Lycanthrope

The scent of utter desolation: three long white winters ushering in the end of the world. Endless rolling landscapes of snow and ice, bereft of bud, flower, or seed. These long, white winters, are very lemony, fresh, and cleansing! Wet, on the skin, it's a very potent lemon top note. Not so much lemongrass, more lemon balm, over a hint of a eucalyptoid mint. Maybe a form of eucalyptus that is minty? Throw is very light, but so very fresh. It's not super snowy, so I don't get much of Beth's sweet, soft powder. This reminds me of a very gentle, environmental scent. Maybe there's just a hint of dirt in the background, to get the earthiness and lack of other touches. No sweetness here. I would say this is kind of like... slushy dirty snowballs, made of lemon ice. Intriguing. Not what I expected, and not usually my type of ozonic snow, so I can pass on bottling up, I think.

Ice-rimmed minted-slushed Snake Oil and winter’s last snowdrops swimming in a small pool of melted sleet. This is so... very different. Wet, I get a very gravelly ice, just like Black Ice's sleet and slush note. I don't know what I'm getting as a rocky scent. It's not a very sweet mint, for those concerned this is a Yule-bright peppermint. It's quite dark, muddy, in fact. There's a bit of a gray-blue coldness to this. Distant, and I'm not getting a lot of Snake Oil's general sultry red-ness. I wonder if maybe the snowdrop is adding a bit of a strange, waxy petal-ness over the slushy snake, but it's an intriguing combination. If there's some salt in it, I'm getting some of what BPAL's salty note does to me, which is a touch of tortilla-corn. Very odd. I'll keep at wearing it. It's not quite what I envisioned it to be.

Snake Oil, mimosa, neroli, crushed herbs, and star jasmine.  Bright mimosa in the bottle with a hint of spices. On the skin, this is a swoosh of mimosa petals and neroli. This reminds me a LOT of Mania, for some reason. There's not strawberry listed as a note but I get a very edible candy sweetness/floral. With a bit of time, there's a bit of a uniform greenery, almost like... basil? or some kind of neutral herb, adding some light leafiness to the floral fruit, then it starts getting closer to an orange / orange blossom aroma. Hanging in the far back is a whisper of the deep base of Snake Oil, but it's not overpowering. With time, it actually even veers a little into lemony-citrus territory, and I wonder if the mimosa is doing some of that. Overall very light, youthful, quite unique. I like it!

Warm vanilla dripping with golden amber, glittering with a shard of silvered glass. So, right off the bat, for those of you jonesing for the House of Mirrors like Carnaval Noir original line (gah! How long have I been collecting!), this is not quite it in balance, although it definitely has similar elements of polished sweetness and a kiss of aquatic-floral-ozone. This is primarily vanilla-forward with a backdrop of amber, the good, sweet, rich, honeyed type. I get not as much smoke, so it's not reading so much incense as it is resin. I get a tiny touch of muguet like Sea of Glass (one of my favorites), but is indeed a sliver and not very strong overall. It is there, though, and there is the peep of glinty aquatic peering through that makes this not entirely a rich foody amber. I like this a lot, but I'm also partial to the ozonic, light florals like Sea of Glass. It's remarkable. I hiked back to the con and got three more.

Black oak and sprucewood with opoponax, myrrh, black ambergris, and the silent ice of Niflheimr. Wet, this smells like... powdered sweet tarts? That doesn't last long, though, as this goes firmly into winter/Yule style pine, environmental greenery, and a delicious, sweet ice note. This has a similar feel to Skadi/Ice Queen/Almond Blossom from this past year's (and prior) yules, and the spruce is much more subdued than I would expect. This does not smell like a pine tree! The oak lends a slightly different base and veers this away from going Yulestyle. The ambergris is noticed mostly as a slightly salty ocean tang, and though I can't smell the myrrh distinctly, the opoponax does its weird grungy twang thing, which in this case makes the Ship of Hel creaky and splintery. This pretty much smells like the frozen, collapsing ships at the end of Disney's Frozen. Ooooo. I think I must obtain a bottle. This right up this wolf's alley.

