forspecial_plate

Thank you! I did look up that artist and read about him.

How about Carceri D'invenzione? I'm assuming that's Italian? Since I'm falling in love with it I think I should know how to say it...

I enjoy Azathoth a lot. I've been putting off reviewing it, because it's kind of hard for me to describe. I am getting mostly mild, sweet tangerine with earthy, spicy vetiver. It's weird....it starts off all vetiver for about a minute, then the orange blooms in a big way, almost drowning out the vetiver. Then they reach a happy medium. I don't know if I've ever been able to pick out saffron, but it probably is adding to the spiciness of the blend. I'm not detecting much cedar or black amber, but again, maybe those are just contributing to the scent as a whole. My only complaint would be too little throw and doesn't last long...other than that I really enjoy this one, and I can see it growing on me more and more. It's kind of vibrant, earthy, and spicy all at the same time. Edit: How could I not love a scent inspired by the Blind Idiot God??

I like a lot of dark, smokey scents, so usually if something is 'bright' I'm not really into it. Kuang Shi is an exception (so is F5). It doesn't give me the impression of any of the notes that are actually in it....it's not fruity, really...doesn't smell like a typical sandalwood blend to me....and the white musk is either hidden or just supporting the scent as a whole. But what I do get is a bright, fresh, clean scent that I really enjoy. Before I read the notes I thought for sure it had some kind of mint or herb in it. Never would have guessed sandalwood. Actually, yes, the citrus/orange is discernable...but I wouldn't have picked out mango. And somehow it stops short of being *too* sweet for me. I really like it! This could be a great change of pace scent for me, along with F5.

The good news for me was that this is a pine-esque blend that didn't smell horrible on me. I don't really smell juniper, but I do smell SHARP green/gold, slightly herbal, very fresh pine sap in this. Then there is the weird sweet berry note that I can't identify...so familiar...but I don't know what this is reminding me of. Kind of like Strawberry Shortcake dolls or something (sorry...it smells better than that, but there's no denying that's what it's reminding me of). Then there is some weird note drifting in and out, that just goes sour on me. I have no idea what that might be, but it's like a halitosis smell, or almost a skunk-like smell....? All around interesting scent, that I'm glad I got to try. The sniffie I got has enough to wear it again one or two more times, but I doubt I'll seek it out again. I will say it's kind of close to what I want Yule to smell like, although I haven't tried that one yet.

Yeah...Mr. Morris turned me back on to leather after I thought I didn't care for leather. To me it's a sweet, brown leather though, as opposed to a black leather...if that makes sense.

Hmm...what am I smelling? Sandalwood? Ozone? Not quite...but it does have a clean, soapy smell....dry though. Desolate is a good word to describe it. Almost in the same family as Oblivion and maybe Morocco...dry, a little woody, maybe some amber, and there's something powdery creeping in. But if Oblivion is darkness, this is more sunny...but still empty. It smells good and I'm going to hang onto it, wear it again, but probably not buy a bottle. It's interesting though. Oh and I could have sworn I smelled some vanilla in there.

I definitely wouldn't have chosen Lady MacBeth on my own. I am not crazy about wine or berry notes...but it was sent to me as an extra, and like many others I have a try-everything policy...so here goes. It's actually better than I would have thought. The very first wet stage was such a mystery, because I didn't read what was in it first. I thought...floral? roses? mint? coconut?....then I read the notes and it started to make sense. Not sure where I got the hint of rose, but the 'mint' was obviously the thyme peeking through. It didn't scream WINE at me, which is good because it definitely would have turned me off right away. And I guess the red currant and/or wild berries fooled me into thinking I was smelling coconut for a brief moment. As it dries, it's pretty much sweet, herbal berry with a little sweet wine. Not bad, really, just not my thing.

I think I have a love it or hate it relationship with wood notes.... What I'm getting here from the beginning is a spearmint or winter-green type smell, pretty strong. It's an unpleasant association for me...from childhood I've always associated those smells with chewing tobacco (from growing up in Kentucky, I guess...). This fades a lot in the first few minutes, but doesn't go away completely. I guess the dried leaves are what I'm smelling. Then I can also smell the wood notes, and they are just not working for me. The aquatic notes are in there, struggling to come out, and I think with time they might become more apparent. I do wish that I got the beauty from Ulalume that others got from it! This actually isn't terrible after a while...but I just can't see waiting through the first stages of it. I can see this being a good 'winter' blend for some.

Morocco threw me for a loop at first...it smelled nothing like I was expecting! It reminded me a lot of Oblivion (the sandalwood, maybe?) and a little bit of Black Opal, somehow. After a while, as it dried and warmed and I started to get past my expectations, I very much enjoyed this scent. Smells dry to me, woodsy, and spicy. I am also picking up the sweetness/vanilla (?) that others mentioned in their reviews. At first I thought of it as feminine. Then I realized it could actually work really well for me, in the right setting, like a formal occasion or wedding or something like that. I kept thinking of hot desert winds, although not so dry and harsh as Scarecrow.

