groovyrooby
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Everything posted by groovyrooby
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Can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet! This was a big 2021 win for me. It starts out a grassy green violet and develops into a sweet floral. The final presentation is a sugary rose that lasts all day long. It’s a fun and lighthearted, very pink-feeling scent, with just the right amount of confidence. It has good throw and a lot to say. My decant quickly turned into a big bottle.
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Well, I've never tried Troll, but I'm ordering an imp now! Got this as a swap for another Lilith that didn't work for me, and couldn't be happier with how this turned out! In the bottle, it smells like dry, bitter, woods. Authentic woods smell. Then a cinnamon bark vibe appears... probably the clove in combination with others. Now, I adore cinnamon, but it usually gives me itchy red splotches. Any time I can get that smell without the burning, I'm a happy camper. This is that. It's dark & earthy, but not a dirt note. Then the Dorian comes along and sweetens everything, makes it a little more carefree and a little less somber. It's wonderful. Wore it to lunch with my husband today. It feels very content, serene, and a little bit renegade. Love it.
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I surprised myself liking this as one of my favorite Liliths this year. And it's a triumph overall for me! Most of these notes are loves, but leather is usually a deal-breaker. Not only is this a rare leather win, but this is also the tea note I have been searching for! The lavender and oakmoss combo is cool and herbal. I feel like the carnation addition makes this a spicy almost minty feel to start. The leather comes through up close, but it's earthy rather than tanned. The main throw for me is the tea, and it's just what I've always wanted - earthy, black tea, no lemon. I can wear this pretty much anywhere - to work, to lunch with my mom, running errands, to sit in a park with friends... it's strong enough that I'm clearly wearing fragrance, but there's nothing too outspoken about it. It's mysterious and cool, just enough of a scent to feel put together. I immediately upgraded to full size.
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I haven't tried the original Pinched, but I thought this would be a nice opportunity to get acquainted with it. I love tobacco, cinnamon, coffee, woods, all of that! But I am a little leery of pumpkin spice, I admit. I definitely got the tobacco to start, and it's so chewy it comes across as boozy. But put all those notes together, and this was SO MUCH smells! Powerful stuff!! I feel like this was akin to me as a kid helping myself to the soft-serve ice cream machine at a buffet. I put ALL the sprinkles and chocolate chips and candy bits and butterscotch syrup and whipped cream on top... til I made myself sick. This was "too much holidays", as my husband said. Just a dab and I smelled like sample day at the Yankee Candle store. I get why this has such dedicated fans! But I think it's too rich for me (wow i don't think i've ever said that before).
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I wish my experience had been as complex as others'. I primarily got a somber rose. It started as a bright lemony-rose smell, so much that I thought for sure this had citrus, maybe even grapefruit. Overall, it reminds me a bit of Night-Gaunt, really. Zesty to start and a faint, white floral to end. The citrus vibe lasts a bit longer for me here, but eventually dried rose overtakes it all. I think I missed the plum and eucalyptus entirely. I enjoy a lot of roses, but I like them headier than this. For those who prefer their florals on the more sedate side, this will do nicely. I like mine screaming, so this was not for me.
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I've been on an orange kick lately and was very intrigued how it might work with lavender. But maybe I don't know ambrette seed very well. The orange was oddly sedate here, almost waxed over. This has a warm glowing feel to it, but almost watered down or smothered. Not orange juice but orange drink. And either the honey or the ambrette seed gave this a waxy feel. The overall effect was like the smell of a hot oil treatment. Polished and sophisticated, but not perfumey. A whiff of salon hair product.
