Diabolique - Sugar and Spite Bathery

First sniff: 
Sweet, cream biscuits.

First applied: 
Still biscuity, with a slight tang of something citrus but I don't think it's lemon. Mandarin? Really pretty gourmand but not really getting why it's a Halloween scent. There's a very mild woody note in the background which I imagine will come out more when the top notes dry down.

After 30 mins: 
More woody now but still quite sweet and biscuit/pastry-ish. When I first applied it, it seemed a little weak and I thought it might fade quickly but it's actually getting stronger as the woodiness amps up. It's very much a Sugar & Spite/Morbid The Merrier perfume - Lysa has a classic signature.

After 3 hours: 
A soft, sweet but slightly boozy vanilla with a wood note adding some depth. It has faded quite a lot now - quite faint on the wrist u less I put my nose right up near it. I do like this scent a lot but I'm still baffled by its connection to Halloween. Maybe it has candy corn or something in totally not getting.

Longevity:
4 hours tops, best reapplied after about 2 hours. 

Actual notes/description: 
Orange blossoms dripping with sticky black honey, warm gingerbread, 3 vanillas, tea leaves and aloeswood. 

Availability: 
Sugar and Spite Bathery
Limited Edition - Halloween 2014
Not currently available, but may be seasonal. 

Yule - Possets Perfume

Source

First sniff: 
Possets' distinctive 'vomited up caramel' cream note. Blech. I really do not want to put this one on.

First applied: 
The same vomity note but also ginger and something else that smells a bit like rancid butter. This is not good.

After 30 minutes: 
The cream and ginger are still there, and it's thankfully no longer very potent. Do not like this at all and I can't get to the 3 hour mark. I have to get it off.

After 3 hours: 
I scrubbed it off with an exfoliating facial scrub just after the 30 minute sniff and I can still smell lingering whiffs of it. Gah.

Longevity: 
20 years, apparently. I don't know - it was a total scrubber on me. I couldn't stay the distance.

Actual notes/description: 
Cream with a velvety vanilla and a bit of rummy character, this one will have you slurring and smiling before you know it. A lovely creation which showcases the good things for which Possets is known. Of course you do know that egg nog is about the last of the real possets of old to survive into the 21st century right? Mmmm.

Availability: 
Possets Perfume
Limited Edition - Yule 2009
No longer readily available.

Little Flora - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Details: 
Little Flora
Turn of the Screw
Yule 2012
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Notes: 
Peonies and cream. 

I've tried this out a few times since I got it late last year, but I've put of including it in my daily reviews because there just isn't much to say about it. This is a highly perfumey, super creamy floral. It doesn't change on me at all from go to whoa. It lasts for hours and hours - I could still smell it when I moved my wrists around 12 hours after applying. The sillage is high-ish, and when I tried it this most recent time I actually spilled a dab on myself while applying and it smelled really strong for a long time.

Little Flora is an ultra-feminine perfume in the vein of something like Wiggle Perfume's Buxom, though without that one's complexity. I like those kinds of perfumes, which is just as well.

As an aside, I find the label on this one really creepy. There is just something about pictures of old-fashioned little girls that makes me think of dolls, and there are few things that give me the heebie jeebies as much as dolls do.

Rating: 
4/5

Day 222!

Cream - Possets

Details: 
Cream
Possets Perfume

Notes: 
Why settle for simple milk when you can have cream in all its glory? Thick and rich, light yellow and smooth. This adds a milky layer to any of the teas in our line. Again you can wear this one alone if you like and it is a blend of several different ingredients, all of them offering a beautiful facet of the thought of cream which you may not have considered. Luscious.

This smells like baby sick. And Noodles was quite the chucker for the first year of her life so I know baby sick when I smell it. I didn't want to put it on, but I decided to brave it BECAUSE I AM A TROOPER, hoping it would do something else on the skin. Nope. Baby sick. I had to scrub it off after about a minute and a half. And I do mean scrub - there was a nail brush involved.

Rating: 
1/5

Day 182!

Courtly Love - Possets

Details: 
Courtly Love
Possets Perfume

Notes: 
The slow stately thromb of courtly love as the man adores his lady and shows his love every day. Coconut (here used more as a serious element rather than a novelty) dances with apricot and a light kiss of vanilla and a very sweet, not stinky, jasmine to make a honey-ed note stand out. Swoony nice.

