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Showing results for tags 'halloween 2018'.
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In night when colors all to black are cast, Distinction lost, or gone down with the light; The eye a watch to inward senses placed, Not seeing, yet still having powers of sight, Gives vain alarums to the inward sense, Where fear stirred up with witty tyranny, Confounds all powers, and thorough self-offense, Doth forge and raise impossibility: Such as in thick depriving darknesses, Proper reflections of the error be, And images of self-confusednesses, Which hurt imaginations only see; And from this nothing seen, tells news of devils, Which but expressions be of inward evils. – Lord Brooke Fulke Greville Ink-black musk and dried blackberries, midnight opoponax and sweet labdanum. The dark sweetness of these notes called to me strongly before I ordered it. Upon initial application, the dried blackberries seemed to give this scent a sour funk, and I was worried. After a few minutes, however, that dissipated, and I was left with a dark, fruity blend with a grounding of dark incense. It's not foody or overly sweet, and the musk is not powdery. It's got some punch, too: I could still smell it on my wrist after exercise and a shower. I can see myself getting addicted to this one. I think this is going to age remarkably.
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Every leaf tells a story. This is probably my favorite Dead Leaves scent ever. At first it's heavy on the classic dead leaves, with a hint of incense. As it dries, I get more of the incense, then just a wisp of dusty vanilla. Gorgeous!
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Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos. ― Mary Shelley, 1831 This Samhain, were reveling in the desecration of a classic blend: Damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein. I was the lucky recipient of #12. It starts out with a bit of orange and maybe a bit more of the the eucalyptus vibe I get from regular Samhain. I love it! With time, it morphs into the sweet, honey/apple-like scent of regular Samhain. I love it!!! My best Chaos Theory gamble ever!
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Variety is the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor. ― William Cowper, 1785 Forget about the War on Christmas the years most contentious seasonal battle is actually waged over this inescapable melange of palate-massaging flavors. Weve got the formula down pat, and invite you to join us in a mad-science experiment: Just how far can we bend it before it breaks? I picked up two of these mysterious creatures as it's been a looooooong time since I've had some chaos scents in my life. Here's hoping at least one is amazing on me! First up, bottle #26: oh. my. g-ddess. Banana pumpkin spice. Not, like, banana *bread*. No. This is like, a fresh banana smoothie, right from the blender, with some pumpkin spice mix dusted into it for flavor. Never knew this was a thing missing from my life and now I find myself ecstatic to be the sole individual in the world to have this in my hot little hands!!! This is going to be a really really tough act to follow! Here goes #31: Pumpkin spice and...cologne? In the bottle and wet on skin, I'm mostly getting a sharp fougeré, like a bracing 1940s lavender-based men's aftershave, and a pice of pumpkin spice bread dunked into it. It's bizarre. As it dries, the cologne chills out and it becomes...Dorian and spice cake I can't tell yet if I like it enough to keep it, but testing chaos theory scents is *always* an adventure!!!
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With vanilla bean scrapings. In The Bottle: The light, sweet buttery pumpkin note from the Lab we all know and adore. Wet On Skin: A little bit of spice comes out- a touch of ginger here, a dab of nutmeg there... Dry Down: Pumpkin, autumnal spice, and vanilla bean. I don't get a custard thing like some might expect from a Brûlée, but it's a really lovely autumnal gourmand scent just the same. It's a good daytime scent, and I could see layering it with something a little richer to either heighten the food aspect or a deeper one to make it a bit more of an evening scent. For pumpkin scent lovers, this is a pure win- don't miss out!
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Every leaf tells a story. This starts out like the perfect autumn scent on me. It literally is dry leaf meets a fresh sugar cookie straight from the oven. Half an hour later, the dry leaf predominates and the sugar cookie recedes into a faint bakery smell. But still very nice. I think this is my favorite of the dead leaves line.
