wolfie13

In the vial: - Pine Wet on skin: - Pine with an added sweetness (but not a specific note to me) and fresh wet dirt. In fact, on me, it smells EXACTLY as if I had layered Hemlock and Graveyard Dirt. Couple hours later: - The dirt scent has faded away (sad) and it smells like the sweet christmas tree scent that Hemlock alone has on me. Late drydown: - The scent is a lot lighter forest scent with a touch of the musky sweetness that Hexennacht had on me. Final verdict: - As I already have 5 mls of Hemlock, Graveyard Dirt and Hexennacht, I won't be purchasing this one, as it's too similar to too many things I have already. But if i didn't, I would buy this one!

Awwww - Caged Flame that's too bad! - I had really hoped Hexennacht would work for you, as we seem to have similar skin chemistry. (My skin tends to make Dragon's Blood go crazy too - there are very few blends that contain it that i can wear - and too bad because i love it! Because of this I do not recommend Tintagel, as with both musk AND dragon's blood, it was out of control on me.) Good luck with your continued search - I'll be checking back on this thread myself to see what others recommend that I haven't tried yet!

I tend to have the same problem, with red musk being the worst offender on me - whoa, my skin blows that one right out of the water! And I am not a huge floral fan either. Here are some (besides Snake Oil, of course!) that have worked for me. You might want to look into these, depending on how you feel about the other notes: Black Forest Blood Kiss Dracul Hecate Hexennacht Villain

I knew this scent would not be for me, but I've always wanted to try it because of the whole story tied to it. The lab read my mind and just sent me a bonus imp (thank you!) of this with my last order. And in fact, it's not for me - it's nearly all magnolia and jasmine on me, with a bit of amber and smoke - REALLY heady, heavy floral, which is not generally my thing. But it's just beautifully done - SO evocative of sultry 40's and 50's pinups, flowers behind the ear, showing a bit of leg at a swanky, smoky bar, a slight air about the place of mystery and danger. I keep an imp of Darkness around (which is a similar type of experience for me) for those very rare heady, dark floral moments, so I'll likely be swapping this. But so glad I got to satisfy my curiousity.

In the imp: dragon's blood and wine are most prominent, with clove and leather following closely. Wearing: Pretty much the same, with the wine receding and the leather and spice advancing, and notes of bayberry and a slight touch of musk arriving. Definitely a fall/winter scent. I can see the knights feasting, decorative greens in the hall, roaring fire in the 7 foot high fireplace. This one is loud and strong and heavy on me. But that's because it's pretty much composed solely of all the notes that my skin amps up like crazy! It's a bit too much for me to wear, but as others have said, it would probably be an amazing room scent for the yule season.

In the vial: First sniff - grape bubblegum is my impression. Hmm - not excited about that. Sniffing with more focus - red wine (which always reads very grape-y to me and on me in most bpal blends), raisins and honey. Upon application: Still very grape-y, but calms down considerably after just a few moments. Notes of frankincense and perhaps a touch of lemongrass come more to the fore, brightening things up a bit and taking the edge off the fruity sweetness. Overall this scent reads a lot lighter than I imagine this review would lead you to believe. It's not overtly sweet or fruity or incense-y, yet it has a touch of those qualities. The much later drydown (4 hours or so) is surprising - it's become very soft and mostly light honey, with a teensy bit of floral - the slightest touch of rose, maybe - and very light spice. (The throw at this point is somewhat reminiscent of Alice on me, believe it or not!) It seems really complex - I get the feeling that there are a lot more things going on in this blend than I can pick out. I find myself sniffing and sniffing and finding myself without a lot to compare it to. I like that! Unique and a keeper, much to my surprise.

