Invidiana

If I knew I had five minutes left to live this is exactly the sort of ridiculous thing I'd be stuffing myself with. Wet I initially get a blast of almond, and then the pumpkin comes through pretty quickly in the drydown. I like the booziness of it, which initially comes off strong but softens in the drydown. It does retain a certain boozy undertone throughout which I find kind of addictive. The blending of that with the clouds of vanilla buttercream is just pure ecstasy. I'm glad that the spice here is very subtle, just a warming accent and nothing that amps to the point of killing the other notes. Really, really tempted to lick it off.

This is really delicious. It's all orange cake wet, and then as it dries down it becomes smooth and creamy with the custard coming through. I actually only get the faintest hint of anise with this, which is good, because I was hoping it would be subtle. Surprisingly the hints of floral notes that make themselves known in the very end actually work with the rest of the notes. I was a little leery of them at first but the give a soft finish to the cake, orange and vanilla custard notes. I've never eaten actual huesos de santo but not I want to try them!

This one was very, very vegetal. Initially I got a blast of green vines and earth, then some pumpkin comes to the surface as it dries down. The pumpkin here really isn't a foody pumpkin, but more of closer to fresh pumpkin guts. The green notes still remain the dominant element throughout. Not for me personally, but it really is very true to what an actual pumpkin patch smells like up close and personal.

I'm a neroli fan, so this one really delivered. I love how the juicy peach note, which has that hint of tartness to balance the sweetness(never cloying throughout the drydown), is balanced by the creamy, slightly citrusy neroli. Those two the notes that burst onto the scene initially, but after a minute or two of drying down a light, sweet honey and sheer white tea beautifully come into play. I think this one has put my fears of white peach turning saccharine on my skin to rest.

Holy--give me a moment to breathe here. This smells like my peach trees. Yes, I do live in New Jersey and have peach trees but that's besides the point. Take the scent of sun-warmed grass and flowers carried on fresh air, combine it with subtle wood and fragrant, fresh-picked peaches (more like smelling a the skin of peach that hasn't been cut open). In other words this is basically the bottled version of a fully laden peach tree in early September. I can't get over how realistic it is!

White peach normally scare me because my skin can turn it saccharine, but as a hair gloss it's a different story. The white peach note is gentle and even a bit tart, which I love, and supported by a sheer white incense. This is not an incense to be afraid of; it's very light and supports the peach perfectly. What really makes this for me, though, its the interaction of the champaca flower with the other two notes. The heady (but not heavy), sensual quality it adds is really divine. I wore this paired with Peach I today and the combo was just amazing.

LOVE this, and that's coming for a person who isn't necessarily a peach fanatic either. Wet it starts out with a bright juicy burst of peach. I love how the golden peach note here doesn't border on saccharine at all, like some peach notes do on my skin, but is tart enough to balance out the sweetness. It's got that juiciness to it like a fresh-picked peach from one of my trees (yes I do live in New Jersey and have functioning peach trees but that's a who other story). Then as it dries down the tonka and honey make it a thicker, richer scent. The slightly smoky tobacco and warm red musk are the last to emerge but they give it something of a sensual finish. I never expected to fall for a peach scent this much but there you have it.

I sprang for a bottle of this without even thinking, and I was right. It's thick, rich, creamy, marshmallowy hot chocolate perfection. Made me think of a steaming mug of cocoa with all that melted marshmallow goodness (you know when you leave them there and they just melt into this wonderful white goo) on top. The chocolate note is like the darker side of milk chocolate, not that artificially sweet stuff you might find in the clearance section of CVS but like like a "dark milk chocolate", the kind with about 50% cacao. Anyway, I'm rambling--LOVE.

Deep, dark and resinous. This is a cousin of the original Frankincense SN, but a bit sweeter, which I personally prefer. I wouldn't call it church incense at all, even though a lot of people have that perception of frankincense. It has woody and smoky undertones, but the smoky aspect is more like woodsmoke than church incense smoke. A little sharp in the wet stage (attributing that to the fact that it's fresh and age will change things), it mellows out to a smoky-sweet resin, shadowy and mysterious, the scented equivalent of an antique veil. I can't wait to see how this ages, it's going to be amazing.

