VetchVesper

Strong on the violet, but there's a sharpness that made me thing lavender, and I would have thought white rose rather than tea. The chamomile makes this feel gentle and somber. It's fitting for the poem, but a bit too perfumey and mellow for my tastes, though I do enjoy violet. I enjoyed getting to test this one out though. 

Thanatos is a somber, resinous rose on me. It's rather gentle smelling, but has depth.   I think myrrh plays heavily in this, and myrrh is a note that often barely registers for me.  The imp I have has aged quite a bit, but I don't recall this one ever being loud or heady or opulent. This is the smell of dried roses laid upon a forgotten tomb. 

ETA wanted to add, this does seem like a pleasant, if unconventional sleep scent. 

This strikes me as a very nice mens' cologne. Smooth sage up front, with something warm and earthy perceptible underneath, which I took for subtle patch, but is probably a combo of frankincense, cedar, and nutmeg. The other herbs add complexity, and this smells dusty green.

There's a bit of a sharp cologne edge I associate with the cognac note and hopefully with soften with age. I don't get root beer at all. The cedar is mild and well-behaved. I get gentle, fuzzy, herbs, dried by summer sun but still growing in the field. And I get handsome man in a classy but casual pullover.  

Luscious king mandarin right up front that does feel a little more red than orange somehow.  It's a deeper citrus than this year's earlier offerings.  There's a cleanness present that reminds me of geranium, and the frankincense creeps up after a few minutes, adding a warm incense underneath the mandarin.  I don't get much floral, and I think this is fairly unisex.  

I'd say this smells like grown up fruit punch, but I don't want to undermine it's complexity.  A very nice example of the mandarin note, with enough going on to make it unique and dare I say, elegantly proper.  

This is really, really pretty at the start. A green, dewey smell, well-balanced with a light, but somewhat perfumy rose. On my skin, the dewiness starts to go a little soapy, but it's still very nice. Very freshly showered rose. It's simple, feminine, and clean and strikes me as a perfect rose blend for casual summer days. After about 20 mins, the dandelion is full center stage, and the rose has been freshly showered off. At this point, it's pleasant, but not something I would wear. 

The earlier stages remind me of a less fussy Asses Plus Long but they're also plenty different. If you are a rose lover who does well with mist and dewey notes, check this one out. 

Reminds me somehow of Antique Lace, but paler and mixed with a strange dustiness that evokes old stone. The grey amber is most prominent to me, reminding me of the one in Gloomy Day. Something smells vanillic to my nose as well. This is pretty, but understated and a touch somber. 

Woohoo!  Thanks to the amazing @GoldenRubee and her kittens, I managed to get my grubby mits on a bottle of this. 

So, Endless Corridors was almost a bottle purchase. I managed to resist, but adding red musk proved my undoing.  I was expecting a beeswax scent with a little splash of red musk, but I get a lot of musk. Also, a stronger honeyed sweetness and more bitterness - that metallic tang @starbrow mentions. I can see the comparison to a darker, thicker Bard, but where my brain jumped was " if Quintessence of Dust and Sanguinum Menstrum had a baby." I'd also say it's a distant cousin to Smut. 

Right now, this smells promising, but I think it needs to settle a while. Once that bitter edge has smoothed out, I think this is gonna be reeaal nice. 🤤

10 hours ago, Estamets said:

@VetchVesper paper bag is also not a great scent, but it might be less disconcerting than Kraft Mac & Cheez 😂😂

 

You are an absolute FONT! Thank you so much for these recommendations. 

This is a murky, clove incense on me. My bottle has had about 5 years to age.  There's a thick, syrupy undertone to the scent that I associate with myrrh, but I guess it must be the patchouli, sweetened very slightly by the florals. The florals are only vaguely recognizable in the bottle, and perhaps for a flash on my skin, then it's all about the clove. 

@Estamets The paper note in MU comes out really strongly on me, and I end up smelling like a brown paper bag soaked in Irish Cream.  😕 

I also really like Café Mille et une Nuits as a coffee scent.  It's not super sweet, but I like that.  Abolish ICE is really tasty and in the permanent collection. I'd also recommend Jólabókaflóðið: A dribble of candle wax, distant hearth-smoke, a fleck of chocolate Yule log, and aged, yellowing paper bound by well-loved leather that has passed through many gentle hands. It's a  Yule that has appeared several years and you could probably find a bottle or tester pretty easily. 

There is Black Coffee and Old Books, which I have up on my sales page.  Alas, it didn't work for me, but books and coffee, right there! There's The Buggre Alle This Bible, and The Book, which are general catalog, but aren't sold on the site as imps.  Haven't smelled the BOOK, but Buggre Alle is nice if you like leather.  The Crimson Peak, The Manuscript was also a really realistic book smell to my nose, but you might have to do some digging.  

Dee, Scholar's Tower, and Aelophile are very nice library scents, without exactly being "book" smells.  Antikythera Mechanism is very nice. The recent Weenie, Creaking Floorboards is very "polished" wood.  

