artisjok

Yule Cat is a good one! Not sure how much of the civet vs. other musk comes through. I enjoyed it. Malevolent musk, a drop of infernal civet, vetiver, club moss, birch, goosefoot, and rowan.

Edit: Oh no! I just saw your vetiver aversion. 

Thanks for your patience! 
@Usagi painted me these awesome planetary & astrology panels for my ritual devotions~ 

Love examining all the details! And how you grouped the signs according to element. I’m always thinking about how signs relate. 

My children not only have gotten their own little treats, but have been so interested in all the planets, asking questions and using the paintings as back drops to their space stories!  

In the letter, she explains how some new photos of the planets have showed colors that we don’t traditionally associate with them, and she focused on bringing those into the painting. Super curious how the shift to more complex visuals will color (lol) my understandings of their energetic properties in a fresh way! 

Plus, some delicious oolong tea (My partner and I tried it yesterday, he really enjoyed it!), a bar of soap (we always love more smelly soaps), and a really cute necklace with the moon and sun-like charms! 
 

I’m loving everything, Usagi, thanks for your thoughtful work! I really feel moved to focus on my astrology studies this year, and these just boost that excitement. 

and gosh, aren’t all the animal artworks so sweeeeet! Love seeing everyone’s creations. 

Ahhhhhiiiiiii! I got a huge box in the mail today! 
 

I’m about to go out of town for the weekend, so I’m taking it with me to open & take pictures. Once I’m back I’ll probably squee with evidence! 

Unfortunately, this Gossip, Slang & Cuss-words is more akin to TKO than I like. TKO has some stealth champaca-based incense note that dominates on my skin (such a shame because I love lavender & marshmallow…). It’s happening to me here, too. 🙀 The main difference is that the osmanthus is lending a floral tartness to the experience, which works even less without the vanilla-sweetness I usually enjoy it combined with. Silly skin. 
It’s true that sticks and stones may break bones, but words can damage just as much, and my sweet lavender scent-loving soul is officially crushed. 

Eeee! I love seeing its hanging place, right next to the loteria mirror & so many other intriguing neighbors!   
 

Maybe we can plan a can-cutting hangout 

Started answering questions in a spoiler in my earlier post

New Question!  What are your feelings about bags? Do you like certain size? Would you be okay with a purely decorative small bag, or does that just sound bonkers? 
 

Just feeling around the possibilities in my mind.

Oooooohhhh I’m so excited to have some visions already flowing in! Letting them percolate for now, but I’ll start some sketchbook plotting soon. 

Edit: putting my answers to questions in the spoiler below! 
 

Ahh! Sorry, I’ll get on that today~~~~

 I’ll join this round!

Aziraphale has been on my need-to-try back burner list for ages, so when I saw the chance to snag a bottle for a super deal (), I snagged hard! Not disappointed.

The blond woods are dry and definitely conjure the image of bright gleaming wood, freshly split. Supporting them is the iconic book note of BPAL, so sweetly papery and comforting. A oh-so-gentle poof of musk hovers about the two, yes, like an angelic halo. 
 

I’ve been wanting a scent that encapsulates my childhood memories of lumber store visits, and this does the honor of including the book note. Reading is another connection I have to childhood memories with my father. 
 

Super pleased Azi works for me and gives me some cherished nostalgia, to boot. Doesn’t hurt that I like his character, too! 
 

I’m getting rootbeer Snake Oil, oddly enough…. Take a root beer, remove the fizz and replace with musk, maybe an extra shot of vanilla, sure.
Not sure what to think, what to do, so I’m going to stash this bottle for while. May time heal all wonkiness, and transform this soda into gingerbread. 

This Thirteen has been one I’ve reached for many nights since I’ve gotten it, both because it’s such a comfort vibe, aaand it’s tantalizing trying to parse apart which notes I’m smelling.

Here’s what I’m smelling this night~

You walk from a brisk forest scene straight into a dimly lit reading room. Removing your boots, a waft of pine resin lingers on the soles and makes its farewell. The reading room is full of heavy wooden furniture, gleaming in muted lamplight from years of polishing. Someone has left half of a pumpkin empanada on a desk, and pop it into your mouth. Can’t let a delectable treat like that go unappreciated. The rich pumpkin filling captures your full attention for a moment, and you miss the soft sound of footsteps come up behind you.. Warm callused hands cup around your eyes, smelling faintly of sandalwood oil and rolling tobacco. You smile and turn and fall into the warmth of an embrace, allowing yourself to be pulled into the next room. A mug of chai awaits, and more.

A Girl Knitting starts with a floral/fruity-tinged fabric, a clean fabric. Almost grape-y. It’s definitely conjuring laundry in the sunny breeze sensations. The clean fabric claims dominance over the tinges of colored sweetness.

It’s not my favorite iteration of the note… 

I really love the more Autumn-esque combos like October 32 and A Cozy Sweater & An Apple Cider. I’ll probably use up my decant for a bedtime scent. Need to try a lavender version…

Meigetsu Ya is brilliant streaks of orange, sparkling with freshness, & smoothed by a surprise vanillic tone, humming serenely beneath its vibrant melody. 
 

It’s genius for layering, and perfect for lifting the mood of the day. 

