feyofthefellwood

An almost green, dry-smelling patchouli sweetened with a little honey and benzoin. It's not really my style, but it's pleasant and gives off a warm impression.

Sampled my sister's decant. This reminds me of Black Butterfly Moon (florals + moss), Ava, and Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending to some extent. After a while the heady florals dry down and you're left with a vanilla musk type scent. Very nice if you're into florals and scents that lean more "commercial."

This is really nice! Toasty rice with sweetness from the sugar and fuzziness from the hay. Understated, cozy, and comforting. Edited to say that the more this one settles/ages, the more I love it. It's sweeter to me now, almost vanilla-like (but still unmistakably rice milk), and has a gentle throw that's very elegant. Bottle has been ordered.

This has a really nice, grainy rice note underlying the florals. Unfortunately, the florals go a little sharp and soapy on my skin, but the rice note stays pretty yummy.

This is an amazing blend! Rich chocolate sweetened with tonka and amber. It has a milk chocolate vibe to me, but like expensive, fancy milk chocolate, something that would come wrapped in gold leaf. I sampled my sister's bottle, but might have to grab one for myself at some point before the Lupers come down.

Love this! It's a pretty strong sweet cherry when wet, but it softens considerably as it dries. It really does smell like cherry buttercream to me, noticeable in my hair but not cloying.

When I was a kid, I had this sheer white scrap of cloth that smelled of faded perfume. I used to like rubbing it between my fingers and just enjoying the gauzy texture (wow, those were simpler times). Anyway, that is what Ava reminds me of, a gauzy, pale, floaty wisp of a thing. When I first smelled it, I thought it was just okay. My go-to "fancy vanillas" are Zorya P, Inez, and BFJA, and Ava is more reserved in sweetness than those. (My bottle is also of indeterminate age, so maybe that's why it's pretty mellow). It does remind me of a toned-down BFJA, which is unapologetically lush florals. But as I wore Ava, I began to appreciate her magic. She's floral but not overpowering, vanillic but not sugary. She makes me feel pretty, sophisticated, and confident. A little mysterious, even. On days when I want to feel feminine yet badass, I'll definitely gravitate towards Ava. I also think Ava is understated enough for work (I don't slather though), which is nice.

The above description of "a tiny hint of the sea eddying in the middle" is spot on! This starts out bubblegummy because of the lotus, but that quickly fades into a balanced, well-blended scent. It's creamy, light, and very pretty without being overly sweet. It's a gentle sweetness, and there is a definite watery vibe to it that is probably what gentles down the sweeter elements. For having three ambers in the blend, this doesn't scream amber to me, but it's also not exactly aquatic. It's like . . . iridescent pink mermaid musk, or something. Very pretty, elegant, and understated.

I will definitely have to look for Daybreak! Storge is really lovely, and Frostbitten TKO is similar to the regular version, just with the snow note (which of course I love so it's a win/win situation). I wish I had discovered my love for sugary lavender before the Liliths came down, but alas. There's always sales and this year's collection to look forward to, at least.

This is a light and very pretty scent. I tracked this one down after seeing so many notes I love in the description, and am not disappointed. Haloes does go through a stage that's similar to the Antikythera Mechanism, which I like but is more of a masculine comfort scent to me than something I wear often. However, the fruit and floral aspects of Haloes emerge and blend with the wood and vanilla over time, turning it into a more ethereal scent. It isn't very strong (at least not on my skin), but it's a scent that very much fits the gorgeous label art: golden and glowing against underlying shadows.

I've recently discovered that I love sugary lavender blends (which was a surprise; thank goodness for generous frimps that weren't on my radar). I love TKO/Frostbitten TKO and am working on tracking down My Tiger and a few other Liliths. One I've tried and adore that hasn't been mentioned yet is Storge, which is very sweet, but you have to like honey.

I love the initial scent of this one; it's nostalgic for me, with the tack-like leather, wildflowers, and sage. But even though I don't amp gunpowder in the only other blend I've tried with it (Mary Read), I sure amp it in this one! By the end it's all gunpowder and leather. Pretty cool if I'm going for that gunslinger vibe, but as is, not something I will wear often.

This reminds me of the Antikythera Mechanism, but a bit sweeter from the honey and more silky/floaty from that silk note. Very pretty.

