coulrophobe
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Posts posted by coulrophobe
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Evidently I had an unusual reaction - to me, this is the same musk as Smut and Sed Non Satiata. And while I'm a fan of musk, there's one I really can't wear (I think it may be a red musk, though some other red musk blends have been OK on me) - to my nose, it smells like funk, and not the good kind. Like peanut butter and dirty sheets.
I'm mystified as to why I got a similarity to Smut and no one else did... and other people found Storyville similar to Smut and I smelled no similarity whatsoever! My nose is weird.
ETA: Breaking News! I must have been having a "weird chemistry day" when I tried this before, because I tried it again and just had to spring for a whole bottle! The musk isn't my absolute favorite - I'm more of a white musk kind of girl - but I managed to escape the peanut butter curse and instead I'm getting a deep, spicy/earthy musk - maybe a touch of clove and patchouli?
Much better this time around.
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Wet, this reminds me a bit of the cocoa in blends like Freak Show and Cerberus (but without the citrusy bits of those particular scents); it's a dry, nutty cocoa and not too sweet.
As it dries down, warm spices and a hint of musk start to emerge, and possibly hints of tobacco and honey? Not a super-sweet cloying honey, but a light, dry one. I'm not a fan of foody scents, but once the cocoa settles down a bit and the spices amp up, this really works for me.
There is definitely a bit of musk - but my opinion is it's NOT the same musk as Smut (which was horribly stinky on me). I got much more of a Smut-like scent from Voodoo Queen, but no similarity to Storyville (thankfully!).
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Uranus
in Celestials
Uranus smells so spicy! *snickers*
I'm in the minority evidently - I get loads of clove, not cinnamon. Regardless, it is the spicy goodness.
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In the imp: Ack! This smells a bit almondy to me, or maybe cherry.
On: The cherry/almond note is still there - I can just barely smell the plum, but the other notes are too heavy for me to enjoy it. As it dries down and the almond-like scent fades a bit, I can smell a bit of... florals, maybe? This blend is bizarrely indistinct on me once the initial phase passes. I can smell it, but the smell itself doesn't leave much of an impression on my senses. Vaguely fruity, vaguely floral... with my chemistry, Oya just doesn't assert herself, which seems odd, given the description.
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In the imp: As others have said, definitely a yellow floral scent; reminds me of daffodils and dandelions.
On: Lush yellow flowers and greenery. On me it's not overly sweet (as far as florals go), but there is a sense of "stickiness" that's definitely appropriate for a carnivorous plant! In the background, there's something that smells a lot like Empyreal Mist to me.
An unusual golden floral, very pretty.
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In the imp: Poppies and smoke!
On: It's a dark, smokey floral - heavily sweet and lazy smelling. It's completely and utterly soporific to my nose; just taking a whiff makes my eyelids heavy. I think I'll try using it as a sleep blend!
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I agree with Sarada that this is very much like Rat King. Unfortunately, Rat King got the "Aaaiiieeee, get it off me!" reaction!
To me, Destroying Angel has a bit of a sourness to it when in the imp; on my skin, it just smells like pure, dry soil. It's not a scent that goes very well with my chemistry or my sense of aesthetics, so not for me - but soil-scent enthusiasts may really enjoy it.
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In the imp: Am I even smelling the same oil as everyone else? To me, this smells overwhelmingly alcohol/chemically. It's very strange.
On: Well, yes, evidently it *is* the same oil, because one it hits my skin, I can smell dirt, resin, and a little spice. That was one of the oddest BPAL imp-to-skin morphs I've encountered.
Now, I don't do well with dirt. But here, there's only a hint of actual soil lurking in the background; it's more of a warm, earthy, lightly spicy scent.
A pleasant surprise, ultimately - though I'm still weirded out by how it smells in the imp!
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In the imp: I can definitely smell the fig lurking beneath the surface - but mainly, I smell bark and green leaves.
On: Very much like my impressions of the oil in the imp. The fig note I know and love is still there, but this is a sharper, greener, earthier fig blend than the others I've tried. It mellows as it dries, but still retains the more natural smell, rather than smelling like a fig candle.
Fully dry, I find this to be delicious, earthy fig. The "green" stage is a little unsettling for me - this is definitely a Rappaccini's Garden scent, because it smells dark and a bit deadly.
This would be a great one for people who find the foody fig blends too sweet, and would probably smell lovely on the fellas, too.
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In the imp: OK, the first time I took a whiff it seriously smelled like grape bubblegum - luckily, I sniffed more deeply, and my nose was able to detect something besides the artificial candy-smell.
