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Showing results for tags 'Halloween 2017'.
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I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men — but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed — I raved — I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder — louder — louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Black opium and screeching blood orange. Could not pass this up with those two notes! The opium is mellow (as opposed to how it comes on in my beloved Debauchery). Perhaps people were put off by the "screeching" blood orange, but no worries. In fact, the orange is the sweet star of the show. It does not have a lot of throw; however, I sprayed it in my braid last night and it was still very evident in the morning. I am happily huffing my hair now! The opium and orange play very well together.
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[No additional description provided.] The dead leaves is the non-cologne, non-aquatic note that I like a lot. The black musk only comes through faintly, but it's good too - dark, rich, almost....sooty? With maybe a tiny hint of anise? Could just be the dark imagery. I like it, but it's very simple, and I do wish the black musk came through stronger.
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But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eve. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man’s terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! — do you mark me well I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. Blood musk and pulsating black pepper, a throb of bitter almond, and cracked pimento. Blood musk, spiked with almond and pepper. This is a peppery musky blend that I can see being well in the Ars Draconis line. Red, dirty, musky. Good throw and wear length.
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Pumpkin spice that brothel! I've never tried Harlot before, so this will be a completely new scent to me. On first sniff I smell alcohol and spice. When on and wet t is very gourmand which isn't my cup of tea but we will see what happens as it dries (while I look up Harlot reviews). I see that rose is a main note of Harlot, but I am not getting much which is strange as I amp rose like crazy. I am just getting a cinnamon cookie smell. I can taste the cinnamon when my hand is nowhere near my nose! The spice smell is calming down, but I am still not smelling any rose.I don't think I will be wearing this one. Fine for foodies, but not for me.
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Mist-shrouded pine and moonflower creeping over flaccid opium poppies. One of the best things about this Tell-Tale Heart collection is that each of the scents really do paint a picture of the exact scenario described, covering a wide base of moods and private horrors within one person's swift descent into madness. The palette of each blend includes flashes and colors and characterizations that set it apart from the others, but they're definitely all part of the same story. I'm a sucker for a pine scent and am wild for Black Forest, so I was very curious about this one. Whereas most of the collection depicts the character's internal state, this one is a reminder of the story's setting. As such, it is a bit smoother and more calm, though the pine note reaches upward in a way that communicates the rising dread of being awake and alone late at night. That piney nerve-jangle consistently pokes through the blanket of mist and dark flower base notes. In the bottle, all I get is the pine -- not the dry scruffy pine of "This Is Our Wilderness," more like the damp juicy pine of Black Forest. Within a few minutes on the skin, the poppy and moonflower and mist have all risen to cloak the pine, just as in the description, creating a landscape where the only dominant effect is darkness. So, if you're worried about smelling like a Christmas tree, this one shouldn't be a problem for you. (That comes later, with the Yule update!) Whereas Black Forest dries down to a sweet black musk, I can tell already that I'm going to be left with a gentle whiff of opium as this evaporates.
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Cracked, peeling leather, creeping sheets of corrosion, exposed wires, and congealed pools of motor oil. There is something completely creepy and off about this scent. A scent of metal, old oil, and wiring runs throughout with a hint of old car grease streaked through old leather. Definitely glad to try it...but since my decant exploded everywhere in my package, I now know it's definitely not for ,me.
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If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs. I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye — not even his — could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out — no stain of any kind — no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all — ha! ha! When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o’clock — still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, — for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises. Clean wood floors, a clean tub, clean, clean, clean, with no stain of any kind, no blood-spot whatsoever. Embalming Fluid, is that you? It's like you crossed Mr. Clean with Embalming Fluid. There's a slightly soapy drydown which just smells clean. Low throw and wear length.
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The disease had sharpened my senses — not destroyed — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily — how calmly I can tell you the whole story. Hearken and observe: black iris, French lavender, Roman chamomile, and frankincense. In the decant: Mostly black iris, followed by lavender and chamomile. Wet: The black iris note reigns, still followed by the lavender and chamomile, but then the frankincense emerges and starts gaining strength pretty quickly. But then the lavender reasserts itself, so that it's mostly the iris and lavender. Dry: The black iris note continues to reign, and it's so strong, and it, combined with the sharpness of this particular lavender, are threatening to give me a headache, sadly. Verdict: I was hoping this might be a wonderful sleep blend, but alas, it's not really for me. Still, I think it the iris and lavender certainly make this loud and sharp and fitting for its namesake. If you're a fan of iris, you'll probably enjoy this, but it's just too much for me.
