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Showing results for tags 'Yule 2011'.
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Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening– the last evening of the year. In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that? They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they; and the poor little thing lost them as she scuffled away across the street, because of two carriages that rolled by dreadfully fast. Snow settling on cold skin, tea rose petals, and dusty, threadbare linen. I mostly get a clean fresh-linen scent from this one, very much like clothes just washed with a soft floral fabric softener, as it dries I start to get a little bit of pine-tinged snow. It settles into just-washed linen scent with hints of snow and pine and surprisingly I'm not getting rose on my skin but it's maybe blended into the linen scent and that's what is making it smell like a soft floral fabric softener to my nose. I like fresh clean laundry type scents so I find this pretty and actually my favorite from the batch I purchased, but I was hoping it would smell like a Pink Snowballs with soft linen but the fresh laundry scent overpowers everything else.
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“Grandmother!” cried the little one. “Oh, take me with you! You go away when the match burns out; you vanish like the warm stove, like the delicious roast goose, and like the magnificent Christmas tree!” And she rubbed the whole bundle of matches quickly against the wall, for she wanted to be quite sure of keeping her grandmother near her. And the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon-day: never formerly had the grandmother been so beautiful and so tall. She took the little maiden, on her arm, and both flew in brightness and in joy so high, so very high, and then above was neither cold, nor hunger, nor anxiety–they were with God. Divine mercy: sweet winter berry, orange blossom, frankincense, golden sandalwood, angel’s trumpet, and red rose. Wow, another first! I'm a bit unsure of this one. The intial wet stage is almost too much for my nose. That's a lot of berries and rose. Mostly berries, but I can for sure smell a sweet, bright rose there. Sometimes the backs of my wrists tend to amp brighter, fruitier notes though, and I have this on the backs of my wrists. When I have a chance I want to test in on the insides of my wrists, and that's where I usually wear my perfume, and I think I will get more of the frankincense and sandalwood to balance the sweet berry-rose. And I just realized there's orange blossom in here too, which is probably adding to that sweet, fruity, floral hit in the early stages. I am able to get a hint of the underlying dandalwood and frankincense now that it has been dry for an hour or two, but it has also faded sonsiderably overall....so. I'm just not sure. I'm gonna give it some time and see how it develops.
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Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when–the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire. Indian ambrette seed, beeswax, champaca flower, saffron, Italian bergamot, frankincense, oak bark, and vanilla orchid. Wow, first one! On me this is mainly frankincense and beeswax. It has a very peaceful, churchlike aroma. Beeswax candles and church incense. I wore it straight out of the box, however, and I wonder if more of the components might come out to play once it has had a bit of time to rest. This is my favorite so far of the Yules I chose. It is simple and sweet and warm. It seems very true to the inspiration.
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This is the scent of a freshly assembled gingerbread house, with swirls of multicolored icing, spice drop lights, meringue snow, pinwheel mint accents, chocolate roof tiles, candy wafer pavers, and jelly candy stained glass. We used a French translation for ‘gingerbread house’ as the name to make it sound fancier. French adds +40% Fancy! A jumble of scents reminiscent of that box of mixed Christmas cookies your grandmother used to make. For all the candy/sugar treats mentioned, this is shockingly not that sweet. I get chocolate , a HINT of gingerbread... and if I keep inhaling I eventually detect the barest whisper of mint and what I think is anise. My skin is notorious for burning off sweet scents so I'll be interested to see how this works on others. The dry down is a mix between Sugar Cookie, Gingerbread Poppet with a touch of Gelt and an indistinct Fruit note that shows up way in the background.