The Red King and White Queen, sulfur and mercury, Rubedo and Albedo. The unification of opposites, putrefaction and individuation, the culmination of the Great Work. ὁδὸς ἄνω κάτω μία καὶ ὡυτή: red and white musks alight with frankincense, white oudh, sweet labdanum, and saffron. The way up and the way down are one and the same. Wet, this is a spicy, warm frankincense with a bit of a gummy, resinous sweetness from the labdanum. It's definitely very magical smelling, like the curl of a smoldering frankincense tear. The saffron is providing a bit of a dry pepperiness in the background. I think the oudh and red musk are making this a bit more 'warm' in tone, but strangely it's not super 'oriental,' and in fact remains very crisp and clear. None of the resins are 'gummy' per se. The musks are smooth and straightforward, and I think the white musk makes this have a bit of a chillier, bright tone. It's very nice, very magical.

In the distance, you hear the discordant tolling of churchbells, uneven and strangely triumphant. As you turn towards the beckoning clang, you feel something brush across your neck: a gentle caress before a hundred pricking trichomes tear at your skin. There is a sudden whipping sensation and a clench of movement, and your throat is clamped in a rigid green noose. A raspy voice whispers, “Pardon,” and the grip on you loosens. A woman stands behind you. She holds a basket overflowing with creeping vines and flowers: razor-thorned roses, vibrant bursts of oleander, drooping cascades of wisteria, sprays of white hemlock and lily of the valley, bruise-blue pillows of aconite, purple-veined henbane, and the snapping jaws of monstrously large flytraps, glistening wet with mucilage. Her clothes smell faintly of manchineel smoke, and her fingertips are stained green. She smiles and shudders as the green tendrils that surround her writhe and contract. She plucks a red-spotted mushroom from her basket and places it gently in your palm before turning away. I always love a challenge, and I'm generally terrible at picking apart any kind of 'garden,' melange of green, planty things. So here goes. Solanine as the oil itself is a faint, quiet and unassuming light green. On the skin and wet, it's immediately a blade of snapped, crushed grass, and I get a tiny bit of wet, crunchy lettuce-like notes. This must be the sappy mucilage. It remains in this very heady grass headspace for a good 3-5 minutes. It's like someone cut the grass, and you laid down upon it and are getting whiffs of the fallen blades. I also do detect a tiny hint of charcoal/woodsmoke, lingering about in the background. It's akin to the Steamworks Smokestack, but only a tiny hint. As the scent starts to calm down, the initial grass and green tropical rubbery leaves recedes. So far nothing with the fungus or mushroom family, as that's usually a dealbreaker for me, although the rubberiness could be built into the smoke. Now there's a veritable cacophany of 'PETAL' but which PETAL? I don't know? Perhaps, Everything Twists and Agony Lies. I am trying to get the wisteria, roses, but the classic florals are not leaping to the forefront for me. I am getting a very 'Funereal' bouquet vibe, although this isn't like funeral parlor lilies and baby's breath. It's a twisted bridal bouquet cinched with drippy poisonous vines from tropical plants. With a bit more time, I'm getting something like Le Fleurs de Mal, a combo rose/wisteria coolness, but still supported by and primarily a sappy green thing. The color I'm getting, for some weird reason, is a faded yellow cream streaked with blops of green. Low overall lasting power on me, but I'm also in arid Colorado, so your mileage may vary. This would be great for any Rapaccini's Garden fans. If you're a plant person, do try this.

Blue lilac, white sage, orris root, sweet pea, a smear of crushed blueberry, and tobacco leaf. Very lilac when wet. A beautiful, light and sweet lilac. There's a hint of fruitiness. This reminds me of Blue Flasher, with its slightly berry floral. The blueberry is not terribly potent, though. A hint of squishy blue juice! There's a streak of brown-gray smoke, the tobacco adding a little darkness and depth. I can also smell a bit of a powdery sparkle, clay-like, but lighter. Must be the sage and orris! I think there are kisses of sweet pea dancing about as well. This is very complicated. Lilac lovers should try this. And if you liked Blue Flasher, you should definitely give this bolster a whirl.