I just placed a massive order this morning, I mean really worthy of this ---> even though my wallet was ready. But what I can say about past Weenies that I either own or have tried: All Souls (own): foody and incensey; the incense puts a unique (and I find, highly addictive) spin on the cake and currant notes; if you like Feeding the Dead you will like this one too. Day of the Skulls (tried): alas a little too much rose for me though I do tend to amp it; it is a sweeter rose scent, so for those of you who like your rose on the sweet side but not necessarily foody this is one to try. Dia de los Muertos (own): another one in the vein of All Souls though a completely different scent; it has that foody-incensey thing going on along with an extra bit of smokiness and a touch of that dry leaves note I can never get enough of. Flor de Muerto (tried): pleasant, though not the type of floral that hits the "must have zomgritenao" trigger for me (I'm into the headier and/or darker florals mostly), but it is a light and sunny scent like marigolds and mums on a sunny fall day and very much captures that yellow and orange feeling in the description. Ghosts in Love (tried): if you are a rose lover then you'll be head over heels for this; plenty of true-to-life rose with the carnation not far behind; too rosy for me personally but I can see how rose aficionados would love it. The Hell-Gate of Ireland (own): clove doesn't always love me, but I like this one because it's a smoky, smoldering clove that doesn't come out like a spice rack on my skin; it's a no-brainer if you're a huge clove fan, but if you're wary of clove but love the smoky stuff at least give this one a try. John Barleycorn (own): an unusual but really cool scent, and I promise you won't smell like a sweaty crowded bar; the blood note must have dragonsblood resin in there somewhere because it balances out the wheaty and malty beer note and the toasty barley quite nicely with just a hint of sweetness. Le Revenant (own): haunting, ethereal white florals (I should mention I'm a gardenia fan); besides heady and dark floral notes I have a thing for the ghostly ones too, and this is true to its theme, a pale white shroud; wagering Phasmophobia is going to be a cousin. Mictecacihuatl (tried): in a similar vein with Day of the Skulls, except this one is more smoky and resinous; still too much rose for me personally Samhain: (own multiple years) HOARD THIS SHIZNIT no seriously Samhain is wonderful, you've got the sweet pumpkin and apple swirled with the smoky wood and dry leaves into autumn perfection, and the more it ages, the better it gets; if you're a lover of quintessentially autumn scents like I am get thee at least a bottle! Samhainophobia: (tried) I think it was the geranium that ended up being the dealbreaker here, I amp the stuff and it made the scent on a whole a little too bitter, but the other notes are wonderfully dark and smoky and I would love to see it as an atmo--hoping Achluophobia will behave as I hoped this would on my skin Also, I haven't tried Ooky yet (though I did jump for a bottle) but what I can say is that if it's anything like that honey-almond pumpkin, I think it was Pumpkin I, from 09 then serious win.

This reminds me of orange spice tea, very well-rounded with the citrus and tea notes balancing each other without the tea going bitter. The spices stay tempered, and this is coming from someone who amps spices. They just warm it up and finish it off, giving it that extra something ideal for a cool autumn night. It's pleasant,and while personally it wasn't for me but I can see why it appeals to so many people.

The one that immediately came to mind when I read your post was Halloween: Los Angeles. It's from a few years back but it really captures that dry-leaves-in-a-bonfire smell: a strange incense of burning brush, junegrass, tumbleweeds, chaparral, and wild sage. Shouldn't be that hard to track down at least a decant of it. Also, I'm surprised no one mentioned October! Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air. It tends to reappear every year or every other year, depending. As a fall-scent junkie it's one of my personal favorites. Other past LEs you may want to check out (all find-able): Autumn and Winter: bitter currant and dry leaves, winter wind at dusk. The Death of Autumn: dark amber, dead leaves, khus, saffron, bitter clove, chrysanthemum, camellia, galangal, and a drop of oud Meditation in Autumn: dusty, bleak, and withered: old wood, burnt brown sandalwood, and twisted vines Samhainophobia: Haitian vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves. (this one is really dark and smoky, not for the faint of heart) And! Yes Virginia there is something in the GC too! In the Paranorman scents: Blithe Hollow: dead leaves and cold, moist breezes set at the edge of a forest of maple, pine, cedar, and cypress.