I wore this for three days in a row because it was so pretty. It's just a sweet, girly gourmand, but something about it just kept me gravitating back for another wear. In the vial I can smell the jasmine and vanilla - it's a prettier than usual version of any number of white floral vanilla scents. Once applied, the coconut comes out and the jasmine just kind of hovers around the edges - this is definitely  a foody perfume rather than a flowery one. The coconut is more creamy than coconut generally is in perfume, and the apricot makes it smell like a delicious dessert - it reminded me of something custardy like a pannacotta or a crème anglaise.

Sillage was medium to low - it didn't really scream its presence at all, but I could smell it when I moved my arm. It didn't last a long time though - it was virtually gone in 3 hours or so.

Rating: 
4/5

Day 157! 

Razzouli - Alchemic Muse

Details: 
Razzouli
Valentine's Day (?)
Alchemic Muse

Notes: 
An enticing mix of sweet raspberry puree, ruby red grapefruit and creamy vanilla combined with deep earthy base of dark patchouli.

In the vial, this is a tart fruity berry scent, but once applied there's a lovely creaminess there that makes this less about fruit and more about dessert. I really liked the way the tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the vanilla blended together. I had no idea there was even patchouli in it until I looked at the notes later on - it certainly never came out on me (thankfully).

There's nothing amazing going on here, but it's a cute, fun foodie perfume that I enjoyed wearing for a day. Sillage and longevity are medium - I reapplied after about 5 hours.

Rating: 
3/5

Day 151! 

Troika - Haus of Gloi

Details: 
Troika
Haus of Gloi

Notes: 
A trinity of soft milks, almond, oat and coconut, lashed with sweet agave nectar and the ethereal scent of clean white.

Troika is my favourite Haus of Gloi scent and I haven't worn it in forever, so I hauled it out on a whim. In the bottle the almond is the dominating note, which did not bode well for me the first time I smelled it, because I really dislike marzipan and other almond-related whatnots. However, that note softens dramatically when applied and on me at least disappears almost entirely once it dries down. The result is a creamy, milky, sweet gourmand scent, comforting and warm.It's a 'snuggle' perfume for sure. Sillage and longevity are medium, but I have a tendency to slather this one in every available spot so it does hang around for a while on me. It's just beautiful.

Rating:
5/5

Day 150!

Catch Up/Round Up 3

Yes, I have slacked off yet again and need to catch up in a job lot. I just can't seem to get much time on my laptop lately before it starts heating up dramatically so I have only been using it for downloading. Fingers crossed it behaves this morning while I do all my blog and comment catch-ups. Anyway, I decided to be lazy and put all the rest of the Solstice Scents Spring collection perfumes in one post. I'll put some links to other people's reviews at the bottom so you can get more detail if you'd like. I'm not sure how long these will be around for, but I presume at least to the end of this month. I've already done Chiffon and Dellamorte, and Garden Gate from one I bought a year or two ago.

Cascade of Gold - Sandalwood, White Sandalwood, Honeysuckle, Champa and White Lotus
Oh dear. On me this is honeysuckle-scented fly spray, which I think might be the champa, as I've had that happen before. I didn't really expect to like it anyway because I'm not a big fan of sandalwood, but it really doesn't agree with my skin chemistry. 1/5

Blossom Jam Tea Cakes -  Southern Tea Cakes, Petit Fours, Floral Infused Jams & Preserves, and a delicate aroma of Tea
Whenever I go to farmers' markets I invariably buy jam (even though I don't really eat it) and if there's some kind of weirdo jam there that I can't readily find elsewhere that's the one I go for. Hence I have in my lifetime tried a few floral jams. The jam note in this perfume is very true to those - not sweet or fruity, but a bit tart and fresh, and conjures up images of a well-used country kitchen. It smells just like a jam-filled cake you'd get out of the Country Women's Association cookbook (which I have, because my mum is a farmer's wife and sends me those kinds of things). On the skin there's something a bit smokey, which confused me. I don't know what it is, but I like it. The tartness of the jam stops this perfume from being too 'foodie' - it's one of the few cake ones I've tried recently that doesn't just smell like all the others. It's very unusual and lasts a long time. Not sure it's a full bottle, but I am enjoying the sample I have. 4/5

