LavenderCoffee

In the bottle it's a peppery vaguely rose muddle, hard to pin down, but the rose definitely comes to the forefront when I apply. As the rose calms down, the pepperberry amps up and goes a bit spicy, but that settles down too. Dry, this is reminiscent of All While Dreaming from last year's release, with a pepperberry kick instead of a fruity red currant. The labdanum does smooth things out considerably, providing a resinous complement to the rose, and contrast to the perfect patch/pepperberry combo. I really like this one!

I'm definitely getting the carnations in this, but in combination with strawberry and labdanum, they almost come across as bubblegummy, and not in a bad way. I'm getting more of the labdanum than the patch, and while the strawberry certainly sings out when freshly applied, it fades on my skin fairly quickly. It goes from straight up strawberry to strawberry scented carnation. This is a perfect scent for the story attached to it, a somewhat bittersweet memory of dad and kiddo time. 

Oh hello popcorn! It smells like it could be either caramel popcorn or kettle corn or both. Sweet popcorn but not a ton of caramel to my nose. In the bottle I get a suggestion of the cola, but not while wearing it. The popcorn is so glorious for the first hour or so but it fades pretty fast, giving way to a cotton candy skin scent. The early phase of the scent is more like being near the snack food stands at a fair/festival/carnival, the later phase is what you smell like when you get home  

This is almost all chocolate donut icing to me. In the bottle, wet on my skin, dry on my skin. More of the donut itself peeks out after it's been fully dry for awhile, but it is really like wearing the smell of the inside of a box or case of donuts. It is delicious. There may be a hint of maple to it, but it's mostly chocolate donut icing to me - very specifically donut icing. Spot on.

It's really wafting around me from just a dot on my wrist, I'm alarmed/excited to see what happens when I give it the SOTD treatment. 

In the bottle, it smells like a bit like painter's palette. The turpentine has a moment of prominence when freshly applied, but it recedes into the blend fairly quickly. What I think is the smoky umber is playing nicely with the frankincense after 15 minutes or so, and there's a bit of something metallic in the mix. I agree that it smells a bit like an antique shop! It's not as unsettling as I thought it would be, and definitely not unwearable, but I bet it was a lot more daunting when it was first released. A pleasantly unusual atmospheric scent.

What a cozy little mandrake this is! I imagine this is what the witch's home smells like after the mandrake has been invited inside.

I enjoy how the apple blossom fits into the scent without make it overtly floral or fruity. Sniffing the bottle you might think it would smell like shampoo, but not so. It does overlap with the coconut milk and sandalwood quite a bit, it's hard to pick those three apart without bumping into the others. The sharper mandrake note contrasts really well with this bundle of familiar notes. There is definitely a gently dusty feel to the blend that fits right into the woodmusk/leather backdrop. It's a faint, soft book cover type of leather. Would be curious to try other perfumes with this woodmusk.

I love black licorice and anise and licorice root so this was a no-brainer for me, even tho I don't wear Smut well on its own. The black jelly bean aspect of this blend has calmed down a lot since I first got it, and I agree with MamaMoth above that it wears like a gorgeous dark rooty smut now. An unobtrusive sexy licorice scent, since the throw isn't very noticeable on me. Yum. 

When wet it is very very cherry, but the fruitiness settles in nicely to become part of the perfume, which is wonderfully dark and slinky and witchy. Black musk scents usually don't work super well for me, so this isn't a slam dunk, but the tobacco really helps balance things out as it dries. I can see why it's so popular!

This is such a delightful surprise of a scent! Very skillful use of pineapple, which is clearly present but doesn't turn the whole thing into a tropical cocktail or a fruit salad. It's a Spongebob aquatic: Whooooooo lives in a pineapple under the sea? It certainly smells joyful and colorful and animated. I can also see how it might smell a bit like pine as the musk develops.

Another sneaky gorgeous blend from the August paintings! It really does smell pearly pink, but it's unexpectedly warm and sweet, in spite of the cool, inorganic* shell quality dancing around the periphery. How does she do that?! The russet musk, labdanum and oud create a soft, stunning base - it's absolutely not a scary oud. Stays close to the skin. Great for date night or anytime you want to feel shell-pink pretty.

*I guess technically shells are made of both organic and inorganic stuff, but hopefully you know what I mean. it smells like shells!

There's a sharp metallic aspect to Forge of Vulcan when I first open it, then after applying, the soot and smoke mute the sharp aspects of the metal. As it dries I'm reminded of Bronze Dildo but without the spices. Red amber and tobacco push forward to balance the sooty smoky molten metal that might be bronze, and it really does feel nicely balanced, like a well-forged blade. Tobacco and blood musk behaving themselves. This would be awesome to wear to a ren faire or cosplay event. Honestly this smells kinda great to me, but I am one of the few who also liked Bronze Dildo. 

This is a yummy blend! When wet it gives off a luscious gourmet fruitcake vibe. As it dries it veers a bit towards gingerbread or red hots - a warm, dry, sweet spice - but it also reminds me of the powdered sugar aspect of the recent funnel cake scents. Could be an Italian panforte maybe. Fully dry, it smells like a spiced cake with powdered sugar, and it has decent throw and staying power.

