het4377

Bony Moon 2011 Version Okay, the bottle has had 2 full days to settle, so I'm ready to review this puppy! Unfortunately I do not have a have the '09 version of the blend, so I can't make any comparisons between the two. Wet on skin: Crisp white sandalwood with an undertone of ceder and a vague herbal basenote. More white sandalwood than anything else at this point. After a while: Still lovely white sandalwood with a base of cedar. Not morphing one bit. Final Verdict: Though the sandalwood is less in the forefront as this continues to dry, it does stay present, while the ceder stays at about the same level of strength and gives this a definite wood-shavings kind of feel. It's crisp and dry and definitely unisex! I really like this, which is unsurprising given I love white sandalwood and that's the most prevalent note in Bony Moon 2011. Rating: 4/5 If you like this, try: Ronin, Dragon's Bone, Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills, Illium Inter Spinas, Veil, Dance of the Mirlitons, Smokey Moon '09 (Tristesses de la Lune), Quicksilver Phoenix Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

As a member of the Fizzy Scents Fan Club, I've got another super-fizzy blend that should also be mentioned; Geek.Goth. Oh, and Bathtub Gin. Both of these are event exclusives, so it can be a challenge to get your hands on some, but they're great bubbly/carbonated/effervescent blends! Also worth adding are the '10 Champagne scents (Champagne and Absinthe, Champagne and Opium, Champagne and Party Hats, Pink Champagne, and Sparking Apple Cider)

Apple and honey, two of my FAVORITE notes, paired with pomegranate, andother favorite!? I just had to find a bottle of this, unsniffed and all Wet on Skin: Pomegranate immediately takes the forefront, with tart apple and honeys pretty close behind. There's also a herb/floral note that I keep catching whiffs of, which I assume is the Hyssop (though I'm not familiar enough with the note (read: not at all) to be able to identify it). Dry on skin: There is a definite herbal feel to the blend now, but I'm still getting a strong apple/pomegranate note at the top of the blend, with a base of sweet honey. I'm also getting a nice throw of apple on this one, that I keep catching whiffs of while I type. After a while: Pomegranate with a sweet base of honey and hints of other stuff (is it the massoia bark? the hyssop? heck if I know!) Final Verdict: Lovely! White this doesn't end up having a whole lot of apple in it on my skin, I love the combination of the Pomegranate and Honey notes! And while I can see the comparisons of this to Lamb's Wool, I really do not think that they are all that similar. Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah is MUCH less potpourri and less creamy than LW. This is also far sweeter and more tart/crisp than Gluhwein, though I would say the two scents are very closely related . Rating: 4/5 If you like this, try: Gluhwein (BPTP), Mead Moon, Fearful Pleasure, Lamb's Wool, Fruit of Paradise, Harvest Moon '05, Punkie Night, Candy Apple (BPTP) Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

This blend . . . is not quite what I had been expecting from a blend called "The Snow Storm". I was thinking a whole lot of mint, snow and crisp cold pines. In the bottle, this is surprisingly green, fresh and spring-y. Wet on skin: I'm getting a lot of the Lab's snow note, no mint, and a vaguely soapy pine. Dry on skin: the blend becomes unpleasant and soapy and heavy. Don't ask me to pull out notes or add more description than that, because I just can't. There's just too much soap. After a while: this fades just a hair and becomes infinitely more tolerable. back to pine with a hint of snowy and a hint of the winter aconite (aka butercup family flower). Final Verdict: This is clearly a late winter sort of snowstorm that hits at just the wrong time to kill all the spring flowers that were just staring to pop up. I find both Snow-Flakes and Snow Maiden to be VERY similar to this blend (both of which I prefer to The Snow Storm), with Snow-Flakes being a touch more cold/minty and devoid of the greenery, while Snow Maiden takes the florals to the next level, drops the coniferous notes, and keeps the snow. Rating: 2/5 If you like this, try: The Snow Maiden, Snow Flakes, Snow White, The Waltz of the Snowflakes Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

