BPAL Reviews 176 - 200
Continuing reviews of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL) scents. I DO NOT HAVE AN ADDICTION >_> Some general info: reviews are broken up into groups of 25 per post and I update posts frequently with new reviews. I will post a separate update to my journal when I add new reviews. Blends are noted as LE or GC (and occasionally prototype or special); LE = Limited Edition, GC = General Catalogue. GC scents are available as "imps", which are tester-sized vials of the oils. For more info regarding BPAL and imps, click the respective links.
Review #176: Eisheth Zenunim (GC)
Website Description: "Honey, ambergris, neroli, white peach, patchouli, and cocoa absolute."
In the bottle: Neroli and peach are the strongest, oddly.
Immediately after application: A slight touch of musk, probably the ambergris, along with neroli and a LOT of peach. YAY PEACH!
Warming up: Peach, a touch of patchouli and honey.
Fading: Peachy.
Faded: Light throw, average wear.
Overall: It's a lovely peach scent. I'm not sure if I want a bottle but with the CD scents coming down soon I may pick one up.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #177: 13 - Aug. 2010 (LE)
Website Description: "A base of bitter dark chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including pimento berry, pink pepper, tolu balsam, bergamot, golden honey, tobacco absolute, champaca flower, and paprika.."
In the bottle: Honey and chocolate..
Immediately after application: OMFG YUM. I'm having trouble picking out notes but the blend of all of them smells AMAZING. Sweet and rich with a woodsy feel and a smidge of spice. None of the notes are death on me so I'm hoping this stays nice and complex and wonderful.
Warming up: Sweet honey. I'm not getting much of the other notes but we'll see what happens. I still like it a lot but the smell when wet was utterly amazing. This may be my first foray into a scent locket so I can keep that complex scent when wet.
Fading: Honey with a sweet note, the pimento berry I think.
Faded: Medium throw, average wear.
Overall: It disappointed me when I ended up with a sweet honey scent instead of the lovely complex scent it had at the beginning. I'll most likely keep my bottle and let it age, and wear it in a scent locket so it keeps that early beautiful complexity.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #178: Zarita the Doll Girl (GC)
Website Description: "Soft, yet sociopathic: white carnation, iris, orange blossom, and sugared cream. "
In the bottle: Spicy carnation.
Immediately after application: Carnation, a whiff of orange, and the sugared cream.
Warming up: Mostly the sugared cream, a bit of the carnation.
Fading: Creamy carnation.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Didn't really do much for me. It's pretty but I don't think it's for me.
Rating: 2/5.
Review #179: Blood Moon 2010 (LE)
Website Description: "The feral scent of throbbing musks and the heat of the chase through a shadowed, moonlit wood, swirled in the incense of the anointed cherub that covereth, and touched by blood-dimmed lunar oils."
In the bottle: Rose-scented incense and a little musky.
Immediately after application: Much more musky, almost a little furry around the edges. Feral indeed! The rose is keeping to the incense feel. So far.
Warming up: Amping rose. Dammit. I can still smell the delicious musk underneath though. I'm torn.
Fading: Huh. The rose calmed down some and it's that awesome feral fuzzy musky incense again.
Faded: Average to strong throw, average to long wear.
Overall: I'm keeping this one to age. The rose surprisingly faded and it's a beautiful blend. I hope the rose mellows with age.
Rating: 3/5 at present. Easily a 5 if the rose does indeed calm down with age.
ETA: After aging just a few months, the rose does indeed calm down significantly. It's a bit player in the background and this is the most amazing feral musky incense blend. 5/5 now ^_^
Review #180: Alice (GC)
Website Description: "Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot."
In the bottle: Honey and florals, very sweet.
Immediately after application: Honey-dipped flowers.
Warming up: ROSE.
Fading: MOAR ROSE.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: I expected this to happen and applied pretty lightly. I have to say it did smell absolutely beautiful in the vial.
Rating: 0/5. Bad Rose, BAD!