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Sharp is the night, but stars with frost alive Leap off the rim of earth across the dome. It is a night to make the heavens our home More than the nest whereto apace we strive. Lengths down our road each fir-tree seems a hive, In swarms outrushing from the golden comb. They waken waves of thoughts that burst to foam: The living throb in me, the dead revive. Yon mantle clothes us: there, past mortal breath, Life glistens on the river of the death. It folds us, flesh and dust; and have we knelt, Or never knelt, or eyed as kine the springs Of radiance, the radiance enrings: And this is the soul’s haven to have felt. - George Meredith Black midnight winter skies glittering with points of light: chill air, champaca flower, white musk, fir needle, papyrus reeds, and grey amber. I find Winter Heavens really evocative and atmospheric, I was surprised at how it really captures the winter night. Most of the notes are well-blended and they create this dark fruity scent with soft sparkly musk and hints of chilly air and pine trees. After a while the champaca and chilly air peeks a little more. The entire scent is softer and fruitier than I was expecting and it falls a little flat on my skin but I could see this working well on someone with the right skin chemistry.
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The Frost performs its secret ministry, Unhelped by any wind. The owlet’s cry Came loud—and hark, again! loud as before. The inmates of my cottage, all at rest, Have left me to that solitude, which suits Abstruser musings: save that at my side My cradled infant slumbers peacefully. ‘Tis calm indeed! so calm, that it disturbs And vexes meditation with its strange And extreme silentness. Sea, hill, and wood, This populous village! Sea, and hill, and wood, With all the numberless goings-on of life, Inaudible as dreams! the thin blue flame Lies on my low-burnt fire, and quivers not; Only that film, which fluttered on the grate, Still flutters there, the sole unquiet thing. Methinks, its motion in this hush of nature Gives it dim sympathies with me who live, Making it a companionable form, Whose puny flaps and freaks the idling Spirit By its own moods interprets, every where Echo or mirror seeking of itself, And makes a toy of Thought. But O! how oft, How oft, at school, with most believing mind, Presageful, have I gazed upon the bars, To watch that fluttering stranger! and as oft With unclosed lids, already had I dreamt Of my sweet birth-place, and the old church-tower, Whose bells, the poor man’s only music, rang From morn to evening, all the hot Fair-day, So sweetly, that they stirred and haunted me With a wild pleasure, falling on mine ear Most like articulate sounds of things to come! So gazed I, till the soothing things, I dreamt, Lulled me to sleep, and sleep prolonged my dreams! And so I brooded all the following morn, Awed by the stern preceptor’s face, mine eye Fixed with mock study on my swimming book: Save if the door half opened, and I snatched A hasty glance, and still my heart leaped up, For still I hoped to see the stranger’s face, Townsman, or aunt, or sister more beloved, My play-mate when we both were clothed alike! Dear Babe, that sleepest cradled by my side, Whose gentle breathings, heard in this deep calm, Fill up the intersperséd vacancies And momentary pauses of the thought! My babe so beautiful! it thrills my heart With tender gladness, thus to look at thee, And think that thou shalt learn far other lore, And in far other scenes! For I was reared In the great city, pent ‘mid cloisters dim, And saw nought lovely but the sky and stars. But thou, my babe! shalt wander like a breeze By lakes and sandy shores, beneath the crags Of ancient mountain, and beneath the clouds, Which image in their bulk both lakes and shores And mountain crags: so shalt thou see and hear The lovely shapes and sounds intelligible Of that eternal language, which thy God Utters, who from eternity doth teach Himself in all, and all things in himself. Great universal Teacher! he shall mould Thy spirit, and by giving make it ask. Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee, Whether the summer clothe the general earth With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall Heard only in the trances of the blast, Or if the secret ministry of frost Shall hang them up in silent icicles, Quietly shining to the quiet Moon. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge The liberating glory of nature, a celebration of wildness of spirit: fierce musk and immortelle, clary sage and oud, terebinth pine and ambrette seed, ivy and tobacco, honeysuckle and orange blossom. Frost at Midnight begins with a flurry of notes. It's fresh smelling, which may be the sage and pine, or the ivy. I can't identify the immortelle or other notes. I don't detect any tobacco. But there's definitely a lot going on at once. After it dries for a few minutes the honeysuckle and orange blossom show up but aren't heavy or overwhelming. Frost at Midnight turns into a nice, light floral. I was hoping for more pine and greenery to stick around. I think this will be a really nice Spring scent though I may have to slather it.
