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I admit I did wear this layered with a drop of aged Snake Oil, which probably amped the snakey goodness. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It reminds me of the 90’s classic Tresor with its powdery peach, but the deep vanilla and spices of Snake Oil tinged with patchouli and booze make it less cloying and more goth. It was utterly enjoyable and I can only imagine will improve with age. Good longevity and throw.

Gift certificate is always good. That way he can pick out his own, which is most of the fun. 

4 hours ago, Rayleigh said:

My bottle of Snake Oil from October 2019 is thin and light in color. It still smells different than the fresh imp of Snake Oil I first tried, and it's rather weak. It has been developing a bit more depth with time, losing some of its initial popcorn-ish note, but it is a slow, slow process. I only noticed a shift in the last month or two. My imp, though, is from around the same time as your bottle -- January or February 2019, and it became rich and dark and extremely potent. So if your bottle is from the same batch as my imp, it may yet change. Maybe we did just end up with an extra slow aging batch.

I had the same experience with my Snake Oil direct from the lab in December 2019, and another bottle purchased in early 2020. They just weren't aging or changing very much and were hanging on to that popcorn smell. I am not really sure I've ever smelled the OG Snake Oil, whether aged or fresh. I do have an older bottle of SO I bought from a forum member that does not smell like popcorn, but it also doesn't have the rich heady notes I have read about, i.e., the notes that make SO legendary. It's more of a light powdery vanilla. It's a mystery.

This is a beautiful, autumnal, non-gourmand pumpkin scent. I love chypres, and this one has the brassy, burnished, cologne-like vibe of a chypre overlaid with dry, toasted spices (I detect cinnamon) and smoothed out by round, sweet, roasted pumpkin flesh (but not bakery or foodie). It has killer throw and hella long wear length. I'm usually a dabber, but I accidentally slathered it on the back of my hand in the morning, and an hour later a co-worker entered my space and said, "Mmm, it smells like incense back here." She could smell it through her mask and at a distance. Definitely worth seeking out if you love non-foodie pumpkin scents or warm, spicy, leafy, ambery cologne-like scents.

Edited to add: This is an absolute beast. I put on a sweatshirt that I had worn days before and it still had traces of Pumpkin Chypre on the sleeves. Wearing the sweatshirt actually scented my skin enough to smell like I was wearing perfume even after I took the sweatshirt off. 😳

I agree with @estamets, this is non-gourmand coffee, spices, and cream with a holiday vibe. I could see wearing it a lot this fall and winter. Average throw and wear length.

Instant love and full bottle upgrade. This is the smell of nature itself -- like forest bathing, or the way your skin smells after hiking through a conifer forest, swimming in an alpine lake, then basking in the sun. It's very well-balanced with average throw and wear length (I refreshed it mid-day because I wanted to smell it again). 

This one instantly went into my cart as it has many of my favorite notes -- violet, patchouli, black musk, labdanum, vetiver... I expected something darker. Instead I get a soapy white floral and none of the deep base notes I was hoping for. It almost feels like the batch wasn't mixed properly. I will let it age to see if it darkens up, or maybe I will try layering it with something heavy on the patchouli and vetiver. Curious about other people's impressions. I SO wanted to love this. 😢

Bugbear Doula (A nurturing blend of motherwort, angelica root, and warm russet fur splashed with chamomile tea) from the new RPG series has a similar snuggly fur note as Bear Prince to my nose. Almost enters baby powder territory. Comforting and fitting for the character.

I was excited to try this one based on reviews. To me it's not so much CK Obsession (which I love) as vintage Halston from the 1970s (also a huge love of mine). I really love the amber in this -- it's smooth and rich, spiced and dirtied up by the earthy saffron, balanced by the golden sandalwood. For me it has phenomenal throw and hella long wear -- lasted all night, woke up smelling it this morning, and can even smell it now in the crook of my arm after washing it off. It's definitely warm and snuggly, and I swear there's musk in this, or maybe that's the effect of the sweaty saffron, or the suggestion from the label art. It's a winner and I may need to search out a back-up bottle.

I almost blind bottled this, but thankfully scored a decant in a swap to try first. This is not my preferred style of amber. It’s very light, almost ghostly, with underlying vanilla tones. Smells like commercial fragrance to me. I will stick with heavy, opulent oriental beauties like Jacob’s Ladder for my amber fix. 

This is a beautiful, etherial perfume reminiscent of a Blue Moon. I don't get any gourmand facets like the chocolate or coconut, but maybe they are adding a creamy element. The lettuce, lilac, orris, and violet leaf are watery and dewy. The gardenia is very subdued, just a little buttery lunar twinkle in the twilight. Something about this blend (the oakmoss? the orris root?) veers toward make-up territory or face cream, which I really like. Every 2021 scent I've tried so far from this collection is so well-blended, and they all compliment each other. Now I want to read the book while wearing the scents, as they seem very evocative of the story. 

