cranberry

Bliss - Bewitching Brews Notes: Milk chocolate I can’t decide if this is chocolate brownie or hot chocolate, but either way – YUM!

I can’t decide if this is chocolate brownie or hot chocolate, but either way – YUM!

Picked this up at the PO on Wednesday. Diana #1 Iago** - reviewed Delirium** - reviewed Empyreal Mist - already reviewed 9-5-05 Blood** - reviewed Burial** - reviewed Kumhio** - reviewed so I've either got these or already tried them. It's ready to go to spacekitty or the next person on the list. ETA: ok, I've got these all reviewed and sending this to filigree_shadow

Iago - Illyria Notes: black musk, wet leather, vetivert Vetivert and leather. And a sweet smell that’s surprising – amber? It does remind me of black licorice for some reason but not quite. It smells waxy and thick. Pretty good in fact. I love leather, like black musk sometimes and usually like vetivert, but for some reason I was convinced that this would push over into the way too masculine side and I wouldn’t like it. So this is a surprising scent for me. Yes, I can see that it would smell amazing on a man. I got it - this reminds me strongly of Haunted. It must be the black musk. While Haunted went powdery on me, this is not. Smelling this makes me want to layer it with *something*…. but for the life of me I can’t figure out what.

Vetivert and leather. And a sweet smell that’s surprising – amber? It does remind me of black licorice for some reason but not quite. It smells waxy and thick. Pretty good in fact. I love leather, like black musk sometimes and usually like vetivert, but for some reason I was convinced that this would push over into the way too masculine side and I wouldn’t like it. So this is a surprising scent for me. Yes, I can see that it would smell amazing on a man. I got it - this reminds me strongly of Haunted. It must be the black musk. While Haunted went powdery on me, this is not. Smelling this makes me want to layer it with *something*…. but for the life of me I can’t figure out what.

Blood - Bewitching Brews Notes: dragon's blood resin, myrrh, cherry, clove In the imp and on the skin, this smells of dragon’s blood and cherry. The cherry is a bit artificial to me and reminds me of a cherry slushie. As it dries the myrrh and clove comes out and softens the artificial cherry smell. This smells way better to me dry than wet, the myrrh and clove make this smell downright wonderful. Spicy, sexy, seductive. This is a fabulous clove scent and delicious!

In the imp and on the skin, this smells of dragon’s blood and cherry. The cherry is a bit artificial to me and reminds me of a cherry slushie. As it dries the myrrh and clove comes out and softens the artificial cherry smell. This smells way better to me dry than wet, the myrrh and clove make this smell downright wonderful. Spicy, sexy, seductive. This is a fabulous clove scent and delicious!

Burial - Dark Elements Notes: juniper, patchouli, loam, floral Initially, Burial is strongly juniper with a touch of sweetness. As it wears after it’s dry, the patchouli comes out and adds to the juniper. Sniffing my wrist from a distance there’s the faint scent of powdery flowers mixing with the patchouli and juniper. The loam seems to be absent. Maybe the powder is better attributed to the patchouli rather than the flowers but the powder is there nonetheless. This scent really sticks! This scent is very calming and soothing.

Initially, Burial is strongly juniper with a touch of sweetness. As it wears after it’s dry, the patchouli comes out and adds to the juniper. Sniffing my wrist from a distance there’s the faint scent of powdery flowers mixing with the patchouli and juniper. The loam seems to be absent. Maybe the powder is better attributed to the patchouli rather than the flowers but the powder is there nonetheless. This scent really sticks! This scent is very calming and soothing.

Kumiho - Diabous Notes: white tea, ginger This scent starts off all tea but then morphs to a lemony tea with a bit of spicy fire. It is light, clean, refreshing. It reminds me other white tea products out there. I like white tea so I do like this scent, but it’s just too similar to the mainstream tea scents. I think I prefer to get my tea fix from other tea blends such as Holiday Moon, Dragon Moon, Dorian, etc.

This scent starts off all tea but then morphs to a lemony tea with a bit of spicy fire. It is light, clean, refreshing. It reminds me other white tea products out there. I like white tea so I do like this scent, but it’s just too similar to the mainstream tea scents. I think I prefer to get my tea fix from other tea blends such as Holiday Moon, Dragon Moon, Dorian, etc.

Empyreal Mist - Bewitching Brews (wow - I reveiwed this 9-5-05 - a long time ago!) Thanks to the generosity of the Lab I got to try Empyreal Mist. Initial Impression, in the Imp: Light, clean, pretty floral. Very sweet. On the skin: Still a light, clean floral. Brings to mind white flowers. I'm not good at distinguishing florals, but these are very, very sweet flowers. Stays sweet on the skin, a bit too sweet for my taste. There may be a sliver of wood grounding the scent - but it stays very very subdued and very soft. I get some melon that adds a bit of juicyness to the scent. It lasts a long time on me - even after doing the dishes and applying lotion I can still smell it. Overall: Too floral and a lot too sweet for my taste. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to try it though. Still, it's going in the swap or gift pile.

