Teaotter

Wet: Woody patchouli and sandalwood. Drydown: The patchouli is strong and very earthy in this one. I don't get much of the myrrh or vetiver here, just that deep patchouli and the red sandalwood. But there's a fruity sweetness under there somewhere. Dry: Gorgeous sweet myrrh and sandalwood finally beat the patchouli back enough for the rest of the notes to come out and play. Something in here reminds me of bergamot, only not quite as bitter as bergamot can get. I'm not very familiar with ambrette seeds or ambergris, so it could be those two together. In any case, this is lovely, and likely to get more so as the patchouli ages. Throw is moderate, and it lasts quite a while on me.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who got a strange mint note out of this, because it honestly confused the heck out of me. Wet: Skunky body odor. Must be the vetiver-patchouli combo. Drydown: Minty body odor. I'm not kidding. Mint and rotting logs and mushrooms in a bed of body odor and vetiver. But there is something beautifully floral in the throw, as long as I don't get my hands too close to my nose. Dry: This settles down a bit, but there's still a rotting log around here somewhere. The throw is sweeter, though, with a murky floral note, a hint of raisins, and the back-of-the-throat sharpness of pepper. The throw can still knock a man out at ten paces. Verdict: For all my talk of body odor and rotting logs... I'm going to hang onto this. The throw is spicy and addictively earthy. If the body odor ages out a bit, I'm going to love this. ETA: It's only been a month, but it's already smoothed out beautifully. No more random mint note! No more stinky body odor! This is dark, moody, smoky shadows with a fascinating sweetness.

I had to look up the notes, because I would have sworn there was honey and mandarin in here. Huh. Wet: Sweet honey and patchouli, with a hint of something bitter underneath. Drydown: Creamy beeswax (probably the almond and amber), grounded by patchouli and sandalwood. Dry: A sweet honey note dominates, with the patchouli and sandalwood grounding it. I would swear there is mandarin in here, as well as some amber and just a hint of Snake Oil. Throw is low, and it fades quickly on my skin.

#occupywallstreet -- One of the recent reviews mentions cocoa globs in the bottle. Mine is entirely clear, as far as I can tell -- no separating globs at all. And I'm not the only one. I ordered mine the day it was released; I wonder if more recent bottles have more cocoa?

Updated March 2013: This has changed dramatically since I first got it. No more redwood log at all! The bottle smell is now strongly stinky-patchouli, but it doesn't smell like that at all on my skin. Wet, the patchouli is still strongest, though the other notes put in an appearance. But within fifteen minutes, this smooths out into a sweet vanilla-over-woods scent. The patchouli is honestly *sweet* now, with the cocoa and tobacco playing back-up as a woody underlayer to the patch and vanilla. I kind of miss my raw redwood log, but the aged version is it's own sweet mystery. *** Original review: In the bottle: sharp, astringent. Almost chemical. If that's the patchouli, it's the first time it's ever smelled like that to me! It's a bit frightening, to be honest. Wet: A wave of dirt that resolves into something woody. This smells like a redwood log to me, vaguely sweet in an herby way but totally, totally woody. It still doesn't smell like any patchouli I'm familiar with. Drydown: Okay, that's patchouli! It's still dominated by a woodiness that I'd almost swear was redwood or possibly cedar, but the spicy complex patchouli scent is definitely coming in. Or maybe out. This has a floating sweetness I think is the vanilla somewhere behind the wood notes. Dry: This is unlike any patchouli scent I've ever smelled. Very woody, spicy, and complex. I can't identify any cocoa in this scent, but the tobacco is part of what I'm reading as 'woody' here. The vanilla adds a sweetness, but no creaminess to this, though that may change as the perfume ages. This is a jagged, broken tree trunk, spiky and rough and fascinating. The throw is remarkably sweet and almost gentle for something that I keep thinking is going to knock me over every time my hand gets within six inches of my nose. Long-lasting on me. I imagine this will age into something incredibly awesome. ETA: This scent is addictive. I didn't think I really liked this stage of it at all, but I've been reaching for it non-stop for the last three days.

I'd like to keep track of how this changes over time, I think. Right now: 13 (February 2009) Atlas Moth Banshee Beat Boadicea Belladonna (PIF; partial, in non-Lab bottle) Chaos Theory III: DCLXIV Chimera (partial, in non-Lab bottle) Copulating Mice Egg Nog 2007 Elf Forbidding Foyer (PIF) Haloa 2007 Havana Hay Moon Leo 2007 Lycaon (partial) The Magi Osiris v4 (x2) Phantom Calliope (partial) Prosperity of a Country Satyr (partial, in non-Lab bottle) Snake Oil (partial) Sugar Skull 2008 Tabella Tezcatlipoca WILF So that's 2 Lupers/Shungas, 1 Weenie, 3 Yules, and a bunch of random LEs and GCs Incoming: #occupywallstreet October 2010 Priala (partial) Wolf Moon 2011 Wulric (partial) Sale/trade box: The Harpy Celaeno Moai Sugar Skull 2007 Wood Phoenix I need to re-try the Chaos Theory (I haven't worn it in months), and I may keep my decant but move Copulating Mice to the trade box as well.

