blackfelicula

In the bottle: I smell sweetness and leather, dustiness and wood. Wet: This scent is earthen, angry, and cold. How does Beth bottle cold so well? I picture lying on a flat rock in the woods with a blanket of snow all around. Drying down: I feel like a naughty girl wearing this. I think of February snowfights when the slush is black. Dry: The musk is playing with my skin now. It comes out sweet, so that the mix resembles brut aftershave. The chill warms up a touch at this stage, but retains the sense of dirtiness. It suits its namesake rather well. Later: Krampus softens within a couple hours on me, but I like the earthiness while it lasts. It is almost too cologne-like, but I seem to be able to pull it off. Next step: getting my husband to put down the Herr Drosselmeyer for a day to try this!

In the bottle: I smell warm spices and resins, chilled. Wet: This is the feeling of trying to stay warm in winter. The spices hum with subtle florals and herbs. It tickles my nose, but in a good way. Drying down: The mix is incense-like. This has a sense of unrest, as if someone took R.M. Renfield and made him much quieter. Dry: This is chilly and agitated, which is apropos to its name. It is complex and aloof, yet captivating. Later: I have smelled something similar before in a holiday blend by one of those craftspeople who ply their wares in college studen unions. Her version burned my skin and made me sneeze. This version is everything that blend wanted to be and more. It mellows on my skin into something smoother and more pretty, but it retained its chilly complexity. This one is a keeper!

In the bottle: This smells fruity, buttery, incense-like, and like wine. My husband says it smells like butterscotch candies in the bottle. Wet: Now I smell wine, incense, cakes, and something earthy, almost wooden. This is complex and intriguing. Drying down: This is wine with spicy, earthy, and rich notes. My nose keeps coming back. Damn. This smells like sex too. Dry: This is a celebration on my arms! There is so much depth and variety to this scent, yet it all blends so well. Later: In some ways, this is candle-like, but not overwhelmingly so. This is exactly how I had wished All Souls had smelled: incense, fruits, and food without being overly buttery. Delicious! I reveled in it all evening long.

In the bottle: This is thick and sweet, but with a peppery acrid note that almost scared me off. Wet: The acrid note settle into a smokey, hazy, almost leather-like one. It is surrounded by the rich, languorous sweetness of opium. Drying down: The tonka comes out and does nothing but good. This blend smells druggish and incense-like, but lifted up on a bed of sweetness that wafts around me and wraps me in the warmth of a fire in a wood-panelled room. Dry: This melds beautifully with the chill in the air and the leaves on the ground. It is earthy and rich, yet deliciously sweet. I can see how this would complement the right man, yet it is another one of those "masculine" blends that works well on me. Later: I hadn't reviewed this one yet because I had been wearing it around casually when I did not feel like taking the time to write things down. I think Dr. John Seward is a real winner, a pick-me-up and a comfort scent.

In the bottle: This is the sweetness of sugar and caramel. Wet: This is sugary in a perfume-like way. It is beyond sweet, but has undertones that remind me of brown sugar and caramel. Drying down: It almost takes on a touch of spice, though it is still very foody. Thankfully, this is not the buttery sort of foody. Neither my husband nor I are fond of scents that are too buttery. Dry: Sugar Skull 2006 is still the kind of sticky sweet that makes me salivate. It has a perfumey undertone, but it doesn't take away from the effect of the scent. Later: This is the kind of sweet that follows me around and makes me feel hungry even if I have just eaten. I like it well enough, but if I wear it too much, I will start craving meringues...

I'm reviewing this now because a frimp of it with a cracked lid leaked in my package today. Its own label and the label for a frimp of Ophelia were soaked with it. Luckily none of the bottles I paid for were harmed by it! Given how I was introduced to it, I am somewhat biased against it. It is a sweet, aquatic floral. Where it got on my fingers, I kept sniffing. It is compelling, like Amsterdam and Nifelheim were to me. I am not usually fond of aquatics, and I only marginally get along with select florals, but this kept my attention without driving me away. I am rather sad that I can smell little else, but it is a pleasant enough scent. There are other florals that have more thoroughly captured my heart, but I will likely finish the imp.

In the bottle: I can smell the orchid, only sweeter and more melancholy. Wet: This is a straightforward floral with a kinship to the Burren Perfumery's scent Ilaun. It is darker on than in the imp. Drying down: This pretty and wearable. It is almost fruity, yet floral. Dry: It is stronger now to my nose, but still sweet. It resembles concord grapes or pear. Later: This is one long-lasting scent. It is persistant and pretty. I would easily layer it with Ilaun (which was a gift from my mom from when she went to Ireland).