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Vibrant yellow petals bursting exultantly through a patch of snow. Oof, first. I'll do my best. Label looks to be a crocus? My label is a little fuzzy, undoubtedly because of the printer issues mentioned by the Lab this year. Kind of minimalistic, but still pretty. In the bottle: Wow, so bright and pretty. Just slightly floral, and very, very.. yellow. I adore this in the bottle, I really do. Wet, on skin: Positively luminous, but there's an herbal undertone poking through here and the floral hint is lost quickly. Petals are replaced with an almost lemon-zest kind of smell.. not gross lemon, not Pine-Sol lemon, but freshly-cut lemon curls. Makes me think of lightning-bugs for some reason. Just a touch of some kind of pine or.. eucalyptus or something. Throw is pretty light on me.. I get wafts of scent, but I can't smell it constantly. Drydown: Very herbal and fresh, but mellowing out. Reminds me a little bit of Ricola cough drops, but not in a bad way. I've noticed that the Lab's lemon notes come out strong with me, so that might be a huge contributing factor here. After about an hour it becomes a bit more like a lemony, almost chamomile tea on my skin. Equally fresh/clean and relaxing without losing that brightness factor. Throw remains light and pleasant.. for the most part, this blend sticks close to the skin. Zero headache or sneezy feeling here. More like "I just showered!" than "cozy" and certainly not as floral as the description hints towards. (Edit: I just realized what this tea-ish smell is.. it smells quite a bit like my Earl Grey and Bergamot tea.) Verdict: It's not what I had hoped for, but I still like it. I'll probably offer it up for swaps in the end, but it's definitely not in the "wash it off" category for me. Maybe more of a scent for the end of winter and beginning of spring, as the crocus would suggest. If you're looking for something a little different out of the Yules, or if you really like fresh and clean scents, you might really love this one.
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These thoughts supported my spirits, while I pursued my undertaking with unremitting ardour. My cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement. Sometimes, on the very brink of certainty, I failed; yet still I clung to the hope which the next day or the next hour might realise. One secret which I alone possessed was the hope to which I had dedicated myself; and the moon gazed on my midnight labours, while, with unrelaxed and breathless eagerness, I pursued nature to her hiding-places. Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil, as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave, or tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless clay? My limbs now tremble and my eyes swim with the remembrance; but then a resistless, and almost frantic, impulse urged me forward; I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit. It was indeed but a passing trance that only made me feel with renewed acuteness so soon as, the unnatural stimulus ceasing to operate, I had returned to my old habits. The moon gazed on my midnight labours: Moroccan musk, black opium poppy, clove, and orris root. First to review this. So here goes nothing! Wet: Soft but strong musk, which smells almost clean to me. (I guess that's what Morrocan musk smells like) with dry hints of orris. Dry: Musk, barely there clove (which I hope will get stronger with age) and orris root. This scent evokes a dark image for me. It is a scent for those who do bad things in the night, even if they think they are doing those things for the right reason. It's rare for a scent to evoke such an image from me. But this one does. It's purely clean, soft, and there is no poppy here and barely any clove. I see this being a frequently reached for bottle b/c I love the concept and the scent. However, I can see why it was hard on Beth to create scents attributed to the Frankenstein story.
