myth

This is an odd muddle. I can catch the black musk, maybe a pinch of the red musk, the ginger, and smokiness. It's dry, and a little bitter. I thought something with both black and red musks would be amazing, as those are two notes of win for me. As it dries it becomes more herbal, flat, and even a tad soapy. Kind of unpleasant right now. Also oddly hard to smell, as it seems to pull a disappearing act. It warms and rounds very slightly as it becomes almost too faint to smell. This isn't for me. Too sour/harsh overall.

I was really hoping the jasmine would be far enough down the list to not make an appearance in this, but sniffing from the vial I can smell scratchy floral. And if I sniff from farther back, the overall impression is that it smells like a permanent magic marker. I don't get much cherry here, and no patch, or pine, or even vetiver. No individual note seems to stand out, besides the jasmine. On me it smells somewhat less like a magic marker, but still smells like stinky floral. I keep sniffing, hoping to catch a whiff of one of the other notes, to no avail. One of my least favorites from all the decants I got.

I was hoping this was going to be the cold piney snow note mixed with incense. When first applied, the snow note is that cold pine, but it leans toward sharp cleaning product associations. I'm hoping the incense will come out and back this up. But as it dries more, I never really get incense. Every now and then there's a thin wisp... like distant incense being blown past my nose on a cold wind. The pine part of the cold note goes away, and it turns to air. I turn anything airy or ozoney straight into soap. This one somehow manages to stay just this side of soap, but it is definitely AIR... dry, slightly ozonic, air. It's atmospheric [har] but I don't care for the smell of it. And the incense never shows up to really round this scent out into anything else. It's just... air. Not for me.

I don't have a stop-uppable bathtub, only a stand-up shower, so I always use these as moisturizers, and my experience is based on rubbing it into the back of my hand. I was pretty excited for this one, because peach is a note I adore. I like Winter Maiden ok, so I figured with peach this one would be even better. Alas. I smell ZERO peach in this. I don't smell vanilla cream, either. What I do smell is overwhelmingly strong floral perfume smell. I hate florals, and I hate things that smell like "perfume." I dunno... maybe the perfumey smell is whatever is supposed to be making it smell "icy," but it doesn't smell icy, it smells like stink. This is nothing at all like I was expecting, and it's total fail to the point where I had to go wash it off the back of my hand because it was giving me a headache. Foo.

I didn't really expect this was going to work on me because the champagne note never does, but peach is one of my favorite smells and I'm always on the search for peach scents. So I was hoping if anything could make champagne work for me, it would be this. Alas. The peach is juicy and gorgeous. At first the champagne is kind of ginger-aley and I can try to ignore it. Unfortunately, once it sits a bit it turns soapy and begins to amp... this is pretty typical on me... and it's just too off-putting and strong for even yummy peach to save it. If you like peach and champagne notes you'll probably like this, if either gives you trouble, probably not. Both in equal measure were present and fairly well-balanced between them. I just can't do the champagne.

I remember when we got this proto at DSWC, we all thought it smelled like waffle cones. So, I was quite surprised when it was released and I saw the notes. They really made me wonder if there had been a change of formulation. Vanilla orchid? Orris? Orris is a DOOM note for me, so I wasn't hopeful. However, I was surprised. Somehow, this still smelled like waffle cones on me. I have no idea why this is the case, because normally anything floral I amp to hell and back; I am renowned for my ability to ruin a blend with a flower in it. Anyhoo, I really like my waffle cone scent. I usually prefer sexier, heavier, incensy blends, and this is quite delicate and girly. I keep it for when I have to go to client meetings, because I figure no one is going to object to someone who smells like waffle cones. Delishus.

Nothing I got from BPTP worked out for me this year, but this came closest. Tons of amaretto right off the bat. This reminds me of when I make my coconut macaroons... they have a bit of almond extract in them. Once made it's not nearly as strong in them as it is in this scent, but when I smell the scent it reminds me of making them, right when I first pour the almond extract into the coconut mixture and am stirring it in, there is strong almond and coconut. This smells just like that. I like it. Sadly, my skin chemistry turns it plastic. I have a tiny bit of coconut SN that does the exact same thing, so this is that coconut and it goes plastic. Except for that I really like this, woe. Maybe I'll try it on my bra [i don't have a scent locket]. Or maybe I'll just keep the imp to huff when I want macaroons but don't quite feel like making them. Alas.

