throttle me, giving me a minor headache. Just a dab for me in future!

At first I felt Dia de los Muertos was too floral for me...I was hoping for more chocolate and candy. But one day I wore it to work and kept wondering what the lovely smell was! Rich, yet not too heavy. And as I read about this celebration, it started to make sense. If you were to wander by an ofrenda, the strongest scents to drift over to you might be the incense and the colourful mix of flowers. Beautiful, if not a tad heady at first, but it gradually smoothes out, as a breeze ruffles up the incense smoke and dry leaves from the street, mixing in with the flowers and incense. A wander closer to the ofrenda, and the smells of just a hint of a dark bittersweet chocolate (though most times I can barely grasp it), burnt toffee (which my man could smell) and a sweet dry tobacco come out. Later, another warm breeze blows in the scent of cactus blossom, light green and fresh, with a succulent sweetness. I don't get a lot of sugar in it, the sweetness is more of a floral sweetness or it could be coming from the amaranth and desert cereus, but I'm not sure what they smell like. This is such a complex scent, and blended so beautifully. I have never been to Mexico or seen an ofrenda, but from reading about them and wearing Beth's exquisite olfactory creation, I feel like I have. PS: It was driving me mad not knowing about the incense and flowers which are used in the ofrenda, so I did a little googling.... Copal incense (resinous sap of a Mexican tree) must come before all other items that are placed as an offering. Its scent attracts spirits, drawing them home. The flowers: As goddessrobyn mentions above, bright orange gold Cempazuchitl (Marigold) – the “flower of 400 lives” to Aztecs and a symbol of death and how short life is. The fragrance of the Cempazuchitl also leads the spirits home, along with purple Cockscomb or Mano de León, baby's breath, white amaryllis, and wild purple orchids. These flowers are known as the "flowers of the souls".

In the bottle, Sugar Skull is the darkest of dark brown sugar, cinnamon, a hint of caramel and a definite splash of one of my favourite liqueurs, Drambuie (Scotch malt whisky – nods to Tesseljoan above – which is sweetened with heather honey and herbs) On my skin…Whoa. This is strong stuff! My mind is consumed with thoughts of brown sugar caramelising on the stove with a few spoonfuls of Drambuie. This is so warm too. Two hours later...it’s much softer brown sugar with a hint of spice. I didn’t get any hint of the fruit, but it's still very delicious!

Hot sweet leather. Loviatar feels as though it’s radiating heat from me.... Oh. Oh my. This is ‘hand me that whip and bend over’ sexy. On me, it’s a mix of three of my favourite of Beth’s blends: Spellbound and Lust (in which red musk also stars) and Lilith (black musk and myrrh) but with a lash of leather and the amber and myrrh providing a definite backbone. The leather clings just beautifully to me and the red musk pushes the scent out into the air (like it does in Spellbound). I was surprised to get a couple of very favourable “Oooh, what are you wearing?” from men too. I didn’t think I could do leather, but I can certainly do this one. Loviatar was love at first sniff, and unquestionably, full bottle worthy for me. PS: Lasting power is brilliant – lasts through a shower and if I put it on before bed, it’s still there (albeit lightly) in the morning. It might be the red musk that helps it stick, as Spellbound does a similar thing on me.

An intimate tearoom in Morocco filled with the scent of delicately spiced edible delights, warm steam rising from my teacup mixing with the softest carnation perfume. I've never been but I feel like I'm there. On the other hand, Old Morocco evokes another feeling in me. Am not completely sure what it is... ah, something to do with a man. Not any particular man I know of, just an image of a chiseled face, a tanned and hunky, smooth-chested man (the kind you see on the cover of a Mills and Boon novel, wind-blown long hair, that sort of thing)....just out of the shower, huge white fluffy towel tied about his waist. He's all warm, clean and fresh………and this is what he smells like. Apologies to those who don't go for the chiseled face, tanned, hunky man thing...insert own whimsy here:______________ I don't really go for them myself, but they do serve well in certain fantasies! Ahem…having said all that, I wouldn't say Old Morocco is all that masculine, though it could go rather nicely on a man. It’s just a gorgeous gorgeous scent…smells old in the most beautiful warm and clean way. It starts out soft and stays soft, but it's never weak. Soft, smooth and comforting, yet sexy. The notes melded together most exquisitely...warm musk and red sandalwood, the softest sweet spice of carnation, kind of like a dusky rose. I can't smell much of the cassia but I guess it's in there helping to make this divine scent what it is. And those Arabian spices, mmmm....there's no one spice that pokes out to my nose though and they don’t dominate the scent at all. The man likes it on me, he said it made him think of roses and got a dreamy look in his eyes. PS: Only problem I have with this one is that I wish it were stronger on me. I put quite a bit on and the sillage is wonderful for about half an hour before I have to put more on. Up very, very close it’s still there though…I think I might drift away.