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Pomegranate and maraschino cherry pumpkin floss! This one is a knockout winner for me. It almost had to be: I adore all pumpkin scents, pomegranate, and maraschino cherry. Add floss to the mix and there is almost no way it could NOT work for me. The first hit is that rich, sweet pumpkin scent I adore, with pomegranate adding a tart note. Those two notes seem to be a bit at odds at the beginning, but after it warms up for a few minutes the cherry and floss join the party and smooth everything together. Fruity, not too heavy and not too sweet. I will wear this one a lot all year around.
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No doubt I now grew very pale; but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? An erratic pomegranate mint, high-pitched and flailing with eucalyptus, above a throbbing core of black musk. In the bottle: Dominated by the musk and eucalptus, with mint following and a vague, hard to identify fruitiness. Wet on skin: Stronger mint and eucalptus with that the musk to round it out, with that same sweetness as in the bottle. Dry on skin: Very well-balanced, softly masculine but with a sweetness that keeps it from really being manly. Clean without being astringent. On me, the pomegranate never really smells specifically like pomegranate; it comes across as slightly tangy note that keeps this one really interesting and very complex. This one is wonderful - definitely a keeper. ETA: This is actually my new favorite.
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Fear of Bats A flutter of leather becomes a swarm of buffeting musks, tangled with a white flash of sandalwood and near-inaudible shrieks of eucalyptus and elemi. This was one of my favorite Weenies that I tested at the Dirty South Lunacy last weekend. At first it is mostly a woody incense. The sandalwood in this is the kind that smells like smooth incense, not the scratchy powdery kind. I wasn't sure what elemi was supposed to smell like, so I looked it up, and it is in the frankincense family. So elemi + sandalwood = velvety wood incense. Are bats velvety? Because this smells like velvet feels, smooth and fuzzy and soft on the senses. The leather is in the background at first. As it dried the leather shifted forward and the other notes faded, but even the leather here is kind of fuzzy and soft, more of a suede than a polished leather. I can catch a whiff of eucalyptus when I sniff from the bottle, but I smell nothing of it on my skin, and I never smelled anything that struck me as a musk (merged with the leather?). The final incarnation was lots of leather backed by that woody incense. The YMMV caveat here is that I was testing this alongside other stuff, while in a room full of perfume stink (lol you can smell us coming down the hallway of the hotel our event is held in), and the testing location was on the back of my hand, which is not always the most accurate location and which tends to disappear before a scent gets to the absolute last dry-down stage. I think I might need a bottle of this, but I want to try it again in more isolated circumstances before deciding. It was one of only two Weenies that made me contemplate a bottle though. So, if you skipped this one because you were afraid of the eucalyptus, you might want to rethink it. I stuck my hand under the nose of another attendee, and her response was "oooooh" and when I told her what it was she said "oh I passed over that one because I thought it would smell like Vick's" and immediately went to try it on herself. In eucalyptus' case I think "near-inaudible" is accurate.
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[No additional description provided.] Lately I have been branching out into different scent categories, and books/paper is one that I want to try more of. I got a decant of this thinking it would be papery, but now that I think about it, I am worried it will smell more like glue... Wet: Cucumber. That's..unexpected. Oh ok, a newsprint sort of smell is coming through. And something chemical. It's interesting. It smells more like...maybe a printing press? Like paper, but also machinery and oils/lubricants. And somebody's leftover cucumber sandwich. I don't really feel like this is working out for me. Dry: About the same - paper and chemicals with a hint of cucumber. Not my jam! But glad I got to try it. It does smell similar to The Manuscript from CP, if I remember right, so those who enjoy that type of scent might like this.