Review #181: 13 - Feb. 2009 (LE)
Website Description: "A sweet, comforting base of dark chocolate and brown sugar with thirteen herbs of good fortune, including nutmeg, Tonka, allspice, star anise, Jamaican and African gingers, devil’s shoestring, lucky hand root, and thyme."
In the bottle: Chocolate, brown sugar, star anise. I think I can make out the gingers.
Immediately after application: Chocolate, brown sugar, ginger, and a hint of thyme. I like the addition of the thyme, it adds a lot of depth to the blend and keeps it from being super-sweet and foody. I love savory herbs used like this.
Warming up: Chocolate, brown sugar, star anise. A tad of thyme. It smells lovely! I wish more sweet blends had savory or non-sweet components.
Fading: Bah, the thyme faded. It still smells really good but it's veering back toward being foody. Of course, I like foody so that's not a bad thing.
Faded: Light throw, average wear.
Overall: Yum. I like the various notes in this one. It morphed a bit, but never to something I disliked.
Rating: 4/5. If the thyme had persisted, it would've been a 5.
Review #182: Licorice Bats (LE)
Website Description: "Black licorice with cacao nibs and anise."
In the bottle: Licorice and more licorice.
Immediately after application: Black licorice gumdrops.
Warming up: Sweet licorice.
Fading: Faint sweetness.
Faded: Light throw, short wear.
Overall: A little TOO much licorice for my tastes XD
Rating: 1/5.
Review #183: Kubla Khan (GC)
Website Description: "Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine."
In the bottle: Lemon? Why am I getting lemon? Maybe it's the mandarin.
Immediately after application: Minty ginger and mandarin.
Warming up: Opium, sandalwood, vanilla, balsam maybe? A bit of the ginger too I think. It smells awesome tbh. I was afraid either the rose or jasmine or both would amp like they usually do but the notes I wanted to amp actually did for once!
Fading: VANILLA YUM.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Somehow that conglomeration of notes turned to pretty much pure awesome on me.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #184: Marshmallow Pumpkin (LE)
Website Description: "Marshmallow goo and pumpkin pulp!"
In the bottle: A pumpkin pie Peep!
Immediately after application: Very cinnamony softened slightly by the marshmallow.
Warming up: Cinnamony pumpkin fluff.
Fading: The cinnamon finally calmed down and I get a lot of the marshmallow.
Faded: Average throw, short wear.
Overall: It smells just like you'd expect, but rather heavy on the cinnamon. I liked it but I doubt I need a bottle.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #185: Anne Beany (LE)
Website Description: "Rum cheesecake with a hardtack crust, topped with rum ice cream and a drizzle of butterscotch topping."
In the bottle: Creamy vanilla and rum.
Immediately after application: Rummy and creamy cheesecake and I want to eat my arm.
Warming up: Rum and butterscotch and cream, a smidge of salt and cinnamon. A bit of plastic but that should age out.
Fading: It... smells like coffee! Rich, unctuous coffee with butterscotch creamer. Holy yum. The actual coffee note (like Pumpkin Latte) seem to go a bit maple syrupy smelling on me so this is so awesome I can't stand it.
Faded: Average throw, long wear.
Overall: *waffle* I love the notes and it smells amazing but I cannot decide if it's too foodie for the ultra-foodie. It honestly gets more foodie as time goes on. I need to ponder.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #186: Lick It Till It's Sticky (LE)
Website Description: "Peppermint candy cane with an extra jolt of sugar."
In the bottle: Dead ringer for old-fashioned striped red and white peppermints.
Immediately after application: Pepperminty goodness! It's hotter than hell out today so I wanted something cooling and this is it. I get a slight tingle on my wrists and just breathing it makes me feel cooler.
Warming up: The tingly feeling fades pretty fast and the mint calms down. It's still pretty but I miss that big burst of super-fresh mint.
Fading: Lightly sugared mint.
Faded: average throw, average wear.
