bellumed

Rich chocolate mint (like a ~fancy~ Peppermint Patty!) and smoke. After a few sniffs I catch a whiff of apple.

On me: schnapps and fur! On drydown, I get the metallic clang of chains.

Better in the imp than on my skin. I'll take a pass.

Moss and salt. Reminds me of the ocean. On skin, the (distinctly black) coconut starts to emerge. Smells like an off-season day at the beach-- no hot dog vendors or crowds or suntan lotion. Just cold salt spray and oceanic vegetation.

I know everyone's noses and chemistry are different, but I'm stumped as to why this isn't more popular. It's great!

Oddly sweet: not sickly, but certainly not candylike. The leather and candle wax smell just beautiful together.

Much muskier on skin, but it's really really nice. The wax is still strong. Maybe a little smokiness (ashes?) if I squint.

I am totally thrown! I never would have guessed this for a winner based on the notes. Shows how much I know, after years of testing.

MUSK! Wood! And civet/vetiver, oh my! Deeply animalic and leaning masculine. I predict frimping this to my brother.

Wet, this is strong, musky, and vetiver-licious. The drydown softens up a bit, and this is more woodsy than anything. It's pretty cozy now! Still, I dig more femmey stuff, so my bro will get a gift after all.

2013:

Sweets and flowers, beautiful! The lily is not at all high-pitched as it can often be. There's something else, too, dust maybe?

This is just plain pretty. Soft and feminine. I hate violet candy because it tastes like perfume, but as an actual perfume, it's nice.

Mild, very close to the skin.

I smell wood, patch, and myrtle in the vial, with some carrot seed in there as well. Herbal. When I apply, I am instantly hit with the aroma of a vegetable garden, which then becomes stronger on the wormwood again. Definitely smells like plants and dirty patchouli. Not bad!

The first sniff is rich shortbread cookie, then immediately, mint swings in and is the dominant note. On skin, the cookie is more present, but mint is still the most obvious note. As others have said, this is a very vanilla-mint scent. Lovely.

Powerful clove with a fruity background. I dig it. On drydown, the clove is a little more subtle, a dry orange emerges and… well, it’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas. I can practically see the garlands. Nice one!

Mmmmmmm, foodie and delicious, this is making me salivate. On skin, distinctly fruity. As it dries, though, it becomes a light nutty sweetness again. Nothing too complicated.

Smells like shiny strawberry lipgloss with a touch of sourness. That sour note reminds me of Thunder and Blazes, of all things. It’s overpowering, actually: on my skin I can barely smell the strawberry.

This just… doesn’t smell good. It’s kinda like powdery B.O. and a Strawberry Shortcake doll. Nooooo thank you.

2011 version:

Boy howdy, that sure is rose. But some rose! “Voluptuous” is right, this is a powerful and beautiful take on rose. Somehow, I can smell the curl of the petals. Rose isn’t always as pretty a scent as it is a flower, however, Peacock Queen is just gorgeous. This won’t be for everyone, but it might be a new favorite rose blend for me.

To me Aquae smells like, well, massage oil! I think I associate this with a "typical" massage oil because the massage therapist I occasionally visit uses a lavender chamomile blend. Those are the main notes I smell, and the result is an herbal, deeply soothing oil that both my boyfriend and I enjoyed. The formula was not too heavy and absorbed easily on skin, leaving only light residue. It also spread well when I put too much on one area. I recommend using this before bed; after a massage with this oil and crawling into my pajamas, I feel like I'm in the cozy aftermath of a warm bath. I am ready to go right to sleep.

Extremely mild in the imp. Doesn’t smell like much really, but what is there is dark and rich, with a sense of dryness at the end. Very obviously resinous on skin. I don’t get any fruitiness. As it dries, I get something planty here that I don’t like, the mandrake maybe? This was promising, but I think it’s not for me.

Ooh! I… what is this?? The white and blue are spot on: this actually makes me think of those gummy sharks. It does, somehow, smell like the beach, between the sand and the blue musk. But there’s none of the typical suntan lotion and salt spray you would associate with a beachy scent, nor the murky, planty scent of a lake. This is super interesting. In a good way! A very “full” scent.