Delirium - Bewitching Brews Notes: Apple, rose, lemon Delirium is mainly a rose scent on me. The apple is soft and a supporting note to the rose rounding it out and stopping it from going sour, nasty rose on me. The lemon adds a wonderful tartness and freshness to the rose but doesn’t step over into sour territory. As it wears the rose becomes stronger and the other components recede. But it’s still being tempered by them so it doesn’t go to the rose that hates me and my skin. Overall, this is an ok blend. Not one that I would seek out but one that I’ve enjoyed trying.

Delirium is mainly a rose scent on me. The apple is soft and a supporting note to the rose rounding it out and stopping it from going sour, nasty rose on me. The lemon adds a wonderful tartness and freshness to the rose but doesn’t step over into sour territory. As it wears the rose becomes stronger and the other components recede. But it’s still being tempered by them so it doesn’t go to the rose that hates me and my skin. Overall, this is an ok blend. Not one that I would seek out but one that I’ve enjoyed trying.

I just tried HM Butterfly today. On me, I'm not getting any berries, it's more vanilla and sandalwood. It actually reminds me strongly, strongly, strongly of MB underpants. ETA: ok, well, it's been on a while and it's smelling less and less like underpants. but when it's fresh, at least on me, it's a dead ringer for underpants.

I got to try French Creole courtesy of the CTIII circular swap, so a huge thanks to whoever threw it in there! In the imp and when first applied, there’s a gentle, mildly sweet spice, maybe clove? It’s tempered and I’m having a hard time placing the notes – lime? A cola-like smell? It’s unusual seems to go back and forth, bouncing around. There a bit of tartness which makes me think lime, yet it’s pretty subdued and doesn’t clash or overpower the sweet spice. Overall, this smells yummy and I’m glad to have tried this. I need more of this for next week!

ok, the last of package 2, CTIII circular swap. Chaos Theory III DCCXXVI (826) Light musk, violet, maybe a touch of menthol. It is a bit like soap. This is a light scent, and doesn’t last long. Chaos Theory III MCCCXXXVIII (1338) This smells of dark musk, and something that I’m having a real hard time nailing down. Maybe orchid, although I’m finding that I like orchid, so maybe not that. There’s some similarity to Dark Delicacies and Mme Moriaty but overall these scents are VERY different from this Chaos Theory. I’m thinking there’s a touch (just a touch) of the patchouli in Mme Moriaty, and a touch of the orchid that’s in Dark Delicacies. This CT does not have a sweet smell at all. If the smell of this oil had a color, it would be a mid-range gray. There’s a hint of a chemical smell. Interesting, but not a scent I would ever reach for. Previously reviewed by roesmoker. Chaos Theory III MXCIV (1094) In the imp this smells of florals and neroli in particular. Once applied this smells like a piece of fruity hard candy. The neroli is still there but there’s a tropical fruity smell too. After it’s dried, the tropical fruit smell fades and it’s flowers again. There’s a slight bitterness there that I always attribute to orange blossom. It’s like it’s sweetened sugared neroli. I’m loving everything sugared so I think this is just a beautiful blend. There could be a touch of blood orange there too, as it’s reminding me of Kunstkammer, which was heavy on the blood orange. Previously reviewed by roesmoker. Chaos Theory III DCCCLXXXII (882) In the imp this smells of herbs, with some lime and some pine or juniper. Wow, this is STRONG! It’s not menthol but it’s a very clearing scent, almost to the point of making my eyes water. Hmmm, this is odd. It smells like there could be bit of honey in here too. After it’s been on a few minutes, it has calmed down considerably. But yup, there’s definitely honey in here, I’m getting that indole scent here. **honey and I typically don’t get along** There’s also something herbal, the citrus is gone. It’s a strong combination. It’s another not-sweet scent, and despite the honey, it smells very dry. This has been one crazy-ass CT to try and I’m glad I got the chance, even if it’s not a scent for me. Last reviewed by slave1. Chaos Theory III DCLXXVI (676) In the imp and on the skin, this is a spicy, musky scent. I think it has dragon’s blood due to both the color and faint dragon’s blood aroma. In scent, it reminds me of oils that are much redder in the vial such as Fiery Wall of Protection or some of the Voodoo oils, while this one is just a nice orange, peachy type color. So in addition to the dragon’s blood, there’s a mid-range musk and maybe a hint of pepper. I like dragon’s blood quite a bit and I think this blend is quite lovely. It ends with an impression of warmth, spice, resins, and being sultry. Very nice. Previously reviewed by roesmoker.

still working on the CTIII package 2. one more review to add right now. Chaos Theory III CDVII (407) In the imp, fruity! On the skin, sweet, tropical fruits. Maybe a touch of pineapple. This is a very juicy-smelling scent, to the level of I can imagine biting in and having juices running down my chin. After it dries, there’s still a foody aspect here, but now it’s kinda spicy. I think there could be a touch of clove here. Now the fruit is just about completely gone and what’s left is warm and lightly spiced. It’s faint (I didn’t put that much on), but this is not the strongest of all BPALs; I think in order to get a good throw going you’d really have to slather. Ok, maybe the fruit's not gone completely, but this has turned into a spicy, dark, sexy scent accented by dark fruits. Very nice! Last reviewed by roesmoker.

