Vega

Sniffed: Ugh! Salty and bitter!

 

On skin: This is triggering my gag reflex. I've never smelled a scent that's so salty and bitter; it must be the combination of that bitter (rancid?) wine and the dark, tropical greenery. In fact, this scent experience is very much akin to eating semi-raw, bitter, green vegetables. Now, I love my veggies, but that is not a good experience in my books.

 

Verdict: In a word, NO. Caliban is thoroughly unpleasant. I endured him just once for this review, and now the imp is going straight to the Swaps box and will not be missed.

Sniffed: A greenish kind of sweetness, quite floral. Light and calm.

 

On skin: The blend begins with this green floral-like sweetness, but blooms after drydown into something deeper, fruity-tart and sweet. I'm not good at identifying notes without a list, but I think this is a mix of rich, "red" florals and light berries/fruit. Not very grounded. Over time the florals emerge and become higher and thick.

 

Verdict: It's a prototype, all right: a bit one-dimensional, already with a main theme but yet to achieve more definition and depth. Not very exciting.

Sniffed: A high white floral with a slightly sugary-sweet touch.

 

On skin: All white florals, watery and liquid and a bit heady. Reminds me of The Lady of Shalott, so gardenia is definitely here. But underneath these florals is a deeper note that smells sugary! It grounds the florals and occasionally morphs in to tantalize my nose with slight sugar sweetness. There's another heavier note looking in the background, perhaps a light, dry wood. Overall, this is an airy-light, slightly dry, white floral blend.

 

Verdict: I'm glad that these white florals don't go screaming off and that they are grounded in the sugar and wood notes, discreet as those are. But I don't like pure white floral blends, and while this prototype has promise, in this form it's not that great.

Never fear -- there's the Swaps forum! You may be able to snag more decants/bottle of Hypothermia and other LE blends.

 

The best cold, wintry blend in the GC that I can think of is the Salon Cloister Graveyard in the Snow. It is very frosty and cold, and really evokes the Salon image. You may get snow in Kumari Kandam, although I found it more incense/aquatic. Sea of Glass also had an ozone-like note reminiscent of slushy snow, but this may be a long stretch.

 

I can't think of any other GCs that are snowy, so here are some LEs that I found similar to Hypothermia: Snow White of any vintage (a Yule blend that appears every year, not too hard to find on Swaps I presume), Cold Moon (Lunacy 2010), and Ded Moroz (another Yule).

Sniffed: This is light and floral, possibly from carnation and poppy/opium tar. There's no sign of pomegranate, although it may be hanging discreetly in the background.

 

On skin: The scent opens up a lot more now: I can smell pomegranate, pepper, amber, and blended floral notes. Pomegranate V has the most discreet pomegranate of the Grove: I can identify its juicy richness but it's blending very much with the others. The scent smoothens and mellows out over time, becoming a rich, deep "reddish-yellow" floral, haloed by juicy pomegranate. There are no signs of vetiver or spices. Colour impression is, indeed, a rich red-orange-yellow.

 

Verdict: My second favourite of the Grove. I like how the pomegranate blends with the other florals, but I suspect this will get overlooked in preference of my favourite, Pomegranate IV.

Reviewing the 2010 version.

 

Sniffed: Dry cocoa brightened by amber.

 

On skin: Gelt is delicious when I first put it on my skin: sweet, dusty cocoa brightened by equally dusty amber. I skin-tested this alongside Velvet, and Gelt is the same cocoa note but lighter and non-woody. Most unfortunately, it turns... funky after drydown. The only association I could think of is "dog" -- a clean one, but doggy nonetheless. This olfactory link completely ruins the scent for me.

 

Verdict: How disappointing! And Gelt began so promisingly! It's cold comfort to know that I'm not the only reviewer who made the same scent association... I guess I'll have to look for the 2008 version now.

Sniffed: Creamy, vanilla-esque sweet orange deepened by glowing patchouli.