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Our spin on a traditional Guy Fawkes Night treat: treacle toffee soaked in rich, dark bourbon. I wasn't sure what 'Treacle' was (or is, honestly). But this scent sounded interesting and different from other Halloweenies. In the Bottle: Dark boozy caramel On my Skin, Wet: A burst of what smells a little bit like burnt coffee with a touch of smoke. Carries some kind of a sweet note with it. On my Skin, Dry: Dark sweet molasses with a faint waft of smoke. It's not listed, but I detect a very small note of chocolate or cocoa. This scent reminds me of a childhood dessert that I can't place. Verdict: It IS different from other Halloweenies in my collection, and I love that it is a sweet but broody perfume. I may buy a backup bottle of this one.
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[No additional description provided.] This is very straightforward. The pomegranate note verges on candy-like, but stops just short of it. I had been wanting Snake Oil with a dark fruit note. This starts out bright and tart, the pomegranate dominating. It settles to darker, still tart, and more balanced with the Snake Oil. It's exactly what I was looking for.
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A strangely romantic, disturbingly erotic perfume. This is a weird one, but in a good way. The pumpkin is not what I usually associate with BPAL pumpkin notes-- it's none of the usual super sweet and spice. It does have sweetness, though. Pumpkin musk is an odd concept, but, yeah, that is what I smell. It's a gentle, sweet musk. A touch sexy. The oudh is dark and rich without being heavy. It's a nice oudh-- I get neither band-aids nor barnyard. I really like this one. Every time I smell my wrist, I catch another nuance to it.
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Engraving by Jacques Jordaens Goat’s milk, nectar, ambrosia, and honey. Wet: Gingerbread and honeyed fruit. Yummy! Dry: Fruit with honeyed milk. Slightly soapy. Drydown: Thankfully, soapiness turned to floral nuttiness. Milk note is more of a soft cloud around me. 2nd time testing: Bready, like yeast and hops. Reminds me of Narr. Getting a bit of rubber at the end, but that comes and goes. Still soft and milky. Average wear and throw.
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Every leaf tells a story. Oh god it's so good. Okay so I've actually done the maple syrup thing. I've collected buckets of sap from tapped maple trees and dumped them in a sleigh and taken it all down to the sugar house. Actual maple sap has such a light, sweet smell, but this.... THIS smells like boiling that sap in the sugar house, all the rich, gorgeous steam filling the rafters with mesmerising patterns in the sunlight streaming through the board slats. The dead leaves note is strong at first but this is a scent that's primarily about the maple. This isn't pancakes, folks. This is maple magic.
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And where should the living feel alive But here in this wan white humming hive, As the moon wastes down, and the dawn turns cold, And one by one they creep back to the fold? And where should a man hold his mate and say: "One more, one more, ere we go their way"? For the year's on the turn, and it's All Souls' night, When the living can learn by the churchyard light. White patchouli leaf, beeswax, ambergris, and pale incense. The first thing I get off this is honey! Eeeevil honey. The patchouli leaf is super light, barely noticeable. I'm not too familiar with ambergris, but the beeswax is nice and prominent. The incense is there too, slightly smoky without being smoky and just a little sweet. I accidentally ordered two bottles and while waiting for my order I was mad at myself, but this is clearly a blend I want a backup bottle of. I highly recommend this to people that love honey or incense. It really is something special. Can't wait to try the rest of my Weenie hoard!
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In the vein (GET IT) of Boo, Suck It, and Spooky, this is a gushing font of sweet bloody black cherry cream and crushed dried blackberries. First review for this.... I am a cherry fiend, so this was a must buy for me. In the bottle: strong cherry cream. Very similar to the cherry in Ghoulish and Gothabilly. Wet on the skin: Same as the bottle. Very strong. No blackberry detected. Dry: this quieted down very quickly on my skin, becoming a skin scent within moments. Nearly a dead ringer for Ghoulish and Gothabilly, a soft cherry cream scent. No blackberry. I'm a bit disappointed in this. I have 4 bottles of Ghoulish, and I've a decant of Gothabilly, and so far this is nearly identical to them. I'm going to let this age in the hopes the blackberry comes out, and the strength increases. I won't sell it as I can always use more soft cherry fluff, but I was hoping for something different in this.
