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alhbooks

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Everything posted by alhbooks

  1. alhbooks

    Prospero

    Wine in the bottle, rich plum on the skin, and very reminiscent of Crypt Queen to me because of the plumminess. Dark purple fruit, getting fruitier. This is a good cold-weather scent on me, very warming and rich.
  2. alhbooks

    The Darkling Thrush

    I swapped for a partial bottle of this and I must say that the aging process has been good to it. A lovely soft violet with subtly dark undertones. I'm delighted to have it. Anytime I can't stop sniffing my wrist, it's a keeper.
  3. alhbooks

    La Befana

    Hmmm...All I get is dark chocolate caramel, which is interesting, but if I hadn't read the notes, I would never have guessed there were so many florals involved. There was a brief moment of morphing where i thought I was catching some of the other scents,but it went straight back to caramel. Honestly, I would have preferred to get at least a whiff of the violet. But I suspect I'll be able to swap this bottle for something that's more my style.
  4. alhbooks

    The Fruit of Paradise

    Yep, dark pomegranate here too, with warmth and depth. Very slightly bitter on first sniff, then softens and warms to a rich dark scent, more hot tea than chilled juice. For me, medium throw and average wearlength, but I apply everything pretty lightly. And the label art with the glistening red pomegranate seeds is one of my all-time favorites! This is just strong enough too for clearing my senses after trying a scent that doesn't appeal. Not just a keeper, but worth another bottle.
  5. alhbooks

    Angeronalia

    I thought I was going to love this as it has so many favorite notes, but on my skin it starts faintly medicinal and then disappears...sigh. No citrus, no gardenia, and I can't even put my finger on the medicine.
  6. alhbooks

    Sagittarius 2007

    Hmm...I'm getting herbal, almost weedy (probably the dandelion) which I rather fancy. Clean, clean, clean in an open field kind of way. The clove is mildly spicy, the chamomile seems to be the unifying thread so far.
  7. alhbooks

    A Murder of Crows

    No lemon or citrus on me either, which is odd...Delousing Powder was nothing but lemon on my skin. I'm getting mostly iris, which I would have taken for violets if I hadn't read the description. Soft, gray rather than dark, a little powdery, but not like baby powder, more like the kind applied with a swansdown puff. Very 1920s. I would so buy a bottle of this if I could...just the description sucked me into getting the Pumpkin Plunder so I could have this imp (and the pumpkins are quite yummy too, so I'm glad I went for the whole field!)
  8. alhbooks

    The Smiling Spider

    Oddly, in the vial this didn't have much scent to me and it was quite pale when I first applied it. But within seconds the clove started to rise...not bitter, though. There's a subtle sweetness in there, maybe from the patchouli, which I ordinarily hate. It keeps growing, but hasn't reached overwhelming after 30 minutes. I'm surprised I like it so well. It isn't going into the swap pile after all.
  9. alhbooks

    Tweedledee

    Ridiculous! Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom. Hmmm..I get the best scent of orange sugar cookies...I used to buy them in tins from Crabtree and Evelyn, but I haven't seen any for a long time. Usually foody scents don't appeal to me, but I love this one. It softens nicely on me and has some staying power.
  10. alhbooks

    Y'ha-nthlei

    Clean, cold, and bracing. For once the eucalyptus doesn't trample over all the other scents (not that I don't like Eurcalyptus, but Jabberwocky knocked me down and stole my lunch money). A faint sweetness, but nothing overpowering. This is really lovely. I may need a bottle.
  11. alhbooks

    Vasakasajja

    In the bottle, a whiff of some half-remembered pleasure from years past; the more I try to pin it down, the more elusive it becomes. Yes, fruity rather than floral, and warm. And oh so comforting.
  12. alhbooks

    The Lurid Library

    As a bookseller, I'm pre-conditioned to catch the scent of rare leather bound books printed on rag paper...none of this wood pulp stuff, thank you very much. The musk is subtle and I don't notice any incense, but it's definitely a perfume I could live in. Not overwhelming, but a steady pleasure.
  13. alhbooks

    The Death of Autumn

    In the imp, all smoke and bitterness. Wet, still smoky, but starting to soften. After a couple of minutes, the dead leaves start to move front and center, followed by the scent of wet ashes, which (oh, dear) reminds me of washing ashtrays when my parents still smoked. it keeps morphing, but so far, not something I'm going to want to wear much.
  14. alhbooks

