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torikitty

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Posts posted by torikitty


  1. 14 years later....I wonder where this decant started. I can see how the star anise would have started out much stronger back in the day. Now it's just a base for the peony and floral notes. I'm not getting a lot of vanilla. Overall, it's very subtle. I can agree with the rest of the replies about it being a creamy vanilla floral with a slight bit of anise.


  2. I agree with the first few reviews. It leans on a floral-sweet note initially. It's simple and delicate, yet very well balanced. As it warms up, I agree with Little Bird above.

    Quote

    The fabrics are like clean sheets hung out to dry after the wash, like they're clean and brightly refreshing, but not overwhelmingly soapy. 

     

    Not a keeper for me, but I know those folks excited about wool notes will love this.


  3. I don't get any of the notes in here, aside from bread. It's definitely very comforting, and reminds me of the bready Lilith from a few years ago: Loaf. 

     

    I was expecting more sweet bread, but it came across more like the herby bread from Loaf, with a hint of sweet in the background. I am amping the bready note, and none of the anise, almond, or cardamom. It's still nice if you enjoy this kinda thing, but not the desserty bread I was hoping for.


  4. I bought 3 bottles because I liked this so much, and I can't believe I didn't review it yet. I agree with all of the other review. Creamy without being foodie. The fig doesn't stand out much to me. The clove/patch elevates it to round out the creaminess. It's got a low throw, so I feel like I have to slather it on. It doesn't tend to stick around for very long, so it's a good base for applying something else in the afternoon.


  5. I didn't even notice the cacao layer at the bottom of the bottle until @MamaMoth mentioned it. So, this review is without shaking it up. In the bottle, it's mostly chocolate and patch. During the wet phase, it's patch and cocoa. The patch quickly overpowers the cocoa. Then the tobacco slows comes forward. Then, there's an even match of patch, tobacco, and mandarin. The mandarin takes it too a "perfumey" level that I'm not enjoying, but it does make the group brighter. The drydown phase doesn't last long. There might be a slight green note in the background, but this ends up smelling soo similar to other tobacco/patch blends I have, that I don't need this.


  6. The tuberose is exactly what I remember from Hawaii. Sweet and clean. I don't smell the tobacco flower (nicotiana) until after it warms up on the skin. I have no idea what red clover smells like, so I imagine it would be something kinda herbacious to ground everything together. I don't smell anything. Overall, this starts as an earthy tuberose, but ends up shining as a single note once the nicotiana burns off. It's starts out strong, but I didn't smell anything after 4 hours. I just tested it on my neck. I'm wondering if aging will affect this. If you're wanting tobacco, steer clear. If you're ok with a deeper (possibly earthier version) of tuberose, this might be for you.


  7. Same experience as Teamama. I was hoping since Oud was last in the list, it wouldn't show up in a loud way. Unfortunately, it's directly competing with this lovely tea, along with the vetiver, patch, and tobacco screaming around the edges. I don't get almond at all. I would love to chalk it up to my covid nose. I'll let this hang out for a bit, and see if I can stand it next year.


  8. I couldn't give up the chance to try this out, and I'm so glad I jumped on it! I thought being super sugary, it would come off as adolescent perfume; but it turns out to be really pretty! I don't think I can pick out any one sugar that stands out the most. I can pick up the rose sugar, pink spun sugar, and the molasses. Luckily, so far, the honey isn't overpowering, which is good for those who avoid honey. The smoked cacao slowly creeps out. This is the note I'm most afraid of since I don't want to smell smokey. Honey and cacao start coming forward, which is competing with the date paste and benzoin. I can't wait to see where this goes.

     

    ETA: It begins to remind me of Ivory Vulva without the marshmallow.


  9. I, too, love the white chocolate and strawberry blends. There's just something about the clean, yet sweetness of the white chocolate that pairs so well with strawberry. I had forgotten what calvados is, but looking it up, it's apple brandy. I wouldn't have guessed it from smelling this. Luckily for me, the brandy doesn't get disgusting on my skin. I think the alcohol ends up coming across as a hint of effervescence, but definitely not boozy. Nor appley. Creamy and smooth is good description for this. It's very springtime for me. I would love to try this as a cocktail.


  10. I hadn't used Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat in a few years, so I forgot how good it is. This is so good! This is very, very similar to the original. In fact, I would have to put them side-by-side to find any differences. If anything, it's slightly less tart lemon. I highly recommend this for anyone who missed out on the original.


  11. Ooh, what a fun idea! I think the previous lists are good and I'll copy a few. I think I would recommend things that the lab does a lot of, and things that either stretch people's perceptions of what works on them, or solidifies if they like something or not. Skin chemistry is so interesting and varied. I think the Imp Ears packs are a great reference for the different categories.

    1. Snake Oil (you either love it or hate it, but getting on the snake oil train is fun when 'weenies and yules come around)
    2. Dead Leaves & ____ (for the same reason as above)
    3. Dorian (i feel like this is a good way to test if fougere is your thing)
    4. Kabuki (Red musk and cherry) this will tell you if you like red musk and/or cherries/ and what your skin chemistry does with fruits or just cherries
    5. Cthulu (aquatic) again, love or hate, it's good to know what your skin chemistry does with these notes
    6. The Lion (amber) same as above
    7. I think the Booze, Citrus, Vanillas are so varied that I can't pick specific. This requires lots of playing.
    8. Florals: I'm the worst person to make any recommendations in this category
    9. Dirty: the perfect way to find out if you like the "Fresh" category.
    10. Alice (do you like rose?)

