Belladonnastrap

Plumes of olibanum, cassia chips, benzoin, storax, and myrrh smoke swirling around a stained-glass pane of red pomegranate, purple currant, and golden amber.

We've finally caved in to years of requests for vampiric scents. As soft as grave dust and as dry as a breath drawn within a long forgotten crypt, this is Nosferatu: desiccated herbs and gritty earth brought to life with a swell of robust and sanguineous red wines. When I got my mammoth LE order I decided to review some of the new scents first as there are already reviews of the Halloween stuff. Nosferatu instantly sprung to my mind since so many people had been clamoring for it and the weather outside is perfect for it. First sniff Oh goodness. Sweet, fresh herbs drenched in a decadent red wine. A bit pungent yet seductive. If it had a colour it would be deep bloodied burgundy...a red so dark its almost black. Mindblowing. Wet I'm absolutely flabbergasted. A very dark feral scent but there's a cloying sweetness that just has me sniffing my wrists over and over and over again. The red wine in this prevents the earthiness from overpowering and making you smell like a freshly tilled grave. It's WONDERFUL. Drydown Is it possible to get drunk on a scent? This dries down into an exquisite heady sort of scent that oozes sensuality and dark lust. The herbs provide a base preventing the sweetness from becoming overpowering (a bit of a role reversal from when its wet) and lend a sort of mysterious, "don't fuck with me vibe" to the overall scent. Aftermath I started shuddering as I wore this, it gives me a feeling in my stomach of absolute wanton lust and desire. I can't explain it. It's so decadent and yet there's a sense of WRONGNESS to it. Beth has perfectly captured the whole romantic aspect of a vampire. I'm amazed and SO buying a 5ml during the next Lunar update.

Morning rising in mourning grey: tobacco flower, white oud, lavender bud, and ambergris accord.

Goat’s milk, marshmallow, vanilla cashmere, honey dust, and white chocolate.

A bundle of roasted chestnut, oak bark, sawdust, balsam, and warm brown musk against a backdrop of white sandalwood, orris butter, and juniper.

Red mandarin dusted with frost.

Granddaughter of Helios, Hecate's chosen: Medea was one of the greatest sorceresses of the ancient world. She is the embodiment of ruthless power, indomitable will and furious vengeance. Night-blooming cereus, black orchid, black currant and myrtle leaf enshrouded in the incense of Hecate's cypress and myrrh, and the dark rage of magickal labdanum and intoxicating poppy. First sniff Flowery and herbaly and a bit incense ridden as well to my nose. The most prominent note to me is the orchid followed closely by the currants. Wet Wet this reminds me a lot of Old Cairo, that sort of incensy, floating down the Nile while half naked oiled slaves feed you grapes and massage your body. However there is a darker element coming into play, sort of like the scent is letting you know its not as bright as it claims to be. The currant and incense is a really heady combination. Drydown Wow. This smells like an aquatic-tinged wine now. Very very different from the inital vibe I got its now very dark. A bit sweet as well, the incense is completely and utterly gone now and all I can smell is the currants and orchids. Aftermath Orginially I was going to pass up on Medea but the drydown is LOVELY. Imagine sitting by an ocean during a storm, the waves crashing against the shore but you have an EXCELLENT glass of deep dark red wine with you. That's Medea. Tis lovely.

In Imperial China, the Dragon was the symbol of the Emperor's power, and to this day, the concept and the image of the Dragon is considered sacrosanct. The Dragon is a symbol of power, the Lord of weather and water. The Dragon Moon celebrates the glory and vigor of Springtime: dragon's blood resin, tea leaf, bamboo reed, sandalwood and cherry blossom. First Sniff: Holiday Moon + Dragon's Blood. More specifically the tea leaf pops out more then anything. I can barely make out the sandalwood and the cherry blossom is non existant. Wet: Oh my. Dragon's Blood is REALLY strong on me, it almost overpowers everything else. There's a hint of tea (or something else green) but I just get this strong smell of dragon's blood that completely obliterates everything else. Drydown: WOW. The other scents are coming together to fight for dominance,it's like there's an epic battle on my wrist. WHO WILL WIN? THE OTHER NOTES OR THE DRAGON?! It's very green on me right now with a hazy tinge of red. It reminds me a lot of Neo-Tokyo actually, must be the shared note of Cherry Blossom. Aftermath: The asian moons have been hit and miss for me (mostly miss) but if you can deal with the inital blast of Dragon's Blood I think you might enjoy this particular moon. I definitely wasn't expecting it to drydown into this dragonteafloral but it did and its lovely.

A spicy Sicilian lemon-frosted cookie filled with Calimyrna figs, dried dates, orange peel, dark rum, and almond paste.

Cherrywood, frankincense, amber, red berries, cherries, white rose petals, and myrrh.

Lilith has been obsessed with making hot chocolate bombs for weeks. She lost the instructions, but she was determined to make them anyway. We don’t have a double boiler, so she made a makeshift one. Lilith got impatient and decided to microwave the chocolate chips, and then she got distracted and wandered off. It’s a total disaster, but the house smells great.

Ho ho ho: black leather, gingerbread, clove, and tobacco.

Roman chamomile, golden ti leaf, and crystallized amber illuminating blackened vetiver and smoky oud.

Champagne-soaked gingerbread, candied ginger, lemon, and white sugar.

Also called Gallows Literature. A dime novel rife with melodrama, horror, madness and cruelty; a ten cent analogy of vice and virtue in conflict. Soft perfume evocative of noir heroines over rich red grave loam. First Sniff: Baby powder. Baby powder, ginger and something sweet...maybe vanilla? It's very odd. It smells like something you're not suppossed to like but do anyway. Weird. Wet: Dammit I know what this scent is but my mind is completely not cooperating. Oh wait! It's like Shub-Niggurath's younger but just as bad sister. Which on reflect would be really odd but that's what it reminds me of. There's also a hit of something darker and more rich, sandalwood maybe? Dry: Gingerbread Poppet minus the buttery note with a dose of sandalwood. Aftermath: I need to get to know this better. I know there is an aspect of the perfume I'm missing but I can't place my fingers on it. Will update the review accordingly

Indigo musk, blackened lilac, wild plum rind, opium tar, tobacco flower, and snow.

Because it’s amazing.

An extra-sweet vanilla peppermint for an extra-sour year.

Vivid red musk streaked with sleet, hearthsmoke, a glimmer of lemon rind and yellow amber, and oak-aged whiskey.

Bulgarian lavender, white tea, and pine smoke in a haze of snowfall.

Crumbling marble under a blanket of snow, echoes of incense smoke, and crushed frankincense tears.

Soft poofs of chilled marshmallow.

Icy water cascading over smooth, mossy stones and a trickle of hearth smoke in the distance.

Pulled from a stack of recipes I keep in a folder called “Things I Will Never Be Skilled Enough to Bake.”