 

On skin: When wet, Vixen is Snake Oil Lite! It has the same depth, sweetness and tone, except several shades lighter. I initially smell sweet, bright orange blossom darkened by smooth patchouli (thankfully the gentler, less pungent variety), and then the zesty bite of ginger emerges on drydown. Now the three notes blend perfectly to create a smooth, sweet and light scent, truly gorgeous, youthful, attractive and wholly feminine. No more like Snake Oil, although I do get echoes of similarities now and again. Perhaps Vixen is Snake Oil's protege who has struck out and found her own voice and unique character. She is also the darker, more vampish cousin of the brighter Khrysee. "Coquette" comes to mind. Colour impression is lush orange edged with glowing, vivid red-brown.

 

Verdict: Yes, I love this blend. Nothing can top Snake Oil, but Vixen has sufficient presence and character to stand on its own. I was frimped a tester, but I want at least an full imp for keeps!

Sniffed: Sweet orange blossom and brightly glowing amber, smoothened by creamy vanilla.

 

On skin: Well, well, I can't think of another blend that captures the fullness of "golden" as well as this. Khrysee is smooth, fruity orange blossom in neat balance with drier, bright amber, with a breath of creaminess from the vanilla, although this remains discreetly behind the others. Amber starts asserting the upper hand over time, but for the most part it remains balanced with orange blossom. A radiant, bright orange-gold blend that glows, with this precise colour impression. A simple scent, but perfect in its nothing-more-nothing-less simplicity. Khrysee bears a passing resemblance to Vixen, but they have quite different moods despite the common orange note. Perhaps Khrysee is the modest, traditionally feminine cousin of the coquettish, libertine Vixen.

 

Verdict: Khrysee truly is golden -- and a bit too golden and bright for me. At the end of the day, I guess I prefer Vixen for my simple orange blossom blend.

Sniffed: Sandalwood, dry frankincense, and a hint of patchouli glow. A red scent.

 

On skin: Cathedral is the quintessential dark incense blend for me, and Anne Bonny is a reddened version of Cathedral. Black, dry frankincense brightened and smoothened by full-bodied red sandalwood. Patchouli is initially the weakest note, but over time it emerges and adds its deep glow to the other notes. This may be a simple blend but it has a distinct character: solemn and contemplative, yet with a bit of colour and a slight spring to its step. Colour impression is dark, rich red-brown. If Cathedral is a venerable, old, dusty and forgotten church, Anne Bonny was that church in its younger days when there was more life and sound within its walls. No, not really a scent I'd associate with the pirate queen!

 

Verdict: I love incense blends, and I love Anne Bonny! A beautifully simple but distinct blend. Incense lovers who like Cathedral, Valentine of Rome, Penitence and Midnight Mass (amongst others) ought to try this.

Manhattan and Transeo give off understated but potent power and wealth, of the "old money" type. But even though they're aloof and distant, they're approachable, and definitely not aggressive. They're a bit more "conventional" in the work/business appropriate sense.

 

I also think of Brian's Blue Moon 2009 and Schwarzer Mond (also by Brian). Blue Moon is cold, while Schwarzer Mond is very dark, and both are aloof, a little masculine (but definitely wearable by females), and have immense presence. They're the blends that speak "power" the loudest to me, so these may fit your bill.

 

Tombeur may work too. It may be too sensual for your purposes, but I think it perfectly represents feminine aggression and dominance!

 

ETA: I just remembered Voodoo. It also reeks of power!

Reviewing the 2010 version.

 

Sniffed: Dry evergreen with a touch of cold herbs.

 

On skin: The first thing I thought: This is a lot like my favourite evergreen blend, The Snow Storm! So I'll compare the two. Both are pure dark evergreens, but the strong herbal notes in Yule make it much colder and drier than the lusher, sweeter Snow Storm. Perhaps they are the same evergreen forest in different winter settings: The Snow Storm in a fresh, sunny but cold day, Yule trapped in the absolute dead of winter night. At least, that's what it seems at first. Over time another note discreetly appears, a solemn deepness that must be from the frankincense and myrrh. I do not get any berries or lighter notes like rose and verbena, which is a little disappointing. Overall a dry, cold, yet full-bodied evergreen blend supported by herbal and incense notes, solemn, brooding and aloof in feel. Colour impression is the brown bark and dark green leaves of an evergreen tree.