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The Ski Lady, jötunn goddess of winter, bowhunting, mountains, and skiing. The scent of winter wind blowing over snow-capped mountains. Oh, hellooooooooooo Öndurdis. This smells like Christmas: pine, cold, a bit of something like winter berries. Look, I knew I had to had to have Ondurdis because I was hoping it would smell like Skadi, who I've been missing like crazy. I'm sure opinion will be divided on this, but Öndurdis smells a lot like Skadi to my nose, only a bit sharper. The pine is predominant, with a bit of a biting, cold scent behind it, and a hint of sweetness behind it all. It doesn't really become any more complex on my skin, or even change much in the drydown, just settling into the skin more (which, incidentally, is exactly how Skadi behaved on me too--and, really, how any super-piney scent seems to behave on me), but that's fine with me--this isn't really an every day scent for me, anyway, more a perfume for when I want to smell like Christmas, especially when it's cold outside, and I am very happily indoors.
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They consulted their village priest, and the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents’ house–my more than sister–the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures. Beautiful and adored: rose musk, white gardenia, English pear, vanilla bean, red currant, and honey. Ooh! First time being first! The bottle is fresh out of my cold mailbox, so I'll come back and edit if I find this any different after it's had some time to settle from transit and warm up. Beautiful and Adored is a very traditionally feminine scent. It's very floral--bright and well-blended with TONS of gardenia and musk hitting me at first sniff (I'm not good at IDing musks other than red musk, but I would say the rose musk smells to me like white musk plus tea rose). It seems gentle in nature, but it's not as delicate as I would have thought; the musk was quite assertive and sharp on me, so much that I almost felt my nose hairs crinkling when I inhaled! The pear is a pretty strong note as well, and is lovely, but fades a bit as the scent dries. I do get some honey and vanilla as well, but I can't pick out the redcurrant at all (it may be blending with the pear to produce a general fruity note). It settles a bit and is a beautiful light scent when it dries down completely, but it's definitely not for everyone, as it's a very, very girly, "conventional perfumey" lightly fruity floral. Edited to add: it's far into the drydown now, the florals have died down and the redcurrant has come out to play at last. I keep getting the most amazingly beautiful whiffs of perfume wafting from my wrist when I move, lots of creamy vanilla touched with light musk, pear, and redcurrant. Gorgeous.
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Her little hands were almost numbed with cold. Oh! a match might afford her a world of comfort, if she only dared take a single one out of the bundle, draw it against the wall, and warm her fingers by it. She drew one out. “Rischt!” how it blazed, how it burnt! It was a warm, bright flame, like a candle, as she held her hands over it: it was a wonderful light. It seemed really to the little maiden as though she were sitting before a large iron stove, with burnished brass feet and a brass ornament at top. The fire burned with such blessed influence; it warmed so delightfully. Three radiant ambers with honey, linden blossom, bourbon vanilla, and orange zest. In the bottle: creamy, sweet orange, possibly some floral (the linden blossoms?) Wet on skin: So this is definitely orange ZEST- I'm getting creamy orange for sure but there's also really bitter note like citrus pith- it's the difference between taking a bite of plain juicy orange and accidentally biting off some of the peel too. It actually reminds me of Halls vitamin C drops- they're sweet and citrusy but then there's almost a medicinal quality, like mint or eucalyptus. It's kind of off-putting. Dry: Much nicer- everything seems to have settled down and now this is a warm, sweet well-blended scent. I can't really pick out the individual notes, but the bitter note has disappeared. I'm going to hang on to it for awhile and see what (if anything) happens with the overly zesty zest and if I like the drydown enough to reach for it.
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Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? A blot upon the earth: black plum, Spanish moss, opoponax, davana, vetiver, and opium poppy. Lots of opium at the forefront, then something herbal, and just a hint of plum in the background. If you thought all the notes sounded great but were scared off by the vetiver, this might be worth trying anyway because I'm not getting any vetiver from this at all. Kind of disappointed there, since I love vetiver. It feels dark, but not thick or heavy. Shadowy, I guess. I almost really like it but the opium is going sharp and chemicalish on me like it always does. I was hoping that it wouldn't be so prominent. I'll hang onto my bottle for now and see what it's like in a few months.
