starbrow

HUH. Goat's milk, honeyed and spiced (carnation, because it's a bit Egyptian), comes at me hard. Then within just a few seconds of being on the skin, you can smell just how much that goat is enjoying his pink flower. Peonies run rampant! This is a pink, happy floral, rendered smoky with a big bold vetiver and earthy with the goat's milk that hangs around. The milk doesn't sour on my skin, so this accord steers clear of the problematic dairy note for me. Later on, this dries down to a beautiful and talented vetiver that had me sniffing my wrist and trying to remember what I'd put there. Love this stage of Black Goat, where the peonies have all but fled and the smoky fuzzy goat remains. But I can't buy a whole bottle just for that stage! I think this blend is highly dependent on skin chemistry. There's always that edge of goat's milk and honey here that were present in Impromptu Goat Yoga, giving it a slightly feral twist that keeps it from being just another peonies perfume, and the smoky vetiver is what really tries to seduce me. But I think you really do gotta love peonies' perky pinkness to love Black Goat Enjoying a Pink Flower. I think the goat enjoys this flower more than I do.

Pretty! I think I was imagining this to be a big burly punch of smoky red fruity sugar, but it's actually something much more tame. Guessing, I might have said Pomegranate and Smoked Cedarwood. I'm getting bigtime pomegranate, which starts off as a dark red fruit and gets gradually poofier and poofier, until it smells like BUBBLE GUM to me. Yes, pink double-bubble bubble gum, powdery and chewy and sweet. But the Lab's pomegranate behaves like that on me almost always unless it has something to hold it back a lot, so I can report that it is behaving exactly as pomegranate usually does. You can trust your normal pomegranate instinct here. The tobacco is so calm, wow. I'm guessing this is Bulgarian tobacco. It's dry and smooth and just a quiet crackle under the sweetness of the pomegranate. There is a smoky haze in the air, and something more woody than tobacco. The benzoin? Anyways, it reminds me a bit of a nice smooth cedar. The brown sugar does not go crazy either, like it's definitely enhancing pomegranate's whole song and dance, but it doesn't melt down into caramel disaster on my skin. The wine is barely present for me at the moment. A hint of something dark and dry, like a cabernet? It's not juicy and it's not vinegary. Very aged and smooth. Yes I've used smooth like four times in this paragraph! I said what I said! If all these notes together read as scary or potentially too much to you, I wouldn't let that stop you from trying Through the Gloom! I think aging will bring out a lot more nuance in this Kindly. Pomegranate is not a winner of a fruit for me - I would have loved this with say, a plum wine to make a darker fruit really pop - and so I don't need a bottle, but I'm happy to report how wearable and smoothly blended this scent is!

There is a whole category of chocolate scents that run dirty - Haul on the Bowline, Night, Judgmental Longhorn, Muddy Armadillo, Ice Age Baton, Jólabókaflóðið , among others - and Wrapped in Sable Garments can join that gang. This is a dirty cacao. It has rolled around in the dirt and soaked up some strong cologne in the process. The mahogany/teak wood here is STRONG. It reminds me a whole lot of A Groan of Mortal Terror, but amplified because I can smell the sweet/bitterness of the cacao rather than the tobacco of Groan. I also get Antikythera Mechanism, with all that teak, smoke, and vanilla/tonka. So if that one works for you, give Wrapped a try. Buried in there is the amber and sandalwood, leaning masculine for me in this setting because of the cologne-like woods. It's a little powdery (sandalwood and amber will do that) but overall, those are not really strong notes in the blend. I think the patchouli is adding to the "dirt" impression, but I don't think this is a dirty, filthy patchouli. Going by #occupywallstreet, which is the one "dirty cacao" that works for me, Wrapped is a different and quieter patchouli. I'm glad to have tried this Kindly, but it is not so kindly to my nose. It's just not for me, but if you love any of those aforementioned naughty cacaos, it just might be for you.

