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Bewitching Brews
ABSINTHE An intoxicating blend containing wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon. (minty-anise, sort of candy-like)    
 
AEVAL A judicious yet powerfully sensual blend, a mingling of justice and sexuality: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka. (light floral)      
ANNE BONNY

A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense.

Wet, this was a blast of dry woods... very much patchouli & sandalwood. Mmm pencil-shaving-licous.
Dry... this just faded bit by bit, keeping true to its notes, and was gone. Fairly quickly (less than 4 hours), which was surprising, since these notes usually last a very long time on me.
I like it, but I will probably have to test how well it lasts before I'd commit to a whole bottle. Then again, I love sandalwood + patchouli, but I think Sin is my #1 undefeated scent in this category.

   
ANTIQUE LACE

Nostalgia encapsulated. A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes. review

In the bottle, the oil smells clean. Like freshly washed skin.
Putting it on, the florals emerge, and turn into a soft white bouquet, mixed with a little vanilla, a little musk, turning into a sweet powdery smell. This actually reminds me a LOT of Morocco; they must share quite a few ingredients.
This wears on for hours without fading or changing much. It's a soft vanilla musk, sweet without being foody or cloying. It's very lovely and soft and pretty. It actually has some qualities that remind me of Vanilla Fantasy/Vanilla Lace (my friend's staple perfume)... vanilla with just a hint of something else.
I'm glad this came back so I could get a big bottle. =)

  10mL  
ARACHNE A gossamer scent, as light as a spider’s footfall, touched with sighing mists: pallid flowers, dusty woods and soft herbs.    
 
ARCANA Frankincense, rosemary, lavender, neroli, and verbena. (interesting blend, not heavy at all, rich, slightly citrus/tangy)    
 
AUREUS True, perfect golden light, refined into an incomparably glorious scent.    
 
BELLE ÉPOQUE Sweet opium, Lily of the Valley, vanilla, mandarin and red sandalwood.    
BESS

Inspired by the tragic, ill-fated love of Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester. This is our modernization of a 17th-century perfume blend favored by British aristocracy: rosemary, orange flower, grape spirit, five rose variants, lemon peel, and mint. review

I got an imp of this, thinking that I'd like it, but I was worried it would be too similar to Catherine, of which I already have a 10mL bottle.
My fears have been assuaged. They are only very remotely similar.
Going on, this is very strong rosemary. Not terribly medicinal, but very green and herbal. There is a beautiful rush of fresh, sweet lemon. There's a bit of a hint of grape, but it's mostly lemon & rosemary for the first 20 minutes or so.
Sadly, lemon is a very transitive top note, so that is gone after 15-20 minutes. The rosemary seems a bit woodsy and earthy, which made me wonder if it was thyme instead of rosemary. But this stage only lasts a few minutes as well. The orange flower is appearing, but not very strongly.
After the lemon departs, the rose comes out. But rose-fearing folk rest assured, it isn't very strong or overpowering. There is a bit of grape, but not juicy, purple, or candy-smelling. I'm not able to detect any mint, but it just might be lurking in the mixture of rose & orange flower.
The final drydown seems to be a sweet, soft, barely-there rose, a slight grape note, and just a hint of rosemary. I've had this on all day, and I'm still getting pretty good throw from it.
I am in love with this. I want to slather it all over everything and swim in it. It's not overly floral, not overly fruity. It's clean and fresh and amazing, like being outside on a warm spring day where the breeze brings in wafts of various aromas of plants & flowers.

  5mL  
BEWITCHED Blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk. (berry juice)    
x
BLACK FOREST Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress.    
 
BLACK OPAL

A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire. review

This is a hard one to describe.
It reminds me a lot of pefumes my mom loves. I think I'm going to have to get her a bottle of this.
Going on, it does smell like a mineral of some sort; a cool stone-like quality.
It is sweet, but dry and fairly faint. I think there's sandalwood, musk, tonka and violet in this. But not sugary or foody. Musky and soft. Very feminine & pretty.
I'm at a loss for words today. If you've ever smelled Bill Blass Nude before, it reminds me a great deal of that. Skin, but better.

    x
BLACK PEARL Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk. (reviewed; coconut fades fast, too much iris) review    
BLACK TOWER