Overall: I may need a bottle for the summer when it's disturbingly hot.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #187: Lilith's Tea Party (LE)
Website Description: "Imaginary génoise cakes, imaginary trifle (with imaginary rosewater, imaginary Madeira and imaginary strawberries), imaginary macaroons, and imaginary Devonshire tea served in an imaginary garden surrounded by one-thousand imaginary flowers."
In the bottle: It smells like a sweeter and more delicate version of my beloved Teatime in Roswell!
Immediately after application: I was fairly spot on with my impression except the "imaginary" Madeira is fairly strong at this point and I get some florals as well.
Warming up: The Madeira burned off and it's a very soft and gentle tea party, definitely in a flower garden. The florals aren't the first thing I smell, but they're definitely present.
Fading: Strawberry and vanilla at this point.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: I don't think this one is for me, sadly.
Rating: 2.5/5.
Review #188: Candy Corn Coated Candy Apple (LE)
Website Description: "Tart green apples coated in thick gobs of melty granulated white sugar, with butter, bourbon vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon, spattered by candy corn and candy sprinkles."
In the bottle: Deliciously sweet apple.
Immediately after application: That super-fresh, realistic apple I have come to expect from the lab's apple note.
Warming up: Sweetening up a bit with hints of the buttery sugar vanilla. A smidge of plastic but that should age out.
Fading: Lovely vanilla apple.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Loved it! I love Creepy with its caramel apple vibe and I love this one for being a gently buttery vanilla sugar apple.
Rating: 4/5 just for the plasticky bit at the beginning. I have full confidence it'll age out and it doesn't last long anyway.
Review #189: Slaugh (GC)
Website Description: "Champaca, black tea, tonka bean, and sassafras."
In the bottle: Root beer-y sassafrass.
Immediately after application: Sassafrass with spice, probably the black tea.
Warming up: Sassafrass and champaca (magnolia). I'm hoping the tonka comes out a bit more, though it smells lovely as is.
Fading: Champaca and tonka now, mmm. It's delicate and dare I say, pretty!
Faded: Average throw, shortish wear.
Overall: Me likey!
Rating: 4/5.
Review #190: Muilearteach (LE)
Website Description: "Blood red, bone white, and pitch black musks coated in hoarfrost."
In the bottle: The musks all blending into awesome.
Immediately after application: The musks all blending into awesome plus the frost which has an icy, aquatic feel.
Warming up: Smelling very much like men's cologne. Blergh.
Fading: Men's cologne :\
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: The "hoarfrost" note turned the whole thing into men's cologne instead of beautiful musky.
Rating: 1/5.
Review #191: Ginger Skulls (LE)
Website Description: "Zingy crystallized ginger candies with quince and Asian pear."
In the bottle: Sweet fruity ginger.
Immediately after application: Sugary ginger and pear. I haven't a clue what quince smells like though XD
Warming up: Whatever quince smells like, I like it! I still get the ginger/pear and there's a yummy sugariness to it.
Fading: Sugary fruity ginger.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Tempted to get a bottle but there are so many other Weenies I'm planning on getting. I'll leave it as a maybe.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #192: Bogle (LE)
Website Description: "Red currant, Spanish mandarin, pumpkin, quince, wild blueberry, and ginger with green tea, vanilla bean, frankincense, tonka, and vetiver."
In the bottle: Mandarin, pumpkin, vanilla, tonka.
Immediately after application: The mandarin has gone VERY sweet candy fruity (not bad!), vanilla, tonka, and under it all frankincense and vetiver. It smells a bit odd, the vetiver is adding a bitter, smoky note. Let's see how long it takes to meld.
Warming up: Everything has melded into a nice fruity blend. Waiting for the vanilla/tonka.
Fading: Fruity.
Faded: Light throw, average wear.
Overall: Nice but not bottle-worthy.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #193: The Lady of Durand-Eastman Park (LE)
Website Description: "Bittersweet and ethereal: bergamot, cacao, white tea, jasmine bud, narcissus, and tobacco flower."
In the bottle: Bergamot, white tea, cacao.
Immediately after application: Bergamot definitely, I think the cacao and tea notes. Very light jasmine, which I hope doesn't amp.
