BPAL Reviews XXXV
And again, more Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab scent reviews; more LE blends this time.
This batch of reviews includes The Living Flame, Shub-Niggurath, Monster Bait: Underbed, Monster Bait: Closet, Black Moon, Schwarzer Mond, Harvest Moon, Hunger Moon, Milk Moon 2007, Minotaur, Enraged Orangutan Musk, Enraged Groundhog Musk, and Venus.
The Living Flame, Lab description: "A luminescent red scent: breathless with passion, flickering with desire, and glowing with ardent and reverential love."
This is crisp and somewhere between lightly floral and lightly fruity, with a whiff of cinnamon and a trace of spice. It smells warm and wet in the bottle, very pleasant.
It goes on in a heady perfumey rush, gardenia or geranium and a hint of something crystalline and clear - an almost chemical overtone that is reminiscent of commercial perfumes. There's musk in here, too, I think, giving it that nasal lift. There's still an afterscent on drawing away from it of cinnamon and spice, but it's very subdued and is being sat on firmly by the great-grandmother of all perfume smells. It gets dusty as it dries, but not powdery or like makeup, so it's rather pleasant even on extreme weardown, which floral scents usually are not on me. As it dries, the spice note fades, and it's much more of a dry flower scent. I don't know if I get fire from it, but I certainly do get brightness.
This is grand and bright, but never oversteps its bounds. A mature, intelligent smell that hides nothing because it fears nothing. Beautiful.
Shub-Niggurath, Lab description: "The lust incense of a corrupted Astarte. A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices."
This is a review of the old LE blend, not the reformulation GC scent. This smells like ginger cookies! Oh so yummy!
If I work at it for a bit while it's in the bottle I can smell the incense resins, but this is still an overwhelmingly warm and spicy cooking scent.
Of course, all the other notes come out when it goes on - the ginger rises above the rest, its heady, knifelike throw surrounded by a haze of spice and powdery golden incense. It's delicious, sublime, a dark and sexy scent with a blazingly bright light at its very center.
As it ages, it hollows out a bit, opens up, and the herbal note comes out - still a warm, spiced smell, but this makes it seem older, arcane. The incense is still very soft, just a drone off in the background.
I love this. It is very dark and sexy, yet also spicy and energizing. But don't mistake it for playful or kittenish - it packs a wallop! Definitely a crying shame this hasn't been added to the unholy pantheon of GC scents, because this deserved a wider release.
Magic. Black magic.
Monster Bait: Underbed, Lab description: "Cassia-caked cocoa coconut over angel food cake."
Ohhh, yum! This is chocolate grated over coconut-topped cake, yummy and warm! It smells just delicious, and is making me seriously hungry!
On, it gets more cake-y. It smells like macaroons, actually. God, it's wonderful! The cassia is a spicy, dry note not unlike the smell of dry cinnamon sticks, yet without that candylike sweetness.
It wears down to a much more spicy finish, some of the cake smell wears away and it becomes a yummy sort of bakery smell with chocolate, cookies, cakes, and pastries all rolled up in one. Utterly delectable. I am now ravenous. Thanks.
This is extremely foody, extremely sweet, and extremely delicious. It's a good thing it was a limited edition and my supply of it is finite, because I have a hunch just wearing this could make me fat!
Monster Bait: Closet, Lab description: "Bourbon blackberry buttercream over red velvet cake."
Two word review:
Food porn.
Ahem.
This is sexy cream and cocoa, smooth whiskey sauce on bread pudding, with a whiff of sweet, sticky fruit.
I cannot overemphasize how much I want to drink this right out of the bottle.
Since I know that's a bad, bad idea, I'll just have to roll in it, instead.
The bourbon is stronger once it goes on, and the blackberry is right out front, tart and tangy. Oh, god, the throw of this one is like the smell of the world's best pastry chef concocting the ultimate dessert right in the other room.
If temptation had a smell, this would be it.