A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine. review

This is an unusual one.
It starts off slightly sweet with a slight touch of ozone, and something dark and mysterious and deep and brooding in the background. As it wears on, the dark note must be a resin (galbanum, I'm guessing!), with just a touch of the wood + ambergris. It's almost burnt smelling, but not in a bad way. Just something dark and foreboding, lurking. The sweet note, which is most likely the wine, doesn't totally disappear, but blends in more and more with the other notes as the day goes on. The ozone is almost undetectable now.
This is really hard to describe. It is really unusual, and slightly reminiscent of Lurid because of the ozone & sweet notes, but Lurid gone wrong. Beautifully done.

    x
BLISS

the serotonin-slathered scent of pure milk chocolate. review

This smells like hot chocolate. Nothing funky or weird or morphing with this one. It's yum.

  5mL  
BLOOD Essence of dragon's blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove. review
Wet: very obvious & strong dragon's blood. It's very sickly sweet.
Initial dry: the cherry comes out to play, taking over as the main component; juicy & wet & sweet. there's a tiny bit of a metallic tang to it, and the dragon's blood moves to the background.
dry: metallic cherry. i really like bpal's cherry note, so this is happy-making. i almost never pick up on the clove note in bpal blends, and this scent is no exception.
hours & hours later: the cherry has faded, there's a bit of the resiny dragon's blood & myrrh, but they're faint and not overpoweringly sweet.
     
BLOOD AMBER Slivers of warm, pulsating blood forever crystallized in golden amber resin. (surprisingly soft)     x
BLOOD KISS Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. vetiver kills this for me. =( review      
BLOOD PEARL Lustrous, sanguine, soft and lavish: soft orris, blood musk, and coconut. (less cloying than black pearl; warmer, sweet) review   5mL  
BON VIVANT

An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry. smells exactly like description; sweet

     
BRIMSTONE A smoky, gritty blend, husky and gray. (smokey)      
CATHODE Ambergris, Spanish Moss, oakmoss and three electric mints. (soft mint)      
CHIMERA The fiery, volatile scent of cinnamon, thickened by myrrh, honeysuckle, and copal. (spicy cinnamon & sweet)      
THE COILED SERPENT A potent yogic oil that stimulates the kundalini, provokes spiritual awakening, and releases the energy seated in your root chakra. (patchouli)      
DANA O'SHEE

Offerings of milk, honey and sweet grains were made to placate these creatures, and it is that the basis of the scent created in their name.
Soft milky sweetness, with just a touch of almond. It's not a heavy scent, but really soft, and comforting. It is a barely there, almost 2nd skin type scent.

This isn't my typical choice of perfume, but I must say this would be insanely amazing as a linen spray. It's so cozy and soft, I bet it would just be dreamy in bed. No pun intended.
   5mL  
DEE John Dee: master of science, alchemy and magic, Hermetic philosopher in the schools of Rosicrucian Christian Mysticism and Platonic-Pythagorean doctrine, and Queen Elizabeth’s astrologer, advisor, cryptologist and spy. With Edward Kelly, he created a field of study and work in Angelic Evocation, and isolated the Angelic language: Enochian. His scent is soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods. soft, woodsy, slightly sweet, just a hint of leather & incense... amazing! review   5mL  
DELIRIUM Contains apple, rose, and lemon.      
ECLIPSE A delicious blend of bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense and heliotrope, with a drop of cinnamon.      
EMPYREAL MIST A hazy, soft, veiled scent: mist floating through twilit skies, curling gently towards the heavens. (sweet, muget & pear?- slighly aquatic)      
EPHEMERA The scent of loss, love and the echo of time without end: sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves.      
FAE white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss. (reminiscent of dorian)      
GRAND GUIGNOL

Our Grand Guignol perfume is a shot of sweet apricot brandy; just enough to settle your nerves after a ghoulish, gory brush with the macabre. review

This is one of those scents that just doesn't change much on my skin all day, other than fading over the course of several hours.
Apricot. The brandy is there, but it's mostly apricot. But the apricot is nice and sweet, but light. It's not syrupy, cloying or overpowering. It's lighter and more delicate than March Hare, which was a bit TOO fruity, if that's possible. The alcohol note makes it a little perfumey and almost drinkable. I can't drink this, right?
I think this is another keeper!

    x
GROG This be the scent of pirate rum! (v. boozy, taffy note?)      
HAMADRYAD

Seven dry woods with mossy lichen and a gentle breeze of forest flowers.

