VetchVesper

The most prominent note in this to/on me is the cognac. I've smelled it in other blends, but never so forward. It gives Orpheus a very masculine, cologne edge which I find very nice. The wood almost smells like tobacco to me and there's something very soft and faint in the background that smells like herbal mint. The cologne smell balances more with the wood and herbal notes as this dries down. I'm not familiar with all these notes b/I like this a lot. It smells somehow classic yet unusual. I will be needing my husband for further experimentation.

I just became aquainted with "Hope" about a week ago, and that's just what this smells like with a dollop of lemony white floral on top. Pretty, sweet, light rose with lemon blossom. Bright and feminine.

This is a bit pine sol in the imp, but I'm ok with that as usually pine changes on my skin and works well w/the other notes, but this is so soft on me, I can barely smell it. It was the same on my husband. I think it's a nice enough pine scent, b/it's so light, I can't really get any depth from it or see myself ever wearing it. Perhaps it will strengthen with age? UPDATE: Yup. Seems this one needed some settling in. Much closer to what I expected now. It's a very nice fir tree scent with the amber softening and sweetening things up. I'm not real familiar w/oak but I'm not getting "woody" just needles. On me, this still wears close to the skin and leans feminine. Glad I didn't swap my decant!

I was a bit scared when I started reading other's reviews for this. Wine is a bit iffy for me anyways, but cinnamon and I rarely get along. I would not have bothered with a decant of this if I'd known there was cinnamon. That said - I like this! I definitely get what others have said about this smelling Christmasy. My husband actually said "red candles," which is pretty apt at first, except this is smoother and less sharp than your typical Christmas potpourri. What it really smells like to my nose is warm apple pie. There's rich red fruit, spiciness, and something that smells buttery and golden. Wet, this smells very foodie on me, which is weird, b/c stuff that's supposed to smell foodie on me, rarely does. As it dries down, it gets more like mulled wine or hot apple cider. It actually reminds me of Alice's Evidence, b/without knocking me down w/ cinnamon. Finally, the amber and bourbon vetiver resins start to come out more and balance w/the fruity notes, and this becomes a thick, golden syrup over a rich red, like golden light falling over a still life of fruit and wine. I don't think I'll be buying a bottle, b/ I'm glad I got a decant and will enjoy it during the holidays.

Somacat - have you tried Druid yet? People's reviews seem to vary a lot, but on me, its all sweet berries. Baneberry is a great green/ berry scent. Also, the CP scent Firethorn Berry Tea might be worth looking into.

Coconut meat and shea on me. Pleasant, but kind of generic. Not overly sweet. Clean and comforting. This reminds me a lot of B&BW's discontinued Exotic Coconut.

I'd love to know how it turns out for you. We seem to have similar tastes. Always fun to have a scent twin. :-)

Joyleaf - I 'd actually recommend Bow and Crown of Conquest to you as well. I really liked my Wulric decant, but couldn't justify buying it b/c it was too similar to my beloved B&CC. You might also try Joyful Romp - Plum blossoms and white sandalwood with indigo, tuberose, plum musk, and a drop of vetiver Or The White Witch - Love pain-ecstatic, cruel-sweet: gold-flecked honey amber pulsating with red musk, patchouli coeur, bourbon vanilla, inky vetiver, pomegranate rind, myrrh, blackened violet leaf, and blood red rose petals. Also - I just got the Portrait of a Young Woman With a Unicorn hair gloss and I think it's just beautiful. Dark and rich with lots of amber, spice, and deep musk on me. Much heavier than I expected, but that's just fine. A lot of your faves are along the lines of what I like, and this one might be in your wheel house. P.S. Satan Starting From the Touch of Ithuriel's Spear is also lovely. :-)

This is all sticky, golden orange blossom in the imp. Quite enticing. Unfortunately, this goes very sickly sweet baby powder on my skin almost immediately. Honey has done this in several blends I've tried, though oddly, honey is also a note in some of my favorite blends. The rose too is being troublesome and lending a slight sourness to the background. Definitely not for my chemistry, though I envy others who could wear this. Very fitting for Jezebel. All seductive decadence that comes to a wretched ending. :-(

I quite like this. I get soft, slightly powdery violet in the imp, the same note that's in Sybaris. The rose blooms on my skin though and reminds me of London, but I like this more. London was a bit too strait forward ROSE for me. Marie blends the notes well and does seem elegant. Prim and perfumey in the best way possible. I would definitely recommend it for violet or rose lovers.