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This was a lucky blind bottle for me! I love sandalwood and Dragon's Blood. And I love black pepper, though I didn't know what to expect with the red pepper. Well... All the notes are present & nicely balanced. The sandalwood does the bone dry, swirl-of-dust thing. The blood musk has that hot, dry desert air spice to it, like Al-Azif or Dragon's Musk. And the red pepper is a cindery, cinnamony Red Hots (minus sugar) kind of spice, like Low Key Lyesmith or Hexentanz (both loves). It's right up my alley! It has a slight bitterness to it, in that palo santo/creosote kind of way. Husband said I smelled like cinnamon candy (BINGO!). We are both highly potpourri-averse, especially Christmas potpourri, and neither of us found that here. The bones and blood musk steer the cinnamon a different direction. I've doused myself in this for an evening out with friends and layered it with a dab of Endless Corridor, which turns out to be very close to Bloody Corridor (also LOVE). It's a delightful, dry red musk that is beautiful alone and fun to blend.
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I"m a gourmand lover at heart, but they rarely love me back. I keep trying. But this was no exception. Toasty, nutty... burnt plastic. Wish I had my husband's nose - he said I smell like baked goods & sugar cane. 😢 Nice to know, but also heartbreaking. Stupid nose. Glad @BoneBone24 had better luck!!
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This went through a lot of stages on me, and I loved them all. Started woody & spicy - like lavender & licorice, deep purple. Just a hint of floral. Then it mellowed into a soft, muffled wood, and while I was sad to lose that trace of floral, I was contented by the thought that I was making peace with myrrh. But oh gosh, the final dry down of this was sweet, sugary roses, much like The Hierophant and the The Empress. Not too dark, but maybe a little brooding. Unapologetically. It smells like part teen angst, part teen zeal, embraced and touted proudly. This is one of my favorite Liliths this year. I will probably go big on this one.
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This is a fruity, blood-tangy, chilly mint. I was reaching for the flowery aspect of Dragon's Blood, but this is the zingy tang of blood note, like the metallic effect I get from Galvanic Goggles or Roll the Old Chariot.
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This started as an unusually floral honey, like sniffing a flower pistil - vegetal, green honey. I'm guessing that's the vetiver effect? But the green first turned bitter smoky and then got mustier with time, closer to a dirt note or a Dead Leaves kind of bitter & brown. This was more bitter than I expected. I'm not a Dead Leaves fan. I think I'm a vetiver lover, but maybe it's the cocoa/vetiver combo richness that I love - this is the version I don't care for. I'm love/hate with honey, and the honey was lost here. If it had stayed where it started for me, I'd be into this. But that's clearly not what this was meant to be. I think Dead Leaves lovers would really enjoy this.
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Laurel-Crowned Skull With Caesar's Band Flyer
groovyrooby replied to Seajewel's topic in Halloweenie
I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but it ended up on my shortlist of big bottle needs! Amber, tobacco, and balsam notes caught my attention. Fig, ambergris, and bay raised an eyebrow. Together they morph from heavy cologne vibes (guessing the bay leaf) to a sweet and warm, rich and herbal. Something here is suggesting orange - maybe the fruity tobacco flower. It has a glowing feel to it and decent length. This started much more masculine than it ended. Intriguing and complex and feels powerful without overpowering. I will probably wear this to work on days when I want to be a formidable presence but stop short of the intimidation factor. -
This was a delicate, pale flower on me. Not in terms of power, but the quality of flowers. Reminds me of a the baby's breath & greenery in a corsage or boutonniere arrangement. The coins came through with a slight metallic vibe. Not rich like Coin Trick, but cold. Must be the glassy element.
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I love most all the notes here, with the exception of myrrh. Their interplay is interesting. The lavender here was of the minty, cold, herbal variety. The combination of vetiver and cardamom came across as bitter, so the green cognac smells more like a liqueur, like a nocino. There's sugar in the booze, but it's driven by something bittersweet and woody, almost anise but more resinous. Soft and close to the skin.