In the bottle: MINT! It's a real nose-tingler and you can definitely smell different types floating around in there - peppermint, spearmint, wild mint. The cucumber and pepper are barely noticeable in the background. Upon application and for the first hour or so: The mint backs off a bit, though still tingles your nose upon sniffing, and lets a bit more of the peppery cuke step forward. I LOVE this phase - it's pretty much my dream summer scent. I run into a bit of trouble at this point: The mint pretty much disappears and it seems that while the mint was busy packing up, the cuke has been shifitily transforming itself into a sort of perfumey aquatic - not horrible, but not my favorite type of scent. Sad. The final drydown at hour 3 or so: Backs down to a softer and more realistic cuke scent. (which is fine for me, as I like cucumber.) This is reminiscent of both Cathode (which I also liked a lot until the later drydown - the moss goes a bit swampy on me, but it's a blast of mint with something "green" like this one) and Frost Moon (also liked upon initial application, but then it turns to nearly the exact same sort of aquatic on me as this one, but with a floral aspect that pushed me over the edge into dislike, whereas in this scent it just makes me uneasy.) This may not be my HG mint scent, but will likely still be a keeper - I think it will be very nice for summer - would make a great cooling spray!

Another successful LE for me!! I'm already lamenting the fact that I have only one lonely little bottle. This has distinctive phases for me and I love every one. In the bottle: Mostly sharp, hot, freshly-grated ginger root - the most realistic fresh ginger smell ever! Dark baking spices swim in the background. Overall scent is definitely that of a strongly flavored, not-too-sweet ginger snap. Initial application: Still LOTS of fresh cut ginger, but the other notes begin to differentiate themselves a bit more, as well as melding more with the ginger. (The ginger seems to stand apart more in the bottle.) It loses the outright "cookie" quality on me fairly quickly. (which I'm thankful for, not being a huge foody scent person) and gains a deeper, darker, and complex aspect. I start to smell cinnamon, nutmeg, clove for the spices and also herb and resin type stuff (bay leaf? frankincense?) which lends a somewhat smoky, earthy edge to the ginger and spice. I would not be surprised if this had some patchouli in it. Hours later drydown 3- 4 hours: The faded version is a bit different yet again - soft ginger and black pepper and resin - which really does smell like amber to me as others have said (though i didn't really get amber from the other phases). And if so, it's my favorite type of amber note - it smells exactly as it does when I rub the actual grains of resin on my wrists - not powdery, perfumey or disappearing as it can sometimes be on me. Darkly sexy and unique. (ETA: I love it more every time I wear it. It's in my top 10 for sure)

Okay - I'm probably restating the obvious here, but Beltane really is the ultimate springtime scent - spring flowers, fresh cut grass, a touch of green herbs.

Here are some others that may be worth trying out for you.... Silk Road Hamadryad Ygdrassil Ides of March

When I first got this, I sniffed and sniffed in amazement - it just smelled so darn good! Spicy, musky, incense - my favorite things. Upon wearing, I sniffed myself just as much. Hell - I was in love with MYSELF wearing this for the first hour or so. But then....... This just became SO heady and SO cloying, way too florally, musky and perfumey. And remained that way. And remained. And remained. I couldn't even wash it off. So i tried again another day, applying just the tiniest bit, in anticipation of the blow-up. It wasn't as bad, but still goes much too far for me. And not in a sexy way - more in a trying-way-too-hard-to-be-sexy way. (ETA: I'm beginning to suspect that saffron and I may not get along - I didn't like Bastet or Kathmandu either.)

This was a giftie from the Lab (thank you!). I opened it up for a quick sniff while unpacking and my first thought was "whoa, lavender!" Upon reading the ingredient list, I saw that it was indeed a component. Upon initial application: It stays very lavender on me (which isn't a problem as I really like lavender) with a touch of light smoke around the edges. It really takes awhile for this one to develop on me. At least 45 minutes, really. The lavender takes more of a backseat, though still present. I'm finally getting the sandalwood and just a touch of nag champa (which is good as I like that note, but too much reads hippie head-shop and street fair to me). As a bit more time goes by, it becomes rounder and sweeter (probably the labdanum which can have an amber-like quality on me) and the individual notes stand out less. Final thoughts: Don't be scared by the initial lavender blast. Give this one some time to mellow. Another final thought: With so many things to tempt me each time I order, this one wasn't even on the radar. Once again, the lab knows best. I like it and will keep the imp.