Man. I feel like I'm not even reviewing the same scents that everyone else is with these Puddins. They were all terrible fail on me, and this one was the worst of the bunch. At first I smelled florals and then it smelled familiar, and then I smelled dirt. So weird. It's kind of a foody, flowery, dirt mix. I didn't smell any of the floral/dirt stuff from the vial, just foody-boozy. After it sits a little I'm getting floral-spicy-boozy and fruity. As it dries, I think the fmailiar note is the currant, which is not a note I tend to enjoy. It's not awful, but it's not thrilling me either, and something is a bit off-putting. Second try: lots of floral again, trying to give me a headache. Where the hell are these flowers coming from?? I can't even smell spices in here, it's just florals and that currant note turning all nasty on me. No. Even worse the second time. I had to go wash it off.

From the vial it's perfumey-chemically cherry cough syrup. I don't know why all the BPTP sweets scents this year have this weird chemical-perfumey note, but they do. It's perfumey food... like when I used to test things at will call and then unthinkingly pop a cupcake in my mouth without washing my hands first....ewww, yuck. I don't care for it; it's very jarring. This is a little better from the throw on my skin, but still with that perfuminess in there. Boo. This is just weird and chemically. The cherry smells like cough syrup, and whoever ate all the vanilla-amaretto-drizzled pudding [because I never smelled anything resembling that at all] was wearing some stinkriffic perfume.

I generally dislike fig, but I love foody-spicy scents so I took a chance and tried this one from a decant circle. At first this isn't too bad… a bit reminiscent of Fruitcake. It's a dark fruit and spices, a faint booziness. Seemed to fade fairly quickly. On a second try, I got a headachey musk in the mix. Bleh. The fig never even had a chance to ruin this, the musk note in here did it before the fig even showed up for the party. I'll stick with Fruitcake. ETA: I know the description doesn't say there's musk, but that's what I smelled.... the kind of musk that gives me a headache. Kind of like what has been in some of the foody DD exclusive scents [the Reindeer one, I think?]. I don't know what of the listed ingredients could be causing it, or maybe something else is in here unlisted, but phew. Something went wrong.

At first this was interesting… cool and somehow woody… and I thought I was going to like it. It was familiar but I couldn't quite place it. As it dried, the familiarity resolved into rum, and now it's RUM! OHAI RUM!1!!! and a bit overwhelming. I like the rum smell in Upa Upa, but there is other stuff happening in that scent whereas this one dries out quite flat, and this is way too much rum for me. SN rum, practically. Not awful but not a keeper. VERY strong one-dimensional rum upon dry-down, and extremely long-lasting on my skin.

The first time I tested this I didn't make notes, but wrote "this was weird and perfumey, wtf." So I tested it twice more to take notes and try and figure it out.... When I sniff from the vial and first on I can get a faint underlayment of cocoa, a milk-chocolate type note. That is the only foody smell I get out of this. Riding over that is this high-pitched, astringent, perfumey note that I have no idea what it is. Just none. *sniffs* It kind of smells like rubbing alcohol... no... *waits... sniffs more...* Nail polish remover. That's it. It smells like those scented nail polish removers that they make try to smell like vanilla or whatever, but it ends up smelling weird like vaguely vanilla-scented chemicals. That is what this smells like... vanilla-scented chemicals and plastic with a touch of cocoa. Super disappointed in this, and I've tried it at different times in diff spots to be sure. It's not even my skin chemistry, because it smells weird like this from the wand. Boo.

From the bottle, something in here is a little harsh and sitting just between medicinal and cologney. Also, something is very familiar, but I can't quite place it. On me at first this is masculine, borderline cologne, but then it settles in and smooths out some. A dark and heavy scent, it's a little smoky… reminds me of Uncertain Horror, so maybe some sage. And almost certainly some patchouli. There could also possibly be tobacco? Wood of some sort? Also perhaps some kind of musk, that adds the faintest soapy note which peeps out every now and then. And finally, once settled in completely, leather. This hops around a lot on me. This is almost good, but then it has the musk I can't wear that wants to make it soapy cologne on me, and it just teeters at that edge. Not awful, but I just don't love it. And I have too many scents I do love.

