Rheliwen

I was fully bracing for something as sweet as Midwinter's Eve.

Both sadly and happily it is not! I get a creamy bubblegumy plum with musk. The musk is a lot like the subdued fuzzy musk from the most recent Hunter Moon. It isn't feral in any way, just soft and snuggly. It isn't white musk.

I can't do sugar because I always get a terrible burnt caramel smell. Fortunately, the sugared vanilla smells exactly like if you mixed a tiiiiiiny bit of vanilla extract with white sugar granuales.

The tiare is only noticeable if you are looking for it. Otherwise it blends in really well with the musky element.

Finally the cacao finishes this off beautifully. At first I thought I was smelling nutmeg, but the cacao is really what I detected. Now that I think of it, this blend reminds me of Kali in feel, but is a lot less heavy and imposing. It's creamy sweetness with a light dusting of cacao on top.

So the original Lambs-Wool is one of my all time favorites. I needed another backup so I ordered the 2010...with a little trepidation. The difference between yearly versions of scents can be drastic.

Happily, I really can see where the 2010 may grow into the 2009. I have one on each arm at the moment to compare.

09 is more more mellow applesauce with mulling spices in the bottle. 10 is tarter, sharper, with more subdued spices. They went on the skin the same way.

09 is much rounder, warmer scent and the milk is more prevalent. This one is snuggley and creamy.

10 is more apple and less milk with a waxier backdrop. This one smells more like a craft store to me.

Hopefully, 10 will mellow with age and bring out more of the creaminess that makes this blend so special. I can definitely see it's potential.

Hmm, I loved it going on but the dry down is a little weird.

It starts off pink bubblegum and then morphs into pink bubblegum and yummy candied green herbs. Then the musk and lime sugar come in. It's really fun and childlike. I get a little pear, but it isn't that noticeable as anything more than a yummy juicy scent.

It sort of dries down to what smells on the surface to be a soapy floral. But, if you pull your nose up close you get bubblegum with fizzy lime and musk. So who knows!

I already know me and sugar don't get along. I always get the horrid burnt caramel from ANY sugar blend. I was hoping this would break the mold for me...but it doesn't.

It's burnt caramel, toasted coconut, angelica, then pepper, in that order.

Whoa sharp! Ozoney sharp!.

I only got one of the Tiki Blends when they were LEs (the blueberry one). It had the same fizzy ozone thing going on that this one does. I could swear there is lemon or some other citrus here, it's that sharp. Maybe something herby?

I barely smell the coconut at first, but it does start to come out after a few minutes. You still really have to know to look for it, though.

Underneath everything is candy sweet tropical flowers. I actually wish I could smell these more than the ozone.

I don't smell any similarities to Snow White, which makes me a sad panda.

Wow, this smells kind of like Fee had a baby with Lamb's Wool.

Initially I get this wonderful juicy, honeyed quince. Then the cognac comes in and eventually gets enveloped by the vanilla and the blend takes on a melon twinge w/ cream and a little spice.

Yummy!

Exactly like l'Estate...exactly. That sweet, honeyed, floral amber that's understated and demure.

When I tried the tester at Sakura Con it was much heavier on the sandalwood, and I loved it. This bottle is totally different.

The Wrestler smells like sweet pepper in the bottle. It hits high in the nose with that pepper. On, its got a really tart candy/pepper thing going on. It's one of the strangest scents I have tried, but it's oddly compelling. It smells like peppered pomegranates w/ a weird vetiver twinge.

This is not something I typically go for, but I am oddly compelled to keep sniffing. It's kind of in the vein of fresh Hand of Glory, with more pepper and less smoke (and no leather).

I can't usually wear honey blends, but this one works. The pepper balances it out, but is a little too sharp at times. Fortunately, this dries to a skin scent that is quite haunting.

Giant Squid has the most awesome label! Beth was talking about how awesome it was and gave the credit to Brian for the entire thing: inspiration, conception, art, etc.

In the bottle it smells like evil blue sweet tarts. It reminds me of the tiki blends. The aloe and juniper berry are out at the front with the sea spray, but they are grounded by the tonka and frank. It dried to something more sinister, but still sweet and tart. Very strange one, this.

Longer on, it really mellowed out on the sweet end and really reminds of something that I can't place. It's like sweet, mellow candied cinnamon at the end.

Weird and wonderful, just like Seattle.

This is like Milk Moon v2. Instead of the fig, you get a sharp, tangy blackberry and a whiff of musk and not quite as much milk. There are two distinct layers in this one. The creamy milk/beeswax base and the sharp berry/ozone.

I like it.

Whoa. I put some on after my run tonight and it totally reminds me of Skadi. That woodsy/snowy, rich berry scent. It's like her early spring cousin.

This is heavy white muskiness. It actually reminds me of Berenice in this regard, but with a light mint in place of the aloe. I also see now that they do share a couple similar notes.

This scent is the embodiment of the color silver.

I do see the similarities to the BBW scent, but if you are willing to dig a little deeper into The Girl, she offers up interesting notes underneath. I smell the musk mostly, with a hint of creamy after dinner mint, a tiny dollop of sugary jasmine, and a pinch of birch and amber.

I initially wasn't going to get this once because I already have a bunch of fall apple scents. But, this one truly stands out on its own.

The more I apply the heavier the spices are. I think I like it a little lighter because it turned into cooked, smashed apples, light spices and the creamiest cream imaginable. This is the best milk note I have encountered yet. When applied heavier, the spices tend to envelop the cream.