In the bottle, I'm getting the bourbon and a spicy, woody oude.  There's nothing honey or vanilla about this to my nose.  It's fairly masculine.  Once I put it on, I swear I get ivory soap.  The oude is still there, and it's nice, not p'oudy at all, but there's nothing remotely sweet or foodish going on with my chemistry.  I've had my partial of this aging for a while now, but it seems it's just not for me.  

This has a bright, sugary citrus similar to the recent releases Meigetsu Ya and Erotic Sake Bowl, but the other notes bring in more complexity.  The grapefruit's juicy, and front and center at first, but the labdanum, amber, sandalwood, and cistus give this a warm, incensey undertone, and the iris adds a touch of floral.  The white musk adds a haze, but doesn't go into soap or dryer sheets territory.  Between that, the amber, and the sandalwood, there's a gentle powderiness to the scent.  After dry down, the overall effect is a warm, glowing, grapefruit, recognizable, but richer an less juicy than the other two offerings.  I could see wearing this one even in winter.  

None of the brighter citrus scents have lasted on me more than 4 hours, at least not with their recognizable juiciness.  This one seems to be lasting better than the others though, and hopefully, as the resins age, they'll help to further stabilize the sent.  I'm dithering on whether to grab a bottle.  

If you like Meigetsu and Erotic Sake Bowl, and none of the notes listed in Worm Moon scare you, it's well worth a try.  It's a distant cousin, related, but plenty going on to make it unique.

I blind bottled this sucker. It came in a box with almost 100 other bottles for a decant circle. One of the many bottles had leaked ever so slightly and smelled glorious. Oh happy day when, after greedily huffing out the miscreant bottle, I discovered it was this one. 

The jasmine shamelessly flaunts itself and is gorgeous. Red musk underlaces it with a touch of lusty sweetness, and carnation and hay sugar add another dollop of complex confection. I don't register a typical honey smell in this, but it's plenty sweet, though far from innocent. 

The other notes are mild but present, providing a raspy, decadent warmth like silk sheets beneath the ravishing florals. 

I'm fighting the compulsion to buy another bottle. Just one might not satiate me. 

I wasn't very familiar with cubeb, but apparently it likes me, because it popped right out on my skin.  I get a very chocolatey chocolate, reminiscent of Bliss, with an undertone of what's gotta be cubeb. It's really interesting.  It doesn't smell lemony to me, nor is it spicy like chili, cinnamon, or black pepper, like I was expecting. It reminds me more of the heat from fresh hot peppers, almost like chopped jalapenos, but sweeter. It's also a little tart like fresh strawberries. I bought a delicious jalapeno and strawberry jelly at a fair once, and that keeps coming to mind. Overall, the cubeb note is pretty subtle, but it adds an interesting vibe to an otherwise yummy, but simple, chocolate.

I agree with Threemoons' "herby red musk," except I'll add "mossy" to the descriptor.  This is really nice and kind of odd. The tuberose and mint sweetens things a bit at first, but the red musk and smokey, peppery moss are by far the strongest notes on me.  It's almost leathery smelling and leans masculine on me. I considered upgrading to a bottle with this one, but talked myself out of it b/c I probably wouldn't wear it that often.  I'm really glad to have my partial though.

Wow. I am officially proclaiming, this one needs more love and reviews. The notes are a weird combo and they make for a weird scent, but I love it. I ended up upgrading to a full bottle.

The chocolate in this smells more like white chocolate or cacao butter to me. It smells creamy. The white musk, which can sometimes go screechy or a bit "laundry" on me, is well-mannered here and blends with the elemi, creating a gauzy, effervescent veil over the chocolate. The overall effect is what I think of as "the ghost of chocolate," a pale, dry, chocolate musk that doesn't come off as foody and smells surprisingly lux. 

I'm a fan of chocolate notes, but prefer them to be less edible smelling. This is a great addition to my collection and smells like nothing else I have.  Weird and a winner.   

This is more foodie then fruity. The mango smells more like something you'd pipe into a pastry vs. fresh fruit. Something about this smells a little plasticy to me. I think it's a facet of the rice milk note which sometimes works for me, but isn't in this combo. It's not bad, and if the idea of a creamy mango pudding sort of smell floats your fancy, you'd probably like this. Not for me though. 

Ooooh dear. I get these are more for ritual than perfume, but occasionally the notes lure me in  for purely olfactory reasons. Unfortunately, the TAL's rarely smell good on me, but this is a downright mess. 

Corn-chip-salty lavender, soapy rose, and stinky jasmine. It just turns even more awful and chemical on me as it sits. About 20 mins in, I think I might smell the pink lotus, which I was curious about, but I am curious no longer. 

The only way I'll be getting tranquility, stillness, and silence from this is if I asphyxiate. If this is peace, cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war. 

