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juushikaPUSSY (LE: Metamorphosis 2001)
Orange blossom honey, brown sugar, saffron, tonka absolute, and tobacco leaf.
In vial: Orange with what's probably saffron—a warm, fleshy, opaque scent.
On me: Slightly sweet orange, slightly perfumey saffron, and a slightly dark/almost-herbal tobacco. Described in one word, I'd call this "warm"—it's not quite a skin scent (a little too perfumey for that), but it has the sensual quality of O or the fleshiness of Khrysee; what sets it apart is the dark counterbalance of the tobacco. It's nicely balanced and not as sweet as the notes might imply.
Verdict: A little too perfumey for my usual taste, but I I think this will be fantastic in the summer.
SVADHINAOPATIKA (LE, Lupercalia 2007: Faces of the Heroine)
Golden amber, oude, red sandalwood, massoia bark, honey, and currant.
In vial: Warm woods.
On me: The forefront of this scent is a dry, vivid sandalwood, but it's backed by a solid blend of fleshy amber and rich massoia, with just a touch of honey. Not particularly sweet despite the massoia and honey; if I get any oude, it's just to round out the woods. It has a skin-scent-but-stronger feel to it, distinctly sensual, even sexual, hyperfeminine without being floral or girly; very Lupercalia. I sometimes get a little coconut/almost-fruitiness (no currant, though, which usually amps on me), probably from the massoia, and sometimes it leans towards pure sandalwood.
Verdict: I'll need to be in the mood for strong sandalwood, but when I am this'll be gorgeous. I'm glad I don't get any currant tartness, which would probably ruin this for me.
DEAD LEAVES AND VANILLA INCENSE (LE, Halloween 2018: Pile of Leaves)
In vial: An airy, cold dead leaf scent; reminds me of October (Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air.).
On me: Like a few of the dead leaves blends, this has a weird, bitter tobacco-like note on application; it burns off pretty quickly. Dries down to a very faint vanillic dead leaves, sweet and fleeting in the throw, more smoke and dead leaves on the skin. The skin scent is pleasant, autumnal and slightly spicy. But this is so faint, and slathering doesn't do much to help except make it more perfumey.
Verdict: Pleasant, especially right on the skin, but I have to strain to get anything out of it.
PALADIN (GC, RPG)
Immaculate white musk, sweet frankincense, bourbon vanilla, white leather, and shining armor.
Frimp from the Lab.
In vial: Clean, pale, ozone-y.
On me: This is an incredibly faint scent. When sparingly applied, I get a beautiful but indistinct frankincense with a light, white vibe; a reverential but comforting scent that suits the inspiration. When slathered, it's still light and has no discernible throw, but goes more perfumey, more ozone, almost floral while still being distinctly frankincense; despite the lack of throw, it was too much for me and I had to wash it off.
Verdict: I went searching the BPAL catalog for more frankincense-heavy blends as soon as I smelled this—frankincense is such a beautiful note, and there's a lot of potential in this pale take on it, especially alongside white musk. But the ozone/armor and the shyness of this scent kill it for me.
SYBARIS (GC, Wanderlust)
Bright violet with sweet clove, Mediterranean incense notes and tonka bean.
Frimp from the Lab.
In vial: A dusky, sweet/spicy floral.
On me: Goes on as that same floral. Morphs into a pure clove—and I love this stage, it's almost one-note but distinctly sweet, spicy but not sharp, a hint of something almost creamy in the background, with a good throw. But after ~1 hour, this grows much sweeter and settles into a creamy, pale floral which reminds me distinctly of Antique Lace (a soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes)—a little grandma's bathroom, very sweet, slightly cloying—but with a gentle and welcome spike of clove. It cuts through some of that sweetness, but perhaps not enough.
Verdict: While it can tend cloying, I think I'd like this on someone else—the creamy/sweet/floral/spice has a distinct character; I appreciate the clove. But I find it sort of gross on me.