I got this is decant back in 2007. When I first tried it back then, I thought I smelled cedar. I guess I liked it because I kept it, but I've never worn it. I'm trying to pare down to only things I wear so I'll actually wear all of those, so I'm retesting some stuff again now. I do get some kind of wood here… maybe not cedar, possibly sandalwood [but not powdery, so not white] or some other kind of light wood. But I also get a bit of a soapy note... possibly a light musk? I don't really get pine or citrus like other reviews. I might buy juniper though... what I smell is not an evergreen note but something that is woody-green-bright like one almost. If there is citrus it reads as rind, bitter and a little sharp. There is an impression of air, slight dampness, of being in a field or forest, only with no humus smell. This is clean and airy, with light fresh wood. It's ok, but not really me. I like the wood aspect, less so the air/damp, which just toes the line of trying to go soapy. Surprisingly good on me for anything with "clean" going on in it, but not something I'd wear regardless. It wants to give me a headache if I sniff too much.

I love this spray! Whoever thought of making RL into an atmo deserves Genius of the Friggin Year award. For reals. I have a bottle of the perfume from 2006, but I don't wear it too often. I can't bring myself to get rid of it [altho I did sell my '08 bottle] because RL was one of the first at-the-time-not-available LEs that I fell in love with, hunted down, and cherished. But my skin chemistry has changed in the intervening years, and now something in it goes just a little off on me. So the atmo is everything I love about the perfume, without the skin chemistry issues. I am a hyooge atmo 'ho anyway, but most of the ones I have are dark an incensy. Or very foody. This is kind of nicely in-between. And it just smells glorious. I am very happy to have a bottle of this one, and hopefully in a year or two when I'm running low it will return just in time for me to replenish my stock. LOVE!

I have a sniffie of the original, but it was barely enough to dab on-skin. I loved what I could smell of it, but there wasn't enough there for me to really say how it compares with this resurrection. That said, I love this. I wasn't sure I did when I first got it... it's VERY spicy and sharp from the bottle, and I tried a little bit and it seemed kind of one-dimensional. So I set the bottle aside to rest a bit. Now we are close to the time for it to come down, so I decided to test again and see if I need a backup. I do! It's still very sharp sniffing from the bottle, so don't let that fool you. Do be careful with application... if I apply too much in the same location I get a cinnamon burn. But if I dab it around lightly I don't seem to get a red mark, although I can feel it stinging. I'm amused that the physical response to the oil matches the concept so well. When this hits my skin the magic begins... it just blooms into a heady, sexy haze. The spice mingles with the leather and the patch and bourbon add depth and that heady quality. Booze notes don't usually work well on me at all, but the bourbon isn't alcoholic and making me smell like I'm on a bender, it just adds dimension and an intoxicating quality to the other notes, like that haze your senses start to get after you've had a drink or two but aren't really buzzed yet. Leather can also be quite iffy on me. Soft and worn leathers [Herr Drosselmeyer springs to mind] can work really well, but there is a leather variant that is sharp and chemical smelling that I am not a fan of at all. This one isn't as soft as the Herr, and it dances on the edge of chemical when sniffed from the bottle, but once worn it calms down and blends nicely. Spanked res is a super sexy blend, with just a little bit of an aggressive edge to it, as you might expect. The woman wearing Spanked isn't coy or flirtatious; she steps right up and asks for what she wants with confidence. I haven't tried it on the husband, but I think it should be a very unisex blend that works equally well on men and women. I definitely plan to try it on him. The notes this blend is comprised of do not represent any of my typical favorites, and yet it smells so amazing on me! I am definitely in love, and have two more bottles on order. I think my only complaint is that this seems to fade kind of fast on me, but that could be because I am applying so lightly. I put some on before bed last night, and when I got up this morning the leather was all that remained. I'm going to experiment with dabbing some on my bra or the inside of my collar when I wear it, and see if that makes the other notes hold on longer. Still. Love.