Hmmm, while I think this topic should probably be located in the recommendations subforum, I can do my best to help you out while it's here in the chatter Now, as an avid lover of The Coil, I can tell you for sure that while the there are certain similarities in the note list between it and Ultraviolet (namely the eucalyptus and mint), the two scents have an entirely different feel IMO. Ultraviolet is a strongly violet-floral scent that has a crisply sweet base of eucalyptus and mint. The Coil, on the other hand, has mint as the primary note, with just a hint of eucalyptus, and a faintly floral feel around the edges of the scent. I would say that at the very least you should track down a decant of The Coil if you can to determine if they're dissimilar enough to warrant the full-blown bottle search.

With it being Lupercalia season yet again here in BPAL land, I find myself drawn to grab my decants of previous years' Lupes. Given that it's been two years since I started this madness, I'm thinking that my tastes might have changed or my nose grown more sensitive (ie I might find some hidden jewels in blends I thought were iffy). Glukuprikos is the first blend up for a second look! Wet on skin: hints of musky silky mens cologne with light sweetness and florals, but the cologne feeling fades rapidly (I'm guessing that it was the balsam and woodmoss that was the cause). Dry on skin: sweet undertones, a hint of light musk and a mix of ambergis, white sandalwood and the amber. Sadly though, this seems to be getting progressively soapier as time goes on. I personally lay the blame at the feet of the narcissus and the woodmoss. Mostly the narcissus. Florals and me . . . we don't tend to get along. After a while: Ok, so Glukuprikos only goes mildly soapy, which isn't too bad. It's vaguely floral, vaguely sweet, with hints of the pale musk. I wish it was a bit more interesting past the drydown stage, but overall, a pretty scent. Final Verdict: Eh, this one is emeinently forgettable for me, which might expalin why I haven't worn it in 2 years. Off to the sales post! Rating: 2/5 If you like this, try: Smokey Moon 2009, um . . . *shrug* I can't think of anything else really similar to this. Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome.

Wow, I can't believe that I haven't reviewed this, Womb Furie is one of my favorites of the 2010 Lupercalias. I wore it today as a counterpoint to Trombeur and rediscovered it's excellence. Wet on skin: This is such a lovely blend! It's the perfect combination of the deep richness of Snake Oil with sweet honey dripping all over. I actually don't get anything at all like O from this blend, O tends to be a much more powdery honey whereas this is a very gooey, sticky-sweet honey, but it is by no means cloying. Everything is just balanced so perfectly! Dry on skin: No morphing going on here, which is just fine, because damn, this is so fantastic. After a while: Still the same, and Womb Furie just keeps hanging on. 6+ hours later and I'm still catching whiffs when I move my arms about. Final Verdict: Oh man, and I thought I liked this last year, but with only a year of aging, this is EVEN BETTER The best may be yet to come, because as with all Snake Oil blends, more aging = more better! Rating: 5/5 If you like this, try: Snake Oil, Trombeur, O, Durian Fruit Infused Honey with Brandy, Crib Girls Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome.

This is actually the last Yule 2010 imp that still needs to be tested. Ok, I'll admit it, I saved it for last because I thought it sounded like one of the best of the bunch. Wet on skin: Oh my gosh, this is GORGEOUS! The mint is very light and delicate, tempering the sweetly tart honey, and the apple blossom is not going the least bit soapy! It does remind me a bit of Door, another of my favorite honey scents, but less tart for sure. Dry on skin: This is still absolutely lovely, and might very well be my favorite of ALL the Yules this year! very little morphing going on, but the honey is the dominant note in the blend now for sure. After a while: The tartness of the honey has mellowed just a hint, and the mint is virtually gone, but the apple blossom is still lending a sweet floral to the blend. I know I'm sounding like a broken record here, but seriously, Valse Finale et Apotheose is just stunningly beautiful. This is definitely my favorite of the 2010 Yules, and might possibly my favorite out of both this year and last year's Yules. Final Verdict: Oh Em Gee, this is just such a lovely blend! It's delicate, sweet, and so very bottle-worthy! Possibly even backup bottle-worthy! Rating: 5/5 If you like this, try: Door, Yew Berry Infused Honey, Durian Fruit Infused Honey, Any of the Rappaccini's Apiary Blends, Crib Girls, Mead Moon Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome.