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Rooibos tea with red ginger, green cardamom, fennel, peppercorns, almond, and licorice, sweetened with coconut sugar and jaggery. This was the Yule scent I was most excited about- it seemed kind of random and different, and I was not disappointed. In the bottle: Warm, rich spice. I do smell some pumpkin, and the red fruitiness that I associate with rooibos tea. Wet on skin: Sparkly red ginger and cardamom (?), with a kick from the peppercorns and a subtle sweetness. I can still smell the rooibos in the background. Drydown: Still getting a lot of the spice from the wet stage. As it dries down further there's more sugar, similar to Sugar Skull but with a tinge of creamy coconut (and jaggery is a kind of unrefined cane sugar, so I'm guessing it's just further sweetening the mix). This is really nice- I like spice but I'm not really a fan of cinnamon or cassia in perfume, so this is perfect. It's vaguely foody without being bakeshop foody, in my opinion. I didn't get any of the fennel, licorice or almond, and the coconut was a supporting player at most, giving a little bit of a creamy background to the whole thing. Lots of throw (but I like to slather) and okay wear length- still getting whiffs 3-4 hours in. All in all, a really interesting take on the spicy holiday gingerbready scent. I'll definitely keep my bottle around and may even snag a backup as I anticipate wearing this a lot.
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Because I am very, very crass this year. Slushy white mint, vanilla cream, lemon drops, grapefruit, and yuzu! I was hoping this would be more bright mint and citrus with a bit of creamy vanilla, but it is very much a "snow" scent with blend of citrus notes. I'm not sure I like it since I'm really not a fan of snow & ice blends. Those who like scents like Pink Snowballs, but would prefer a non-floral and fresher version, you should try this. The throw is good and lasts for hours. The label is also cute.
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WOODS IN WINTER When winter winds are piercing chill, And through the hawthorn blows the gale, With solemn feet I tread the hill, That overbrows the lonely vale. O'er the bare upland, and away Through the long reach of desert woods, The embracing sunbeams chastely play, And gladden these deep solitudes. Where, twisted round the barren oak, The summer vine in beauty clung, And summer winds the stillness broke, The crystal icicle is hung. Where, from their frozen urns, mute springs Pour out the river's gradual tide, Shrilly the skater's iron rings, And voices fill the woodland side. Alas! how changed from the fair scene, When birds sang out their mellow lay, And winds were soft, and woods were green, And the song ceased not with the day! But still wild music is abroad, Pale, desert woods! within your crowd; And gathering winds, in hoarse accord, Amid the vocal reeds pipe loud. Chill airs and wintry winds! my ear Has grown familiar with your song; I hear it in the opening year, I listen, and it cheers me long. Wild hemlock and juniper berries scattered in the snow beneath leafless trees bedecked with glittering icicles. In the bottle: It seems very aquatic and linen-y. And because of that perception, when I first accidentally got a teeny bit on my hand, that, too, smelled uber-aquatic. I was worried it might give me a headache! But I pressed on!! On skin: It starts off smelling a touch like pine or rosemary, but I guess that is the juniper or maybe the hemlock… It is very atmospheric - very light. It has a bit of sweetness (but it is not a sweet fragrance overall), a touch of spice and… perhaps a teensy bit of vanilla? It’s quite comforting. And strangely warm, even though it’s supposed to evoke, well, Woods in Winter! Maybe that tiny bit of sweetness is like marshmallows - light, fluffy, sweet, soft... That must be the snow on the ground Side note: When I first put it on, I was surprised that it really evoked some strange emotional feeling - brought tears to my eyes. (I’ll have to figure that out! ) I wore it overnight, and when I sniffed my wrists in the morning it was nearly gone, with just a hint remaining. It was back to smelling a bit aquatic. I think I’ll have to try again (and maybe add to this review later). Bottom line: It’s lovely. For me, it’s almost ethereal, and I find it appropriate that it’s based on a poem, because it has a poetic feel to it, if that makes any sense. I’m fairly certain I’ll be keeping my bottle (Edited to add in a piece I had forgotten before - sorry!)