I just received an aged decant of this from a lovely forumite, (not sure what year) and I'm finding I really like it. I was worried that "sugared rose" might equal candy rose and this might be too syrupy, but Hope is just a very authentic smelling rose oil that leans on the sweet and light side. I've had some issues with some of the labs rose notes going sour on me, but Hope is doing just fine. After a few hours, the rose fades and it becomes more of a light, sweet vanilla on me, but I don't mind reapplying. I could see buying a bottle of this.

Persimmon - have you tried The Bow & Crown of Conquest? It reminds me of Morocco w/ leather. It might lean a little masculine for some, b/I love wearing it. I'd also recommend checking out Kabuki if you like licorice at all. It's red musk, cherry, and anise and it smells very red and sticky to me in the same way as the Instructional Manual.

I have not smelled either perfume, so I can't exactly recommend it, but Miss Spink is described as "A grand, over-the-top tuberose gardenia," so maybe that would work for C&E's Gardenia. You could check Miss Sprink's reviews and maybe that would give you an idea of if it's what you're looking for.

Others didn't, but I got lots of lilac from Fairy Tales and Lies.

Well I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Happy sniffing!

Scarlet Woodland - If you like carnation, you should try Maiden - white tea, carnation and Damask Rose. It's a really lovely, sweet, light carnation scent. Oh! And don't forget Bathsheba. Carnation, plum, and Arabian musk.

Be strong Foodie! Somacat - You could also try Mag Mel or Roadhouse for bright, green scents. Roadhouse really wasn't boozy on me. Jasmine Cottage is also a really lovely green floral, and don't let the name scare you off. There are so many other notes, the jasmine really isn't obvious. For Tombstone - you might try Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener. It smells like root beer barrel candy, and I adore it even though I'm usually not into candy smells. For Kumiho - Baobhan Sith and Embalming Fluid both have the white tea with the sharp, citrusy notes.

Vixen is somewhat close b/fruitier. Saytr is similar b/more masculine to my nose. And of course, all the Snake Pit scents from CD have it in them, b/those aren't GC. I dunno, if you love Snake Oil and know you want it, I'd say wait till it's back, b/then, patience was never one of my virtues.

You might also look on Black Phoenix's Etsy site for discontinued bottles. The company destashes their vintage bottles, and of course, there's always E-bay. For GC recs, I second Deep in Earth. It smells like roses and damp earth. Jasmine Cottage is pretty and equal parts floral and green to my nose. No earth though.

Beer from the Marshwoman's Brewery was very strange on me. A weird mix of foody and swampy that had a light floral edge in drydown. Not my thing, but oddly pleasant. Druid reminded me of boiled spinach the first time I smelled. Later, I got more floral and berry notes. Definately still had a dark green dampness to it.

"The Small Harem" and "The Instructional Manual" from this years lupers smelled quite pink to me. I'd also say Kabuki from GC if you like licorice.

So this is a really fun retro frimp I just got with my order. Thank you kindly BPAL! I sniffed the imp before I checked the notes, and my first impression was "weeeeird..." Then I got cucumber and something decidedly vegetal, I wasn't sure what. Well, turns out it was veggies! In the imp this smells like fresh, cool salad. On my skin, it is mostly cucumber scent, with a freshness that almost comes across as an aquatic white floral. It's crisp and clean. After a while it becomes a bit soapy on me, but it's still pleasant. A very nice spring/summer scent, and glad I got to try it, but I probably wouldn't wear it much, so I shall pass it along for veggie lovers perusal.

This starts out all nose tingling mint and pine in the bottle. Pine usually works well for me. On my skin though, my nemesis, cedar, quickly makes itself known. It's blending with the oak moss to make a musty old attic smell that's certainly not what I was hoping for. Eventually, the cedar starts to fade into the other notes and I get something that smells a lot like Cathode but a bit darker. I like Cathode, b/the cedar in this is just mucking things up for me. Glad I got to try it though.

I love gardenia, b/ often BPAL's doesn't quite smell like the real deal to me. Cascading Blossoms and Le Revenant are two exceptions. Both are beautiful.

I get looooots of sweet fruitiness in the imp, mostly banana and pineapple. On my skin, the pineapple really takes over and the chile starts to come out. At first I can distinctly smell the chile, but it smooths out till it just becomes a bit of warmth in the background. This is a sweet, fizzy, and warm pineapple scent on my skin. It's not bad, but it smells artificial to me, like pineapple soda or candy. Not my favorite fruit medley.