Phoenix anniversary blend test #4 - Phoenix in Autumn. Ok, I admit it, I save what I hope to be the best for last! Wet on skin: oooooh, lovely! The dry leaves and patchouli in this blend really remind me of Falling Leaf Moon, which is high praise! The tonka adds a sweeter base though, which is so awesome and there's also the woody note close to the base. After a while: not morphing too much, just getting deeper and a little more smokey. Final Verdict: so much love This is just gorgeous, and though very similar to Falling Leaf Moon and Autumn, it's a scent category that I love enough that I don't mind having a collection based on variations of a theme. Rating: 4.5/5 If you like this, try: Falling Leaf Moon, Autumn (retail only blend), To Autumn, Hay Moon, Samhain, Harvest Moon '08 Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

Phoenix anniversary blend test #3 - Phoenix in Spring. This could be either interesting or absolute and utter fail - lets find out! Wet on skin: gentle, delicate florals with a substantial base of greenery/grass/broken stems. So far, this is neither aquatic nor soapy - a big YAY on that front! But this is still really floral on me - which just isn't the style of perfoom I gravitate towards. After a while: *sigh* here comes the soapy . . . . soapy florals and soapy greenery. WAH. Final Verdict: Oh man, this is nothing but pure soap. Rating: 1/5 If you like this, try: Enchanted Wood Florist, La Vita Nouva, The Aurora Spaceship takes a Dive, The Perfumed Garden 2010 Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

Phoenix anniversary blend test #2 - Phoenix in Winter. I'm so excited about this one, I LOVE juniper berries in blends, and winter/snow blends are usually winners. Wet on skin: Yup, holly berries, juniper berries, and a hefty dose of dryer sheet cold/winter/snow note. I hope this continues to morph, or I'll be a saaaad panda. After a while: The snow/cold note has really chilled out, and is now just this underlying chilly sweetness underlying the juniper and holly berries. About 3+ hours in, this makes a VERY abrupt shift to almost all aquatic on me - no chilly, no berries, just straight up aquatic (reminiscent of Water Phoenix from '08 actually) Final Verdict: Sadly, this blend didn't live up to my admittedly high expectations. It did have about an hour or so of really pretty perfectly balanced notes, but the initial application and overall drydown just don't do it for me. My guess is that this Phoenix has some of the lab's ice note present, which is a known instigator of failure on my skin. Rating: 2/5 If you like this, try: L'Inverno, Winter-Time, Woods in Winter, Water Phoenix, The Old Goblin, Wolf Moon 2011, Snow Moon '05 Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

Alrighty, Phoenix anniversary blend test #1 - Phoenix in Summer. Wet on skin: saffron and hot pavement indeed! also a hint of sweet galangal lurking underneath. Dry on skin: This is really pretty, and the embodiment of a hot summer day right after a brief thunderstorm that spritzed just enough rain to wet the pavement. The aquatic note in this is just gorgeous; it's warm while still evoking that feeling of rain and heavy summer humidity. Also, the red musk in this is noticeable, but for a change it doesn't go foul on me! Unfortunately though, I just don't think that I'm a fan of red musk in general, even when it's playing nice. After a while: The Aquatic feel is fading, or perhaps morphing, because I'm now detecting a fairly strong green stem-yness at the base of the blend. However, the humidity tinged hot dry saffron and red musk is still what is most noticeable in this blend, and it's just lovely. Final Verdict: I really like Phoenix in Summer for the way it evokes a feeling of the hottest of summer days and those quick summer thunderstorms, even in the depths of winter (with a snowstorm brewing outside!), but as an actual perfume for wearing? This just isn't the sort of scent that I see myself wearing, regardless of the fact that I really do like this blend. If you're the sort of person that LOVES to wear red musk, and is a real lover of summer, then this might just be a HG scent. Rating: 3.5/5 If you like this, try: Midnight Kiss, Fire Phoenix, Infernal Lover, VILF, MME. Moriarty Misfortune Teller, To Autumn Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

