FathomBelow

Hecate In the bottle: Almond, heady and strong. I like it! Wet on skin: Still that delicious almond. Here's hoping it stays this way... As it dries: The myrrh reveals itself, giving this some complexity and depth. I LOVE this right now. After it dries: Drat. This becomes pure myrrh. I do like myrrh very much - it's just that if I want this scent I could war Penitence just as easily. Final opinion: I like it, but not as much as I did when wet. Still, I'll keep the imp.

#184: My first experience with Chaos Theory! In the bottle: Something warm and yet clean - I can smell the vanilla. Wet on skin: Exactly like the bottle, but stronger. As it dries: Oh dear - this turns into pure baby powder. Not sure I like this after all. After it dries: From far away, I can still get that first great smell, thankfully. Closer up, it smells like sweet, powdery, green lilies. It's actually not bad - it's just that lilies have never been my thing. Final opinion: Reminds me a lot of Black Lily. I like it okay, but I wouldn't mind giving it away. ETA: I meant 184, not 186.

Wet on skin: Candylike and citrussy, in a way that reminds me of orange peel. This could be the lotus, although I must admit I don't know what lotus smells like - from the reviews, I was expecting bubblegum, which this is not. Other than that, I honestly can't pick out any notes from the description. While drying: Still citrus, but now in a way that reminds me of grapefruit. Still sweet, as well - like grapefruit candy! After it dries: Becomes powdery, in a good way. Settles into a beautiful, refreshing citrus-powder scent. Final opinion: Surprisingly, the opium never reared its head. This is beautiful, lighthearted, and young - perfect for summer! I'm so glad my first Lunacy turned out well.

The White Rider In the imp: Disturbingly sour...something. Wet on skin: Wow, this smells like the inside of new cars with leather seats Dry on skin: Close up, this still smells like new cars. Far away, this smells like a barnyard. No sandalwood in sight. Conclusion: Definitely not for me. I rather liked the description, but this became awful on my skin.

Anathema In the imp: pure chocolate/earthy vetiver Wet on skin: still lots of vetiver As it dries: vetiver is still strongest, but with some honeysuckle. I don't have much experience with opium, but I can't smell anything else in here. After it dries: Powdery floral combined with vetiver. Final thoughts: Eh, not for me, although I'm glad I got to try it.

The Phantom Wooer In the bottle: Very green, which scared me, but thankfully but not bitter or sharp at all. Wet on skin: Same. Smells like a florists’ shop – like foliage, a pale green, translucent scent. As it dries: Sweetens – the lily comes out very clearly. After it dries: From far away, this morphs into a lovely combination of nutmeg and dry cinnamon powder. Close up, this smells like soft, green lily with a sweetness probably from the honey myrtle. Final opinion: I like this and I’ll keep the imp, but I don’t think I’ll need a bottle.

In the bottle: Strong, dark chocolate/earth smell of vetiver. Wet on skin: Same. As it dries: Still 90% vetiver, but no longer dark – there’s another light, airy, slightly sweet component, maybe from the chrysanthemum or cactus flowers, that brightens the scent. This is combined with a distinct smell of stale tobacco smoke – a decidedly weird combination. After it dries: Vetiver with the pale, airy flowers. Final opinion: Interesting, but not for me. I’m glad I tried it, but it’s probably a giveaway.

Penitence In the bottle: Hmm…this scent is going to be one of those that are impossible to describe, I can tell already. In the imp, this is kind of…dusty and fragrant. Wet on skin: Same As it dries: Develops a certain sharp powderiness, probably from the frankincense as this also happened to me (to a much lesser extent) with Rose Cross. After it dries: Fortunately the sharp powdery stage of frankincense mostly fades, leavng a delicious, smoky-sweet, mysterious smell I also recognize in Temple Viper (I guess it must be the frankincense, morphed because that’s the only note they have in common). Final opinion: I don’t really know what myrrh smells like so I can’t identify it in this scent. This has also left me confused about frankincense - I thought I liked it, it disappointed me in Rose Cross, then finally here, it morphed from unpleasant to delicious! Gah! Anyway, I might get a bottle of this, as I love the drydown.

Cathedral In the bottle: Mildly woody Wet on skin: Fresh, crisp wood – cedarwood. This is like Tzadikim Nistarim without the fruitiness As it dries: The wood becomes milder and mellower. After it dries: Beautiful soft cedarwood without much smoke or incense at all, contrary to my expectations. Final opinion: I’m not Catholic so I can’t tell what cathedrals usually smell like, but this is a very austere, simple, lovely scent. I love it and I might just get a bottle, even if it's not really incense-y on me like I'd hoped. From the reviews it seems like this either goes really woody or really incense-y on people, and I'm one of the woods.

