SophieCedar

Hmm.. I don't get grapes so much..more just a slight boozy note when it's wet. Cream note throughout, water lily, oh wait..grapes slightly when dry. Light herbal background but I can't tell what it is..may actually be high john root?

This was love on 1st sniff.. I had this on my wishlist for a long time and received a frimp. Wet: sweet dragons blood, vanilla, and lilac. Warm and surrounding. I don't get any powderiness and the lilac isn't overpowering (though lilac does not offend my senses by any means..I love it actually). Drydown: some of the warm vanilla feel burns off and the blend gets redder, but not by much. The lilac turns slightly green too, but not 100% noticable if I wasn't huffing my wrist every 2 seconds... this is a great spring + summer blend! I love it and looking for a bottle. I would say try it of you like dragons milk, eros, follow me boy, or dragons blood straight up.

Not sure what your scent preferences are, but purely going on the outfit: I would vote Romanti.goth (for sure!), Black Dahlia, Hunger, Sin, or Perversion for a heavier scent. Lighter ones, I would pick La Petit Mort, Morgause, Medea (in small amounts this is brilliant), or Eros. Ooh wait..! Infernal Lover too!

Wet: wet whip leather with cardamom. I was hoping for more patchouli and bourbon here. Still a lovely leather scent. Warm and slightly foodie..leather. 2nd application offers more patchouli and bourbon, so more balanced now. drydown: warm foodie leather still. The cardamom smells similar to the cinnamon used in chimera on me. Actually, now that I think about it and smell again, this does smell like chimera with leather on me! Yum!

Wet: promising.. sweet fresh leather, crushed grass, a touch of mud, and sweet lemon. drydown: uh oh.. Sangre de grado is also known as dragon's blood..but dragon's blood usually does wonderously well on me. It's the only note that I can figure would be going wonky..? Could also be the mud throwing things out of proportion. Ok now it smells a little like a pet store or a dentist's office. My nose needs a break from this one. I've apparently asked too much of it today. I few minutes later, I get mostly leather and a bit of mud and grass..no lemon candy. Not bad, but not for me.

wet: starts out strong bluberry cream and pie crust with sweet lemon meringue. Very foody. Trying not to eat my arm. drydown: this starts quickly. The hemlock joins the lemon meringue for a second..lemon meringue gives the hemlock an icy stare.. hemlock recedes to a corner, quietly. Reminds me of a sweet weenie at 1st..boo or ghoulish or gollettes. Then it strikes up momentum and turns sexy cocktail.. like the kind I wish existed in real life..maybe a lemon blueberry vanilla flip made with real essences and fruit pulps *drool*. I think the hemlock is giving it the real fruit, not candy, impression. It goes a little luau lounge on me, but in a much more seductive, tasty give-me-another, vanilla girl-get-drunk drink way. Awesome. This one will be a blast in the summertime.

Oh nice! I've been so delighted with this one that I purchased 2 bottles and have been bouncing around happily in the morning wearing it on a regular basis..yet I haven't reviewed it yet. What a great thing to do on a rainy spring morning. Wet: sweet honey, vibrant lemongrass, sweet ginger, delicious black tea and cream (I think the cream idea is coming from the grains). This scent frequently makes me do a little spastic plucky jump (think Mr. Bean or an overactive kitten). It's very well blended. I think to a different nose this could smell like Crib Girls or froot loops...fortunately, that's not happening to me. Drydown: sweet honey, grains, black tea, and slight lemongrass. Color impression is a creamy golden yellow and orange. I love it.

My most favorite sweet opium is definitely Romanti.Goth. This is very sweet dark opium with plum and lots of dark musk. Seconds are in order kubla khan (gorgeous), belle epoque, and event horizon.

Wet: *boom!* ambergris. Then warm honeyed skin musk with tobacco, hay, light rose, and stronger than expected bourbon vanilla. This smelled so distinctly of ambergris that I really thought it was the 1st ingredient. It starts to mellow into a warmer honeyed skin musk and hay, with dry golden tobacco. Slight top note of lavender that gives it a gentle relaxing feel. It's still definitely bopping around my nasal cavity, in the same manner as ambergris. The rest flows and washes over me. Strange perception! Drydown: still ambergrisy and still prevelant skin musk, smoking pipe tobacco, warm golden honey, and rose. I like it very much but need a little more time to come to a conclusion. ETA: ok this is one bizarre scent and I like it overall.. I woke up the next morning and the tank top I was wearing smelled of honeyed skin musk, amber with a slight ambergris pungency (not bad..just meaty with a rosey top note). Blonde for sure, bold yes, strong!, everlasting to a goth scent extent. I have a bad feeling that I'll be falling in love with this later, when it'll be harder to find a bottle. This has a very confusing, intriguing quality that makes it very memorable for me. Leaves one of the strongest lasting impressions out of many many bpal scents I've tried.