I’m getting mostly sugary spices and cream from this PSL, and I’m okay with it! Coffee doesn’t show up well on me, though. 
It is a warm, comforting experience, and I can imagine that there’s pumpkin adding some of that seasonal element. 

This latte is replacing Kobold Barista in my collection, because I’ve started to dislike black pepper in my scents recently.
Glad I chose to swap for a bottle! 🎃🧡🤎🤍☕️
 

Drow Yoga Instructor is Morocco, stripped of spices and floating in plummy lavender plumes. They must share the same sandalwood incense. For me, it’s a warm and snuggly, musky-type scent. The lavender & plum aspects disappear into the soft cushions of incense faster than I would like, yet it’s still an appealing experience.
There is a linear simplicity about it that would make it easy to layer, as the RPGs are meant to do, and also it’s pretty nice on without adding anything. A meditative scent doesn’t need much.

After sitting with the global tension and grief as I catch up on news, this has been a supportive scent cloud to be enveloped in. 
I’ll be over here reapplying hourly (for the purple notes!) til I sleep. 

This is definitely a creepy creeper. A band-aid-type note is strrrrong right off the bat, and has me cringing to put my nose close to my arm. *shudder* Underneath lurks a juicy red blood note, emerging from beneath to give the scent some intrigue, some oozy softening, yet retains its spooky power.  
If you want to be a f***ed-up doctor/nurse killer for Halloween, I definitely recommend this duet! 

Raminou is the embodiment of a red musk blanket, with a few stray leaves and twigs stuck to the fringe that were blown in from an opened door. 
It gives a very Autumn vibe, with a window view of some rugged terrain. Not immersed in it, just able to gaze out upon it from the comfort of a warm, cozy chair. 
 

All the notes are blended so well it’s hard to say what else is present besides the red musk, yet it’s a complex red musk, with many fireside stories to tell.
A lovely representation for an orange tabby, truly. 

I grabbed a decant of Copulating Couple secondhand once I realized the scent could be very close to the Two Pairs of Lovers atmo (Green tea, oakmoss, frankincense, mint absolute, and raw green patchouli.), and it is! I agree with doomsday that the washi has a cucumber-type smell, and it makes this feel more water elemental than the atmo, and I’m enjoying it! There’s a slight… juiciness to it, like eating candy that makes your mouth water, yet it’s also dry & papery green. Yum!
I saw a partial bottle I hope to snag next time I have funds. 

Wearing this scent is really making my morning feel relaxed and easy~

Inspection really tickled my brain when I read the notes, and I considered blind-bottling it. I’m glad I found a decant, because it did not play out as I hoped…. An almost soapy clean scent in its wet phase, a cleanliness that carries into the dry phase, yet entwines with a smoky note and some dry cedar. I’m guessing it’s the incense that’s not working for me, though not sure.
There is a tiny hint of jasmine in there, but I only notice it because I’m looking for it. Not getting tea, and maybe just a scrape of sage. 

Hmmm… glad this Inspection works on other skins. In theory, it’s gorgeous, in practice, it fails for me.

Blood Rose is a sensual blend, but not the way I was hoping. I really wanted juicy wine with the other two notes, but I’m getting more of a red musk experience from the blend, with some rose and a touch powdery resin.

Not a win for me, though a good scent if you like to smell dark sensual. Reminds me of Love and Time and Sin, which I like more & decided to destash because I didn’t reach for it much. 

I was testing a shea-heavy scent last night from another company, and it was way too strong on the note for me to enjoy it. This Little Owl is somehow so similar to that scent, & I’m totally surprised. It’s a bit more sophisticated, but still not my jam. 

Final Girl is one of those scents that I think is okay, yet not my favorite. Then, I can’t stop sniffing, and can’t get it out of my mind when it’s not on me. A growing obsession. 
I agree with @tinyvulture that it’s strongly reminiscent of Love’s Philosophy! I think the clove is giving me the saffron vibes, and something about the vanilla/honey combo is just like LP smelled on me. The berries seem non existent on my skin, but I’m sure they contribute something… 

Grateful to have a bottle, so I can sniff contentedly for days~

Oh! And editing to remark that this is one of the few scents that sticks on me all. day. long.

I usually don’t enjoy the Lab’s champagne note, though I had a hunch this would be good. I’m glad I scored a decant, because it is really good! 
 

I think there’s a sharpness that usually accompanies the champagne scents I’ve tried. Here, the pumpkin cheesecake smooths out that hard edge. It’s like a spiced Italian cream soda, or something like that….

lightly spiced, gently creamy, sparkling brightness… intriguing!
Also, it lasts really well, and I always appreciate scents that can hold up on my thirsty skin. I can’t stop sniffing. 
 

I’m tempted to get a full bottle, since I don’t know if I’ll find another champagne scent that works so well for me. 

Yep. This might be my first encounter with the “burning plastic” phenomena…. Thankfully, it only strikes upon application! 
The scent, once it settles, in is unremarkable light vanilla on me, though I think that’s my skin on the Lab’s cheesecake. Eggnog Cheesecake was similarly disappointing.
 

Sadness. 
Glad I got to try it, though, and someone will love the bottle I’m sure!