Aviatrix

21 hours ago, Greenwoodtree said:

Hey everyone - I am SERIOUSLY considering creating an ANTI-CHRISTMAS swap - for those of us who, for whatever reason, cannot or do not handle the coming on-rush of holiday insanity that is commercialized christmas.

For me its become an incredibly painful couple months since I have no family or friends to celebrate anything with, and the loneliness and isolation has me wishing I were not alive during November and December every year..

So rather than focus on what I cant stand anymore, I want to create something new.

Its still percolating.

I welcome suggestions, but my thoughts are running toward more of an empowerment/free-will theme.

That is a great idea!

I feel ambivalent to say the least, about the holidays, and to top it off my birthday is Dec 25....boo.

I would be very interested in joining a swap to cheer each other up in the dark months

At first I was convinced there was peach in this, but it is just my nose getting confused by the berries. This is a bright and summery, yet warm and cosy, blackcurrant with amber on me! Sort of in the same family as my signature scent Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, but fresher because of the fruit. Needless to say I love it.

The vanilla is not plasticky or cloying in any way - in fact, it stays solidly in the background for me, and I am only getting the faintest trace of something that could be the sandalwood. The blackcurrant is the main player.

The throw is medium, I would say.

This reminds me a LOT of Lady Lucille Sharpe, and I noticed they do share some notes. I am sure it will appeal to many people

It is mainly incense and plum on me, and it makes me feel mysterious and kind of sinister. I am not getting much of the oudh, which is fine by me.

For such a dark scent I was surprised that the throw was not greater than is the case. It seems very light on me. I would say you could absolutely wear this anywhere - let it depend solely on your mood instead of your fear of stinking up the entire room

In short: If you enjoy scents like Lady Lucille or Morgause, you will most likely love this, too.

This is a deep, dark rose (probably due to the moss as others have suggested) with a sharp ink note, without it feeling too much like a "book scent". The notes are well blended and nothing dominates the other notes.

Very darkly elegant.

Refreshing white tea with an almost soapy cherry blossom note. It feels both fresh and grounded.

The throw is good, and the wear length is medium-ish, because it does start going mainly amber on me after a few hours.

This smells soapy in the bottle, but on my skin it turns into a dreamy, ethereal wisteria and clove, if that makes sense. Wisteria stands out, along with a bit of spiciness from clove, but everything seems well blended in a way that transforms it into more than the sum of its parts.

This is my favourite among the shungas this year, which I was not expecting!

Ink and musk!

The ink is overpowering the parchment for me, but I still get a distinctly bookish feel from this. The lilac is really only a whisper.

I found it to be a rather powerful scent in terms of throw and longevity.

I had such high hopes for this, but I am not getting any of the elegance others experience. In the bottle this smells surprisingly fresh, but also refined. Unfortunately, my skin turns it weirdly chemical. Not sure why, or which note it could be, but it definitely isn't working for me.

This is just like the smell of my morning cup of tea! No honey, but I don't mind. I would have loved a little more vanilla orchid, but this is mainly a true to life tea scent for me.

White tea and a sweet lavender - definitely sweetened by some fluffy vanilla in the background!

It feels like a perfect sleep scent, at least if you are the sort of person who enjoys lavender for sleep. It reminds me a little of The Serpentine, but not as much as I had expected. This one is softer than The Serpentine, and it feels well balanced with the sharpness of the white tea.

If you enjoy any of the notes listed, you should check it out. Chances are you will love it!

This is like a .... tea cologne? It definitely has a cologney vibe on my skin, but not so much that I couldn't envision a woman rocking this as well. The tea is prominent on me, with a woody background, but I'm not getting much vanilla.

It is unisex, but leaning on the masculine side, and feels comforting, like a man you love sitting in his favourite chair reading an old book (I agree with the old book smell mentioned in the review above too!)

If you like bookish scents, or anything unisex, really, you might want to check this out.

In the wet stage, this is very sugary - somehow it reminded me of fruit hard candies.

On drydown, it's mostly incense. It's a sweet, not too smoky, incense note with an overtone of something fruity - the lingering candy note, although the sugariness has faded somewhat by now.

This one is pure sweet lavender on me. I imagine it works well as a sleep blend.

I can't say I am getting any coconut, really. But the lavender note reminds me of the one in The Serpentine, so if you enjoy that one, you might also like this!

The honey is barely there, which is good for me, because honey rarely works well on my skin! The rest is like a peaceful, fragrant flower pond; watery and slightly ethereal.

A very calming blend.

I'm not sure what baby's breath smells like, but this is very lily-heavy on me. Right when I put it on it borders on SOAPY, but there is something sinister underneath it - so....sinister soap? I'm not sure.

This is very heavy on the pepper, with a slight coconutty background. Much spicier than I had expected!

The spice gives it a certain autumnal vibe, so.....a tropical fall scent?

I am still undecided about how much I would wear this normally, even though I like it, but if you love a good peppery scent, this might be for you

I can't co-host but if you have questions, I totally can help .

That is greatly appreciated I might steal your questionnaire from the literary exchange

Oooh, a Halloween book swap would be so much fun! I'd be in too!

That is great! I will see about organizing it soon, since it should be in time for halloween itself

I have never done a circular swap before, but I will do my best!

Aviatrix, I'd join for sure.

Great!

Anyone still interested in a halloween book swap? Or are there already too many autumn swaps?

Also, anyone up for co-hosting a halloween book swap? I have never hosted a swap before so I appreciate all the help I can get!

Is a Halloween book swap one where you exchange spooky/scary books? Because I'd definitely be game for that (doing and/or helping to organize).

Yes! I participated in the one two years ago I think? There was a broad halloween theme

I am also a sucker for spooky reads so it would be fun to do such a swap. There are also a lot of people who don't like spooky books, though, so we could do the match questionnaire accordingly

 

Is anyone interested in doing a Halloween book swap? I would totally be down for that, but I fear I don't have the organizational skills to do a circle myself

Maybe we could team up to do one?

 

Sure, always (and I could run it/co-run it with you) but isn't it a tiny bit early?

Yay! Oh sure, I was just trying to see if there was any interest in such a swap I always love the book swaps myself <3

Is anyone interested in doing a Halloween book swap? I would totally be down for that, but I fear I don't have the organizational skills to do a circle myself

Maybe we could team up to do one?

This smells just like the vanilla orchid I know and love, so it did not disappoint! It is a light, pretty floral with a hint of non-foody vanilla in the background. Simple and perfect