It is very sweet, but the whiskey sauce and blackberry keep this from being too sweet. It's not as sweet as Underbed, not as foody. I don't like it quite as well, but that's splitting a very fine hair.
Black Moon, Lab description: "The absence of light: motia attar, black orchid, mugwort, English pear, cucumber, blue lotus, jonquil, massoia, calamus and crystal musk."
Once again, I do my research. Motia is more usually called palmarosa, and is a species of lemongrass. Jonquil is a species of narcissus, whose smell may be familiar to you already, as daffodils are a narcissus as well. Massoia is derived from the bark of an Indoneisan laurel, and is described as having a creamy or buttery coconut smell with undertones of fruit. Calamus, also called sweet flag, is a kind of fleshy rush whose leaves and rootstock yield a sweet-smelling, possibly lemon-scented oil.
This, when I smell it, does not smell dark to me at all. It's subtle,and quiet, but not dark. And it's a very, very professional blend. The notes are quite difficult to distinguish. I definitely smell the pear and cucumber. The florals are cool and pale and fleshy. I also detect a creamy, thick note with a hint of nuttiness, which must be the massoia; I like that very much.
This is cool and white, delicate. It goes on with the jonquil and orchid in the front, very light and pure. It has a distinctly herbal undertone, though not particularly lemony, which is kept from being too dry by the cucumber and the pear. The musk, likewise, is very light and delicate, almost grey. It's the musk I associate with Dorian; barely there at all.
If this is a moonless night, it is a moonless night made brilliant by a hundred thousand stars. It has a secretive, luminous quality, like foxfire, it is subtle and witchy.
I don't like fleshy white florals, they smell of pickles all too often, but this manages not to go sour (though it is a very near thing). It has a subtlety that most florals lack on me, and I encourage anyone looking for a "different" sort of floral to investigate the mysteries of Black Moon. Despite everyone's crooning over sibling Schwarzer Mond's lusty savagery, it is Black Moon that wins on me. For what it is, it is flawless.
Schwarzer Mond, Lab description: "The keeper of secrets: opoponax, Tunisian black amber, night musk, antique patchouli, zdravetz, terebinth, myrrh, and Pimenta racemosa."
Little known fact: every time I try to review Schwarzer Mond, my word processing program has crashed, or the electricity has cut out. This is the fourth attempt. I want to state for the record that I like this scent, but not enough to keep having to retest it, so this is rather annoying to me. Nevertheless, here goes attempt number four.
Patchouli, amber, and myrrh are strongest here. The terebinth is right up there, too, a clean kind of pitchy, pine-needle note. The musk is rich and smooth. Overall, this is dark, earthy, fleshy. And it gets better if you allow the oil to age.
On, the terebinth comes out, and the bay rum (that's what Pimenta racemosa is). Normally bay rum smells horrible on me, but here it's tied with enough earthy stuff to keep it from going rank and sour. The zdravetz is nothing more than geranium, its oil described as woody with a floral and herbal undertone. It is definitely present as well, and complements the patchouli and myrrh quite nicely.
As usual, amber, myrrh, and opoponax, all resins, fill in the middle of this scent quite nicely.
This is a scent with a lot of character provided by the odd ingredients: terebinth, bay rum, geranium. But its core is the patchouli and the musk. That's what the throw smells of, and that's what is on top when you get close to it.
Schwarzer Mond is beautiful, dark, a thick, heavy scent almost drugged. Those who don't do well on very dark, very earthy scents would be advised to steer clear, but if patchouli and musk sound good to you, this is definitely worth seeking out. It has a reputation for being one of the better Lunacy blends, and while I don't know if I'd go that far, I will say that it's a very well-formulated scent.
The drydown is an exceptionally rich and muscular amber, its smoothness dirty with spices. At this stage, it is very, very nice, and exceptionally sexy.
