caseys

Mlle. Lilith, Fortune Teller

Snap Judgements: I’ve never been able to get on board with the Mme. Moriarty craze. I want to love it, and I have an aged bottle of it, but it’s so incredibly overpowering on me that I just never feel very comfortable wearing it. I’m hoping that Mlle. Lilith will be a wearable version of Mme. Moriarty.

In the Bottle: Red musk and coconut.

Wet: Red musk and coconut. Red musk has a really bad tendency to go corn chips on me, and that is exactly what it’s doing right now. This actually smells like corn chips fried in coconut oil – not the sweet fake coconut, but more like how fresh coconut meat smells.

Dry: Okay, the musk has calmed down a little. No more corn chips, which is a good thing. The orange blossom emerges during the drydown, and the pomegranate adds just a tiny touch of sweetness. In the end, this is predominantly red musk and orange blossom, with a little bit of sweet fruit.

Final Thoughts: Mlle. Lilith is certainly a derivative of Mme. Moriarty. It is lighter and easier to wear, but I guess I’m just not a fan of red musk. It always seems to dominate every other note on my skin. I’ll keep this for a while to see how it ages, but right now I’m not getting horribly excited about it.

Falling Leaf Moon 2009

Snap Judgements: It seems like every time I only order a decant of the lunacy, it ends up being amazing (lookin' at you Strawberry Moon ). I think I've decided that I should go ahead and get the bottle every month just to be safe, knowing full well that this will probably fail on me. Aquatics just never seem to work, although I like opononax and oakmoss.

In the Bottle: Very interesting. I can definitely smell leaves and ozone. There is a spicy component way off in the background that I’m tempted to attribute to cinnamon. However, I agree with Gwydion that it’s probably patchouli in bizarre combination with the ozone.

Wet: Not much morph during the wet phase. The sourness of that labdanum emerges a little, but it’s not unpleasant. The distinct leaf smell does fade into the background quite a bit toward the end of the drydown.

Dry: The ozone has mostly burned off, and the labdanum really starts to shine. Together with the agarwood, it gives a smoky, distant campfire feel to the blend. There is still a spicy, earthy undertone from the patchouli. I can’t detect the oakmoss specifically, but I think it’s also contributing to the earthiness.

Final Thoughts: Falling Leaf Moon is actually much nicer than I expected, and is an intriguingly complex scent. It feels very feminine and sexy, whereas most aquatic/ozone blends always go “sporty masculine” on me. This scent is ALL fall, and in my opinion, very evocative of October specifically. In the end I don’t get a lot of rain imagery from it, but it definitely makes me think of a crisp fall night in the woods, with some distant smoke carried on the wind. I'm so glad I ordered a bottle!

The Torture Queen

Snap Judgements: I’ve been very leary of this scent. I want it to work so badly, because I love the imagery, but I worry about all of the white and metallic notes. I grabbed this in a decant circle so that I could try it without committing to a bottle.

In the Bottle: This smells very clean and bright. White tea and ambergris are the predominant notes that I get on sniffing. Once again, the ambergris gives this a traditional “perfumey” feel.

Wet: Wow, this is just like sniffing a mug of white tea. Actually, like sniffing white tea out of a stainless steel mug, since the chrome is coming around a little. Ambergris is still doing its thing.

Dry: I’ve still got the tea, chrome, and ambergris, plus the vanilla musk is adding just the tiniest hint of sweetness. The gardenia seems to be a minor player here. I can tell that it’s making a contribution, but it’s not in-your-face white floral.

Final Thoughts: The Torture Queen is a light, airy, gleaming scent. Of all the Carnaval blends I’ve tried, I think it does the absolute best job of matching its artwork. While wearing this, I can completely picture the woman with translucent skin and white-blond hair, and the metal hooks that suspend her. This blend is a fantastic example of Beth’s artistry in capturing a concept with scent. It’s totally not a traditional “me” scent, but it’s so impressive that I’ll probably get a bottle anyway.

Allo guysss <3

 

I have this medicine I'm taking that make me more sensitive to potent scents than usual, but I love my BPAL oils so.

I've been wanting to dilute them into an alcohol base so they don't sicken me to wear, but I cannot find what kind of alcohol product to use and where I could possibly find it, or a good base proportion to use for mixing should I choose to do so.

 

ANy and all help would be magnificent!

Hi Synthetika!

Have you tried this thread? There is lots of good information about turning oils into alcohol sprays.

