crebbsgirl

I just got my first TAL order today, so I was very excited to try this. I'm 28 and my libido has been steadily declining for almost a year now. I've tried almost everything - stress-relief exercises, sleeping more, working out, diet change - and nothing is working. I was trying to avoid supplements and all that cause to be honest, they frighten me. Doctors don't take a woman's lack of libido seriously. I honestly got scoffed at when I mentioned it as an issue. So, TAL was my last hope. I came home today and was so tired, and stressed out, and all around grumpy there was NO WAY I was interested in any sort of amorous activities. Which is exactly what made me reach for Caliph's Beloved. I figured this would be the perfect testing situation. So I put some on. The smell was delicious. A honey, musky scent with a hint of spice. I didn't get roses at all. As for efficacy....

Let's just say it worked. Thank you TAL, for giving me hope.

Alright I have no idea what happened here. I wanted musky leathery incensey goodness. And it started out that way... before things went horribly wrong. What did I get? Cherries. I have NO CLUE why I would get cherries. (Even if there IS dragon's blood in here, my skin has NEVER turned it to cherry before, so why should it start now?) Oh this is just weird. As I don't like the smell of cherries, this is a pass for me.

Wet, the bay rum and hyssop and predominant on my skin but as this dries - whoo boy! - this is wonderful. It gets smoky sweet, as the bourbon vanilla and brimstone come out a little more. The tobacco note in this is present, but it doesn't dominate the blend at all, it's more of a supporting player here. The bay rum blends in seamlessly with the other notes. I've had problems with bay rum overtaking other elements in a blend before, and it doesn't happen here. I was worried this was going to be overly masculine for me but I shouldn't have been concerned. I really like this!

This was a perfect woodsy spice on me. It was very much a skin scent, you had to get pretty close to me to smell it. Which isn't a bad thing. The cardamom was pretty strong when wet, but as it dried it blended beautifully with the other notes, softening a little so it wasn't overpowering in the slightest. I'm not getting anything medicinal or olive-y. I was worried that the hay would make this too dry, but it hasn't. It's warm and comforting and sexy in a understated way.

Wet, this was predominantly cigar tobacco. As it dried, all of the elements of this scent came out and blended seamlessly. The musk wasn't overpowering in the slightest and added a wonderful depth to the tobacco and leather. The leather wasn't the shiny patent leather I get from Western Diamondback, but more of a beaten up, soft leather. It is a warm and beautiful blend. Comforting and a little masculine, but not overly so. The result is rich and musky.

I think I have discovered tonight that my skin amps the crap outta caramel. I put this on, and it's all caramel, all the time. It's the caramel show!! I didn't get any of the complexity other reviewers were talking about. Many hours in, (we're talking about 4 or 5) the patchouli came out very faintly. I couldn't detect any sandalwood or carnation.

I was a little disappointed by this. I got a non-descript honey floral. It was nice, but it didn't leave me swooning. The musk barely came out. All in all, this was a fairly light skin scent. Pleasant, but it didn't grab me.

This is another blend that defies the odds for me. Wet, this is extremely dry and fruity. Not something I would normally wear at ALL! As it dries however, the myrrh takes the reigns of this scent, adding a sweet depth to the blend that makes it enjoyable. The black currant and mimosa are present, but not as strongly as they were in the wet stage. I wouldn't classify the dry end result as fruity in the slightest. I like it, but I can't see myself reaching for it very often.

Comforting is the first word that popped into my head when I put this on. Regan was warm and inviting. Not overly floral (which is excellent because florals and I don't get along so well). This was just slightly sweet thanks to the vanilla, but not overly so as I find some blends containing it to be. The entire vibe was soft and warm. Pretty, but not overly girly. She stuck around for awhile too.

I have no idea what the hell happened here. I normally love dark and creepy blends and let me tell you, that is exactly what this is. For some reason, my skin turned this to garbage. Dank, rotting garbage. I actually had to wash this off. I NEVER wash things off because I've been surprised too many time during the drydown. This was an abomination on my skin. In fact, I want someone around me to wear it so I can figure out how it's SUPPOSED to smell. All of these notes are usually made of win for me. I'm going to test this on the boy right now.

This is very woodsmoke on me. Dry and charred. As it dries, the spices start to come out and while they don't necessarily sweeten the blend, they provide a much needed reprieve from the burning wood smell. The myrrh comes out too and grounds it. Once it dries this is actually a haunting blend, and I quite like it. You just need to get back the initial bonfire smell.