HOLY CRAP This is it. The very first - hence, ONLY - LE/lunacy blend that I have not decided to swap or sell immediately. In the bottle: Loamy forest. Mostly evergreen, with some patchouli and/or vetiver, perhaps some moss. Upon initial application: Same as in the bottle - earthy, piney goodness - with an additional lightly smoky aspect. I sense maybe some myrrh happening too. Wearing for 15 minutes or so: The pine forest aspect falls back a bit, the smokiness remains. A sweetness arises. It doesn't read as especially sugary or fruity to me though - perhaps a touch of fig or currant, maybe a splash of honey. Another 15 minutes or so: Light musk slinks in around all the other scents. Hours later: The scent is still mostly similar, just a faded version of itself, the only difference being less emphasis on the smokiness and more on the sweetness/musk and lying close to the skin. I love every phase of this. It's so evocative, mysterious, sexy and unique. I REALLY should have ordered more. (But with 8 or so previous misses, how should i know??) (PS - As for comparisons folks are making to: Samhain or Mabon - I haven't tried either so I can't add anything there. Hunter Moon - I can see the comparisons, but Hexennacht works for me while Hunter Moon did not. Hunter Moon was REALLY strong on me, and read as only grape juice, civet and heavy smoke, and actually made me queasy. I find this to be far more nuanced and subtle, though with some similar aspects.)

This is a lovely, sprightly, green floral as most folks have mentioned. In the bottle: Smells strongly of bright flowers tumbling around - hard to differentiate them at this point, though the one I mainly smell seems to be hyacinth. Upon application: Still brightly floral (think hyacinth, tulips, daffodils). Then a sharp green note pops out (eucalyptus?) that quickly mellows and blends, and a very freshly cut grass smell makes itself present as well. It pretty much stays like this the whole time wearing on me, and seems to be very long-lasting. Unfortunately: I am so NOT a sprightly, green floral lover. WAY too heavy on the flowers for me. Sigh. Off to the sale board. Just another case of my misguided LE choices.

In the vial: I get grapefruit (!) and some chamomile and lavender Wearing: Wow, aptly named, as this one really does morph! At first it's very loud grapefruit and lavender, and switches nearly immediately to a bright, florally, green soapy scent that I'm really not loving at all. After about 30 minutes, the musk and the dark sweetness of the currant come to the fore, with the soapy scent lurking in the background. After an hour or two, it's mostly a very light sweet musk on me, on the verge of disappearing. (like the cat himself, of course) While I think it's amazing how it captures the essence of the Cheshire Cat, and I don't mind it after an hour, I'm also not wildly drawn to this scent. And now that it's discontinued, I'd feel better sending him off to somebody that really craves this scent.

A vital, bold scent, throbbing with sensuality. Essence of dragon’s blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove. How odd - I could swear I had an imp of this months ago that i swapped away - and that I had even reviewed it, but I don't see anything! Regardless - the lab clearly knows best as I got this as an extra (thanks!!) in my last order - and I've decided it is now my favorite dragon's blood scent - and I've tried nearly all of them at this point. In the bottle: Sweet syrupy cherry and dragon's blood. Wearing: The same for a few minutes, then the bitter sharp spice of the clove takes over quite a bit, with the myrhh adding a slightly smoky edge. Drydown: The cherry becomes less obviously "cherry", yet still there providing a vague sweetness. The clove remains dominant on me, with the dragon's blood and myrrh not far behind. It is dark red and mysterious and kind of unsettling and I love it. This is one of the ONLY scents that dragon's blood retains the spicy, resiny scent I was familiar with from making incenses, etc. (If often goes very floral - or fruity floral - on me.) I'll be checking the sales/swaps for a bottle!