This was another one where the notes looked iffy on paper, but on my skin it’s wonderful! It reads almost as a sophisticated blackberry soda to my nose, sweet with the berries, grape and plum sugar but not too sugary, effervescent and with a wonderful undercurrent of jasmine (the non-cat-pee kind) that makes it unique. Sometimes elemi and honeysuckle can break a scent for me but I barely even smell them here. Wherever the honeysuckle is it’s probably blending very well with the jasmine. Plus it has real staying power—I didn’t need to reapply all day.

I think I would love this as an atmo. It's a very unique, very evocative scent that brings saltwater-soaked wood (with the tiniest hint of Snake Oil) to life. I'm surprised that this is one of the few blends with lemon verbena that didn't come out as the Tentacled Verbena of Doom on me. Even though I do amp the Snake Oil a bit more as it dries down, it's a little on the masculine side on my skin, as cedar tends to do, but I'm keeping my decant just for the scent experience.

Another surprise win for me! I tend to be leery of grass notes because sometimes they come out as ridiculously strong grass clippings on me, but not in this case. This is like the scent of fresh grass (not the lawnmower clippings kind), clover and sheer florals wafting in on a cool breeze. I don’t really get much incense, I think it blends in with the hint of sweetness from the floral notes. It’s perfectly and makes me feel like I’m perpetually outside in the middle of a wide-open field, even if it’s actually raining out.

I remember when I initially read the note list for this one, I got very nervous, which was why I had to try a decant first. And then I got completely blown away. Cardamom and bergamot can be iffy on me, but they barely show up! Instead I get all the lovely champaca and magnolia taking center stage, with a ray of brightness from the lemon peel, and backed by a sheer but sensual sandalwood. I love heady white florals so needless to say, a scent that makes me think of these flowers soaked in afternoon sunlight is heavenly . Needless to say I now have a bottle.

Holy. THIS SMELLS LIKE THE REAL THING. Dead ringer for the real thing. It's exactly, and I mean exactly, like peeling a fresh tangerine and biting into that first piece with the smells of the juice and the peel harmonizing. This is a really refreshing and energizing scent that's like wearing an instant burst of sunshine.

I didn't review this? Shame on me then, because it's gorgeous. Evening Stock is a cool floral with a certain airy quality that feels very clean and fresh without being Clorox. It's a little bit green in the beginning, but that fades in the drydown to let the flower itself really shine, with a slightly sweet undertone. There is a bit of a "dusty" undertone to it too, but not in a bone-dry, thirst-inducing way but rather in the way of a vintage dress that hasn't seen the light in years. Something about this also smells nostalgic to me, but I can't quite put my finger on what.

Also, if you haven't already, you must get the Honey hair gloss. Now. Without hesitation. It's like dousing your whole head in honey (without the sticky gloop real honey would leave) and the scent lasts forever. It's not an overly sugary honey, not an overly floral one, but golden just right. Seriously. I put it on in the morning, it's still going strong at the end of the day. Not to mention it smooths dry ends like nothing else. It's my go-to hair miracle product.