At first glance, these notes might seem to belong to a very different perfume set than the Kindly Ones' furious rages. However, this apple (snakes, apples, it works) is a poisonous green apple that glows with almost gin-like strength. It reminds me a lot of a watermelon apple hand sanitizer I had as a kid because of that tart apple + gin smell (and the power of scent memory). The yuzu is amping up the tartness with a sparkle that is like a pink lemonade to my nose. This is much easier for me to wear than Snow Moon. Delicious. The ti leaf is harder to discern, but if I think of Inside the Golden Amber of Her Eyeballs, I can picture it here as the darker green element giving the brighter notes their sinister, poisonous shading. The ti plant, a tropical plant from the Pacific Islands, has such a specific almost oakmossy dark green vibe that tends to not sit quite right with me, but it's giving just the right mood here. I think if you do get along with ti, this is an amazing artistic rendering of a blackish-green pile of swarming snakes. My decant doesn't need upgrading, but I hope lots of people give this one a shot as an apple that has gone SUPER DARK AND SNAKEY.

A breath of profound holiness, pitched in darkness. This is a Gothic cathedral at midnight, not alive with people at midnight mass, but shuttered and barred and thick with old incense and dripping myrrh and dried rose petals. The myrrh is strong at first - I recognize the myrrh from the Vetiver & White Myrrh duet - and perfumed. It almost made me decide this one was not for me. However, the more this blend sits, the more the black musk invades it with a deep and grounding darkness that sucks the powdery perfume of the myrrh into its black hole. Yessss this is what I want! I can already tell this will age like a magnificent beastress. I'm loving this labdanum - its the "chunk of resin" kind of labdanum, rather than the cola-esque fizzy-spicy kind. Here, it gives a bit of a spicy-sweet woodiness that reminds me of old church pews and beams without being the usual cedar in these churchy incense blends. The rose is the quietest note here, which is something I NEVER say! I feel like it's almost a smoked rose. Very shrouded and dried and withered. Very goth, very much black rose. I was convinced the myrrh would make this one I didn't need to bottle, but now I'm thinking that I definitely do need to. If you love black musk, blends like Cathedral or Haunted or Penitence, or the myrrh-rose combination that was found in Wander Darkling, give Divinities Implacable, Doom-Laden a try. Divinity and doom are the perfect illustration of the holy and corrupt dichotomy of this scent. Incredible artistry. I would wear this while: reading Anne Rice, if I'm being perfectly honest.

From first sniff, this was an OOOOO! A kiss both sweet and dark, reminding me of my first sniff of The Elephant is Slow to Mate. I knew I would be upgrading this from that love-at-first-sniff. The dried red fruits make the initial first impression, with what smells to me like red plum (yes, maybe the sour plum but here it so works!), a dark red apple, perhaps a red grape, maybe even like a muscadine, and black cherry. Delicious. They are woven into something almost patchy to me but of course that is the nagarmotha and vetiver, a velvety darkness for those sweet fruits to play in. Both of these resins, while deep and blackened, are soft and easy to live with. If you fear a harsh vetiver, this one will try its best to charm you. The smoky effect is gently atmospheric rather than punchy or woodsmoky. I am curious to see how it stacks up against Elephant head-to-head, but I suspect Breathing Destruction will age even smoother than that blend. I think the pink peppercorn is a "lively" counterbalance in the nose to all the sweet and deep and rich elements. Just a little vibrancy that keeps things bouncy. It reads hoppy to me, so sometimes this blend reminds me of a sour fruit beer, but I can actually dig that. The black fig doesn't dominate too much, either. This is medium-figgy, especially compared to Totality which is all fig all day long. If this blend is this good already, fresh from its decant, I can't wait to see where it goes in a year. Instant bottle upgrade!

This is so strong, it makes my eyes water. The sting of it reminds me of the infamous Osculum Inflame from the Spiritus Arcanum release. I am transported to some kind of harshly chemical, heavy-duty cleaner loaded up with scented pine and abrasive surfectants. I am also reminded of cars, for some reason. Maybe windshield wiper fluid? I do believe that is it. Combined with the scent of lovebugs smeared across the windshield. Thankfully, the initial hellscape dies down, and dragon's blood peeks out, a thick dark burgundy floral resin that is indeed soaked in a clovey residue. I think you have to be a big fan of dragon's blood to survive the drive down Scary Pine Line to get there, or a big pine fan that can get along with dragon's blood. This is such a dark and pungent blend, it will have a niche audience I am sure, but I would recommend trying this one in stages; a wee sniff at first, and another; a tiny dab; maybe even a q-tip, until you're sure you are ready for her Fury. It is very much not for me, but this would make a good spooky option if you're into these notes!

