forspecial_plate

The amber stands out, and it really is grey amber, but everything else is just seamlessly blended. I smell a marshmallowy sweetness, and I would think that's tonka, but it's not the warmth of tonka that I usually can pick out. I have been known to really pick out the sweeter notes in scents, for example, Oblivion also dries down to a very marshmallow sweetness when I wear it. Anyway, this is really a great scent. As long as I've had it, I have kind of neglected it, but I always knew I liked it. It just got lost in the shuffle of my other oils. But I'm wearing it now, and it's one of those great, sophisticated, gender-neutral scents that I think are my favorite category, if you can call it a category. This could be worn equally by either men or women. It's ambery, slightly sweet, a little woody, and somewhat velvety. There is a nearly dusty grey quality but it's not a dusty scent. Very sophisticated and definitely one of my favorites of all the Lupercalia scents.

This scent is quite unusual, and I appreciate the artistry behind it. I have found over 3 tests that I probably won't wear it out and about, but I will keep my decant. It's so unique, I'd like to have it around for when the mood strikes. Mostly I smell a heavy sweetness, and fruit. I enjoy cooking with molasses, but it's not something I ever thought I'd want to smell like! I found that the molasses combined with the moss and patchouli give this scent an earthy, almost smokey element that is truly compelling. After multiple tests I noticed that the sugary element comes close to banana when I sniff up close, kind of like Mr. Nancy did (until it aged and didn't smell like banana any more). In fact, Lawn Gnome is almost like Mr. Nancy's rugged, outdoorsy cousin. Same family, but more into camping and gardening (duh), not cocktail lounges or fedoras. The only problem is that something about this scent turns on me far into the dry-down. It becomes just a little flat and almost ashy, but I can't pin down what's causing it. I truly loved the opening stages enough to keep this around.

This is the scent that I can never spell. : / It has given me different impressions the three times that I wore it. Mostly it is herbal, resins, and somehow slightly woody. I can pick out chamomile, frankincense, and amber. I have never learned to identify saffron (I'm not sure what it tastes like either), but I think it adds a slight medicinial, bitter feel from what I've heard. Not unpleasant at all. At first I didn't think this scent was powdery, but I put some on tonight and applied very lightly (not sure if that made the difference), and it definitely is powdery this time, kind of the same way that Minotaur is powdery. Anyway, this reminds me of several other bpal scents, like Sol, Sagittarius, and Carceri D'Invenzione as portalkat mentioned. I swear there's a little bit of wood in here. So, do I like it? Yes! I didn't care for Sol all that much, but this seems to be more like what I wanted from that scent. It's unique. I can wear this to work, because it's not all dark and sexy, even with the element of darkness.

I don't wear food scents a whole lot, mostly just around the house as 'comfort' scents. I was curious about this one. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work out for me. It comes off kind of flat, like stale popcorn. I didn't get much of a butter note, it's more salty and a little stale. And it fades really fast....within an hour or less, it's pretty much gone unless I sniff up close to where I applied it. So there ya go, curiosity satisfied.

It's kind of hard for me to think of 'wet' scents, I think mine above leaned more towards dry and masculine. This might be good but I've never tried it: Depraved....."A salacious, lecherous, leering scent - dirty and dark, slapped with a wet sweetness. Earthy black patchouli swelling with apricot".

Oh, I think the lab's catalogue has many, many scents that could fall under that description! Here are a few but I'm sure others will have many more rec's..... Oblivion....."Salvation found in darkness beyond darkness, the blessed sleep of nothingness. Dark musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron". This might be a little dry for what you're looking for. Sin....."Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon". Czernobog...."Created in honor of the Slavic Black God of the Dead. A nighttime god of grief, evil, chaos and woe, he is paralleled by his twin brother Bylebog, god of light, joy, order, and good fortune. A combination of three musks, with splashes of dark myrrh, vetiver and mullein". Malediction....."Evil incarnate. Revel in your dark side with this romantically cruel scent. Contains red patchouli and vetivert". Blood Countess...."Elizabeth Báthory, also called Erzsébet Báthory in Hungarian and Alžbeta Bátoriová-Nádašdy in Slovak, was the Bloody Lady of Hungary. In order to preserve her youth and loveliness, the brutal and incomparably savage countess captured, tortured and slaughtered innumerable young women and bathed in their blood as part of her beauty regimen. Ah, vanity. Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry". And there are countless limited edition scents, no longer sold by the lab but available if you look hard enough......Typhon and On Darkness come to mind but there are many more.