my first reviews from the CTIII decant circle, package 2: CXCV (195) This is a hard scent to nail down. Initially I thought violets, but now I’m not sure. It’s very faint, seems to have some musk. This is an addictive scent and I’m totally enjoying sniffing my arm. It has some decent lasting power and after 1.5 hrs or so it’s going strong. This scent is so familiar and the closest I can think is musk and violet. I have a CT that’s similar (i.e., all violet), and I think this has similarities to Numb and Yog-Sothoth. Last reviewed by roesmoker. MXIV (1014) In the imp, this smells of almonds and sweetness. Once applied, there’s almond but also something vaguely aquatic. This reminds me of BPALs murky deep scents but with a dash of almond thrown in. The aquatic is cologne-like and I know immediately that this scent is not for me. It’s similar to the aquatics in Bed of Nails or House of Mirrors (how I interpreted the glass note). Interesting to try but not something that I’d ever wear. Previously reviewed by blood*rose*flowers. DCCCXCIV (894) In the imp, this smelled strongly of herbs. On the skin, the herbal note is there. It could be lavender, eucalyptus, with a swig of something else. Maybe a hint of methol. There’s a bitterness here that’s interesting to smell and I think that if this was used in massage oil it would physically cool the skin. After it’s been on a while, there’s a citrus element here in addition to the herbs, maybe lime. It compliments the other scents but does not overpower them. Last reviewed by slave1.

Although it's not GC, I thought that Faiza dead-on had that ginger note that Mum Moon had.

I’ve been putting off trying this one until I felt that I could give it the time that it deserves. Now is still not the time but I just couldn’t resist any longer. Wow, I love this scent! Initially it’s caramel, melted sugar, and Snake Oil. Snake Oil and Sugar Skull is a good description. It’s heavy on the caramel and sugar, with the Snake Oil providing a backdrop. As it wears, the Snake Oil base becomes stronger and the sugar and caramel quiet down. Gahhh, this is fabulous - both wet and dry. Before I tried Anaconda but based on the reviews, I tried layering Sugar Skull and Snake Oil and it was wonderful. Thinking back, it’s not quite exact, so maybe Eat Me and Sugar Skull is a better match. I’m going to have to try that combo but overall, Anaconda is wonderful and I wish I had more than a few drops.

I have a love hate relationship with rose. I adore the flowers, I love seeing them in the wild, yet I rarely like them in perfume. I find that they need to be either strong, pure, fresh rose (Rose Red) or have something else going on – mixed with spice, or resin and wood. Hope to me seems more along the lines of London than Rose Red, which is too bad as I didn’t care for London at all. I’m not getting much sugar here, nor any other notes (and not the luscious vanilla musk that I got from Faith). No, this is just pure rose, more like a tea rose than anything. As far as the rose that goes bad on me goes, this is among the better, but it’s still not the rose that I adore.

I wasn't expecting to like this one, but I was so wrong! Sweet, soft violets with a vanilla base - it totally does remind me of Antique Lace with a violet overlay. Beautiful. Because this reminds me so much of Antique Lace, I wouldn't be surprised to find there's white musk in here. As it wears, it also reminds me of Black Opal, there's a touch of the mineral smell. The longer it's on, the stronger the mineral scent becomes and it becomes more about that mineral scent and vanilla with the sugar and violet adding a lovely sweet element. I like violet but don't find myself wearing it much. I think this is my favorite of all the violet blends that I've tried. I just may be tempted to get a bottle of this one.

Ephemera: Bewitching Brews Notes: violet, chamomile, muguet, white geranium, calla lily, tea rose, autumn leaves In the imp and wet on the skin, this smells like soft florals with a hint of spice. This is a soft, quiet scent, pretty and refined. The flowers are soft – I can barely smell the rose but it’s there. I have a love-hate relationship with rose and I’m happy to say the other flowers temper the rose so there is just a whisper. There’s a herbal aspect to this scent and I’m having a hard time identifying the other flowers. It doesn’t last long and remains soft, gentle and sweet. It’s nice, not something that I’d reach for on a regular basis, but I’ll hold onto any imps that come my way.

In the imp and wet on the skin, this smells like soft florals with a hint of spice. This is a soft, quiet scent, pretty and refined. The flowers are soft – I can barely smell the rose but it’s there. I have a love-hate relationship with rose and I’m happy to say the other flowers temper the rose so there is just a whisper. There’s a herbal aspect to this scent and I’m having a hard time identifying the other flowers. It doesn’t last long and remains soft, gentle and sweet. It’s nice, not something that I’d reach for on a regular basis, but I’ll hold onto any imps that come my way.