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A fair witch crept to a young man's side, And he kiss'd her and took her for his bride. But a Shape came in at the dead of night, And fill'd the room with snowy light. And he saw how in his arms there lay A thing more frightful than mouth may say. And he rose in haste, and follow'd the Shape Till morning crown'd an eastern cape. And he girded himself, and follow'd still When sunset sainted the western hill. But, mocking and thwarting, clung to his side, Weary day!-the foul Witch-Bride. (Aw, c'mon, Allingham. Foul is a pretty strong choice of words, dontcha think?) Pale and lovely, with eyes belladonna-wide: hemlock blossoms and ghostly nightshade veiled by wisteria, white frankincense, black amber, and narcissus resin. I'm at a loss as to how to translate the scent experience of witch bride to words so that you, the reader, could gain some understanding of how it smells and decide if it's something you want to seek out. sorry! I blind bought my bottle based upon the label art and the theme and the notes and I adore it. I don't tend to go for straight up florals, and this isn't that. there's a sweet and warm resiny base, and some light florals (my favorite bpal narcissus experience to date!) on top, and it's just a nice beautiful blend. I only detect the herbal notes if I look for them, and I may only be sensing them because I read them in the description. they are subtle and add a nice bit of complexity (spoken by someone who loves very herby winter stars and the waters of the well of wisdom). witch bride is light to moderate in strength. very addciting.
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By what a subtle alchemy the green leaves are transmuted into gold, as if molten by the fiery blaze of the hot sun! A magic covering spreads over the whole forest, and brightens into more gorgeous hues. The tree-tops seem bathed with the gold and crimson of an Italian sunset. Here and there a shade of green, here and there a tinge of purple, and a stain of scarlet so deep and rich, that the most cunning artifice of man is pale beside it. A thousand delicate shades melt into each other. They blend fantastically into one deep mass. They spread over the forest like a tapestry woven with a thousand hues. Magnificent Autumn! He comes not like a pilgrim, clad in russet weeds. He comes not like a hermit, clad in gray. But he comes like a warrior, with the stain of blood upon his brazen mail. His crimson scarf is rent. His scarlet banner drips with gore. His step is like a flail upon the threshing floor. The scene changes. It is the Indian summer. The rising sun blazes through the misty air like a conflagration. A yellowish, smoky haze fills the atmosphere; and A filmy mist, Lies like a silver lining on the sky. The wind is soft and low. It wafts to us the odor of forest leaves, that hang wilted on the dripping branches, or drop into the stream. Their gorgeous tints are gone, as if the autumnal rains had washed them out. Orange, yellow, and scarlet, all are changed to one melancholy russet hue. The birds, too, have taken wing, and have left their roofless dwellings. Not the whistle of a robin, not the twitter of an eavesdropping swallow, not the carol of one sweet, familiar voice! All gone. Only the dismal cawing of a crow, as he sits and curses, that the harvest is over, – or the chit-chat of an idle squirrel, – the noisy denizen of a hollow tree, – the mendicant friar of a large parish, – the absolute monarch of a dozen acorns! Another change. The wind sweeps through the forest with a sound like the blast of a trumpet. The dry leaves whirl in eddies through the air. A fret-work of hoar-frost covers the plain. The stagnant water in the pools and ditches is frozen into fantastic figures. Nature ceases from her labors, and prepares for the great change. In the low-hanging clouds, the sharp air, like a busy shuttle, weaves her shroud of snow. There is a melancholy and continual roar in the tops of the tall pines, like the roar of a cataract. It is the funeral anthem of the dying year. A scent that wanders through the Ages of Autumn, from the last green leaf to the first breath of winter. This is truly magnificent. When it's wet, I smell it in layers and it truly does cycle (quickly) through different stages of Autumn. My nose catches (in order) green stems, dead leaves, tree sap, something sour and slightly sweet that reminds me of black currant or pomegranate. Once dry, it melds into a gorgeous leafy (dead and alive) scent with hints of the sweet/sour from the earlier stage. It is an up close and personal scent with little throw. I love this.