On: I'm getting a lot of spice - but it's more of a cinnamon/cassia smell on my skin, rather than carnation. And there's definitely fruit - the plum isn't too sweet, but a nice, tart, juicy note. I love spicy-fruit smells like QofS, Malkuth, Carnal... but there's always the chance I'll end up smelling like a candle.
And I *do* smell like a candle wearing Frumious Bandersnatch, but it's a damn good candle. And how could I not approve of a perfume named Frumious Bandersnatch?
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In the imp: Sweet and foody, but with a hint of either sweet herbs or light florals. It smelled familiar to me, so I compared it to some of the lunar oils - while I thought it would be closest to Honey Moon, it actually smells more like Pink Moon to my nose.
On: It doesn't really smell like honey on my skin, but it does have kind of a milky/foody feel mixed with herbs/florals. It's light and sweet, but also has kind of an indulgent, luxurious feel to it - like bathing in heavy cream (not that I've done that... but, well, you get the idea).
Final Verdict: While not really "me," Osun is quite pleasant, and I think the scent matches the concept extremely well.
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The Hebrew Underworld, the Abode of the Dead, the Pit. It is as forbidding as the grave itself: a joyless and dolorous cave deep with the bowels of Earth that every man, saint or sinner, must travel to upon death, where his soul finds rest in the silence and dust.
For the living know that they will die, but the dead don't know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun. Go your way””eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. Let your garments be always white, and don't let your head lack oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity: for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.
Ecclesiastes 9:5 - 10
The final burst of the soul's light and joy before passing into the depths of the earth, and into the cords of Sheol; Sheol, who is never satisfied, and who makes wide her soul to all. Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka.
In the imp: Lots of florals (though I can't distinguish any in particular), and a hint of tonka. Very fresh and light smelling.
On: This one changes a lot with my chemistry. It's dominated by a familiar-smelling floral that I always have trouble placing -- I think it's heliotrope, though there's also kind of a dusty, pollen-y note I associate with jasmine in there. The lily creeps in a little as it dries, but not nearly enough for my tastes.
Unfortunately, while this one doesn't actually trigger my pollen allergies, it has a smell that I associate so closely with pollen that I'm getting a bit sneezy. Sadly, not for me.
Edited to add full description. --Shollin -
The Mock Turtle went on.
'We had the best of educations--in fact, we went to school every day--'
'I've been to a day-school, too,' said Alice; 'you needn't be so proud as all that.'
'With extras?' asked the Mock Turtle a little anxiously.
'Yes,' said Alice, 'we learned French and music.'
'And washing?' said the Mock Turtle.
'Certainly not!' said Alice indignantly.
'Ah! then yours wasn't a really good school,' said the Mock Turtle in a tone of great relief. 'Now at ours they had at the end of the bill, "French, music, and washing--extra."'
'You couldn't have wanted it much,' said Alice; 'living at the bottom of the sea.'
'I couldn't afford to learn it.' said the Mock Turtle with a sigh. 'I only took the regular course.'
'What was that?' inquired Alice.
'Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,' the Mock Turtle replied; 'and then the different branches of Arithmetic-- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.'
'I never heard of "Uglification,"' Alice ventured to say. 'What is it?'
The Gryphon lifted up both its paws in surprise. 'What! Never heard of uglifying!' it exclaimed. 'You know what to beautify is, I suppose?'
'Yes,' said Alice doubtfully: 'it means--to--make--anything--prettier.'
'Well, then,' the Gryphon went on, 'if you don't know what to uglify is, you are a simpleton.'
Alice did not feel encouraged to ask any more questions about it, so she turned to the Mock Turtle, and said 'What else had you to learn?'
'Well, there was Mystery,' the Mock Turtle replied, counting off the subjects on his flappers, '--Mystery, ancient and modern, with Seaography: then Drawling--the Drawling-master was an old conger-eel, that used to come once a week: He taught us Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils.'
'What was that like?' said Alice.
'Well, I can't show it you myself,' the Mock Turtle said: 'I'm too stiff. And the Gryphon never learnt it.'
'Hadn't time,' said the Gryphon: 'I went to the Classics master, though. He was an old crab, he was.'
'I never went to him,' the Mock Turtle said with a sigh: 'he taught Laughing and Grief, they used to say.'
'So he did, so he did,' said the Gryphon, sighing in his turn; and both creatures hid their faces in their paws.
'And how many hours a day did you do lessons?' said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.
'Ten hours the first day,' said the Mock Turtle: 'nine the next, and so on.'