Warming up: Bergamot and tea with the lightest breath of jasmine. The cacao lends a creamy touch. I like!
Fading: The tobacco flower is adding to the mix now. Lovely.
Faded: Average throw, average to long wear.
Overall: I really liked the gentleness of this blend. Ethereal is a good way to describe it. The jasmine behaved, perhaps because it was a jasmine "bud" note. As it dried and started to fade, I got the slightest hints of tobacco that made it a bit more deep and perhaps morbid. The cacao did not smell like chocolate at all, but rather lended a creaminess and slight hint of bitterness to the blend. Very subtle and lovely blend.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #194: Oberon (GC)
Website Description: "Orchid, white musk, and bergamot wafting over juniper berries, with a gentle touch of soft, earthy patchouli."
In the bottle: Hmm, heavy on the orchid. I wonder if this is another floral note that will roflstomp everything else.
Immediately after application: Orchid and a sharpness, probably from the juniper berries. I should note, I do like orchid. It's one of the few florals I like. I just don't like it when my florals mash every other note into the ground.
Warming up: Orchids and juniper, maybe a touch of musk. No patch to be found.
Fading: Bitter orchid.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: I expected more from this but it was still pretty. Not a bottle purchase for me.
Rating: 2/5.
Review #195: Montresor (LE)
Website Description: "The black fruit and vanilla oaken notes of fine Medoc and De Grâve, but not a hint of the elusive Amontillado."
In the bottle: Fruity wine.
Immediately after application: Very fruity, like very ripe grapes and figs? Dates? Something "meaty".
Warming up: Sort of sweet and sour. I still get the meaty fruit feel.
Fading: Sweet grapey smell.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: For my wino needs, I prefer The Zadok Allen Vinyard. It's much more complex and darker. This was a bit too sweet for me.
Rating: 2/5.
Review #196: Death-Horse (GC)
Website Description: "Lily of the Valley and opopponax."
In the bottle: Lily.
Immediately after application: Lily backed by the resinous myrrh (opopponax).
Warming up: Smells like an elderly lady, yup. Hello soap.
Fading: N/A
Faded: N/A
Overall: I do not fancy smelling like an 80-year-old lady, thanks anyway.
Rating: 0/5.
Review #197: Port-au-Prince (GC)
Website Description: "Buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras."
In the bottle: Rum, heavy on the bay and clove.
Immediately after application: Definitely heavy on the clove. I get a smidge of the root beer scent I associate with sassafrass. It smells delightful and just this side of foody.
Warming up: Clove, bay, and sassafras. Spicy and less foody.
Fading: Nice spicy drydown.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Definite like! It morphs nicely. Possible bottle.
Rating: 3.5/5.
Review #198: Dracul (GC)
Website Description: "Black musk, tobacco, fir, balsam of peru, cumin, bitter clove, crushed mint, and orange blossom."
In the bottle: Fir, orange, tobacco.
Immediately after application: I get a great blend of the notes and it makes me want to nom my own arm NOM NOM NOM.
Warming up: Fir and tobacco mostly and it smells awesome.
Fading: Heavier on the musk and tobacco, less fir.
Faded: Medium throw, average wear..
Overall: I really liked this. It felt a bit on the masculine side but not unwearable.
Rating: 3.5/5.
Review #199: Dawn: Mother (LE)
Website Description: "Red roses, saffron, honey, and frankincense."
In the bottle: Roses.
Immediately after application: I get a blend of the notes, rose being strongest of course.
Warming up: The rose mellows out, surprisingly, and I get a honeyed incense feel.
Fading: Creamy rose.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: I was surprised how much I liked this, considering how heavy on rose it is. But the other notes managed it quite well. I'd like a bottle.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #200: Dawn: Maiden (LE)
Website Description: "Tea roses, honeysuckle, heliotrope, olive blossom, milk, and honey."
In the bottle: Soft and sweet rose.
Immediately after application: Very little rose, surprisingly. Honeysuckle, heliotrope, milk, and honey are mostly what I get. Sweet and gently floral.