This is a much calmer blend than the name or even the notes might imply. A Robe All Red with Dripping Gore comes forth with a bitter saffron. The herbal bite has quiet inner fury. The scariest kind! When the saffron steps back, coppery blood musk steps forward. It is distinct from red musk, thanks to that clovey-spicy-saffrony twang of copper-penny that blood often has. Of course it had to play a part in a blend with this name! At this stage, there is not much sweetness, but the bitterness diminishes too, giving it almost a savory dustiness. Savory to vampires, maybe The honey right now is helping bring out the metallic twang, just like it does in Bard, but otherwise it's not a huge player to me at this point in the aging process. If honey is often rude to you, this Fury might actually behave. It's the red amber that is the calming, dusty, old-fashioned resin here. A little powdery, a little golden, a bit fizzy too like labdanum for me, and indeed tinged with a reddish color. I think aging will bring out more beauty from this scent. Right now, it feels like a young Fury, one who's still in her two-week training period. I could see this deepening and darkening into an ancient and terrifying harbinger of scent doom. I'll check back in after a month or two and see what happens. Right now, it's not a full-bottle scent for me, but if Bard and Bloody Corridor and Scherezade are all favorites of yours, certainly give A Robe a try.

In the bottle, I can catch a lovely glittery apple, sweet and fancy. Once it hits the skin, an old-fashioned vibe starts to come out with the cedar. It reminds me of something you'd spray out of a cut-glass bottle from around 1900, like an apple blossom perfume that I could picture Anne Shirley admiring. This is a beautiful stage. Indolent oud is a scary phrase, but this is very gentle; I think the oud is helping it smell fancy. I don't really smell any frankincense, but the white musk is present, just in a light and non-dryer sheet form. I wonder what is giving this blend its floral nature? I speculate that the incense is champaca. It doesn't smell like the yummy incense I love in All Souls etc. I confess that the patchouli is missing in action for me, whereas the red benzoin begins speaking a little too loudly. If benzoin cooperates for you, you're in luck. This particular resin plays poorly with my skin, the infamous "bandaid" smell that's a little rubbery. Ultimately, this was a gorgeous blend when it arrived, but doesn't work for my current chemistry. I think I will put my bottle in timeout for a year and revisit!

Whoa! Was definitely not expecting root beer float/cream soda out of this one! That sarsaparilla rootiness is popping for me in a fizzy and creamy base. Trippy! Soon, it turns into bubble gum which makes me think maybe this has some myrrh or lotus in it. Maybe. I can see how others could get an apple/cinnamon/ginger situation from the spices in here, but it just doesn't work that way for me on my skin. I think Dwarven Ale is one you have to try and just see what you get. Like a box of chocolates Currently not for me, but of course I'll keep my imp and test again in another season of life.

Aged at least six months, Signum Crucis is BIG MOOD mushroom green-rose that must be the rosehips. I feel as though these mushrooms and rosehips have been dried, pulverized into a powder, and stuffed in a worn leather pouch. There isn't much separating the leather from the smoky ambrette seed, because they're both just this smooth smoky backdrop for an almost salty mushroom and a very strong lotiony rosehip. This is quite different than rose in how green it leans. You'd better love rosehips and mushrooms if you make this Signum Crucis on your skin, because they hit hard in a kind of dusty incense. It stays spooky and crumbly-floral rather than any kind of happy sweet flowers mood. I think the leather is the least prominent note here for me. Dab this one first if you try it, since I find it has quite a lot of power to it. Happy to hang onto my bottle for now and see where another year brings it.