Pumpkin III 2009

Snap Judgements: I initially didn’t include this on my ‘weenie decant wishlist because tomato = eeeeewwww. I can’t stand the smell, taste or texture of tomatoes. But I love pumpkin, fir, and rosemary, so I threw it in my order at the last minute.

In the Bottle: Not bad, not bad… The pumpkin is very prominent, and I can also pick up the rosemary very well. The best news? No tomato to be found.

Wet: Mmmm… The pumpkin is definitely the star here, with fir and rosemary darkening it up. I’ve been disappointed in some of the other Patch blends that didn’t have enough pumpkin, so this is a very good thing. I can’t pick out any tomato so far. Throw is a tiny bit weak in this stage.

Dry: Wow. There isn’t a lot of morphing from the wet stage, except for the fir becoming a little more dominant and the throw increasing a lot. The pumpkin is buttery, warm, and not-too-sweet. The fir and rosemary really ground the blend and give the pumpkin a deep green and spicy feeling. Maybe the tomato here is actually tomato leaf, because I have yet to detect any vile red tomato scent. Pumpkin III is not an overly complex blend, but it captures the essence of fall perfectly for me. It feels very natural, as if you are picking pumpkins in the garden rather than eating them in a pie.

Final Thoughts: OMG I love this! I am so surprised by Pumpkin III, and can’t believe that I almost left it out of my decant order. This is going to get worn a LOT this fall, so I need to track down a bottle immediately!

Black Butterfly Moon

Snap Judgements: Florals are always a gamble. If they aren’t mixed with the right things, they often become harsh, powdery unpleasantness on me. I have had much better luck with gardenia and lily than some other florals, so hopefully that trend will continue here. My wish is that the oppononax, moss, and current can hold the flowers in check.

In the Bottle: Ambergris, moss, and a hint of white floral. Ambergris has a tendency to give blends that “classic” perfumey vibe, and that’s what is going on here.

Wet: In the wet stages this smells very dusky. It’s like the deep blue color of the sky right before sunrise. It really smells like there is moonflower in this blend, but maybe that’s the Lady of the Night orchid? Anyway, there is a smooth white floral that I can pick out separately from the Gardenia, and together with the moss they give this blend a soft and earthy feel.

Dry:In the initial dry down, the white floral threatens to overwhelm everything. There is a bitter sharpness rising up that has me worried for a while. But never fear! Just in the nick of time, the black currant swoops in and saves the day by adding just a hint of sweetness. It actually tempers the floral quite nicely. I still get a predominantly white-floral dry down, but there is enough moss and currant to keep it from getting out of control.

Final Thoughts: In the wet stages, this is a very nocturnal blend that reminds me a lot of Night Thoughts from the 2008 Lupercalia series. It actually feels more like deep blue than black. I’m a little disappointed with the dry stage, as it seems to lose that lovely darkness. Be careful, because this is some strong stuff! I applied my standard two imp wand swipes, and I actually felt a little self-conscious (am I wearing too much?) all day. Overall, Black Butterfly Moon isn’t entirely what I had hoped it would be, but it’s intriguing enough for me to retry a few more times.

Hideous Heart

Snap Judgements: I’m a big Poe fan, and although Tell-Tale Heart isn’t my favorite Poe story, it’s the first one I ever read. Add that to the fact that the note list reads like a dream, and Hideous Heart sounds right up my alley.

In the Bottle: Cherry Jolly Rancher! Jolly Ranchers have a very distinct scent to my nose – they smell *clear*, kind of like how I imagine flavored glass would smell. That’s what I’m getting here.

Wet: The cherry is still here, but the licorice is starting to darken the scent now. Instead of Jolly Rancher, now it’s Twizzler. It’s beautiful, but there is very little throw, and I literally have to get my nose right up on my skin to smell it.

Dry: I’m picking up all of the notes now: cherry, licorice, and tiny hint of cinnamon. It smells exactly like a Twizzler with a light dusting of cinnamon! If you’re worried about the cinnamon, don’t be, because it’s very subtle in this blend.

Final Thoughts: This breaks my heart! Hideous Heart is gorgeous, especially in its simplicity, but it just disappears on my skin. I’m going to have to think about whether I want to keep it.

The Sluggard

Snap Judgements: I very rarely purchase imps directly from the lab. I usually just like to be surprised by whatever frimps I get with my LE orders, but I made an exception and ordered an imp of this when the new Mad Tea Party update went live. I love the ho wood in Habu, gardenia is a floral that I can usually wear, and pear is good on me as well. Anything with lavender will always get my attention.

In the Bottle: Pear and frankincense. I'm sad that I can't detect any lavender.

