Black Cat

Hmm, I keep searching for the perfect pastry scent, now that I've gone through one and a half bottles of Prophetic Pie... wet in the vial this is very cough syrupy to my nose. Wet on my skin, the cough syrup becomes sweeter, like hard candy. Then as it settles and dries down, I start to get hints of flavors beyond the raspberry: a little almond, a little vanilla. But just as the other notes start to appear, the whole thing takes a giant step back and gets close to invisible. I'll see how it wears over the next little while; if it magically blooms into delicate pastry goodness (as some others have done, after an initially disappointing experience) I might still go for the bottle. If not, the sample will be more than enough.

I've done some vial sniffing with this one, but tonight I have a goodly amount slathered onto skin and I am sitting here huffing the incredible buttery goodness! This is a perfect holiday scent--I am not sure why it didn't get used this fall, but I think it works well with the whole Xmas-y vibe too. It's rich and yummy and festive. After my unfortunate experience with I Scream for Halloween I was worried I might not be able to do pumpkin, but between this and Cauldron Cake, I am in heaven. I am also finding them a perfect pairing; if I go full bottle on one, I'll definitely need to get the other as well. They complement each other beautifully. I get more cake and spice with Cauldron cake (shockingly) while Pumpkin Souffle is butter laid over pumpkin flesh (less bakery, pie pumpkin). Absolutely perfect. Not sure why it took me so long to get these two. I think this is a perfect sleep scent; it would also be a great casual social scent, especially for daytime.

I dug out my October samples tonight for some reason and tried this again... and maybe it just needed a couple of months to settle down, because now I just get beautiful spicey cake! No incense-y elements at all! I have this inside my elbows and Pumpkin Souffle on the backs of my hands and I smell like a festival of autumn baking. All I get are the foodie/cake elements now; I actually love patchouli, but I can no longer pick it out as a note. It simply grounds all that vanilla pumpkin all-spice wonderfulness. Oh, January, the list is getting so long!

Oh, VERY good to know! Thanks for the suggestions, ladies! Oh, and irish eyes -- LP Red is a current fave, haven't tried Original yet. Filing that idea away too!

So finally trying the Cougar Potion (the perfume, not just the phero) sample today, and sadly, the scent is not for me. On my skin, the grapefruit keeps skittering out of reach, and the whole thing is very perfume-y in a way that is almost headache-inducing. (Let me hasten to add--the scent is, as perfume-y things go, a lovely perfume, classic and subtle and elegant. Just not me.) That being said, I am getting very nice subtle effects from the phero! I am feeling confident and pretty, and everyone at work seems to be more attentive and kinder than usual. I think I will explore the possibility of finding a different scent to put this in.

Couldn't stand it--last night tried Jouir De in the crook of my left elbow and Honeyed LP in the right.... JD a little too much for me, but HP, oh my! Will definitely save for a special occasion... thank you so much!! ETA: Just to stay firmly on-topic--I love the way Eye of the Moggie smells the morning after! I wake up with the softest slightly smutty traces of honey scent on my skin.... this beast has staying power, for sure. :-)

Can't believe I haven't reviewed this already! I loved this. Often the SLFs are too sweet for me--i think it might be the catnip that pushes this one in the right direction, it's strong and sharp and makes my nostrils crinkle. "Animalic" for sure! The honey is thick and raw instead of sugary or syrupy. I got mine boosted with cops and it has the same effect on me as OCCO SLF but more so--OCCO SLF left me feeling languid and powerful, but still human. Eye of the Moggie makes me feel languid like I'm stretched out naked on a patch of grass, fur soaked with sunlight, and a half-gnawed antelope carcass at my feet: it puts me totally into my big cat prowly animal self. Absolutely wonderful.

Eggers and Nutrix -- thanks for the encouragement about PM! It occurred to me after reading what both of you had to say that maybe I didn't give it enough of a trial in other settings--I bought a FB a few years back and was mostly wearing with one specific person. I might have been expecting the phero to overcome too many other issues! I like the idea of trying it in work settings. I need more patience in general with testing things, I think. And if it comes around in Allumette again, whoa baby! Will be trying more for sure! :-)

Oh, man! When my sampler arrived, I think this had not quite sold out, and when I smelled it in the vial, I thought "meh" and was happy not to have fallen in love with it, since I was already spending so much money. Also, Perfect Match is one of the things I have tried more extensively and it never really did much for me. So I was content to miss this. Then last night, I was trying to compare scents with smoke in them, and I put this on.... oh dear, instant love! What an amazing scent! It took me straight back to my favorite incense when I was a teenager, which came in the cone form, and I could just see that glowing incense-to-ash thing happening. I think in the original review thread, Mara talked about trying to capture the exact scent of a just-struck match, and she nailed it PERFECTLY. This was rich and exotic and incensey and smokey gorgeous. I would love to smell like this in the fall, especially, and I think it would be the perfect sleep scent. This is the first scent with smoke in it, by the way, that really felt smoky enough for me. Usually it's more a teasing background note, but I really could smell it here. And I loved it. Ah, well. I'll enjoy the trial vial, and if v. 3 ever comes around, I'll know to snatch it up!