I seem to be drawn to the lighter side of the Weenies 2021 offerings, which is very unusual for me but that was how the chips fell this particular year. Autumn Song falls well within the lighter side, which is not to say the blend is low-throw, but rather a lightness of spirit equivalent to Signum Crucis. If that one is the rose sister, this is the violet sister. She's elegant, clean, and sweetly spooky. The vetiver is a woolly grey perfumey vetiver, akin to Heavy as Honeyed Pulses Beat but more delicately blended, surrounded by the powdery waft of violet and orris. The oak to me reads almost cedar shavings, because I get a fresh pet-store mood from some aspect of Autumn Song. However, this does not dominate the blend, and there is a nice suggestion of crispy leaves that is not the stompy Dead Leaves note. I like the soft smokiness of the ambrette seed, and I hope it and the vetiver develop more over the years. I think this baby needs one more year of aging to be everything she could be. Somehow, she makes me feel things like Every Day is Halloween does, but in a more feminine and 'pretty Victorian ghost' kind of way. I was very surprised that even now she works for me, because I am not a fan of oak, violet, or orris, yet all three are tamed and ghostly here. This is appealing and should grow even more so over time. I would wear this while: telling ghost stories by a bonfire on a brisk October night.

Twelve years aged, Dungeon Crawl gives amazing atmosphere. It reminds me of going into old log cabins in the Appalachians, with wet stone and lichen nearby, old decayed wood, dirt, and rusted metal. Things have oxidized and crumbled. I love the iron smell especially that comes out here. Some hand-worked leather for sure, skinned from the pigs raised on the farm. If there is dragon's blood here, it is long dried and coppery-brown, not floral. I used to be unsettled by this scent, and not really know if it was something I wanted to keep around. But now, I find myself really appreciating the lurking dank backdrop it paints. This would be a fantastic Atmosphere spray. (Hint hint.) You could also put a few drops in a diffuser or wax melter if you wanted to use it in that way rather than as a perfume. I'll admit, it's not for everyone, much less to wear on skin as something to smell pretty. But oh my my my this lives up to its name and notes! (The candle wax is still missing in action for me, but others have better luck.) I'm keeping my bottle for select wearing I would wear this while: dungeon crawling, duh!!

Last year, my decant of The Man in Black was allll leather. Fierce, punchy black leather. Rough around the edges, a jagged and pugnacious blend. Then I tried it again this year. To my surprise, all the sharp edges were rounded off, the leather was tamed, and the most gorgeous vetiver emerged soon and lasted forever. So this year, my experience with The Man in Black as a full bottle is somewhere right in between, now that it has settled for a couple of months. The leather is still raucous. It is dark, rough, dangerous. But it doesn't smell fake like some black leather can; this is the real deal. I also am getting a lot of the soil note and it's helping with the realness. Unf. This is a man who wanders graveyards. I even get a hint of tonka snuggliness under everything, and smoky tendrils that could be either ambrette seed, vetiver, or both. Later, that vetiver is what lasts, and it is a big bold smoky vetiver that Does. Not. Quit. You have to be in a vetiver mood for the next 12 hours to wear The Man in Black. Fortunately, that's me always. So if you want a scent that you can layer over to add some extra vetiver to another scent, this is the perfect choice. I am so excited to have a bottle that will age and smooth down as it develops. Beware, this one has powerful throw, so you don't need a lot. A surprising win for me. I would wear this while: strutting in a black leather trench coat

As a seeker of book scents, this one was a must-have for my collection. Old Moon 2011 is undeniably atmospheric. It straddles the line between old-fashioned herbal cologne and old dusty library. Clean and musty converge to convey a picture of freshly varnished and polished bannisters in a library full of crumbly manuscripts, tattered leather-bound volumes, and ancient hardbacks that crackle when you turn the pages. It's really amazing how those two pictures come together in this bottle. For those who usually get a lot of leather from those bookish scents with leather in them, I think 11 years of aging has done its work in mellowing this leather out to a very soft, stretched, ratty hide. I'm not punched in the face by leather. There is something a little herbaceous and a little varnish-y that niggles at me when I sniff deeply. I don't know what it is, but it's quite mild and atmospheric. My favorite note here is the paper. It's reedy! I can practically hear the pages turning! But with the silvery, almost cologney element, this would make a good Phoenix Steamworks installment. I don't find myself wanting to actually smell like old public libraries much, as nostalgic as that scent is for me, but if I did, this would do it. I am keeping my bottle for now as a "sniff when I want to be reminded" experience, but I don't see myself wearing this one much? I would wear this while: cataloguing my bookshelves