Schmendrick reads classic chypre to me. I could swear there is oakmoss. It's grassy, soapy, and herbaceous. The greens are not quite dead leaves, but dry and dying. The chamomile and clary sage are the most forward notes to my nose, backed by a subtle sweetness in the background that burnishes the whole thing to a brassy coppery gold. Lovely.

I am not getting the fizziness that some reviewers mention, nor do I get any sharp citrus. This blend is sweet, smooth, creamy and almost gourmand due to the vanillic and hay-like coumarin note of the tonka. The nutmeg, tonka, and amber are well-balanced and play gorgeously together. Very evocative of a fuzzy brown butterfly's soft wings. Average throw and wear length for me.

I think Druid has wool. It’s a forestry kind of comfort scent. Also, scents with feathers like Fledgling Raptor Moon are pretty snuggly, or It Was Just a Cat for that ambery fur. 

2021 Smut. Warm, sweet, boozy musk, the kind that makes you go mmmmmmm. Anyone familiar with that drugstore perfume called Tabu? This is a nicer version. (Cue Smooth Operator by Sade.) Low throw, medium wear length. Sticks close to the skin so to enjoy it one has to be, well, close. 

The Bear Prince, which comes around in the Yule collection some years. And this year’s Rabbit Moon is extra cuddly IMO!

Accidentally posted twice -- edited to merge with previous review.

I agree with @theshapeshifter   This oil smells nothing like the description. I put it on this morning and was getting a slightly vanillin, slightly baby milk vomit note, nothing foresty at all. It almost feels like the bottle was mislabeled. I am curious to read more reviews to see if others are getting something different. 

Wilde from the general catalog or almost any Dead Leaves combo are very dapper. 

I love this in all its atmospheric weirdness. I was drawn to it for the art supply association and it does not disappoint. I agree with earlier reviewers that it starts off kind of chalky and mentholated, like a whiff of an old medicine cabinet. Then the turpentine thwacks you in the face and is gone. I get the sharpie reference, but to me it's more dried pans of watercolor paints. Gradually the weirdness dissipates and you are left with a raspy growl of resins for the remainder of its life. I am glad I scored a bottle and will definitely treasure it, as it is so unique in my collection.

I get what @milo says about the Dior Poison vibe. But it's so much better! Elephant is seamlessly blended, smooth, rich, velvety, and plush.... just, languorous. The smoked rose petals are discernible as a resinous non-powdery rose blending nicely with the dark juicy fruits. But it's not a rose blend, or a fruit blend. It's a deep musky balsamic blend with floral and fruit elements to sweeten, lift, and round the heavy base. Very crimson, burgundy, black, and wine-stained. Like elephants swaying drunkenly after eating fermented fruits. Low throw but hella long wear length.

Edit: I tested this one again yesterday to see if I needed a bottle before the Lupers come down this month. It's shockingly juicy red-purple fruits while wet, then settles down to a smoldering, velvety incense with good throw and longevity. The rose is more of a wall-flower in this blend, helping to hold everything together, but not stealing the show. It's more of a fruity incense blend than a rose blend. The vanilla is definitely non-gourmand and probably just smooths things out. Don't be afraid of the patchouli -- it's barely discernible, at least in my decant. It's very pretty, and I found myself sniffing my hand frequently throughout the day for a little waft of comfort. Full bottle worthy and will probably age phenomenally. 

Such a realistic, creamy, buttery, velvety gardenia, luscious and languorous, deepened by spicy clove. Mmmmmm. Come hither. Low throw, short wear length.

2020. This is rose, a rose-lover’s rose, all rose all the time. It’s a velvety, jammy, realistic rose, not a rose perfume, not soap, not potpourri. It’s a living rose. Lovely. Low throw, short wear length. 

2020:

The scope of Beth’s roses is astonishing. This one lives up to the hype. I get stems, thorns, and rose petals. It’s earthy, green and brown, woody and sharp. Heady at first, then quickly calms down and lasts a few hours at most. I keep reapplying it for the aromatherapy. Smells like lying on the cold earth under a rose bramble while it gently rains. I need a full bottle of both this and Peacock Queen. They are so different.

@Hesper Fallen, where have you been all my life??? Since you and I seem to have similar tastes based on the imps you ordered, I re-tried the imp of Fallen I’ve had forever. It must have aged well or maybe my tastes have matured because holy cow is it stunning. Now I’m bummed that it’s discontinued and will treasure my imp!