Warming up: Sweet, creamy floral.
Fading: A bit more florally now, but still wearable for me. Someone who enjoys light florals would definitely like this.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Too prettily floral for me.
Rating: 2/5.
Review #176: Eisheth Zenunim (GC)
Website Description: "Honey, ambergris, neroli, white peach, patchouli, and cocoa absolute."
In the bottle: Neroli and peach are the strongest, oddly.
Immediately after application: A slight touch of musk, probably the ambergris, along with neroli and a LOT of peach. YAY PEACH!
Warming up: Peach, a touch of patchouli and honey.
Fading: Peachy.
Faded: Light throw, average wear.
Overall: It's a lovely peach scent. I'm not sure if I want a bottle but with the CD scents coming down soon I may pick one up.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #177: 13 - Aug. 2010 (LE)
Website Description: "A base of bitter dark chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including pimento berry, pink pepper, tolu balsam, bergamot, golden honey, tobacco absolute, champaca flower, and paprika.."
In the bottle: Honey and chocolate..
Immediately after application: OMFG YUM. I'm having trouble picking out notes but the blend of all of them smells AMAZING. Sweet and rich with a woodsy feel and a smidge of spice. None of the notes are death on me so I'm hoping this stays nice and complex and wonderful.
Warming up: Sweet honey. I'm not getting much of the other notes but we'll see what happens. I still like it a lot but the smell when wet was utterly amazing. This may be my first foray into a scent locket so I can keep that complex scent when wet.
Fading: Honey with a sweet note, the pimento berry I think.
Faded: Medium throw, average wear.
Overall: It disappointed me when I ended up with a sweet honey scent instead of the lovely complex scent it had at the beginning. I'll most likely keep my bottle and let it age, and wear it in a scent locket so it keeps that early beautiful complexity.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #178: Zarita the Doll Girl (GC)
Website Description: "Soft, yet sociopathic: white carnation, iris, orange blossom, and sugared cream. "
In the bottle: Spicy carnation.
Immediately after application: Carnation, a whiff of orange, and the sugared cream.
Warming up: Mostly the sugared cream, a bit of the carnation.
Fading: Creamy carnation.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Didn't really do much for me. It's pretty but I don't think it's for me.
Rating: 2/5.
Review #179: Blood Moon 2010 (LE)
Website Description: "The feral scent of throbbing musks and the heat of the chase through a shadowed, moonlit wood, swirled in the incense of the anointed cherub that covereth, and touched by blood-dimmed lunar oils."
In the bottle: Rose-scented incense and a little musky.
Immediately after application: Much more musky, almost a little furry around the edges. Feral indeed! The rose is keeping to the incense feel. So far.
Warming up: Amping rose. Dammit. I can still smell the delicious musk underneath though. I'm torn.
Fading: Huh. The rose calmed down some and it's that awesome feral fuzzy musky incense again.
Faded: Average to strong throw, average to long wear.
Overall: I'm keeping this one to age. The rose surprisingly faded and it's a beautiful blend. I hope the rose mellows with age.
Rating: 3/5 at present. Easily a 5 if the rose does indeed calm down with age.
ETA: After aging just a few months, the rose does indeed calm down significantly. It's a bit player in the background and this is the most amazing feral musky incense blend. 5/5 now ^_^
Review #180: Alice (GC)
Website Description: "Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot."
In the bottle: Honey and florals, very sweet.
Immediately after application: Honey-dipped flowers.
Warming up: ROSE.
Fading: MOAR ROSE.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: I expected this to happen and applied pretty lightly. I have to say it did smell absolutely beautiful in the vial.
Rating: 0/5. Bad Rose, BAD!
Review #181: 13 - Feb. 2009 (LE)
Website Description: "A sweet, comforting base of dark chocolate and brown sugar with thirteen herbs of good fortune, including nutmeg, Tonka, allspice, star anise, Jamaican and African gingers, devil’s shoestring, lucky hand root, and thyme."
In the bottle: Chocolate, brown sugar, star anise. I think I can make out the gingers.