Wet: Fizzy lemon soda, now with in-your-face fizzing! Drydown: Okay, maybe more ginger than citrus as it dries. It also loses a lot of the effervescence as a thicker note comes out, which I *think* is the gear lubricant. It reminds me of a much lighter No. 93 Engine at this point. Dry: It finally melds back together when it dries. A hint of the effervescence remains, along with a sweet spiciness. I can pick out the ginger but not the peppercorn, and the gear lubricant smells a lot like frankincense to me on the drydown. Kind of a complex ginger-ale incense, if that makes any sense. I really, really like this one!

I have to say I agree with most of the reviews above, so I won't go through all of it. But I want to note that I hardly smelled the vetiver at all until dh pointed it out -- but he's very sensitive to vetiver and can smell even the faintest trace! This is mostly woody marshmallow on me, sweet and smooth.

Wet: Vetiver, and something sweet that I can't place. Drydown: The sweetness comes out more. It's almost caramel-like mixed with the vetiver and some other woody note. Dry: There's ginger in this, I'd swear! And some kind of honey or brown sugar sweetness splashed over the vetiver. This smells industrial in the same way No. 93 Engine does -- like sweet machine oil and smoke. Lovely! It burns down to a sweet myrrh after several hours. ETA: My imp has some dark brown sludge in the bottom. It came from the Lab, so I assume something in here settles out. I made sure to mix it back in well before wearing it.

Wet: spicy black musk and myrrh -- the type that smells like the heat coming off a candle to me. Drydown: Lots of black musk still, but the myrrh pulls back a little. A tangy resinous note comes out, and I'd swear there was juniper in this. Dry: I love this scent! The olive leaf comes out (olive leaf is one of my favorite notes!) balanced on the spicy musk and the incense-y myrrh and frankincense combo. This is dark and feral and intense. Moderate throw.

Wet to dry, this is all leather, all the time. I can't even detect any frankincense, which usually amps on me. I'm hoping the leather tones down as it ages, because Paladin is the RPG I most wanted to work on me.

Wet: Dryer sheets? Where the heck is that coming from? Drydown: More dryer sheets. If I stick my nose right next to it, I get a strong whiff of pencil shavings. This really is not what I expected at all. Dry: This one took more than an hour to settle out. The oud has come to the front along with the musk. I don't get any beeswax at all, and the white sandalwood is just doing its pencil-shavings thing if I sniff my wrist directly but is otherwise completely in the background. This is a little bitter with maybe the slightest hint of sweetness in the throw. Like all the RPGs, for me, this has a LOT of throw.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s RPG scent series was designed to emulate the character creation process, and are meant to be layered in order to create a character concept. In short: you layer your class, race, and the two fragrances that compose your alignment to construct your character scent. Elf + Mage (Pale golden musk, honeycomb, amber, parma violet, hawthorne bark, aspen leaf, forest lily, life everlasting, white moss, and a hint of wild berry plus gurjum balsam, Sumatran dragon's blood resin, olibanum, galangal, oleo gum resin, and frankincense) Expectations: Elf, by itself, is a sweet honey and berries smell on me. In the imp, Mage smells sharp enough that I'm not sure if Elf's sweetness will tame it. Application method: Elf on both wrists, Mage on both forearms. Wet: Sharp herbal greenery -- a bit too sharp for me. Drydown: The sharpness backs off, thankfully, and the whole things turns sweetly fruity. It smells more like apples to me than berries, strangely enough. Dry: This settles into something really complex and beautiful. Smoky, incense-y, with an herbal component that's a little sweet without being actually fruity to my nose. It's gorgeous, and I'm so glad I gave it a try despite my expectations!

Wet: Smoky sweet opium. Drydown: the leather peeks out from behind the opium a bit. Dry: This reminds me of a sweeter version of Boadicea, honestly. There's that smoky vanilla/ginger/leather thing going on, along with a very feminine musk. This one is sweeter, with the opium floating over the top and bringing more vanilla with it. Verdict: Boadicea is one of my top three perfumes ever, so you can bet I'm getting a bottle of this! ETA: I should note that both rose and jasmine are usually scent-killers for me, since they amp and make everything smell like floral soap. Not here! Which was a lovely (and really rare) surprise.