I was generously given a sniffie imp of this with just enough to test it a little. I really like it---as others have noted, it's similar to Lyonesse and Zorya P, and to me it seems kind of like the midpoint between the two scents. It's saltier and earthier than Zorya P but not aquatic like Lyonesse. As much as I like this one and love the character of Edith, though, I feel like my money would be better spent on a backup of Zorya P than on hunting down a bottle of this (as much as the collector in me is tempted. *cries*).

Rich, spicy-sweet amber. Simple, but delicious smelling. It makes me feel all sensual and mysterious.

Gorgeous smoky leather. The floral vanilla comes and goes, giving the scent a feminine edge but staying under the radar. I will definitely wear this on days where I want to feel confident and badass, preferably paired with a leather jacket. Also need to try layering this with Rogue, since the throw on Liz is not high and it would probably be a good scent for layering, too.

In honor of the 2020 Luper release, decided to re-test the sample I was generously gifted of the 2019 version. On my skin, this is a boozy peach musk. It's more like the tart, perfumy peach in Fae than the sugary peach in Aglaea, to my nose. It's pleasant and kinda sexy, although I think I prefer Fae and Aglaea overall.

Druid is a scent that evokes an ancient forest where the trees are so large they don't allow a lot of sunlight to filter down, so everything is half in shade. If Elf is Lothlorien, Druid is Mirkwood or Fangorn. It's rich and loamy, shadowy and mysterious. I love the combination of dirt and trees here, and the incense and wool give it dimension and mystery. I've only sampled my sister's imp, but will have to get some Druid for myself someday.

Sampled my sister's decant. This is sweet, creamy, and really manages to capture the smell of cheesecake. The spice and rum aren't too strong, but blend seamlessly into the cheesecake creaminess.

The evergreen snow note here reminds me a lot of Skadi '04, which I love. This is less sweet and the sandalwood incense is light yet cozy. If I have the budget before the Yules go down, I might have to upgrade to a bottle.

I love the pastry note I get at the outset, and the fig gives this some nice nuttiness, but my skin really amps the cranberry! It smells like real cranberry juice once it dries down, which isn't a bad thing, but it's probably not something I'd reach for other than on holiday occasions. My skin strongly amps currant as well, so maybe there's a similar component in there.

Misty mint. I am really picky about eucalyptus and mint because they can be so overpowering, but this is lovely! I agree with other reviews that this is kind of watery and electric; it has zing to it, but is light and almost ethereal. Will definitely hang onto my imp, at the least.

A very lovely forumite saw this on my ISO list and sold it to me, for which I am incredibly grateful. The Last Unicorn novel had a big impact on me and influenced the kind of stories I like to write. That, in addition to the alluring scent list, made me want to try this so badly from the moment I discovered BPAL. Anyway, the scent itself did not disappoint. I adore coconut, oakmoss, chocolate, and lilac, and having all these scents so well blended makes for an earthy yet ethereal scent. The oakmoss and lettuce ground the sweeter notes and give it a forest-y vibe. The coconut and chocolate are sweet upon application but dry down to meld with the grounding notes. The florals complete the scent, making it ethereal and mysterious. It doesn't have a strong throw on me, but it has good longevity and I can't stop huffing my wrists. I really hope this returns to the GC someday so I can buy a backup bottle (and omg, imagine it as a hair gloss), and so everyone has the opportunity to try this magical scent. ETA: Similar scents include Jareth (has the same lovely lilac note) and Snow White (for the coconut).

I haven't tried TKO yet, but looove Snow White and knew I wanted to try it blended with lavender. Frostbitten TKO is lovely and soporific, not too sweet or too sharp, and I am totally wearing it to bed tonight. It doesn't seem to have the usual longevity that Snow White has on me, but my skin loves to gobble up lavender, so that isn't surprising.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to try both the 2004 and 2013 versions of Skadi. My interest in Skadi stemmed from my love of Elf, which Skadi has been compared to. Anyway, there is a big difference between Skadi 2004 and 2013, though both are lovely scents. The 2004 version does not have the strong minty snow note of 2013; the fir and berries are at the forefront, and it's quite sweet. The 2013 version is much mintier, with the fir and berries hiding beneath the snow. I find Skadi 2004 closer in overall smell to Elf than to Skadi 2013 because of the sweet evergreen smell combined with the berries (which is my jam). Of course, the aging process could be a factor as well.