forspecial_plate

Inez and Aeronwen are both bottle worthy. And Wild Men of Jezirat Al Tennyn. Have to re-try all of those, and again, make some decisions. Carnaval Diabolique is totally worth a bottle, so I have that one to consider as well. And I haven't even tried Isaac yet!! : / On the plus side, I have a nice, completely full, well-aged bottle of Mme. Moriarty that I love. Ditto Midnight On The Midway and Antonino. The big problem is Chaos Theory. I've been wanting a new round of CT for a long, long time......and I really want at least 6 or 7 bottles, possibly more. There is no way I can get all of this stuff, I just can't swing it. I think I'm actually pushing aside CD in favor of CT. CD will be around longer (and we still have more acts), and CT will only be around for a few weeks. And Chaos Theory is just so.......special! It's like my own little bottle of uniqueness, and a complete surprise, and just fun, fun, fun. So there ya go, I guess my decision is made. Buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a Chaotic ride!!

As we all know, the Carnaval is leaving town very soon. I have a pretty decent selection of CD scents that I like, even a few bottles. Now is the time to get off the fence and decide on a couple that I've been waffling over. I had a decant of Wulric the Wolfman, and I did like it a lot. For some reason I swapped it or gave it away, I can't remember....probably because I thought I would end up getting a bottle. Well, I still haven't, and time is running out. I have a bottle of Doc Constantine, but it's only half full, and I'm wondering if I should get more or just leave it at that. .......actually now it's getting busy here at work, more later.

After reading other reviews, I really wanted to like this, because sometimes I have a thing for the underdog. This doesn't seem to be a hugely popular scent! At first application, I smell something close to juniper, and it reminds me a lot of Golden Priapus. It's woodsy and a little sharp, but doesn't have a whole lot of throw. I agree that it leans to the masculine side, and I actually like it. I kept wondering when the hazelnut would come out, and it finally did, bringing a hint of powdery sweetness to the blend. I tend to amp sweet notes like crazy so I kind of expected hazelnut to ruin the scent for me, and it almost does. It's just shy of too sweet and a little powdery somehow. Still, an interesting combination and not bad on my skin. Overall, this scent is not offensive at all, and I actually kind of like it. It didn't quite work its way into my favorites, but I'll keep my little leaky imp and wear it again a few times.

I thought of Manhattan right away, too! Very subtle and refined.

Interesting.....I've tried this repeatedly over a few months, and it hasn't changed. It's nearly a frankincense single-note for me. The other notes all seem to be just supporting the frankincense. If I concentrate I can pick out little flashes of the other notes, but not enough to identify anything. I bet if I tested this side by side with frankincense essential oil, the other notes would pop out more. Maybe I'll try that just out of curiosity. I like frankincense a lot, so it's all good!

This is a dry, spicy scent. I am not a huge fan of carnation, but I like it sometimes. But for this scent, I think you have to be kind of commited to carnation! Overall I think it makes this a slightly more feminine, powdery blend than I usually enjoy. I may hang on to my decant, because I think the notes will develop nicely with age.

When I wore Ra (and also when my 1 imp leaked all over the place), it had a lot of orange blossom or neroli.

I definitely agree with many already mentioned, especially Penny Dreadful and Jolasveinar. And I'll add a couple: Laudanum...."Nutmeg, sassafras, black poppy and myrrh." Mad Hatter..."A gentlemen's lavender-citron cologne unhinged by the feral pungence of black musk and a paroxysm of pennyroyal." The Robotic Scarab...."Polished metallic notes, glossy leather, frankincense, star anise, and thin lubricating oils." The Music Of Eric Zahn...."ajowan, vetiver, black musk, opoponax, mimosa, and tamarind." I agree that the whole Arkham category has some pretty offbeat scents. For that matter, Shub-Niggurath is pretty unusual ("The lust incense of a corrupted Astarte. A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices"). Incubus...."Spectral white musk and the heart-stopping chill of sheared mint, fanned by caramel-touched body heat, and the diabolical sensuality of black musk, nicotiana, and sage." This scent actually gave me the creeps, although I do like how it smells. *shrugs*

