Reviews!
Wheee! Some packages filled with stinky-goodness arrived this morning (at 7.50am, eep!) so I have reviews to share. :)
Miskatonic University: “A venerable New England university, whose vast library holds many rare, diabolical and obscure arcane works, including one of the few surviving legitimate copies of the Necronomicon. Home to innumerable scholars of the esoteric and the occult, and the notorious Dr. Herbert West.
The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.
That's right: I got my greedy paws on a bottle of the precious, and eagerly applied it this morning as soon as I'd ripped my package apart. :D This is ALL irish coffee: sweet, a tad milky, rich, and absolutely mouthwatering. I had some reservations before I sniffed this, since I LOVE coffee but hate anything coffee scented or flavoured (I know, it's weird), but this really is delicous. The first thing that struck me about it is the throw. Immediately after application I was enveloped in the coffee-scent, and the staying power is equally formidable. It only disappeared 6 hours later because I jumped in the shower. Actually, the scent is so strong that it did trigger my asthma a little, making it the first BPAL scent without jasmine to do so. ^^; I'd heard tell of the 'dusty library' drydown and got some of that but not enough for my liking. So, yeah, I was a smidge disappointed, but not by much. :)
Overall, I can see why this is so popular and it's the most impressive of Beth's scents I've tried to date, but it's not really me. I'm keeping about an imp's worth purely to sniff and for my fiance since he loves the name and concept, but the rest is being put aside for future decant circles so I can share the love.
Snake Charmer:Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut.
Initially, I really didn't like this. It smelt harsh, abrasive, spicy and dirty (in the bad way!), but as my skin warmed it up the Egyptian amber made an appearance, and the whole scent mellowed and deepened. On the drydown this smells like a deeper, more complex and musky Snake Oil; very sensual and dark, like twisted love or fanatical devotion. This also has fantastic throw and staying power.
I'm undecided so far and need to test it further. I love the drydown but I'm not sure about the initial smell.
Pink Moon:The name of this moon refers to the color of wild ground phlox, a primary component of this Lunacy Blend, which is one of the most widespread floral signposts of springtime in North America. This Lunar blend is soft with phlox, tulip, daffodil, dogwood and muscari, dusted with pink sugar, carnation and honey, and a touch of the first strawberries of the season.
This is a weird one. In the bottle it smells like really bright and pink florals, and threatens to give me the usual floral-induced migraine. But once on my skin, the flowers close right up and hide away so there's just this very faint lingering scent with a sweetness that can only be from the strawberries. On the drydown, it gets even fainter but a very slight creamy note peeks out. I suspect this smells beautiful on people who don't have my skin chemistry as it seems like my skin just devoured this one. Another one to decant so I can spread the love.
Blood Moon:The feral scent of the heat of the chase, deep woods, undulating musks, brushed by forest herbs, crushed grains, and touched by blood-dimmed lunar oils.
This is exactly what is says: blood moon. It has the metallic sharpness of actual blood, with an odd sweetness. This made me think of blood mixed with syrup (candy loving vampires, perhaps?) or macaroon biscuits dipped in blood. Incredibly evocative and impressive but seriously icky and off-putting to me.
Strawberry Moon:Strawberries and cream with light, dry lotus and soft ylang ylang and a touch of green tea and sage.
EEE, juicy strawberries! *huffs my wrist greedily* Much riper and more potent than in Bon Vivant. This is so beautiful, and the scent of really juicy strawberries envelops me as soon as I smear it on. It's like taking a bite out of a freshly picked stawberry and having the sticky syrup run down my chin. Mmmm. . .
Sadly, on the drydown the ylang ylang and lotus come out, which puts me off a bit as I'm not a big floral fan. I also don't get the creaminess I was hoping for, but overall it's an incredibly beautiful scent and I suspect my mum will LOVE it, so it's off to her. :)
Glitter:
I have no description for this, but I believe it's quite rare? It was actually given as a freebie with my Misk U and Pink Moon purchase, and smells divine. The name is just perfect for this as it's bright and sparkly. I think there might be some gratefruit in there, and something that smells like really bright lemonade mixed with sweet white wine. This really makes me think of glitter and is just so incredibly pretty and uplifting. Lovely!
Dorian:This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.
I was very much looking forward to this one as it combines two of my favourite scents: vanilla and tea. It isn't, however, what I was expecting. Upon initial application it has an almost citrusy smell that reminds me, oddly enough, of a cleaning product, like Ajax or something. It's really off-putting and weird. :/ Eventually I get a scent of real vanilla tea with a squeeze of lemon and a nice muskiness (the fougere, perhaps?) but that cleaning product smell keeps appearing every now and then. Definitely one to stick with until I'm 100% sure but not the "OMG! I need a big bottle of this" scent I'd hoped for.
EDIT: To give more of an idea how strong Misk U is, this morning after a few hours of wearing it, I put on my fingerless gloves to keep my paws warm whilst I work on my dissertation. I just put my gloves back on, many many hours later, and the scent of Misk U wafted up as strongly as if I'd just applied it! Seriously, an imp of this scent will last you because you only need to apply such a tiny amount.