Oooh, have a wonderful time! Can't wait to hear what it turns out to be on you, and how you like it!

Irish Eyes -- I was going to suggest you try the sample first, since this seems to be very different on different people, but if you like all the contrasting descriptions, maybe you should go for it! I got my bottle and am so thrilled--it feels like this is my new secret superpower! And Chitown, I got the spray too and am loving it! The scent is so potent in the oil; I'm finding the more diffused delivery very effective.

I just pulled out a turtleneck from the "I really need to do laundry but maybe I can get away with wearing this one more time" pile; when I sniffed, I thought, wow, did I do laundry in a blackout or something? This smells so clean and warm, as if it's fresh from the dryer... And then I remembered: it's the shirt I was wearing on Saturday when I tried X Appeal. Man, I LOVE this stuff!

And.... last package of 2013 is on its way!!! I don't like to imagine how crazy it must be, filling all these desperate last minute orders for your adoring customers. Thank you all, for the amazing job you do. This has been a hard season, and my LP deliveries have considerably lightened my spirits at a time when I really needed it. Thank you!

NuTrix, I was totally shocked by how happy that scent memory made me... initially when I opened the vial I thought Oh, no, WTF is this? And then suddenly I was six years old and surrounded by stuffed animals and once the jam came out I also thought I smelled a piece of Roman Meal bread being toasted.... I have a sample of Gotcha on its own coming and I really want to test it out now that you've told me your experience! I just need the semester to end; I feel like the only pheros I can ethically wear around students are Balm Bomb and Swimming with the Sharks.... Maybe on a day when I'm not treating my customers to Garland and Lace at my retail job though, I can throw on some Gotcha and see what happens (rubs hands together and cackles). You should TOTALLY do that! And come back and tell us everything because I love your writing, you crack me up!

I was very intrigued with this one; in the vial and first on wet I totally got the Vicks Vapo-Rub effect others have alluded to. Oddly, that set off this huge nostalgic wave of memories of being a little girl and being sick and associating that smell with being lovingly cared for... so it's not necessarily dealbreaker! As it dries down, I get more of the berries and sweetness coming out. And now I am getting a Smuckers berry jam vibe, which is ALSO casting me into a huge seventies childhood flashback. I am not at all sure I can picture anyone else taking great pleasure in my smelling like these things, but I am finding the scent more and more compelling despite myself--if supplies last, I might be tempted to get a bottle for night-time use. I am not sure about Gotcha. I don't feel I'm getting much in the way of self-effects; it seems to be one that I don't respond to overtly. Might need to try it in a scent I'm inclined to leave the house in! :-)

Ai yi yi! I got my shipping notice for this Nov. 21st which would usually mean I'd have it in hand by now, but apparently the Season has begun as far as the post office is concerned, because Stamps is giving me no love in terms of updates since it left the point of origin.... Really hoping this comes tomorrow! I need me some yummy mood altering gingerbread goodness before I hit the road on Thursday! ETA: OMG, it's here it's here it's here! Forgive me Stamps. You totally brought the love.

Already feeling the withdrawal pangs, but hoping that this move brings all good things to you!

So I've had a chance to try this a couple of times now, and OH MY! It's extremely evocative. Tea is not a note I'm familiar with except for in the Focus and Acuity Potion from the 2013 Spell Oils collection, and I immediately get that this is much stronger. The notes blend so perfectly, though, that I'm having a hard time picking out the individual scents of tea, vanilla, smoke and sugar. This is rich and textured, like vintage silk... or a gorgeously weathered black leather coat. It makes me think of night clubs and theater and after hours and intrigue. It's elegant and sinuous and sleek and slinky. I'm curious to see how it wears when paired with different phero blends. Absolutely wonderful, Fleur! I can't wait to see what you make next!