 

Verdict: If Whoop is the embodiment of the Christmas season, Yule is the embodiment of the depths of winter. The Snow Storm will remain my favourite pure evergreen blend, but Yule follows as a close second. Definitely for lovers of evergreens.

Sniffed: Intense red berry! And a touch of pine.

 

On skin: This intensely red, berry-sweet note that dominates the wet stage must be the bay- and cranberries. The other notes gradually emerge with drydown, and now I can smell hints of cold pine, nutty pumpkin, dry amber, smooth honey, each morphing in now and a gain to accent the red berry note. (Pine and pumpkin are the most prominent of these supporting notes.) But the berries are the stars of this show, while the other notes play around the edges and tantalize my nose, but never fully match the berries. Overall, Whoop is is a deep, full, clear but cozy scent. I don't have a strong scent memory for place and season, but even I can tell that this is, indeed, the fullness of Christmas Day as experienced by Ebenezer Scrooge. Colour impression is the full redness of holly berries.

 

Verdict: A truly seasonal blend, which limits its wearability, and it's not my kind of scent anyway. Still, what a beautiful embodiment of Christmas!

Sniffed: Pomegranate upon a deep woody base, edged with an intense tartness that may be the tamarind and the nuts/spices, and perhaps touched with a breath of lavender.

On skin: Pomegranate takes centre stage in this blend, but its tart, juicy sweetness is tempered and grounded by mellow dry woods. There's a touch of clear and deep myrrh, and non-woody notes that must be the hazelnut and date. Just like Pomegranates I and II, blend III is a pomegranate showcase, albeit more complex, drier, deeper, and a bit less juicy-sweet than the former two. A full-bodied blend that remains quite constant over time. Colour impression is a mellow orange-red-brown.

Verdict: When by itself or dominant, the pomegranate note is a bit too intense and tart-sweet for me. I like Pomegranate III more than the simpler I and II, but it still dominates the blend too much for my liking. Even so, I have enjoyed testing the variety of the Pomegranate Grove, and III is a worthy member of this series!

I think there is a thread with more details...I hope this helps until my scramble brain can find it!

Thank you, samarablackcat! This is very helpful, especially since Black Lace is probably going to be on my ISO Bottle list pretty soon!

I think this is the right place to post my question...

 

I'd like to find out more about the two versions of Black Lace. I understand there was an older release, and a newer release that had an apple-like note? When were these two versions released, and do they have different labels? If someone could explain, or point me to a thread that explains this, I'd be really grateful! Thanks in advance!

Sniffed: Fruity! I can smell all the notes.

 

On skin: Pomegranate, verbena, grapefruit and lime (I can pick out all of them) blend to create a bright, richly juicy, almost tooth-achingly sweet fruity scent, grounded by imperceptible white musk. Pomegranate is prominent here, and I can discern how it undergirds the whole blend, with the other fruits accenting it. Verbena has a propensity to turn a whole scent into something thin and sour on my skin, and it attempts to do so here, but the other notes are resisting. Thankfully they win out, and Pomegranate II settles into bright, sweet, non-citrus fruit, if a little generic in the end.

 

Verdict: Very pretty, but it's a bit too sweet for me! Lovers of pomegranate and/or pure fruity blends ought to try this, though!

Sniffed: Sweet pomegranate and heady jasmine.

On skin: Pomegranate I begins promisingly as a harmonious mix of clear, juicy, red pomegranate and thick, floral-sweet jasmine. Both notes tend to be very dominant in blends, yet here they are actually matching each other and balancing out! I don't smell anything that could be benzoin, but it's probably staying in the background grounding the other two notes. This is initially a well-balanced, airy floral-fruit blend. But over time, jasmine starts gaining the upper hand, and eventually overwhelms the pomegranate, although the latter is never completely swamped and occasionally shows itself around the edges of jasmine. Still, what a pity, because they were initially playing together so well! Colour impression is a pale, lemony yellow touched with pink, peach and light orange. (I like how tacey above got a similar colour impression!)

