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Showing results for tags 'Halloween 2018'.
Found 151 results
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Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein. I'm not sure if this is a particularly helpful review as this was a limited edition scent and no longer available, but I guess it might be useful if any turns up on Ebay or as a swap somewhere... The first scent of this is heavily fruity: it smells like black cherries. When I put it on, this note lingers, but is deepened with a scent like tobacco flowers and cloves. It mellows into a rich musky scent with a little crushed greenery. Conventially speaking, I'd say it's definitely an evening perfume: I guess most people would find it too heavy for during the day. Not that I pay any attention to such things Overall, it's one of my favourites so far, totally different to anything I've smelt anywhere else, and for me now inexorably tied to memories of autumn.
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We’re running out of room at the Lab, and it’s been a long, long time since we’ve had a trunk show. When Brian and I were rifling through the prototype and snafu shelves a few weeks ago, we dug up two busticated Snake Oils – one that was a mispour of Lemon Scented Sticky Bat, and another involved an Aggravated Vanilla Incident – and we unearthed the very first Samhain prototype from 2002. We don’t have time to do a full-blown trunk show right now, so we’re offering these three for sale. They’re in very, very limited quantity. Fastest delivery ever! I snatched two of these the minute I saw the link up. I got them today and immediately tested fully. I am really scratching my head though. I don't know if my sniffer is off but I am not smelling the vanilla/cream soda like I had hoped. This is a sharper snake oil to me without the powdery, almost too sweet/cloying dry down I can get if I put too much on. Maybe there's some added carbonation dryness in this to make one think of soda pop, but this was not at all what I was expecting and shame on me because I should have known the lab would never make something that smelled so simple/one note (unless released as one of course!) For a minute I even wondered if I got the lemon sticky bat snake oil instead by mistake due to the sharpness/almost medicinal scent, so I tested my 2nd bottle and it still smelled the same on me. The odd thing is, if you just sniff the oil in the bottle, you def. can smell sweet vanilla/cream soda-ish oil! On I get snake oil, dryer, with a bit of a sassafras note and more stable, consistent dry down. I prefer new Snake oil to aged snake oil so I will probably keep using this and possibly swap the 2nd bottle to someone who maybe didn't have a chance to snatch this up and wants to have one. I can't wait for more reviews!
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A. Ducote Sweet vetiver, bourbon vanilla, and wool. This is the beautiful vanilla blend that I've been looking for all along, like a softer cousin to The Antikythera Mechanism and Tombstone. It's simple, like most of my favorites, and easy to wear. The sweet vetiver blends gorgeously with the bourbon vanilla and wool. It makes me think of a perfect autumn day somewhere in a cool climate, when the skies are a rich blue that contrasts with the orange leaves. I think it will be glorious and long-lasting in a scent locket too.
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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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Philipp Peter Roos Caramelized wood resins, black peppercorn, and leather. I'm still new to testing out HG scents, so I got a 4ml tester in a spritz bottle so I could actually spray it on my hair. I was hoping for leather. What I got was sickly sour yellow biting wood. As it dries peppercorn comes out, which just adds more bite. Turns to a kind of powerdery sour wood resin with an acrid bite. It bothers my sinuses. And a couple little squirts goes a long way!
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Honey biscuits in warm cream. Biscuits in creamy honey. I don't really get cream - but there is a creaminess. Both the honey and biscuits are more present. Very foodie. Good throw.
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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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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 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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Lorenz Frølich Caramelized patchouli, cream, and thick golden honey. This reminds me of the smoky bonfire/earth scent that's in Samhain drizzled with cream and honey, only more smoke and earth and less sugary sweetness. This feels like it's going to be a much-coveted instant classic. It's cozy and witchy and the honey and cream are very prominent, but not cloyingly so. I might have to buy a backup bottle or two!
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It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all. He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer. There was a sharp cry –and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summoning the wild courage of despair, a throng of the revellers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave-cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form. The wild courage of despair: a screech of blood orange and a splash of blood entangled in a corpse-mask of tattered white sandalwood stained with balsam and a grime-crusted winding sheet. Blood, sandalwood, linen. This is mainly a blood/sandalwood blend. Medium throw and wear length.
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Lotus blossom, cardamom, myrrh, agarwood, and frankincense. Lotus, agarwood, and resin. This one is a floral-resin blend, and its gorgeous. It's like a fancy spa water bath.
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Otto Goetze Red roses and vetiver with cashmere incense, rue, and cauldron spices. beautiful bright, juicy, happy rose scent. maybe a touch of smoke from the incense/vetiver at the very early wet phase, but the dry down is pure juicy rose. i love vetiver and have tried a few other bpal rose/vetiver blends, and this is the lab's lightest use of vetiver that I've met...almost like it's just there to help the rose stay bright and present. of course, i'm testing it in a city filled with the smoke from the Camp Fire from Paradise, CA, so apologies if that's limited my ability to detect smoke. moderate sillage. I've had this on for about eight hours now and I can still detect it when I huff my wrist. it's a little bit innocent, a little bit classy, very slightly creamy in texture.
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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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Black currant, rose otto, azure musk, and blue orris. Orris, with a smidgen of orris, and a faint trace of orris in the background. Seriously though; where is the black currant?! I thought I was losing my mind when applying this. I made sure to lightly shake my little decant to make sure everything was mixed... didn't make a different. Orris, orris, orris. Orris tends to equal baby powder to my nose, so this... isn't really ideal for me.
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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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Blackberry and sugared fig meat. Purple Window HG is very nice, surprisingly similar to Blackberry Sufganiyot if a little less sweet. It really captures “purple”! Moderate to strong throw, and great lasting power.
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Lily of the valley, osmanthus, white oakmoss, silvered orchid and ambergris accord. The White Window HG does smell white, like a white flower extravaganza. Lily of the valley (one of my fave notes), plus osmanthus and orchid—supported by ambergris and oakmoss. If you love white florals, don't miss this! It's really elegant.
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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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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. #7. I was excited for my number. First sniff of the Chaos HG is fresh and floral which is an interesting counterpoint to the leafy deep smell I was expecting. I still get the lovely apple but its tropical fall. Pikaki or plumeria? Almost a cocoa butter undercurrent. Not chocolatey.
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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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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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Lighting the path between worlds, the beacon at the threshold: night-blooming jasmine, smoldering maple leaves, a cluster of patchouli and blackened ti leaf, black sage, and pinewood smoke. So, so strong and not really a morpher! At first this smelled to me less like late night cold bonfire and more like a WARM bonfire. Something in the smell reminded me of charcoal grilling in summer. Im not sure it was the vibe I was expecting from this. Nonetheless though its a cool, evocative scent! A heavy application actually almost gave me a headache. Lighter application was way better and smelled softer! But then... it lost some lasting power. Bummer. I think Im going to give this more time to grow on me. It might ended up neglected in favor of another smoky scent like bonfire toffee or scorched marshmallows, or it could end up a favorite.
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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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The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. Ginger-squeezed champagne with crushed diamonds, orange blossoms, and peach blossoms. The orange and peach blossoms were calling me. I should have known better when it comes to champagne. It ends up smelling like a fancy cleaning solution on me. I get a hint of ginger, but the champagne really amps on me. I can smell the peach and orange blossom hanging out in the background, but I really have to take a deep whiff. This is such a clean scent, I think it would make a great atmo spray. Coming back to this a bit later: the balance between the champagne and blossoms feels a lot more balanced. And it seems like it sweetened up a bit. Still not for me, though.