so not only am I a huge white amber/musk fan, and vanilla and i get along smashingly, so First of the Three Spirits is one of my most anticipated Yule blends of 2010. Now, lets get this review underway . . . Wet on skin: Wow, nothing faint about this blend. The throw is rather substantial, and filled with WHITE MUSK with a strong of vanilla/amber/floral backing it up. Dry on skin: Did I mention that this is a strong blend? Cause wow, is it ever. This is also on the cloyingly sweet side of things, with the white musk and vanilla combining to make a vaguely foody blend of super sweetness. Maybe it's the florals that are pushing this over the edge for me . . . all I know is that this is verging on headache-causing territory. After a while: about the same, though this chills out on about 2-3 hours in, the throw lessening and becoming less intrusive, but only slightly. I really just can't get behind the sweetness of this blend, and the white musk is just too much. Final Verdict: wow, for a blend that I anticipated so much win from, this is so very, very meh. White notes usually tend to work so well on me. Also worth noting, this is strong enough that I feel like I'm enveloped in a cloud of scent, and I would be forcing this on whomever I came in contact with out on the street, which I do not find an appealing trait. Rating: 2/5 do we have a "disappointment" smiley? If you like this, try: Dia, Skytyping with Chemtrails, Thoos, Under the Harvest Moon, The Girl Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

I could probably do the random selection part, on the front page of the stash, if enough people want it. Though, I'm evil enough that if you have untried scents, I'd probably make it prefer untried scents to tried scents, and unreviewed scents to reviewed scents Ohmigosh, please do this!

Wow, this is amazing! thank you so much for creating such a sweet new feature! Now I've just got to figure out how I'm going to integrate the My Stash feature with my current spreadsheet and swap/sales page.

So even though Waltz of the Flowers has the dreaded Jasmine note-of-death and a bevy of other floral notes to be worried about, I still felt the need to take a chance on this blend, since I'm on a white musk kick. Wet on skin: awww, no white musk, just a lot of florals, led by the jasmine and ylang ylang, with a hint of the clove at the base. Dry on skin: PHEW, when they say bourbon vanilla, they mean BOURBON vanilla. A boozy bundle of dead flowers is what I'm getting now. Not so pleasant. After a while: and now this has transformed into a really lovely blend of vanilla based florals! What the heck happened? Heck if I know, but I'm certainly enjoying the change! Too bad it's so faint I have to search my arm for where I applied it. Final Verdict: Argh, kinda torn on this one! it dries down to a absolutely lovely blend, but it's eaten so completely by my skin! I'll have to try this in my hair and on my clothes to see if I can get this to work for me. In the mean time, my rating stands at . . . Rating: 3/5 If you like this, try: The Girl, Joyful moon, Theodosius the Legerdemain, Pomegranate I (I know, you think it's a stretch, but Pom I is a LOVELY Jasmine blend), Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. Rose Red 2010 is one of the most anticipated perfumes that I purchased decants of, since Rose Red '08 is one of my all time favorites, and I didn't have the sense to purchase a backup bottle when it was available *facepalm*. I really hope it lives up to my expectations so I can get a backup bottle and stop my silly worrying! Wet on skin: Yup, there's that rose smell that I love so much! A little more Peacock Queen of a rose than Rose Red '08, but still very much a freshly cut rose. Dry on skin: Again, I think this has slightly more of a formal peacock queen rose feel to it then the '08 version of Rose Red, but only slightly. Still, loving this so much! After a while: This stayed strong on my for about 3 hours and then faded really fast, but for those three hours, Final Verdict: My review in a single word? Fabulous! Rose Red is a top 10 for me, hands down. If I hadn't tested both the '08 and '10 version side by side, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference so I'll be getting that second bottle with my next order methinks. Rating: 5/5 If you like this, try: Peacock Queen, Roses, Diamonds and Pearls, Red Rose, The Rose, previous incarnations of Rose Red. Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome.

