bellumed

Traditional Victorian masculinity which transforms into a more typical modern cologne on the skin. Something about this, though, I do not dig. I think it’s the leather and armor polish giving it a hard edge that clashes with the other, more dandy-ish notes (think Jareth’s lilac fougere). Just not quite right.

I adore Bliss and pumpkin scents and foodies in general, so this is an absolute no-brainer for me. I was VERY excited to try it out. GIVE ME THE SWEETS The oil separates easily, and even when I shake/roll the vial and use the wand to stir in the cocoa, it's still a bit lumpy. The smell in the imp is the unapologetically dessert-like POP of scent you would expect, fresh out of the oven and made with 4 sticks of butter. Freshly applied on my skin, I had some concern because it was sickly sweet, almost pukey (noooooo!!). Fortunately that burns off after a minute. Surprisingly mellow on drydown! Buttery chocolate cinnamon, tasty but very quiet. Kind like you baked something delicious yesterday.

Kooky poem and a fun blend to match. The wood is obvious in the vial but goes away completely on drydown. Fruity and musky, thick and dark with a touch of sweetness. Weird indeed, but not strong or off-putting! Just something that makes you lean in to sniff and think “curiouser and curiouser.”

I love sweet bakery cinnamon in perfume and can’t stand spicy candy cinnamon, so All Night Long made me a little nervous from the start. The spice hits you right in the throat when you inhale from the imp, and when I applied it to my wrists, it was straight-up Red Hots. But the drydown was a pleasant surprise, still distinctly cinnamon with a spicy kick in the background, but it becomes much gentler, not quite sweet but certainly softer. I would categorize this more as comforting than sexual, but hey, maybe it’s about context.

I would never have expected to like this so much! Foresty and cool in that menthol way. Certainly suitable for a guy, but I like it on myself as well. Similar to Samhain but I prefer Thanatopsis by far. Also reminds me of Triumph of Death (which has peru balsam and dark musk).

Very simple, gentle, and yes, honeyed and sweet. Relaxing.

I love Mouse Circus SO MUCH. It just smells like joy! Kettle corn with a little woody edge in bottle. Just really pleasant and fun! Polished wood comes out more on the skin. It still has some sweetness but it’s a lot less femmey and gourmand, wood glazed with popcorn-sugar. There’s a certain wafting puffiness that I do associate with cotton candy. Primarily kettle corn but not a straightforward foodie, as that comforting (not at all chemical) clean wood smell comes out to give it some complexity. I wear this in my apartment more than out, but either way, drool.

A bright white scent, with loads of sharp lime and a rather pointy musk. This blend is a kick in the pants! Pretty quickly calms down into a fresh, clean, much softer laundry scent with citrus around the edges.

A darling little Halloween scent. Yellow-orange, candle-y beeswax and pumpkin baked into muffins or bread. Cozy.

Reminds me of Persephone (for good reason, as that is pomegranate and rose) but much softer and more complex. It almost seems like a take on sangria? Rosie sweet fruit juice, all grown up. It's fairly subtle but also inviting.

The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering. Very beeswax, with a bit of a smokiness to it (yes, candle-smoke rather than a tobacco or mechanical smell). Reminds me a bit of a workshop, a craftsman sort of smell. Try this one if you like No. 93 Engine.

How could anyone resist this?? A strong, happy, sugary lemon scent that also reminds me a teeny bit of gummy worms. Love love love it.

Wow. Lovely and ladylike, all vanilla and orchid. Just beautiful and delicate, but not faint, Celeste does have some body to it. Really a perfect feminine scent, a keeper for sure.

Much as I'd like to have some thrilling new insight to offer, naw: The Other Hot Chocolate is straight-up delicious cocoa with marshmallows. Good wear length, and I won't lie to you, applying it when it's snowing and you're bundled up warm inside is almost as satisfying as the real thing.

Unisex, gentle and grassy and just a little bit dandelion-sweet. No sin or sleaze, not really, just countryish and unpolished innocence. The little girl running guilelessly past her parents’ smoke, clutching a fistful of dandelions she has collected.

