artisjok

Bits of Birnam Wood is yuuuuummy. Sometimes, apple can be too high-pitched, shampoo/perfumey, especially as the primary note. Here I’m getting that perfumey note, yet it pairs so well with the mashed & wood notes that make an almost caramel-esque effect. It’s like eating baked apples under an apple tree while wearing an apple perfume. Truly a combo of all the apple goods. I’m glad the reviews convinced me to get a decant, and I’ll be treasuring it this Summer when I want to smell delicious. Oh, and it lasts a good while with some throw. A total win for my scent-thirsty skin!

Okay, so I know Masquerade is patch/orange blossom, but, sniffing blind, I totally though I was smelling the perfume version of Hedonism BO (it’s ylang ylang with the patch there, + citrus & myrrh). Makes sense, and I recommend the pair to anyone who loves heady florals and rich & woodsy, not funky, patchouli. Orange blossom and patchouli takes turns leading the scent on my skin, and I never really get ambergris, yet the carnation’s spice peeks out in the later drydown. I don’t think I’ll keep this imp, yet I’m glad to know it exists, in the case I get really into sultry floral blends.

Blood Amber claws it’s way into my nostrils, a screaming dragon studded with flowers, almost soapy as dragon’s blood can be on me. It’s high pitched and fierce for the first 30 min. Then, amber shows up and winds it’s way around the dragon, petting it’s head and diluting the screaming rage with some resinous powder. There’s a transition here that is too powdery for my liking, yet the notes end up balancing. They come to terms with each other and I’m left with an enticing feminine incense. It’s surprising me how I love this final stage, comparing to loud wet stage.

I’m getting a musk (I’m thinking it’s the “vegetal” like in Inferior Vena Cava), sandalwood, a light dusting of cinnamon or cassia, and a dab of patchouli from my Server Gremlin. There must be some other resin in there, yet I’m not sure what. I could see a smooth oudh. In the very beginning, there’s a greenish feel to the scent, but it gives way quickly to the other deeper notes. I don’t get any ozone or much zing, though I would believe ginger now that I’m sniffing the late drydown. I vaguely remember frimping an imp of this at one time, and I’m glad I got another to try. It’s fabulous! Definitely in my wheelhouse of favorite note combos.

Raccoon Moon is a treat, bright citrusy snow and evergreen swirling together. I think the osmanthus this is contributing some fruity tartness, from my experience of Sanctus (it’s the only scent where I’ve been able to distinguish the note).There’s a smear of dirt/woods gently supporting, not at all strong. The drydown is more of a soft white floral cozied by the musk, though a hint of the brightness still touches the edges. I took a chance on a bottle, since I’ve been loving the snow note recently and my birthday was day after Full Moon. Totally worth it, and totally unique among my collection!

Manhattan swings in with GRAPEFRUIT and white tea, then the lemon peel steps in for grapefruit after a few minutes. The amber seeps in quietly, and I notice the leather’s subtle presence. I’m realizing the orchid has been blooming all along, too. Everything is so well blended, apart from high tea & lemon notes, that I’m having difficulty prying their characters apart. The teakwood must be present, since I think “Is there wood?,” and I swear I notice wood when I didn’t before. I just thought, “ I guess mint is the only one I don’t smell (or imagine).” Yep, now I think I smell mint. Ahaha The combo of brightness with orchid and the darker notes is compelling. The way they blend so seamlessly has my nose glued to wrist. Definitely upscale and could be totally sexy in the right outfit. Manhattan is one of my favorite GC scents, and I recently got a friend hooked on it. I’m starting to find orchid is a favorite floral.

Magus is a cedar forward scent, though sweetened by frankincense and softened by sandalwood. I’m not familiar with the scent of the other two, yet internet links galangal to ginger, and I can sense a sweet sparkle similar to ginger. It does have a certain magical feeling, like a wooden room, smooth with age and infused with all the essence of spells and secrets devised within it. I’m enjoying the sweet cedar tone a lot. If it works well on my partner, my magician, it’s bottle worthy.

Brown Jenkin is dry, sweet, and cozy, and I’m so happy to have it slathered. I’m not sure how much of the dry is sandalwood and how much is orris, yet it works really well with the coconut. The nuzzling is definitely that musk, which is probably what really makes this scent for me (love a snuggle musk). The incense only slightly peeks out later in the drydown for me, well entwined with the others. I don’t really go for coconut scents, but the Lab sure knows how to spin them to my liking. Maybe it’s only a mental construction I hold onto tightly, and in reality I love smelling like coconut... Curious, indeed. Definitely keeping imp. I’d totally bottle this furry baby.