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Wine grapes, pomegranate, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes. In the bottle: There's a hint of all the notes, as though they had been mixed into a white wine (non-alcoholic) from those grapes (green, I suspect). Wet: Now the pomegranate comes bursting through, with the gentle olive leaf in its train. The cake note is rounding this out, so it's not too fruity. The dry-down: The myrrh and frankincense are present, but only in a mild fashion, and the grapes are combining with the pome for a lovely light fruit note. If you don't want to smell like winter holiday sweet heavy food and drink or snowy woods or the Christmas tree, but still want a lovely light scent for the winter holiday season, this may be a scent to try. ETA: It's a rather elegant scent.
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DIABLE EN BOÎTE The crickets sing, and man's o'er-labour'd sense Repairs itself by rest. Our Tarquin thus Did softly press the rushes, ere he waken'd The chastity he wounded. Cytherea, How bravely thou becomest thy bed, fresh lily, And whiter than the sheets! That I might touch! But kiss; one kiss! Rubies unparagon'd, How dearly they do't! 'Tis her breathing that Perfumes the chamber thus: the flame o' the taper Bows toward her, and would under-peep her lids, To see the enclosed lights, now canopied Under these windows, white and azure laced With blue of heaven's own tinct. But my design, To note the chamber: I will write all down: Such and such pictures; there the window; such The adornment of her bed; the arras; figures, Why, such and such; and the contents o' the story. Ah, but some natural notes about her body, Above ten thousand meaner moveables Would testify, to enrich mine inventory. O sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her! And be her sense but as a monument, Thus in a chapel lying! Come off, come off: As slippery as the Gordian knot was hard! 'Tis mine; and this will witness outwardly, As strongly as the conscience does within, To the madding of her lord. On her left breast A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops I' the bottom of a cowslip: here's a voucher, Stronger than ever law could make: this secret Will force him think I have pick'd the lock and ta'en The treasure of her honour. No more. To what end? Why should I write this down, that's riveted, Screw'd to my memory? She hath been reading late The tale of Tereus; here the leaf's turn'd down Where Philomel gave up. I have enough: To the trunk again, and shut the spring of it. Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning May bare the raven's eye! I lodge in fear; Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here. One, two, three: time, time! - Iachimo, Cymbeline Act II, Scene 2 There are few things more disturbing than a Jack in the Box. A strangely sinister, unnerving holiday scent: redwood, bitter clove, tonka, hemp accord, and tobacco with peach blossom, black currant, and red musk. Oh no! I'm first on another Yule. In the bottle, it's very astringently medicinal. I was snorting so I could pick up what it reminded me of and it sort of burns at the back of the throat. Again, not what I was expecting when I ordered and not something I'd necessarily want to wear. But like with Yule Cat, I went ahead and put some on. Wet on skin: It's the red musk from Mircalla, but much smokier. Smoky is really the main thing I remember about first application. Drying: The smoky has wafted away and a dry wood is mostly prominent now. I really wish I knew what individual notes smell like instead of giving just general impressions. I don't know if this is the redwood or what. A sweetishness is still lurking, but it has a distinct woodiness. Specifically a dried out wood, not freshly chopped green wood. This stage gives me the impression it's just a tad on the masculine side. Much later this evening: All has settled down and Diable is just lovely. There's a soft sweetness to the deeper, rich tones of the scent that make it very wearable. I'm sure that has to be the peach blossom. Masculinity has went away and it's leaning more on the girly side now. Overall: I'm very happy that Diable hopped into my cart unsniffed. I've enjoyed all stages of this morpher and I don't plan on him just sitting around unworn. Added after I was thinking about it... I have a feeling that Diable will be supremely lovely with a bit of age.