Wet: Frankincense has a tendency to smell mildewy on me, and it's really skirting the edge right now. However, I'm getting some nice gardenia and pear, so hopefully the frankincense will behave. Still no lavender.

Dry: The lavender has finally emerged! This is incredibly well-balanced and creamy when dry, and the frankincense loses that musty vibe. The sweet pear takes some sharpness out of the lavender, and the frankincense spices it up a bit. Gardenia lingers in the background, giving The Sluggard a creamy and feminine undertone. I actually get a mental image of pouring purple and green paint into a can of white paint and then feeling the thick, slow texture as it is stirred.

Final Thoughts: This is beautiful. It definitely has a lazy feel – like something you would wear on a summer weekend with jeans and a t-shirt. To echo previous reviewers, the creaminess of this blend is really what makes it shine, and what ties it in perfectly to the concept of a sluggard. It fades a little faster than I'd like though (about 3-4 hours), so I'll let it age a little and then test my imp a few more times before I commit to a bottle.

TKO

Snap Judgements: I have an obsessive love of lavender. There's no way this could go wrong.

In the Bottle: Sugared lavender. Awww yeeeah!

Wet: This scent doesn't morph at all on me. Sweet lavender vanilla goodness.

Dry: See above.

Final Thoughts: You know that blissful moment when you wake up early on your day off, all warm and snuggly under the covers, and then realize that you get to go back to sleep? In my mind, that moment smells like TKO. It doesn't get much more perfect than this.

:love!:

Sacrifice

Snap Judgements: I have to be honest. I kinda jumped on this scent because of all the forum buzz, not necessarily because I have a huge fondness for western scents. I do really like sweetgrass, sage is usually good, and the right kind of leather can be very nice. Still, I expect it to smell better on DH than on me.

In the Bottle: I get sharp, metallic blood tang immediately. It really reaches out and smacks you in the face. There is a whiff of leather in the background.

Wet: The blood doesn't seem to carry over to my skin, which is a good thing. Instead, I get a leather that is very reminiscent of the leather in Doc Constantine. Sweetgrass and sage show up to smooth out the blend after about 5 minutes. Man, this kind of amazing! It is very, very mellow and surprisingly unisex.

Dry: Woodsmoke becomes much more prominent in the drydown, and I'd swear there is vanilla or some kind of dark amber in here. Whatever it is, there is a sweetness that keeps the woodsmoke from becoming too bitter. It also seems to hold the cedar in check, giving the blend a nice spiciness instead of that hamster cage vibe. So I've got soft leather, dry grass, sage, and woodsmoke underscored by a spicy sweetness. Very, very nice.

Final Thoughts: I feel very lucky to have gotten my hands on this one! It reminds me a lot of Doc Constantine, only sweeter and softer. I usually can't pull off the supposedly masculine blends very well, but I find this to be very wearable. In fact, I think it smells better on me than on the DH! This bottle will be cherished.

I am married to a man who can play the Star Wars soundtrack and quote the movie along with it. I've seen Star Wars waaaaay to many times...

The Emperor

Malediction - Evil incarnate. Revel in your dark side with this romantically cruel scent. Red patchouli and vetivert.

Darth Vader

Oblivion – Salvation found in darkness beyond darkness, the blessed sleep of nothingness. Dark musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods and saffron.

C-3PO

Phoenix Steamworks – Burnished gold and oiled bronze notes with Abramelin incense and sage.

Mos Eisley Cantina

Juke Joint – A bawdy, gleefully wicked and unruly scent: Kentucky Bourbon, sugar, and a sprig of mint.

Luke Skywalker

Scarecrow – The scent of a hot wind blowing through desolate, scorched, barren fields.

The Lightsaber

Ultraviolet – Electrifying, mechanized and chilly – the scent of crushed blooms strewn on cold metal. Lush violet and neroli spiked hard with eucalyptus and a sliver of mint.

Lando Calrissian

Velvet – envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh

Yoda

Bayou – A lazy, warm deep green scent with a thick aquatic undertone: Spanish moss, evergreen and cypress with watery blue-green notes and an eddy of hothouse flowers and swamp blooms.

Leia

The Lady of Shallot – The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, and icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muget, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger.

Han

I agree, it's Casanova all the way!

Wow. My nerd is totally showing tonight!

Illustrated Woman

Snap Judgements: Disclaimer: this is a review based on Illustrated Woman that has been aged. I actually purchased a bottle of this unsniffed about a year ago because I love love love pine, vanilla, and skin musk. When I first tested it, I really didn't like it. It smelled horribly acrid and weird on my skin, almost like bug spray or oven cleaner mixed with playdough. However, I figured that I might as well let it age and then give it another shot, since it seems to be a crowd favorite.