Fae is the lightest peach scent I’ve tried. It’s Slightly sweet, a bit powdery cozy from the musk/oakmoss combo, not high-pitched at all for me. I’m pretty sure the heliotrope is coming through a bit, yet not really getting bergamot. The musk is the most prevailing note, though the peach lingers longer than I expected. I can see this being the scent of a fairy princess figure, yet I would hope for a wilder, more sparkling yet deeper scent for the Fae. An enjoyable though, pretty and feminine. I’ll probably send it to a new home, as it’s not my personal style. update: 5 years later, and my tastes in perfume have shifted greatly! I chose Fae on a whim as my night scent, and it’s a gorgeous creamy peach, like fairy ice cream confection, not completely gourmand, because magic, and really fun to wear. It has a chewy edge to it, and the peach and white musk reign the entire wear. Again, I don’t get the bergamot, that I know of, and now I don’t really detect oakmoss, though they would both be welcome. I think the heliotrope is part of the experience, but I don’t really know what it smells like on its own.

This crocodile is woody! At first, it’s a pretty balanced chocolate mint & cedar. Then, the cedar AMPS and is a bit funky for some reason (on its own? because of oak moss?). The mint stays present, and the cedar tones down a bit and loses the funk (phew!). There’s a creaminess from the vanilla and chocolate and/or pistachio, yet neither are revealing themselves completely. I’m quite enjoying this gloating reptile. Indeed, he’s a cheerful one, and I’m feeling content to smell like him on this warm sunny day~ *wanders off to spritz some Tombstone HG and play outside* update: I’ve been thinking of the “chocolate mint” and realized I have some planted in my garden. It’s not too much different from peppermint, maybe a little smoother.

El Dorado brings to mind an old-fashioned Catholic Spaniard. I recognize the copal resinous and slightly lemony. The gold (?) is bringing a cologne vibe. So, I’m getting the resinous church incense entwined with a masculine cologne. It feels dusty with age and maybe too much condemnation, or just a general wearing away at belief with time and monotonous ritual. I always think I’m going to love copal, as I do love burning the resin, yet it doesn’t seem to like my skin chemistry too much. It fairs better on my partner. El Dorado doesn’t like me much either.... although I do like the romance of a search and promise of adventure, I’m not so excited about the gold itself.

The Scales of Deprivation is an upright scent. I feel like a calm, strict, yet compassionate teacher would wear this. It’s a fougere for sure, very refined. I pick out the sage easily, and a bit of the lemon peel in the early stages. The vetiver starts to peek out as it dries. I don’t get a whole lot of resin, maybe a touch of frankincense, yet it’s difficult to discern from the touch of lemon brightness. The sandalwood becomes more apparent with wear, and I agree with the fuzziness. I start to notice the lavender more, and the sage is still prominent. The longer it wears, the more “me” it feels. I would totally use this in meditation or to keep myself composed through some tedious task. It does defy the description, as starbrow says. Definitely keeping my imp, and would consider more!

Cairo is thick lemon sweet on me, and I’m thinking lemongrass or something, because it’s powerfully long-lasting. Honey would fit the sweetness, especially as it conjures the throat lozenge comparison for some. I tested blind, and didn’t think wine or grape at all. It reminds me of a lemon-heavy Arcana, so I know there’s frankincense, and others have mentioned rose, and I could see that, or rosemary like Arcana. It starts to become quite powdery after a while. It’s interesting and I like the strength. I have a bottle of Arcana, though, and I am more connected to it’s theme, so I doubt I will reach for this in the future. Potentially good for oil burner on cleansing days....

Mary Shelley is a classy gal. I don’t get much ozone or lightning, I get absinthe and flowers, maybe a touch resinous, that dries down to something like black tea and a sweet floral touch. I like it! Not sure how much I will wear it, as I have other loved black tea scents I only occasionally grab.

If O Love and Time and Sin is the aftermath of sex (sweaty, gritty, dark, and delicious), Spellbound is the phase before the act. It’s got the heavy red musk attraction, yet there’s a lighter tone with the ambers compared to the opoponax. The roses are more present and in form, rather than crushed and strewn about the bed sheets. I adore both scents. They’re both heavy and sensual. I really have to feel like I’m in my body and power to fully appreciate wearing them. Funnily, I accidentally slathered OL&T&S last night before bed, when I thought I was putting another scent on. Then, this morning I grabbed a random GC imp & Spellbound was the first. Talk about serendipity...