Harvest Moon, Lab description: "The autumnal blooms of clematis, chrysanthemum, narcissus, sunflower, sage and lily twined with Dionysus’ sacred grapes and ivy, a bounty of apple, pumpkin, and ripe berries, and the amaranth and lingum aloes of Janus, all touched by a gentle breath of festival woodsmoke and sweet wine."
This is sweet and light: apples, wine, aloe, sage. . . . The overall impression it gives is of sweetness, of soft florals filled out with ripe fruits. It's not a heavy, syrupy scent, though. There is too much of the sage and ivy in it for it to be heavy.
Doesn't change much on. The apple is slightly fuller than the berry, again keeping this crisp. There is a smokiness to it that only develops once applied, a breath of something deep and resonant and dark against the dancing light of the bright flowers and fruits.
Chrysanthemum is the top floral here, quite assertively. This is a very pink and gold scent, the scent of a rich revel, spiced fruit and perfume floating on the breeze.
Hunger Moon, Lab description: "Ozone, white sandalwood, crystallized white amber, verbena, oakmoss, clary sage, and a hint of white citrus rind."
Whew! This smells like the desert on acid: sage and citrus struck with a bolt of clear ozone lightning.
This is clean and sharp and wicked, a high-velocity, high-pitched scent that just might mow you down if you aren't careful. Hunger? Yes. Very hungry. It smells nothing like food, and everything like miles and miles of nothing with no food in sight. Harsh.
It smells good, but calling this a "nice" smell would be like calling a sword a knife, and this is one keen blade of a scent. The verbena (think herbal lemons) and citrus and sage are juicy and tight together, and the ozone is a smack of dry, electric wind. I'm not getting much depth out of it on first application . . . the sandalwood and amber and oakmoss will probably need time to develop.
Sadly, I'm not going to get that. Something in this, or perhaps a combination, is making my wrist itch like anything, so off it comes. Pity, because this was a real zinger of a scent. Definitely recommended for anyone who likes clean ozone scents, or who is interested in playing with citrus scents that aren't overtly lemony or orangey.
Milk Moon 2007, Lab description: "A fertile scent, generous, life-affirming, and swelling with a sense of triumph, warmth, and abundance: sweet milk, golden honey, fig fruit, pomegranate, dates, and white grape."
In the bottle this is an odd combination of light milk and sweet white grape juice, a bright, pale scent that promises beauty. Also present, the sweetness of pomegranate.
On, the throw is fruit with a stiff dose of cream. This scent cruises right on the edge of being sour, its sweetness sharpened by the grape and deepened by the buttery cream.
I don't think I like this quite as well as the earlier version, but that is a very near thing. This scent is beautiful, unusual, distinctive, a friendly, embracing scent that invites cuddling, relaxation, and heart's-ease.
It has a lot of throw, so be warned. And it takes a minute to warm up. At first, you may think you haven't applied enough.
It's very pretty once the slightly sour grape smell dies back a little and the sticky fruits come out to play with the cream. Recommended if you can get a sample and you like creamy scents.
Minotaur, Lab description: "The Bull of Minos, guardian of the Labyrinth in Knossos. A deep, swarthy black musk dusted by a dark, resinous blend of sacred bisabol myrrh, atramentous benzoin, tsori, balsam, and galbanum."
Oh, my! A particularly black and beady-eyed musk lurks under a fine haze of incense smoke and funereal resins. Bisabol myrrh - opoponax, if you are taking notes - figures prominently in this blend, as does benzoin. Tsori and balsam appear to be the same thing, more or less, a resinous, pitchy odor that is at once soft and sharp, piney and woody. They form the forward edge of this scent, the resin is the first thing you smell.
On, it's musk, a pure, dark, tail-swishing musk that smells so strongly of the animal that fur might as well be growing on my wrists. Under it, as though caught in the coarse and kinky pelt is the aroma of soft incenses, now blended to one even whole. No resin dominates, the blend is smooth and even. It dries just like this, musk and resin, becoming soft and settling in to a comfortable, lovely scent that is unmistakeably the same perfume but is somehow much prettier.