Wow...this is a sharp one! Sophisticated and classy come to mind, also herbal and dry. I'm getting a lot of moss, and maybe some of the geranium and rosemary. The mints come out just a little bit after a while. I don't think I can smell any jasmine at all...but it's so well blended it's hard to tell. Actually, when I read the notes, I was surprised that there were so many. And for a scent with so many notes, this does very little morphing on me. VdV does smell very clean and somewhat soapy on me, but that's not a problem. I could see being in the mood for this. For some reason it keeps reminding me of Scarecrow.

I'll add Nyarlathotep, if you haven't already tried it. Lemon-y citrus with dark incense. My skin turns it into baby powder after 1 hour, but maybe you'd have better luck. : )

Djinn, Count Dracula, R. M. Renfield. Also Bitter Moon will be available for a short time this weekend (maybe tonight!) but nobody knows yet what that one will smell like. : )

I love the smell of anise, fennel, and black licorice...even as a perfume smell. So far, this is the closest I've come to finding one (among bpal scents) that does what I want it to. It is heavy on the anise, which is good. I can tell there's a little something more behind it but it's hard to pick out other notes. I think I can smell the civet which I was worried about, but it seems to be behaving here and not getting out of hand. So far I haven't really picked up on the moss or lichen, or oak leaf. I smell a little bit of herbal sweetness behind the anise but that's about it. Not a bad scent at all for me, actually wearable. But it doesn't live up to my dream anise scent, which would have more sugary sweetness and maybe a touch of citrus. So probably no bottle on this one, but I will keep the imp to wear from time to time. : )

This is a pretty scent, softly floral and sweet at first, very subtle, with a light throw. No one note stands out a lot for me.....it seems like a quiet scent, but kind of bright and sweet. If I sniff up close, I can smell the lavender. After an hour or so, the musks come forward (or maybe the other notes back off). This will go in a special pile of imps I'm saving for my mom and sisters. I like the way it smells but it's a bit soft and pretty for my tastes.

DCCCXXXVI (836)... Bright, soapy, maybe floral? I think Nightbird was right, there may be a little pine (or juniper?) in this. I was thinking maybe ozone too, because it goes really soapy/cleanser on me. Reminds me a little of violets, but doesn't turn powdery like violets usually do on me. Just not the kind of scent I really enjoy! MXXXII (1032?)... This was just a sniffie from Deana. It smells really good. I got a big blast of sea spray at first, I think...it has that bracing salty feel that I remember from the ocean blends, and also smells a little bit soapy on me. After just a couple minutes I can smell sandalwood. Interesting. It's reminding me of a brighter Kingsport, but instead of "incandescent mist" it has smokey sandalwood incense wafting in and out of the mix. There might be more here, it does smell complex, but I can't put my finger on what else is in it. It lasted a long time...eventually the ocean scent faded and the sandalwood remained. It's really nice, and I'm glad I got to try it! I have enough to wear it a couple more times, at least.

Bought a bottle for my mom, and very happy to get a chance to try it on myelf! In the bottle, reminds me a lot of CTIII: Strange Attractors CDLXII, except slightly more spicy. Okay, since not many have tried that scent....Pumpkin Queen in the bottle is very buttery, with a sweet spiciness behind it. I put it on and the buttery-ness blooms for a few minutes, then the sweet citrus and spice come forward as the butter takes a bow and retreats. The ginger and spice are indeed something akin to Shub-Niggurath, except there is more going on here, probably because of the amber and orange peel. It's kind of a faint scent on me, but doesn't have to throw a lot to get its impact across. Kind of like a queen issueing a command in a calm speaking voice...there's power behind the beauty. As far as the pumpkin, I'm not sure I'm good at picking out that particular note. It doesn't remind me of carving a pumpkin...it's more like the spices from a pumpkin pie that spring to mind. The amber and ginger (I think) combine to make this something other than purely foody. It's good stuff, that's for sure. I decided that rather than buy myself a bottle, I'll just be content in the knowledge that my mom has a bottle and I'll enjoy smelling it when she wears it. I'm really glad I got to try it.

Whip starts out all rose on me. Eventually it settles down into something I can live with. It doesn't really smell like leather though....I guess the combination of notes sort of blend to become their own single identity. The rose is still there but the leather blends with it to create something unfamiliar but nice. I don't know....I'll keep it around, maybe I'll find a use for it....or I may end up swapping it.

