Invidiana

I really thought I had enough lavender vanilla scents, so I just got a sample of this. I was wrong.

It's the luscious vanilla and amber combo that sets this apart from every other single lavender-vanilla scent I have, and yes, I do have quite a few of them. The vanilla is just so deliciously creamy, and the amber warm and inviting, like a luxury pillow you just sink deeper and deeper into. And the lavender? Not sharp or overwhelming at all. It's just what I want lavender to behave like: soft and calming, without stepping on the other notes (like some other lavenders do on me). A bottle is in order.

ADORE the labels. I'd love to wear those costumes!

Welcome back alexandria.b! I've been here since 09 and there are plenty of amazing scents that go with your tastes. In terms of the more vanilla and/or candy ones, because I'm a vanilla and gourmand ho myself, you'll probably also like Honey Whip, Caressful Breeze, Frambuesa y Coco, Glass Slipper, Pom Pom Nom Nom, and Rocket Fuel to name a few. I have all of these in some form so I can speak to how delicious they are!

Finally ordered! Bottles of A Wake, Animal Crackers, Curiosities, Punky and Horny, and samples of 'Weenie and Red Fyre.

So what lascivious thing am I going to get this time? ETA: can't see it yet...

ETA2: FINALLY I see it! Naughty Minx heh heh. I'm more of a bat than a minx but I'll take it.

A Wake is first on my list.

That is followed closely by Punky and Horny. I used to be friends with this guy who I nicknamed horny because at the time he was desperate for a girlfriend but only had...a sock. True story.

I am enthused to see the abundance of pumpkin here.

This was really, really hard not to lick off. Whoever said bacon was a man attractant was clearly lying because it's a fundamental human attractant. And no, it didn't make me smell like bacon grease either. Think instead a candied smokiness that you can't quite place for a few seconds until you realize OH MY TENTACLES IT'S BACON. There is also maple and bacon in Breakfast in Bed but this is much more prominent. It might not just be human bait either because Lestat bit the hand I tested it on twice. What we do for love.

No surprise I'm also the first to review this one, since it does have my painted mug on it.

Oude is one of those "particular" scents. When I first got into indie perfume years ago I was lucky that no one gave an internet whisper of "It's rotten wood!" in my proverbial ear or else I may have never tried--and fallen in love with--it. But yes, for those not familiar it is fermented (doesn't that sound so much friendlier?) agarwood which smells like a deeper, earthier, more shadowy type of sandalwood. The types of sugars here are appropriately darker to match. They add a sweetness that only amplifies the depth and complexity of the oude but doesn't clash with it or turn it cloying. Not smutty, but intensely sexy.

It certainly does justice to the two hours' worth of makeup work it took to get that sugar skull face.

Of course I would be the first person to review this. I have cucurbitophilia.

Anyway, this is an absolutely perfect balance of pumpkin, a dusting of spices and sugar. It has that almost molasses-y feeling of brown sugar to me, and I adore brown sugar. I'll eat those clumps of it straight from the bag. The a pumpkin note is very true to baked pumpkin without being choked by spices: warm, creamy, a little buttery, a little nutty. Like I said before there is just a hint of spice here and while I can amp spice it behaves the whole way through the drydown.

I am now doing a naked dance of joy that Sugared Pumpkin is no longer discontinued forever.

Sugared Pumpkins (duh), Sugared Maple Bacon, and of course, the one with my mug on it, Sugared Oud. I'm saving the $10 credit (and the posting credits I've racked up since what was it January?) for what I know is going to be a massive Halloween order next month!

No gun-toting rose here! Sometimes rose will do that on my skin but this one is really soft. The lavender doesn't tote around any weapons either. It's equally gentle and relaxing, how lavender should be (the straight-up EO is way too strong for me). The flowers are surrounded by pillowy gourmand notes that don't read "dessert" as much as "sweet escape" and while babies tend to scare me, this baby smell note doesn't remind me of actual babies at least. There must be some light musk in there, no sour milk or anything like that. Actually this is very much like New's gourmand cousin, with the floral, clean and relaxing aspects surrounded by clouds of marshmallow and a hint of chocolate. So glad to have risked a bottle!

This is seriously like the most luscious coconut and vanilla cream with some beach in the background. Something--might be the musk, might be the sandalwood--is giving me a sex on the beach vibe, and I don't mean the drink. The berry is very, very subtle. I can tell there's a little bit there and for this particular blend that's enough. I feel the coconut, supported by the vanilla, musk and sandalwood, is really the star here. Now if only that label *ahem* was lickable.

