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forspecial_plate

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  1. forspecial_plate

    Dead Leaves, Vanilla Bean, Pink Fig, and Brandied Dates

    This smells festive, yummy and sweet, and I think I'm getting mostly fig and dates. It makes me think of those sweet fruity erasers when I was in grade school, and I have a clear memory of sitting on the couch just smelling those because they smelled so good to me. I smell very little dead leaves and might not be smelling them at all. Not much booze either. After a couple hours there is some more earthiness that might be coming from the fig. I think this is an excellent transition from fall scents to winter.
  2. forspecial_plate

    Rose Quartz Bedroom

    I'm loving this, it's mostly rose on my male skin with just enough backing notes to let me know there's something else there. I don't smell lavender or white musk as I usually think of them (and I never can pick out saffron, I'm not even sure what it smells like). Oddly, on me this is borderline 'cologne' scent like a commercial men's scent, but I can tell from the other reviews that that would be an exception and not the norm. I do agree this has kind of a bath product feel but that is just fine with me. Rose doesn't always work for me but this is one of the good ones.
  3. forspecial_plate

    Two Frames

    I got to try this thanks to a lovely forum friend, you know who you are, thank you! I do get the comparisons to TKO and that makes me happy! I love Lavender & White Chocolate Madeleines and it's hard not to compare the two, but Two Frames doesn't have that magical middle and late phase that LWCM has. I think I would almost always reach for that over this, that scent spoiled me. Two Frames fades a lot after the opening, maybe that makes it a better sleepy time scent since I'll be asleep by the time it fades.. Hadn't thought of it that way but I think that's the way to go with this one. To the bedside table it goes!
  4. forspecial_plate

    Violet Fog

    This was a risk for me that didn't quite work out. I was hoping for more champaca. I smell lavender, violet and the white sandalwood which on my skin is on the harsh/woody side. This might be one of the lavender notes that kind of turns harsh and chemical on me, reminds me a little of perm solution or something. This isn't terrible on me, despite what I said above. But now I have Despondency and that is working out really well for me. I think I would almost always pick that over VF. PS, I layered a little Charcoal, Champaca Resin and Tobacco Absolute over VF, it didn't really help me like it more.
  5. forspecial_plate

    Gingerbread and Rose Incense

    This basically smells just like what the name says, starting out heavier on the gingerbread, with very realistic rose incense coming out stronger after a few minutes. After an hour or two the gingerbread had faded away almost totally. I had a neighbor a while back in an apartment building who burned incense that smelled almost exactly like this. Too bad for me this rose or incense or both turns just a little soapy and sour on my skin, but I knew this scent was a risk. What's really funny is after quite a long time, like 8 hours, I really like what's left of this, still incense but the slightly sour rose has mellowed out almost completely. Maybe it's floral-ish resins I'm smelling now? Kind of like nag Champa, I guess. I don't know if I want to wait that long for the good part, but it's kind of interesting that it happens that way. Very long-lasting scent.
  6. forspecial_plate

