Lucretia

This goes on much sweeter than I would have thought (must be the incense or the tobacco), and dries down to a soft musky leather. It still not quite that old leather book smell I'm looking for and remember from books as a kid. I think it's that it is more musky than musty. I'll probably hold onto this, but I just wish it wasn't so sweet.

Getting a lot of cedar and lime, which somehow comes out as smelling a bit spicy (kind of peppery like the OP mentioned). The immediate dry-down is a bit off-putting. It mellows out a little bit and gets a little bit creamier (the florals kicking in maybe?). The final dry-down is pretty nice, but really what I'm looking for. It's a light cedar scent at the end of the day (so no pencil shavings. Much more wooden box or airy day in the woods) but not something I would reach for on a regular basis.

This is now my favorite rose scent of all time. The roses are muted by the earth and moss and the whole thing takes on a bit of a damp, sad, old dusty rose smell. Sometimes roses can smell too sweet or sharp on me, but this is perfect. Zombi never worked on me, but this one is magic with my chemistry. So glad I was able to swap for a bottle of this.

This is one of my top 10 bpals ever and one of the few incense scents I can actually pull off. It's dark swirling incense with rose, honey, and saffron blended perfectly into the background. You can't put your finger on them but you can tell they are a part of the mix.

 

It smells a bit like I had hoped that Cicuta would smell. As a comparison, the rose is much less prominent in Eve than in Cicuta. She's also a little bit more dry and more woody smelling somehow. There's no sweetness to the scent on me. Overall, Eve is a really sexy scent. It's dark but distinctly feminine. So glad I took a chance on this one in time to order an extra bottle.

I think this may be one of the few foodie scents that actually works on my skin. This is brilliant. A little almondy at first and then it dries down into a gorgeous buttercream with spices and pumpkin. I feel like I'm getting a little vanilla, but it might just be the buttercream.

 

It's warm and soft and smells delicious without smelling like a scented candle. I slathered this about two hours ago and it's sticking around pretty well without at all being overpowering.

This smells exactly how I hoped it would smell! I can't wear grape and berries are not good on me, but this smells like gorgeous light woods and moss. It's very much in the same family as autumn coolness and the original hamadryad to me (maybe I'm crazy but those have always felt similar to me). I will wear this a lot!

This is amazing. I've been struggling to find a book scent that doesn't smell too dry (no pencil shavings, thanks) and masculine, and this one is perfect on me. I get leather and parchment and kind of a mild musk and sweet incense that blends everything together beautifully. I can see wearing this a lot this fall.

I can't really figure out the pear either, I'm just not smelling anything that my brain identifies as pear. To me it smells a little like the vanilla in Dana O' and then the scent of ink. It's OK, I think I just need to get used to it and maybe age it a little.

This is a really natural soft peach! I don't know why I was expecting something more artificial because I know this note from Gods of Intercourse already. It's really pretty and understated. My skin definitely eats it up as well though, so when I wear it out I think the bottle will have to come with me to be reapplied throughout the day.

I was so worried by all the reviews comparing it to Dorian because that one just did not work on me. It just smelled washed out somehow. Jareth however is grounded by the leather and some woods, and it's much better on me! I still get the sweet clean note from Dorian, but that's just half the picture. It's not too masculine, and I could see myself wearing this a lot. I was hoping for more white musk, but really this is a winner. I've been wearing it for a few hours now and it's still there going strong. Good stuff!

Anyone got any suggestions for scents like Autumn Coolness or Sapphics? Sort of a sweet woodsy (but not pine or decaying anything) kind of thing? I know these are kind of different, but they have the same kind of vibe to me and that's really what I'm looking for I think.

 

Sappphics

Tonka, oakmoss, tolu balsam, grey amber, myrrh, and muguet.

 

Autumn Coolness

The scent of wisteria, Cymbidium, lotus blossom, and cassia buds drifting on a breeze through gently swaying bamboo reeds.

I'm in love with this one. Perfectly balanced musk and amber with a touch of sweetness. I've been keeping the bottle on my desk to put it on when I need grounding to get some work done. It's cozy and warm and magical. Medium throw. It stays close to you, which is nice because it feels like more of a personal moment than something to be shared with the people around me.