With the heavier notes in Queen Alice, I was surprised to find carnation came through the strongest on me. Wet, the cider is entwines with the carnation’s spice. The cider burns off quickly, and it’s fresh carnation petals back by posie and a light touch of the wine. I totally thought the wine was going to drown everything, so this is a treat. It’s mainly the sweet floral and after a while the whole scent winds down to a soft cozy wool. I do wish the treacle came through, as I like those chewy thick sweet scents, yet I’m more pleased with the scent than expected. A lovely experience!

Omg The Serpentine! I forgot how beautiful it is until I was soaking in the bath oil the other day. I paired with Frostbitten TKO when I got out, and it was divine.

Echoing the other reviews... Patchouli! And I could see sandalwood, and even cedar seems present further down the wear. A strong woodsy patchouli that would be right at home in a meditation studio, or dancing at a festival.

I’m not good with champaca, so I knew I am All in a Sea of Wonders wasn’t going to be the best blend on me. I love the idea of everything else so much I had to try, given the chance to swap for a decant. Truly, it’s the loveliest corn tortilla I’ve tried. Haha if the champaca wasn’t present, it would be the most beautiful white amber blend. Like a moon beam, thickly present, yet sheer when you try to grasp it. There’s a slight herbal tinge going on, yet it can’t keep up with the glowing resins. Thankfully, the champaca fades after a while and I can enjoy the remaining notes. I’ll probably keep the decant to try one more time and see if I want to wait for that drydown. Won’t need a bottle, though.

I’m in the same boat at annemathematics, Magic Circle is all patchouli, woodsy soft, with perhaps hints of a floral. It sounds like a beautiful blend, and I wish I was getting all those other stellar notes! I do like Patchouli, yet have other blends that suit me more.

Arkham is primarily sweet powdery florals on me. There’s a touch of freshness and an atmospheric sensation that does remind me of wandering about the wild. At one point it develops a grape smell, though it’s a fleeting phase. I wish it were mainly woods with a touch of floral, yet it’s lovely in its way. Not something I’ll reach for to wear. I might keep it for my oil burner on a bright happy day.

Like others have confirmed, Western Bonneted Bat is definitely a butterscotch & definitely a tobacco scent. I’m also getting a fruity vibe from it. The tobacco gives it a perfumey vibe. The scent is lighter feeling than I expected, and I’d wear it in the Spring more easily than my other tobacco scents or butterscotch/caramel scents. An upscale candy, yet not too rich. Glad to have the decant!

Magnetite Phoenix is in the same niche as Schwarzer Mond for me. The iron is a strong hollow and sharp sensation right off the bat, but then it backs off and I get primarily a labdanum-heavy dark resin + patchouli, with vetiver emerging more with wear time. It’s masculine-leaning, and I tend to like the heavier scents like this. Luckily, I own a bottle of SM, so I’m not going to need more than the one decant.

When this trio arrived, it was A dry scent, almost made me cough. Luckily, after only a couple weeks resting it’s developed more into what I had hoped... I’m a big fan of vetiver, and I thought that rum would be thick and sweet, so in my head it was heavenly. I hoped the cinnamon bark was a welcome spice, not overload. First applying, I can detect all components. Very quickly, the vetiver and cinnamon bark claim dominance and it’s that dryness I first feared. Thank goodness, after about ten minutes, rum comes back, warm and glowing. It’s not boozy one me at all. It’s more there to smooth out the edges, and lending a slightly sweet golden aura to the other two notes. The vetiver outlasts the cinnamon (it’s always outlasting others on my skin), yet the rum keeps up. I’m surprised & pleased by this. I enjoy the scent, yet it’s not a favorite. If the rum continues to grow in strength, and I hope it does, I think it’ll make me happier. my partner likes it, even straight from the mail. He says he felt like putting on a suit to fit the scent. I’m gonna age it some more and see what happens~~~~~~ maybe by the Fall, it’ll be right where I hoped, and just in time!

I’m wearing an aged Old Demon today. He comes on strong and heavy with syrupy sweet musk and opoponax, brightened by the neroli and pepper. I’m guessing the tonka lends some of the sweetness. Clove stays hidden, maybe because it’s aged and is tired of dealing with this feisty old timer. The neroli takes its exit pretty fast, off to take a nap, and the pepper takes a chair, dozing. Siberian musk and opoponax are going on strong, they’ll rage until the last young demon has spent their fire and gone back to their hell hole. I like the blend well enough, especially for wear length and throw (I like ‘em strong!). I already have a bottle of Love and Time and Sun to cover my musk/opoponax niche, though this demon is fuzzier, cuddlier than that one. (Time is a harsh master. Aka Saturn) I’ll probably slather it on my partner when I’m wearing L&T&S, so we can be a sexy resin bomb together.