In the bottle: This reminds me of a creamy rose overtop some of the notes in Van Van. It is zingy with an almost powdery finish. Wet: If that is rose, it is not an overbearing one. There is a citrusy note in there, perhaps lemongrass. Drying down: This scent is compelling: floral and citrusy with a sweet, creamy smoothness. Dry: This has drawn me back to it like Van Van did when I first tried it. Just a touch on my fingers haunted me until I gave in and tried it on. Drying has smoothed it out. Later: This is sexy like Maiden. I put it on shortly before bedtime, but then bedtime was delayed by playfulness in bed with my husband. This is fun!

In the bottle: I primarily smell dragon's blood. It is not alone in there, but I am having trouble picking out the others. Wet: This is warm and rich, but still mostly dragon's blood. I hope the dragon's blood does not go soapy on me. Drying down: The undertone almost smells citrusy. Dry: The other notes are reminding me of other Voodoo Blends, but the dragon's blood steals the show. Later: I wore this to an appointment I was dreading. I wanted to hide or play sick. I did not. I steeled myself, went through it with honesty and straightforwardness. I will have to try Wolf's Heart again for more information.

In the bottle: Yemaya is all watermelon bubblegum to my nose. Wet: It is a touch more floral and complex, but still overwhelmingly watermelon bubblegum. Drying down: This is fruity and sweet with an aquatic undertone. It is slightly soapy. I keep bouncing around, because it is mostly good ol' watermelon bubblegum. Dry: If watermelon bubblegum could be stately, this would be it. I keep imagining a tall woman dressed in white and blue smacking her watermelon bubblegum yet somehow staying sexy while doing it. Later: My husband thought the scent was overwhelming. I am okay with it, since it was fun to wear. However, I doubt that a big bottle is in my future.

In the bottle: This smells soft, sweet, and gently floral. Wet: Ochosi is creamy and sweet. It is not overbearing, though it has a floral touch. It is almost gently spicy. Drying down: This might yet go soapy on me when I stick my nose up close. It is penetrating and mesmerizing, yet soft. Dry: I want this rich sweetnes to last all day. This might be a good locket or brassiere scent. Later: This is lovely, but so light. It is unlikely to grab the attention of others, but it is delightful to smell on myself.

A very tricky kitty, indeed. Used most often as a key to bringing back the joy one needs to have in life in order for living to feel worthwhile. Brings back a sense of delight in simple pleasures, and creates a surge of childlike curiosity and a youthful sense of fun. This blend can also be used to reverse troublesome lesser crossings, create a playful air of catlike sexuality, and, because cats will be cats, it can also be used to throw minor, irritating or bothersome hexes, causing small amounts of chaos and disruption to your foes. In the bottle: This has a floral feel, but it has undertones resembling the sweetness of Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo and the kick of Van Van. The impression I get is somwhat aquatic. Wet: There is a note with an astringent quality. It feels like there is more to it than just the oil. Drying down: This is a mix of sweet and medicinal scents with a sheer floral overlay. It is a moist scent. Dry: It has softened, losing some of its medicinal quality but retaining an herbal feel. It is sweet, almost like honeysuckle. It is also a clean scent, pushing soapy. Later: This is a feminine scent. It did not go too soapy. Life went mischievous on me rather than feeling mischievous myself. I had a bunch of "fake-out bad luck," for example, the car was refusing to start then started without either of us doing anything different, in a parking lot we thought someone was pulling into the space we were trying to get then they pulled through and drove away, and though the lunch items were not out yet in the store both my husband and I found food we liked anyway. I shall have to try this kitty again.

In the bottle: This has a floral feel, but its undertones resemble the sweetness of Aunt Caroline’s Joy Mojo and the kick of Van Van. The impression I get is somewhat aquatic. Wet: There is an astringent note that comes out. It feels like there is more to this blend than just the oil. Drying down: This is a mix of sweet and medicinal scents with a sheer floral overlay. It is a moist scent. Dry: It has softened, still herbal but less medicinal. It is sweet, almost like honeysuckle. It is also a clean scent, pushing soapy. Later: This did not get overly soapy. It is a feminine scent. It definitely lifted my spirits in the morning, while it was still strong. I also had a rash of what I call “fake-out bad luck.” For example, our car wouldn’t start for several tries while we were out shopping. Then, it started fine. At the grocery, it looked like some guy was pulling through into the space we were about to use, then he continued on through and left, leaving us a spot. I will have to try this again, next time without a jacket that already smelled like Trick#1. I love the scent of Trick #1, but I wonder if that influenced the luck…

In the bottle: I smell neroli paired with deep earthiness. Wet: This is the olfactory equivalent of a screaming head. The neroli is incisive. The other scents give it a dark undertone. Drying down: I think this may be too sharp for my tastes, at least so far. It is threatening to be soapy. The other notes are not very distinguishable except as a pedestal for the neroli. Dry: Interesting, my huband thought it was a light and pleasant scent. Woah. I just took another sniff. The neroli is now quiet and a complex tapestry of notes is weaving its way to my nose. Damn. It is like it had a psychotic episode on my wrists, just to turn around and play nice. Later: There was at least one more “psychotic episode” where the neroli came out and got in my face. This one likes to morph around quite a bit. It settled into a rough-and-tumble men’s cologne to my nose, but my husband thought it was more a husky feminine scent. This is true to its eponymous character.