I'm another that got wintergreen!
On application, it's minty, cool, sweet.
As it dries, the wintergreen note softens, and there is an undercurrant of fresh air. I have no idea what these notes are but it's it's like a soft breeze of vaguely floral notes, cool and clean smelling.
I really like it, wintergreen & all. And FWIW, I tried very hard to recall what this reminded me, so I looked up at my wall o' perfume, and there it was. This is almost exactly like Dior Hypnotic Poison on me. Hot.

    x
THE HESPERIDES Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple.      
HIGHWAYMAN Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather.      
HYMN TO PROSERPINE Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath; We have drunken of things Lethean, and fed on the fullness of death. The darkening amber of faith’s sunset, deepened by the dark fruits of Proserpine. 5mL
I DIED FOR BEAUTY The Venusian splendor of ylang ylang and violet stirred by hyssop, frankincense, and grave loam.  
INCANTATION vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind. (smells a LOT better in the vial than i thought it would)      
INTRIGUE

Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes.

This reminds me a LOT of Cerberus. Yum, Cerberus.
This goes on a heady, chocolately-fig, deep, earthy blend, but not quite as heavy as Cerberus. It stays that way all through the day. The woodsy notes tend to stay as base notes way off in the background. It's definitely an interesting blend, and pretty. Very comforting and warm.
I like this a lot, but it's way less complex (and to me less interesting) than my beloved Cerberus. If the day ever comes when I run out, then I will come running to this blend with some lemons in hand.

     x
JACK The scent of warm, glowing jack o'lanterns on a warm autumn night: true Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove. (warm & buttery smelling; delicious!)   5mL  
THE JERSEY DEVIL The scent of the wild, hauntingly beautiful Pine Barrens of New Jersey! Pitch pine with blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar wood and tomato leaf.
JOLLY ROGER Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods.     x
JUKE JOINT A bawdy, gleefully wicked and unruly scent: Kentucky Bourbon, sugar and a sprig of mint. (nice; sweet with light mint note; smells vaguely sandalwoody)   x
LA BELLA DONNA DELLA MIA MENTE Soft, lush myrtle and dry, sweet melilot with wild rose, pomegranate juice and peach blossom against a background of deep aquatic notes and a twirl of melancholy autumn breezes.      
LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI A bewitching, seductive scent, rife with mystery and foreboding.      
LAMPADES Their scent is the crisp, inviting bittersweet tang of cranberry with smoky dark lilies, heady, sensual musk, a tingle of ginger and a brush of Mediterranean spices. (patchouli-ish/musk with sweet fruity tang)     x
LEANAN SIDHE Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew. (perfumey, but light)  
LIGHTNING The electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain. (ozoney, air freshener-ish, electrictiy)      
LURID

Shocking, horrific, fierce, savage, sensationalized, luminous and hazy: black currant, Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes. review

I am in total love. I ordered an imp of this because I was insanely curious, but didn't want to dive into a 5mL. Ozone notes tend to go really bad air-freshener on me.
In the vial: It's sharp. Almost minty.
Wet: This must be the Bulgarian lavender. I must say that judging from this, it is greener and more herbal than traditional French of English lavender. It smells almost like an evergreen with a slightly menthol note to it. There's a quick spike of something sweet in the background.
Dry: The lavender softens, and the black currant becomes a sweet, almost candy-like base note. There is a soft musk to it that blends perfectly with the lavender. If there is any ozone or resin note here, it is really faint and well-blended. Hooray!
I really like it. It's like Antique Lace having an orgy with Lolita or Jailbait. Candy sweet, but not overpoweringly so, layered under a soft, skin-like musk. This is definitely going to warrant a 5mL.