I absolutely love this.

Has anyone mentioned this one's uncanny resemblance to Black Lace? It's missing that cotton vanilla scent but the base is very similar. It feels a tad more masculine, with an ambergris type of vibe without actually being ambergris.

It's very well blended, warm and close to the skin.

I like milk scents, but I don't know where it is in here. Did you all steal the milk from my bottle? I get heavy aquatic irish spring herbs. It smells like a generic salty ocean scent you'd find at BB&B.

Mmmmm, pure delish!

Initially I also get coconut, cedar and even a little leather...maybe some vanilla in the background. It sort of reminds me of a sweeter, less sawdusty Tombstone.

However, once this sets for a while I get sweet earth (not dirt, just an earthy, round quality). It actually reminds me of the long-departed Dissipation, although a little less sweet and more earthy.

Tangy, sappy pumpkin. I am straining to smell the tomato, but it's not there distinctly. I think all the other notes are combining into one sharp, tangy smell that is dueling with the spicy pumpkin. I was hoping for a more natural pumpkin and less pumpkin pie scent, but this one just misses the mark. I think I'll enjoy it, though. As it dries, the sharpness almost turns into a creamy, candied pumpkin scent.

EDIT: I wore this to Zombieland tonight and I like it a lot more than I did originally. It dries down to a candied pumpkin with a touch baby powder and fir. I could do without the powder, but the rest it nummy.

Hmm, I definitely smelled the coconut going on. I can also really smell it wafting in the air (smells like suntan lotion) as my arm swings in the air. But, when I bring my nose to my wrist I pretty much get Moriarty straight up, with a sugared rim and no coconut.

I love the distant scent. I guess that's good since that's pretty much what I and everyone else will smell

This started off juicy green apple covered in peppermint oil and rolled in garden soil.

Once dry, it's mostly a spicy dirt scent with a hint of the apple and peppermint way in the background. I like it, but then again, I have this weird fascination with dirt notes.

I have to add that I put a little more on this morning and the apple is much more present now. It's sweet apple dirt...same apple that's in creepy (at least the original) like others have mentioned.

Initially on, it was dry, dry, light vetiver. I was screaming in sadness inside. Part of me really wants to like vetiver. Fortunately for me, I was sort of attracted to this one. The vetiver note was sweet, not dirty, and the more this was worn the warmer and rounder it got. I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists as I was painting all day.

I just put some on this morning and it's significantly more perfumey than it was yesterday...a little disappointing. It's really heavy on the ambergris and gardenia at the moment. I think I just need to be really light-handed in my application. I miss the depth from yesterday.

I would definitely classify this with Black Moon, Pirate Moon, and Black Pearl.

Quick question. I looked to find similar images of the halloweenie's as the one in question, but a lot of photos don't go so far back and the less attractive bottles often don't get photos taken of them.

 

I won a Dia de los Muertos from the lab and it has a white paper label (no gloss coating) with "Dia de los Muertos" written in orange ink down the right-hand side, and a skelly smoking a cigar on the left. What vintage is this? My guess is 2005.

 

I'm thinking your right. It's not the 2006 because I had that one and the one your talking about came out before it.

 

ETA: It is the 2005 version ... I found it in the Gallery.

Ha! Thanks. I think my eyes glazed over that image when I looked

Quick question. I looked to find similar images of the halloweenie's as the one in question, but a lot of photos don't go so far back and the less attractive bottles often don't get photos taken of them.

I won a Dia de los Muertos from the lab and it has a white paper label (no gloss coating) with "Dia de los Muertos" written in orange ink down the right-hand side, and a skelly smoking a cigar on the left. What vintage is this? My guess is 2005.

It starts out all maple doughnut with maybe a hint of the jelly cream from another doughnut squished up next to it, it's filling oozing out the side.

Once it dries, the dark caramel scent takes on the quality of the molasses in Lawn Gnome with a tinge of the Snow White coconut/plastic/musk scent.

Unfortunately, I'm not getting any red jelly at all dry.

Oh man. This seriously smelled a lot like Dia De Los Muertos 2004. I haven't found anything this close. DDLM04 was quite a bit heavier and more complex, but Lawn Gnome seems to channel it a bit.

It's really well blended, I smell the currants, vanilla and moss the most. I don't find this terribly foody, although it straddles the category.

YUM

CCCLIX (should be 359)

I don't want to jinx myself but I really give myself over to the chaos and it has worked both times. The first, and last, chaos theory I did was the 2nd one. I ordered one bottle and got something that was perfect. I didn't bother ordering from the other incarnations and risk breaking that initial chaotic magic. Well, these were different so I ordered this one, and only this one. Strike again!

I get a cross between The Blockhead (which I oddly love) and Dorian. It goes on all lemony musky leather and dries down into carnation spicey bubblegum, white musk, lemon tea, and leather.

Instant love.

This is a strange beast and the strongest of the bunch. It's definitely a concept scent and not one you wear to smell beautiful. I actually quite like it though and could see wearing it out on a normal day.

I don't normally like rhubarb. I hate rhubarb pie, but I enjoy the smell nice enough. This smells like rhubarb mushroom pie slathered in champaca. The latter can create a real chalky feeling to a scent and it does it here but the currant and rhubarb are adding a balancing level of sweetness. And there's definitely an earthy fungii scent going on as well. Not quite food, not quite dirt, it simply is incensed shrooms. I don't know why but I like it