This is a sooty and dusky grey scent, and it reminds me a little bit of Bat and Bat Woman. But this has feathers instead of fur and skin. : ) Loved having the chance to try this scent. I like amber usually, and verbena too. I think what I'm getting from this is mostly floral and herbs, with a background of amber. I don't get much verbena at all, and nothing fruity like I might expect from davana. Thanks so much to the wonderfully generous forum member who sent me this! : )

I've accidentally tasted them too, and I can't imagine anyone wanting to repeat the experience. : /

Even though there's not much in the way of sweetness listed in the description, I get a definite vibe of either apple or honey from Samhainophobia, much like the sweet notes in Samhain. I'm curious on what you end up wearing, keep us updated!

I noticed right away something reminiscent of both Midway and Midnight On The Midway......slightly sugary with incense. But I found this much lighter than M On The M. In fact, this scent seems to shift like crazy on my skin, never really settling into something that I can get a grasp of. Very light, not much ozone, and slightly herbal. Other than that, it seems to want to run away from my nose. I can tell something is there but it's hard to describe what I'm smelling. Reading back over the notes, I expected something like Midnight On The Midway, but darker. This doesn't smell as I expected it to! I will most likely give this at least one more chance, but I think I much prefer Midnight On The Midway.

Kingsport is my enduring favorite aquatic scent, but it can be a little hard to find. If you're not opposed to vetiver, The Stormhold is a great newer aquatic scent. Actually it reminds me of Kingsport, except a bit more gritty.

A soft, sensual, luxuriant blend with a wicked bite: hazelnut, buttercream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond. Hellcat starts out smelling like marzipan. After a while, the almond fades and it smells just like Sugar Skull to me. A quick review, because that's really all I can say! I love Sugar Skull, and I do like almond, so this is a winner for me. I pretty much have all the sweet scents that I need, so I won't get a whole bottle of this. Good to have an imp around, though! The buttercream and honey had potential to go haywire, but fortunately all the notes are blended and in perfect balance for me. : )

This really is a bizarre little scent. It's mostly herbal and I agree that it's kind of like sticking your head inside an herb cabinet. It has a strong throw, and there's not any particular note that goes bad on me. I think the problem I have is that it's a little too.....busy, or chaotic. I'm definitely giving it a couple weeks and then trying it again. I'm so happy to see star anise getting some love, and I'd be thrilled to be able to wear this. It would be a scent to wear when you want to be sure nobody else smells like you! Edit: sadly I just can't wear this. Something is making me slightly queasy, and I like fennel and anise, so I know it's not those. Not sure what but something here is icky on me. : /

I've worn this a couple times, and unfortunately it comes off as too strong and masculine. I like it for a few minutes, but it seems to get stronger as it dries and it lasts for a really long time. Dee and Schwarzer Mond both have this same quality, but in different ways. I do have some favorite masculine scents, but this one was just too much and ends up smelling like overbearing after-shave on me. Edit: I have to add, in its favor, none of the notes stand out strongly. I don't get powder from the musk. It seems to be blended seamlessly, which is a good thing. Just not on me. : /

The Ladies of the Grindhouse have been a tricky bunch for me. I've had trouble predicting which ones I would like, and I thought I might like this scent more than I do. I have to admit I tried it while testing a few other scents, and Cytherea kind of got lost in the maelstrom. There is a dry, papery quality that I'm guessing comes from orris and/or white sandalwood. I thought that with vanilla, champaca, and kush, the scent would be more rich and substantial. Usually champaca takes off like crazy on me but I don't remember smelling it at all. Mainly this reminds me a bit of Heavenly Love And Earthly Love, with less incense and more powder/floral notes. It's also very faint on my skin (but, again, it might have been crowded out by the other scents I was wearing). Generally I don't like the scents that remind me of paper, so this would not get much wear from me, I'm afraid. More for everyone else to love and hoard. : )

I can't add much here, except I agree with pretty much all the reviews before mine. I really enjoy this scent, although I've only worn it once so far. It's deep and somewhat dark, musky and fruity at the same time, kind of like Antonino. I got the same initial burst of fig that others mentioned, which backed off and let the other notes come forward after just a few minutes. I can definitely smell the orange and myrrh, blending oh-so-beautifully with wood and light, warm spice. This is just a great, sexy scent. I can easily imagine a man or woman wearing this one. I just have a sniffie now but I am going to need more! I remember why I was wary of this.....I thought that with dark myrrh and black musk, there would be at least a little powder going on. That is not the case. Somehow, I'm not getting powder from this at all!