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Marshmallow is one of my favorite smells, but in BPAL it usually turns to plastic on me. By golly, I keep on trying, but it's here, too. Starts out spicy, almost like carnation. I'm guessing that's the lavender. It's a dry & herbal version. It blends nicely with the marshmallow to turn creamy and sweet, but didn't get much floral. Sadly, on me, the toasty-coconut-turns-plastic comes out and overtakes all. Just a heads up for any others suffering this curse.
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Well, shoot. I was hoping the effect would be something like The Sky Quivered Red Lights Like Flames of Fire HG. I adore that smell and thought maybe the red musk + ginger would match the tangy spice. Not so. This hit all the wrong notes on me. The elements I really like - red hots cinnamon candy, hot desert spices - are there. Also there, unfortunately, is something soapy and something sour - not sure if that's the blackening or the ginger. The full effect was a powdery red musk with a sour tinge.
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This is delightful. The cool white of the cotton has hints of violet to me. It's a little sweet with the marshmallow and warm with the frankincense. Full effect is like a clean sheet just pulled out of the dryer. This will be a lovely spring/summer all-occasions smell.
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If there's a hint of lemon or lime anywhere, my skin/nose will find it and give it a megaphone. Zingy - yes. This came across like Lightning with extra lemon lime. Very clean. Reminds me of a specific cleaning product they used to mop the floors in Guatemala. A hint of sweet lavender peeks out eventually.
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Perfect expression of these two elements. The violet has that clean smell of bubbles solution I love to get from it, but a little sweeter than normal, almost a light honey. The Spanish moss comes across as a dry sandalwood, like balsa wood. Their powers combined, this feels like a creamy pale, lavender (color) floral.
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This is a lovely little all-purpose vanilla! It must be the cognac note that gave off anise vibes to start (which i love). Sweet licorice that didn't smell boozy, per se, but more like a cocktail. The vanilla here is that almost fruity sweet vanilla. It reminds me of They Shut Me Up in Prose (also love), but even sweeter. I wear that one to bed a lot, because it's simple and sweet and tranquil, but it's a little vanilla (HA) for sharing. This has a little more zest, and I would wear it out more when I want to be pleasant & charming.
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My initial impression was dirt. The dirt note and dusty flowers of Zombi - which is not for me. As it settled down, the notes I don't care for tamed into a brown smell of old books, with just a hint of woody spice, like a balsam. No red musk, but definitely got the lacquer & mahogany. Faded quickly on me.
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Surprised myself at how much I enjoyed this. It started out sketchy - bitter, yellow/green, heavy on the balsam. Astringent. But somehow it developed into a golden glow of a scent, bittersweet and resinous. Kind of reminds me of Every Day You Play with the Light of the Universe (on a good day - that one is terribly fickle with me). Ultimately reminds me of the amber glow I love so much in Aglaea, minus the fruit, add some wood. Edited to add: tested from a decant, this is one of my favorite Liliths this year. I will be looking to size up.
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I love some but not all lavenders. I am still getting acquainted with ozone. This did not work for me. The lavender is the dry herbal version (i like it sweet) and the ozone comes across sour. I like Stormclouds Over the Midway alright, but my skin/nose/taste did not appreciate this one.
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Not what I expected but really nice. I love sandalwood, the light airy wooden box and incense kinds. I'm not sure what the four kinds are here, but there must be something red, because this started out smelling like sour, dirty feet. And something chilly & cool. A little patience through the drydown, and this takes on classy aromatic cologne vibes - very cool, dry, and wooden. I can only guess it's the tobacco absolute that makes the difference here. It's not the fruity, humid tobacco leaves but something more herbal and green. I gave this to my husband, and it's gorgeous on him.
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I love licorice, first off. And I feel like this is what I wanted Black Licorice Smut to be. That one faded too quickly on me. This, however, last a bit longer and has a little more muscle to it. Starts out smokey. Like, smoked meat smokey. Sausages & bandaids. What is that about?? I was a little worried. But give it another 15 minutes or so, and it's got that cola note I get from Snake Smut. Sexy licorice. Sweet and sassy and wonderful.