Yup - it smells EXACTLY like fresh, upturned, moist DIRT. Previously, Demeter had the best Dirt fragrance I could find. This is very reminiscent of that, but even richer and more "real" smelling. And it lasts WAY longer. And yes - people do wear it. I'm wearing it now! When combined with your own natural skin scent it warms it up a bit and can be very sexy, I think. (Though I can totally see how this idea is not shared by the majority of folks. I tend to veer off the beaten path in terms of the scents that I find sexy - as I mentioned a bit just recently in my Gomorrah post as well.)

In the bottle - a sharp mossy and balsamic scent. Probably picking up mostly on the cypress and labdanum at this point. Smells good! Wearing: Uh oh. My chemistry totally plays up the narcissus and it becomes really dominant on me, to the point of pushing everything else to the background. It becomes all floral with a bit of a powdery, earthy background. This one is definitely not for me - off to the swaps.- quickly!

This was pretty much the same in the bottle, wearing, and hours later. The notes I get are dusty grass and doeskin/suede (which reads as a muskier, lighter leather scent on me). The grassy note is very similar if not identical to the one i get in The Lion. In fact they read as similar on me, in tone and throw power (both moderate) - it's as if the substitution of amber in the lion with the "doeskin" aspect here makes Coyote the more masculine counterpart. (still very wearable for us ladies, but I think it might smell even better on a guy somehow) But much like The Lion, though I enjoy the scent, it's not inspiring the "must get more" feeling for me.

I would add: Ahathoor The Lion

In the bottle: Smells like a few different types of mint and some eucalyptus. I would love it if it stayed like this, but...... Wearing: The mint is really strong at first, but begins to fade quickly, the eucalyptus aspect also seems to leave, and in it's place arrives what really seems to be the sweet aquatic floral that the dreaded LOTUS turns into on me. I catch little hints here and there of other elements (violets perhaps as others have mentioned, and something a bit dark and woody - maybe a tiny bit of vetiver?), but overall this ends up a lot like Undertow on me. I LOVE mint scents but have yet to find the right bpal version for me (fingers totally crossed for Tulzscha!).

In the vial I get frankincense, lavender, and maybe chamomile, with a vague sense of something herby or spicy lurking in the background. Upon application: Keeps the orginal notes but a darker layer appears over the top- it gets a smoky quality and essences of myrrh and some herb or herbs - bay leaf? At first the smoky/herb thing is really overwhelming - I don't like it much. After an hour or so it mellows out and everything blends together more uniformly. I got Ahathoor with this too and I can really see the progression - I'm sure some of the ingredients are the same, with the differing ones b/w the two marking the difference b/w bright mid-day sun and dusky midnight sun. Both VERY evocative. However, while I appreciate them both, I actually find myself much more drawn to Ahathoor which I would not have thought at all, based on what each represents and the reviews I had read of both oils. So while I'm actually contemplating a big bottle of Ahathoor, i'm contemplating swapping Khephra.

Not being a midday sun or egypt-oriented person, I wasn't particularly drawn to this when first announced. But I swapped for it, and here goes. First sniff: It really is bright and sunny - totally evokes midday sun - and surprise -I like it! In the vial and wet - i get a combo that strikes me as lemon, cinnamon, frankincense, and something woody like sandalwood or cedar (perhaps both) It stays pretty much the same while wearing initially but over about an hour or so it gradually mellows and blends so it's not as sharp and sweetens up a touch and becomes a more close-to-the-skin scent. This just may be the "summer" scent I've been looking for - bright and light, but still with the woody, spicy type of background that I love. I think this would be great as a spray (must hunt down that thread......) (ETA: I've since procured a bottle of this!)

In the bottle: yum - I get mostly cypress, some ginger and patchouli. Wearing: The fig and tonka show up and sweeten and mellow everything a bit. I'm loving it! But oh no.....after 30 - 60 minutes - attack of the flowers. I get a lot of the rose, etc and it remains that way. Very sad.

In the bottle: cocoa and wood - smells close to Velvet Wearing: the same, but a little bit more depth and richness than velvet due to the fig. The cocoa still dominates on me, same as it did in Velvet, and not being a big fan of that note, this one's just not for me.