This is bakery-foody at first, and I get a hit of spiciness, like a spiced cake or cookie. But there is something else in here that doesn't like me, and it begins to amp on my skin. I may be getting a whiff of milk chocolate or possibly some kind of cream, as it's got that curdled-sour tinge that I get with those notes... or it could instead be a faint dollop of honey, because that also funks on me. Not entirely sure. It's sweet at first, but the spices turn savory as it sits on my skin. By the time it dries it smells like, well, food, but in a non-specific kind of way... just sort of yeastiness and spices and maybe other things that have been cooked in the background, and I can't really pin anything down. It's spicy now but not sweet, and foody but not bakery-foody nor gourmand... it's more hearty-foody, I guess. I get zero citrus at any point. This is vaguely similar in effect to Daya, although this one plays a little better with my chemistry. It's ok, but not really the type of scent that I wear... I prefer my foody scents to be dessert-like rather than dinner-like.

My first try was cold and faint, with very little berry. I had dabbed it on the back of my hand though, which is the worst place for me to test things because my skin tends to be so dry on my hands and wrists. Second try: from the vial I get a light sweetness of berry, but on my skin it becomes oddly dry and has a bit of a perfumey quality to it. There are similarities to the Blackberry Jam & Scones scent, similar tart berry and dry scratchy quality, but I don't get pastry from this. I do have an impression of cold, but it's not mint, it's that same odd astringent note that was in Hypothermia, that is cold in almost the same way that rubbing alcohol is. Becomes harsher as it dries. This does not play well on me at all. Berries can be iffy as it is, but that icy note is especially one I cannot wear.

I actually did not expect this one to work at all, because when it said wine spritzer I was expecting the champagne/fizzy soda note that always makes me feel queasy. From the vial I thought I smelled that note, but it is less fizzy and nauseating, more dry. On skin I get fruit and an impression of cold pine, with a bit of astringency from the dry wine. The fruit mostly goes away pretty quickly, and I do still gets the odd whiffs of that champagne note here and there, but it mostly goes to a dry astringency. This is kind of odd, and I find myself oddly appealed to by it. On dry-down I get barely any fruit from this, and it's kind of dry and biting on me, and... I dunno. There's something about it that makes me keep returning to sniff it. Sometimes I can smell that note that I don't like, and it's just enough to keep me from thinking I would actually wear this, but I have to admit I was sort of pleasantly surprised by this.

I had that moment too, only for me I thought it smelled like Rat from the Wind in the Willows series. But I don't still have Rat to compare, so I could be misremembering. At any rate this is mossy masculine and a tad cologne. I get moss, wood, and not too much else. I don't get much if any orange, really. Maybe a faint hint of dry rind. I don't smell catnip, either; I grow that on my back deck and am always crushing leaves of it for my cats, and that catnip smells like a mellower more herbal mint [catnip is in the mint family of course]. I don't get that smell out of this. As it dries down it becomes salty, which is something I've noticed about moss/oakmoss on my skin. I don't mind this scent, and I enjoy the wood, but ultimately it is a little more in the cologne territory than what I prefer to wear. I like masculine, but not cologney masculine.

From the vial it's chocolatey and beery-bready-funky. On skin a spice note… cinnamon perhaps… emerges, and the beery-bready-funk is something like the background of Pumpkin Smash. I guess that would be the smashed gourds. With cocoa. I dunno… this isn't really something I want to smell like, and I can't quite decide if I like it [mmm chocolate] or am nauseated by it [hate the pumpkin note]. Not really a fan of the beeriness either. This is just kind of weird. As it dries the cinnamon-spice gets stronger, the chocolate goes and takes some of the funk with it, and what is left is an impression of cinnamon beer. Not really my thing.

Strong, instantly headachey, powdery florals. Not something I can wear at all.

Lightly fruity and pretty at first, the florals dominate and the fruit disappears in dry-down. I can't wear florals; they give me headaches.

This smells like ginger ale and lime candy. The soda note is that very dry fizzy soda/champagne note that makes me feel ill, and the lime is candy sweet. I don't smell Sprite *or* Mtn Dew... the lime note is too completely distinct from the soda note for it to smell like those to me. I'm not a fan of this due to the aforementioned aversion to the fizzy soda/champagne note. Wooz.

From the vial I thought this smelled more like buttery cake than the released version, but once it hits my skin it gets that dry characteristic that I get from the original, and smells pretty similar to it on me. I actually think I prefer the release, because there's something just a bit off about this one, it's harsher somehow, and has some jangly edges that I don't find in the release.