In another note, "atramentous" is not a word I knew, and now I'm glad I know it. Very cool.
Enraged Orangutan Musk, Lab description: "Five dark, aggressive, furious musks with ambergris bouquet, Malaysian rainforest plant extracts, black amber and orange peel."
A very limited Limited Edition scent.
This is, indeed, very musky. In the bottle it's all musk, musk, musk, with just a hint of resin and no trace of the orange peel.
It goes on in a blast of ferocious musk, and the orange peel really comes out to give it teeth. The musk/citrus/ambergris combination makes it a quite traditionally perfume-y scent, so traditional I'm not certain if it's something I would like to wear. There's a hint of greenery in there somewhere, which keeps it smelling high-pitched as it develops. The longer this is on, the more traditional it becomes. It's very classic, but as it has no floral notes it might be a good choice for someone wanting to evoke that timeless feel without also invoking the Evil Flower Demons.
For such a high-pitched perfume, the throw is modest and the scent itself stays very close in. This is a very good thing - this sort of scent is one that could easily be abused or overdone. The fact that it isn't all that aggressive is a good thing. It leaves this smell where it should be, near the skin, where it can be discovered. Not a perfume for heavy scenting, but one to wear in little droplets here and there.
So far in other reviews it's drawing a lot of comparisons to Smut, which I can sort of see - they share a very musky base. But the musk here is less sexual, and there's no booze note to send this scent straight to bed. Instead, the green and citrus topnotes make this a sharp, intense scent that doesn't have the laid-back, self-pleasuring quality of Smut. There really is no comparing them; apples and oranges. Both are based in musk, but that's about it.
There's something very "wicked stepmother" about this, but I can't put my finger on what it is. And no, before you ask, I don't have an ape for a stepmother.
Enraged Groundhog Musk, Lab description: "Really ridiculous, insanely inappropriate, and staggeringly silly! Cranky groundhog musk sweetened up by chocolate-covered black cherries, cardamom, French vanilla, and caramel."
Yeah, uh-huh. You can stop being so bloody cheerful now! I mean it! Settle down!
Gah.
In the bottle, this is a bouncy scent that can't seem to decide if it wants to be foody or musky. Mostly foody. The chocolate makes this a little stinky, even though it doesn't smell much like chocolate, what with all the other ingredients. It smells like a vanilla cream sauce over a spice-dusted chocolate torte, with a dash of what I think is a golden sort of musk. Very tasty-smelling.
On, the musk is not as loud as I'd thought it would be. It really sits behind the food smell.
This is bouncy, silly, a fun scent that reminds me of the Monster Bait series. The throw is vanilla caramel with a little cardamom and a little chocolate. Very entertaining, and yummy.
Overall this is a foody, golden scent that begs to be rolled around with. It's sexy the way most foody scents are sexy: they aren't overt "do me" scents, but they do beg you to eat the wearer.
The cardamom is really the snap here; this has a feisty spice to it that I really like. There's enough of it that what should be a creamy, sweet scent is actually pretty zippy.
Venus, Lab description: "Blissful Love - Romance - Passion - Grace - Beauty - Joy - Good Luck in Love and Money - Kindness - Affection - Artistic Inspiration and Success - Harmony - Reconciliation - Sensuosity - Charm - Elegance - Delight"
Great. But what does it SMELL like?
Lily of the valley, mint, and roses. That's what I get. It's pink and green, a sweet and fresh scent, ever so slightly aquatic. Very pretty, but most supremely not my thing.
I weep.
I'm not that excited about the newest update, but I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the shirt for Thunder Moon. Mostly, right now, I'm revisiting old favorites, and rediscovering scents I had almost forgotten about. Hell, Old Scratch!
It's almost like getting new perfume, if you put them away for a while.
Tiny scent icons are courtesy of Penance's BPAL Icons, Diana's BPAL icons, and Storme's BPAL icons.