I nearly missed this, glad I checked Facebook after seeing Beth's NOT EVERY MOON IS A SUPERMOON (Karen) post. Thank goodness! I was like ah. Many of my favorite notes all together? Into the cart. I have some infused jojoba oil with Blue Lotus, as the EO itself is rare and precious - this is from Nature's Gift and was an oil extraction of the lotus petals. I can smell the slightly funky, cold, but also deeply sweet aroma of lotus. It's hard to describe, but to me, the lotus absolutes have a slightly... deep, almost rubbery (but not in a bad way!) note, which is blended with a very intriguing, hypnotic... otherness. It has always straddled the line between striking and stunning, like push/pull, slightly repellant but so much so that you have interest in still smelling. Sort of like my relationship with mugwort, except lotus on me goes to sublime hypnotic background of smooth, soft-spoken floral on me. As the blend dries, I get a bit more of the sweeter topnote of violet petals. Though, if you waved this at me description unseen, I would not describe this as violet primary (slightly sad, but also, super glad this reads as more lotus forward without being bubblegum lotus). If there is orris it is providing a very subtle dustiness in the backdrop, but is also not overriding the lotus. I have been a staunch collector of Blue Moons, and though they vary, I think many have blue lotus, and I absolutely love how it remains discoverable even with repeated wrist snorfling. I admit... I blind bought a few. If you love lotus, with a hint of a deep blue-purple cloud of florals supporting, please to get this blend.

MOONSHINE AND MIST The elfin maidens were already dancing on the elf hill, and they danced in shawls woven from moonshine and mist, which looked very pretty to those who like such things. Ethereal, otherworldly, delicate: ambergris, white musk, water violet, ylang ylang, magnolia, and white sandalwood. Wet, this smells very... woodsy, like a dry sandalwood. From the imp, it smells sharp, some of the magnolia is the dominant floral. Not much frank 'violet.' On the skin, definitely morphs into being less sharp and dry, although the faint sandalwood lends the blend a nice 'thrummy' background. There is a hint of violet, and the magnolia also melds with the violet to make a sweet, delicate, shimmery fragrance (how appropriate!) As it dries further, the white musk comes further into the foreground. Dominant notes are magnolia and musk, with a little softness from the violet, and enough backing from the sandalwood so this doesn't float away. White floral, or at most, wisteria-tinged glowing white.

I need something gentle, charismatic, inspiring, and why not a Twilight Alchemy Blend? This is very strongly rose and melissa (that topnote of lemon balm), also with a thin but present note of honey floating above the rose. Initially the rose is wet, quite dewy, damp, with a bit of time it softens a smidge but this is still very rose forward. The jasmine now comes out a bit as a smokey almost incense-like topnote, you can tease it apart from the rose, and then... wow, there's the sweet smush of a subtle but strawberry pulp. Though I'm not getting much immortelle (helichrysum) it may be hiding under everything or supporting the bright floral/fruit that is the initial weartime. I'm a huge rose amplifier (Elizabeth of Bohemia? Ehhhh?) so after some time it still reads very much as a dewy real rose. I think that tempering the complete floral is the honey, vanilla, and butter. Benzoin is vanilla-like (and I am a smidge worried about using benzoin directly on my skin as it -can- be a sensitizer), though none of that is a primary note. Throw: intense! Immense! Lasting Power: <in progress> but so far, hours

Starts off very slushy, and dirty, and atmospheric. Kind of like day old dirty snow, but not in a bad way. I smell a little bit of that wintergreeny top note of birch. It passes through a bit of a phase where it smells like Yggdrasil before aging morphed it super minty, and then... yes, florals. This is quite unique! I would say there are raccoons now rutting above me, but it's just my neighbors. Oh... wait...

A pressure drop as a result of relaxation: French lavender, luminous Corsican juniper, benzoin, honeyed carnation, wild hops, and blue musk. Very much a beautiful lavender when wet. I anticipate this would be an excellent bedtime scent. After it sits for a while, I'm getting a bit of that rich slightly sweet resin from benzoin, but it's just a hint. The carnation is a delicate white whisper in the background, just enough, without being too flashy. I love carnation. There's a bit of a hoppy/herbal backdrop from the juniper and hops together, grounding it a bit. I think the blue musk (which generally evades my detection but is present) is lending an ethereal whisper glow to the whole blend. It's so elegant and restrained! TKO for me is nice but often too sweet, this seems a nice alternative. Going to give it some wears, including bedtime. If this helps me drift off to sleep... there may be multiple bottles of this in my future...!