At first I wasn't sure about this one. I put it away for a couple months and now, I'm glad I have it! It's reminiscent of a couple other scents like Minotaur and even Tiki King, a little bit. But this scent definitely has its own personality separate from those others. It's a deep scent that I would call masculine, with spices, musk, and a little wood. The throw is really strong for me and lasts a long time. When I first wore it, there was something almost powdery but thankfully that aspect has backed off since I received my bottle. Definitely a scent I'll be wearing again.

So far this is the clear winner from the newest CD scents, in my book. Very light and smooth, golden and polished. It reminds me strongly of Aureus, without that scent's sharper wood notes. When I wear Bezoar I can barely smell it, but sometimes that's a good thing. I do think I can smell the hay note, and I really love it. Makes me wonder if perhaps I should have grabbed a bottle of Hay Moon when it was available. If I didn't already have a whole bottle of Aureus, I would definitely be getting 5ml of Bezoar. As it is, I might just get it anyway. Edit: After a couple more tries, I've decided like a few others that this is just a mite bit too faint. I love the cardamom, I really do, but today I applied heavily and could barely smell the scent unless I sniffed up close.

This turned ultra-powdery on me, in the worst way. It reminded me of one of the Dogs Playing Poker scents, His Station With 4 Aces I think? The one with lilac (which doesn't make sense, since I don't think they have any notes in common). I like some leather scents but unfortunately not this one. I tried it twice just to be sure. I really don't smell the leather, pepper, or sandalwood, as far as I can tell. All I can smell is powdery, flowery sharpness. Not a winner for me!

This is an odd little scent. When I tried it on yesterday I didn't have the description handy, but I knew I had it on my list to try. I smelled the almond, definitely, and a lot of fizzy alcohol. Ultimately, it didn't quite come together for me. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't something I'd wear again. Just a little too sweet and boozy. I think I was interested in about half the notes, and I could pick them out, but overall this wasn't a favorite for me.

I really like this, which just goes to show I don't know what I like any more. I thought I was pretty much done with the sweet scents, except for a few old favorites that I never get tired of. But this smells great. I like the simplicity of it. And mostly it reminds me of almost buttery vanilla with maybe a touch of coconut (even though there's no coconut). It's a sexy scent, and it reminds me of summer. So, out of all the Tiki scents that I tried, this one is the surprise winner so far. I still want to try the ashy one (Moai?).

I got lucky and landed an unexpected decant of this. After the rave reviews, I really wanted to try it even despite the honey. This scent goes through some changes as I wear it. For the first few seconds, it's just plain odd.....kind of savory/foody like Indian food or something. But as it settles on my skin, it becomes rich, woody, and wonderful. I love the way it smells for a while......I'd say, maybe an hour. It's just deep, somewhat dark, and somewhat complex but well blended. Then, after a while, the honey note really settles into my skin and kind of takes over. It's unfortunate because it's a note I really don't often get along with, and I was so hopeful that for once it was going to work. It's just too much honey after a while. I'm definitely going to hold onto my decant and try it again from time to time, if only to get that first stage of rugged beauty.

This smelled so, so good for the first half hour or so. I really like the myrrh, and I think the carnation just adds a touch of spice. I was absolutely sure that I would need a bottle. I didn't find it foody, more like woods and resins, and a little spice, and to me the perfect example of gender neutral. After about a half hour, the scent just went flat on me. At that point I mostly smelled vanilla musk, and the other notes just kind of faded into the background. I'm glad I got to try a friend's bottle, and I might have to get a decant for myself, just because that first short while was so incredible, and I'm sad to give up on this scent.