This batch of reviews includes The Living Flame, Shub-Niggurath, Monster Bait: Underbed, Monster Bait: Closet, Black Moon, Schwarzer Mond, Harvest Moon, Hunger Moon, Milk Moon 2007, Minotaur, Enraged Orangutan Musk, Enraged Groundhog Musk, and Venus.
The Living Flame, Lab description: "A luminescent red scent: breathless with passion, flickering with desire, and glowing with ardent and reverential love."
This is crisp and somewhere between lightly floral and lightly fruity, with a whiff of cinnamon and a trace of spice. It smells warm and wet in the bottle, very pleasant.
It goes on in a heady perfumey rush, gardenia or geranium and a hint of something crystalline and clear - an almost chemical overtone that is reminiscent of commercial perfumes. There's musk in here, too, I think, giving it that nasal lift. There's still an afterscent on drawing away from it of cinnamon and spice, but it's very subdued and is being sat on firmly by the great-grandmother of all perfume smells. It gets dusty as it dries, but not powdery or like makeup, so it's rather pleasant even on extreme weardown, which floral scents usually are not on me. As it dries, the spice note fades, and it's much more of a dry flower scent. I don't know if I get fire from it, but I certainly do get brightness.
This is grand and bright, but never oversteps its bounds. A mature, intelligent smell that hides nothing because it fears nothing. Beautiful.
Shub-Niggurath, Lab description: "The lust incense of a corrupted Astarte. A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices."
This is a review of the old LE blend, not the reformulation GC scent. This smells like ginger cookies! Oh so yummy!
If I work at it for a bit while it's in the bottle I can smell the incense resins, but this is still an overwhelmingly warm and spicy cooking scent.
Of course, all the other notes come out when it goes on - the ginger rises above the rest, its heady, knifelike throw surrounded by a haze of spice and powdery golden incense. It's delicious, sublime, a dark and sexy scent with a blazingly bright light at its very center.
As it ages, it hollows out a bit, opens up, and the herbal note comes out - still a warm, spiced smell, but this makes it seem older, arcane. The incense is still very soft, just a drone off in the background.
I love this. It is very dark and sexy, yet also spicy and energizing. But don't mistake it for playful or kittenish - it packs a wallop! Definitely a crying shame this hasn't been added to the unholy pantheon of GC scents, because this deserved a wider release.
Magic. Black magic.
Monster Bait: Underbed, Lab description: "Cassia-caked cocoa coconut over angel food cake."
Ohhh, yum! This is chocolate grated over coconut-topped cake, yummy and warm! It smells just delicious, and is making me seriously hungry!
On, it gets more cake-y. It smells like macaroons, actually. God, it's wonderful! The cassia is a spicy, dry note not unlike the smell of dry cinnamon sticks, yet without that candylike sweetness.
It wears down to a much more spicy finish, some of the cake smell wears away and it becomes a yummy sort of bakery smell with chocolate, cookies, cakes, and pastries all rolled up in one. Utterly delectable. I am now ravenous. Thanks.
This is extremely foody, extremely sweet, and extremely delicious. It's a good thing it was a limited edition and my supply of it is finite, because I have a hunch just wearing this could make me fat!
Monster Bait: Closet, Lab description: "Bourbon blackberry buttercream over red velvet cake."
Two word review:
Food porn.
Ahem.
This is sexy cream and cocoa, smooth whiskey sauce on bread pudding, with a whiff of sweet, sticky fruit.
I cannot overemphasize how much I want to drink this right out of the bottle.
Since I know that's a bad, bad idea, I'll just have to roll in it, instead.
The bourbon is stronger once it goes on, and the blackberry is right out front, tart and tangy. Oh, god, the throw of this one is like the smell of the world's best pastry chef concocting the ultimate dessert right in the other room.
If temptation had a smell, this would be it.
