zankoku_zen

Holy crap. Is this Candy Phoenix? I really get a ton of sugar and quince. On wet, I get a hit of pear but it dries to a sugary candy mess. The ginger comes out during the drydown but it's more of a sweet scent than I expected. Sugary, sweet, ginger.

Sibyl, you and I can't be friends. Even though we both like Dorian. So you have this giant hit of acid on wet, and it calms down as you dry down. I get hints of Dorian, vanilla and highly acidic lemon. Sorry, you're way too sour for me.

Halloween: San Francisco is definitely a more aquatic version of October. It's got the same green/fallen leaves note + water. On me, it's slightly masculine. So it ends up smelling like manly leaves and water. It sort of reminds me to Davidoff's Cool Water for men. But... uh... waaaay better. Aquatic, clean, manly.

Pom IV is very interesting. On wet, it's a mixture of cocoa and pomegranate, which I found very attractive. However, as it dries, I get more of the thyme. Which unfortunately for me, like sage, it is a very dominant note with my skin chemistry. So it smells like thyme + pomegranate on me. If it went back to smelling what it did on wet, I'd buy a bottle.

Super fizzy gin. I love how effervescent some of the gin/alcohol based BPALs have been of late. This one is fizzy gin. As it dries, I get more of the woody components, and just a hint of tile. It's cool and fizzy. Juniper in general is a highly dominant note, and this isn't really the exception. It's a little softened by the fizzy aspects of this blend. Fizzy, alcoholic, fun.

Honey with fuzzy mint leaves. There something on the drydown, like dried herbs underneath the honey that give it a bit of an edge. Dark, sticky, honey.

Okay, Intensity to me smells like Thai food. I get the lemongrass, the basil, the ginger. There is a tinge of woodiness in the drydown, which sort of just accentuates the 'Thai' food connotations to me. I really do get a fair amount of basil from this. I was expecting something herbal and green. But I was hoping for a stronger grapefruit note.

Agree with roses. This has a distinctive Victorian feel to it. The roses are combined with perhaps a hint of violet and fougere? It smells like a lady's toilette. Heavy, perfumed, roses.

Yellow flowers. I get a touch of honeysuckle, mums and something that smells like soap. It sort of reminds me to pressed flowers. Yellow, floral, pressed.

For me the apple is crisp and fresh on wet, and then it dries to an apple candy with other sugary fruit hints. Sort of like Nerds candy. Fruity, fun, apple candy.

Tea, tonka and sassafras. There is a slight root beer quality to it, but mainly it's the tonka and tea notes I'm getting. Warm, spicy, tasty.

Muilearch is... well... really sexy guy. There is some white and green musk in this, and combined with the ozone notes comes out to smelling like a really 'clean guy' cologne. There is a touch of warmth underneath the coolness though. This is the sort of scent that a stoic romantic hero wears - you know the type. He won't say a word to you, but will help you out when you're in need. In some ways, it sort of reminds me to Giorgio Armani's Aqua di Gio. Aquatic, clean, sexy.

For me, I have to agree with SurrealReality's assessment of the differences between Mabon 2004 and Mabon 2010. However, it doesn't account for aging (I mean, there is like SIX years of difference). Mabon 2010 is is green grass, hops, a swirl of apple, blackberry and underneath, nuts. Mabon 2004 on me is a heavy, blackberry and apple cider, and it borders on the medicinal. If there is something green in there, it's a touch of ivy. The gravitas of 2004 is missing from 2010, but that's because I think so many of the elements that are prevalent on the 2010 probably don't age all that well - and/or simply get overpowered by the aging of the blackberry and the apple cider. 2010 is lighter, more fresh, and I sort of enjoy how the green grass is very prevalent. You can sort of, however, see how the 2004 could be possible from the 2010 version. They are however, as they currently stand, two very different scents. I find myself preferring the 2004 incarnation because it is the Mabon I fell in love with. I'd be interested to see/try Mabon 2010 in like.... four years. My only concern with aging is if the aging would accentuate the nuts component. I don't want a nutty Mabon.

Amber in some BPAL blends turns powdery on me. Must not be egyptian amber, because this sucker is smooth, sweet, exotic and resinous. I think resinous SN probably have a longer shelf life than the fruity SNs. Rich, dark, sexy.

I have to say that I think Embalming Fluid works fabulously as a bath oil. The light refreshing citrus is such a citrus clean that it makes for a comforting bath. I can see this one being very appropriate in either the spring/summer.

Butterscotch cake. It really is butterscotch, with a tinge of cheesecake and a hint of rum. But the butterscotch is heavier - sweet, heavy, caramel like. Sweet, sugary, foodie.

Imaginary génoise cakes, imaginary trifle (with imaginary rosewater, imaginary Madeira and imaginary strawberries), imaginary macaroons, and imaginary Devonshire tea served in an imaginary garden surrounded by one-thousand imaginary flowers. Sweet strawberry galore! This is a sweeter, strawberrier version of Floating Brain. Sweet strawberries, sponge cake and a hint of icing. Way too sweet for me. But if you like sugary sweet blends, give this confection a whirl.

On wet, I found that it was a very aggressive green/wood type. I definitely got pine and spruce, and something that smells like persimmons to me. As it dried, those elements calmed down and its more light florals (hello moonflower!). It has a distinctive Asian feel to me. Light florals, green woods, nostalgia.

Fresh, very green. On wet, it definitely has a very lemony scent. And then it dries down to a very ethereal poppy. Wispy, airy, slightly sweet.

Marigolds, splash of orange and then it degrades to a floral soap, with a slight bitter edge. SAAD.

This one is carnation, slightly cologne and all guy. YUM! I have to test this out on mr. zee_zee. For a comparison, it reminds me to Bleu by Chanel minus all the citrus. This is smooth, masculine, warm. And drop dead sexy. Here's to hoping that mr. zee_zee's skin chemistry cooperates with us this time...

Fruity, honeysuckle, honey. It sort of had a bright sweet pop that made me think of candy and Jailbait, esp. on wet.

Rose, musk, plum and a spot of patchouli. Oddly enough, without the patchouli it sort of has a Queen of Spades feel. Dark, mysterious, female.

Salty, floral aquatic. I get weeds and balsam from this. Aquatic, pale, clean.

Gingerbread, caramel, spice and a hint of citrus. Foodie, yummie. This smells like a delicious gingerbread cookie. Warm, comforting, foodie.