I bought a bottle of this right off... When I 1st tried it a month ago, it smelled heavily of mango and spun sugar with freesia and coconut lurking around the corners, occasionally popping into the middle. I was confused and disappointed because I was hoping for a more balanced scent with stronger rose, cucumber, freesia, and lavender. I'm glad I tucked it away and waited for a warmer day.. I figured this would seem much more appealing outside of the cold winter months. Yes~! Wet: now I get more apple blossom, white rose, and mango. The spun sugar is a haze that surrounds it. Drydown: sharp tinges of cucumber and lavender over sugared rose and mango. The coconut fills the back of my nasal cavity and hangs out for an extended time. The freesia is sweet, slightly acidic in combination with everything else..wonder if it's conflicting with the lavender. Overall, very girly, youthful, more balanced this time. I'll continue to hang onto it and try when the thermometer hits 70.. this could be brilliant then.

Whoa! Thanks trading post!! Wet: spicy sweet chocolate glazed maple cakes with something floral..not piney. Maybe a slight touch of juniper? I might be crazy. Drysown: sweet and planty floral.. I swear. Like cockaigne with chocolate and a bit of juniper. The floral could be my skin, but this is great on me.

Wet: oooh the lab has got my number..(thanks!!) This has all my favorite heavy hitters: black amber, dragons blood, jasmine sambac (melati), and currant. This could be quite aged so the mandarin and rose geranium have lost a bit of sharpness. drydown: I smell more mandaring here? Strange! It's still warm, volatile for sure, and energizing. I love it.

Wet: this phase made me fearful that Kitty was too candy-like for me. Upon application, the strawberries and french vanilla are cloyingly sweet and I can barely smell anything else. However this settles quickly.. the bergamont and sandalwood develop, deepening the mixture and cutting through the sugar. The orchid comes out nicely as well, fragrant, pink & white color impressions, and not overpowering or conflicting. Drydown: Ahhhh.... that's the basic 1 word expression for this phase. Sweet woody sandalwood, vanilla, and strawberries with orchid and a still fresh touch of bergamont. Perfect mix.

It's hard to find a singular note honey from the collection. Hmm..I've tried them all.. which one smells like pure honey? Most closely for me was Horse Chestnut honey from Rappaccini's Apiary. I've eaten really chestnut honey before and this is an exact match. You may also like Womb Furie. It's got 3 honeys blended with Snake Oil. I find it very dominant on the honey part. O always turns powdery on the drydown on my skin, but I agree it's a good honey recommendation. The wet phase was still wonderful. Some loose honey related recs that I love: Hellcat (sweet boozy honey with hazelnut) Dana O'Shee (milk and honey) Cockaigne (honey coated pastries) Hetairae (honeycomb, clove and ylang ylang mostly.. this was my 1st love!) No. 93 Engine (warn golden wood and lemon honey..gender-neutral)

So, I've read the reviews, had some of the unfavorable experiences at varying times, and still I come to the decision that this is the vanilla I was waiting for. Wet: this phase can vary wildly depending on the time of day, environmental smells, no longer detecable scent still lingering on my skin mixing, excess coffee, etc etc etc. Sometimes it's brilliant warm vanilla and saffron with sweet soft orris and orchid. Other times it smelled like vanilla vodka (this happened at work..yes the place you rrrreallly don't want it to happen), vanilla plastic (if it was applied cold), or vanilla soaked tires (accidental layering or I had too much coffee that's oozing out my pores). Drydown: even though the wet phase is always different, it consistently comes to the same wonderful conclusion.. warm vanilla bean and orchid with fire-stoking saffron. It absolutely glows. The throw is amazing and easily identifiable, but fortunately, (and this is the reason I started getting heavily into bpal) separates itself from all the musky, weird, chemical, girly, vomit-inducing, beguiling vanilla perfumes on the market. A true go-to scent.

2011 version: I did a side by side comparison of '11 to '08. Not sure if this an age or component comparison...or both! I wasn't around for the '08 version when it 1st came out so I bought it aged. Wet: '11 is slightly more amber, less coconut and caramel, and goes on smelling like fresh dried pungent tobacco and opium with a sweet background. '08 is stronger on the delphinium and goes on very syrupy, maybe allowing some currant to take over.. I think the opium and amber are just more potent when fresh too. Drydown: The delphinium and opium with a dry currant are what sticks around for '08. '11, the cologne mix of tobacco, opium and amber is prominent. '11 maintains sweetness much better. Huh.. I had no idea what I was missing by having an aged bottle, only! Further into drydown, '08 starts to smell rank, compared to '11.. dry, papery, and a bit like flat cola, when sniffed 1st. I wouldn't have noticed this if I had worn it alone. In fact, my memory tells me that 08' worn alone, smells just as glowing as '11, when it's not competing with a fresh bottle.

Not the desperation, desolation and anguish of unrequited love, but the distant, chill and pitiless scent of the object of that doomed desire. White musk, osmanthus, Nile lily and frankincense. Wet: very sweet, almost baby aspirin smelling. Not so much frankincense, more white musk, lily and osmanthus..even though it has the baby aspirin thing going on, I like it! I can see the apricot association. Drydown: all light candied apricot and white musk. Slight floral lily smell but not notable. I think this will be a nice summer scent. In the category with katharina and the luau lounge.

