tacey

This bottle has aged BEAUTIFULLY! Pretty sure I bought it near release, in 2012, and I never quite loved it, though it got some wear. Broke it out today in a fit of 'must re-try all the figs in my box!' and OH MY! This has turned into a beautiful, sweet chocolate, perfectly balanced between a dark chocolate sweetened by vanilla and a blend of fruits. I can't pick out the fig, but the pear and quince are swirling together just perfectly. It's foodie, but not? Delicious!

Orion, from the Winter's Grand Constellations in 2017 Yules has just become my new favorite fig. This is an amazing scent and I soooo wish it would be permanent!

- Weathered brown leather, wild fig, Macedonian cedar, fire-red tobacco, pepper, white musk, and cardamom.

Wet, this is a little harsh - apple/pachouli is just dirty. As it dries the honey and lavender come out, but it's still a weird, dirty mix that's not working for me. I can't pick out the other notes at all.

I like this one a lot! Apples and honey up front, but that creamy vanilla and goat's milk wrapped around them, softening everything and keeping it from being overly sweet. Can't place the hay, but there's a hint of amber, maybe? Nothing dusty or dry - just soft and rich and sweet and warm. Like a sunbeam on a cool day.

On skin, starts out oh-my-apple, no appearance from the other notes. Now that it's dried down for a bit, the apple's mainly gone and it's black currant and something I'm going to call vanilla bourbon. Nice smokey underlayer from the clove. Unfortunately, I think in my locket it's going to be appleappleapple, so it's a bust for my purposes.

Light and pretty, reminds me of Goldenrod Spider a bit. Tropical and floral, I note the coconut much more than any apple. Fun and summery, but I'm happy with my imp.

Roses and lilies, like it says on the tin. Some frankincense I think, though I don't always recognize that (seems to change with the blend it's in, somehow). A pale colored but heady scent. The incense is coming stronger as it dries, but definitely floral first. Too floral for me in the wet stage, but it's getting really beautiful in the dry-down.

I guess I'm not the clever notes-detector you'd think I'd be after all these years - I pretty much just get honey from this one.

Not peaceful on my skin at all! Maybe the interaction of the jasmine and lemongrass, but something is sharp and aggressive and I think it's trying to kill me...

From a little distance I get mainly lemon with something harsh behind it; the occasional waft of beautiful sandalwood won't stay in focus, and I can't pick out the rose at all. I think the cedar is contributing to the sharpness I keep getting. Just not going to work for me, sadly. I've always thought it sounded like a beautiful blend.

As usual with dragon's blood, I get a bizarre blend of deep red and pale purple notes. Overwhelming, and not especially pleasant. The salty tang shows up in about 30 minutes, giving me hope, but that fades and all I'm left with is a faintly soapy scent. It's not the oil, it's me...

Creamy fig (not the lovely dark one, but a soft sweet fig drenched in fresh cream) and sweet vanilla. I think part of that sweetness is the ylang-ylang, actually, but I can't quite pick it out separately. Orchid can be many things, and I have no idea which one may be here. Overall, I love it - soft, sweet, a little sexy without the usual assocated musks. Perfect for summer!

Does anyone have a listing of what the various Thirteen labels look like? I have one I can't identify. The label is sepia tones with a winged angel facing a wheel (spinning wheel?) to the right. There's a small figure sitting on top of the wheel. Thanks for any help!

 

That's the July 2012 version - the review topic is here, I have a bottle but can never get photos to post. I think there's a picture in the "what do bottles look like" thread, from about the same time.

Thanks so much! I skimmed a bunch of reviews and this thread, but I didn't think about the 'what do bottles look like'.

Does anyone have a listing of what the various Thirteen labels look like? I have one I can't identify. The label is sepia tones with a winged angel facing a wheel (spinning wheel?) to the right. There's a small figure sitting on top of the wheel. Thanks for any help!

Bought unsniffed, but I'm disappointed. There's an off note that's making me a bit ill - I think the ambergris. (Haven't tried ambergris since my first round of imps. I didn't like it then, but so much has changed I didn't expect it to be a problem.) I'll give this bottle some time to 'rest' and try again, but this isn't looking good.

The aquatic part is beautiful and delicate - even to a non-lover of aquatics - but I never smelled the rose geranium or frank that I bought it for.

Vetiver. Both in the locket and the whole time on my skin. Now, it's the good smoky-soft kind, and I really liked it, but I was expecting to find all those other notes. Will give this bottle some time to 'rest' and try again later...

philosopher in meditation? (recently discount in salon)

With the demise of Hymn to Proserpine and my beloved Hermia, does anyone have any recommendations for fruity amber scents?

What about The Hanging Gardens? It doesn't list amber, but it seems in that family to me.

Also discontinued

Wow...I can't believe I missed or forgot this one! Sorry for the outdated rec, and now I'm sad...