2020 version. This has been in the timeout/swaps drawer for two years because I did not enjoy it when I first got it. Retesting today and realizing I never reviewed it, I'm not sure I gave her a fair shake the first time around. There is an onslaught of DEAD LEAVES when opening the bottle and on application that probably put me off of it, but the leaves settle down pretty quickly now, and give way to a gorgeous autumnal rose scent. Once it dries, I get less rose and more of the other flowers plus chamomile. It's really pretty! And notable for me to get a scent in which notes like dead leaves and roses actually take turns and play well with others. Those notes can really go bonkers for me, which is tough because I want to love them. 

This review is for "There's a Certain Slant of Light Prototype 9 Unreleased" but I can't find a topic for that, so I'm putting it here and flagging to the mods. Received as a frottle with 2022 Liliths.

Wet, it is minty ozone with an herbal/medicinal accompaniment. As it dries, it gets a bit more resinous, but the minty ozone persists. For the resins, I think I am getting some frankincense, but I can't tell what else is with it. This is a strange combo to my nose, but surprisingly pleasant. I haven't smelled the released version but this proto doesn't seem very different based on reviews. I don't get violet, but the note listed for the released version is violet leaf, so idk. It settles into a minty ozonic frankincense.

My, my, I must agree with mymymai. This doesn't smell like wine per se, but it does smell like the grape juice has started to turn - at first it leans more towards hooch, but as it dries it comes across more like medicine. I used to love grape flavored Dimetapp (maybe my memories are biased!), but this seems less candy grape-y. 

In the bottle, Poolside is all gorgeous slinky florals, with peony and jasmine intertwined. On my skin, the blue musk pops out, and the lavender and vanilla tea attempt to do the same. Like they poke their heads out from behind the curtains to say "Hi!" and then disappear.

Dry on my skin, it's a pleasantly (surprisingly!) subtle floral musk - subtle in that it has a distinct floral character but not a ton of throw. The jasmine is of the higher-pitched (not indolic) variety imo, so it sits on top of the scent but thankfully doesn't scream to high heavens. 

Eta: One year later the vanilla tea is really popping out! This is a sweeter, more youthful perfume today than it was when I first smelled it. And I'm still so pleased with how the jasmine plays nice with the other notes.

In the bottle and freshly applied, I am also getting a crush of blackberry, but it recedes into the background. There is definitely something creating a sharper, medicinal type of smell as the oil dries, but that fades as well. It settles into an herbal patchouli with a murky, almost velvety fruit backdrop - there's the labdanum. It's like a darker, murkier version of Blackberry Moon '22 and I'm here for it.

2015 version: In the bottle it honestly smells like rum - very boozy! On my skin the booziness fades into a richly caramelized sweetness. Not getting any fruit really, more like a dark red backdrop for dark toasty sugars. I don't mind it at all!

This is a pleasingly rounded scent that wears nicely for me. Honeyed oats aren't taking over everything, and it's not too beery. It was very sweet in the imp, then honeyed oats and corn pop out on my skin, then finally I get a bit of beer and woodmoss. I think the moss wants to go to cologne town but it never really gets there. 

edited to add, several months on: this wears gorgeously for me, and all day. I can't stand how simple and great it is. it's not as cloying as other honey-foodie scents can be. just really nicely balanced.

Truly a warm, dry, sun-baked scent. I was curious how the incense and olive leaves would factor in, and they are subtle, but they seem to lend a hint of sweetness to the wood and grass. It is indeed a bit dusty but somehow comforting. 

I wasn't prepared for this one! It's a warm aquatic, if that's possible. I thought got a hit of actual cream when I first applied, but it could be richness from the ambergris. It's surprisingly sweet in the imp, then salty and beachy on the skin, with warmth from the rosy sandalwood. I don't get a distinct sense of fabric/cotton/linen. Curiously cozy.

Freshly applied the grass and leaves combo is swoon worthy - very evocative of a walk on a crisp Fall day. The lilies are present but not overbearing, although I think they obscure the lavender. A soft sweet tea comes out as it dries, along with some rose. Might layer this with a bit more lavender - perhaps Dead Leaves and Lavender Buds - but it's truly gorgeous on its own. A fresh white bouquet in a well kept cemetery. 

I missed the Serpent Spring scents when they were first released, and have since fallen head over heels for Snake Eyes Gleaming, so when I got a chance to try this one I went for it. Wow! Snakes Basking is an exquisite orange blossom honey scent with the lightest touch of cinnamon ...over a Snake Oil backdrop. A rich, sweet, dark golden scent. 

This is lovely, it provides a nice light buzz of scent. When I wear it on exposed skin, it seems to fade quickly, but under my clothes it hangs out longer. The white patchouli leaf is not as bold as other patch I've worn, I get more of the ambergris, but in the mix with the beeswax and incense it's almost sparkly and magical. 

My expectation here was that the lavender would be a sharper herbal variety and I wasn't sure how that would play with Dead Leaves, but I wanted to try it. On my skin the lavender is surprisingly sweet! Certainly not a floofy Lilith lavender, and not piles of sugar or anything, but perhaps the age of the bottle and the contrast with the dead leaves has played up the gentle sweetness of the lavender itself. Or more likely taken the punch out of the straight up herbal scent. Either way this is amazingly lovely and I'm so pleased to have this in my collection now. Lovely Lavender Leaves for Fall.