Anne Bonny! With her Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense. She kept me going when I went out for a walk on a freezing cold morning, I thought, Anne Bonny wouldn't turn around and go home, keep moving!!

Thank you for posting this AOA and thank you Nella too, good stuff to know!

Tintagel ~ Mmmm, first on, berries, dragons blood, wine and a hint of leather. This is indeed a spicy mulled wine and I definitely feel that musky heat. What a wonderful beginning. A few minutes later it's becoming a touch sharp (metal armor?) and heady. The hot spice of cinnamon is coming through stronger and it's so sweet, I wonder if that's juniper in there mixing with the cinnamon? Now, 15 mins later, it's like hot mulled wine and a huge steaming berry tart laid out on the table. More minutes gone by and I'm getting Big Red gum. It's not fake smelling though. Thirty mins later - it's softening...phew...thought I was going to faint with that hot cinnamon - it was kind of like having Ioan Gruffud (gorgeous man that he is), decked out as Lancelot from King Arthur, standing right in front of me...that dizziness *fans face*. It's still cinnamon though, with the wine and dragon's blood simmering quietly in the background, the leather's gone AWOL. Two hours later, the same but softer. Another ½ hour and it's fading away altogether. I don't think I got any hawthorn, blackthorn or elm, not that I know what they smell like, I thought they might add a hint of greeness or woodiness but it might be they mixed in with the cinnamon and now I think about it, I think they may have been there all jumbled up with the top notes and making the cinnamon slightly different. Overall, very lovely, beautifully blended and does mostly convey a happy feasting. I'd use the Imp, but don't think I'd go for a larger size. On my skin, I would have liked it less sweet and hot cinnamony, and a tad more muskiness and sexy soft warm leather wouldn't have gone astray. <P> PS: This was one of my extras from the Lab...thanks for letting me try it!!

I love Egyptian Goddess too...so beautiful!! I remember a thread a while ago we were talking about it (can't find the thread though dang it) but Beth said she has a single note of Egyptian Musk, I've been wondering what it's like...it was going to be on my order I put in a week or so ago, but too many of the other scents won out! Anyway, I wonder what this single note would be like with some of Beth's reedy/herbal notes? When I sniff my Egyptian Goddess I think I can smell those things.

Scrumdiddlyum. Bliss is just what it’s meant to be…foody chocolate all the way, no flowers, no woods, not even a piece of fruit in sight! Just milky and chocolatey with a yummy biscuity biscuitness! After a while, I smell a warm melted chocolate goodness about myself, very nice and not too sweet! Others around me get hints of vanilla and chocolate. I really like it, but to wear more often, I like my chocolates with something else; like BPAL Vice with its soft cherry, DSH Bois du Chocolate with its gorgeous sandalwood and musk, or Serendipitous, with its heavenly hint of blood orange. All depends on the mood though, and Bliss certainly is perfect for a deliciously unadulterated chocolate hit! Lasting power is a couple of hours, not too bad! And then I’m happy to re-apply for more chocolate rush!

Tushnamatay is gentle and serene but with backbone. It’s softly sweet, slightly herbal and reedy, with a hint of floral. I’m probably way off, but I think I can smell white sandalwood, jasmine, a soft white musk, pale thin reeds, and the barest suggestion of vanilla and/or maybe blood orange for sweetness. There’s a quiet spiciness too, it might be cardamom, or as Clover said, carnation – I definitely get a hint of that. I would not have expected it for such a hushed scent, but if I put too much on, it catches in the back of my throat, it’s a hint of bitterness. I’m not sure what it could be, but when it does blend in with my skin, it’s all very soft and seamless. Not a favourite, but definitely lovely and soothing. PS: The first time I smelt Tushnamatay, I was reminded of MMU Love Potion (vanilla, jasmine, blood orange and musk). With one on each hand, both have a very similar soft sweetness, but their differences come out on the dry-down. Tushnamatay is a more pure scent, soft greens and yellows, calming...perfect for what it was intended for I guess! Love Potion on the other hand is very pink with a different musk which is slightly powdery, and the jasmine and blood orange poking out more; a lovely blend for a different mood, it does have a slight plasticky dry-down in the perfume oil, but may not in a lotion, so it might be interesting for layering!