This is an unexpected love. Wet: I was initially afraid of this one, having 2 dreaded essences: violet and white tea. Not to fear! this is wonderful! Apparently, parma violet is much sweeter and warmer than whatever other type the lab usually uses. Sweet egytian musk, beeswax, parma violet and leather with orange blossom and copal. I can smell the white tea however it just gives a fresh touch and heightened awareness. Lovely warm sweet scent. Drydown: same! Gets even more warmer and lovelier!

Mmm. Bought a bottle of this after testing. Wet: creamy coconut, hazelnut and anise. Lovely complexity and simplicity at the same time Drydown: creamy coconut, warm hazelnut, and sweet light white amber. The anise has moved to the background. I love this one.

Wet: slightly boozy and meaty rice wine with vanilla bean. Yum. Drydown: the booziness subsides a little and melds with the white sandalwood and vanilla bean perfectly. The white musk amps the whole blend and makes it glow. I described this to someone as having a slow magnetic pull. Completely unexpected winner. I tested this and fell in love! Bought a bottle and still in love.

Wet: I didn't expect the blood orange to be kicking so much ass in this one. When 1st applied I smelled black currant, blood orange, patchouli, and an itty bitty sliver of white mint. You'd think by reading that impression that it's an uplifting & invigorating scent with promises of something primal..but no. My brain perceives this actually as doleful, somber. The galbanum and oakmoss pulls all the levity down to a psychologically basal and mournful feel. It truly emulates the image's sepia tone and prone position. drydown: still blood orange based but dryer. The black currant comes out more. The galbanum and oakmoss continue to shine with a slight meaty warmth from the benzoin. Overall a great impactful scent. Would be a good choice for fall.

I'm sure this is brilliant on someone else, but pomegranate does not like me. I can barely get it to say a nice word using Mme. Moriarty. The Great He-Goat, it threatens to bite but barely keeps in check. Madonna, it outright says to me "why do you keep trying to befriend me? You know better." This blend was the deepest disappointment of the Salon III set...considering I'm a perpetual, oblivious optimist in regards to perfumes. Wet, this comes across as strong hyssop and pomegranate with something that smells like dryer sheets. Drydown, no dryer sheets but still very sharp soapy green with tangy fruit. Oh well!

Wet: whoa. something extremely sharp and powdery races up my nostrils and dissipates instantly. Bizarre. Maybe it was the bois du rose running for it's life. Ok now it's sweet deep warm rose, slight bit of violet..this fades fast, bubbly girly sweet mimosa flower, wet currant, and bourbon vanilla. oooh! This is like a grown up, multifaceted Hope. I can't smell the gardenia through everything unfortunately. Calla lily? there a bit if I stretch my imagination and have the notes in front of me. Color impressions are true to the painting's composition. drydown: the rose continues to dance harmoniously with the rest of the notes (whew). Still mostly a very sweet floral with rose, ambergris and bourbon vanilla twining, mimosa, currant, and calla lily. It has more of that distinctive ambergris smell that gets lodged in my nasal cavity. Kinda gives me the impression of shoving my face into overly sweet sugar dripping pastry and heady flowers. whoa again. This is conceptually what I would say is the perfect scent mate for me. But when the Fairy Godperfumer created & presented, I questioned my deepest desires and started scrapping the schematics. I need to go contemplate human nature for a while.

Ok when the imp pack arrived in the mail, I completely passed over this one with a "meh". I feel terribly embarrassed for myself now, considering how beautiful this is. Embarrassed that my nose didn't pick up the finer qualities and was all "ooh look! shiny things! *dump*" Wet: sweet peach kernel, bitter almond, thick sweet honey, and saffron. The myrrh and hyssop provide a wonderful brown, burgundy, and green depth behind the sweet straight-forward top notes. I'm not picking up on the belladonna? Drydown: sweet resinous wonderfulness. The peach kernel hangs strong with saffron and honey. The frankincense comes out only slightly and just to compliment and amplify this perfectly. For a second I get wafts of what could be considered an egyptian musk, but this is just a cleverly crafted combination of ingredients and my brain placing meaning where it wasn't intended. debating a bottle.

Wet: strong astringent wet rosemary essence and rose. It's putting a tang on my tongue. (tang on my tongue? ok what is up with my verbiage today. this is the second time I've spit out something that sounds like it came from a Dr. Seuss book..)The rosemary starts to mellow within the 1st 30 seconds and rose comes forward very strongly with a slight orange blossom in the background. drydown: this goes soapy on me and I can't loose the soapy bitter tang in my mouth. The orange blossom is translated to a sharp citrus dryness. It's sweeter side is lost behind the medicinal rosemary and strong wet green rose. If only Catherine was fond of portwine or sweet cakes this would balance. I would feel almost bad if I blended this with a sweet or musk considering the power and presence of it is the original intention. I'll hold off and try again some other time.