    Cranberries & Popcorn

    So whatever note is in Apple Butter Rum that clashes with my nose is in this too but not as strong as in that scent. Maybe it's a buttery note? At least this helps me (possibly) identify it. Had to wash this off but it sticks around like glue. I had to put on something else over it but I can still smell it. It reminds me of the way bleach fumes get up in your nose and won't go away. : ( I did detect some cranberry in the mix but this one is not a win for me, overall. I guess I'll have to be really careful with anything buttery or butter adjacent..
  7. For me to keep track Sat Oct 1 - Dead Leaves, Violet Candy and Sugar Crystals Sun Oct 2 - Magnificent Autumn Mon Oct 3 - Pumpkin Cheesecake Tues Oct 4 - Pumpkinville Weds Oct 5 - Dead Leaves, Black Plum, Bitter Clove, and Oudh Thurs Oct 6 - Brom Bones Fri Oct 7 - The Shadowed Veil Sat Oct 8 - Pumpkin Booze; Sweet Ginger & Patchouli hair gloss Sun Oct 9 - Icy Drafts Mon Oct 10 - All Hallows Chaos: Dead Leaves, #82 Tues Oct 11 - Pumpkin Masala Rooibos Weds Oct 12 - All Souls (2006) Thurs Oct 13 - Pumpkin Chypre Fri Oct 14 - Peasants Fleeing (Witchcraft) Sat Oct 15 - Three People Plucking A Mandrake Sun Oct 16 - Sugar Skull (2015) Mon Oct 17 - Alice In the Pumpkin Patch Tues Oct 18 - Dead Leaves & Ginger Spice Weds Oct 19 - Nocturnal Witches Scene Thurs Oct 20 - Blade of Grass Fri Oct 21 - Witches Taking Off For the Sabbath Sat Oct 22 - Samhain (2006) Sun Oct 23 - Cognac Stained Sheet Ghost + Supposed To Be A Pretzel Mon Oct 24 - The Dance of the Farfadets Tues Oct 25 - Day of the Skulls, 2008 Weds Oct 26 - Elegy IX: the Autumnal Thurs Oct 27 - Pumpkin Queen + Pomegranate Morocco Fri Oct 28 - Rickety Staircase Sat Oct 29 - Fearful Pleasure Sun Oct 30 - Dusk In Autumn Mon Oct 31 - Death of Autumn.... And that's a wrap!
  8. forspecial_plate

    Chaos Theory

    XC - just got this in an ebay sale, and I'm really happy to have this little piece of bpal history! My first 5ml bottle was a Chaos Theory III, and I still love it. It's clear this has faded some with age. But what I can smell is kind of sweet and bread-like. Pumpkinville has something that smells bread-like to me and that's just what this smells like. I'm guessing this one had some red musk and a light jasmine, but it somehow comes across as bread-like. Maybe there's some benzoin? Maybe pumpkin? Who knows. All I know is it reminds me of Pumpkinville and that's a good thing! It fades pretty fast and I'm just going to wear it and not worry about trying to make it last. I've always loved the various Chaos Theory releases and I'm so happy I got some from this first run.
  9. forspecial_plate

    Day of the Skulls

    I have a partial bottle from 2008. Not much to add to the other reviews. Seems like it depends a lot on the individual's skin chemistry, what you smell from this. I definitely get rose, with a softly glowing incensey backdrop. Rose doesn't always work for me, it can turn sour, or sometimes white rose comes off as 'papery' on me, not in a good way. This rose is lovely and I think the other notes are really supporting it in a way that works for me. Other than rose and beeswax, everything is just blended together and nothing stands out. I've always liked this scent.
  10. forspecial_plate

    The Dance of the Farfadets

    This goes on smelling like patchouli & earth, really nice. Later as it continues to dry and warm up on my skin, I'm getting aftershave city, the aftershave your uncle wears at Christmas, he hasn't changed his hair style since the 80's. There are a few notes in Bpal that do this on my skin, I suspect patchouli does it sometimes, especially in combination with other notes (I'm looking at you, gray sandalwood). I knew gray anything was a risk for me. But you know what? I like this. Whether it has calmed down since I first tried it, or I just decided I was going to like it and that's that, I am not sure. Aside from the aftershave I do smell a nice gritty, gray scent that reminds me of Krampus a little bit. [Edit: it also reminds me a little of Count Dracula] I do think some other people are going to love this, and I want to love it just based on the art that inspired it. Right now it's "like", not "love" for me, but like I said I'm not giving up. Edit: after several hours the aftershave feeling fades away and I'm left with a really nice myrrh incense scent, it gives me hope that this will just improve with age
  11. Sweet amber and rosewood, wet oak beams, smoky vanilla husk, ambrette seed, and hinoki wood. I'm in heaven....this is (so far) simply a lovely rosewood amber with a slight bit of complex backdrop of the other notes. In the first few seconds it smells very much like baby-oil but that is very short. After that it just kind of smolders sweetly on my skin for hours. I'm not getting a lot of wood which is surprising. Nothing more to say, this just works for me!
  12. forspecial_plate