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A lighthearted winter scent: chilly vanilla rose snowballs! Dainty, soft, and certainly unfit for flinging! Pink Snowballs started out Snow White, with a hint of vanilla, and stayed that way for a while. After about two hours, I smelled it and snow white had wandered away, leaving the vanilla left with a single rose and a hint of her perfume. Rather soft, and pretty.
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Sevivon, sov, sov, sov Chanukah, hu chag tov Chanukah, hu chag tov Sevivon, sov, sov, sov! Chag simcha hu la-am Nes gadol haya sham Nes gadol haya sham Chag simcha hu la-am. A bounty of chocolate coins! Dry cocoa and golden amber! Gelt is gorgeous. I'm not a foody fan, but I will be hoarding this. In the bottle: perfect cocoa powder, with a dash of hazelnut. This is not very sweet at all, it's exactly like sticking your nose into a fresh box of expensive cocoa powder that's got some hazelnut flavor. Application: The same, but it immediately starts warming up. The amber is poking it's head through the cocoa and giving it a homey warm feeling. This is the scent of curling up on a chilly night with a steaming mug of cocoa, prepared from scratch the stove-top way, with a healthy splash of frangelico. 15 minutes: Much the same as application. There's still beautiful, dry cocoa and the golden warmth of amber. It hasn't sweetened up or collapsed in on itself. Overall: This is a remarkable scent. It smells precisely as described by the lab, and I think can be appreciated by both foody and non-foody fans. I will be stocking up on this before it vanishes.
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NOCHE BUENA A celebration of the Nativity: the light, uplifting incense of the Misa de Noche Buena, purple sage, and a vibrant bouquet of plumeria, chrysanthemum, tuberose, Angel's Trumpet, Mexican tiger lily, dahlia, and azucenas. straight sniff from bottle is an olfactory delight of plumeria and chrysanthemum.... once applied this is a deep, floral incense ... jeebus.... beth just gets better and better with these 2007 yule blends... the sage and florals swirl together and are nothing less than astonishing...the throw is fair so i will have to slather this puppy for certain...g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s
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CHANUKKIYAH Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, Asher kid'shanu b'mitzvosav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Chanukah. Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, She'asah nisim la'avoseinu, bayamim ha'hem baz'man hazeh. Baruch ata Ado-nai, Elo-heinu Melech ha'olam, She'hecheyanu, vekiyemanu vehigi'anu laz'man hazeh. Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig. Ha'Neiros halalu anachnu madlikin al hanisim ve'al hanifla'os, ve'al hat'shu'os ve'al hamilchamos, sh'asisa la'avoseinu bayamim hahem baz'man hazeh, al yedei kohaneicha hakedoshim. Vechol sh'monas yemei Chanukah, haneiros halalu kodesh hem. Ve'ein lanu reshus le'hishtamesh ba'hem, eh'la lir'osam bilvad, ke'dei le'hodos u'lehalel leshimcha hagadol al nisecha ve'al nifle'osecha ve'al yeshu'oshecha. Ma'oz tzur yeshu'asi Lecha na'eh leshabe'ach Tikone bais tefilasi Ve'sham todah nezabe'ach Le'es Tachin Mabe'ach Mitzar ham'nabe'ach Az egmor beshir mizmor Chanukas hamizbe'ach. In bottle/imp: Brown sugar and amber, with a sweet bakery/foody note thrown in. There’s a little spice as well. Immediately on skin: This is such a warm, yummy scent. I smell brown sugar and something buttery and foody, but not overly so. It might be the olive oil, but it’s subtle and blends well. The beeswax is in here, but it interacts nicely with the other notes. The amber is tame, and very warm. The fig is adding a nice, soft earthy fruit scent and almost a warm spiciness, but I can’t seem to smell the pomegranate at all. After a few minutes: Even though I seem to have listed all the individual notes above, I have to stress that this scent is very well blended. This has become a little sharper, with the pomegranate peeking in to add a sharp but light fruit note. The sufganiyot (donut, I believe) is definitely present in this blend; I can smell some sort of baked, warm cake and it’s certainly yummy. The beeswax adds something to the blend that tames the foodiness quite nicely. There’s almost a nutty feel to it which is probably from the olive oil blending with the beeswax. This blend has gotten extremely sweet though, with an almost maple syrup quality coming from the sugary notes. (added a couple hours after wearing) A while later, there's also a smokiness that smells just like a burning beeswax candle mixed in with the other notes. It's amazing! Overall Impressions: If you love warm, sweet blends, then this one is for you; it’s not just straight-up foody in my opinion, but the sweet notes come out very strongly. The beeswax is a nice addition, and it’s evident in the blend amongst the other notes. This scent is on the verge of becoming almost maple-syrupy on me, so if you tend to have a problem with that, you may find it happening here. Everything is beautifully blended, however, and creates a beautiful scent. Overall, it’s a nice warm, comforting, sweet scent that is just wonderful and perfect for the name Chanukkiyah!