Orange blossom honey, brown sugar, saffron, tonka absolute, and tobacco leaf.
In vial: Orange with what's probably saffron—a warm, fleshy, opaque scent.
On me: Slightly sweet orange, slightly perfumey saffron, and a slightly dark/almost-herbal tobacco. Described in one word, I'd call this "warm"—it's not quite a skin scent (a little too perfumey for that), but it has the sensual quality of O or the fleshiness of Khrysee; what sets it apart is the dark counterbalance of the tobacco. It's nicely balanced and not as sweet as the notes might imply.
Verdict: A little too perfumey for my usual taste, but I I think this will be fantastic in the summer.
SVADHINAOPATIKA (LE, Lupercalia 2007: Faces of the Heroine)
Golden amber, oude, red sandalwood, massoia bark, honey, and currant.
In vial: Warm woods.
On me: The forefront of this scent is a dry, vivid sandalwood, but it's backed by a solid blend of fleshy amber and rich massoia, with just a touch of honey. Not particularly sweet despite the massoia and honey; if I get any oude, it's just to round out the woods. It has a skin-scent-but-stronger feel to it, distinctly sensual, even sexual, hyperfeminine without being floral or girly; very Lupercalia. I sometimes get a little coconut/almost-fruitiness (no currant, though, which usually amps on me), probably from the massoia, and sometimes it leans towards pure sandalwood.
Verdict: I'll need to be in the mood for strong sandalwood, but when I am this'll be gorgeous. I'm glad I don't get any currant tartness, which would probably ruin this for me.
DEAD LEAVES AND VANILLA INCENSE (LE, Halloween 2018: Pile of Leaves)
In vial: An airy, cold dead leaf scent; reminds me of October (Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air.).
On me: Like a few of the dead leaves blends, this has a weird, bitter tobacco-like note on application; it burns off pretty quickly. Dries down to a very faint vanillic dead leaves, sweet and fleeting in the throw, more smoke and dead leaves on the skin. The skin scent is pleasant, autumnal and slightly spicy. But this is so faint, and slathering doesn't do much to help except make it more perfumey.
Verdict: Pleasant, especially right on the skin, but I have to strain to get anything out of it.
PALADIN (GC, RPG)
Immaculate white musk, sweet frankincense, bourbon vanilla, white leather, and shining armor.
Frimp from the Lab.
In vial: Clean, pale, ozone-y.
On me: This is an incredibly faint scent. When sparingly applied, I get a beautiful but indistinct frankincense with a light, white vibe; a reverential but comforting scent that suits the inspiration. When slathered, it's still light and has no discernible throw, but goes more perfumey, more ozone, almost floral while still being distinctly frankincense; despite the lack of throw, it was too much for me and I had to wash it off.
Verdict: I went searching the BPAL catalog for more frankincense-heavy blends as soon as I smelled this—frankincense is such a beautiful note, and there's a lot of potential in this pale take on it, especially alongside white musk. But the ozone/armor and the shyness of this scent kill it for me.
SYBARIS (GC, Wanderlust)
Bright violet with sweet clove, Mediterranean incense notes and tonka bean.
Frimp from the Lab.
In vial: A dusky, sweet/spicy floral.
On me: Goes on as that same floral. Morphs into a pure clove—and I love this stage, it's almost one-note but distinctly sweet, spicy but not sharp, a hint of something almost creamy in the background, with a good throw. But after ~1 hour, this grows much sweeter and settles into a creamy, pale floral which reminds me distinctly of Antique Lace (a soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes)—a little grandma's bathroom, very sweet, slightly cloying—but with a gentle and welcome spike of clove. It cuts through some of that sweetness, but perhaps not enough.
Verdict: While it can tend cloying, I think I'd like this on someone else—the creamy/sweet/floral/spice has a distinct character; I appreciate the clove. But I find it sort of gross on me.
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Date: 2018-12-14 02:06 pm (UTC)