    Witches Taking off for the Sabbath

    This is another one that needed some rest for me to really appreciate it! I tried it right away (when I first got it) and smelled champagne for some reason. My problem is I'm not sure how to describe what I'm smelling. It's very blended and there's not one note standing out strongly against the others. I do smell the cocoa in the very beginning, and kind of ambery woods and orris maybe? Eventually it's like a sweet perfumey/foody mix, some foody aspects but also ambrette, wood and orris. Perfumey sweet grains? Sweet ambery woods? It smells really good and I am afraid I can't do it justice in this review. I'm really not smelling oakmoss or frankincense. This makes me think of a few other bpal scents like Whoop!, Rickety Staircase, and Woman Dragging Her Aroused Lover a Bridge. This may be the sleeper hit of my Halloweenies (the first batch, anyway..). It's just really comfortable and easy for me to wear.
  13. forspecial_plate

    Nocturnal Witches Scene

    I first tried this really soon after I got it and it was scorch city. I thought I had made a mistake. Well, it just needed to rest. In the bottle, and first on my skin, this is a little funky and weird. But I was brave today and put some on to test again. It calms down really quickly and smells like clean, piney woods, with a little bit of smoke. It makes me think of serene white incense smoke. Moss can turn on me sometimes but I don't smell much moss here, if any. I love Djinn, and that's why I took a chance on this, but this doesn't really smell like Djinn at all. It's closer to Dead Leaves On Fire but not really like that either (I compared them). Turns out I really like this and it's different from anything else I have. I can imagine wearing this when there's a chill in the air outside and I'm in more of a serious mood. It's moody.
  14. forspecial_plate

    Supposed to be a Pretzel

    I'm so glad I paid attention to these reviews, this is a new favorite scent.. I already love Halite Phoenix but this might be even better. I really enjoy a lot of clean scents. There's a lot of salt but there's just enough of 'something else' underneath that makes me love this. I can't even tell you what I'm smelling (besides the salt), maybe a sweet buttery bread note like others said, maybe cotton/linen, I don't even know. I'm doing the October Halloweenie challenge but I confess, after my sotd fades, usually after lunch, I've been putting this on as a kind of layering note, but it also does this 'nose reset' thing and just smells good to me. I might add another bottle to my next order.. : )
  15. forspecial_plate

    Dead Leaves, and Ginger Spice

    Got this last week - here we go! It goes on with a puff of warm baked-goods spice, mostly ginger, that reminded me of Shub but without any "fresh cut" ginger sharpness. I have lots of d.l. scents and I'm not picking up a strong d.l. note in this. If I sniff up close, I can smell something pine-like that reminds me of cardamom, so maybe there's some cardamom in this? A couple hours later the ghost of Samhain comes out, on my skin. It's not exactly Samhain but I do think they share something, perhaps "Ginger Spice" means ginger + some other spices, but that's just a guess. I think it's safe to say I DON'T smell cinnamon, or clove. Maybe there is allspice, in addition to the cardamom I smelled earlier? Anyway, I felt like this was my no-brainer from the d.l. section and it's pretty much a win for me, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but it's very cozy and warm, but with a little bit of a spicy bite under the cuddly exterior. And then it turns into Samhain's cousin which is fine with me. This could be a hit for those people who want to love Samhain but can't wear it for whatever reason.
  16. forspecial_plate

    Halloween update - breakdown!