In the Bottle: This is very dry in the bottle, with the pine and patchouli being most prominent. It smells like a forest with a covering of old leaves on the ground.

Wet: Promising. The pine is a little sharp during this stage, but the patchouli and tobacco work really hard to add some grounding. The vanilla also starts to make an appearance, which lends a hint of smoky sweetness.

Dry: The final touch here is skin musk doing that skin musk magic. I've seen scents with this note described as "smells like me only better." Yeah. Totally this. There is a very natural, earthy quality about Illustrated Woman that makes me think of running on my favorite trail: the deep scents of a slightly damp forest mixed with the musky-sweet scent of skin after a good workout. Pine still sits above all the other notes on me, and that's perfectly okay. Everything else - the vanilla, patchouli, musk, and tobacco - flow together beautifully in a supporting role. This stays close to the skin, as a me-but-better scent should, and it has a moderate (4-5 hours) wearlength.

Final Thoughts: Wow. Just Wow. I am amazed at how a year of aging could transform a scent from bug spray playdough into amazing sexy perfection. I think that time really mellows the pine and pulls the rest of the notes together - like they are comfortable old friends now rather than awkward new acquaintances. I am so thrilled that I gave Illustrated Woman another chance, because it has just rocketed into my top ten. I rarely buy backup bottles, but I will need at least one (or two...) more of this before the Carnaval packs up.

Dionysa

Snap Judgements: Mahogany sounds absolutely yummy, although woods can be hit-or-miss for me. Plum and pomegranate almost always work. Overall, I’m expecting good things from Dionysa.

In the Bottle: Patchouli and mahogany with a tiny plum blossom whisper in the background.

Wet: This scent feels slick and smooth - like running your hand over a piece of lacquered wood. The dark fruit notes become slightly more prominent about 15 minutes after application, and there is a nice spicy quality that is probably contributed by the frankincense. I’m fascinated by the way the mahogany and patchouli are entwined in this blend. I can distinctly smell each one as an individual note, but at the same time they appear to merge into each other seamlessly. Crazy.

Dry: I still get the wood and patchouli at drydown, and the fruit comes forward a little more. I am disappointed that the spiciness doesn’t seem to last, and the throw really backs off a lot within the first hour. Sadly, at about 3 hours Dionysa completely morphs into grape Bubble Yum. Maybe raspberry doesn’t agree with me?

Final Thoughts: I had high hopes for Dionysa, and she actually smells pretty sexy on my skin for several hours, but I'm afraid I have to amend my previous analogy. This scent is like running your hand over a beautiful lacquered wood table, and then finding a big wad of grape gum stuck to the underside. I’m sure it is absolutely stunning on the right body chemistry, and it would probably work well in a scent locket. I’m not really a scent locket kind of girl, so I doubt I’ll be needing a bottle of this.

Eisheth Zenunim

Snap Judgements: Peach is almost always an epic disaster on me. Even in the smallest quantities, it usually morphs into syrupy sweet cough medicine – plastic bottle and all. I almost didn’t try Eisheth simply for this reason, but the white peach was intriguing. Honey, neroli, cocoa and patchouli are all iffy notes for me. Overall, this blend wasn’t screaming my name, but I threw it in a decant order because I’m working my way through all the Grindhouse ladies.

In the Bottle: The peach, ambergris and neroli really stand out here. Interestingly, white peach smells much more subdued than regular peach. It isn’t so sweet and in-your-face. I don’t get any cocoa or patchouli at all.

Wet: The notes in Eisheth might lead you to believe that it is a foody scent, but the ambergris and neroli really keep this from venturing into too-sweet territory. There is a very classic “perfumy” quality here that I’m guessing has a lot to do with the ambergris. This is not a bad thing. Peach seems to be staying in check. Cocoa is starting to become noticeable.

Dry: The light floral topnotes burn away pretty quickly. At about 1 hour, the cocoa has deepened and the peach is still lingering subtly. There is very faint earthy aspect emerging that is probably contributed by the patchouli.

Wearlength and Throw: This easily lasts 12 hours on me. The throw is strong but not overpowering.

Final Thoughts: Well whaddya know? This ended up being one of my top favorites from the whole Carnaval so far. Not only does the peach behave, it actually contributes a subtle richness and beauty to the drydown. Eisheth is a very pretty, warm and earthy blend. For me it’s a summery daytime scent, and it would be great to wear to work, or when you don’t want to scream “I’m wearing perfume”.