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Amoraexcena

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Everything posted by Amoraexcena

  1. Amoraexcena

    Castitas Bath Oil

    This is quite nice! It's a surprisingly clinging, strong scent, so use it sparingly! I use it mostly as a spot-moisturizer - on my heels, elbows, that sort of thing. But like all the other BPTP bath oils, it's amazing in the bath tub and it'll give you uber soft skin all over. Lovely for the winter too
  2. Amoraexcena

    Spun Sugar Spectre Bath Oil

    This definitely is a cousin of Sugar Skull in the bottle, minus some jam and brown sugar. I didn't get much of the lemon mentioned upthread - maybe aging has toned it down somewhat. It's a lovely texture in the bath. My skin felt extremely soft all day (I took the bath last night.) However, mental note not to dunk my entire scalp underwater - I did shampoo but I didn't get all the oil out, so I look like I have rather greasy locks today. I'll have to wash my hair again well tonight.
  3. Amoraexcena

    Exotic Bazaar Atmosphere Spray

    I've only had this for a few months, but aging is already showing wonderful signs. I definitely need a big bottle of this in my next BPTP order. Sweet, somewhat nutty, golden resinous: a complex spice scent that I wouldn't wear but is utter divine as an atmo spray.
  4. Amoraexcena

    Autumn Lace

    An October funeral, 1888. Black linen and delicate, sugar-spun lace suffused with the scent of tobacco, black tea, Indian musk, liturgical incense, and cognac, with a drop of laudanum and crushed Autumn leaves. Mmmmm. Autumn Lace is definitely my fav of the lace series since the original Black Lace. It's definitely in the same category but is more wearable in my opinion. The incense and cognac are well balanced with the sugar and linen, and the musk comes out once it settles into your skin. The tea, laudanam and leaves I can't distinguish separately but they definitely give this scent a more golden-brown feel than Black Lace (which, in colour of scent association, is ink black). Autumn Lace also a little similar to Tattered Lace but minus the slightly strange lemon I get from that one. As an aside, a rather famous October funeral in 1888: Elizabeth Stride, who was killed by the Ripper. May she rest in peace.
  5. Amoraexcena

    Sweet lemony floral?

    I definitely +1 the Dorian rec, and also the Midwinter's Eve. Definitely a sweet fruity floral, lovely.
  6. Amoraexcena

    Sibyl

    I tried this without remembering any of the notes listed - I vaguely remembered I wanted a The Girl that actually works on my skin. I put it on, and I couldn't for the life of me name any note. It's VERY well blended. My first thought was: Joyful Moon and Midnight on the Midway's sensual coupling produced this. Now that I look at the note list and reviews, I'm a little surprised. I don't usually get along with honey at all and I thought tea rose was my least favourite type of rose. I guess not. This blend is absolutely gorgeous, and I'm sad that not many people got to try it because it's so exclusive...and because I wouldn't mind #grabbyhands me some more. It's complex in the best way possible - it's definitely not too citrus-y, not foody from the vanilla, the tea rose doesn't overwhelm, there's only a hint of cognac, honey doesn't amp to high hell on me, the olibanum and musk grounds it... Props Beth, you're incredible. PS: it's not much like The Girl, which is more... white, cold, birch-y, not nearly as sweet. The only common factor, in my opinion, is how well blended they are.
  7. Amoraexcena

    Scents for late summer into autumn

    Here it's already starting to get chilly, so... Dorian Lamb's Wool aged Snake Oil and I can't wait for Raven Moon! though I suspect I'll sniff it and think, two years of cellaring for you!
  8. Amoraexcena

    Old Demons of the First Class

    I don't smoke anything, but this is what I imagine clove cigarettes to be like. Sweet, dark and spicy. I read somewhere that this is a red-musk-dominant blend, and I'm happy to say it's not. Siberian musk is nothing like red musk, the latter which I can't wear. I'd say Siberian musk is closer to black musk. I agree with parrot_suspect: this scent is evocative of a leggy blonde Russian woman in a drapey-sexy cashmere sweater with a black lace bra-strap peeking out. In farther drydown the resin comes out, tonka sweetens a little more, the clove and musk lingers. I'd say it's the lovechild of Hellhound on my Trail and Schwarzer Mond. If this was a LE blend, it's the sleeper hit kind that's overlooked until it's aged a few months, then goes for $50+ on ebay. It also reminds me of the sloowwwwww, sensual sex. The thorough, fulfilling-all-your-darkest-desires kind.
  9. Amoraexcena

    Ice Princess Bath Oil

    I also did a little double-take when I smelled Ice Princess! She's very little like most of the lab's ice or snow scents. IP is very sweet, mouth-wateringly juicy, and has the most wearable honey on me to date. It's predominantly berry fruit, and like Imbrium I get an underlying pink rose -but it could be the blackcurrant I'm smelling, because this oil is seamlessly blended. It's also strongly scented, and will be great for those who use it as a in-shower moisturizer.
  10. Ro's Argan Body Conditioner is pretty close to Joyful Moon
  11. What's the most benzoin-heavy BPAL? I love Death Cap's almost-all-benzoin drydown, but the initial dirt+cedar isn't really my thing.
  12. Amoraexcena

    Death Cap

    Wet, Death Cap is sweet patchouuuuuuuuuuuli and leaves, translating into loamy dirt and mushrooms. Dry: sweet mushrooms, loam, cedary wood, coconut husk, and definitely an undercurrent of benzoin. I'm quite certain it's not any of the lab's vanillas, it's a milder vanilla-incense-resin; benzoin. I can even feel the stickiness of the resin oil. Quite nice and warm, with benzoin taking over in far drydown. It's a lovely skin scent. I'm guessing this one will age spectacularly. I'll definitely keep the imp for a while and see what happens. I might look for a bottle, I love the far drydown of this after the cedar fades... or maybe I should just buy some pure benzoin oil
  13. Amoraexcena

    Cristina

    Wow that's really interesting. I'm wondering if Beth's cake accord includes the same chestnut note in it, because this smells a lot like that cake batter note from Cake Smash, BJ&S, Sprinklecake.... the same butteryness. Very foodie and sweet, but this actually works better on me than most FOOD blends. The labdanum creeps into the sweetness after a bit (but the nice, tart juniper berries are only detectable in the imp) making this more wearable for me. The drydown's a little similar to Haloes, which is nice.
  14. Amoraexcena

    Sherlockian Search for a Scent...