Thunder Moon from a couple years ago is good for what you're describing, too.

Here's what I think. BERRY MOON A golden summer musk with warm fig, orange blossom honey, sweet blueberries, and bright velvety crimson raspberries. Not for me, I'm relieved to say (because I have no money to buy it anyway!). I like the sound of golden summer musk, and maybe fig, but nothing else here is my bag. STINKY A cure for sweaty bits and sticky wilting. Stinky is a summer refresher ‘foom for people that don’t dig run-of-the-mill “clean” scents: newly-washed skin with a dusting of rice milk, white honey, and baby powder. Hee-hee! Also not for me.....but if this wasn't inspired by little Lilith, I'll eat my hat! : ) APEROTOS EROS Unloving love: benzoin, Indian musk, massoia bark, myrrh, ambrette seed, galbanum, bergamot, and fir. This is probably the most interesting thing on the whole update for me. Indian musk might be soapy for me, but otherwise I'm game for an imp. WHOSO LIST TO HUNT Sensual brown musk, rich amber, English rose, oak bark, and moss. Just not calling to me......brown musk sounds powdery, and I'm not very much into rose. ALICE’S EVIDENCE Containing nary a neutron of meaning: rum-quince-cassis with prune and a bit of black ginger. This could be interesting, but I'm not a huge fan of fruity scents (which seem to abound in this update!), so I'm probably safe to pass on this one. ALL IN THE GOLDEN AFTERNOON A bizarre blend of pineapple, tangerine, tobacco, apricot, and seltzer coated with hazy amber and heady sun-baked flowers. More fruit! I like to eat it but not wear it. Of course there are exceptions to every rule. TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE BAT A sparkly, batty little scent: green tea, melon, mint, lime rind, and champagne grape with lemon balm, mullein, and toadflax. Again, a little too fruity for me. I really don't like melon, and probably not champagne grape either. IMPERIOUS TIGER-LILY (Tiger-lily, ginger root, neroli, purple fruits, and frankincense.) I actually kind of like Tiger-Lily. However, I generally steer clear of neroli, and again, there are those fruits. SNOOTY ROSE (Red rose, oud, plum, bergamot, and red sandalwood.) Not to be snooty, but no rose for me, thank you! HIGH-STRUNG DAISIES (Daisy, pink carnation, pink pepper, and sugar.) Hee hee.....the story makes me giggle.....but very much not a scent for me! BRUSQUE VIOLET (Violet petal, violet leaf, osmanthus, orris, mint, and opoponax.) Hmm, never really got into violet, but I wouldn't be against trying this. Maybe I'll tack on an imp when I order again. HOW DOTH THE LITTLE CROCODILE Chocolate peppermint, mint-soaked vanilla, pistachio, oakmoss, and green cedar. I'd be more interested, if not for the chocolate note. Sounds like a fun scent, though! AGAINST IDLENESS AND MISCHIEF Pollen-dusted honey, diligent tonka, steadfast chamomile, and goodly hyssop. Eh, I am really not into honey. Definitely not for me. ‘TIS THE VOICE OF THE LOBSTER A woody, musky-weird base glooping over with blackberry preserves, a twist of mandarin, strawberry juice, pulverized watermelon, and a handful of smushed gardenia petals. Well, I like woody, musky weirdness, but that's about it, out of all those notes! THE SLUGGARD Pious frankincense, angelic gardenia, unsoiled pear, and staunch ho wood conflict with prickly, overgrown thistle, idle labdanum, and lethargic lavender. This has potential, I just can't imagine what it will smell like! It might be the biggest 'wild-card' for me, in this update. Definitely worth a try. So, overall, I'm really relieved that I'm safe from just about everything here! I was a little worried, but now I've got more time to save up for the upcoming goodies.

Writing from work again, only a short shift today and not at all my usual time of day to be here, so it's a little disorienting. I am off at 2:30pm, then I'm free until tomorrow night. I wouldn't mind going out and celebrating a little, but at the same time, I really don't have the money right now, not for another 2 weeks. Also, it's supposed to rain today, and I think I could just as easily stay home, play video games, maybe do some cleaning, maybe organize my bpal collection, etc, etc. We shall see. Scent of the day is Bad Luck Woman Blues.....just love the moss in this, it's so wonderful.