    Now that I'm reading your signature, I see that you're a gourmand/herbal/woody fan, which is kinda similar to me. That changes my list a bit.

    1. Snake Oil (big fan of Snake Oil)
    2. Booze: skin chemistry does interesting things with different spirits. Try rum, wine, whiskey, and cognac separately. Rum doesn't do much for me, and I hate the way cognac smells on me.
    3. Rum: Piratey things available from GC ( Port-Au-Prince ).
    4. Wine: Hands-down fave: Dark Chocolate with Merlot-Infused Black Cherries (hard to find, message me if you'd like to try a decant, but there's other wine ones out there that aren't L.E.) Blood Kiss, i think has wine, is GC.
    5. Whiskey: Mad Sweeney (GC)
    6. Kabuki: love it (GC)
    7. Leather: Perversion (GC) (never thought in a million years I would love this as much as I do, highly recommend)
    8. Standard Gourmand: Eat Me (GC) (there's a million imps of this floating around in people's sales pages)
    9. Bakery: Unsubtle euphemism (looks like it's a Luper that's still up there, it's wonderful, it's like fresh foccacia to me). Last year's Lilith: Loaf is a must try.
    10. Bakery, tarts: Knave of Hearts (GC)
    11. Chocolate: Vice (GC)
    12. Coconut: Blood Pearl (GC)
    13. Apple: The Poisoned Apple (GC)
    14. Strawberry: Any of the Strawberry Moons
    15. Spice Rack: I've yet to find anything that is heavy on Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, or Basil. They are usually paired with cucumber or tomato, and have a strong "green" quality that doesn't work for me. Or maybe heavy on the orris and are too dry or dark for me, or heavy on the dirt note or moss. I haven't done enough digging in the recommendation forum to look for these notes specifically. You can find lots of cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. Star anise, nutmeg, and caraway are harder to come by. The holidays are great for new releases including these. Definitely try different things with clove. It's not the same in all the blends. And, pepper, figure out which you like. White pepper does amazing things on my skin (Xanthe, the Weeping Clown or White Chocolate, Strawberry, and White Pepper Truffle). Salt, surprising, smells nice as well. There is an LE (Aegir), which I love, but you can't find anymore. I haven't tried this, but I bet it's nice: Lavender, Sea Salt, and Rain (as long as the rain doesn't do the soapy thing), which is probably easier to come across decants.
    16. I have a hard time recommending woods because I'm very specific about which I like. I'm a rosewood fan, and I adore King of Hearts (GC).

     

    ETA: Sorry, this turned more into a recommendation post, than a Starter pack. I do believe in trying everything because you never know what will work with your skin, but I think that would turn this into a "starter box", and nobody wants to pay for that.


  12. I agree with the small amount of spice. And perhaps some cream and sugar. Maybe just a hint of vanilla and sugar. It's sweeter than i expected, which I really enjoy. This is like being heads-down in a coffee shop, working on something you enjoy. I think it's a great smell, but I think my chemistry sucks up coffee really quickly, so I don't think I can really speak to the wear length.


  13. On 5/26/2020 at 12:56 PM, Seajewel said:

    What oils jump out at you at being both a) amazing, and b) containing Bulgarian Tobacco? I love both French and Bulgarian Tobacco scents, but the latter a bit more. LE or GC. Thank you! 

     

    I feel like there was a weenie in 2020 or 2019 that people commented leaned strongly on the Bulgarian Tobacco side. I could be way off, though. Maybe it was a yule? Perhaps search through reviews, but filter them by date? It was something somewhat recent, but maybe it was just recent to me since I just got around to reviewing it. I tried to look through my posts to see if anything stood out, but nothing did. I'm sorry I can't be of more use, but I think there's something out there.

     

    I got curious and did the search in the Weenies Reviews.

    https://www.bpal.org/search/?q=Bulgarian Tobacco&type=forums_topic&nodes=141&search_and_or=and

    TTP has a decant of Groan of Mortal Terror

     

    I'll see if I can dig out my imp later, and match with anything in my current stash.


  14. Peppermint patty is the first thing that comes to mind. Gingerbread spices rise up as this dries down and mellow out the peppermint. I wouldn't think to put these 2 smells together. They surprisingly work after it's dry, but I think it's only if your chemistry allows for the peppermint to calm down.


  15. I'm a huge fruitcake fan. My family makes it every year. I even made one for the first time this past year. I've never tried a chocolate version, though.

     

    My initial take when trying this out...this is Jólabókaflóðið! It's dry, dusty chocolate, with a hint of nuts! Smelling them together, one of each hand, so I have a better comparison. Chocolate fruitcake has an underlying hint of candied fruits, whereas Jola has more hearth smoke and candlewax. Chocolate fruitcake has a tiny pine aspect that hangs out around the edge, but maybe it's just clove. As they drydown, smelling them up close is very different. I guess there's something in waft from my neck, when there's a bit of distance and time, they end up smelling similar. I want to blame it mostly on my nose. At the end, the way my nose interprets the chocolate in the waft is the only way it's similar. At the end, Chocolate fruitcake doesn't pack as much of a boozy, fruity punch as I was expecting. It's still lovely and light, and wearable. If I want fruitcake, I'll reach for my beloved ICD-37.

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