Verdict: I must say, pomegranate and jasmine smell very good together when evenly matched. I really like Pomegranate I, but it's a pity that jasmine went temperamental on my skin! I may still keep my tester around though.

Sniffed: Bright red roses upon discreet red musk.

 

On skin: I adore rose and can't have too many rosy blends, but now I understand what it means to be overwhelmed by rose! Spellbound is all liquid clear rose, all the time -- not the pale, graceful ones that I've love, but heady, bright, intensely coloured ones, which I like just a bit less than the former. Red musk lurks just out of my nose's reach, and I suspect amber is contributing to the brightness. Yes, this is an embodiment of an intense but clear-eyed experience. I get a reddish colour impression, but I also get a kind of effect in my mind that resembles shining a bright light into one's eyes, so brilliant is this blend. Spellbinding, indeed...

 

Verdict: Well, well, what an intensely sensual, feminine blend! Even though I'm not keeping this imp, and will probably keep chasing my more favoured pale roses over these dark roses, I'm kinda perversely glad that I've finally encountered a blend that contains too much rose for me!

Sniffed: A "red" scent suffused with a thick spicy note that I can't identify. Ginger or saffron, perhaps?

On skin: All the notes in The Great Sword of War are blending to form an unfamiliar new scent that I can only describe as sweet-and-spicy herbal. It's light, dry and intense, slightly biting, tight and hazy. (Is ginger one of the unnamed herbs? Or maybe this is saffron.) Red musk is far in the background, and I can maybe pick out a ghost of smooth tea and bright mandarin, but otherwise this is too blended for me to identify individual notes. My previous test-notes suggest that The Great Sword can be quite biting; today it's more muted and obscured, but still has that spiced edge. Colour impression is dark red.
While not overtly unpleasant, there's something about this herbal-spicy tone of The Great Sword that a bit unwelcome. I smelled similar qualities in Vampire Tears (which I really didn't like), so I wonder if these two blends have a common note.

Verdict: Not impressed. I haven't had much success with the Come and See series: both The Scales of Deprivation and Death on a Pale Horse were disappointingly simple, one/few-note blends that simply didn't resemble their notes list at all. The Great Sword of War is no different, I suspect I'm just not getting its full goodness. What's more, I'm not fond of its herbal-spicy note. Swaps...

Sniffed: Light golden vanilla with pale musks and gentle flowers. Airy, sweet and gentle.

 

On skin: Under the Harvest Moon falls neatly between Haloes and Lyonesse, but has its own very distinct character. At first it's all about the creamy vanilla, enhanced with clear flowers, dry amber and fuzzy musks. I'm very relieved that there is no sign of the "autumn leaves". Over time the florals take centre stage: I can smell the clear, graceful rose and herbal lavender. This ends up a beautiful, graceful, contemplative floral on a base of vanilla and musk. This is a dusky, mellow, cozy yet cool blend, a lighter, less rich version of Haloes, or Lyonesse without the oceanic feel. Very evocative of its name too: it does resemble a cool but not chilly late summer night under a full moon, although I'm more reminded of a breezy late-summer day. Colour impression is light golden yellow of myriad shades.

 

Verdict: Oh, I'm torn. On one hand, Under the Harvest Moon is really beautiful and distinctive, but it is still a lot like my beloved Haloes! If Haloes wasn't my favourite golden, cozy vanilla, I would be all over this and snatching up whatever bottles and decants I can find. Ah, I don't need two such similar blends, but I'm so torn! Maybe I will keep my decant!

Sniffed: Red musk soaked in glowing patchouli, perhaps sweetened by honeysuckle.