In the bottle: I smell fragrant woods with a sharp, medicinal quality. There's a smooth undertone. For now the smell is almost too sharp for me. Wet: It mellows on contact with my skin. It becomes a smooth, luxurious combination of woods and mosses, sweet and rich. Drying down: Mmm. Lovely round scent, wooden and aged. This is more than just the typical wood fragrances. Dry: This is light, not much throw, but it is such a lovely scent. I am glad to have it around me. Later: Mmm. I loved wearing this gentle wood blend. This is going on my wishlist.

In the bottle: This smells like the first New Age / pagan shop I frequented. They used a variety of incenses, and all their books came home smelling like it. This is love at first sniff. Wet: Mmm. This retains its essential character, but is both richer and more smooth. Drying down: It is a bit more herbal now, yet still lovely in that "I smell like an awesome pagan shop" way. Dry: This is the scent of potions brewing and books steeped in incense offered to many gods. It is the essence of rituals light, dark, and darker still. Later: It has faded, but clings to me like the incense to the pages of books. I'd ordered a bottle of this unsniffed, and I am glad I did!

In the bottle: The concentrated scent is more-foody-than-foody: almost overwhelmingly butter-and-sugar, with a light floral hum beneath it. Wet: Like Pumpkin Queen, the over-foody aspect has quit once it hit my skin. It still has a sweet and foodlike aspect, but it also has a perfume-y side. Drying down: Sadly, this combination is pushing into the realm of soapiness. I had really wanted to like this one. Dry: The soapiness has calmed down somewhat, but it still is not the incense-and-yum that I thought it would be. It is an interesting hum of a scent, but is not one I would wear often. Later: What wafts up from my arms is pleasant enough now, just not enough to be a favorite.

In the bottle: The overwhelming majority that greets my nose from the bottle of Pumpkin Queen is a “candle shop” style spiced pumpkin scent. Some of the spices that waft up from beneath are pleasant enough. Wet: For a split second, that cloying scent stayed put. Then, up welled some absolutely gorgeous spices and sweetness. The pumpkin is much more real now. What an autumnal beauty! Drying down: The in-the-bottle scent had me plotting on selling or swapping this bottle, but that plan has been scrapped. Though it retains a resemblance to candle scents, this is much more wearable. Dry: I am very glad I waited (mostly patiently) for this. Sniffing the bottle made me unduly worried that it would not like my skin or my nose. Pumpkin Queen is classy, rich, and delightfully foody. Later: This blend quiets down rather quickly into a smooth, sweet, and gently spiced scent. This sweetness hangs on for several hours, then fades out still more. This is a perfect scent for the season, but it would need a reapplication to get a full day’s wear.

I fully intend to edit in a review of this on me later... Tonight, on a whim and not having tried it myself, I decided my husband needed to wear this to dinner and a movie. Ye unnumbered worlds of delight! This was keel-over, slack-jawed and drooling sexy. It is spicy and rich, with an undertone that whispers that This Is A Man. It took a lot of willpower to head out on the town after that. Guh! Also, from him, he felt more confident in himself wearing it. Yay! Gotta love those positive side effects. Granted I like lots of men's scents on myself, but I may just have to buy him a bottle of his own. If you have a bottle of this and haven't yet done so, I recommend finding a convenient guy that you wouldn't mind doing more with and slathering him in this! At the very least, it would make for some interesting conversation... The next day: It is funny how this smells less like a cologne when I wear it. It is still spicy and delicious, but it takes on a softer character on my skin. My skin sweetens it and makes it more like vanilla spice. I love how it goes with the chilly autumn air and dying leaves. This is a gorgeous sensual blend.

In the bottle: The Brides of Dracula smells like a lightly spiced, sheer floral. It smells clean in a way that makes me hope that it will not go soapy on me. Wet: Interesting! So far, the spices, musk, honey, and amber work together to give this blend a trance-like quality, very apropos. Drying down: This is sweet and sensual. The flowers are definitely key notes in this blend, but they are not as cloying as they could be. This blend is sexy but elegant. Dry: I get a hint of the eerie and ethereal from the Brides of Dracula. I used to steer clear from all florals. Of course, BPAL has cured me of that. This is one of those florals that remind me why I ought to try them before forming an opinion. Mmmm. Later: My husband likes that this is not an invasive floral. (His nose is like mine in that respect.) The notes have melded beautifully, creating a scent that keeps me sniffing myself. I may have to invest in a bottle of this one. It is haunting me mercilessly.