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[No additional description provided.] I got this one out of curiosity... and it was not my jam. I mean, to be fair... saying that kind of reminds me of in Arrested Development when Michael finds a paper bag in the freezer labeled "Dead Dove Do Not Eat," and opens it to see what's inside and then says "I honestly don't know what I was expecting." So, yes, this smells like the inside of a plastic mask. In the bottle: Lightly citrus and with almost a hint of straw On the skin: Slightly acrid, stale plastic Dry down: Just sort of bitter and hard to identify. My verdict is that I kind of hate it? INTERESTINGLY, I think it would be fun as a layering scent; it seems to have the ability to fake-ify whatever you put over it. Like for example, putting a chocolatey scent over it made it smell like a scratch and sniff chocolate sticker. Putting something with a strong strawberry scent over it makes it smell like a Strawberry Shortcake doll from the 80's.
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When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily until, at length a simple dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye. It was open wide, wide open and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old mans face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot. A dim ray upon the vulture eye: smoked violets and bulbous orris, threads of crumbling lavender, and wet iris butter. These are still settling from the trip to me, but I just had to review. I'll change this if the scent changes when it settles down. This is an incredible violet, iris, and lavender blend. Dark and spectral at the same time. The iris and lavender blend so perfectly that while I can smell both, I can't tell where one ends and the other begins. The violet (which I assume is also orris here) gives it just a hint of sweetness, but it's a darker and smokier violet than I've encountered in any BPAL violet scent other than Bruised Violet Compound. In fact, this is like a lighter but slightly menacing version of BVC. Throw length seems to be about average on me, but my skin likes to devour oils, so ymmv. Definitely pick it up if you like any of the three notes. It showcases each of them really well.
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Fermented apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, lemon zest, butterscotch liquor, and orange slices. Oh this is good....and I am going on a nose that isn't working 100% (thanks to a cold! ) Sniffing in the bottle, it is surprisingly....light. I sniff the butterscotch....apples... orange... lemon. It is a crisp cider to my nose. In my hair. it stays the same...it has a medium scent, not too heavy as I thought it might be with the sugar, clove, allspice and nutmeg notes, but this really is....sweet, not cloying, and a tad refreshing. You can totally wear this if you work in close range with people. After a few, the apples and butterscotch are prominent. But so not cloying. I will edit/add to this as my hair dries more and my nose is a bit better. But if you are worried this would be too heavy and spicy, it so isn't!! This, to me, is a year round wearable scent.
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Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded — with what caution — with what foresight — with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. Percolating with derangement: flashing spikes of orange blossom, neroli, lemon, and bitter clove in a bubbling mass of opoponax, patchouli, and thick, black vetiver. For now, neroli and clove are the stars of this scent, with a base of opoponax and vetiver. It's not a patchouli-heavy fragrance, though time might bring that note forward a bit more. I feel that the orange blossom and lemon make the briefest appearance when it's first applied. It's kind of cozy and appropriate for cooler weather, without a lot of throw, but it has good staying power on me. Even though there's no wood in it, I can feel the wooden floorboards that creak beneath the narrator's feet as he goes about the week before committing the murder. There's something familiar about this, maybe like a soap that I once used, and yet it doesn't actually smell at all soapy. It feels somehow more expensive than it is. I think it would suit all genders. I have to say that I don't get any impressions of madness, but maybe I'm just a little too familiar with madness to notice.
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Pumpkin floss with threads of dark chocolate! Just got this today... also, forgive me, I am trying to get over a cold, so I might need to edit this later! But just can't wait to dive into it! In the bottle, there is a light chocolate to me, and something spicy... mildly spicy... smells a bit cinnamon-y. On skin, if you have smelled/tested Pumpkin V 2009, it reminds me of that, but more of the cinnamon coming out. It isn't overpowering, but my nose might be lying to me now. Dry down, I get more of the chocolate emerging, but it isn't crazy heavy.... it is light and the spice backs off, but still there. I don't get pumpkin from this. Doesn't last long on me...even as I am writing this, it is fading already. BUT again...might be my stuffy nose not wanting to cooperate. It is yummy and not too foody or pumpkiny.