Opium whooshes out at me straight from the bottle and onto the skin. Medicinally sweet ointment is almost too vividly brought to life. I'm usually sensitive to rose, but this does not strike me with the usual rosy punch. No, this early stage is all business, all old-timey narcotics whose pleasantness is poisonous and vicious. It's creepy and consumptive and perfect. I can smell the absinthe, but it is just a sip. The rest is silvery-benzoiny-sticky-medicinal (but not cologney!). Very cool atmospheric stage. The drydown is where the rose emerges into a very soft, carnation-kissed lotion. This is beautiful. Uber-romantic, still consumptive, but now a haunting ghost of florals and opiums that passes as perfume. Haunted romanticism is the perfect description of it. Currently, my bottle is only a year old at best, so it does need some time to grow a stronger throw, but I can still smell whiffs of it occasionally without huffing my wrist. If rose is usually not your thing, don't write off Shelley, Byron, and Keats! Give these poets a chance to creep their way into your heart, or at least onto your skin. This would make a beautiful Evening with the Spirits. That's exactly the vibe here. I would wear this while: writing Romantic (not romantic) poetry

In the bottle and wet, quite boozy! But within five minutes, my skin amps up the sweetness and makes this a rich buttercream coffee dashed with a splash of Irish coffee. This would be perfectly safe to wear at the office, although I don't think I actually would unless I wanted to bring the yummy cozy vibes to work. Otherwise, this is so the kind of thing to wear on cold Sunday mornings, the scent equivalent of coffee and a blanket. Surprisingly, this does not go TOO syrupy on me. (My skin tends to run away with syrup notes.) Not too spicy either. A middle ground of sweet, creamy, lightly spicy, lightly coffee-bitter blend. The whisper of booze hangs around. (Which smells better than it sounds.) Keeps this out of a purely desserty category and gives it a wink of adult naughtiness. I also enjoy the whipped buttercream staying thick and luscious without descending into dairy hell on my skin. It's buttery, it's creamy, it's sugary, but it's not milk-sour. Best of both worlds. I tested this directly against Miskatonic University too! The U is MUCH boozier for me. Less coffee, more alcohol, and a dash of that incense that suggests the bookish library. By comparison, Irish Coffee Buttercream stays in a cafe, the scent of freshly brewed coffee and tempting baked goods, where they don't officially sell alcohol but they won't stop you if you splash a sip of your flask into your cup of coffee. I think the two scents serve different purposes while still being cousins. They both are worth having! I would wear this while: hunkering inside on a cold Sunday morning with a new book.

Early on, my aged bottle is Tobacco Dr. Pepper. Clearly, that tobacco and labdanum are POPPIN'. Thick, chewy, caramely French tobacco, and a spicy cola complete with fizz are on the menu. It's a Statement. Good amount of throw, not surprisingly. The blackened vanilla provides same sweetness that is so lovely and atmospheric, but the red benzoin never shows up specifically as its own note for me, which is fine. I am happy with it melting into the incensey resins that swirl at the base of Snaky Hair'd Moirae. The later stage is gorgeous. As the cola effect of the labdanum trickles away, and the French tobacco's sharp edges smooth out, a beautiful incense emerges. It is spicy and sweet in a resinous old-church-building kind of way, not sweet as in a foodie way. I kept thinking I had put on a Weenie. Oof this is amazing. Totally worth the opening ride. Again, good throw for an hours-later scent, where I can still catch whiffs of it on me every time I turn my head. This is mostly a fall and winter scent to me, so it will make its way to that heavier collection and sit comfortably with my other incenses. I would wear this while: taking a walk on a crisp fall morning through old downtown blocks.