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THE HAG The Hag is astride, This night for to ride; The Devill and shee together: Through thick, and through thin, Now out, and then in, Though ne'r so foule be the weather. A Thorn or a Burr She takes for a Spurre: With a lash of a Bramble she rides now, Through Brakes and through Bryars, O're Ditches, and Mires, She followes the Spirit that guides now. No Beast, for his food, Dares now range the wood; But husht in his laire he lies lurking: While mischiefs, by these, On Land and on Seas, At noone of Night are working, The storme will arise, And trouble the skies; This night, and more for the wonder, The ghost from the Tomb Affrighted shall come, Cal'd out by the clap of the Thunder. Black musk, bay leaves, galangal, bourbon vetiver, blackcurrant, and rum. Oh, I love this! It's heavy on the black musk and rum. The vetiver is light and when it dries, it gives the overall scent the most awesome dark smokiness. The black currant does not turn to cat pee on me (!!!) and is barely discernible. Overall, this scent is darkly musky, darkly sweet, darkly earthy and herbal, and darkly sexy. I would definitely call it unisex. It has really good staying power and a light, but really, really sexy, amount of sillage. Bottle worthy? Oh yes.
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This season's Ridiculous Scent! Creepy like Creepy and as spooky as Spooky, this is the scent of a black cherry and coconut amaretto confection gently laced with saffron. OMG.. Yum! In the bottle .. when I sniffed it, I closed my eyes and said ‘yum’ … it’s a delicious almond note.. like amaretto… on the skin it’s even more gorgeous. The saffron is stunning in this. It’s a sweet cherry scent with the elegance of the saffron keeping it in line and at the very end, I get a tasty coconut! Love this! It’s very me. However, it sure doesn’t stick around! It ends up being something super soft.. almost a skin scent. I can't barely smell it now.
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According to William Shepard Walsh, the Gentleman's Magazine for May of 1784 stated, "this is a constant ingredient at merrymaking on Holy Eve." He also quotes Vallancey's etymological speculation: "The first day of November was dedicated to the angel presiding over fruits, seeds, etc., and was therefore named La Mas Ubhal, -- that is, the day of the apple fruit, -- and being pronounced Lamasool, the English have corrupted the name to Lambs-wool." A popular holy day beverage in 18th century Ireland: roasted apples mashed into warmed milk and ale, with nutmeg, sugar, ginger, and clove. bottle: softly sweet, warm spiced milk. this is not the same jarring milk note that i get from milk moon 2007 though, it's far more soft. wet: i can definitely smell the ale as this warms a bit on my skin. it's not "boozy" per se, just there. i get the mashed apple scent too. the milk and spices have faded quite a bit to be almost just a faint trace. dry: very lovely. the milk note creeps back in after about 15-20 minutes and mixes well with the apple. this reminds me of baked apples, filled with oatmeal and spices and covered in cream. (edited for spelling idiocy)
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Sexy and suckable: black cherry brandy. I was a little nervous after reading will-call reviews that this might go cough syrup on me. Not so! Suck It smells like exactly what it should, black cherry brandy. However, the booziness doesn't take over too much. Instead, it keeps things from smelling too much like candied fruit. I really love it!