Opium becomes more obvious on my skin, but the sand and musk are still playing in the background. Unusual, but really agreeable. A little sweet and even foodie, yes. I wish I were better at describing this because it is weird and great! Once it’s been dry about 30 minutes, I start to get the ho leaf and bamboo as well. A lovely, comforting scent.

Cinnamon SN at first sniff. On skin: ah, there’s that patch. Still cinnamon dominant, though.

Dusty, yes, but very warm. This doesn’t feel desolate to me at all! It’s downright cozy. This scent is like being curled up by yourself in an attic bedroom where all the heat has risen and is wafting around you. It makes me want a cup of chai.

Personally, I’m not getting a ton of nuance here. It’s a pure woodsy blend, with something a little soft in the background. There’s the lightest touch of sweetness to it. Cool smelling. On the first whiff, it smells a little medicinal, too.

The woods ease a little on drydown and the coolness remains. I finally start getting some of the other notes, but they’re very quiet. A little bit of tea. For me, this one is probably a swap.

I feel somewhat hampered in this review by the fact that I… don’t really know what half these notes smell like, haha. But I’ll do my best.

Sweet in a high-pitched way, delicate. The pear is also present (and lovely!). A “white” scent, shimmering in a way that makes me think of Unicorn Tears lipstick by Too Faced. Comforting on skin, somehow like falling onto a bed made of pillows. Hyperfeminine. I'm also reminded of LPMP's Upstairs, Downstairs. That is a lavender and mint blend, but somehow this feels the same.

I understand what was meant above, referring to this as “chemical,” but it doesn’t read in a bad way to me, more like a pointed floral. Yes, I like this.

Smells like a particularly clean stretch of ocean, beautiful, like it had flowers floating all along the top. Like a water garden.

On my skin, salty water, musk, and juniper are the most powerful notes. Becomes more cologne-like and more rain-like as it dries.

This blend seems like it was tailor-made for me. I love sweet pumpkin almost as much as I adore lemon.

Tasty! I’ll be the 300^th person to say that it smells like Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat layered with pumpkin (not pumpkin spice). It’s not entirely perfect; it might be a touch too buttery. I’m not sure I’ll need a bottle. But overall, this is a great combination.

Sweet pumpkin spice in the bottle. When sprayed, I can smell the graham cracker and marshmallow immediately, then a thin layer of chocolate comes out. After it settles, spiced graham cracker is dominant.

Pumpkin S'mores is just divine. Highly recommend for foodies and pumpkin spice fans.

2009:

Anyone else think of The Office?? “You put it in your Suck It and you suck it!” “SUCK IT!” “Suck it!” “SUCK IT!” ...No? Just me?

Not expecting to love this as cherry is not my thing, nor are booze notes.

Smells like a straight-up cherry lollipop in the imp, kind of nice. More like a cherry liquor on my skin. Faded in a few minutes to a faint sweet cherry. I liked it more than I thought I would, but it's still not quite for me.

Mmm, a dark brown honey scent, delicious. More pumpkin-y when wet on my skin. Sensual. On drydown, almost pure brown musk with some dry honey. A keeper.

Soapy greenery with roses peeking out. It's complex, too, but I’m not sure I could describe the notes. There’s a lightness to it on my skin, and I can smell the St. John’s wort and moss. It’s like walking through a wooded garden. On drydown, I can detect the blackberry leaf somewhere in the roses. This is a very satisfying scent, and I think I’ll keep this one.

Golden hay with pumpkin—distinctly the rind, not foodie at all. Then it's super green on my skin, all vines all the time. Some of the pumpkin comes back once it’s been dry a little while, with only the tiniest peep of metal. Fades completely after three hours.

2007:

Damp earth. Pleasant. Makes me think of walking outside after it rains. A little bit sweet, which I was not expecting, but that might actually be the sweet/slightly off scent of rot. Immediately on my skin comes a piercing “blackened” note. Dark. Then some heavy greenery follows. Wow, this got strong all of a sudden! The scent in the decant was a surprising win, but I’m just not of a fan of it on me.