    I've already made a purchase but this is to help me decide which others I need, or if I want to try for decants, etc.. I'm going back to my good ol' rating system where I put my interest level on a 1-5 scale. Abelard Coconut husk and pearwood with frankincense and carnation petals. This might be nice, I'd certainly try it if it were put in front of me. Kind of sounds like a Luper. 3/5 Apple Macchiato This is a homage to the upstart little sister of Caffeinated Autumn Beverages: apple spice, cinnamon, brown sugar, oatmilk, and caramel apple drizzle over espresso. Not much looking for gourmand scents this time around, but still might try this somewhere down the road. 3/5 Autumn 1990 This is the scent of a disaffected deathrock kid skulking around Hollywood with her ne’er-do-well friends: pre-climate catastrophe autumn winds billowing through a cloud of decaying leaves, exhaust fumes, maximum-hold hairspray, and clove cigarettes, but minus the Boones Farm. At first I wasn't interested but now I'm thinking this could be kind of an evolved cousin of Devil's Night, and I'm a little more interested. I love atmospheric scents. This went from a 3 to 4/5 Every Day is Halloween Skin-warmed sandalwood and toasted pumpkin settle into a gentle blend suitable for all 365 days of Halloween. I have a previous bottle, like it but definitely don't need more. 1/5 Fleece Skeleton Onesie The scent of freshly-washed fleece skeleton onesie and a little bit of smeared eyeliner. I just got skeleton onesies for myself and my partner, so I was cracking up when I saw this! I do like "clean laundry" type scents, enough to have multiple of them, and this sounds like a spooky variation of that. I will say 4/5 Heloise Polished limewood, myrrh smoke, and blackened spices. Could be good, but not making a huge impression on me.. something like a darker Mr. Nancy? I'd try a decant, maybe.. 3/5 L.A. River Pumpkin An offering of sun-warmed pumpkin flesh anointed with slithering green musks, sun-dried grasses, pineapple juice, and squished prickly pear fruit. Not sure about this one. I haven't tried any of the Lab's pineapple scents, I'm kind of scared of it. I'd try it, but not seeking it out. (And I could be totally wrong, it's been known to happen, lol!) 2/5 October 32nd The scent of Eternal October: leaves fluttering against a thick wool sweater, the cool amber glow of an autumn sunset, dollops of thick cream swirling in black tea. I do love tea scents, never tried this one but all the notes sound okay, so why isn't it grabbing my attention (and didn't last year)? 3/5 Oil and Blood There are no saints here: thick blackened rivulets of blood soak through linen winding sheets and cold clay. This could be good, but it could go a little too "perfumey" on me? I'd certainly like to try it. 4/5 Pomegranate Tiramisu Lady Fingers soaked in pomegranate syrup and tipped with fingernails of sliced almond, entombed in layers of mascarpone and crème fraîche and then topped with a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds. Not calling out to me, but I would try it on if it crossed my path. 2/5 Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Pumpkiny, chocolatey, muffiny. Doesn't sound like my kind of thing. 1/5 Pumpkin Spice Latte Getting back to basics. I already have Pinched w/Four Pumpkins, don't think I need this. 2/5 Samhain Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein. I love Samhain but I already have lots of it, various decants and a few bottles. Don't need more right now but I would try it in the interest of comparing to other years. 2/5 Sugar Skull Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits. I love the older Sugar Skull, but last year's (or was it the year before?) was a very different variation that I didn't like as much. I do have a couple older bottles now and a few different decants, so I don't really need more, but I'd be really interested to know if it's the newer variant again, or if it's back to the older formula (but I think even the older formula went through some slight variation from year to year..but this is another topic). 