I'm testing Cupid Complaining to Venus (Apple blossom, fig, white peach, honey absolute, red sandalwood, and wild thyme), which I remembered liking but I've never bought or worn much, and much to my surprise it goes on reminiscent of Eisheth Zenumin (Ladies of the Grindhouse, CD)! Naturally I have to compare them, and side by side it's not as close as my scent memory suggested. The Carnie Lady has a solid cocoa presence (Honey, ambergris, neroli, white peach, patchouli, and cocoa absolute) that really separates them. However, the thyme noted in Cupid isn't coming out for me, which is the piece I think would really highlight him as a must-have. For the peach/honey similarity, I'm happy with my bottle of Eisheth Zenumin, and relieved to not add another bottle to my Salon shopping list...

I'm still waffling over back up bottles of my current Salons... they're mostly about half gone and knowing they are irreplaceable makes me so nervous. I don't want to be afraid to wear them!

ETA: The reviews on Schlafende Baigneuse are all over the map, but it's one of my personal favorites. I wear it only for those soft, cozy days at home when it's all about me and just feeling happy... it stays close to the skin and I love it anyway. YMMV, of course...

With the demise of Hymn to Proserpine and my beloved Hermia, does anyone have any recommendations for fruity amber scents?

What about The Hanging Gardens? It doesn't list amber, but it seems in that family to me.

 

My big faves are:

 

And There Was a Great Cry in Egypt <snip>

The Fox-woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child <snip>

Three Brides <snip>

Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku <snip>

Philosopher in Meditation <snip>

Schlafende Baigneuse (<snip>

Why, ivyandpeony, I had no idea we were scent-sisters! You've only omitted Arrival on the Sabbath from my Salon favorites, and you've introduced me to Philosopher in Meditation which I had overlooked based on the notes. The Asian-styled ones don't appeal so much to me, but you interest me... <looks speculatively at the casually rejected imps...>

As I sadly retest imps before the Demise of the Salon, I've added Madonna and The Cup of Death to my possibles, as well as Philosopher. I'll be watching this thread and reading reviews as well - what will I regret missing?

Thanks! I, ah, did end up going ahead with an unsniffed bottle purchase >.< although that doesn't sound very promising now! D: And yes, The Unicorn is a white floral. Would you know how Orpheus compares to something like...hmm Parsifal? I think that's my "greenest" keeper.

Woops! Sorry to come in too late! I've not tried/forgotten Parsifal, so I'm afraid I can't compare that. Mmmm... vastly more green than Planting Moon, which is one of my very few greenish bottles. Regardless, I hope it works for you!!

I do have a question on Orpheus though.There are a lot of "crushed green stems" reviews for it, which I like the smell of but don't like smelling of. However, blends like The Unicorn and Berenice have been mentioned, both of which are keepers and The Unicorn being in my top three. Worth a chance?(Also, is it greener than Garden Path with Chickens?).

I just re-tested my imp of Orpheus, and I find it is quite strongly 'crushed green stems' on the waft. Up close, I can find other notes, but I keep catching the green stems note and feeling like I need to wash up after some weeding... It's not working for me, but I don't care for very green/fresh scents. I think I recall The Unicorn as being in the white floral family, right? It's not similar to my memory, but I can't find that one to retry.

Garden Path is distinctly IVY on me, and not generic/weedy greens. I prefer it vs Orpheus, but neither is a family I really love. Hope that helps your decision.

Nymphia (2010 Lupercalia) has a mild coconut note that really amps in the dry down - very cool feeling.

Has anyone gotten their bottle of Dark Chocolate, Fig, and Tamarind? I just saw a will-call posting from ravenfeathers describing it as

this is the most gooey chocolate oil yet! it's like melted chocolate on the testing rod. absolutely goopy. very rich and the combined scents are gorgeous. it leaves a nasty brown smear on the skin. the chocolate burns off quickly despite the fact that it leaves a schmear and the fig and tamarind that's left is a subtler version of my favourite GC, carnal.

But my oil is almost completely clear! There are some tiny specks of the cocoa (really hard to distribute, as in my bottle of CD Wulric), but not enough to show on my skin. And I was not ever quite sure the scent was dark chocolate - usually that's pretty overwhelming, while this oil was...subtle. Unexpected! So I just wondered if it's the diff between proto and released, or if something else is going on. Anyone?

I ordered this un-sniffed as part of the Grove, and then I had second thoughts and fretted til delivery. I should have trusted my instincts, though. Although I'm part of the anti-jasmine tribe, 'poet's jasmine' is not the same note. This is beautifully wearable, with the jasmine and the pomegranate (which I don't have any trouble with) weaving seamlessly together. I can never pick out benzoin as a specific note, so I can't comment on that element.

Overall impression: Soft, sweet, pale yellow with a darker red beneath. Feminine and somewhat traditional - very easy to wear in public.