Immediately after application: Chocolate, brown sugar, ginger, and a hint of thyme. I like the addition of the thyme, it adds a lot of depth to the blend and keeps it from being super-sweet and foody. I love savory herbs used like this.
Warming up: Chocolate, brown sugar, star anise. A tad of thyme. It smells lovely! I wish more sweet blends had savory or non-sweet components.
Fading: Bah, the thyme faded. It still smells really good but it's veering back toward being foody. Of course, I like foody so that's not a bad thing.
Faded: Light throw, average wear.
Overall: Yum. I like the various notes in this one. It morphed a bit, but never to something I disliked.
Rating: 4/5. If the thyme had persisted, it would've been a 5.
Review #182: Licorice Bats (LE)
Website Description: "Black licorice with cacao nibs and anise."
In the bottle: Licorice and more licorice.
Immediately after application: Black licorice gumdrops.
Warming up: Sweet licorice.
Fading: Faint sweetness.
Faded: Light throw, short wear.
Overall: A little TOO much licorice for my tastes XD
Rating: 1/5.
Review #183: Kubla Khan (GC)
Website Description: "Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine."
In the bottle: Lemon? Why am I getting lemon? Maybe it's the mandarin.
Immediately after application: Minty ginger and mandarin.
Warming up: Opium, sandalwood, vanilla, balsam maybe? A bit of the ginger too I think. It smells awesome tbh. I was afraid either the rose or jasmine or both would amp like they usually do but the notes I wanted to amp actually did for once!
Fading: VANILLA YUM.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Somehow that conglomeration of notes turned to pretty much pure awesome on me.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #184: Marshmallow Pumpkin (LE)
Website Description: "Marshmallow goo and pumpkin pulp!"
In the bottle: A pumpkin pie Peep!
Immediately after application: Very cinnamony softened slightly by the marshmallow.
Warming up: Cinnamony pumpkin fluff.
Fading: The cinnamon finally calmed down and I get a lot of the marshmallow.
Faded: Average throw, short wear.
Overall: It smells just like you'd expect, but rather heavy on the cinnamon. I liked it but I doubt I need a bottle.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #185: Anne Beany (LE)
Website Description: "Rum cheesecake with a hardtack crust, topped with rum ice cream and a drizzle of butterscotch topping."
In the bottle: Creamy vanilla and rum.
Immediately after application: Rummy and creamy cheesecake and I want to eat my arm.
Warming up: Rum and butterscotch and cream, a smidge of salt and cinnamon. A bit of plastic but that should age out.
Fading: It... smells like coffee! Rich, unctuous coffee with butterscotch creamer. Holy yum. The actual coffee note (like Pumpkin Latte) seem to go a bit maple syrupy smelling on me so this is so awesome I can't stand it.
Faded: Average throw, long wear.
Overall: *waffle* I love the notes and it smells amazing but I cannot decide if it's too foodie for the ultra-foodie. It honestly gets more foodie as time goes on. I need to ponder.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #186: Lick It Till It's Sticky (LE)
Website Description: "Peppermint candy cane with an extra jolt of sugar."
In the bottle: Dead ringer for old-fashioned striped red and white peppermints.
Immediately after application: Pepperminty goodness! It's hotter than hell out today so I wanted something cooling and this is it. I get a slight tingle on my wrists and just breathing it makes me feel cooler.
Warming up: The tingly feeling fades pretty fast and the mint calms down. It's still pretty but I miss that big burst of super-fresh mint.
Fading: Lightly sugared mint.
Faded: average throw, average wear.
Overall: I may need a bottle for the summer when it's disturbingly hot.
Rating: 3/5.
Review #187: Lilith's Tea Party (LE)
Website Description: "Imaginary génoise cakes, imaginary trifle (with imaginary rosewater, imaginary Madeira and imaginary strawberries), imaginary macaroons, and imaginary Devonshire tea served in an imaginary garden surrounded by one-thousand imaginary flowers."
In the bottle: It smells like a sweeter and more delicate version of my beloved Teatime in Roswell!