With four years of aging, what has really emerged to my nose is sage and PINE NEEDLES. The two form a potent needly effect of greenness that I wish was darkened by patchouli more strongly. I do love clary sage essential oil, but this smells more like a perfumer's sage, which to me is manly and reminiscent of cologne. That's probably the mosses at work! This does smell like oakmoss to me too, and very fresh vivid greens. I pick up the combined effects of the green elements, and not many of the darker ones (patchouli, burgundy pitch, hay, warm acorns, vetiver) that would make The Earth Mother very wearable for me. Later on, a nice soft vetiver does emerge, along with a poofier sage and more fuzzy greens, and it is indeed sweet and lovable. I think the acorns are coming out with the vetiver for a really yummy nutty/grassy effect. I do have plenty of vetivers that begin a little more comfortably than this one did for me. Mostly, The Earth Mother is a perfume for someone who loves the green blends and can't get enough of them, I think. I can let my bottle go and know it will be loved by someone. I would wear this while: daydreaming about an upcoming camping trip

Blindly sniffing, I will tell you what I get and have always gotten from Palmyra: a dark, dry, smooth tobacco like Bulgarian tobacco, and a well-aged, low-pitched orange blossom. A distant third being patchouli to ground and root the scent deeply. That said, I don't really know what to make of the listed notes. It is resinous for sure, not very sweet, but very very smooth. I'm usually sensitive to leather, but I'm not picking it up here. The cinnamon is perhaps so dark that it is like the spiciness of tobacco. All the other resins are so blended by now to the point that I can't pick out one in particular, but they give off such a strong tobacco vibe that I am continue to be shocked there is none listed. However, overall the vibe is moody, dark, silky-smooth, and subtly spicy. There is something lightly herbal/floral like orange blossom but it is delicately and deftly woven in. The oil hugs the skin but gives enough throw when slathered that you can smell it on yourself. I'm mightily confused by my nose's interpretation of what's actually in Palmyra, but I enjoy wearing it so much, I'm not going to question it. Keeper bottle! I would wear this while: going camping! I don't know why but this just gives me wonderful outdoorsy vibes, and wouldn't compete with the smells of the woods around either.

Waxy and fruity, no question! I'm picking up both the candlewax and the blackberry, but then the milk note emerged on my skin like gangbusters. I was testing this blindly from my collection and forgot there was milk in it, so I thought I was going crazy at how much this smelled like Milk Moon 2020 to me. But nope, that's indeed present and accounted for! If that one worked for you, Candles Moon is a fruity variation of that, where Milk Moon was more floral. Don't be afraid of smokiness here, this is a smoke-free zone. Not very stinging or chilly to me, this is mostly about the candle, the milk, and the fruit these days. A loving airkiss to my bottle as it departs. I would wear this while: preparing some midnight oblations to a fertility goddess.

'Do I smell...freesias?' 😑 Yes, Miranda Priestley, you sure do! But more than freesias is the white tea in Morning at Fuschlsee. If you're familiar with the lab's white tea note, you'll know it's a crisp, refreshing, elegant sip. It reminds some people of fancy soap, I think, and it indeed does have a zingy quality akin to shampoo, just as Crack of Thunder HG does, but it's not soapy to me. Nor is aquatic for me. Rather, I get chilly, icy notes like snow and eucalyptus and white icicle-encrusted pine. Very illustrative of the picture. 'If I see freesias anywhere...I will be very disappointed.' Prepare for some disappointment, if that is the case, because the cool white floral permeates the white tea. Elegant is definitely the word. These are elevated flowers, a little white dress with pearl earrings. Nevertheless, I am not sure if I am quite a freesia girl. Maybe I'm with Miranda on this one. Alas, the bergamot is not the fuzzy essential oil kind I like, but the kind used more in chypres. It lends to the coolness, and perhaps to the aquatic tendency some people get. I absolutely adored this when it came out. I think my tastes have shifted a bit since then, and much as I love the way Morning perfectly brings the picture to life, I think it will get more wear with those who love floral white teas. If you love Crack of Thunder or White Rabbit as well, give this baby a try! I would wear this while: watching The Devil Wears Prada

