Lucretia

After having made a few preparatory experiments, he concluded with a panegyric upon modern chemistry, the terms of which I shall never forget: “The ancient teachers of this science,” said he, “promised impossibilities and performed nothing. The modern masters promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted and that the elixir of life is a chimera but these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses of nature and show how she works in her hiding-places. They ascend into the heavens; they have discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows. Mocking the invisible world with its own shadows: olibanum and murky ambergris accord with verbena, white sandalwood, and wisteria. 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!

VERDANDI: NECESSITY Deep herbs and apple with black amber. I hadn't reread the description when I put this on, so I wasn't sure what I was expecting. First off I am struck by a sense of musty herbs, not really crisp like fresh crushed, but more like dried herbs. Seems almost a bit aquatic for a second. Then, I get apples! This is my first scent with apples and I really like it. Again, not crisp, tart or juicy apples, but a fully ripe apple. This blends wonderfully with the herbs. I can't quite put my finger on the amber, but I think it has blended in with the apple scent. This smells very woodsy to me, something like a walk through a forest in the fall after a really heavy downpour and all the herbs and mosses are at their most pungent. It smells, indeed, like necessity to me. The things in nature which we need. I dig this quite a bit. I dont know if it's a favorite, but i love how it reminds of a forest at the same time as smells musty and appley. Very nice all around, and it tones down quite softly. It reminds me of something more too, I dont know what, but it makes me feel very calm and comfortable.

SUMMER'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT What pleasure always lasts? No joy endures: Summer I was, I am not as I was; Harvest and age have whitened my green head; On Autumn now and Winter must I lean. Needs must he fall, whom none but foes uphold. Thus must the happiest man have his black day: Omnibus una manet nox, & calcanda semel via lethi. This month have I lain languishing abed, ... Looking each hour to yield my life and throne; And died I had indeed unto the earth, But that Eliza, England's beauteous Queen, On whom all seasons prosperously attend, Forbad the execution of my fate, Until her joyful progress was expired. For her doth Summer live, and linger here, And wisheth long to live to her content; But wishes are not had when they wish well. I must depart, my death-day is set down; ... To these two must I leave my wheaten crown. So unto unthrifts rich men leave their lands, Who in an hour consume long labor's gains. Doomed summer, supported on the shoulders of winter and autumn: citrus-infused Baltic amber, red valerian, marigold, blood orange, and sunflower subdued by somber myrrh and dry geranium alongside the leaves of autumn and a breath of winter wind. This is a real pretty citrus floral. My only other reference for a citrus is sol invictus and this is much softer than that one. It goes on a bit sharp and citrusy (but definitely not anything like lemon pledge). Then I get amber and blood orange (although I can't really differentiate the orange from the rest of the citrus) and then some gorgeous flowers in the background. It smells like walking through a field of yellow flowers on a fall day. It's really very evocative. It's not that strong on me and it becomes barely noticeable after about 3 or 4 hours. Really happy I got this one.

Lilac, ho wood, smoky vanilla, galbanum, and tonka. This one is a morpher on me. First on I get sweet, almost caramel for some reason. Then HELLO lilac with something a bit sinister in the back (galbanum?). The dry down is much more ethereal and complex though, the lilac is barely there and the smoky vanilla and ho wood come out. On me it's definitely in the same family as Fairy Market. Really happy with this one finally!

Stately, bold, aristocratic and cruel. Opulent galbanum and amber, glistening peach, and a bouquet of French florals, with a merciless undertone of jonquil and heartless vetiver. My first first review! anyway, this my friends is awesome. If a peach could be the devil, this would be it. This is a juicy peach, not too sweet but just right, which a floral undertone and notes of vetiver. I for one have been waiting for a floral with vetiver for a long time, because it's one of my favorite combinations. Out of the bottle, alcohol and peaches, smells like peach schnapps or something. On it smells juicy, very peachy, with very regal, sophisticated florals. I don't know what a jonquil smells like, but I get sort of a lily scent. And then of course the vetiver which adds a hint of evil. These peaches will suck your soul out! I need a 5ml... ! edit to say that I got a bottle, and it's much less peachy, much more galbanum. Still fabulous, in fact possibly even better. ETA: I still have this bottle almost 4 years later and it still smells awesome. It's aged beautifully. Especially the amber and the vetiver.

She Who Conceals Love-Affairs Black narcissus, purple orchid, neroli, white sandalwood, ambergris, plum musk, jonquil, thyme, oakmoss, and grapefruit. I can't believe I'm the first to review this! In the bottle: sort of clean but fruity. I'm getting mainly plum and grapefruit with maybe some jonquil. First on: Not very strong. Very clean and sort of cold. I think I'm picking up oakmoss. Much less fruity, with the narcissus, orchid, and sandalwood starting to peek out. It's sort of a haughty floral. Definitely on the sophisticated side of things. Very well blended, and nothing really stands out and screams "I'm X note, look at me!" when I wear it. I was worried about the thyme, but I'm not picking up it at all. The ambergris is also very low key on me, although it does come to play more once it's fully dry. Dry I'd say it reminds me a tiny bit of Lamia, which could be the orchid Overall verdict: I really like this one. It's a somewhat muted floral that smells both clean and dark at the same time.

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!

EVENING CICADAS AND RED PEPPERS It is so, so cold! A cicada in the eaves With the red peppers. Frost-limned, ice-bejeweled branches, scattered blood-red maple leaves, a few camellia petals, red peppers, and nacreous, multi-colored musks that shimmer like gently-beating cicada wings. This is really beautiful! I really had no idea what to expect with this one, but it's decidedly floral. It goes on really muted and I can actually barely smell it at first. I can never pinpoint what the ice and frost bpal notes are, but they are definitely here. I've never smelled camellia before, but it's a nice floral. It's not too sharp and not soapy. And then some really soft musks in the background. I'm having the hardest time describing this so hopefully someone who knows these notes better will review it after me, but my overall impression is a soft floral with some gentle musk and cold notes. As it dries I get more of what I think is the peppers (or maybe the maple leaves?). It's vaguely spicy. ETA: ok, it's definitely the peppers that come out as it dries, and actually the florals start to fade. This is a real morpher! I don't know if I'd call the final dry stage a floral so much even, it's almost a bit earthy.

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.

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.

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.