    Lear

    For me Lear evokes walking through the woods in the autumn with leaves rustling underfoot and the sky hidden by high fog and damp clouds. I love the cedar, which is softened by the herbal companions. A great autumn scent, and I'm happy to have a bottle.
  15. alhbooks

    The Carpathian Mountains

    Smoky in the bottle and for the first few seconds on the skin. Then...Wint-O-Green Lifesaver. I've had it on for about 20 minutes and it stays like that, although it does fade slightly. Not the woodsy scent I coveted, sadly.
  16. alhbooks

    Chrysanthemum Moon

    Sigh. I really wanted to love this; I certainly loved the label art. The first time I tried it I had a partial bottle that had been decanted from and the scent was overpowering musk. I mean, "run and wash off" overpowering. I suspect this was due to exposure to air. I gave it one more try with a full bottle and the power was more manageable, but the scent still went all musk on me immediately. Happily, a friend loves it so she got a bottle for her birthday and we're both happy.
  17. alhbooks

    Fire Pig

    Yep, fruity in the bottle, and once applied, I get a fascinating rotation of the scents...kumquat at one minute, lychee another, and suddenly the merest hint of the pine resin deepening the overall effects. Today is gray and rainy, but this is a very comforting scent right now. Not too light, but warming. A little floral, a lot of fruit, but well grounded.
  18. alhbooks

    Garden Path With Chickens

    Ten minutes after trying an imp of this I was hunting down a bottle...it's so clean and refreshing. But I adore grassy scents, so that has to be taken into account. If you don't, or have allergic reactions, you'll need to keep far away. One of my favorites, and happily, still available.
  19. alhbooks

    War

    I was nervous about War, because pepper and patchouli are so reminiscent of my old college dorm...and at first, it just smelled like food stuffs to me, which I don't care about. But once I put it on, I was swept away. It's very strong, and the redhead on the label is exactly the right image. A little goes a long way (in fact, the next day I can still taste it at the back of my sinuses, but I still love it). Heated and just sweet enough, with a powerful grip. Glad this is a bottle I can reorder.
  20. alhbooks

    Crypt Queen

    Mm....I'm usually too slow to pick up the limited items like this, but the combination of red fruits and florals won me over instantly...I was a bit nervous about the pepper and patchouli, which tend to take me back to my college days, but neither one overwhelmed her majesty's rich juiciness. As it dries, the notes combine into a soft complex scent I can wear all day happily. This is all the Halloween treat I need. Oh, the the coffin is also to die for.
  21. alhbooks

    Privilege

    Interestingly, I get more of the herbs than the floral in the bottle, and that's how it went on. But the first night I tried it the temperatures here were hot and it had been warming in the mail box while I was away at Will-Call--as the scent (and I) heated up, it became overpowering and almost unbearable. Today, in cooler weather, back to an interesting herbal with a floral undertone...just keep this girl out of the hot lights and she can control herself.
  22. alhbooks

    Delousing Powder

    Yep, citrus cleaning solution...I haven't had the nerve to try it on my skin yet with all the other choices now on hand for playing wth, but it was a hoot to get it along with a sample of Bordello soap (also untested as yet...too much driving this weekend). Thanks Lab team...it was a great intro to Will-Call!
  23. alhbooks

    Jezebel

    I wish I got the orange blossom others could smell...when I wore this, it smelled just like I'd spilled an entire bottle of talcum powder...sigh. REALLY long lasting.
  24. alhbooks

    Spider

    Of all the Gaiman scents, this one sounded most like me and I'm pleased I got it...I don't get the masculine flavor noted so often above, but there's definitely a clean, energizing rush. It's complex and hard to pick out single notes on me, but it doesn't change much except to fade a bit sooner than I would like. Not for seduction, but excellent for daylight and outdoors.
  25. alhbooks

    Twilight

    In the vial all I could smell was lavender, and it was almost bitter, but seconds after applying it, the blends kicked in. The jasmine/honeysuckle scents take over, with just enough lavender to offset the sweetness a touch. I'm loving this enough that I'll probably need a bottle.
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