Chantilly Cream - Whipped Cream, Peach Nectar, Vanilla and Yellow Mandarin EO
I expected to haaaate this, as peach is one of my least favourite scent notes (remembering all my friends drowning themselves in The Body Shop Fuzzy Peach back in the late 80s/early 90s *shudder*), but surprisingly I didn't mind it. The peach nectar is a little deeper than the usual peach note, and the cream smells like it's been dowsed with a nip of brandy or rum or something. Basically, it's like an old-fashioned boozy trifle. 3/5

Devil's Millhopper - Heather, Oakmoss, Fern and Delicate Wood Notes
In the vial I get mostly heather, but once applied the fern comes out and there is a lot of greenness going on. The oakmoss and fern add something damp that smells ever-so-slightly mould-like, which I'm not keen on. This is one of those deep-in-the-forest scents that fans of 'darker' perfumes would probably love, but it's not for me. 2/5

Spirit Tree - Delicate White Flowers, Soft Vanilla and Sandalwood
This is a pretty common blend - in fact, trashy celebrities have been churning out some version of the white floral-vanilla fragrance for the last few years and they have succeeded in really giving it a bad name. However, I still love a well-blended version, and this one starts off beautifully, a lush white floral with the vanilla adding a hint of sweetness. The sandalwood behaves on me at first, just adding a bit of creaminess, but sadly it all goes south as it drys down and the sandalwood takes over. For some reason Solstice Scents' sandalwood note just amps on me, and I really wish it didn't because I loved the rest of what was going on here. Boo hoo. :-( 2/5

Spring Collection reviews from Amanda at More Tea, Wesley?
First sniff
Chiffon
Blossom Jam Tea Cakes
Chantilly Cream

From Amanda at Iris Handmade Soaps
Chantilly Cream
Chiffon

And finally here is a review of last year's Spring collection from Liber Vix, which has some of the same scents.

Day 117-121!

Buxom - Wiggle Perfume

Details: 
Buxom 
Wiggle Perfume

Notes: 
This is a very full bodied perfume! If you don't like sweet creamy scents or strong florals then please run, don't walk away from this scent. If you do, prepare to be eveloped in the richest, most femininely decadent fragrance you've ever come across. This perfume is not for little girls, it's sensual and sumptuous and not the least bit shy about it. A blend of buttery rich bourbon vanilla and redolent English rose, this fragrance smells like a posh patisserie and florist smooshed together. I've grounded this fragrance with a lavish red musk, and embellished it with a flirty hint of powder. This oil will warm with your body heat, adding to the freshly-made-dessert effect. Be careful someone doesn't try to take a bite out of you (unless you're into that)! ;-)

The other day I was poking around in a handbag I hadn't used for a really long time when I felt something in the lining, and after investigating found Noodles' lost house keys and this bottle of Buxom perfume, both of which have been missing for well over a year. As it was always one of my favourites, the first thing I did was slather it all over myself.

Nani isn't exaggerating when she calls this 'sweet creamy... strong floral'. Oh man, this is not for the faint-hearted. In the bottle it smells heavily of a sweet, powdery rose. Once applied the powdery note subsides, which is good as 'powder' is not something I'm overly fond of. The vanilla is there, and adds a sweetness and creaminess to the musk that stops it from going too crazy (though it's borderline). The dry down is a strong floral musk, very deep and potent. This perfume lasts FOREVER. I applied it about 2ish in the afternoon, and the next day at around the same time of day I could still smell it on myself. The sillage is high too - I wore this to work once and the lady next to me complained that it gave her a headache. I love it, but it's definitely not for everyone. This is very much in the realm of 'head kicker'.

Rating:
4/5

Day 115!

Cafe Mallowmel - Solstice Scents

Details: 
Cafe Mallowmel
Solstice Scents

Notes: 
Rich Coffee Flavored with Decadent Caramel & Sweet Marshmallow Cream

In the vial all I get is coffee - and once applied it's much the same, aside from a slightly sweet, vanilla-ish note poking through a little. I love the smell of coffee but it's such an overpoweringly strong smell that I much prefer it in a candle or a home fragrance than a perfume. When I wear it I just feel like I'm walking around with an open jar of Nescafe 43 Bean. The coffee does subside a bit as it dries down, and the creamy caramel/vanilla note is more apparent. The sillage is medium - as I said, anything that smells of coffee tends to be reasonably strong. It lasted a long time - still going strong after 6 hours. 