Potter's Field is kind of a hidden gem. Dirt, grass, herbs and wood combine to make something really special. After the dirt note backs off a little, it starts to resemble a more traditional, somewhat masculine cologne, but in the best possible way.

Three scents came to mind when I read the title of the thread, but they're all limited edition. Nothing extremely rare, though. November....."Autumn leaves damp beneath the first snowfall". Although not listed in the notes, I do get a distinct crisp minty note when I wear this, as well as some earthiness mixed with the leaves. Usher....."This is Roderick Usher: a faded genteel light musk and fougere, heightened by hectic white mint, gleaming mandarin, ethereal tea leaf and gritty blackcurrant brushed by the scent of the tarn that surrounds the House, and the gloom and decay of the walls that hold him". This is actually less earthy to me than November, but more minty. Green Tree Viper...."Snake Oil with four mints, bergamot, and green tea". I think it's generally accepted that Snake Oil has patchouli. Also, I second Cathode...."A negatively charged scent. Ambergris, Spanish Moss, oakmoss and three electric mints". That's a good one, and not a limited edition. The moss does bring to mind an earthy quality.

Ended up wearing Blade Of Grass on Saturday, and Demeter's Firefly on Sunday. I was in the mood for light scents, not perfumey or too cologney. : ) Although they both do end up being somewhat cologney, IMO.

June Gloom is much more bright and cheery than the name would suggest! I smell mostly flowers, and I find myself thinking of Midnight On The Midway, without the incense notes that I like a lot in that scent. There's something marshmallowy and sweet about June Gloom, and after a while, there is also a papery note that comes out. It's subtle but I can't deny it, and I am not a huge fan of papery scents. Overall, this is probably not really my thing, but it's not offensive by any means. The reviews for the old June Gloom mention a lot more lemon, and that would probably be more to my liking.

Gay Pride is coming up, and I'm trying to decide what to wear again. I was thinking about Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, which is funny because I looked up this discussion and found that I thought about it last year too. I forget what I ended up wearing last year, though.

Ugh......here I am at work, stuck to a desk, and feeling antsy as all hell. Why don't I ever feel like this at home, where I could actually get up and do something? I could actually organize my perfumes and put up a sales/swaps page if I felt like this at home! Or any number of other things that I need to get done. : /

I hate this, but I don't see any way around it. I'm absolutely stressed out about money. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the next month or two, and there is lots of stuff going on that I want to take part in. My friends are going to a big drag show in Dayton, which is about a 45 minute drive. They want to get hotel rooms so we can all drink. I don't even know if I can afford to drink at a bar, much less do that and get a hotel room. Then our gay pride weekend is the following weekend, and I'll be going out again, and spending money again. I guess I just need to sit down and write it all down, and figure out a budget because my funds are definitely limited. : (

I am so freakin' excited! And I want to talk about it but I have nobody to yak at. There is a new game coming out, made by the people who made Ico and Shadow Of The Colossus. I have been waiting patiently for info for a very long time. I knew it would be exclusive to PS3, and I knew I'd have to get a PS3 system just to play this, whenever it comes out. Anyway, there was a trailer for the game leaked to the internet last week (working title is Project Trico). It looks amazing. It hasn't been confirmed as being real, but I'm betting it is, because it looks too good to be a fake. Apparently the video is over a year old, so the finished product will be even better. I can't wait to play this!! I would be really happy if it came out this fall or winter. I realize it may take longer, but my fingers are crossed. Hopefully more will be announced at E3 this week.

Posting this because the entire description should be saved somewhere. I haven't tried the scent itself, but I'd like to find a decant. I think I would like it but I just can't justify a whole bottle right now, with my financial situation being what it is. Lilith And The Jarocho.... In the past eight months since Lilith was born, Ted and I have had many moments of unutterable joy. There is one, in particular, that stands out from the rest as perfect. Our daughter loves music… everything from the clank of her toy piano, to unending looped choruses of "You Are My Sunshine" (with Moonshine variants) and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" (or Bat) sung by her mother at naptime, to a rousing round of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" belted out by her father at playtime, to all the hair band videos she watches on Metal Mania. This kid LOVES music. On the last Saturday in April, Ted and I took Lilith to Olvera Street, and stopped at the El Paseo Inn for lunch. While we were waiting for our food, the band came to stand behind our table, and Lili was riveted by their music. At the end of the first song, she clapped! Holy hell, that was adorable. The singer saw Lilith clapping and staring, and walked over to us. This sweet, wonderful man serenaded her. There was a Perfect Moment -- the kindness on the singer’s face as he sang to my baby, Lilith’s eyes as wide as saucers, her hands in prayer position, and the joy radiating from my husband -- this was a moment that brought me to tears. This scent is a swirl of everything I felt, sensed, smelled, and saw right then, at that perfect point in time: Jasmine, vanilla, Spanish cedar, moss, marigold, purple verbena, candied tamarind, lime rind, a splash of margaritas on a nearby table, a little bit of Dorian, a little bit of Snake Oil, and a bright bouquet of mal de ojo.

