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Got this as a frimp with an order - fruity scents aren't really my thing so I personally won't be wearing it, however, it's a bit silly to judge a fruity perfume poorly for being fruity, since that would be missing the point - a little like criticizing an Austen book for not having enough dinosaurs (although with the recent zombie crossover one can hope a dinosaur Austen won't be far off). As far as fruity scents go, you could do a lot worse than Tweedledee. It's really genuinely yummy and fruity, nothing artificial, it's like having your head dunked in a punchbowl - in the good sense. It's a cheerful, whimsical fragrance and very endearing. I'm going to keep this one around as a gift. For me, the kumquat and orange blossoms are the dominant notes once it dries, it stays beautifully foody for hours and hours.

I've just gotten a decant of this, and it's funny how reactions can change. The first time I put it on, it was almost entirely burnt wood in the bad way, and I considered putting it up for sale. Trying it again today, it was completely different and absolutely wonderful, and I've no idea why it differs so much from the first try - either way, I would probably consider cutting someone's head off for a 5ml of this! Absolutely gorgeously blended. In the bottle it's very strong, smoke, gunpowder and a sharp scent, probably the metal. On wet, the metal dissipates somewhat, and the sandalwood comes into play. Drying down, all the scents harmonize beautifully and it becomes this smoky, dark, beautifully masculine scent. Absolutely fantastic. I don't think it's something for everyday use, it's very dramatic, but god, have I fallen in love with this little decant. Must find more.

"I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trade Vic's, his hair was perfect." I was leery of this from the start and actually ordered this sample solely because of the name as I'm a big werewolf enthusiast. In the bottle, this one smells very herbal and woody, very medicinal. When I first tried it, it was instant Vicks Vaporub, but now that I've tried it again a few weeks later, my skin is playing along much more nicely - it still smells green and medicinal but it works better with my skin chemistry and becomes a bit deeper and less sharp, especially on drydown. I wear it when I've had a miserable day and I need a refreshing, cleansing scent up my nose. I won't get a 5ml but I will keep an imp around me at all times Edit: Well, my opinion has wound up changing 180 degrees. It's funny how that happens sometimes. I used to dislike Loup Garou greatly and now not an evening goes by that I don't put it on. The smell is clean, woodsy, not the artifical woodsy, and clean. I have a 5ml on the way. Mmmh.

"Ninety years ago I was a freak. Today, I'm an amateur. The future isn't what you thought - it's what I am." - Jack the Ripper, in Time After Time In the bottle, plenty of lime and citron with a nice musk and only mild lilac, which is nice because I'm not fond of lilac at all. On first application, CITRON, and lots of it. Light lime in the background but yes, almost sheer citron. After drydown, a bit of the musk comes back, and fifteen minutes later it's taken the citron down a few notches which is nice. The lilac, happily, never makes an entrance. Another nice and fresh everyday scent, but too much lemon to really wow me. This is definitely a unisex scent, not overwhelmingly masculine nor feminine. I'm not quite sure what to make of Whitechapel. I'm not really fond of the overwhelming citron scent at the beginning, but I like it a lot once the musk takes over again. I will keep my imps, but I think I'll take the full bottle off my personal wishlist. I'll grab imps of it when I can.

"Azathoth is the Greatest God, who rules all infinity from his throne at the center of chaos. His body is composed of all the bright stars of the visible universe, but his face is veiled in darkness." - Gary Myers, The Web My mother doesn't like this one, she thinks it smells too much of burnt wood, but that's actually part of the reason I love it. God, this is rich. Rich, luxurious and very, very dark. In the bottle it's pure tangerine, saffron, amber and (oddly enough) some kind of distant dark chocolate. It's incredibly enticing. The moment it hits skin the cedarwood and slight scent of burning wood and ashes begin to come through. It reminds me of a bonfire on an autumn night, but the tangerine, amber and saffron stay with it. A few minutes on, and only ashes and dark musk remain. I do like it, more than I thought I would, but it's sadly not an everyday scent, as I'm sure there are many like my mother who don't appreciate a nice ashy smell. Edit: bizarre. After a few months, I decided to try it again and all of a sudden it feels like I'm smelling a completely different perfume that behaves much better. Dark amber, dark chocolate, dark vetiver, but then there's this bright spark of what I swear smells almost like mint that disrupts it and allows the tangerine and saffron to bleed through. I love this more than I did before now. Very, very nice.