Immediately after application: I was fairly spot on with my impression except the "imaginary" Madeira is fairly strong at this point and I get some florals as well.
Warming up: The Madeira burned off and it's a very soft and gentle tea party, definitely in a flower garden. The florals aren't the first thing I smell, but they're definitely present.
Fading: Strawberry and vanilla at this point.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: I don't think this one is for me, sadly.
Rating: 2.5/5.
Review #188: Candy Corn Coated Candy Apple (LE)
Website Description: "Tart green apples coated in thick gobs of melty granulated white sugar, with butter, bourbon vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon, spattered by candy corn and candy sprinkles."
In the bottle: Deliciously sweet apple.
Immediately after application: That super-fresh, realistic apple I have come to expect from the lab's apple note.
Warming up: Sweetening up a bit with hints of the buttery sugar vanilla. A smidge of plastic but that should age out.
Fading: Lovely vanilla apple.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Loved it! I love Creepy with its caramel apple vibe and I love this one for being a gently buttery vanilla sugar apple.
Rating: 4/5 just for the plasticky bit at the beginning. I have full confidence it'll age out and it doesn't last long anyway.
Review #189: Slaugh (GC)
Website Description: "Champaca, black tea, tonka bean, and sassafras."
In the bottle: Root beer-y sassafrass.
Immediately after application: Sassafrass with spice, probably the black tea.
Warming up: Sassafrass and champaca (magnolia). I'm hoping the tonka comes out a bit more, though it smells lovely as is.
Fading: Champaca and tonka now, mmm. It's delicate and dare I say, pretty!
Faded: Average throw, shortish wear.
Overall: Me likey!
Rating: 4/5.
Review #190: Muilearteach (LE)
Website Description: "Blood red, bone white, and pitch black musks coated in hoarfrost."
In the bottle: The musks all blending into awesome.
Immediately after application: The musks all blending into awesome plus the frost which has an icy, aquatic feel.
Warming up: Smelling very much like men's cologne. Blergh.
Fading: Men's cologne :\
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: The "hoarfrost" note turned the whole thing into men's cologne instead of beautiful musky.
Rating: 1/5.
Review #191: Ginger Skulls (LE)
Website Description: "Zingy crystallized ginger candies with quince and Asian pear."
In the bottle: Sweet fruity ginger.
Immediately after application: Sugary ginger and pear. I haven't a clue what quince smells like though XD
Warming up: Whatever quince smells like, I like it! I still get the ginger/pear and there's a yummy sugariness to it.
Fading: Sugary fruity ginger.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Tempted to get a bottle but there are so many other Weenies I'm planning on getting. I'll leave it as a maybe.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #192: Bogle (LE)
Website Description: "Red currant, Spanish mandarin, pumpkin, quince, wild blueberry, and ginger with green tea, vanilla bean, frankincense, tonka, and vetiver."
In the bottle: Mandarin, pumpkin, vanilla, tonka.
Immediately after application: The mandarin has gone VERY sweet candy fruity (not bad!), vanilla, tonka, and under it all frankincense and vetiver. It smells a bit odd, the vetiver is adding a bitter, smoky note. Let's see how long it takes to meld.
Warming up: Everything has melded into a nice fruity blend. Waiting for the vanilla/tonka.
Fading: Fruity.
Faded: Light throw, average wear.
Overall: Nice but not bottle-worthy.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #193: The Lady of Durand-Eastman Park (LE)
Website Description: "Bittersweet and ethereal: bergamot, cacao, white tea, jasmine bud, narcissus, and tobacco flower."
In the bottle: Bergamot, white tea, cacao.
Immediately after application: Bergamot definitely, I think the cacao and tea notes. Very light jasmine, which I hope doesn't amp.
Warming up: Bergamot and tea with the lightest breath of jasmine. The cacao lends a creamy touch. I like!
Fading: The tobacco flower is adding to the mix now. Lovely.
Faded: Average throw, average to long wear.