Yes! This surprised me too. It's not something I want to wear all the time, but I definitely want to have it on hand. Not what I expected from the description/notes. The apricot is kind of dry, and reminds me a little of Ebisu.... I love the gender-neutral scents. I love the ones that have a feminine element, but end up working for me anyway. Metal Phoenix is a good example. It just works. I do still love Baron Samedi, and I need to get a bottle of that soon.

* sigh * I am not only bored but restless, too. I'm at work and kind of wish I wasn't here. I feel like I have important things that need to get done, but not much time in which to do them. Just restless energy, I guess. And I guess this Mountain Dew I'm drinking probably isn't a great idea. Earlier today I wore Fearful Pleasure, which I still like a lot. Right now I'm wearing To Autumn, which I also like.....maybe even better. I just like them both, I think. Fearful Pleasure does this kind of musky thing on the dry-down, which I don't like as much.....but it's not enough to put me off the scent. I guess it's the woodsmoke that gives me that musky impression, or maybe it does have some musk, although I didn't see anyone else mention it in reviews. Anyway, enough babbling for now.

I've worn this a few times, and it's really growing on me. At first I thought it was slightly powdery but I think that is more of a dryness, that is perhaps coming off as almost powdery. I agree that it smells like clove, but this doesn't have the sourness that I often get from clove. For example, The Smiling Spider doesn't agree with me, because it turns really dark and sour. But Velvet Bandito is lighter and sweeter. That is not to say it has a light throw.....on the contrary, it has a pretty substantial throw, and lasts a good while, too. Overall it's spicy and sweet, but not like a cookie or anything. It's more like other people have been saying.....dry spices in a wood box, with tobacco. I mentioned this elsewhere, but it reminds me a lot of Demeter's Humidor, only this is stronger.

I've only been here at work for an hour and a half, and I've already had my fill of these people. I know that supposedly there's no scientific evidence that the full moon affects people's behavior, but I'm here to tell you that it does happen. This current full moon (which was actually last night, I think) has brought out a lot of aggression and anger in many people that I've interacted with. It continues tonight, and I'm just about over it. Scratch that.....I am over it.

I've only tried Velvet Bandito once, but it reminded me a lot of Demeter's Humidor (except VB has some more 'oomph', and has a powdery element). So if you like Humidor, but found that it didn't last long enough, Velvet Bandito could be just what you're looking for.

Golden pear, amber, fig leaf, oakmoss, bronze musk, mahogany, patchouli, and a smattering of glittering pyrite. This is pretty much a winner. I recognize some notes that I've smelled before, but not in this combination. I smell the same pear note from Quincey Morris, and that stands out above the other notes. Overall this is somewhat sweet and fruity, with just the right balance of the wood, amber, etc. Nothing else really stands out. The oakmoss doesn't turn soapy, which makes me happy. And I'm glad this has fig leaf instead of fig, otherwise this might be too sweet. I would call it just right the way it is, and if I use my imagination I can pick out that fig leaf, just a little. What I think of when I wear this is Mr. Jacquel, although they don't really smell alike, they are somewhat like cousins. This is probably my favorite of the three Le Mat scents.

I like this....it smells mostly like smokey toffee at first, and reminds me of scratch 'n sniff stickers from when I was little. Later, the woodsy parts come out, and I find myself thinking of Riding The Goat, but with some sultry toffee layered on top. I never tried Ventriloquist Dummy so I can't say how that compares. I don't get a lot of coffee, it's mostly smokey toffee and woods. It had a teasing quality to my nose, it keeps wafting up and around me, reminding me that it's there (duh, I guess most scents do that). But it does smell a little different if I sniff up close, compared to the throw. It's a good scent! Edit....I agree with the reviewer after me who was reminded of El Dia de Reyes. I thought of it right away when I put on Velvet Dogs Playing Poker, but just forgot to mention it in my review. It must be the sweet coffee!