2/5 The Shadowed Veil A strangely sensual, darkly fae All Hallow’s Eve cologne, a perfume of the Otherworld: black pumpkin, leather, pomegranate incense, agarwood, and bourbon patchouli. I have an older decant, like it, don't need more. But again I do like comparing different years of the same scent. 2/5 The Unreturning When far-gone dead return upon the world: wisps of spectral white musk and ambergris, blackened leather, yew needles, cypress boughs, gnarled patchouli root, and the memory of frankincense smoke. White musk can be borderline soapy or too perfumey, and ambergris can take over everything on my skin. Not willing to risk this one but I'd try it. 2/5 The Wind Strike Chill and Cold The frost of undeath: an icy and lustrous white mint with ti leaf, white amber, and bruised lilac. I already have Icy Fingers from previous Halloween (is that what it was called?), and this isn't really calling out to me. I'm not a huge lilac fan. 1-2/5 Torta Setteveli A classic Sicilian recipe alternating layers of chocolate sponge cake, hazelnut Bavarian cream, chocolate mousse, and hazelnut praline crunch, all enrobed in a dark chocolate mirror glaze. I don't really like chocolate or nut notes in perfume, usually. 1/5 X-Rayed Candy Bag The sugary contents of last night’s Trick-or-Treat bucket blasted with atomic particles at your local hospital, producing a stark image of ghostly treats cast in a greeny-white radioactive glow. This isn't really calling out to me. I'd try it, though. 2/5 Halloween 2022 - Bobbing for Apples 2022 Not really into apple scents for the most part, although I still try them out from time to time. So.... Bobbing for Ball Gags Black leather, honeyed amber, and a bite of apple. 2/5 Bobbing for Blood Kisses Gleaming red apples sloshing through lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. 2/5 Bobbing for Daddy The following contest is scheduled for one fall. Get it? Fall! Our ongoing collaboration with the pro-wrestler EFFY has taken a decidedly seasonal turn, conjuring fantasies of apple picking, polishing, nibbling, and even a bit of juicing if the mood is right. Blended together with DADDY’s signature notes of diabolical incense, bay rum and a hiss of infernal fougere, this is one hayride you won’t want to miss. 1/5 Bobbing for Dodos Pink lady apples with pink and red musks, lemon peel, sugar cane, cassia, white sandalwood, mango, and agarwood. 2/5 Bobbing for Jack O’Lanterns Spiced baked apples with nutmeg and cinnamon mushed into pumpkin pulp, glowing peach, and murky clove. 2/5 Bobbing for Oblivion Arkansas black apples with inky musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron. Maybe? Sounds interesting. 3/5 Bobbing for Smut Three booze soaked apples soaked in smutty musks and sugar. Might be interesting.. 3/5 Bobbing for Snake Oil Our best-selling fragrance gets dunked: apples crushed into vintage patchouli, dark, rich, aged vanilla absolute, vegetal musk, and spices. I'll try just about any Snake Oil variant. 3/5 Bobbing for Zombies Dried rose petals and leathery dried apples soiled with Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth. 2/5 Halloween 2022 - Dead Leaves 2022 I have roughly 1 million dead leaves scents already so it will have to be something really interesting to catch my eye... Dead Leaves And Horchata DL+ sweet and/or spicy is usually good but sometimes can go wrong on me. Pass for now. 2/5 Dead Leaves, and Ginger Spice And here it is, the one I bought! I'm really hopeful for this one to be great. 4/5 Dead Leaves, Boot Leather, and Sweet Grass Not really my thing right now.. 2/5 Dead Leaves, Praline, and Sheer Vanilla See DL& Horchata.. 2/5 Dead Leaves, Scorched Pumpkin, and Marshmallows This was close but DL& Ginger Spice won out. This has marshmallow so I fully expect it to sell out. I'll watch for reviews! 3/5 Dead Leaves, Vanilla Bean, Pink Fig, and Brandied Dates Dates + vanilla bean does catch my eye but fig is historically a note I don't care about either way. Brandied dates makes it sound even better, though.. will have to see what happens.. 3-4/5 Halloween 2022 - Ginormous Yard Skeleton Angst Charred sandalwood and cardamom soured by bitter caraway seed. I tend to avoid caraway (in perfumes). 