Wisteria and white clove, green tea leaf, and frankincense. So... unexpected. Wet, I get a bit of the clove, but only like the top part of it - medicinal, sharp. I also get a smell that reminds me of the inside of a dried ume plum, and also maybe... camphor? What? As this sits on my skin and dries down... It's still very clovey... oh, wait, what? White Necco wafer? This smells like a clove cigarette. There's maybe some kind of more non-sweet, crumbly and sticky frankincense, a little sharp-sweet smoke. I don't get much of the classic 'green tea' note. I'm also struggling to find any lush wisteria. The color I see is... browns/ochre, gray-white or even bone-white wisteria, thin, sharp, not like purple unfurled blossoms. If there is a bit of that note, it's only a faint accent over the clovey-resin nature of this scent. I'm so very confused. But if you like clove...

Green tea, oakmoss, frankincense, mint absolute, and raw green patchouli. Definitely not what I was expecting, but marvelous. When I first sprayed this, the combination of notes read forward to me as 'Christmas?' 'Pine?' That probably was the oakmoss and tea together conspiring to make me dream of Yules. That burned off quickly though to reveal a very fresh, tasty mint. I think it's a combination of peppermint and spearmint, since it's not the sweetest pepperminty scent, but like the perfect butter mint, and then behind it is a swell of gritty, growly patchouli. A little smokyness from the frankincense, but not enough to launch it into incense territory, it's a very unique, cold, green, chewy, patchouli-mint. Yay!

THE SNACK HUT Hot popcorn covered in a glowing golden liquid substance, fried things, and artificially flavored cherry frozen carbonated beverages, extra-loaded with high-fructose corn syrup. Wet, in bottle: Smells a bit like soft butter, with a syrupy soda fruit aroma. On, it's cherry lip balm on my skin, which gradually evens out and loses the waxy aroma and turns more into... cherry cola! Yay! There's maybe a hint of crusty foodiness, but it's not overwhelming at all. A touch of popcorn-like savory foodiness, but not at all like Shill. Drying down, again, mostly slightly fizzy cherries, a hint of sugar, with a bit of corny cornification. Over time, the cherry morphs into this very sharp, slightly... fruit leathery... berry thing. Oh, not for me.

It was a cold, cold day, and a thick fog obfuscated everything. It was tremendously symbolic in myriad ways. It’s funny. Lilith was two months old when Obama was elected, and I remember how I felt that night as the election returns were coming in. When his presidency was announced, it was like a fist surrounding my heart unclenched, and I could breathe again. With Lilith in my arms, I inexplicably wept with relief, suddenly believing with all my heart that she was safe, and that her future—all of our futures—were on a trajectory of kindness and justice buoyed by hope. The country is flawed and imperfect, but we were on our way to making things right. Then November of 2016 happened, and in January, a thick fog descended on the National Mall and the fist clamped around my heart again. The hope and valor of iris blossoms twined with chrysanthemum’s bold fearlessness, violet’s vigilance, oleander’s caution, and white and red roses for unity. I have one of those things with iris and violet, where I have to try any blend that has it. I also am feeling the same melancholy and strangeness this past year, for reasons in my country that I'm not sure I understand anymore, as well as my own personal catastrophe and rebuilding. Wet in bottle: Strong iris, powdery, rooty, dusty purple ash color that I associate with that smell. On skin: When it gets a chance to settle, it starts off powdery iris, and then I get a strong, but solid rose petal. This has dewiness, wetness. It's like the more heavy, non-tea-rose BPAL rose. Iris and violet are hard for me to pull apart since they activate the same ionone button for me, but I do swear I get a little bit of that dark, sweet, powdery background. With more time I am getting a bit of that mum-green-stemmy, slightly sour but radiant herbal. It's not overpowering. It elevates the blend above a floral and gives it a bit of bittersweet. I will be honest, I have no idea what oleanders smell like. With time: Oh, this is nice. I'm a rose amper, which tends to make most roses a no go. Somehow, this remains tempered and is a bit of a powdery iris predominantly with a restrained bouquet of roses nearby. It's a beautiful and elegant, non-trumpeting floral blend. Strangely, even with the flowers, it's austere, and feels like it has a good depth and strength to it. Huh.