'What a curious plan!' exclaimed Alice.
'That's the reason they're called lessons,' the Gryphon remarked: 'because they lessen from day to day.'
This was quite a new idea to Alice, and she thought it over a little before she made her next remark. 'Then the eleventh day must have been a holiday?'
'Of course it was,' said the Mock Turtle.
'And how did you manage on the twelfth?' Alice went on eagerly.
'That's enough about lessons,' the Gryphon interrupted in a very decided tone.
Not quite Turtle Soup: blurry aquatic notes, with a confusing, contrary splort of iris, ambrette, green apple, vodka, white mint and a squish of lime.
In the imp: It’s definitely minty, but I can smell the other notes in there, too.
On: Mint and lime with an aquatic/ozone (soap to my nose) kick to it. As it dries, I can pick out the apple, too. This is an odd one for me, as I can’t figure out whether I want to (figuratively speaking) drink it or use it as shower gel. It’s a bit like a fresh, soapy cocktail!
Final Verdict: Kind of a smorgasbord scent, and definitely confused – but in a good way. I’m not usually too fond of aquatics, but this one is really interesting and has a nice cool/springy feel to it. It'll be great for hot summer days.
Merged two simultaneous review threads and added the passage from Lewis Carroll. --Shollin -
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read,
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed,
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Desolation. The remnants of an empire, shivering with forgotten glories, a monument to megalomania, sundered power, and colossal loss. Dry desert air, dry and hot, passing over crumbling stone megaliths and plundered golden monuments, bearing a hint of the incense of lost Gods on its winds.
Preconceived notions: Anything with “desert” and “wind” in the description is sure to grab my attention – I just love scents like that. And incense? Added bonus!
In the imp: Sweet, dry and perfumey. This is reminding me of a vintage perfume.
On: I think Beth’s done a great job capturing the dry/windy “feel” of this one, but still having it be pretty. My chemistry turns a lot of things sweet and a bit powdery, and Ozymandias is no exception – but that’s fine with me, as “sweet and a bit powdery” suits me. To my nose, it’s a bit like a lighter version of Chanel No. 5.
Final verdict: I was betting I’d like this one, and I do.
EDIT: Added poem. --Shollin -
Salvation found in darkness beyond darkness, the blessed sleep of nothingness. Dark musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron.
Preconceived notions: Sounds nice, but perhaps a bit too manly for me?
In the imp: First I have to remark on the color – it’s a funky olive green! I have other green oils, but none quite this color. On to the scent itself: some scents just grab me, and this is one of them. It’s clean and musky, with a bit of a dry-wood note. A bit masculine, but not to the degree I expected.
On: The spices come out a bit more. It’s not nearly as manly as I thought it would be, and works nicely with my chemistry. To my nose, it’s primarily a warm, dark musk with spices and a bit of wood. Absolutely gorgeous.
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Preconceived notions: Most of the notes sound great, but roses? Gah! And honey? Iffy. We'll see.
In the bottle: Surprisingly woody. Dry woods are often quite nice on me, once my chemistry sweetens them up, so that's a promising sign.
On: Sandalwood! It's almost "commercial perfumey" to my nose - but that dissipates quickly. As it dries down, it grows almost fruity on me - I have no idea what that could be, looking at the notes. It settles down into a lovely blend - part fruity, part floral, part woody, part incensey - very unusual.
I really like this one, and I'm so relieved the rose stays in the background. Yum. My biggest surprise out of the Lupercalia collection.
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Preconceived notions: All the notes sounded perfect to me - except the caramel. Foody scents have a tendency to make me a bit queasy.
In the bottle: I can smell a red-berryish scent - must be the currant. And unfortunately... lots of caramel.
On: The caramel is definitely threatening to wreck this blend for me - but the non-foody notes aren't quite ready to give up the fight. I can catch whiffs of amber and tobacco if I inhale deeply. And finally, the coconut peeks out - the good kind of coconut, not the one that goes all plasticky on my skin.
What I end up with is a scent that's definitely sweeter than my usual tastes - but intriguing, and not bad at all for a foody blend. Maybe more of a cozy autumn scent.
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In the bottle: This reminds me of Titania quite a bit - or Fee, as mentioned already by Ms. Belladonnastrap.
On: Yes, like Titania, but a bit more floral than fruity. It's light, fresh, green - and softens to a gorgeous pale musk as it dries down.
It stays pretty close to the skin and fades a bit faster than I'd like - but those are my only criticisms. It's a lovely blend, and one I was sure I'd like. Great for springtime (or if you're longing for an end to the rain and cold, like I am). Very pretty and uplifting.