I held off on reviewing this one for so long because I wanted to do it properly. First of all, I am honored to have been able to help the Lab in contributing to Jewel's fight against cancer by winning this auction, though I do not know her personally. She remains in my prayers. Now for the scent: Before I go any further, here is the description for the released Black Lace as a basis for comparison: a delicate sugar-spun vanilla cream cotton, stained by tobacco and incense, Indian musk, and drops of cognac. Beth mentioned briefly that this prototype of Black Lace had more pronounced vanilla and incense notes, and that it definitely does. This is not a “delicate” scent as the released is but markedly more heady. I would probably call it Black Brocade in place of Black Lace, because to me it seems to be the scented version of a sumptuous brocade woven with an intricate scroll or damask pattern. I cannot really detect the cotton or linen notes which are evident on the drydown of the released. The vanilla is a major player from the start, not so much a vanilla cream note like that in Detestable Putrescence or Boo but more of a thick Bourbon vanilla like that in Celeste (though this blend smells absolutely nothing like Celeste). I do detect hints of spun sugar, though it is more of a subtle flourish of spun sugar than the prominent spun sugar note of Boo. There is also something of a booziness to the vanilla slightly reminiscent of XCDL13, which I’m contributing to the cognac note. It isn’t a blend to knock you over with booze, but the cognac is able to hold its own. The sweet tobacco and incense smoke are in about equal proportion to the vanilla, maybe a tad stronger overall on the drydown. I pick up a tobacco note very similar to that in Havana, backed by thick, sweet resins that must include one or more varieties of dark amber. I should note, as I probably have half a million times in my other reviews, that my skin tends to amp the sweetness in resins, and all notes that have any for that matter. In the final drydown a warm, sensuous musk emerges, which I’m taking to be the Indian musk. This blend also has tremendous staying power on me; again I should note that besides amping the sweetness in resins and vanilla my skin also clings to them tenaciously. When I wore it one night it was the first thing my nose picked up the next morning. This truly is a gorgeous blend that melds with my skin as if it were made for me. Maybe in the future the Lace series could branch out to a cousin in this vein called Black Brocade. It makes me think of a séance or phantasmagoria (like that one particular postcard that’s gone out in packages—anyone who’s gotten it, you know what I’m talking about!) in a smoky Victorian drawing room, a bottle of fine cognac on the table, tendrils of incense smoke entwining with tobacco from the men’s pipes and the women’s perfumes of vanilla and exotic musks. Of course, at least one of the women would be wearing a gown of richly textured black brocade glowing softly in the candlelight. No matter how many times I wear it, Black Lace v1 will always remind me of the special connection I had in giving someone the gift of hope, of the distinctly human empathy that binds us all, even if we have never met before.

Smells like acid-free, 100% cotton 2-ply BRISTOL paper with a touch of F lead. I cannot believe how much this stuff smells like fresh paper. When I was a kid and I spent snow days at mom's office I used to huff the fresh printer paper when they first unwrapped it, and that's exactly what it smells like. Fresh with an atypical clean feeling that isn't soapy, aquatic or ozonic but hard to define exactly. There is a bit of something sharp in the beginning that quickly fades on the drydown--I think this is the lead note. All in all this is oddly comforting and nostalgic for me because of the association it has, and since I'm an artist/writer and around paper all the time, it continues to have meaning. Amazing wear too. You wouldn't think that for the type of scent it is but it lasted the entire day on me.

MOUNT MISERY AND SWEET HOLLOW ROADS Both Mount Misery and Sweet Hollow Roads are believed to be intensely haunted, and are pathways of misfortune and sorrow whose history of horrors descends deep into pre-Colonial American folklore. Black spruce boughs, packed dirt, gravel, brush, fallen chestnuts, wild tuberose, galbanum, and dead leaves. For anyone who liked Harimise or Cristina, this will not disappoint. I love the chestnut notes in those (sadly the rose geranium in Harimise made it impossible for me to wear) and this is like a smokier version. It reminds me of Cristina the most, but darker and more ominous. Thankfully I don't get OMGSPRUCE men's cologne or screaming Christmas tree out of it at all, just the spruce resin which behaves in the background. The dry leaves give it a smoky autumnal touch, and the tuberose emerges a little later and adds a sweet sensual side to it as well. Thankfully the dirt, gravel and brush keep their distance in the background with the spruce, adding to the shadowy feel but not overwhelming the blend as a whole. A surprise winner.

Aaaaaahhh......trying to choose between these two is like pulling teeth. I guess it depends on my mood and the time of day. I'm more likely to wear Snake Charmer out at night (or on a date lol) because of the red musk, but Black Lace has a mysterious vibe going on too though it is more work-appropriate. Then again no matter what time it is, if I'm craving one over the other no one's going to stop me.

When I tried this at NYCC I was like yep, I was totally right to order 2 bottles off the bat because it's delicious. Makes me think of creamy cheesecake with utterly gooey, lightly spiced apple topping, and there's also something in here, much like a caramelized and/or brown sugar note, that makes me think of streusel crumbles on top. I agree with the previous reviews likening this to Lambs-Wool meets cheesecake because it really is.

The Appalling Abbatoir. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not disgusted by it--in my opinion it's a fascinating scent because it smells exactly like what it's supposed to--blood and metal. The tang of the blood is there and everything! I have no idea how Beth did it but it's extremely true to life.