In the bottle: Faint delicious rose smell. Wet on skin: Pure rose – but not the dusty, dry rose in London. This one is sharper or fresher somehow, probably from the frankincense (although I always associate frankincense with dusty tomes and the like, I don’t actually know what it smells like, so this is an education!) As it dries: This doesn’t morph much. It stays the same delicious, refreshing rose.It is a touch sharp. I love it, but I can see where the accusations that this is "harsh" come from. After it dries: Still the same. The only problem is, it’s very faint. This would be one that I need to slather. Final opinion: Even if the perfume were only so-so, I would love it for the name and beautiful website description alone. As it is, this is perfectly lovely – think Princess Guinevere embroidering at the window of her father’s castle, looking out onto a wild enchanted forest on a cool, misty autumn morning.

In the bottle: A very heavy scent. Not exactly incensey, but very...grown up. And not necessarily in a good way; this actually makes my nose wrinkle. I can't smell any of the rose, sandalwood, or patchouli. Wet on skin: That same heavy scent - this reminds me of a frimp I got early on in my BPAL "career" - maybe Les Infortunes de Vertu? As it dries: Oh, good, the rose gets stronger and that weird initial scent recedes. Dry on skin: All that first weird scent goes away, leaving me with a wonderful, deep, rich rose. No sandalwood, though, sadly. Final verdict: I love the drydown, but definitely not the wet stage. Therefore I'll keep the imp but a bottle is probably not in my future.

In the imp, this is like a rose version of Head 'n Shoulders shampoo (not a bad thing!). But not soapy or anything. Wet on skin, this is still the same sharp, fragrant rose. If it stays like this I'll be quite happy with the scent - it's very unique and compelling. Dry on skin: Urgh, this turns into powdery/sharp rose soap with some obnoxious white musk added. There is also a pine note (probably what my nose is reading from the cinnamon) that turns this into an inferior rosy version of The First Soft Snow. Final opinion: Definitely not for me. Darn it, this got such enchanting reviews from other people, but just didn't agree with my skin.

I've been looking forward to this oil so much! I mean, it's the signature oil, it's gotta be good, right? In imp: Very alcohol-y almond. Yummy! Wet on skin: Sweet almond combined with sweet-sharp maraschino cherries. If it stays this way, it'll be perfect. As it dries: Uh-oh. An herbal/powdery note is rearing its head. Smells kind of like the drydown of many Voodoo scents on me. After it dries: Straight up baby powder. Final opinion: Darn, darn, darn.

In the imp: Very foody in a dark way, almost like Bread-and-Butterfly. No rose or currants yet! Wet on skin: Still yummy, sweet, strong, dark (by that I mean caramelized) cake. Dry on skin: The cake scent is still strongest, but with currants underneath giving it a fruity, juicy twist and glimpses of the rose very "high" in the nose. Final opinion: A nice scent, and the name makes it great. I'll probably use up the imp and I wouldn't mind a bottle. This would be perfect if the rose were stronger.

In the imp: The oil is VERY dark brown. It smells thick and warm and heavy - comforting, but not what I was expecting. No rose whatsoever. Wet on skin: Still that thick, warm scent. It smells a bit nutty and a bit like bread yeast for baking. Could this be from the musk? Again, comforting to smell, but I'm not so sure I want to smell like this. It sweetens briefly, from the amber, I'm guessing. As it dries: The amber dims, leaving the nutty warm scent. After it dries: The rose comes in and the amber makes a second entrance. I would say the order of strength is musk then amber then rose. I was kind of hoping for it to be the other way around!! Final opinion: Even though intellectually I'm on the fence about this one because it is definitely not what I was expecting, it's undeniably compelling. I would categorize it as a musk scent rather than a rose scent, which is not bad, it's just that I was expecting rose. I think I'll keep it and see how it ages, but I won't need a bottle.

In the bottle and wet on my skin, this is an uplifting, well-balanced, straightforward mixture of pomegranate and rose. As it dries, the rose becomes stronger until after it dries, it is simply rose with a hint of pomegranate. Persephone is feminine, vibrant, and delicate all at the same time. Both "exquisite" and "crisp" are apt descriptions of this scent, and I can see what all the hype is about! I will definitely need to get a bottle! ETA: The rose is the same as in London - very pure and dry - BTW.