    I'm wearing A Bachelor's Dog right now, and yup. I definitely get the Sherlockian vibe.
  15. Amoraexcena

    Sprinklecake

    I was leery about trying this one, because I'm not usually too much of a fan of the lab's cake note (Eat Me, BJ&S, etc.) and the reviews haven't been too wonderful. I'm also not much of a foodie (Midway and Cake Smash are alright.) So I can say I'm pleasantly surprised that Sprinklecake is not Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix or horrid plastic almond or cherry syrup (I hate all of those things.) It's icing sugar and sweet vanilla cupcake, especially its throw in drydown stage is very convincing. It *is* what some people would associate with children, although I will love sugar overload until I die. To bottle or not to bottle!!! hmmmmmm. I think it's an affirmative!
  16. Amoraexcena

    Halloween 2011 Must Haves!

    I'm a sweet floral lover and it seems the Wiley Grasser is definitely up my alley if the pine needles are mild. I didn't order a decant but I'll probably have to tack it on my next order. What's your budget like ivyandpeony? Did you order any decants?
  17. Amoraexcena

    Liz

    I absolutely adore Liz. There's a flower in Liz that I'm not very familiar with. It's a little on the sharp, sweet and sour, bright side, which gives this blend a lot of character. I'm going to hazard a guess that it's orange blossom, along with maybe ylang ylang. The leather in this one is more leather-y than the soft suede of CC:F. The sharpness largely fades in drydown into a floral vanilla with a hint of leather. It's a beautifully blended, complex scent that's quite different from other scents in my collection. I reach for this every autumn/leather jacket season.
  18. More decants suggestions: The Illustrated Woman and Black Lace
  19. Amoraexcena

    Velvet

    Wet: The sandalwood threatens to overpower for a minute or two, then leans back and lets cocoa and vanilla take centre stage though, almost as an afterthought, it sticks around to ground the scent and keeps it from becoming a foodie blend. Dry: Beth's description, as usual, is dead on: warmed on the skin, this scent gives a soft, gentle, sensual embrace. The throw is quite close but it lasts a decent length, 3-5 hours on my skin. It's a cousin of Boomslang but without that rice milk that goes funky on me. The slightly bitter cocoa is also reminiscent of Black Temple Burlesque Troupe, but it's much more of a caress compared to the punch of BTBT. Velvet is a seriously beautiful gourmand, and I love it. Bottle purchase soon!
  20. Amoraexcena

    Pumpkin V (2009)

    I brought this out in honour of the recent Weenie update, and am absolutely loving it. It's a beautiful creamy pumpkin pie with a steaming mug of mocha. It hits most of the palate -sweet, bitter, creamy, spicey. Love it. This is going to be a staple this autumn
  21. Amoraexcena

    Port Royal

    Wet: Whoa, clove! This rum is definitely spiced with clove, with a hint of heat –maybe black pepper? I do get a little hint of “prostitute’s perfume,” but I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t in the description. It reminds me of Hellhound. Drydown: A touch of salty aquatic, distinguishing it from Hellhound. Off to the SO this goes!
  22. Amoraexcena

    The Night-Raven

    Indigo musk, wild plum, rose geranium, benzoin, night-blooming jasmine, and patchouli. Wet: Beautiful musk, subtle plum and soft florals. It’s pretty gender-neutral in my opinion. I’m loving that indigo musk…it’s very, very different from Beth’s other musk accords. Drydown: The wonderful night-blooming jasmine becomes a little more prominent, making it distinguishable from the other flowers. It has pretty gentle throw. The patchouli and resin come out a bit more too. It's quite nice
  23. Amoraexcena

    Tattered Lace

    This and CC:F has become my winner-wears for this summer, and I can see both of them becoming long-term favs. Initially, the frankincense is pretty strong, and I think combined with the woodmoss gives this almost a citrus feel. After the wet stage however the sharpness fades completely (I think possibly it'll fade completely with some aging.) The drydown is so comforting. The lace is very well loved, snuggly, soft and with a worn-in feel. The vanilla tea is prominent with the cognac, opium tar and resin as supporting notes that keeps this from being a simple young-feminine blend. I can't get much of coconut bark or silk (I have no idea what the latter is supposed to smell like). There is none of the coconut note in Obatala or Tarot: Star etc. It did initially remind me of Dorian but it's less sweet and way less musky. I wear it more than Dorian! It lasts about 3-5 hours, with a really enjoyable close throw.
  24. Gypsy is a pretty good clone of (aged) Hellhound on my Trail. The latter is pretty much impossible to find lately.
  25. Amoraexcena

    Lampades

    In the imp I get a lot of burnt cedar, which is probably the smoke note. Upon application the sweet cranberry amps, reminding me a lot of Fruit of Paradise, which I love. It's also somewhat similar to Midnight Kiss, with the musk+berry element. Tart and sweet, with the barest hint of spices. The cedar hangs around for a while then fades. I like the rose-amber colour of the oil.
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