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Affectionately nicknamed 'The Devil's Bake Sale'. Wet I can't believe how foody but yummy this is. This is by no means too foody meaning it doesn't get sickening or cloying as some food-y type products do. You can actually smell that golden brown smell as when pastry or dough is baked and becomes golden because of the butter. That's exactly what this smells like. How in the world did Beth get that smell in a bottle? 10 minutes There's also a sweetish, vaguely fruity bakery smell mixed in with some cinnamon and nutmeg too. 20 minutes The cinnamon has come out more to the foreground . Damn, this is really good. I'm impressed. The buttery golden brown goodness is still there just more cinnamony. Still smells as good as it did when wet, this is a real pleasure. 5 2005 In the bottle Hmm. More creamed and sugared butter smell. On Wait a minute, I don't smell the golden brown buttery pastry of 2004. 30 minutes It's less cream and sugar and more cooked pastry crust. Throw: average Scent category: Foody Summary I like the sweet dough smell of this better than the cinnamony part of 2004 blend. The golden buttery crust part of 2004 is here in the 2005 blend also. Whew. Purchase again? Yes. 1-5 rating (5 being best) 4
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EGG NOG Sweet brandy, dark rum, heavy cream, sugar, and a dash of nutmeg. Oh, Mama. This one is DEAD ON ACCURATE. I am madly obsessed with Egg Nog. For me, the Holidays wouldn't be the same without it. And a good batch of Egg Nog has a scent to it that is equally as appealing as the taste. And BPAL's limited edition masterpiece has that scent... the smell of the perfect batch of Egg nog, served up in an antique crystal and gold trimmed goblet. Brimming over with spice, rum, sugary goodness, and oh, oh, oh... that BRANDY. It really leaps out at me and my happy little nose! That's my 'First Whiff' experience. Now *on* gets even better... After some dry down time, the rum is really prominent. But it's accented by the nutmeg and the brandy. It's so sweet and subtle. Warm. Inviting. Almost... alluring. I can't believe I'm wearing an "Egg Nog" scented oil! It's downright delightful and so far, it's really holding. The spice of this scent gets better and better with my body warmth, too. About 30 minutes later: It's still going fairly strong. Much of the other notes had faded off, but that rum is still there. Sweet, sweet rum. I couldn't resist... I HAD to do a re-app, just so I could sniff the contents of the bottle again. I decanted some straight to an imp, and am applying from that so that I can really slather it on now. I hate Holiday shopping, and so I have decided this is going to be my "Holiday Shopping Blues Pick-Me-Up" scent. It does the trick! -Leslie
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The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. Red Rose. Limited edition. My favorite rose so far. This is the first rose scent I haven't melted off within an hour. (I was amazed the first time I wore it. Eight hours, and no need to reapply!) In the bottle, it smells like a rose from the florist - that cold hothouse smell. On, it warms up slightly, but not too much - it's got a slight bite, which is a nice change from most roses that fade to a powdery softness. I'll be very sad when I finish this one.
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