At first Seraphim is just soap on me, which I guess is the lily or maybe the combination of florals. After a long while, the sharp soapiness fades and it has a more woody smell. Not worth the wait, though. : ( The very soapy stage reminds me of violet, which is not a good thing for me. I'm not big on floral scents. Edit Nearly two years later, I got another frimp of this somewhere, and tried it again. Now it strikes me as a 'glittery' floral scent, with a strange, faint undertone of.....bread? Something kind of doughy about it, which I'm guessing is just one of the floral notes going weird on me.

Unfortunately this isn't working for me. All I get is powdery sweet, fruity-grape-candy smell which has a lot of throw and lasts and lasts without turning into anything that I like. No bay or incense that I can detect. I guess what I'm getting is honey wine, in a big way. Association time: Delphi reminds me strongly of some 'grape' flavored liquid asthma medicine I had to take as a kid. It was so bad, it was the first time in my life that I wanted to take pills, and hence that is when I 'learned' how to take pills. This smell a lot like that tasted and thus has a bad association for me.

I like Dr. John Seward...although my review may imply that I don't. At first it's a big rush of high, sweet floral which is either the champaca itself, or maybe in combination with the poppy smoke, although I'm not getting anything smokey here. It is heady and delirious, although not in the darker way that I was hoping for. What it does smell like is artificial banana flavor. It's such a strong association that I'm surprised nobody else got it so far. Just my skin, I guess... After it dries a bit the 'banana' floral backs off and lets some of the other notes come forward just a bit. If they are there at all, it's all supporting the main floral feel of this. I don't get any sandalwood that I can tell, and not really any smokiness at all. Ginger and white pepper....if I think about it, they might be coming out just a little bit. So far the times I've worn this I fell asleep before it faded completely...then when I woke up a couple hours later it was gone. *poof* Not much throw, and not a lot of staying power. But my skin is dry a lot of the time so that might contribute. I do like this, it smells kind of classy or sophisticated, and quite unusual and unique. I'm definitely holding on to it in hopes that aging it will bring out more of the smokiness and spiciness that I really wanted.

Glad I finally got to try this, it has been on my wish list for a while. At first, I'm reminded of Blood Kiss quite a bit, I guess because of the musk. It's a spicy, earthy scent that seems to me to be in the same family as Blood Kiss, Kabuki, and Scherezade, all of which smell kind of related to me. But then as it dries it becomes its own animal. I start to smell what I kept thinking was a little bit of civet, along with the sandalwood. It comes together into something that is a sum of its parts rather than individual notes. It is indeed wild, making me think of animals in their natural habitat, the same way Satyr did. Kind of repellant to my nose and something I'll most likely swap. Edit: This is yet another scent that I'm glad I gave another chance. Someone gave me a new imp of it and I really like it right now....maybe I have to be in just the right mood. I think it's the red musk that was rubbing me the wrong way before. I love it today!

Renfield is a weird one, that's for sure! He's spicy and very dry...spicy and mossy, and I would say leans toward masculine or maybe gender neutral...I do think some of the girls would like this. I have worn it 3 times and got 3 different impressions/associations from it. It's kind of a twitchy or active scent, if that makes any sense at all. I did get a little of the neroli, which added just a little bit of sweetness. Not at all like Count Dracula which is kind of poised and brooding. Nope, Renfield is true to his character...unpredictable and...cagey, maybe? Could I be more vague? The second time I put on too much and got a harsh, almost chemical smell that reminded me of Scarecrow. That time I could definitely smell the cumin, which I like but can also be kind of too much for a body scent. Well, tonight I put on just a teensy bit..like 3 little dabs from the cap...and this time, the throw is kind of metallic. It keeps reminding me of blood....like real human blood, believe it or not. It's still spicy and mossy, but I think now I'm getting the overall scent in more of a blended-together way than I did before. Very unique and somehow works really well on me. I actually wore it to work. I'm really glad I took a chance on this scent. Challenging and rewarding!

First of all, I'm a big fan of The Pit and the Pendulum. It's one of my favorite of the many bpal 'incense' blends. Well, Al Azif on the surface smells very similar to PnP. They have one or more of the exact same notes going on. However....it crosses the line into TOO sweet. I've only had it on for about an hour and I already feel like I can't handle it. It lacks the wood element of PnP, as far as I can tell. There is a very subtle underlying element of....I'm not sure, something dry and crumbly. It has a core of corruption and some high, sweet element reminding me of rot and decay. Very strong throw and a little goes a long way. Now that it's starting to dry, I am sensing something more pleasant trying to emerge. I just can't leave it on, though. I may hold onto the imp, since earlier reviews say that it ages well...but I might just swap it. I can't see myself wanting to wear it again any time soon. Funny how it's so much like one of my favorite scents, yet it's starting to turn my stomach a little.

Today I tried a regular coffee stirrer and it brought way too much oil out of the bottle. I do like the McDonalds coffee stirrers because the end is shaped like a little paddle and it's good for getting as much out as you want. What I really want are caps with glass wands.