In the imp: Chocolate-y, almost like there's vetiver in here somewhere - surprising. Wet on skin: Chocolate still apparent, although rose strengthens and shows itself as well. Not liking this much so far, as chocolate has never as a rule really been my thing in perfume. As it dries: Flashes of plum start to show through the chocolate and rose. After it dries: Unfortunately this smells like sweetened petroleum chapstick (you know the cheap kind you can get at drugstore checkouts?) or vaseline on my skin. Not appealing. The sandalwood (which I was really hoping for) and the bergamot never show themselves either. Plus, this is really quite faint. Final opinion: Wouldn't mind giving this away to someone who will appreciate it more.

Thank you! All your descriptions of both Spellbound and Black Rose made me end up getting both. I'll let you know how they work out - I just got them yesterday.

Got my two rose-and-incense themed imp sets in the mail today. After I finished performing a highly enthusiastic and equally highly unskilled celebratory jig around the house, I broke open the first imp, which happened to be Seance. In the imp: Rose, with flashes and glimmers of woodiness alternating with sweetness, from the rosewood and hazel maybe. Wet on skin: Very pure rose, rather dry and a touch green (but not too much, i.e. less than The Rose). Reminds me very much of London at this point. As it dries: The rose becomes sweet and mellow as the hazel comes to the fore. Dry on skin: My God. This is transcendently lovely. The rose and the hazel are both distinct presences, with the lovely dry rose twirling about over the warm, sweet base of the hazel, like a classical ballerina on a sunlit stage (heh, you know it's good when I get all poetical). Seriously, this is absolutely gorgeous. Yes, it's mysterious; yes, it's enigmatic. But not in a dark, deserted house in a thunderstorm kind of way. It's more like a sinister music box, exquisitely gilded and enameled, or a shaft of sunlight falling on a cursed chest long forgotten in a dusty attic. If you've ever read Bram Stoker's Dracula, this would be the scent of those three beautiful vampire sisters living in the Count's castle. Conclusion: I must get a bottle. I think anyone would at least like this scent, as long as they didn't hate rose on principle or have wonky skin chemistry. Hope the rest of my imps are just as successful!

Traded for this with Thursdae: This is delicious! On wet, I get chocolate and caramel, strong and almost overpoweringly sweet. Once it dries, the chocolate and caramel mellow slightly, with the peppery smoke note coming in to give the scent some depth and complexity. For some reason, overall this reminds me of a coffeehouse, even though it absolutely does not smell like coffee at all. Warming and bracing, perfect for cold, rainy days!

Jezebel On wet: this is pure honey and orange blossom. Unfortunately, the two combine to make this smell of syrupy-sweet orange dreamsicle, something I particularly do not care for. Dry: For the first 10-20 minutes or so after drydown, the orange blossom tends to dominate, surprising as honey usually dominates on my skin. The rose swells up and blossoms behind it, along with the honey in the background. I can't detect any sandalwood at all. Afterwards, this fades to a pleasant honey with orange blossom lingering around it. Overall: I love the smell of real orange blossoms, but unfortunately the orange blossom in this perfume does not live up to that. Even so, the other notes would have made this wonderful if the orange blossom had just sort of hung around in the background instead of muscling everything else out, especially if the rose had piped up more. Therefore, orange blossom lovers should give this a shot. As for me, I'll keep the imp around to see how it ages, as I absolutely LOVE the name.

In bottle and wet on skin: very sweet and thick/heavy, from the bread, but not "dark" at all. Dry on skin: this fades down to a sweet, foody scent. Does not smell like cake batter or cakes, surprisingly...no cream that I can detect, either. Smells vaguely of caramel, in fact. Overall: A comforting, rather unusual gourmand scent with principally bread and caramel in it. I'll definitely keep the imp, but I don't think I'll be needing a bottle.

Got my bottle from Shollin at the last M&S: This like plain Snake Oil + lots of incense. The frankincense is quite distinct (at least, I think it's the frankincense! Something pleasantly musty anyway). Not very sweet at all on me. Overall, I like it quite a bit, but I think it might be a bit much for other people to smell on me, if you know what I mean. It will probably be reserved for stay at home days. This is my first Snake Pit blend and has made me eager to try more!

I'm trying to decide between getting Spellbound or Black Rose. The descriptions for both list the same components: rose, amber, and musk. Anyone who's tried both, what exactly is the difference between these two?? Thanks!

In the imp, Thanatos was the closest I've had a perfume come to smelling like the delicious, dusty-sweet scent of dry pine needles on a forest floor during a sunny day. On my skin, it turned into a faint cedar/sawdust/woody scent quite a bit like Tzadikin Nistarim, which, while nice, didn't live up to my expectations. However, it's quite pleasant and I love the name, so I'll probably be keeping the imp, if only to use as a room scent.