Circaea

On me, Mouse Circus smelled exactly like Boo, layered with some kind of dry, woody patchouli note. Wish I could have got Midway from it, or cotton candy, or even popcorn. Well, you win some, you lose some.

Wet, this reminded me a little of Cathedral (myrrh possibly being the note in common). Drying down, the lemony black musk, which I like so much from Playful Wooden Mallets, comes out. Unlike Mallets, though, Dance of Death has no playfulness. It's a soft, dry and gentle scent, definitely unisex, slightly spiritual. I really like it.

Tobacco is one of those notes that I keep seeking out, hoping to find The One... but it always seems to fail on me. French Tobacco SN is fairly gentle, as far as tobaccos go (most of them smell sharp and cologne-like on me, and tend to make me headachey.) It has a sweetness to it, but mostly what I get is the sharp edge. It goes far too manly to my nose. I'm glad I had a chance to try it, but it's going to a new home, where I hope it will find the love it deserves.

Sweet gourd, spices, and something that seems lightly floral and buttery, but is most likely the beeswax. Theme in Yellow reminds me of Pumpkin V 2012, with its vanillas and spices, but it's not so blatant over the top foody. It has an edge of something like baked cookies. I like it very much, and I decided I needed a bottle.

I LOVE TKO, and I thought this would be somewhat like it. In fact, it reminds me more of Lilith Victoria, which I didn't care for. Not really a strong enough lavender for my tastes, and I don't get an "ice cream" impression from it, either. It does, indeed smell like a very nice child's or baby product.

 

I ended up washing it off, because I don't have a single maternal bone in my body. (Bonus: it washes of easily, unlike some blends which are still there many hours and scrubbings later).

Licorice tea and leather. Something spicy in it too, that smells like pepper to me. I'm kind of wishing the licorice was clove. Clovey leather and tea would be so awesome. Something in it reminds me of my bottle of White Rabbit, after the grassy notes faded and all I could smell was pepper, linen and tea.

celeste is very musky (a powdery sort of white musk, though not as sharp) with delicious vanilla notes. it's soft, just slightly sweetened fluffy vanilla cotton. it's very dry. i do like it, but i honestly can't decide if i would wear it or not!

This is exactly what I get from Celeste. It's lovely, but it's for someone else. I also get the similarity to Love's Philosophy. This is the kind of muskiness that made Morocco so bad to me, and that gives me a headache, so, while I'm happy and grateful at getting a chance to try it, I'll be glad to send it along to someone who can wear it.

As it dries down, the muskiness fades somewhat and the vanilla is delicious - kind of high and clear, not really warm, but very beautiful. And I can smell the slight booziness. i like this almost enough to deal with the headache. But not quite. Celeste, you're a very special girl, but it can't work out.

It's not you, it's me.

Mata Hari. Belle Epoque. Carnal.

Sweet hot chocolate and marshmallows! I need moar! This is one chocolate that doesn't turn to crayons on me, as so many other BPAL chocolates have.

uhhh... This is pure sex. Chocolate and seawater. It's a kind of dark chocolate blow job oral orgy. I wish I had more of this stuff. Don't think I could wear it to work, though, or anywhere that eating and f*cking are not on the agenda.

Definitely second the Snake Oil and absolutely the TKO (it can be so hard to fall asleep with the constant pounding of bass lines on enormous sound systems). I think, back when I was going to Burning Man, I would have been afraid to take my delicate BPALs, due to the heat. I wouldn't have wanted to take anything irreplaceable. Are you decanting for the trip? In that case, all bets are off and take whatever you want. But I know I would have wanted at least one patchouli blend with me, and something with an incense note.

 

 

Have lots of fun!

I like When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go. The floral part of it reads warm to me. I wear it to bed sometimes. And Lick It Like You Mean It is a lovely vanilla mint. Gennivre is a tea mint. Not sure if I would qualify it as warm, though. Sort of neutral.