No surprise, this is Leather with a capital L. A leather that, to me, smells heavily infused with a rich tanniny pipe tobacco. Like I am shocked there is no tobacco listed in the notes. The leather itself is a rich brown leather jacket that still possesses some of its original New Leather aroma but has a warm and cozy suppleness that makes it feel lived-in already. It has already seen some adventures. It has gotten smoked in and been draped over a box of spices and even been around some incense. I hear there are two variations of Edgar Miche, a more leathery one and a more spicy one. I had a choice and went with the spicier variation. I love it. The spice blend leans woody and dark, like the best kind of old wooden spice box that has stored pouches of clove and mandrake powder and cardamom and galangal (gingery). I definitely get Spice but I don't get one spice in particular taking over. The clove is in harmony with everything else. So too is the cardamom, which can give me problems, but here it is more a blackened variety rather than that high-pitched green. I actually love it here. And my old friend, red sandalwood! Edgar Miche shares some similarities to Anne Bonny because of it and the spices! They are both woody, adventurous, piratey kind of scents that just veer in different directions. Red sandalwood is a smooth kind of resin that indeed smells of red aged wood and bolder than regular white sandalwood. I love it here in the context of the leather and spices. This almost smells to me like an old cabin in the forest, it's that richly woody. This reminds me a bit of Escape from the Autumn Carnival, if you need a variation or comparison to a permanent LE. It's a similar leather vibe, but oof, there is something indescribably good about Edgar Miche that makes me so glad this adventurer launched its way into my collection! I would wear this while: hiking to an abandoned cabin in the Appalachians

Incredible. Pediophobia is not for the faint of heart. The tobacco flower here is KICKING. The same white tobacco flower that appears in Zorya Polunochnaya (or Zorya P., as we all call it) is even stronger in this iteration, a boldly sweet tobacco-infused floral that always gives me hardcore oldfashioned lacey vibes. When wet, it is accompanied by a smoky cognac that only adds more lace upon lace. The vanilla is certainly present too, sweetening everything. A chilly aldehyde helps bring the porcelain scene to life. I recognize it from Sustained Boos, but here it is much cooler and oddly more wearable. As it dries, the vanilla steps forward more in a floral way - I think that's the "filigree" - and it is far from your average basic bitch vanilla. Antique Lace tends to fall into that basic category for me, but Pediophobia is creepy-beautiful, thanks to its powerful tobacco flower/cognac presence lending beautiful old attic with all its ghosts, and the chilled bone-china smell of the porcelain. I really have smelled tea-shops that have this kind of scent. Really amazing how Beth can bottle this! If you have the chance to test or acquire Pediophobia, it is absolutely worth doing so. If not, try Zorya P. and see if you vibe with it. Pediophobia is its gothic doll cousin (haunted doll, obviously) and is the clear winner as far as uniqueness goes. However, it is VERY strong and only needs a little dab to throw for hours and hours. Zorya P. might be more liveable for day to day wearing - and if you don't want to wear a scent ALL day, Zorya has got you covered. Pediophobia is a commitment to this doll-fearing lifestyle. I would wear this while: watching Annabelle

Oooo she spicy! I have been craving spicy scents lately (a hankering for Weenies, perhaps?) and my selections to test from my box of LEs has not been disappointing me. First it was Mopey Boar, which is one of the best things I've smelled in a while, and now The Wild Men of Jezirat Al Tennyn, which continues that same energy. Blindly smelling, I got CLOVE, ginger, and soft patchouli, with a nice smokiness and heat. Looking at the notes, it totally makes sense. TWO cloves, red pepper (it was reading as ginger to me), and patchouli, plus smoky ambrette seed. The balance here is incredible. This is definitely for clove fans, but it's a dry, softly crackling clove, rather than a stompy one. (Your mileage may vary if you're clove-sensitive.) The stomp comes from the fiery red effects of the red pepper and the red amber (which perhaps has a touch of the spicy red elements of red patchouli). It's bold and vibrant, stimulating to the senses, tingling like ginger. There is perhaps some cinnamon here? If so, it's not stompy cinnamon either. And in contrast to all the spices, a layer of sweetness pervades beneath. The amber is sweetly glowing, the vanilla flower is an appealing floral interpretation of a scent that usually goes foodie (but not here), and even the ambrette seed has a smoky sweetness to it. It's that combination that is giving me slight Snake Oil vibes. Obviously quite different, but the spices plus vanillic sweetened resins may appeal to Snake Oil fans. All in all, this is amazing! A Limited Edition that's always available and always gothy-spicy-fierce! I would wear this while: donning my fiercest red dress for a night out. Or just living my best life.