Lady Victoria - Poison Apple Apothecary

Details:
Lady Victoria
Poison Apple Potions

Notes:
An embodiment of the Victorian Gothic era. A lady in all outward appearances, but there may be something darker lurking underneath…. Jasmine and Vanilla laid gently upon an enigmatic veil of musk.

This is one of my favourite perfumes and I don't wear it often enough. After deciding that I'm going to use my 'spesh' things instead of just buying them and hoarding them away, I pulled this out for a go around the block. There's nothing really complex about it - it's pretty much exactly as described. In the bottle and applied it's a gorgeous, lush blend of jasmine and vanilla. The musk comes out in the dry down and it lasts for hours. The sillage is medium. If you dab a smidge on your wrists it sits fairly close to the skin, but if you slather it on it does have a bit of throw.

Edit: I just realised that this smells quite similar to Solstice Scents Nightgown, so if you like the sound of this one, then that's worth checking out. 

Rating: 
5/5

 Day 31!

Carnivale Rouge - Deep Midnight Perfumes

Details: 
Carnivale Rouge
Deep Midnight Perfumes

Notes: 
Let the red carnival sweep you away into decadence and mystery. Who is that delicious stranger behind the mask? What are you willing to give in return for brush of his lips? Will you remove your mask and bare your desires? Remember.... nothing is ever as it seems when the masquerade begins! Notes of amaretto liqueur are deepened with balanced tones of the darkest cocoa, cappuccino, rich cream, and buttery amber, while background notes of oakwood fire, and citrus deepen the intrigue. Come and play if you will!

I have all my untested samples in a glass bowl in my room (I know I should stand them upright to prevent leakage and so on but it's just not practical for me), and I reach in and pull one out at random to test. For some reason, I keep getting Deep Midnight ones! Though I do have quite a few, as I got 10 samples and was sent 4 free with my order. Anyway, Carnivale Rouge was my latest, and I chose this because it was a gourmand scent with cocoa and cream, two of my favourite notes. I'm not super keen on amaretto, but I find it's one of those notes that comes out sharp early on but never hangs around for long so I can live with it.

In the vial, the first thing I smelled was marzipan, which of course was the amaretto. Once I applied it to my wrist, it was more smokey. The almond scent was still there, but not as sharp. The cocoa isn't chocolate-y as such - it actually adds more to the smokiness and makes everything smell a little like tobacco. The dry down is a warm, fairly light amber with a touch of vanilla. The sillage is low, but once the perfume dries down it hangs around for quite a while, and it's a comforting scent. I like this one.

Rating:
3/5

Day 30!

The Fat Lady - Enchanticals Perfume

Details: 
The Fat Lady
KrAzy KaRnIvAle Side Show Freaks Collection
Enchanticals Perfume

Notes: 
Of all the Side Show Freaks, I think I envy the Fat Lady the most. I mean after all, she not only get’s to eat everything at the concession stand, she encouraged to do so! What does the Fat Lady smell like? Like caramel apples, cotton candy, vanilla ice cream, funnel cakes, buttered popcorn and those sweet things one may find at the Carnival.

Well, you know me and carny scents. I can't resist. This smells super sweet and cakey. It's like a rich lemon cream cake.There is a biscuit/pastry note similar to the one in BPAL's Eat Me, but unlike that, this one doesn't go dusty on me. The Fat Lady doesn't change much, but it's delicious, like a slightly lemony confectioner's custard. Or a proper fancy vanilla slice - the kind you pay through the nose for at a patisserie. The kind I went and paid through the nose for after wearing this perfume all day. AND IT WAS WORTH IT. The sillage is medium, and longevity is good - I could still smell it on my wrist 8 hours later. I really like this one, and it's going on the full bottle list.

Rating: 
4/5

Day 29!

Circassian - Darling Clandestine

Details:
Circassian
Darling Clandestine

Notes:
Carefully blended and infused by me in small batches in vintage green glass wine bottles, this is a warm chocolaty fragrance with intriguing notes of amber and blossoms. A dozen different scent elements and several days of methodical alchemy make Circassian no ordinary scented oil mix—it's a truly inimitable fragrance.

It's weird that the label of this has nothing written on it. I received it from Su, so I don't know whether there was maybe a tag attached that has been removed or what. It would be confusing if you bought a whole bunch of them, though.

In the bottle I smell chocolate and coffee, a deeper version of Haus of Gloi's Vice. Once it's applied the chocolate recedes and the coffee really comes out strong. There is also a note in there of something a little sharp and green, and something slightly floral. The dry down is a chocolate floral with a dab of amber  sweetening it up. On paper, this is my jam, but there is something there I don't like, and I cannot put my finger on what it is. It wasn't a scrubber on me, it was just.... not what I would have expected.

Rating: 
2/5

Day 28!

Nyx - BoondockG

Details:
Nyx
BoondockG

Notes:
A spillage of robust fine wine over black orchids and ylang flowers ~ a blend of exotic spices with light nuances of sultry amber. Highly seductive, esoteric perfume oil for women. Highly recommended for nightwear. A proprietary blend of fragrance and essential oils.

The first sniff in the vial was bugging me - what is that? I thought at first it smelled very fruity, like one of those children's scented shampoos, but that wasn't quite it. Eventually it hit me - bubblegum! What the - ? So weird. Once applied it's an aquatic floral scent, with a strong candy/sweet note. It's really strange, and nothing like I would expect from the notes describing it. When it dries down it mellows to a soft floral amber, which is pleasant but nothing special. This perfume has little sillage and not much staying power - it had disappeared entirely within two hours.

Rating:
2/5

Day 27!

Children Of The Night - Deep Midnight

Details:
Children of the Night
Deep Midnight Perfumes

Notes: 
Children of the Night: What sweet music they make! A nice Gothic blend of dragon’s blood, silky champas, deep vanilla, dark black fig, and the haunting faint breath of heliotrope. This unisex scent will them howling for more.

There is a note in a few of the Deep Midnight perfumes I have sampled that has that synthetic, plasticky smell that's kind of like bandaids. This one has it too, and it's quite strong both in the vial and when first applied. I feel like it might be the heliotrope, which can sometimes smell a bit weird on me. I'm not overly keen on this - it's not quite a scrubber, but that synthetic note distracts me. When it dries down it smells like vanilla and incense. The sillage is not strong, and the lasting power is medium. I don't have much else to say about this one, but I'm definitely not howling for more...

Rating: 
2/5

Day 26!

Madame - Nevermore Body Company

Details:
Madame
Nevermore Body Company

Notes: 
Madame’s golden days of Cabaret brings back the warm and sophisticated, yet subtle blend of apple and oak, with a spice mahogany bouquet, soothing hints of vanilla, cinnamon and dark wood, ripe tones of sweet figs and infused with a blend of tobacco, black tea and fruit spices.

 In the vial this is fruity and sweet, exactly the kind of thing I don't like. Once I applied it, it smelled sour - the apple, I assume. I'm not sure what fig smells like exactly, but I was testing another perfume with a fig note the day before and there was a similar sour note in that one, so I'm guessing that's adding to it. To be perfectly honest, this smells a bit like cat pee on me. I almost scrubbed it off, but it was quite close to the skin and didn't have much sillage at all, so I left it on for a while to see if it would change. It does eventually, and dries down to a fairly pleasant, mildly spicy vanilla base. It's quite a significant morphing, actually. The longevity is medium - I could faintly smell it after 6 hours, but only if I had my nose right up to my wrist. I wouldn't wear this purely because I really dislike the opening notes of it, and the vanilla base is nice, but nothing unique.

Rating: 
2/5

Day 25!