April, too, marks the apex of the year's fertility, expresses the reawakening of the sexuality of the Earth and her inhabitants, and May's full moon celebrates both the fecundity of the creatures and flora of this world and the vibrancy, rejuvenation and life-affirming energy of Spring. Flower Moon embodies the unrestrained bliss, energy and color of the season: a bouquet of vivid, sexy blooms, coated in thick, golden honey... wisteria, swamp jasmine, honeysuckle, daffodil, rhododendron, phlox, and a mix of California wildflowers. For something called “Flower Moon,” this actually doesn’t smell very flowery in the bottle. I probably would’ve said it was a foodie if I was smelling it blind. A bit like one of those tarts with jellied fruit or something, though I guess it’s wildflower honey I’m smelling. It’s actually grassy and banana-ish more than anything, though it doesn’t hit you over the head. It’s more floral on my skin, but waaayyy too subtle. This one basically disappears on my skin, with some light jasmine being all I can detect. Boooo.

2007 version (my label clearly says “Attrocious” fwiw) Opening the bottle, it's stale and discolored white linens and a dried bouquet along with something that reminds me of sunscreen. Sharp and a bit headachey. On my skin, oldness is definitely present, but more in the vein of an old house than an old lady. An old lady’s closet, maybe, with dust particles floating in the sun. It’s a teeny bit herbal soon enough, mostly dried flowers now, with lavender and lily the most obvious. Not at all sharp on drydown, very soft, though I’m still getting that just slightly chemical thing. Actually, once this is dried all the way down, it’s quite pretty and creamy, just sunlight and florals, no old smell at all. A surprisingly winning blend once you give it a chance!

Good Cheer is incredibly delicious and a perfect winter scent: cozy and sweet and a little spicy. Great staying power, too! I sprayed this before I came home for the holiday, and when I got back I could immediately detect it, light but still clinging to my blankets. My room smells really, really good.

Clean, lemony rosewood and cedar with sage and a big juicy pomegranate. Clean wood, yes, but thankfully it’s not as literal as a Lemon Pledge scent, haha. The fruitiness and herbal layer save it. And it’s not what I’d call obvious, but there’s a bit of sweet vanilla softness that develops on the skin. I wavered, because this is not my typical kind of scent, but dammit, no, this is just too interesting to swap away! H&C is a complex puppy for sure. And it's oddly charming!

Nothing sinful or corrupted about Sin! If anything, this seems like a holy scent to me... all dry and dark resin. Fortunately I think it's delicious. I'll have to consider a bottle purchase of this.

Vibrant yellow petals bursting exultantly through a patch of snow. I'm no good at identifying floral notes, so I'll keep this short. Basically the description is bang on the money: a light, cool scent with a pleasant floral. Simple and pretty, no complaints here!

2010 Much as I enjoy the actual drink, wine scents really aren't my thing. But after reading the description, I was floored by how much I liked the smell of this in the imp, not grapey at all, just delicious and sweet, like cake and pomegranate candy. Sadly once it's on my skin it morphs away from that, first into an olive leaf scent and then into the grape I expected. Even that's not really bad, but I just don't care that much for grape, so this one isn't for me.

2009 version: Spiced milk, sweet and ultra-soothing. I like the way this smells, but it's extremely light and on drydown I have to put my face right up to the spot to smell anything. May be worth seeking out if you don't mind subtle blends. As for me, I'll keep my decant but don't need any more.

This is great! Ginger and frosting and mint and fruity candy. It's very light on drydown, sugary icing and soft (but present) gingerbread. This one doesn't hit you over the head, it's just subtle and sweet.

Mother Shub's lovingly hand-crafted gingerbread temples are sure to summon a little extra joy for the wee ones! Mother Shub's secret gingerbread recipe contains ritually-consecrated resins and pulped root from her own hydroponically-grown Saturnian ginger cultivar. Each temple is decorated with sweets from local candymaker Abyssal Addictions! Has a nice, somewhat sweet ginger scent. However, as others have said, it's light and fades super quickly. I like it well enough, but there are ginger(bread) blends out there with better staying power.