Got this as a frimp in a trade. I don't like men's scents, normally, and this one has a couple of deathnotes, but surprisingly, it works. The fir and tobacco that I was afraid of are softened by smoke and spice. This isn't a musky sharp manly scent. It's refined, courteous, and seductive. The main impression on drydown is woodsmoke, clove and a faint breath of conifer. I think anyone who really likes smoke will probably like this one.

I second Mag Mell (smells like fresh cut grass), and the Dormouse (light green tiny spring flowers). Lemon Scented Sticky Bat smells like sweet lemons. Refreshing, but not a lot of throw. Atlas is a soft wood, coffee and mallow scent (also not a lot of throw, so it's unlikely to trigger perfume-aversion glares).

My fave coconut scents so far: Roses, Diamonds and Pearls, Brown Jenkin, and Snow White.

I just called! They had four bottles, and I took two. Courtney were really nice and so helpful.

 

Thanks, guys, for the info!

Is Haloes still available anywhere? Or is it discontinued?

 

thanks in advance!

 

 

I love plum! And this one is gorgeous: soft, pretty, muted with gentle florals and something else... As it dries it strikes me that it is almost a dead ringer for another favorite: Lovers in a Ricefield. But I have two bottles of that, so I guess I don't need more than my imp of Prunella.

This one didn't work for me. I suspect the amber. I agree with sadari in that the residual smell, after the patchouli wears down, is a mustiness or staleness, to my nose, anyway. I've now added amber to my official list of death notes.

Sad that this one did not work on me. I love opium/poppy/laudanum notes, and I can smell them a little, but the lavender seems to drown them out. This scent is a bit off, a little sour, and rather faint. If I put my wrist up to my nose a I get a nice exotic floral smell, but when my hand is down at the keyboard, I smell something like old perfume sprayed on paperstock. Don't know if it's my nose, or a skin chemistry fail. It's like it's missing some grounding note. I can't detect the patchouli at all.

Right out of the decant this scent amazes and thrills me. I get the Banshee Beat comparisons. And there's something a little spicy, like a cinnamon or clove hint, and the gorgeous woody patchouli, and something creamy. Amber's usually a big fail on me, but this one, while it goes to powder slightly, doesn't bring the whole thing down. Feed Me is glorious, and I think I'm going to need two bottles.

 

ETA: I had to come back and edit this, as my first impression modified somewhat with further wear. I dabbed a drop on my hand this morning and walked to work. An hour later my coworker came in to her cubicle, ten feet from mine and said, "Something smells like hippie."

 

Strong patchouli at first, but then this scent fades quickly on me. Side by side with Banshee Beat, this one is practically gone after three hours, while BB can still be detected after ten. Tonight I'm comparing it to Badgers. I find them similar. Maybe I only need one bottle of Feed Me. Or none. Still trying to decide...

 

 

ETA: One and a half. That's how many bottles of this I ended up getting. It's a lot like Banshee Beat, but it has a dry woodsy and refined patchouli phase that I really like, and it ends in a soft honey that doesn't go all icky/funky on me (see O and Womb Furie, both disastrous for my skin chemistry.) That's why I needed one and a half bottles of Feed & Fill.

My first thought was Tattered Lace. Very light airy vanilla.

Okay, I got red musk, patchouli and cinnamon. Like a cinnamon Snake Oil. It has lasted all day, and I'm happy about that. I think I do love you, Love Me.

 

Bottleworthy.

Received this as a generous frimp from a swap. ZOMG. This smells exactly like the head shops on Haight street. I am so homesick right now. It's pure Nag Champa smoke, to my nose. Wish I could take a bath in it.

 

omigawd, I love this! It's like the green note in U Mutter Museum plus the smooth patchouli/hemp note in Banshee Beat. There is nothing cologny about this, even though it's woodsy and outdoorsy and bracing. There's something a little bit tart and citrusy. It's just a lot of my favorite smells, and it's so smooth and unisex. So glad I got my hands on a bottle!