"She stepped forward and the sunlight cast a glow over the russet-coloured dress that clung so charmingly to her figure. Tall and elfin-featured, with a tumbling fall of Mucha-like curls, she held up the newspaper and flashed me a lovely smile. 'I came in response to your advertisement.' The voice was lightly accented - Dutch? - and tinkled like a music-box. 'Advertisement? Oh! Oh yes of course! Come in, please, Miss . . . ?' 'Pok.' 'Pok?' 'Bella Pok.'" - Mark Gatiss, The Vesuvius Club This was always meant as a gift for my mum, but I thought I'd experiment just for the sheer heck of it to see how different it might smell on me. On me, it's almost immediately opium, sandalwood, with hints of vanilla and mandarin on drydrown and with lily of the valley completely absent, and twenty minutes on the vanilla and mandarin have all but disappeared out of the equation. It's sophisticated, classy and slightly darker than the usual women's fragrance, like a staggeringly beautiful and charming woman with a murderous secret - which is rather fitting considering of course I tried it entirely in the honour of The Vesuvius Club's Bella Pok, and nothing would describe her better. Nothing, of course, describes me less, so it's not a keeper, but it was really interesting to smell. It lasts a very long time and I eventually scrubbed it off just because it was too long-lasting and ladylike and meddling a bit with my own scents. On my mum, it's pure vanilla and lily of the valley with only a faint hint of sandalwood to darken it, it's light, charming and refined, bringing to mind a mature, dignified lady in an eggshell-coloured dress, having freshly stepped out of a Victorian garden - which is fairly much my mum on a good day, so I think it fits her perfectly. I really like it, it makes me regret getting Antique Lace and not this as a full bottle for her, but the imp should last her a while, and I will try to get her some more.

"A Shoggoth on the roof - sounds crazy - no, certifiably insane! But here in our little village of Arkham, Massachusetts, you might say every one of us has a Shoggoth on the roof - and I'm not speaking of metaphorically! It's not easy having a . . . malevolent shapeless monster like that, hanging over your head, but there it is! Arkham is the home of many strange things. A big monster like that on such a pointy roof, you may ask: How does it stay up there, if it's so difficult? That, I can tell you in one word: tentacles!" Officially the first Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab scent I ever applied and tried. Possibly not the perfect start for an untrained nose? But I do like it. It's incredibly complex, if not as dark as I would immediately imagine a Lovecraft fragrance to be, it's rather colourful, a pleasant assault on the senses. On first application I notice a lot of the florals, but the amber tones them down. Goodness me, a floral that I like? Madness! As it dries down, the coconut, lime and lemongrass come in to play, and there's a strange kind of glow to it, but a diffused one, like light breaking through mist. I think that much like it is ill-advised to stare at an actual shoggoth for too long trying to make sense of it's shapeless form, perhaps it is also better to just inhale and soak in this particular scent without trying too hard to make out individual notes from the massive ingredients list. I want to use this sparingly until I can find another imp's ear of this, I really love it but I don't want to wear it just everyday, it seems too complex and overwhelming to wear it daily and I don't want it to run out on me too soon. Twenty minutes on, the scents have mellowed, and the florals, lime and lemongrass remain, but the hint of coconut which I liked so much has all but disappeared. It's still wonderful, though. Two hours on and it's become very faint. I wish this would last longer. Maybe more of a summery, light scent. I definitely want to try this as a room fragrance as well, I hope a few more of the notes become noticeable that way. Edited to Add: Oh no. Oh dear. This has gone down the way of all florals. Everytime I use it, it gives me a splitting headache after application. I'm very disappointed because I really liked this one. Am passing it on to a Lovecraft-loving friend as a way of enabling.

"I was busy pushing bodies around, as you well know, and what would a note say, Dan? 'Cat dead, details later'?" Oh, I love this one. I definitely want a 5ml! Despite the fact that I've ordered a lot of scents based on aftershave and men's cologne, I'm rather picky with mine, having been in the presence of too many guys who overuse it. But this . . . this is brilliant. It's an aftershave, but it's not a cloying, off-the-shelf aftershave, which I'm sure has to do with the embalming fluid soothing it. It's the faintest Black Phoenix fragrance I tried so far, but that's why I like it, it doesn't assault you, it's quiet, reserved, function over form, with very little interest to impress you or jump out at you - much like the good doctor West himself. On first application the aftershave overpowers the other scents, but on drydown it weakens, and thirty minutes later the embalming fluid, which is thick, rich and dry - a sort of musky but clean tea with a hint of citrus - comes to the forefront as the aftershave mellows perfectly - not disappearing entirely but remaining faintly and pleasantly detectable. This scent is absolutely brilliant on me. I'm not sure about what the reagents are supposed to smell like and can't detect them yet, but maybe after prolonged use, and after my nose is a bit better trained? I have two more imp's ears of this coming my way and I'm rather glad I do, I definitely want to wear this more often, it's a great everyday scent, crisp with only a slight sense of foreboding.