It is very sweet, but the whiskey sauce and blackberry keep this from being too sweet. It's not as sweet as Underbed, not as foody. I don't like it quite as well, but that's splitting a very fine hair.
Black Moon, Lab description: "The absence of light: motia attar, black orchid, mugwort, English pear, cucumber, blue lotus, jonquil, massoia, calamus and crystal musk."
Once again, I do my research. Motia is more usually called palmarosa, and is a species of lemongrass. Jonquil is a species of narcissus, whose smell may be familiar to you already, as daffodils are a narcissus as well. Massoia is derived from the bark of an Indoneisan laurel, and is described as having a creamy or buttery coconut smell with undertones of fruit. Calamus, also called sweet flag, is a kind of fleshy rush whose leaves and rootstock yield a sweet-smelling, possibly lemon-scented oil.
This, when I smell it, does not smell dark to me at all. It's subtle,and quiet, but not dark. And it's a very, very professional blend. The notes are quite difficult to distinguish. I definitely smell the pear and cucumber. The florals are cool and pale and fleshy. I also detect a creamy, thick note with a hint of nuttiness, which must be the massoia; I like that very much.
This is cool and white, delicate. It goes on with the jonquil and orchid in the front, very light and pure. It has a distinctly herbal undertone, though not particularly lemony, which is kept from being too dry by the cucumber and the pear. The musk, likewise, is very light and delicate, almost grey. It's the musk I associate with Dorian; barely there at all.
If this is a moonless night, it is a moonless night made brilliant by a hundred thousand stars. It has a secretive, luminous quality, like foxfire, it is subtle and witchy.
I don't like fleshy white florals, they smell of pickles all too often, but this manages not to go sour (though it is a very near thing). It has a subtlety that most florals lack on me, and I encourage anyone looking for a "different" sort of floral to investigate the mysteries of Black Moon. Despite everyone's crooning over sibling Schwarzer Mond's lusty savagery, it is Black Moon that wins on me. For what it is, it is flawless.
Schwarzer Mond, Lab description: "The keeper of secrets: opoponax, Tunisian black amber, night musk, antique patchouli, zdravetz, terebinth, myrrh, and Pimenta racemosa."
Little known fact: every time I try to review Schwarzer Mond, my word processing program has crashed, or the electricity has cut out. This is the fourth attempt. I want to state for the record that I like this scent, but not enough to keep having to retest it, so this is rather annoying to me. Nevertheless, here goes attempt number four.
Patchouli, amber, and myrrh are strongest here. The terebinth is right up there, too, a clean kind of pitchy, pine-needle note. The musk is rich and smooth. Overall, this is dark, earthy, fleshy. And it gets better if you allow the oil to age.
On, the terebinth comes out, and the bay rum (that's what Pimenta racemosa is). Normally bay rum smells horrible on me, but here it's tied with enough earthy stuff to keep it from going rank and sour. The zdravetz is nothing more than geranium, its oil described as woody with a floral and herbal undertone. It is definitely present as well, and complements the patchouli and myrrh quite nicely.
As usual, amber, myrrh, and opoponax, all resins, fill in the middle of this scent quite nicely.
This is a scent with a lot of character provided by the odd ingredients: terebinth, bay rum, geranium. But its core is the patchouli and the musk. That's what the throw smells of, and that's what is on top when you get close to it.
Schwarzer Mond is beautiful, dark, a thick, heavy scent almost drugged. Those who don't do well on very dark, very earthy scents would be advised to steer clear, but if patchouli and musk sound good to you, this is definitely worth seeking out. It has a reputation for being one of the better Lunacy blends, and while I don't know if I'd go that far, I will say that it's a very well-formulated scent.
The drydown is an exceptionally rich and muscular amber, its smoothness dirty with spices. At this stage, it is very, very nice, and exceptionally sexy.