Rating: 
3/5

Day 63!

Alize - Enchanticals Perfume

Details:
Alize
Enchanticals Perfume

Notes:
White Chocolate covered Raspberries and Cream!

In the vial this smells of milk chocolate, which is slightly odd as the notes state that it's white chocolate. On the skin it's chocolate and raspberry, with the berry dominating and making it more tart and fruity than other chocolate berry perfumes I have. There's a 'perfumy' note in there too, something I can't quite put my finger on, but it makes this scent not quite as foodie as I'd expect. Several hours later it's mostly chocolate, with the berry dying down a bit. Sillage is low to medium, but the longevity is good - I could still smell it after 6 hours.

Rating: 
3/5

Day 60!

Love Bite - Alchemic Muse

Details:
Love Bite
Valentine's Day
Alchemic Muse

Notes: 
Sugary ripe raspberries over a blanket of pink and white rose petals with hints of warm musk, sweet and creamy vanilla, and just a delicate breath of white lilies and fresh peonies.

In the vial and when first applied this is all rose - hugely so. It's quite strong and a bit on the creamy side. I love rose, but sometimes it goes crazy on me, and this seems to be one of those times. For a good 20 minutes or so that's all I could smell. When it started to dry down the rose finally subsided a fair bit and I could smell the raspberry and a sweet, slightly sugary vanilla musk. The rose is still there all the way through but not nearly as powerful as in the beginning. Once it dries down, this perfume sits quite close to the skin, but it lasted a really long time on me. I put it on about dinner time and could still smell it on my wrist the next morning. I don't know where the lilies and peonies were - I never picked those up at all.

Rating: 
3/5 Super pretty, but I'm not sure I'd get use of a full bottle. I have too many other rose scents.

Day 34!

Angelita - Twyla Perfumes

Details:
Angelita
Dia de los Muertos 2012
Twyla Perfumes & Apothecary

Notes: 
Opening up spicy sweet and a little green, with a whisper of gentle musk, this lovely scent dries down with a creamy, almost candy-like softness - like rose-carnation cream. Rose Otto, Carnation Absolute, Honey Absolute, Massoia Bark, pink musk and Vanilla extrait.

I am beginning to think that Twyla has cornered the market on creamy florals. In the bottle, I smell soft, creamy carnation - not loud as carnation often is, but gentle and almost a little vanilla-ish. There's a touch of spice there, but it doesn't jump out. Applied the spice is more noticable, but it's sort of sweet, not one that makes you reel back in surprise but one you want to stick your nose into and sniff sniff sniff. When it dries down it's a creamy, vanilla-ish, sweet carnation scent. Dreamy and gorgeous. Love, love, love.

The first couple of times I wore this it disappeared fairly quickly, but I've been more conscious about moisturising lately and I've found it is helping considerably with the lasting power of my perfumes. This one gets a good few hours now. 

By the way, if this sounds like your cup of tea, you might just be able to snatch one up if you're quick - there are a handful still on the site.

Rating: 
5/5 Perfect. 

Day 16!

Snowshoe Pass - Solstice Scents

Pic of my recent Solstice Scents haul as I no longer have this vial.

Details:
Snowshoe Pass
Winter Collection 2012
Solstice Scents

Notes: 
White Amber, White Musk, Vanilla Accord, Peppermint Cream, Cold Winds

In the vial this smells minty and cold, and when first applied it's a sweet pine-ish (thankfully not nausea-inducing) kind of scent, with a minty amber hovering in the background. It leans towards masculine. I like head kicker perfumes, but the amber in this is quite strong and overpowering - it actually gave me a bit of a headache.

It took a good hour to calm down on me, and I almost scrubbed it off as it was bothering me quite a lot. Eventually it mellowed to a pleasant, undemanding vanilla amber, but it stayed too strong for too long.

Rating:
2/5 Nice when it finally calms down, but it's too much for me.

Day 7!