Miskatonic University: “A venerable New England university, whose vast library holds many rare, diabolical and obscure arcane works, including one of the few surviving legitimate copies of the Necronomicon. Home to innumerable scholars of the esoteric and the occult, and the notorious Dr. Herbert West.
The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.
That's right: I got my greedy paws on a bottle of the precious, and eagerly applied it this morning as soon as I'd ripped my package apart. :D This is ALL irish coffee: sweet, a tad milky, rich, and absolutely mouthwatering. I had some reservations before I sniffed this, since I LOVE coffee but hate anything coffee scented or flavoured (I know, it's weird), but this really is delicous. The first thing that struck me about it is the throw. Immediately after application I was enveloped in the coffee-scent, and the staying power is equally formidable. It only disappeared 6 hours later because I jumped in the shower. Actually, the scent is so strong that it did trigger my asthma a little, making it the first BPAL scent without jasmine to do so. ^^; I'd heard tell of the 'dusty library' drydown and got some of that but not enough for my liking. So, yeah, I was a smidge disappointed, but not by much. :)
Overall, I can see why this is so popular and it's the most impressive of Beth's scents I've tried to date, but it's not really me. I'm keeping about an imp's worth purely to sniff and for my fiance since he loves the name and concept, but the rest is being put aside for future decant circles so I can share the love.
Snake Charmer:Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut.
Initially, I really didn't like this. It smelt harsh, abrasive, spicy and dirty (in the bad way!), but as my skin warmed it up the Egyptian amber made an appearance, and the whole scent mellowed and deepened. On the drydown this smells like a deeper, more complex and musky Snake Oil; very sensual and dark, like twisted love or fanatical devotion. This also has fantastic throw and staying power.
I'm undecided so far and need to test it further. I love the drydown but I'm not sure about the initial smell.
Pink Moon:The name of this moon refers to the color of wild ground phlox, a primary component of this Lunacy Blend, which is one of the most widespread floral signposts of springtime in North America. This Lunar blend is soft with phlox, tulip, daffodil, dogwood and muscari, dusted with pink sugar, carnation and honey, and a touch of the first strawberries of the season.
This is a weird one. In the bottle it smells like really bright and pink florals, and threatens to give me the usual floral-induced migraine. But once on my skin, the flowers close right up and hide away so there's just this very faint lingering scent with a sweetness that can only be from the strawberries. On the drydown, it gets even fainter but a very slight creamy note peeks out. I suspect this smells beautiful on people who don't have my skin chemistry as it seems like my skin just devoured this one. Another one to decant so I can spread the love.
Blood Moon:The feral scent of the heat of the chase, deep woods, undulating musks, brushed by forest herbs, crushed grains, and touched by blood-dimmed lunar oils.
This is exactly what is says: blood moon. It has the metallic sharpness of actual blood, with an odd sweetness. This made me think of blood mixed with syrup (candy loving vampires, perhaps?) or macaroon biscuits dipped in blood. Incredibly evocative and impressive but seriously icky and off-putting to me.
Strawberry Moon:Strawberries and cream with light, dry lotus and soft ylang ylang and a touch of green tea and sage.
EEE, juicy strawberries! *huffs my wrist greedily* Much riper and more potent than in Bon Vivant. This is so beautiful, and the scent of really juicy strawberries envelops me as soon as I smear it on. It's like taking a bite out of a freshly picked stawberry and having the sticky syrup run down my chin. Mmmm. . .
Sadly, on the drydown the ylang ylang and lotus come out, which puts me off a bit as I'm not a big floral fan. I also don't get the creaminess I was hoping for, but overall it's an incredibly beautiful scent and I suspect my mum will LOVE it, so it's off to her. :)
Glitter:
I have no description for this, but I believe it's quite rare? It was actually given as a freebie with my Misk U and Pink Moon purchase, and smells divine. The name is just perfect for this as it's bright and sparkly. I think there might be some gratefruit in there, and something that smells like really bright lemonade mixed with sweet white wine. This really makes me think of glitter and is just so incredibly pretty and uplifting. Lovely!
Dorian:This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.
I was very much looking forward to this one as it combines two of my favourite scents: vanilla and tea. It isn't, however, what I was expecting. Upon initial application it has an almost citrusy smell that reminds me, oddly enough, of a cleaning product, like Ajax or something. It's really off-putting and weird. :/ Eventually I get a scent of real vanilla tea with a squeeze of lemon and a nice muskiness (the fougere, perhaps?) but that cleaning product smell keeps appearing every now and then. Definitely one to stick with until I'm 100% sure but not the "OMG! I need a big bottle of this" scent I'd hoped for.
EDIT: To give more of an idea how strong Misk U is, this morning after a few hours of wearing it, I put on my fingerless gloves to keep my paws warm whilst I work on my dissertation. I just put my gloves back on, many many hours later, and the scent of Misk U wafted up as strongly as if I'd just applied it! Seriously, an imp of this scent will last you because you only need to apply such a tiny amount.