  5mL  
MAGUS galangal, high john essence, frankincense, cedar, and sandalwood. (a little heavy on the cedar initially, but nice)      
MASQUERADE Patchouli, ambergris, carnation and orange blossom.      
MATA HARI five roses with soft jasmine, warmed by vanilla, fig, tonka bean and mahogany, spiced with a drop of coffee bean.      
MORGAUSE A bouquet of five night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses. (slightly berry; very light)      
NAMASTE Sandalwood, jasmine, rose, patchouli, cedarwood and lemongrass. (lemongrass adds a nice sharpness to sandalwood)      
ODE ON MELANCHOLY Beauty, joy, pleasure and delight: devastated. This is the scent of the hopelessness, torment and despair of love. Lavender and wisteria, heart-wrenching pale rose, desolate white sandalwood and thin, tear-streaked white musk.      
OMEN oakmoss, juniper berry, myrrh and patchouli.      x
OUIJA rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus.      
OZYMANDIAS Dry desert air, dry and hot, passing over crumbling stone megaliths and plundered golden monuments, bearing a hint of the incense of lost Gods on its winds.      
PENNY DREADFUL

Soft perfume evocative of noir heroines over rich red grave loam.

I didn't want to dive into a full bottle of this, since I have Alone for spicydirt, Zombi for flowerdirt, and Graveyard Dirt for dirtydirt. Perfumey dirt? I am not so sure, so imp for me.

In the vial, it's a weak earthy scent.
Wet: soapy dirt. Kind of an oxymoronic combination, but yes. Soapy & dirty.
Initial drydown: The soapy note kives way to a gingery kind of scent, but there's still a bit of of sharpness to it that I'm not too fond of. Also, dirt.
Drydown: The dirt note morphs a little, into a musky patchouli of sorts. Sort of like a milder Urd. The ginger becomes a bit more cinnamony, but very faint. In fact, the perfume as a whole is fading quite a bit now, though I've only had it on for about 4 hours. There is still a very slight tiny sharpness to it; possibly the ginger.
I love the drydown, but it did take a while to get there. I would like this more without the soapy note, which I'm guessing was the ginger all along. It's nice, but for me, I think Alone fits the bill of spicydirt with much more enthusiasm.

     
PHANTASM Green tea, lemon verbena, jasmine and neroli. (bright citrus note)      
RAKSHASA Sandalwood with rose and patchouli. (spicy)      
THE RAVEN Violet and neroli mingled with iris, white sandalwood and dark musk. (violet soft & pretty; but iris might kill this for me)
     x
SAINT-GERMAIN gilded amber, hypnotic lavender, brash carnation and deep mosses.      
SCARECROW The scent of a hot wind blowing through desolate, scorched, barren fields.      
SCHEREZADE Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk. (spicy & soft at the same time- musky and sexy; my favorite) review   10mL  
SÉANCE dry, mellow rosewood, crushed rose leaf and the slightest touch of warm hazel. (dry tea roses)      
SHATTERED A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms.      
SUDHA SEGARA Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia. (yummy sweet mlky something else very familiar, too light & fainty for me, sadly) review      
SWANK the scent of a crisp pomegranate martini. (bright fruit note)    
THE TAVERN OF HELL White gardenia, ambergris bouquet, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe and aged whiskey.
TEMPEST The scent of the first gentle rain before the storm. (wet outside smell)      
TUSHNAMATAY the perfected meditation blend. (sandalwoody heaven; very soft & pretty))      
TWENTY-ONE A tribute to New York’s 21 Club on West 52nd, formerly the speakeasy Jack & Charlie’s Puncheon Club. This is the scent of the perfect martini.   5mL  
ULALUME Starry white lilies lend an eerie brightness to the deep black wooded scents of cypress and oak, layered with a touch of crushed dried leaves and the faintest aquatic note.      
ULTRAVIOLET

Lush violet and neroli spiked hard with eucalyptus and a sliver of mint. (very medicinal then minty initially then neroli & violet come out, ends up with soft violet)

    x
UMBRA East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon.      
VEIL White sandalwood, lilac, gardenia, violet, orris, lavender and ylang ylang. (hellooooo flowers; might end up being cloying; overwhelming intial note of lavender)      
VELVET Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh. (came out like sandalwood with no other notes; letting this one age) review   5mL   
VOODOO A deep, powerful, resonant blend of myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, lime, vanilla, pine, almond and clove. (nice at first then evil vetiver takes over) review      
WILDE A sophisticated traditional gentleman's cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli's passion, tonka bean's decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss' cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme. (wow! manly but i could totally rock this! clean scent with nice citrus interspersed with floral/herbal notes. dead sexy)      
YGGDRASIL Nine woods, nine leaves, and three herbs each for Ratatosk and Vidofnir, with three final herbs to placate Nidhogg. (sweet herbs & wood) review   5mL  
ZEPHYR Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla.      

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23-aug-06