jupiternf

This arrived frozen, under a foot of snow on my porch, and this was the first bottle I tried.

In the bottle, I get dense moist gingerbread. I think the earth element really intensifies that aspect of chewy depth.

Wet, a blast of foody ginger and faint rose, more like a wisp of rosehip, with the dried vitamin c tang that I love. The moss and dirt make me want to eat my arm. I AM SO IN LOVE.

Dry, the ginger sticks around for hours on me, with the tang of rose getting softer and the earth elements taking the foreground.

I wore this to bed and it stuck around till morning. The throw is pretty subtle, which I like. It is like a ginger rose cloud,sating my garden itch when the snow is piling on.

This blend is an instant top ten for me. I love Shub best of the entire general catalog, so if you like that, do not miss this.

Disclaimer: I have a terrible head cold, but I have been waiting for reviews for the box of chocolates myself and thought any review in a storm, eh?

In the bottle: Out of my embarrasingly large order, this is the one bottle that made me swoon when I opened it for the first time. Deep dark chocolate- not dusty cocoa, and a sexy caramel that makes my tiddly wink.

On my skin: Great throw- stonger than the white chocolate blends. I cannot get over how unbelievably rich the dark chocolate is. It reminds me a bit of Gula bath oil. Definitely a cousin to Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil with the caramel. In time the pepper smoked aspect lends a woody aspect to the blend, and this is just. so. hot. The least straight-up foody blend in the box in terms of complexity, but stil so very very coated in molten chocolate.

Verdict: We are talking 90% cacao here. With smoked orgasms. Put it on your man or woman, and proceed to get your daily antioxidants.

Disclaimer: I have a terrible head cold, but I have been waiting for reviews for the box of chocolates myself and thought any review in a storm, eh?

In the bottle: Faith-a bit of spicy violet and a violet flavored rock-candy lolipop.

On my skin: This is pretty much my beloved Faith, only lounging about in the nude covered in whipped cream.

Verdict: Beautiful creamy spicy sweet violets, no powder, and as time goes on, seems to gain staying power. Do I need 20 bottles? Maybe.

Disclaimer: I have a terrible head cold, but I have been waiting for reviews for the box of chocolates myself and thought any review in a storm, eh?

 

In the bottle: Strawberry bubble gum- tons of sugar and a little bit of tang.

 

On my skin: Pretty consistent- the strawberry tang has more staying power than in Beaver Moon 07, where the berry seemed to dissapear all too soon. This may be because unlike BM, White Chocolate and Strawberry does not have a cream note to beat up those poor innocent berries.

 

Verdict: So far the box of chocolates seems to be pretty straightforward, and promises to be awesome for layering. I cannot wait to wear this in the spring.

Disclaimer: I have a terrible head cold, but I have been waiting for reviews for the box of chocolates myself and thought any review in a storm, eh?

In the bottle: HELLO sweet coconut, a la pina colada.

On my skin: A gentler coconut- the tropicana effect wears off and I am left with a creamy and innocent blend that has a distinct marshmallow sweetness. No toasted element- just creamy white sugar binge.

Verdict: Will keep my bottle happily, but no need to stock up : I prefer Obatala and Eden's greater complexity. This is not a blend for those who dislike foody scents, obviously.

Sugar Skull and Antique Lace last almost 24 hours on me. Strangely, my skin eats La Befana, which should be a sucker punch combo of both and therefore last FOREVER.

 

Scent free moisture helps things last one me as well- but anything with spf seams to eat or distort scent on me. Sugar Skull seems to be the only thing that can withstand spf.

I was lucky enough to sniff poisoned apple at Nailpolish Etc. last weekend, and it is a much stronger apple than I expected from the other notes. Of course, maybe I just take poison for granted when it comes to produce.

 

Mostly, I cannot wait for my bottle of fearful pleasure arrive, what with the latest reviews.

My bar lathers beautifully, and gives off faint but lingering Shub smell. You get a sense of spicy gingerbread and dark resin, and I love my bar, but I would buy a lifetime's supply if it was scented more strongly.

In the imp: Someone in the Carnaval is making lemon cream pies. Yeah Baby.

 

Wet: Hmm. This is what people talk about when they say something smells like pledge. My skin tends to play nicer with lemon, but this is amping straight lemon like crazy and I miss the creamy note it had in the imp.

 

Dry: Much better: light lemon and cream and emerging opium and light florals. Very mysterious but snuggly and non-aggressive in this stage.