 

On skin: I can pick out most of the notes! Full-bodied red musk and glowing patchouli are the most prominent notes, there's a touch of honeysuckle and ginger (not its usual nippy self though), and I can't really identify the spices. A non-morpher that remains consistent over time, although the patchouli fades behind the red musk as it wears off. A good showcase of red musk's versatility, although no other red musk blend that I've tried quite smells like it. Colour impression is crimson with a throbbing, glowing heart.

War is smooth, clear, full-bodied and vibrant, unisex tending towards feminine. It's not at all what I'd imagine a picture of warfare to resemble, not even a heroic, romanticized version, but I suppose it's more evocative of the Good Omens character. (Haven't read the book, for the record.)

 

Verdict: War is a strong representative of the red musk family, while having its own distinct character. I like it a lot, but I keep bypassing it for other, more loved red musk blends, so I don't think it'll stay.

Sniffed: Pure ozone touched with citrus.

 

On skin: My first thought: This smells EXACTLY like Lightning. Both are the same warm, humid, faintly sweet ozone, that reminds me of air heavy with water vapour. Perhaps Tempest is a little lighter, more citrussy and friendlier than Lightning, but I really can't tell them apart. A simple scent that remains constant over time.

 

Verdict: Well, Lightning is my first love and I have a bottle of it, so I see no reason to keep this imp of Tempest. But those who miss it will probably find a good dupe in Lightning!

Sniffed: I've been bowled over by a stampede of fruit! Pomegranate leads with red currant, trailed by mandarin and lemon peel.

 

On skin: All the fruity notes are on centre stage harmonizing very well, with pomegranate right in the centre. They are grounded by the light woods, which stay well in the background and aren't obvious, although I think they start emerging over time as most of the top notes burn off. Vanilla never makes it to the party. This is uplifting and vivacious, a straightforward but balanced dark berry/non-citrus blend. Colour impression is sparkling, vibrant cerise, and I actually got a vision of swirling, mesmerizing cerise silk robes.

 

Verdict: While I love berry/non-citrus fruity notes, Harlequin and Columbine is a bit too intensely fruity for me. Even so, it's a very fitting scent for these two characters in the Nutcracker!

Sniffed: Glowing red musk warmed with the foody pie note.

 

On skin: The Soldier was a bit too aggressive when I first tested my circle decant, but aging has mellowed him quite a bit! The dominant note is initially glowing, warm red musk, "sullied" by rich pie (thankfully not nauseating!) and a touch of pepper. The other notes really bloom after drydown: gritty black pepper with a gentle bite, mellow smooth tea, and leather, which flattens the blend slightly but not enough to ruin the complexity and body. Red musk slowly recedes, but I still smell a halo of it surrounding the other notes, especially if I'm not huffing my wrist too closely. Vanilla never shows up to the party, but the party is going quite nicely as it is so I don't miss it too much. This ends up a fine harmony of red musk and the other notes.

Unisex with the slightest masculine bent. Colour impression is black bleeding into dark red.

 

Verdict: I deeply love the Lab's red musk, and The Soldier is a fine variant on that theme! But I'm not a lover of foodie blends, and while this is more wearable than others, I prefer my other red musk blends.

Sniffed: Light fruit adulterated with fuzzy musk and other notes. Reminds me of Manhattan, darkened several shades.

 

On skin: Oooh, this is fascinating! This top note of Heroine is light, seems a bit fruity or vegetal but not in any familiar way -- so it must be rhubarb coloured with apple blossom and maybe petitgrain. A bright top note clearly darkened by deeper notes: smoothed by leather, warmed and fuzzed by amber and skin musk, and slightly glowing from patchouli. A full-bodied scent that's simultaneously bright and dark; it smells darker on my skin than in the decant. Heroine would score higher points with me if it did not gradually develop a thin sourness that spoils whatever complexity and depth it had at first. Thankfully this sourness morphs in and out over time and never completely dominates, but this morphing is just ruining the blend for me. Boooo.

 

Verdict: Sigh, Heroine started off so promisingly but ended up being spoiled by this mysterious sourness. This has happened before with certain other blends, and I haven't been able to pinpoint which note(s) are causing this. Alas, I wish this beautiful scent wasn't so sullied!