Harvest Moon, Lab description: "The autumnal blooms of clematis, chrysanthemum, narcissus, sunflower, sage and lily twined with Dionysus’ sacred grapes and ivy, a bounty of apple, pumpkin, and ripe berries, and the amaranth and lingum aloes of Janus, all touched by a gentle breath of festival woodsmoke and sweet wine."
This is sweet and light: apples, wine, aloe, sage. . . . The overall impression it gives is of sweetness, of soft florals filled out with ripe fruits. It's not a heavy, syrupy scent, though. There is too much of the sage and ivy in it for it to be heavy.
Doesn't change much on. The apple is slightly fuller than the berry, again keeping this crisp. There is a smokiness to it that only develops once applied, a breath of something deep and resonant and dark against the dancing light of the bright flowers and fruits.
Chrysanthemum is the top floral here, quite assertively. This is a very pink and gold scent, the scent of a rich revel, spiced fruit and perfume floating on the breeze.
Hunger Moon, Lab description: "Ozone, white sandalwood, crystallized white amber, verbena, oakmoss, clary sage, and a hint of white citrus rind."
Whew! This smells like the desert on acid: sage and citrus struck with a bolt of clear ozone lightning.
This is clean and sharp and wicked, a high-velocity, high-pitched scent that just might mow you down if you aren't careful. Hunger? Yes. Very hungry. It smells nothing like food, and everything like miles and miles of nothing with no food in sight. Harsh.
It smells good, but calling this a "nice" smell would be like calling a sword a knife, and this is one keen blade of a scent. The verbena (think herbal lemons) and citrus and sage are juicy and tight together, and the ozone is a smack of dry, electric wind. I'm not getting much depth out of it on first application . . . the sandalwood and amber and oakmoss will probably need time to develop.
Sadly, I'm not going to get that. Something in this, or perhaps a combination, is making my wrist itch like anything, so off it comes. Pity, because this was a real zinger of a scent. Definitely recommended for anyone who likes clean ozone scents, or who is interested in playing with citrus scents that aren't overtly lemony or orangey.
Milk Moon 2007, Lab description: "A fertile scent, generous, life-affirming, and swelling with a sense of triumph, warmth, and abundance: sweet milk, golden honey, fig fruit, pomegranate, dates, and white grape."
In the bottle this is an odd combination of light milk and sweet white grape juice, a bright, pale scent that promises beauty. Also present, the sweetness of pomegranate.
On, the throw is fruit with a stiff dose of cream. This scent cruises right on the edge of being sour, its sweetness sharpened by the grape and deepened by the buttery cream.
I don't think I like this quite as well as the earlier version, but that is a very near thing. This scent is beautiful, unusual, distinctive, a friendly, embracing scent that invites cuddling, relaxation, and heart's-ease.
It has a lot of throw, so be warned. And it takes a minute to warm up. At first, you may think you haven't applied enough.
It's very pretty once the slightly sour grape smell dies back a little and the sticky fruits come out to play with the cream. Recommended if you can get a sample and you like creamy scents.
Minotaur, Lab description: "The Bull of Minos, guardian of the Labyrinth in Knossos. A deep, swarthy black musk dusted by a dark, resinous blend of sacred bisabol myrrh, atramentous benzoin, tsori, balsam, and galbanum."
Oh, my! A particularly black and beady-eyed musk lurks under a fine haze of incense smoke and funereal resins. Bisabol myrrh - opoponax, if you are taking notes - figures prominently in this blend, as does benzoin. Tsori and balsam appear to be the same thing, more or less, a resinous, pitchy odor that is at once soft and sharp, piney and woody. They form the forward edge of this scent, the resin is the first thing you smell.
On, it's musk, a pure, dark, tail-swishing musk that smells so strongly of the animal that fur might as well be growing on my wrists. Under it, as though caught in the coarse and kinky pelt is the aroma of soft incenses, now blended to one even whole. No resin dominates, the blend is smooth and even. It dries just like this, musk and resin, becoming soft and settling in to a comfortable, lovely scent that is unmistakeably the same perfume but is somehow much prettier.