Overall: I really liked the gentleness of this blend. Ethereal is a good way to describe it. The jasmine behaved, perhaps because it was a jasmine "bud" note. As it dried and started to fade, I got the slightest hints of tobacco that made it a bit more deep and perhaps morbid. The cacao did not smell like chocolate at all, but rather lended a creaminess and slight hint of bitterness to the blend. Very subtle and lovely blend.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #194: Oberon (GC)
Website Description: "Orchid, white musk, and bergamot wafting over juniper berries, with a gentle touch of soft, earthy patchouli."
In the bottle: Hmm, heavy on the orchid. I wonder if this is another floral note that will roflstomp everything else.
Immediately after application: Orchid and a sharpness, probably from the juniper berries. I should note, I do like orchid. It's one of the few florals I like. I just don't like it when my florals mash every other note into the ground.
Warming up: Orchids and juniper, maybe a touch of musk. No patch to be found.
Fading: Bitter orchid.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: I expected more from this but it was still pretty. Not a bottle purchase for me.
Rating: 2/5.
Review #195: Montresor (LE)
Website Description: "The black fruit and vanilla oaken notes of fine Medoc and De Grâve, but not a hint of the elusive Amontillado."
In the bottle: Fruity wine.
Immediately after application: Very fruity, like very ripe grapes and figs? Dates? Something "meaty".
Warming up: Sort of sweet and sour. I still get the meaty fruit feel.
Fading: Sweet grapey smell.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: For my wino needs, I prefer The Zadok Allen Vinyard. It's much more complex and darker. This was a bit too sweet for me.
Rating: 2/5.
Review #196: Death-Horse (GC)
Website Description: "Lily of the Valley and opopponax."
In the bottle: Lily.
Immediately after application: Lily backed by the resinous myrrh (opopponax).
Warming up: Smells like an elderly lady, yup. Hello soap.
Fading: N/A
Faded: N/A
Overall: I do not fancy smelling like an 80-year-old lady, thanks anyway.
Rating: 0/5.
Review #197: Port-au-Prince (GC)
Website Description: "Buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras."
In the bottle: Rum, heavy on the bay and clove.
Immediately after application: Definitely heavy on the clove. I get a smidge of the root beer scent I associate with sassafrass. It smells delightful and just this side of foody.
Warming up: Clove, bay, and sassafras. Spicy and less foody.
Fading: Nice spicy drydown.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Definite like! It morphs nicely. Possible bottle.
Rating: 3.5/5.
Review #198: Dracul (GC)
Website Description: "Black musk, tobacco, fir, balsam of peru, cumin, bitter clove, crushed mint, and orange blossom."
In the bottle: Fir, orange, tobacco.
Immediately after application: I get a great blend of the notes and it makes me want to nom my own arm NOM NOM NOM.
Warming up: Fir and tobacco mostly and it smells awesome.
Fading: Heavier on the musk and tobacco, less fir.
Faded: Medium throw, average wear..
Overall: I really liked this. It felt a bit on the masculine side but not unwearable.
Rating: 3.5/5.
Review #199: Dawn: Mother (LE)
Website Description: "Red roses, saffron, honey, and frankincense."
In the bottle: Roses.
Immediately after application: I get a blend of the notes, rose being strongest of course.
Warming up: The rose mellows out, surprisingly, and I get a honeyed incense feel.
Fading: Creamy rose.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: I was surprised how much I liked this, considering how heavy on rose it is. But the other notes managed it quite well. I'd like a bottle.
Rating: 4/5.
Review #200: Dawn: Maiden (LE)
Website Description: "Tea roses, honeysuckle, heliotrope, olive blossom, milk, and honey."
In the bottle: Soft and sweet rose.
Immediately after application: Very little rose, surprisingly. Honeysuckle, heliotrope, milk, and honey are mostly what I get. Sweet and gently floral.
Warming up: Sweet, creamy floral.
Fading: A bit more florally now, but still wearable for me. Someone who enjoys light florals would definitely like this.
Faded: Average throw, average wear.
Overall: Too prettily floral for me.
Rating: 2/5.