1/5 Anticipation Red sandalwood and white pumpkin prickling with black pepper, orange blossom, and bergamot. Nothing here sounds bad, but it's not really grabbing me. 2/5 Despondency A sorrowful Halloween blend of pumpkin puree, lavender bud, night-blooming violets, purple sandalwood, and tears. Hmm, this does sound interesting. Violet is one of those notes I don't love but do crave occasionally. It kind of amps on my skin but I bet pumpkin and lavender would be good balancing notes. This is a possibility. 4?/5 Victory A joyous fusion of pumpkin cheesecake and champagne. I have Pumpkin Cheesecake, I love it but probably don't need this.. we'll see. 3/5 Halloween 2022 - Lightning Strikes Lightning Strikes Cinema The scent of sitting in a darkened theater in a rainstorm circa 1935, marveling at the alchemy that transforms scribbled words into specters of light, shadow, and sound: dripping umbrellas, a nicotine haze clinging to musty velvet curtains, camphorous vapors rising from strips of hot celluloid. It's a kind of scent I usually am drawn to, but there's a lot of competition in this update. Undecided. 3/5 Lightning Strikes Literature The incendiary moment when a human hand snatches fire from the gods of creativity and channels it onto the page: a lightning storm stirred with beeswax candle smoke, yellowing notebooks, and pools of India ink. I'm not crazy about beeswax- related scents. 2/5 Lightning Strikes the Future The ultimate lab experiment: streaks of feral red musk twining in a double-helix around a pulsing, electrified core of fossilized amber, erupting from a glimmering pool of reactor coolant. Not sure.. these notes aren't calling out to me for some reason. 2/5 Halloween 2022 - Persephone’s Bounty I'm just not a big pomegranate fan (in perfumes). I did just get Pomegranate Morocco, and that's about all I need right now. Pomegranate Oud 2/5 Pomegranate Turkish Delight 2/5 Pomegranate, Brown Sugar, and Tobacco 2/5 Pomegranate, Freesia, White Tea, and White Amber 2/5 Pomegranate, Patchouli, Moss, and Fir Needle 2/5 Pomegranate, Pink Pepper, and Black Apple 2/5 Halloween 2022 - Witches, Sorceresses, and Sorceries in Art History A Breton Sorceress Tonka bean, yellow bergamot, ambrette seed, patchouli root, oak bark and leaf, bitter almond, smoked cedar, allspice, and vanilla absolute. Sounds very cozy and warm. I ordered a bottle. 4/5 A Sorceress Black silk, golden thread, skin musk, white sandalwood, vanilla dust, red lotus absolute, tonka absolute, serpent scale accord, and black amber. A few of these notes are kind of just not really my thing, like silk, skin musk, black amber (sometimes works). I see the word "red" and worry about that too. This could go either way, but I'm not risking it right now. 2/5 An Enchanted Cellar with Animals A cacophony of feathers and fur, cracked clay and moist stone, scattered rushes, upturned herbs, red sage, and frankincense smoke. Sounds good but I don't know what red sage smells like. Again sometimes "red" notes clash with my skin & nose. Pass for now. 3/5 Dulle Griet Black oud, bay leaf, olibanum, rose smoke, cassis, green cardamom, clove bud, and black sandalwood. I would try this if it crossed my path. 2 "black" notes kind of put me off, but it has potential. 3/5 Gooped Familiar Sweet black musk, golden amber, cedarwood, catnip, and hay absolute with a shock of carnation, clove, and cinnamon bark. Probably smells good but isn't rising above the competition in this update. I'll keep my eye on it. 3/5 Heksenbijeenkomst Black oud and wild plum, tobacco leaf, black amber, opium smoke, and myrrh tar. I have a decant of Dead Leaves, oud, plum etc and I like it fine, but this doesn't call out to me. Will watch. 3/5 La Danse de la Sorciere Auburn amber, polished wood, dribbles of golden honey, a cascade of budding herbs, red sandalwood, and sugared white amber. Something about this combination doesn't sound like 'me'. 2/5 Lightning Struck a Flock of Witches A crack of ozone slicing through blue benzoin, indigo musk, tobacco, and opoponax. Same as above.. 1/5 Nocturnal Witches Scene Hungarian pine needles, oak wood, black mosses, smoldering pitch, and bonfire smoke. This sounds very interesting to me, it's kind of a risk but I went for a bottle. 