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juushikaHECATE (GC, Excolo)
Deep, buttery almond layered over myrrh and dark musk.
In the vial: Deep buttery almond indeed, and quite potent.
On me: The almond is a touch perfumey, which would normally drive me away from a scent. But Hecate is lovely. The almond is neither cherry-like or bitter; it's smooth, rich as butter, golden warm—simply divine despite its generic perfumey edge. There is just a touch of shadows: The dark musk adds depth but, coupled with the myrrh, remains on the sweeter and lighter side. Over time, the musk amps up, casting a darker shadow over the golden almond. The scent becomes much darker, verging on the edge of bitterness, and the almond's perfumey aspect disappears. This is a powerful, unusual feminine blend, a lovely match to Hecate Herself. The color is golden brown, darkening significantly during wear.
Verdict: I adore it—more than I remember from when I first tried it (my imp is now aged ten months). I wish that the earlier stage, where the almond is more prominent and the scent is buttery gold, stayed around longer; the darker, muskier stage isn't bad, but it's not as lovely or evocative. Still, I'm quite in love and will definitely keep and wear my imp.
THE LURID LIBRARY (LE, Halloween 2007: The Haunted House)
The incense-tinged scent of forbidden tomes and the musk-laden remnants of infernal servants.
In the bottle: Difficult to pin down, but approximately a creamy parchment-colored incense.
On me: After some brief morphing when it first goes on, it dries down to—well, to a very close match to the description. Lurid Library is the first page of an old book: ivory parchment, thick and creamy to the touch, unmarked by bitter ink. Over the years the parchment has picked up the scents in the library: incense and a touch of musk, both dark, faint but present, seeped into the smooth fibers of the page, staining them to old ivory. The rest of the library isn't discernible—there are no woods, no leather bindings, just the bare, finger-worn parchment of the book's first page. The color is aged ivory; the scent is distinct despite a mild throw and the wear length is moderate.
Verdict: I picked up a bottle of this unsniffed when it was first released, confident that I would love it; I have not been disappointed, and continue to love and wear it a year later. It is one of my all-time favorite oils. This is a must-have if you love the smell of book paper and an ideal scent for curling up with some well-loved books. I adore it, and treasure my bottle.
IVANUSHKA (LE, A Little Lunacy)
Soft, velvety fur and warm musk, brushed by forest woods and dusted by dry leaves.
In the vial: Not much of anything, perhaps the lightest touch of golden musk.
On me: Perfection. Velvety fur and warm musk in a pale golden shade. A bit sweet, quite warm, very comforting. It's animalistic yet clean and dry, more like short fur than pungent musk glands. It has a similar feel and texture to Velvet—powdery in the best sense. Sometimes when wearing it I can make out a touch of the forest setting, the memory of dry leaves—but it's delicate velvety dun musk for the most part, and that's enough for me.
Verdict: Ivanushka is one of my favorite scents, and I've had it in heavy rotation since it was released. (Ironically, that's why I've never reviewed it—I find my favorites the hardest to review, because it's difficult to describe just how much I love them.) Beautiful, velvety, animalistic yet clean, warm and comforting—this is a stunning pure blond/golden musk, and, simply stated, I could not love it more.
GRAVEYARD DIRT (LE, Halloween 2008)
This is the scent of pure graveyard dust, spattered with grave loam and dusted lightly with tombstone moss.
In the vial: Wet soil and organic decay, and it's actually rather vile.
On me: It goes on with that same disgusting strong rotting smell, and then dries down to ... nothing. Perhaps there's a ghost of dry soil, but I think I'm merely willing that scent. The boy confirms: the scent disappears immediately, as soon as it dries down.
Verdict: I'll retest later and hope this is a fluke of chemistry (update: retest had the same results), but so far it's looking like I don't need to keep this if I can't smell it.
Deep, buttery almond layered over myrrh and dark musk.
In the vial: Deep buttery almond indeed, and quite potent.
On me: The almond is a touch perfumey, which would normally drive me away from a scent. But Hecate is lovely. The almond is neither cherry-like or bitter; it's smooth, rich as butter, golden warm—simply divine despite its generic perfumey edge. There is just a touch of shadows: The dark musk adds depth but, coupled with the myrrh, remains on the sweeter and lighter side. Over time, the musk amps up, casting a darker shadow over the golden almond. The scent becomes much darker, verging on the edge of bitterness, and the almond's perfumey aspect disappears. This is a powerful, unusual feminine blend, a lovely match to Hecate Herself. The color is golden brown, darkening significantly during wear.
Verdict: I adore it—more than I remember from when I first tried it (my imp is now aged ten months). I wish that the earlier stage, where the almond is more prominent and the scent is buttery gold, stayed around longer; the darker, muskier stage isn't bad, but it's not as lovely or evocative. Still, I'm quite in love and will definitely keep and wear my imp.
THE LURID LIBRARY (LE, Halloween 2007: The Haunted House)
The incense-tinged scent of forbidden tomes and the musk-laden remnants of infernal servants.
In the bottle: Difficult to pin down, but approximately a creamy parchment-colored incense.
On me: After some brief morphing when it first goes on, it dries down to—well, to a very close match to the description. Lurid Library is the first page of an old book: ivory parchment, thick and creamy to the touch, unmarked by bitter ink. Over the years the parchment has picked up the scents in the library: incense and a touch of musk, both dark, faint but present, seeped into the smooth fibers of the page, staining them to old ivory. The rest of the library isn't discernible—there are no woods, no leather bindings, just the bare, finger-worn parchment of the book's first page. The color is aged ivory; the scent is distinct despite a mild throw and the wear length is moderate.
Verdict: I picked up a bottle of this unsniffed when it was first released, confident that I would love it; I have not been disappointed, and continue to love and wear it a year later. It is one of my all-time favorite oils. This is a must-have if you love the smell of book paper and an ideal scent for curling up with some well-loved books. I adore it, and treasure my bottle.
IVANUSHKA (LE, A Little Lunacy)
Soft, velvety fur and warm musk, brushed by forest woods and dusted by dry leaves.
In the vial: Not much of anything, perhaps the lightest touch of golden musk.
On me: Perfection. Velvety fur and warm musk in a pale golden shade. A bit sweet, quite warm, very comforting. It's animalistic yet clean and dry, more like short fur than pungent musk glands. It has a similar feel and texture to Velvet—powdery in the best sense. Sometimes when wearing it I can make out a touch of the forest setting, the memory of dry leaves—but it's delicate velvety dun musk for the most part, and that's enough for me.
Verdict: Ivanushka is one of my favorite scents, and I've had it in heavy rotation since it was released. (Ironically, that's why I've never reviewed it—I find my favorites the hardest to review, because it's difficult to describe just how much I love them.) Beautiful, velvety, animalistic yet clean, warm and comforting—this is a stunning pure blond/golden musk, and, simply stated, I could not love it more.
GRAVEYARD DIRT (LE, Halloween 2008)
This is the scent of pure graveyard dust, spattered with grave loam and dusted lightly with tombstone moss.
In the vial: Wet soil and organic decay, and it's actually rather vile.
On me: It goes on with that same disgusting strong rotting smell, and then dries down to ... nothing. Perhaps there's a ghost of dry soil, but I think I'm merely willing that scent. The boy confirms: the scent disappears immediately, as soon as it dries down.
Verdict: I'll retest later and hope this is a fluke of chemistry (update: retest had the same results), but so far it's looking like I don't need to keep this if I can't smell it.
