PumpkinGuts

The honey in these Rappaccini's Apiary blends is not messing around. I've had Oleander Honey on my wrist for 14 hours, and while the oleander note faded within just a few hours, this honey ain't quittin'. Pale golden floral honey. This was my first experience with oleander, but it was sweet and bubblegummy, not unlike lotus.

Testing a very aged imp. All I'm getting here is leather, but less pain for pleasure and more well-worn leather satchel. Oh, there's a bit of oakmoss, too. I'm thrilled there is zero orange blossom, but I would have appreciated the emergence of some or any of the "virginal French florals". I agree that it's a chypre-like scent, and much more gunslinger-y than I'd anticipated. That's not a bad thing!

If I'm not trying to pick out the notes, this smells so much like television static. I can practically hear little Carol Anne saying, "They're hEEEEeeere!" Yeah... TV static and Sprite.

I love this scent, it's probably my favorite of the Shungas and Lupers so far. The orris butter certainly isn't shy, and I get loads of purple-hued lilac, as well. Both florals are very smooth and creamy with a subtle smokiness, but I can't discern whether that's from the oakmoss or lilac petals. It's a vibrant spring floral that's enjoyable by itself, but when that oakmoss and vanilla bourbon start wafting up to my nose, it's game over -- I'm head over heels. That glorious vanilla'd oakmoss throws all day long, with the florals just around the edges. Color me smitten.

Alas, this does not feature the creamy lily from the gorgeous and oft slathered Black Lily. I keep coming back to my imp because Hairy Toad Lily is a fantastic name, as others have noted, and I want to be 100% positive this is a fail. Well, I'm positive. Hairy Toad Lily is ammonia and grape candy on my skin. No matter how long it stays on my skin, it smells like I just mixed up a fresh batch of hair color. At least I don't need to hunt for a bottle of another discontinued blend!

Titania smells like cold fruit cocktail, sweet pea, and a subtle waft of rose musk. White grape is the dominant fruit, followed closely by the pear. If fairies went to middle school, this is what they would smell like. Painfully pretty, but I don't know when I'd ever wear this. I just can't seem to let it go... I've been enchanted by the fae fruit cocktail!

I have a bunch of different Rappaccini's Apiary imps from many moons ago (10+ years) that I never tested, so here goes. Ooooh, yes, this is the good stuff. Needless to say, you must like jasmine in order to appreciate this one, because it is a heady and sweet gooorgeous jasmine. The honey here is pale golden and floral (finally no throat lozenges), and extremely enduring. It overtakes the jasmine after a decent amount of wear, and I can still smell it almost 24 hours later. The comparisons to LUSH's Flying Fox make sense, but Yellow Jessamine Honey is softer, sweeter, and just overall better. The honey in Flying Fox always smelled funky to my nose, this does not. I'll certainly be keeping my imp of this, but won't be too depressed about it being discontinued since I don't tend to wear honey-forward scents. It's a wonderful jasmine, though!

Tenochtitlan is interesting in that it begins as a juicy, fruity, green scent and morphs into the opposite -- arid and spicy. Wet, it's prickly pear forward with a slap of fresh greens from the hyssop and coriander. It has the same feel as Mean Green Production Project during this stage. It doesn't take long (five minutes or so) for it to turn intensely spicy on my skin. The juiciness fades away and I'm left with spicy, dry amber and sage with a hint of pear. I can't detect any floral, wet or dry. I highly prefer the wet stage, and it's too brief for me to consider wearing this again. I'll be passing on my imp.

Whitechapel opens with a blast of zesty lime that quickly peters out and makes way for a strong white musk. The citron and lilac are present, but this is mostly about the white musk on me. Decent wear length, I can still smell it lingering faintly after four hours. Old-fashioned and not particularly masculine, clean without being soapy.

I have a bunch of different Rappaccini's Apiary imps from many moons ago (10+ years) that I never tested, so here goes. I'm getting honey throat lozenges again, this time with a sharp white floral that eventually amps up its sweetness to unbearable levels. I haven't smelled Daphne flowers before, but whatever I'm smelling here is sticky candy sweet and I want no part of it. Sorry, little imp.

I have a bunch of different Rappaccini's Apiary imps from many moons ago (10+ years) that I never tested, so here goes. This one inexplicably smells like LUSH's You Snap the Whip plus honey throat lozenges. So, there may be cassis in this? There is a sort of rubbery medicinal aspect to it. Herbal and lightly fruity rather than floral.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the most perfect lily fragrance in the whole world. I have a poor track record with lilies, they tend to go sharp and screechy, but this is magic. Creamy, pollen-y, fresh lilies, and I swear there is some dark musk here and maybe a bit of vanilla. Alluring, whatever it is. This perfume is the best way to huff a lily, and you won't even get pollen on your nose.

Spicy orange, almost fizzy, with sharp white lilies far in the background. Really, there is barely any lily here. Pomanders with a splash of cola is the best way I can describe it. Not what I was expecting!

Testing an imp of unknown age, but I believe it to be quite old. This is extremely faint. I can smell both white and green teas, but they lack the crisp and refreshing qualities that normally give them appeal, and are instead rather bitter. I'd be hard pressed to pick out any herbs, but there is a wisp of peony after it's dried down on the skin. Not a winning tea blend for me, sadly.

If you're looking for crisp, peppery tea with a splash of milk, get 'er fresh. Gingery milk with a splash of tea? You want it aged. I enjoy White Rabbit at all stages of life, and think it's always perfect to wear whilst curled up with a book. Linen oddly never makes much of a presence on me in any version.