This is so pretty! It smells like a less sexy, more festive version of Bastet on me. The oil goes on bright red, which I sort of get a kick out of. Lots ambrette and bees wax and champaca, with everything else coming together in the background to perfection. I think the bergamot helps it from getting too heavy and cloying. The dry down is nice and golden and it really is evocative of thousands of candles burning in the winter night.

In the bottle I can't tell at all what this smells like. Maybe a touch of verbena coming out?

First on it is definitely verbena and white sandalwood. Again, at this stage it seems almost like I have some sort of scent blind spot where I'm smelling this but it's not quite registering. Very odd! Maybe it's the ambergris and I just don't have a reference point for it. The dry down is almost all olibanum on me. Incense, but not headshop, this is sophisticated and magical. It smells like a meditation center I went to once as a kid. It's also very muted and stays close to the body, so I may need to slather this one. The scent is very grounding I think. I was hoping for more wisteria, but I'm not getting much, so wisteria haters need not fear!

This is much more of a fruity floral than I thought it would be! It's not *white* smelling like some scents in the same family are though, this is more muted and subdued. Nothing sharp going on here. I think I'm definitely picking up papyrus also, but no fir at all and not really any musk. It's not what I expected at all, but I think I'll find a place for it in my winter rotation when I'm looking for something cozy but not foody smelling.

 

ETA: I slathered this today and I'm absolutely in love with this scent now! So pretty!

Ohh yes, this is in line with my favorite winter scents. Cold and clean. Mainly I get snow with just a hint of greenery in the background. Getting more juniper as it dries down. Like someone else said it's very evocative of the winter landscape. Definitely keeping this one!

2011 also. I love this one! I was hoping for more coffee, but this is the pumpkin scent that I never got out of prior year's pumpkin patches. Not too sweet, just cozy warm pumpkin smell. Perfect for fall/winter.

This really smooths out my hair nicely! The smell is reminiscent of the frankincense in An Altar to Cold, Rigid, Dreadful Death. It's both spicy and severe smelling at once. The back of my hair is giving me more clove than the front, which makes me think I need to make sure to give the bottle a gentle shake before application next time. I was worried this was going to be overpowering or headache inducing but it's not too strong. It's definitely noticeable though. I need to see if other people are able to pick up on it or not still. I think this will be really nice for fall and winter!

I get October as well at first, which is alarming because October never really agreed with me. But the dry down mellows out and warms up a whole lot. More vanilla, amber, and white cocoa, less dead leaves. But the leaves stick around though, just not in that clearly decaying kind of way. I approve! And maybe now I can finally let October find a new home, since this one works on me a million times better.

This is all florals at first, mainly gardenia. But I have to say I really like the dry down! I get more musk and the ambrette and it's just a really pretty classy kind of scent. There's also something green smelling, like leaves or cut stems that I'm not sure I can pinpoint. I can tell I'm going to wear this a lot!

This is all apple first one, which worried me a bit because I don't dig the potpourri apple smell I get a lot. Then something sweet and vanilla-y comes out (but not candy sweet) as well as some musk and this turns absolutely gorgeous. I can see the glittering for sure. I think this is a big win. The final dry down hours later is almost like vanilla extract on me, almost no apple left at all.

This smells mainly like sweet rice on me, and a tiny bit like popcorn! I don't get much sap or amber at all, and if there's a moss note it's definitely not that musty wet moss that I get from a lot of other scents. Overall, this is warm, sweet, and vaguely foody. Not at all what I was expecting, but I think it will grow on me. Love the art!

If I didn't know better I'd say there was leather in here! The coffee note is totally different from say Misc U or Mata Hari. It's less overpowering and a less like a warm coffee shop. This is more masculine than I would have thought (I guess thanks to the khus and hinoki?). As it dries I start to like it more. I get more mallow, which sweetens it up a tiny bit, and the faux leather goes away. Smells a bit like a savory marshmallow with a hint of coffee and woods. I agree that it's a very brown kind of scent!

I don't really get any magnolia. First on it's a bit sharp (lavender? lemongrass?). I recognize it but can't place it. Do I detect a hint of rose? Definitely some lemon action going on. It's vaguely reminiscent of some of the sleep blends. It's pretty, and that's always a plus for an oil where the main intent isn't even to smell good.

Oooh, this is perfect! Practically edible in the bottle. After a few minutes it gets a little sharp like lemon candy, but the final dry down is sweet powdered sugar and lemon. I was worried it was going to be artificial smelling, but this smells great!