Onward with the Yule reviews with Gelt 2010! Now, Gelt 2008 is one of my favorite chocolate blends ever - the dryness makes it an eminently wearable perfume without being too foody-chocolaty. Since I do have the previous incarnation, I'll be testing them simultaneously for a direct wrist-to-wrist comparison. Wet on skin: Oh man, I thought this smelled a little funky in the imp, but on my wrist, this it RANK. I get no chocolate, just extremely powdery amber with a rancid undertone. I REALLY want to wash this off, but I'll persevere for the sake of the review and console myself with the Gelt '08 I've got on my other wrist, which is still the gorgeous chocolate blend that I know and love. Dry on skin: this is still so very very foul, with no morphing into something nicer going on at all. After a while: At least this isn't a blend that has much in the way of throw. After about 2+ hours, this blend stays very close to the skin.the rancid undertone that the amber had has morphed into a kinda icky chemical smell. Final Verdict: I got absolutely NO chocolate with this blend, at any time! So bizzare. Also, I've never had amber turn on me before. I'll stick with my bottle Gelt '08, thank you very much. Rating: 0/5 If you like this, try: Gelt '08, Chocolate and Buttercream, Chocolate and Pepper-Smoked Caramel, Licorice Bats Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome.

So as a self proclaimed devotee of all things mint, of course I had to get some of this year's Lick it incarnation, Lick it Vigorously to test at the very least! I'm testing it against my previous bottle purchase of the lick it series, Lick It Like You Mean It (2008) to contrast the differences. Wet on skin: WOAH, that's a whole lot of peppermint, and does this baby have some throw! Dry on skin: Still very strong, and it's left a distinctly chilly spot on my arm where applied. this has a much stronger peppermint feel than Lick It Like You Mean It, which is much more of a sugared mint blend and has much less throw. After a while: Not so cool feeling on the arm anymore, but this is still going strong after 2+ hours! This is by far the strongest iteration of the Lick It series that I've tried Final Verdict: So awesome, and this is definitely different enough from my bottle of LILYMI that I'll be picking up a second bottle before the Yules come down. Rating: 5/5 If you like this, try: Lick It, Lick It Again, Lick It Like You Mean It, Lick It One More Time, Nuclear Winter, Snowblind, Cloister Graveyard in the Snow Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome.

I'm going to have to second ClaudaP here, when I opened my bottle of Wolf Moon 2011 I was struck by the similarity to Snow Moon '05 (one of my ALL TIME favorite blends ). So I figured, why not do a wrist-to-wrist comparison for my review? Wet on skin: Wolf Moon 2011 comes off as a lovely cold snowy juniper blend, with a base of twangy woods and a hint of sweetness that can only be the juniper berry. Very similar to Snow Moon at this stage, but Snow Moon has almost none of the woody twang. Dry on skin: The berry sweetness comes much closer to the forefront, with the pine and chilly/cold/snowy close behind it. The twang is still there (twang is such a funny adjective, but it's the most fitting I can think of) giving the blend an almost fizzy feel, but I can't tie it to a particular note listed in the description. Snow Moon, on the other hand, is much more mellow but still strong on the chilly pine and juniper berry with a backdrop of icy florals. After a while: Wolf Moon has lost a lot of the twangy/fizzyness and is now more noticeably woody with the juniper berry sweetness the most distinct of the notes. Still feels chilly, but not very and is more on the dry side now. Snow Moon is about in the same boat, having lost a lot of it's crisp chill, and just a light touch of berry over the florals, which have really blossomed. Final Verdict: Wolf Moon 2011 is remarkable similar to Snow Moon '05, but not so similar that the two scents are dupes. They're more like siblings. Both are lovely winter blends, and I would be hard pressed to choose one as a favorite over the other; a real shocker given that Snow Moon '05 has been in my top ten for YEARS. Rating: 5/5 If you like this, try: Snow Moon (well duh, obviously), Skadi, Jabberwocky, Loup Garou, The Snow Maiden, Snow Bunny Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome.