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A gleaming auburn chypre shot through with streaks of pumpkin. This smells predominately like butterscotch, vetiver, and patchouli to me, with straps of gleaming black leather. It is the olfactory equivalent of drinking a tumbler of scotch neat, caramelized and raw with an aftertaste of peat. Or like eating candy in old study haunted by the ghosts of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway making out on the desk. Sexy, sophisticated, gender-bending. The far dry down of Pumpkin Chypre is gorgeously huffable, but I still think it needs aging to come into its full glory. Strong throw and wear length. I received a rather startled compliment for this one, perhaps because I dont have anything else like it in my collection, but it is in roughly the same vein as other warm, brown, sultry scents such as The Antikythera Mechanism, Perversion, and The Old Goblin.
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[No additional description provided.] So, lemon and I aren't friends, but couldn't resist something called "cream amber", so here goes! Mmm! I had not taken into account how clean this might smell!! I love clean HG scents for work. The lemon is really sweet, almost candied, and I am digging that. It's a light scent, with the dead leaves note a dry, subtle one. I don't know as I am getting the cream amber, unless that's the lovely sweetness I am getting. Anyway, this is a great, totally non-offensive clean smelling HG, and I will happily wear it to work.
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[No additional description provided.] this is my favorite out of the three DL scents I got. The pink peppercorn in it is similar to the one in Fake News. it has that tickle-your-nose, sweet-but-spicy quality to it. Combined with the DL note, it is truly lovely and innately autumnal. A relatively simple scent, only two notes, that does not morph or change on the skin. Beautiful on it's own but I'm very much looking forward to layering it.
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Wild plum, fig, and blackcurrant pumpkin floss! Plum, pumpkin and a touch of fig. This one is an odd pumpkin to me. It's got a heady dark plum note, and then you get the buttery pumpkin underneath. Low throw and wear length.
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Mod Note: There is a review topic for Samhainophobia release years 2006-2007, 2011, 2013, and 2016 located here. Per our Review sub-forum topic policy, a new review topic has been created for the 2017 release due to an inexact match with previous release scent description. To be specific, the word 'Haitian' is missing from the 'Haitian vetiver' verbiage used in past scent descriptions. This callout does not indicate knowledge of formulation and is simply provided for transparency on review topics. Fear of Halloween Menacing vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves. Would you believe I have never tried this before? I tried Samhain ages ago. It was horrendous on me. Like, shockingly bad. And somehow in my head this got lumped in with it and I avoided it like the plague. BUT THEN Ajevie started doing half decants, and, well...what can I say, I like to try all the things! Wet: Wow, menacing really is a good word for it. This is HEAVY. Ominous. DARK. I don't hate it, but it's not my thing, yet. It's actually starting to do a burnt plastic thing on my arm, so I'm not really a fan of that. Dry: Tons of vetiver. It must be pretty strong, as my skin often eats vetiver when it's in among other notes. I actually can't really smell the other notes in this. I am guessing some aging would help everything even out, however I am fairly certain this is one of those scents that is just not for me. Glad to have finally tried it though! (And I do wonder if this was a formulation change this year, or just a word omission.
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We do lie beneath the grass In the moonlight, in the shade Of the yew-tree. They that pass Hear us not. We are afraid They would envy our delight, In our graves by glow-worm night. Come follow us, and smile as we; We sail to the rock in the ancient waves, Where the snow falls by thousands into the sea, And the drownd and the shipwreckd have happy graves. Thomas Lovell Beddoes Yew berries and cypress boughs, ropes of kelp and sea spray. I haven't tried any of BPAL's other sea/themed scents, so I can't say how this stacks up to them for comparison. I tried this at New York Comic Con with no plans to make a purchase, but I ended up buying a whole bottle because I couldn't think of any BPAL scents I've tried that smelled like this! In the Bottle: saltwater. Wet: Salt and cut greens. There's an astringent quality on the edge of the salt that immediately reminded me of The Beer from the Marshwoman's Brewery -- which made sense when I looked up the notes, because they both have yew berries. Dry: The cypress comes out here, but it's wood drenched in salt water -- like standing at the edge of a dock in the winter, or being underway on an old galleon. If you've ever been to a maritime history museum which recreates historical boats and their construction, this will immediately put you in mind of that. For lack of a better word, it smells nostalgic. In Sum: A unique scent that stands out for me among all of BPAL's products that I've sniffed over the years. I would recommend it more as a room/atmospheric scent than for use on yourself, but it's immensely refreshing and bracing. If you want a little bit of the sea to keep in a bottle, this would be the scent for you.
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