Does anyone know how long these will be available? I don't think I could justify a second order just yet, but will there be any left next month?

I'm sure there will be plenty--Mara mentioned a while back there would be ample amounts of these.

Of course that would be my mug on Sugared Oude. I was Lady Catrina for Halloween last year and that makeup job (which took the better part of two hours) won me best costume! Well that and the corset I suffered through that night.

I love this just as much as I love real key lime pie, so much so that when I smelled it, I had an inclination to look for the nutrition info. 23094858 calories. Out of the bottle's it's all key lime pie, all the time, very creamy and tart and topped with toasted coconut. By the way, I recognize that delicious toasted coconut from my donut PE from a while back, so glad it's making an appearance in something else! Anyway, on the drydown something really cool happens. The key lime pie is still there, but like BlackCat said, you get a feel of coconut suntan oil and salt air that's kind of like experiencing that slice of pie on the beach.

The only problem is, now I want to go to Miami.

I could almost swear there's a hint of chocolate in this! Probably something the combo of vanilla and blood orange does on my skin, and I like it. It's like grown-up Jaffa Cakes: gourmand and sweet enough but with a lot of depth to it. There's also a creaminess you just can't get with Jaffa Cakes. Maybe if you served them a la mode. But this smells so good, SO good, I've even got compliments on it at work, and considering that too many people there wear these horrid department store perfumes that's huge.

Um. I kind of forgot this had BI and I've been wearing it three days in a row. Thankfully no funny male coworker behavior.

The real reason I've been wearing it, though, is I can't get enough of the dark berry scent. Definitely a cousin to Feral. All that deep, delicious blackberry and blackcurrant get extra tang from the raspberry, a bit more sweetness and dimension from the fig. Without remembering all the notes I could make out a trace of pathchouli that wasn't too overwhelming, and now that I see it's white patchouli that's obviously the reason why. It gives the whole thing a boost of sexiness. But considering my friend's wedding rehearsal is tonight, I need to let it wear off and switch to something else. BI is not something to be doused in around a priest!

This is like--do I dare say it?--that vintage musk from The Body Shop that we all went crazy over in high school, on serious steroids. Vanilla steroids. I definitely get the vanillic aspect of the tonka very much, not foody per se but still with a "delicious" quality. The tonka and musk are backed by pleasantly soft oakmoss that reminds me of the oakmoss note in New, and no vetiver! Sometimes my skin amps vetiver to death but I don't get vetiver out of this; it's somewhere in the background, deepening the scent, but it doesn't announce itself and step on everything else, which is a relief.

I may need two of these.

Thanks Mara, the whole credit card issue has been evened out so I was just able to put my order through.

I'm still not all the way through bottling these, guys. Sorry for the wait, I've been swamped and a little under the weather the last few days but I promise I will have the rest of the info up tomorrow. Thanks for your patience! xoxox

 

To Amalthea - it's a soft baby yellow rose and not prominent at all, just a lovely accent.

Don't be sorry Mara, here I was just going to post a note of apology that I couldn't pay for a couple days because someone stole my identity and ripped me off $1100 and I have to wait for a new credit card. Just take care of yourself!

I'd love to reserve a Sunset and Key Lime Kiss, those are right up my alley. I am a bit of a citrus foodie whore.

ETA: and a Sleep Tight Might. The combo of soft and powdery with marshmallow and chocolate is just too tempting.

Soiled Dove. But as you can see from my avi I'm really a moth!

This is like you took Darling Clementine/Catalina, punched it up with strawberry and swirled it with thick, luscious LP original for what is basically an orgasm in a bottle. The orange and strawberry is highly addictive--it reminds me of when I had strawberry sorbet in a hollowed-out orange at the RenFaire last year and it was the best thing ever. Except, this scent is like you took that, smashed some impossibly delicious vanilla cake into it and added the subtlest hints of amber and patchouli. Really hard to remember you're not supposed to eat it.

Anything with blue musk is a win for me, and this is no exception. I was actually surprised at smelling it wet because it seemed heavier on the patchouli than anything else, but after about a minute or so that changes on my skin to a wonderful sheer veil of blue musk over the original LP notes and leather! I'd forgotten there was leather in this so it was really a pleasant surprise. The leather gives the entire blend a "cooler" feeling. I don't think I own anything in my entire collection of 1000+ perfumes that has blue musk and leather in the same bottle. Of course now that Miss (oh I'm sorry, Mrs. as she lets everyone know) Department Store Perfume Abuser waltzed in I'm having trouble smelling it to take the notes apart further. But it's definitely a keeper.