I'm really starting to get into the lab's snow note. I don't do aquatics very well but this isn't aquatic per se, it more hints at an aquatic vibe. The soil note is wonderful here.. not dank like I've experienced in other blends. The opoponax and myrrh and a sweet resiny depth. It is quite a cold blend, but truly beautiful. I should add that I'm not getting any mint here.

Wet, this was predominantly black amber and violets. As it dries, the iris come out a little more. I don't get any mandarin here at all. Dry, this seems to take on a powdery tone, and the violets are still very pronounced. The amber adds a nice depth, but unfortunately this just doesn't last on my skin. It completely faded within 3 hours.

Much like the reviewer above, I wanted to see what they hype was about, so I managed to swap for a decant. I was a little suspicious of the pomegranate and plum as fruit and I don't have a wonderful scent relationship. I was right. This smelled like dirty fruit on my skin. I'm sure it's absolutely perfect on other people, but as someone who doesn't like to smell like fruit in the first place, this just isn't for me.

This is exotic and mysterious. A very dark and intriguing blend indeed. There is a smoky feel to it, something illicit and exciting. There does seem to be a bit of a floral tone, but it's a little dirty, and roughed up. I think that may be the musk adding some depth. There's also an element of spice here. I quite like it, and it's unlike anything I've ever smelled before.

From the outset, carnation seems to be the dominant note on me. The cardamom and patchouli come in almost immediately after, lending an earthy spiciness here. As the blend settles I can detect a faint trace of the black pepper, but it's still predominantly carnation. After about an hour the clove comes out more. Someone used the term "dirty carnation" and I am totally getting that same vibe! It's a fairly calming and comforting scent for me. I quite like it.

Ok, hello ROSE!!! This actually mellows out a bit for a little while. I can smell the musks and spices and they seem to be tempering the roses. I'm not getting the ammonia-type scent I usually get when I try to wear a rose blend and I think the spices are preventing it. All in all, the nicest rose blend I've tried on my skin, but I still don't like roses.

Wet, this was spice and smoke. I can also smell something that I think may be lemongrass. As it dries, this gets drier. There's a bit of sweetness here as well. Oh, and then frankincense comes out. Frankincense and I are NOT friends unfortunately.

This is AMAZING! Wet, I get the orange note from Xiuhtechuatl, which I should mention I was not a fan of when I tried that particular blend. As it dries though, there is some seriously gorgeous beeswax going on. And the smoke comes out beautifully. It is reminiscent of freshly blown out candles, but it's not overpowering the rest of the blend in the slightest. I can barely detect the olive oil. This is just stunning, and I am definitely purchasing a bottle of this.

Well, I'm getting married in June and I've decided to wear Shadow Witch Orchid when I do. The fragrance itself is lovely, and a spicy floral. My late grandmother loved orchids (actually, they were her favourite), so I'm also wearing it as a tribute to her, in remembrance and celebration.

I've tried this twice now and I'm still on the fence about it. Something is reminding me of a man's cologne and it's not something I have good associations with so I feel that might be tainting my feelings about this one. This is predominantly pine bark and tobacco one me. I'm not getting much of the almond milk and there is just the faintest hint of sarsaparilla. The patchouli comes out later in the drydown but doesn't overpower the blend. I think I will have to try this again to make up my mind about it.

When I first put this on I actually used the term "cacophony of scent", which garnered some pretty strange looks from the man, but it was the only thing I can think of to describe Wild Men. Something about this blend and my skin makes it almost impossible to differentiate the notes here. It's beautiful though. Further into the drydown the cloves become apparent, as do the amber and moss. The patchouli is really nice here as well, adding a really wonderful depth and earthy vibe. I really like this one.

This was the most surprising of all the CD scents for me. After reading reviews, I was ready to write this one off. I don't do green scents, and anything that may be described as "sharp" is definitely not for me. But the woods here balance the SO beautifully. This becomes a deeper and richer blend for them, with an awesome depth to it thanks to the black musk. SO can occasionally be too sweet for me and I didn't have that problem here at all. The bamboo note is a little sharp at first application but it mellows almost immediately. I think I may be looking at getting a bottle of this.

Unfortunately I can't smell ANY of the dark yummy stuff I was hoping to smell here. All I get is Snake Oil, with maybe a hint of coconut. The vetiver didn't come out on my skin at all.

Boomslang on me was alright, but not anything spectacular. Wet, this was pretty heavily chocolate. As it dried, the SO came out more as did the teak. There didn't seem to be any rice milk present. Overall, the drydown smelled almost identical to SO. It was as if my skin just ate up the other notes that were present at the beginning stages. I wished it had stayed similar to that. I like Snake Oil, the end result here was just to similar to warrant keeping it.