In Imp: juicy black cherries, spice and possibly a verbena/citrus edge

 

On Skin: Cherry red hots. I am enjoying the juicy red fruit stage when:

 

ACK. RED welts of doom. My first oil with this reaction.

 

Perhaps a room scent then...

Testing the last of my imp, because I have a bottle on the way...

 

This is perfect for summer. It has all the lush fruity sweetness I crave in the heat, while being light enough to be fresh instead of cloying. I have so many deep and dark or intensely sweet scents, that this is a very welcome bit of variety.

 

In the imp: Mostly almond and coconut milk- very foody in this stage.

 

Wet: Creamy fruit- I detect more coconut than fig.

 

Dry: The fig leaves and sandalwood emerge: tempering the sweetness with the green stage others have mentioned. The mix of green and cream is punctuated by little drops of purple, and now I want to paint this blend...

Am SO excited about this. I can hear the music in my brain.

 

I agree with both Dee and Tombstone wholeheartedly.

 

I must add that when Indy is running away from things, i.e. giant rolling rocks, but in a manful way, he smells like The Antikythera Mechanism, hardcore.

In the Frimp: Faint anise and lemon, strong herbs.

 

Wet: Strong fresh, not sweet or foody, lemon, and dry wormwood.

 

Dry: Here is more of the anise I expected, but it is in no way overpowering. This is masterfully blended- the lemon stays without overpowering on me, and the herbs blend to give me a feeling of picking them fresh in my back garden, and smelling the crushed leaves on my skin later.

 

6 Hours Later: Lingering herbs and lemon, the tiniest bit of anise remains.

 

I have been wearing this while trying to sivler-smith absinthe spoons in anticipation of the drink coming to NYC legally- and I need a bottle of this scent as soon as possible because the imp is disappearing rapidly.

 

I adore this scent, and unlike some of the heavier or foody or dark scents that I love, I can wear this daily, even if I have a headache or feel "meh." It is uplifting and clarifying, and generally .

The last of my Poe Decants:

In the Imp: the vetiver is on top, but I also get the spice of the saffron and a faint floral/rose feeling as well

Wet: This is throwing vetiver for miles. I get an amazing blend of the lemon, plum, and herbs melding with the darker notes.

Dry: Now I am getting the patchouli!!! The other notes settle in behind it, lemon coming across in second place.

Overall- I adore the patchouli and saffron in the dry down- it retains the complexity of the wet period for a long time- 6- hours so far.

In the Imp: Faint sweetness and intense green/ sandalwood.

 

Wet: I get the darker notes right away- pungent tobacco, patchouli, and warm amber as it starts to dry... there is a half dry stage where honeyed incense emerges and I swoon a little, and finally...

 

Dry: Where did everybody go? Sandalwood stands alone.

 

This was the Poe scent I was most looking forward to. As it turns out, I like the Tell Tale Heart most, and this one was eaten mercilessly by my skin chemistry until only sandalwood remained.

In the imp: Plums and grape bubblegum.

 

Wet: The fruity notes remain, but the sweetness is taken over by the amber and champaca.

 

Dry: My skin amps the musk, a faint whiff of sweet plum wine remains.

 

I would actually have loved to have this last week, when I went to a sake bar for dinner- it has a plum wine vibe overall for me that suggests swanky outings downtown.

The Tell-Tale Heart-

 

In the Imp: Cocoa, and a fruity sweetness I assume is dragon's blood.

 

Wet: Beautiful chocolate and spiced incense- similar to Boomslang, as others have said, and to Midnight Kiss, but without the patchouli.

 

Dry: Any foody aspect fades, and a more complex, sexy scent emerges: my skin is amping woody incense, and in the background, vetiver thumps faintly but ominously.

 

One Hour Later: The pepper and allspice remain, along with a red haze in the background.

I only have an imp of this, and as I test it I am fervently praying that it isn't too wonderful...

 

In the imp: Solid and worn wood coated with bubblegum- the two scents seem so disparate that my brain is turning inside out!

 

Wet and Drying: Spice and resin emerge out of the sweetness- like the first warning that you are in a horror story and should turn back- I love this stage!

 

Dry: Sticky-sweet, and again the aged wood smell- the crazed hilarity of ghosts rampaging through old, old wooden rooms, knocking over silver platters and dissapearing again into the walls.

 

This scent seems full of tales to me- I will treasure my imp and use it when I bust out something spooky to read.

Mary Sue wears the paris hilton blends.

 

I have a newbie stash which actually contains many potter-centric scents. Everywhere my obsessions overlap. Now I just need to decide between boomslang, miskatonic, and bewitched.

 

Anything to distract me while I wait for the book...