Wet: Spicy musk Drydown: The spice resolves itself to clove, and a smoky note comes out. Some tobacco, but I would have sworn there was khus in here, too. Dry: I keep huffing my wrists, I love this sooooo much! This is definitely dark and musky, but the spice and the tobacco keep it just sweet enough, and the hint of mint reminds me of the chocolate mint note in WILF, which is one of my favorites. I don't really get anything floral out of this, just that bit of sweetness that blends into the rest of it. Absolutely one of my favorite GC blends!

In the bottle: buttery and resinous. With luck, that's benzoin, which often smells buttery in the bottle but doesn't go buttery on me. Wet: A sharp blast of nuts -- it reminds me a lot of Copulating Mice at this point. Buttery, almost cookie-ish nuts and clove. Drydown: The nuts fade back and something much more perfume-y comes forward. I can't tell if it's a sweet patchouli or one of the more floral ambers, but it smells more floral than resinous to me. There is also a powdery musk note. I don't get any toasted sandalwood at all. Dry: This softens to a near-skin scent with occasional wafts of powdery resin. I like it more than I would have expected.

In the bottle: Teak and spices -- maybe cinnamon? Wet: The wood backs off a bit and the spices come to the front. There is definitely clove and nutmeg in there, and something that reminds me of chili powder -- maybe cumin? Drydown: This blends incredibly well as it dries. I think there is sandalwood in here as well as the teak. When I stick my nose right next to my wrist, it's all spices (and still that hint of chili powder, which has me stumped), but the throw is vanilla-spiced woods. This is a gorgeous scent, smooth and dark and luscious. It reminds me of the way I always want pipe tobacco to smell (though it never does). The spices and sweetness keep it warm, but it's a warm darkness. I just have to say -- if this is the version Beth wasn't happy enough with to release, I can't wait to see the final version. Because anything better than this will totally make me swoon!

Wet: Nutty! I wouldn't say hazelnut if I didn't have the notes in front of me. Drydown: The nuts disappear behind a fruity sweetness. Again, though, I wouldn't be able to identify it as fig without the notes. Dry: I am getting the dark sweetness of fig and a light floral note on top (the rice flower? I don't know that one). The nuts and spices fade into a creaminess in the background. It smells more like pie filling to me than pastries. I was hoping for more from the hazelnut and sesame. Very light throw.

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed this before! I don't use the oils in the bath, but as an after-shower moisturizer. On my skin, this is smoky figs with just a hint of vanilla. Definitely a skin scent, but for a bath oil, you don't want something overpowering. When I layer it with the perfume, it brings out the fig and leather notes beautifully. When I layer it with Snake Oil, like today -- ooh, spicy vanilla figgy heaven. Utterly, utterly lovely.

Light, sweet currant with something like shampoo in the background. Amber notes have been going to shampoo on me a lot lately, so that's probably the amber. I get no blackberry or pepper at all.

Wet: Incense. Reminds me a lot of Mr. Jacquel, actually, with the same sort of medicinal-incense tone. Drydown: The herbs come out more. I can smell green grass, something that kinda smells like tea tree oil but less overpowering, and something bitter I can't quite put my finger on. Dry: This doesn't quite come together for me. The separate notes stay separate, with a hint of mustiness in the throw. Not for me!

Wet: Strawberry vanilla cream. Drydown: The red musk comes out to bring the sweetness down to below candy levels, and the cherry comes in to tone down the brightness of the strawberry. Overall: This is the first "red fruit" blend that I've ever liked. Honestly, I may love it. It dries down to a spiced cherry-vanilla musk on me, with a lot of sweetness but not really a candy or foody sense to it.

Wet: sweet, smoky vetiver Drydown: Soap? Where are you coming from, soap, and why are you stealing my lovely smokiness?!? Dry: Smoky honeysuckle soap. Darn it. Some florals do this to me, though they're usually rose or gardenia scents. It is either the black opium or some interaction between that note and the honeysuckle in this case. I don't like to smell like soap, even if it's high-end sexy soap. This one's not for me.

Wet: green and herbal Drydown: Uh-oh, the cedar is making its presence known. There is still something lovely and green, but it is falling into the nasty cedar shavings. Dry: Fresh green leaves and cedar shavings. I'm not getting much from the vetiver at all, and the cedar is not my friend.

In the imp: amber and soft leather Wet: Soft suede leather and... shampoo? o.O I swear, it smells like some vaguely floral-herbal shampoo. With leather, and maybe a hint of musk behind it? Drydown: The resemblance to shampoo fades, thankfully! The amber comes back, the leather mixes nicely, and the grasses start to come out. Dry: Warm, slightly powdery amber balanced with grasses and soft leather. The sweetness of the amber melds nicely with the grasses, and the whole thing is warm and soft. Throw is mild, though it has a little more range than a skin scent, and it lasts fairly well on me. I think this is a new imp, so I'm going to give it a few months to see what aging does. If it ages well, I might just need a bottle of this.