4/5 Peasants Fleeing (Witchcraft) Yellow balsam, well-worn leather, dark musk, and mud-spattered wool. This is a combination that does call out to me, for whatever reason, I went for a bottle. Might be too strong, hope not. 4/5 Scene with Witches Smoked ambergris accord, gray silk, incense-stained cotton, and crushed herbs. I don't usually like ambergris, it's one of the few notes I usually avoid. Add in "gray silk" and I'm out. The other 2 notes do sound good. 2/5 The Dance of the Farfadets Gray sandalwood, packed earth, hinoki, patchouli root, myrrh resin, and balsam. There's that "gray" again, but this time... Look at that artwork! I had to get a bottle. I like a lot of earthy scents, so maybe it will work. 4/5 The Love Potion Golden neroli, blackcurrant, candied pomegranate, gilded rosewood, smoldering incense resin, and rose musk. Not sure. This has a lot of potential, but I passed for now. It could turn soapy on me, or too perfumey. Will keep it in mind.. 3/5 The Necromancer Dusty tomes, russet cashmere, green velvet, and leather, frankincense and cinnamon bark, galangal root and fig, rosewater and lilac cologne. This sounds good, and I had it in my cart. When I see a long list of notes, I know from experience it has potential to go wrong somewhere. Will keep it in mind. 3/5 Three People Plucking a Mandrake A tangle of mandrake root and patchouli root bound by champaca resin. Champaca resin is one of my favorite notes, and I love patchouli. Bottled. 5/5 Tovenares Pale woods and dried rose petals, white sandalwood, bone dust, sweet amber, and incense smoke. "Pale", "dried", "white" and "dust" all sounds very dry and/or perfumey to me. Pass for now, although I do like woods, some rose, some amber, and some incense smoke. 3/5 Witchecraft: Consulting a Book of Spells, Performing Various Rites Candlewax, clove leaf, yellowed parchment, a cluster of mosses, incense resin, black pepper, cardamom, black amber, and ylang ylang. Combination not calling to me.. 2/5 Witches at Their Incantations Red olibanum, scorched opoponax, 13-year aged myrrh oil, and champaca absolute. Red olibanum is very worrisome to me, and myrrh might push this over the edge into "too perfumey", but it definitely has potential. 3/5 Witches Taking off for the Sabbath Broomcorn and tallow, waxed pine wood, pumpkin seeds, orris root, oakmoss, dried fig, frankincense, ambrette seed, dragon’s blood ink, and a drop of cacao. Kind of neutral on this - but not really calling me. 2/5 Witches’ Kitchen Bourbon tobacco absolute, nagarmotha, vetiver, tomato leaf, gunpowder, yarrow stalks, brimstone, vervain, seared leather, and castoreum accord. Right now this doesn't sound like my thing, but that could change.. pass for now.. 3/5 Young Witches at Play in the Night Sky Cloudstruck white musk, orris root, white bergamot, magnolia petals, fir needle, and juniper mist. Again, sounds perfumey, but I'm interested because of the magnolia petals. I think that might be like champaca. Pass for now, will watch. 3/5
  17. Making a list here so I can keep track of them Thurs Sept 1 - Dr. John Seward Fri Sept 2 - Marshmallow & Black Plum Sat Sept 3 - Oak Moon Sun Sept 4 - Autumn Mon Sept 5 - Nyarlathotep Tues Sept 6 - All the Meaner Things Weds Sept 7 - Meditation In Autumn Thurs Sept 8 - Mummies of Mexico City Fri Sept 9 - Mr. Jacquel Sat Sept 10 - Blood Moon '05 Sun Sept 11 - Charcoal, Champaca Resin, and Tobacco Absolute Mon Sept 12 - Kisses For Us All Tues Sept 13 - Flesh of My Flesh Weds Sept 14 - Mr. Nancy Thurs Sept 15 - Vanilla Bean, Marshmallow & Benzoin Fri Sept 16 - Apple Sugar Sat Sept 17 - Ded Moroz Sun Sept 18 - Ra, and Djinn beard oil prototype Mon Sept 19 - The Anti-Salloon League Tues Sept 20 - All Hallows Chaos: Samhain, #46 Weds Sept 21 - Rose Petals & Palo Santo Thurs Sept 22 - Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller Fri Sept 23 - A Pale and Glimmering Light Appeared Before Him Sat Sept 24 - Devil's Night, 2006 bottle Sun Sept 25 - Labdanum, Red Musk & Scorched Vanilla Mon Sept 26 - Every Day Is Halloween Tues Sept 27 - October (2007 I think) Weds Sept 28 - Doc Constantine (orig. release bottle with small amt left) Thurs Sept 29 - Julia Stone, and Pomegranate Morocco Fri Sept 30 - Autumn Coolness
  18. forspecial_plate