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In the bottle: Very jasminey... maybe a tiny hint of something tart, perhaps the apple peel poking through.
On: Jasmine.
And that's how it stays. It may as well be single note jasmine, to my nose. That said, it's nicer on me than a lot of jasmine blends. This one stays fresh and very "white" smelling, and never reaches the "hint of decay" stage I get with some jasmine blends.
So... despite being relentlessly jasminey, it's a pleasant surprise. It's a comforting scent, maybe nice for lazy weekends reading in bed. Or as a cool, clean scent on hot days.
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Smut
in Lupercalia
Preconceived notions: I adore musks. And I love the word smut, just like everyone else here. So I'm thinking I'll like this one quite a bit.
In the bottle: Oh no! The weird "sexy peanut butter" note from Sed Non Satiata, but with a heavy, feral sex-funk.
On: This is KILLING me. Peanut butter and stained sheets. And a cloyingly sweet booze note - rum, maybe? I'm really glad I seem to be the only one the Smut treats this way!
Drydown: Thankfully, it *does* get better. It mellows into a milder, less funky scent after about 30 minutes, and is a lot more enjoyable. But that first stage is really difficult for me to get through. I'll keep a bottle to see how it ages, or see if I'm having some random chemisty disruption today - but I have a feeling I'll be unloading my second bottle that I ordered at the last minute, unsniffed. I'm sure it'll make someone else much more happy!
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In the bottle: Very green and pungently herbal... I'm a little worried!
On: Ah, no need to worry - the pungency tones down almost immediately on my skin. At first it's a very fresh, clean pale green scent, herbally in the same way some of the lunar blends are. Then there's a hint of anise, but not too much - just the tiniest suggestion of licoricey absinthe (I don't care for absinthe because of the licorice taste, so I'm glad I can't smell it strongly). Then there's something naggingly familiar that I just can't place for a few minutes, before the blend settles down into...
MUSK! A really light, sweet musk, at that.
I was really more excited about Hellion, but La Fée Verte turns out to be even more to my liking.
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In the bottle: patchouli with an almost boozy tone.
On: This is spicier than I anticipated - at first, it's a dark fruity-spice scent on me, quite similar to Malkuth. I tend to have color associations with scents, and Hellion definitely strikes me as a dark red or a plum.
I tend to wear scents out of season, so even though this strikes me as rather autumn/winter with all it's warmth and spicy goodness, you'll probably find me wearing it more during summer.
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I think it's really going to depend on your nose and your chemistry.
Things that smell super-strong to me: Any of the scents that are predominantly mint, cinnamon, patchouli, rose, lemon, pine/fir, or civet. These are the ones that make me say "whew!" when I open the bottle, whether it's a note I like or not.
If you're talking more about longevity on skin rather than pure strength, again, responses will differ wildly. The longest lasting blends on me have been Snow White, Antique Lace, and Morocco - all musks (and I believe all white musks, though none of the descriptions list it specifically)
As for dark and sensual elements - my ideas of dark and sensual might not be the same as yours, so this might be totally worthless.
Generally, I think of the spice, musk, leather, and incense categories as dark and sensual. I second the recommendation of Loviatar. I also like Depraved for going out on the prowl, but apricot/patchouli is definitely not for everyone! Sin is a spicy scent that's pretty popular; I also like Scherezade for incense, and I've already mentioned Morocco for musk (not particularly dark, but oh-so-sexy in my opinion).It's very sad that Spanked was so limited, because it definitely belongs on my list of all-time sexy scents - to me it's like a spicier Loviatar.
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In the bottle: Very light, crisp, green; not as heavy on the green tea as I thought it would be.
On: I do smell more lemony green tea now, but it's not overpowering the other notes. There's something very watery smelling lurking underneath that stops short of being actually aquatic.
I'm usually not a huge fan of green scents - they tend to be a bit sharp on me, and I don't normally like reeking of vegetation. But this is quite different. It's like fresh, warm rain on spring foliage, and there's enough sweetness to suggest florals to me, rather than a truly "green" scent.
Most of the Lunacies work well on me, and Holiday Moon is no exception. This pleases me greatly.
Doc Buzzard
in Event Exclusive Oils
Posted · Report reply
To my nose this was a woody/earthy/herbal dark green scent... with a whopping dose of LIME. Both in the bottle and on my skin, the strongest note for me was lime.
The C12 scents have really made me wonder whether my nose is completely out of whack - my reactions to these have been totally different from the other reviewers!