Well. this is very interesting! I was really looking forward to this because I am having a craving for the perfect cake-y scent, and I thought this might be the one. The raspberry here is sharp, almost medicinal on me, and it overwhelms anything else that might be going on. It doesn't smell like a fruit scent or even a candied fruit scent; it's kind of like cough syrup (in the vial as well). I can't even find the pistachio or the coconut notes. I am thinking it might be an issue with my nose and the way it translates this particular perfume note; I had the same thing happen with Ionia. After about ten minutes, the sharp assaultive (is that a word?) quality of the raspberry calms down and retreats. What's left is intriguing but so quiet and subtle I can hardly find it. So I think this one is not for me. Thank goodness; I really can't afford to fall in love with many more of these! :-) ETA: Oh, dear, another half an hour or so and it has bloomed into cakey, vanilla-y, sugary potency! Magic in a bottle yet again.

Aw, thanks you guys, both for the sympathy and the hilarious way of expressing it! I should say as retail goes it is mostly a dream job, because I work in an independent bookstore so for the most part am very spoiled by having lovely customers and quite fab music... nevertheless, this is the time when everyone is in overdrive, and the job goes from having some downtime and room for fun conversations with people while I'm ringing them up to just go, go, go and, of course, the giftwrapping.... However, I have come to learn over the years that MY attitude makes a huge difference--and so, regardless of the effect on others, if I am thrilled with the yummy scent and getting a little help from the pheros, it really transforms the experience. Let me just add, this lasted beautifully all day Sunday, and even though the anticipated rush did not arrive and we had almost no customers, I had a great afternoon chatting with my co-worker and discreetly smelling my wrist. G&L has wonderful staying power! It's subtle and rides close the skin, but does not fade as some do on me. Wonderful stuff!

Well, I caved and got the bottle. So there will be plenty to experiment with!

Oh, WOO HOO THAT IS THE DREAM!!!

I have a full bottle I ordered unsniffed of this arriving shortly (a decision based on this review thread!), so I got out the sample today with a little trepidation--instant love! I feel like I'm becoming a connoisseur of LP ginger scents, and this is a great addition to my collection. I LOVE the eggnog--both the creaminess and the nutmeg set this apart from my beloved Santa's Little Helper and Lizzy's Ebil Sugared Cookies. This is warm, festive and delicious. The ginger is totally soft, no edges whatsoever (sometimes I like spiky ginger, but if that's not your thing, don't worry, this is just a beautiful nommy cloud) and I'm already getting little butterflies in my stomach that I am guessing is the Lace hitting my system? I'm going to wear this to my retail job today--that was actually one of the main reasons I invested in the full bottle, because I thought it might make the Christmas season bearable. I'm also going for a family Thanksgiving visit this week that I think this will be perfect for. I'm very lucky in that I both love and like my family, but when we get everyone in a small space for more than an hour, it can be a little... challenging sometimes to hold onto good spirits and not get stressed out. Hoping Garland and Lace v5 will work its magic there as well. I'll report back!

This is one of the November NRs I most wanted to try out. It's beautiful. The scent is soft and creamy. The nutmeg adds a light dusting of spice but it's so delicate that "spice" seems like the wrong word to use. Definitely classy and classic. I am getting a heavy nostalgic hit as well--I think maybe the sandalwood, since I had an obsession with sandalwood soap when I was in my teens. This reminds me a little of my experience with Coconut Breeze, in that sense. At the same time, if the strange whooshy feeling in the pit of my stomach and languid loose drape of my limbs is La Femme Mystere than whoa, nellie, I need a vat of this stuff! It makes the scent a whole different experience. I'm a little embarrassed to be getting this reaction since some of the descriptions I've read of LFM make it sound like a more aloof, queenly kind of vibe.... not for me, unless the queen is a sleepily raging weak-kneed sex kitten. The scent on its own I would think perfect for certain work or family settings, or professional social obligations, but the phero puts me in a mood where it doesn't feel right to leave the house... when LP described this phero as having a "deeply feminine and voluptuously seductive air" they weren't kidding around! Fascinating combination. I may need a bottle if supplies last, and now I can't wait to try La Femme Noire!

It's so interesting, isn't it, how personal chemistry plays such a role! I'm also learning, from reading the reviews, that dosage is really important with pheros, so I'm glad I'll have the unscented version to experiment with in terms of seeing if a different amount might make it work for me. Because I forgot to say above: for me, this was an extremely potent, concentrated scent. With many of my LPs, I go to town with several swipes/rolls in order to get the effect I want. With this one, I have a tiny smidge dabbed in the crook of each elbow and it's almost too strong, so I hope it DOES work for me, because I bet one bottle would go a long, long way!