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A barrel of beer, a pyramid of cakes, and three sticks of incense. Wet: Sweet, almost peanutty. A tinge of sourness cutting through the cakes. Not smelling the incense much. Dry: Incense, cake and beer, it's all there but nothing is overpowering the other two. Fantastically blended and not overly foody. Sweet, musky, with a hint of something....extra. I will be getting backup bottles of this! Yum! Lasting Power: Light/Medium. Throw: Light
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On All Saints Day, Spanish families visit their loved ones in the cemeteries, keeping vigil throughout the evening, saying prayers for the dead. Family burial plots are cleaned and tended, and graves are adorned with gladiolas, chrysanthemums, and roses. Bone-shaped pastries called Saint's Bones, or the Bones of the Holy, are baked and shared in honor of the souls in Purgatory, and to remind us of those who no longer share our repast, but with whom we one day hope to be reunited with again. Orange-glazed cake, dotted with anise seed, and filled with custard, set beside a bouquet of celebratory funeral flowers. Hello deliciousness! This smells just like orange poppyseed cake with a thick layer of custard cream in the middle. (it also kind reminded me of the dry smell of orange fruit loops) This is the first bpal that has any kind of "cake" scent that works for me. All the others made me sneeze. But this is just wonderful without being cloyingly sweet. Nom
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The Great He-Goat, Francisco Goya. Haitian vetiver, Egyptian amber, carnation, black musk, pomegranate, patchouli, and smoked ginger. I've been looking forward to this one with great anticipation since someone in the Speculation thread wondered if it might be kind of like He-Shub. I love all things ginger, and in general approve of smokiness, so smoked ginger sounded like a winner. The only ingredient that tempered my enthusiasm was the black musk, which generally goes powdery on me. But I ordered it anyway. It was of course the first part of my order I tried ... It's a very earthy scent - almost like Gnome, if the eucalyptus were swapped with ginger. But lighter. The ginger, vetiver, & patchouli all swirl together in a wonderfully rich way, and the amber is underneath them all. I don't really smell the pomegranate on its own ... The black musk, happily, doesn't go to baby powder here. All in all, a winner! If you liked Gnome or Samhainophobia, I think you'll love this. It seemed a bit masculine, so I dabbed some on my guy, but he dubbed it only okay on him. Much better on me! I love the earthy, confident feeling this gives me. It's my first definite Salon love, so I'm extra-happy I went straight for it instead of waiting for somebody else to sell off a decant.
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ALL SOULS A day of remembrance and intercession. Without the prayers and sacrifices of their families and loved ones, the faithful departed may not be cleansed of their venal sins, and thereby cannot attain beatific vision. On November 2nd, prayers are sung and offerings are made to aid lost souls in transcending purgatory. An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes. When I first put this on, I could mainly smell soft incense. I thought that it was my imagination until I re-read the description. I can smell buttery cake notes in the background, but mostly I smell soft incense and what I think is the currant note, rather sharp coming out from behind the incense. My skin will tend to amp the sweet, but maybe others will smell more of the foody notes. I think that this is a lovely combination of foody and incensy, which for me is the best of both worlds
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The fear of Halloween. Menacing Haitian vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves. In the Bottle: Ah, my beloved vetiver! And some subtle muskiness lurking beneath. On my wrist, wet: This is lovely. Warm and woody with a little bit of spiciness. The vetiver takes a back seat and lets the other notes come out to play. After 20 minutes: This is a warm, dark green scent That starts out rather strong and fades quickly to something soft and subtle. The individual notes are all present, but they reveal themselves gently. On my skin, nothing in this blend amps or battles with other notes. It's absolutely gorgeous and I will get another bottle with my next order.
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A joyous celebration of La Catarina, La Flaca, La Muerte... Glorious, Beautiful Death. In Mexico, death is not something to be feared or hated; She is embraced, loved, and adored. La Muerte is fêted, as the celebrant "...chases after it, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, sleeps with it; it is his favorite plaything and his most lasting love." This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus. Okay, I've been wearing Dia de Los Muertos in my hair as it seems to be one of the best places for me to use many scents without smelling this overpowering scent on one part of my body. I put in one drop in my leave in conditioner (mind you it was a largish drop). When I first put it on, I definately smelled a smokiness that I can only assume is the tabacco. After about an hour or so I noticed that the scent had mellowed and that I was picking up smells that were a cross between Pan de Huevo (mexican pastry- it an egg bread type product with vanilla and other stuff) and Dulche de Leche candies. Later yesterday I noticed another scent as I was bowling, probably because I was sweating a little, That I believe was the cereus (I haven't been back to Tucson in blooming season for those in over two years). I washed my hair this morning and I can still smell the scent. Given that I normally go girlie girl with scents, this one is a bit out there for me (as it I wouldn't normally seen it smelling really good on me) but I think it smells amazing, and I spent most of yesterday catching whiffs and thinking man I want to go back to desert. Edited to add the lab's description--andrabell
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