Without looking at the notes - Musty, dusty sandalwood with a faint undercurrent of something herbal, almost minty. When I was little, I lived in a neighborhood built in the early 50's. All the homes had wood flooring and a certain smell of age. This reminds of that smell. It's nostalgic and vaguely comforting. Looking at the notes, I would have expected something more sexy, so the dusty nostalgia smell is a little disappointing. That said, this isn't a bad smell, and my sniffiest cat did seem to like it, so maybe it's a sexy cat smell. 😻

Anywho, more dusty than powdery amber and soft sandalwood with, I guess, a hint of the saffron creating that bit of quirkiness in the background.  Despite the "sweet" amber, this reads as genderless to me, making me think of place or object rather than a person.  This is the smell of old houses and old trunks full of memories.

Jaaaasmine.  Not quite going over into stinky territory, but teetering.  My suspicions of cinnamon were confirmed once Love Me hits my skin.  The jasmine starts to sort itself out.  I'm getting vanilla, and I think, honeysuckle.  Something bitter and green made a brief appearance, but then, thankfully, went away.  This is VERY sweet.  The honeysuckle might just be honey, but I think there's some suckle in there, because I'm getting more floral than just jasmine. Perhaps some heliotrope?    It's almost foody because of the vanilla and cinnamon.  It settles down from "in your face" to sort of a floral frosting skin scent within half an hour.

This was frimped and not on my radar, but it's rather tasty.    I shall enjoy my decant.  If the idea of floral frosting sounds appealing, and you're not anti-jasmine, give this a go.

ETA:  The more this warms up on my skin, the more I'm loving it.  Conjure blends don't usually do much for me, but this might be going on the full bottle list.  Also, someone mentioned ylang ylang as a possible ingredient.  Yeah... that might be it.  Definitely jasmine, and some other heady, sweet floral in the mix.

I actually really like this one. "Book" scents don't generally seem to work on me, and a lot of times I get a cucumber note. That's what I'm getting here too, but it's actually quite nice. I'm getting fresh, sweet cucumber, backed by sort of a powdery wood pulp smell. I'm guessing that's the frank, but it smells brighter than normal and the vetiver is downright grassy.

Really interesting and no pickles or "footy" for me.  Very green. I do wish the fragrance lasted longer though.  Seems to fade in less than 4 hours on me. I wonder if ageing might improve this. 

So, Snake Oil's nice, but a little tame for my tastes. Smut's pretty good, but I have other stuff that's similar. SNAKE Smut however... Well, let's just say I'll be buying one for now and one for later. 

The two fragrances together just seem more intense, lusty, and darker. There's a smokey richness and a woody bitterness, a deepening of the spices. There is nothing subtle about this delectably raunchy perfume. Moar please. 

So, funny story. Before going to bed, I grabbed a random Luper bottle in the dark and sniffed before applying. I was surprised at how humid the perfume smelled. Damp, steamy, like a fruity jungle. I was very amused when I read the name.  

This is tart plum, dripping with moisture, but it's somehow not aquatic. It dries out and gets more incensey as it wears, but the plum stays the focal point on my skin.  I don't really get tea.  It's a fun, bright blend, and I will really enjoy wearing it this summer.

So I got kind of a aquatic, green smell at first that was rather faint, so then I decided slather.  BLAMO!  Got by ganja!  

Lots of bitter green.  Very reminiscent of the lab's weed note.  Things calm down a bit though, and that sort-of fresh, watery vibe comes back and the herb steps back into recognizable tomato leaf territory.  The wood's gaining strength, grounding things and warming them up a bit.  It's a wee bit smoky and spicy.  Just a wee....

This smells like the very lux, all-real-wood cabinetry and state-of-the-art stainless steel applianced kitchen of a handsome Scottish man, who really knows how to use knives in the kitchen and endive in a salad, all while wearing the most dashing of kilts.  Yes.  It's THAT specific.  

Dark green herbal over warm, smooth, smoky wood.  Leans masculine.  I'd love it as a home scent or on said Scottish man.  Not sure if I'd wear it as a perfume.  Have to sniff on it a bit more.

Who knew we need more yams in perfumery? 

This is a gently spicy, gently foody, comforting blend.  The yam smells akin to pumpkin, but is less aggressive.  The cinnamon is noticeable, but is added with a delicate touch, just a warm, dry sprinkling.  There's a hint of harshness from the bourbon vanilla, but it's very faint and will probably mellow more with time.  I think the amber and oakmoss just give this a bit of a dry, creamy texture to lay on and keep things from being too sweet.  This is the perfume version of really good sweet potato pie, and will be a lovely fall alternative to the pumpkin pie note that hates me.  💖  It's lightweight enough though, that it should be fine in the summer.  Cuddly and yam good.   

ETA: Since others have mentioned the amber, I thought I'd mention that my brain wanted to compare it to Amber & Lace which also has a beautiful, raspy but creamy sort of vibe that smelled vaguely foodie.