    Ghoulish

    Decant from 2010, guess I never wrote a review... I can tell this is faded just slightly, but it smells mostly the same and is more than strong enough on me. For about 15-30 minutes it smells like a crumbly almond cookie with a hint of cherry and very slight coconut. I don't like the crumbly aspect. But after a while, it smooths out a lot, and it's more of a syrupy cherry+coconut with some almond. I've never learned to pick out saffron so I can't comment on that. This is a nice, cute Halloween scent that I enjoy (guess I haven't worn it that much, since my decant is over 10 yrs old now!). I do like it and I revisit it every year. I'm just a really light applier, lol!
  19. forspecial_plate

    Chaos Theory V: Recursive Self Similarity v4

    Looks like CCDI but it's hard to make out. This is light and clean, and I finally figured out, I think there's a light black tea note in it. I can smell the vanilla part of Snake Oil but not the earthy/musky part, plus black tea. The reason I think there is black tea is because it reminds me a little bit of anise but not exactly anise. So - to me this is stripped down Snake Oil plus light black tea, there may be more but that's what I smell. Good thing I like it because this is the fullest 5ml bottle I've ever received from the lab, it's literally almost up to the top!
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    Autumn Roses Candle

    Well, I lit this a couple hours ago so I'll go ahead and give my impressions... It's really light and ethereal. It's a very light ambery scent, maybe a hint of something spicy, but I wouldn't have guessed there was any rose in it. After a while I kind of forget it's there, then I'm reminded if I leave the room and come back in. I'm reminded somewhat of Western Small Foot Bat hair gloss. But I got that out and sniffed the bottle and this candle is lighter, and a little sweeter. Whatever different notes are in this, I can't differentiate anything, it's just completely blended together. Ethereal, sweet, ambery. Very pretty. I love it! My 1st Bpal candle and I'm very happy with it. EDIT: I have to say I detect something a little bit fizzy here, I doubt there is a champagne note but maybe there's a hint of ginger? Hard to say..
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    Labdanum, Red Musk, Scorched Vanilla

    Really beautiful, I'm getting all the notes pretty much equally. I agree with others that the "scorched" part is really subtle. Overall it's a really light scent on me but in a good way, just about the throw level that I like best. I think the combination of notes is creating this illusion of a lightly spiced scent. Another one I'm considering a backup of...
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    Snake Milk

    When I read the description, I thought of Anaconda, so I was sold, not that I needed much persuasion anyway! : ) So, it doesn't smell like Anaconda except maybe marginally. But it smells really good. Like, I could almost get a backup bottle. Milk notes are a risk for me because they could go a little plasticky, but this doesn't, it's just milky caramelized snakey goodness. Smells pretty much how it is described. Maybe slightly powdery, but the snakey goodness always tempers that for me (not that I'm against powdery scents). Not overwhelming but stronger than, say, Snake's Kiss, in my experience. It's just right and one of the stand-out S.O. variants I've smelled, right up there with my other favorites.
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    Gingerbread Limoncello

    Pretty simple, the lab's familiar gingerbread note, and a slightly bitter lemony note. The lemon part reminds me of Penis Bound With Gold Ribbon, a little. I love this, I'm all about lemon lately and I'm happy we've had a few different lemon variations lately (this, Penis Bound, Amor...etc). This one is cozy and fresh at the same time, I think I could wear it any time of year.
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    Forever With Unopened Eye

    When I saw "lavender incense" I really perked up. Serge Lutens had a lavender incense scent and I'm always on the lookout for something similar. (Encens et Lavende or something like that) This starts out with a camphorous blast and I thought I wasn't going to like it. I thought "is there eucalyptus in this?", but I think it's the cypress. Soil peeks out a little bit. After a long time, the camphor aspect backs off and I can tell the lavender incense is trying to come out. I think the soil note comes out a little more and I think the hemlock is there in the mix. I thought I didn't like this but I keep putting on more. It's kind of addictive and I'm hoping the lavender incense comes out more with age. Overall I've grown to like this and I'm happy I took a chance on it. Edit: couple weeks later, the grave soil is a lot stronger now. I'm still liking it! Hasn't changed other than the soil coming out stronger.
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    White Sage and Lime

    Someone else said the word "sparkling" and that's what I always think when I first put this on. As it dries, it's cool and herbal with lime, clean and soothing. It's a peaceful, relaxing scent. I love it.
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