In another note, "atramentous" is not a word I knew, and now I'm glad I know it. Very cool.
Enraged Orangutan Musk, Lab description: "Five dark, aggressive, furious musks with ambergris bouquet, Malaysian rainforest plant extracts, black amber and orange peel."
A very limited Limited Edition scent.
This is, indeed, very musky. In the bottle it's all musk, musk, musk, with just a hint of resin and no trace of the orange peel.
It goes on in a blast of ferocious musk, and the orange peel really comes out to give it teeth. The musk/citrus/ambergris combination makes it a quite traditionally perfume-y scent, so traditional I'm not certain if it's something I would like to wear. There's a hint of greenery in there somewhere, which keeps it smelling high-pitched as it develops. The longer this is on, the more traditional it becomes. It's very classic, but as it has no floral notes it might be a good choice for someone wanting to evoke that timeless feel without also invoking the Evil Flower Demons.
For such a high-pitched perfume, the throw is modest and the scent itself stays very close in. This is a very good thing - this sort of scent is one that could easily be abused or overdone. The fact that it isn't all that aggressive is a good thing. It leaves this smell where it should be, near the skin, where it can be discovered. Not a perfume for heavy scenting, but one to wear in little droplets here and there.
So far in other reviews it's drawing a lot of comparisons to Smut, which I can sort of see - they share a very musky base. But the musk here is less sexual, and there's no booze note to send this scent straight to bed. Instead, the green and citrus topnotes make this a sharp, intense scent that doesn't have the laid-back, self-pleasuring quality of Smut. There really is no comparing them; apples and oranges. Both are based in musk, but that's about it.
There's something very "wicked stepmother" about this, but I can't put my finger on what it is. And no, before you ask, I don't have an ape for a stepmother.
Enraged Groundhog Musk, Lab description: "Really ridiculous, insanely inappropriate, and staggeringly silly! Cranky groundhog musk sweetened up by chocolate-covered black cherries, cardamom, French vanilla, and caramel."
Yeah, uh-huh. You can stop being so bloody cheerful now! I mean it! Settle down!
Gah.
In the bottle, this is a bouncy scent that can't seem to decide if it wants to be foody or musky. Mostly foody. The chocolate makes this a little stinky, even though it doesn't smell much like chocolate, what with all the other ingredients. It smells like a vanilla cream sauce over a spice-dusted chocolate torte, with a dash of what I think is a golden sort of musk. Very tasty-smelling.
On, the musk is not as loud as I'd thought it would be. It really sits behind the food smell.
This is bouncy, silly, a fun scent that reminds me of the Monster Bait series. The throw is vanilla caramel with a little cardamom and a little chocolate. Very entertaining, and yummy.
Overall this is a foody, golden scent that begs to be rolled around with. It's sexy the way most foody scents are sexy: they aren't overt "do me" scents, but they do beg you to eat the wearer.
The cardamom is really the snap here; this has a feisty spice to it that I really like. There's enough of it that what should be a creamy, sweet scent is actually pretty zippy.
Venus, Lab description: "Blissful Love - Romance - Passion - Grace - Beauty - Joy - Good Luck in Love and Money - Kindness - Affection - Artistic Inspiration and Success - Harmony - Reconciliation - Sensuosity - Charm - Elegance - Delight"
Great. But what does it SMELL like?
Lily of the valley, mint, and roses. That's what I get. It's pink and green, a sweet and fresh scent, ever so slightly aquatic. Very pretty, but most supremely not my thing.
I weep.
I'm not that excited about the newest update, but I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the shirt for Thunder Moon. Mostly, right now, I'm revisiting old favorites, and rediscovering scents I had almost forgotten about. Hell, Old Scratch!
It's almost like getting new perfume, if you put them away for a while.
Tiny scent icons are courtesy of Penance's BPAL Icons, Diana's BPAL icons, and Storme's BPAL icons.