Rose oudh with fossilized amber, benzoin, blackened labdanum, golden myrrh, and dark musk. Ah, pressure's on! Wet, this is the dark musks with a hint of red rose. There's mostly the sweet resins and amber, all a deep, thrummy, spicy melange that provides a nice base for the subtle rose in this scent. I am mostly getting a rich, chewy, deep and delicious amber/myrrh base. The rose is just a gentle hint, but it provides a touch of lighter floral in this resinous choir. Worth a try! ETA: This reminds me of the rose in Elizabeth of Bohemia, but more resins. Also, strangely, the rose amps MORE over time, so different from my first impression.

A whisper of names: Nandi, Dido, Clytemnestra, Hatshepsut, Merneith, Olga of Kiev, Boudicca, Urraca the Reckless, Makeda, Sasaban, Semiramis, Rabodoandrianampoinimerina, Theodora, Julia Agrippina, Wu Zeitan, Irene Sarantapechaina, Elizabeth. She is every queen that has ever walked on this Earth, and every queen that shall come. She rules the past, the present, and the future; she is the archetypical sovereign, the amalgamation of feminine power – dark and light – throughout all of mankind’s history. White gardenia and tuberose with ambergris accord, vegetal vanilla musk, bourbon vanilla, and amber incense. From the bottle whiff: High pitched, bright, clarion call creamy gardenia petals. A bit of sweetness, but without too much foodiness. Waxy, but waxy like buttercream frosting, not candles. Wet, the gardenia is joined by tuberose, and the two make for a distinctively LOUD opener. Heady, sensual, yes, but very tropical and extremely white floral! There's a more floral vanilla attempting to bring down the florals over the first 10-15 minutes, a little tickle of cream at the edges of the floral bouquet. I'm sniffing around, it's getting... somehow, smoother? The initial very potent tropical blast is starting to calm down into a very interesting combination of scents. I'm getting a little bit of a salty, smoky amber, but just a hint. Like an extinguished vanilla incense stick. I think I'm actually getting a kiss of white musk, but again not dominating. Over time, this has a bit of a 'gauzy' overtone with the florals amazingly draped over but not dominating the central notes of the blend, which strike me as being a very inoffensive, well-blended melange of subtle incense, a white or light amber, and a mysterious vanilla that grounds this, without making it dessert-y. Over time, the tuberose starts to be stronger than the gardenia, but that could just be my skin... as it does that to tuberose. Glittery diaphanous gauze over a polished ivory marble stone, strewn with ripped tuberose petals.

Cheers! Shards of white musk and brittle white olibanum glinting with muguet, Riesling grapes, ambergris accord, and elemi. Wet, it's a subdued champagney scent, with maybe a hint of aquatic (ambergris?). Immediately on, I get a TON of the ambergris as a salty waxy resin, then the olibanum (frankincense) delicately in the background, first... then, well, here comes the muguet, as a chorus of waxy flowers, just rising to the middle of the pack. I can definitely get a bit more of the smoky olibanum as time passes, any hint of champagne is not overpowering. Oh! There's maybe a hint of my beloved Sea of Glass, but it... doesn't go all the way to that crystal clarity, it's a bit more fluffy with the powdery white musk and ambergris working together to ensure this is not super high pitched. I'd say maybe it's a variant of Sea of Glass with more smokyness due to the olibanum. Now that I smell this on me, I have to wonder if Sea of Glass (which has no listed notes) also has a bit of ambergris accord. I'm not sure what elemi smells like. My brain does this thing where I see 'elemi' and think 'emu,' which are not the same thing... This is an interesting scent for sure. Throw is low-moderate, but when I get a whiff it's arresting.