In the bottle: Mme. Moriarty is complex and earthy. I smell sweetness and fruits, along with a scent that resembles tobacco. That is likely the patchouli leaf. Wet: For all its rich headiness, Mme. Moriarty stays surprisingly close to my skin when wet. It is luxuriously well-blended, welling up gently but insistently. Drying down: This is a nice variation on the earthy scents I prize. My husband smells the fruits more, but I smell the patchouli leaf, musk, and vanilla. Dry: More of the fruits are coming out for my nose. It is a dreamlike combination, unexpected but melding as if it had occurred naturally. Later: Sweet and heady, complex and earthy, this blend gets quieter over time, yet retains the ability to captivate: quite enjoyable.

In the bottle: My decant of The Bloody Sword reveals dragon’s blood that acts like a fruity floral offsetting a masculine blend of notes. The myrrh and benzoin contribute to its sweetness, but it retains the sharp edge that I associate with blends that work well on men. Good thing I have a testosterone-heavy skin chemistry for a woman. Wet: So far I have encountered the Lab’s leather note in here and in Trick #1. Both are yummy. The pepper adds to its sharpness. It still resonates like a cologne, but not a common one. I hope my husband will let me try it on him! Drying down: I get an effect of fruitiness between the resins in the blend. It also carries bitterness and sharpness true to its name. Dry: The pepper and leather are out more. It is still sweet, but the mix has turned rather sexy. My skin gives it almost a vanilla-like undertone. Later: It softens more, but is really long lasting. I put this on this morning, enjoyed it for most of the day, now it’s 5:30pm and I only reapplied for the purposes of this review. I bet the dry-scent would have lasted me until bedtime if I had not reapplied. I think this will be even lovelier on my husband.

In the bottle: Djinn smells like frankincense and benzoin to my nose. Wet: The resins are acrid and medicinal, husky and deep. It resonates like a men’s cologne, blackened. This proved too strong for my husband’s taste. He associated the scent with camphor. Drying down: Sweetness wells up amid the crackling alchemical flames. Perhaps that is my nose’s reaction to the rest of the mix, but I do not know for sure. Dry: I am a little sad that my husband finds Djinn so repulsive. As a fan of resin incenses, this scent reminds me of sticking my nose into the jars that hold my stash of resins. I am also fond of resinous perfumes. The sweetness is resembling myrrh, which is an all-time favorite note of mine. Later: This scent was delightful to me on a walk in the cool, crisp, morning air. The resins were offset by the sweetness of the breeze and the scent of leaves on the ground. As time wore on, Djinn developed a scent akin to citron, not quite grapefruit, lemon, or lime but sharper. This is much mellower than its outset. I heartily enjoy this one; I would wear it to a ritual without a second thought. However, knowing how acrid it begins and how much my husband dislikes it, a big bottle would be impractical. (Edited for mistyping and some rewording.)

In the bottle: I smell Tanin’iver’s cassia right away, as if it is layered over birch. I realize there is no birch in there, but the mix gives that impression. Wet: The dragon’s blood mixes with the fruit to create a deep sweetness. For now cassia is still the strongest voice in the blend. The scent is spicy and warm. Drying down: More of the resins are rising to the surface. Tanin’iver seethes with fiery power. The dragon’s blood is threatening soapiness now. That effectively softens the blend for me, taming it. On the upside, my husband likes spicy stuff, and he liked this. Dry: The softness is persisting, but smoke and musk are coming out and providing balance. It is a feminine scent and a powerful one. Later: Wow. I thought the cassia had faded, but it is going strong according to my husband’s nose. Ah, the joys of nose-overload. What I smell is lovely.

In the bottle: Ooo! This is sultry and slinky. Of the mix, I smell the flowers and musk most. Wet: It warms up right away. Out comes the ginger. The patchouli plays more of a supporting role. Drying down: Mmmm. This is how I like ‘em: musky and spicy, sexy and sensual. The flowers were louder in the bottle, but they’re quieter on my skin. They lend a sense of eagerness to the blend and the energy to fuel the eagerness. Dry: If this is the trick I deserve, I want to be tricked year-round. It is like stopping to smell the flowers and being dragged under the bushes by a sexy and superbly skilled stranger. The leather’s peeking out just enough for a pinch and a giggle beneath a blindfold. :D And since I'm an impatient critter, I'll post this now and edit in my later impressions when later comes... Now that it is later: The flowers are rising to the surface more strongly. It is as if the tussle in the bushes crushed some of the branches so that the scent grows as the action does. The musks are heady and delicious. Its description is accurate. OK, I want a new corset more than ever now… True to my skin, the vanilla is coming out more now. What fun! And even later: OK so it doesn't need to be a stranger, nor does it have to be outside... Trick #1 is still fun!