Ok, so I am an absolute minty blend devotee, and Cold Moon 2010 is the ONLY minty blend that I've tried that is an outright reject for me. All I got was rank medicinal note with a minty overtone . I can't even put a coherent in-depth review together because I loathed sniffing my wrist with this blend. Off to the sales page with you! Edit: I know why this blend doesn't sit well with me! It's because it smells exactly like the dentist's office that I went to as a child. A child who had 22 teeth pulled and braces for 8+ years. Yeah . . . not the most pleasant association, and certainaly a part of why I just can't wear this. You know, in addition to the fact that it turns rank on me

curses - double posting.

Wowee, I can't believe that no one's brought this topic back to the first page as of yet! Well, here's my little list of entirely-too-thought-out plans for being marvelously smelly on the 25th! Christmas morning, I'll be wearing Joyeux Noel, the most Christmas-y of all my blends! I can think of no better blend for opening presents under the tree Around lunchtime, I'll add on some Snow White '08 for going out to see the fiancee's parents and gifting. For the holiday evening I'll settle on Whoop for it's foody wintryness as a perfect pairing for the big family dinner.

Wow, this is NOTHING like the previous iterations of Harvest Moon I've tried ('08 and '05). In the Bottle: I'm immediately stuck by both the simplicity of the notes that I get upon initial sniffing, and the complexity that acts as the underlying foundation. I can clearly detect the combined fruity effect of plum, apple, grapes and wine with a predominantly citrus-y feel to the blend. Dry grasses, leaves and saffron are also detectable. Wet: Grapes and wine, with a curtain of earthy greenness hanging in behind. Getting a increasingly semi-powdery citrus coming to the forefront with a hint of freshly cut flowers kept past their prime. Sensing that is blend isn't going to like my skin chemistry I place a dot of the oil on a cotton square to see how it develops without the treachery of my body. Drydown: On me, this has become mostly powdery citrus (like Smarties orange flavor is you know what I mean) with a smidge of tart grape and freshly cut greenery lurking close to the skin. Meanwhile, on the cotton pad this is retaining its crisp feel, with the strongest note being tart grape/wine, with not much else. Dry: Unfortunately, the sickeningly-sweet powdery citrus stage seems to be here to stay. If anything, the longer I wear this, the more powdery it becomes, until it starts to fade about 5 hours in. The cotton pad is a totally different scent though! It's this delightfully warm grape/apple/wine blend with a hint of green woodiness at the base. Final Verdict: It's my skin chemistry that has betrayed me on this one, I am sure of it. I absolutely love this on the cotton swatch though! At least it's a salvageable bottle Score: 3.5/5 edited for spelling fail.

I've got a bit of a hit-or-miss record with rose (Rose Red '08 is easily one of my all time favorite blends, but most other roses are pure fail on me), so I tried Roses, Peals and Diamonds with a fair bit of trepidation. Fortunately, I needn't have worried! RDP was quite lovely. On initial application RDP is a rose reminiscent of Rose Red, but lighter, and I'm also definitely catching the crystalline coconuty level of the perfume as well. The white musk almost has a bug-spray feel to it, which is odd since paler musks usually rock on me, but we'll see how it changes. Honestly though, it's not too bad at all, and it's not turning me off to the blend so far. After about an hour RDP has a more earthy tone with the orris than I expected, but this has really settled down to an elegant blend. The rose is fresh and dewy, the white musk mellowed significantly, and the orris is coming off as a dryer coconut (much more like coconut husk). Overall this one is really a keeper! I LOVE coconut, and having it blended with a pale white musk and a fresh rose note is just awesome. I'm thinking when the imp runs out I'll be replacing it with a bottle. 4/5!