A verdant grove of evergreens, the promise of peace, quiet, and refuge within the heart of Nature’s embrace: clusters of clubmoss huddle silently under a gently shadowed canopy of silver fir, blue spruce, red cedar, cypress, and live oak. Another earthy offering from the Empress! From the bottle, this is more fir-heavy, but is a swirl of mostly coniferous, sappy evergreens, but backed up with a touch of oaky woods. The cedar and cypress are trying to peek through. Dabbed on the skin, whoa, whoa nelly, oh, man, I am Become Conifer! STAND ASIDE, YOU ANGIOSPERMS FOR WE ARE THE STUBBIER, SCRAGGLIER PIONEERS TO CONSERVE WATER WE DEVELOPED THICK NEEDLES (WHICH REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT SUN EXPOSURE) IN MOST FOREST ECOSYSTEMS WE PROMULGATE FIRST THEN YOU FROO FROO BROAD LEAFED WHIPPERSNAPPERS COME IN AND OVERSHADOW US KILLING OUR TINY IMMOBILE SAPLINGS ...BUT WE LIKE CLEARINGS AND GROW IN COPSES WHEN ONE OF YOU FALLS SO WATCH YOUR BACK! GYMNOSPERM PRIDE FIE, FIE YOU OAK BEWARE NEEDLES IN YOUR BA®K! In more fragrance related news from that odd divergence: This is a HUGE blast of needly green things. It's on me almost a bit much and reads almost as Single Note: Holiday Christmas Tree to me. It's very natural, just strong, and even for its strong opener, it actually fades pretty fast on me. This is common when I'm wearing any 'evergreen' note. With about half an hour, it's a whisper of mostly a bit of dry fir, and some cedar warmth, but beyond that, not too much else comes roaring to the surface. If you're a big fan of evergreens, don't pass this one up, it's an experience, true, but at least on me died down pretty quick.

Towing a scrotum boat. Honeydew, honey, and sparkling golden-green musk. Towin' da Scrotum Boat. This tanuki's scrota-quota is apparently a bunch of sweet, ripe honeydews rolling down the river for his big-balled compatriots. On the skin, fresh, wet, drippy melons, that dry down a bit and remain the cool sweet flesh of the flavor. Honey presents itself then as a waffle/foody topnote that almost brings to mind those Japanese melon-flavored flaky pastries. I'm sure there is an overaching, cool, airy green musk above the rest. It's very nice. TOW DEM SCROTUMZ (coming soon to A+E or TruTV)

Truly a lady loved by many: white almond-tinted musk and heady orchid with cedarwood, vanilla orchid, ylang ylang, Chinese peony, and honey. Sweet, sticky, cyanidic almond right off the bat, but this swerves away from the pure almond very quickly with a mid-note rise of the florals in a very subdued way. Lace under a fluffy white gown? The florals are very exotic - and this is probably what I am getting now as the almond is segueing into the background - oh, and there's the honey, but it's like honey rubbed into a cedar chest, since I can get the hint of cedarwood. The cedarwood though is... kind of buttery, since I can also get even with the light exotic florals the kiss of almond. This really reminds me of a less WISTERIA'D Cordelia, which is one of my favorites. This may be more sweet and soft, lightly floral due to the honey and the peony/orchid. I do get some ylang ylang but to be fair most of Beth's ylang blends on me I have a blind spot for picking it right out. This is the one I bought a few bottles of right at the table. I think I will like them a lot, since even with all the sweet and floral notes, I read this is a woodsy foody, which sounds weird, but is very unique. I like unique! I really get the 'Colorado Bordello' feel from this, probably the cedarwood talking. Over time, this has gotten more honey-ish, and the cedarwood has retreated. I think the orchid is also rising, since this is reading as 'O' in familiarity.

Definitely fresh, bright, tart yuzu from the bottle. A bit of a departure from past Snow Moons? On, the yuzu does its thing, and gets a bit... settled, and then I'm getting white apple and yuzu, a very fruity moon. I can get a bit of the snowdrops and a very, very faint slushy pine, but at least on me, the fruits really keep it up and I still get a rind-y orange/yuzu, almost kind of sangria-like in its intensity. I'm not getting musk, not on myself at least. My chemistry must be super weird, since I invited the Queen of the North to my party, and instead of being Isabelle Humprettia the Third, all reserved, icy, and judgy, I'm getting Becky Noonan from Delta Tri-Kappa-Phi-Pi-Delta, who has brought her own fixins' to make a proper southern (or Japanese fusion?!?) white wine sangria, with sliced apples and yuzu. Becky's fun, don't get me wrong, but this is a bit of a surprise given the moon concept.

Well, now, this is a beautiful floral with a hint of sweetness. It's the best honeysuckle ever. On me, honeysuckle gets all sharp and shrill, so I have to be careful wearing it. In the air, though... oh my. Please don't miss this if you're a fan of BPAL's honeysuckles. If you do, you'll... totally... suck...le. :L