Black Cat

OK this is a preliminary review since I haven't had this on me yet--but I have to say, when I unsealed the cellophane packet protecting my sample of Aja, my eyes rolled back in my head at the most perfectly gorgeous smutty honey I have ever smelled! I love honey--over the summer I ordered a wide variety of honey scents trying to find the perfect one and got some great ones but.... this is the best. It's pure sexiness. And after reading the stories upthread, I really can't wait to test drive this around town! BTW: my sample wasn't leaking--there was maybe the tiniest smidge that gotten on the label. So I can only assume that this is very potent and when I make my first trial application I will be very sparing, because this had serious throw.

OK, sampler arrived, and this was definitely the one that called for instant application after I sniffed all the vials. I can only echo the reviews: to/on me, this smells like fabric softener in the BEST POSSIBLE WAY. I was this close to breaking my resolve to sit with all the samples for the month of December, wanting instantly to order a full bottle. The smell of warm clothes fresh out of the dryer is one my all time favorite things, and I love the fact that with this, It's as if I'm not wearing perfume. This would be the perfect stealth scent, especially if one were trying to get the attention/interest of someone one only saw in circumstances where perfume in general (not just the obviously naughty ones) would be inappropriate (not that I would ever be that sneaky! oh no!). I have a feeling that guys who "don't like perfume" would LOVE this. Also, as mentioned above, I would love to smell this on a guy! I am going to wait on ordering a full bottle for two reasons. The first is that, while I love this scent, I know it has tobacco in it and that note has given me serious headache trouble in the past. So I want to try this out a few times and really sit with it to make sure it isn't going to be problematic. The other reason is that I'm not sure how well Sexology works for me. I had it in one other scent, and I can't say I had much luck at all, either with the guy I was targeting (though there are multiple reasons why that might not have been working, sadly) but also in general, I can't say I ever noticed much extra attention, and certainly no self effects. I know that the SS4W in Sneaky Clean is like gold for me, both self and other effects. While I love the scent of this one, if the phero isn't effective for me, I might not want to invest in a full bottle. So I'll risk waiting until January.

Molls, I would love to--where does it live?

Oh, Stacy, are you serious? You are the BEST.

That's what I'm thinking.... so the question becomes, what else should go on there to make it worth LPs while?!

Damn it! I may have do one last order after all... and add a Gotcha sample. This sounds amazing!

Oh, this is great, everyone! I know SS4W works well for me. I have Bang, Sexology and LFN all coming as samples.... I think I will make some experiments in December and see what feels like the best match. Will return with results! ETA: And oh yeah! I have a sample of Cougar I have yet to try!

This is the first bottle I ever purchased from LP, at least 3 years ago, and I just dug it out of the back of the closet again. Amazing! It's even better than I remembered: spicy, soft, yummy, and comforting, and yet with that grown-up flirty edge. Question: if a person wanted to get their second bottle of this boosted with a phero, what would you recommend? Social or sexy?

I remember reading the story behind this when the Private Editions for October came out--congratulations, I'm glad it came out so beautifully! I'm also fascinated to hear more about the scent itself, since I would not have been able to picture lavender with some of the other notes, and both of you give a great sense of it.

And the first package is on the way! Kind of wishing I'd been able not to cave on that second order already now, but I think it's actually better this way. I'll have the whole month of December to play with this sampler set, and maybe some of these will be left in January! Plus, that whole extra month to stash funds thing. Yay for new smellies!

Thank you, Stacy, this is really helpful! I go back and forth--on the one hand, the lightness of this and the smoke, esp., makes me think it could be lovely in that form. But this is also such a nice one for being such a close skin scent... Hm, perhaps one needs BOTH?

Oh, once again, thank you everyone for the kind words! I love the fact that people who never met Olivia are getting a sense of what a powerful little being she was. It's really comforting. And oh, Potion Master extraordinaire--I'm getting more enamored of this purely for the scent every time I wear it! I love the sweet foodie smells, but it doesn't take much for the sweetness to be overpowering for me. That touch of fur is just genius. Everyone I've shared this with loves it. Also, I've tested enough times to know that the mood elevating effect is a consistent thing, and seems to extend to other people. Magic! Thank you so much!

Welcome to the forum! I don't even want to tell you how many samples AND bottles I've ordered since I got active on here right before the big August sale! Maybe we can make a project of reviewing every single item before January first... Looking forward to your reviews!

OK, I've decided that even if my sampler arrives before the 25th, there isn't enough time to effectively try everything. So I am allowing myself all of December to try out samples with the phero fragrances before deciding on bottles. But--on the grounds of simply had to get it now--I allowed myself a second order this month, for a bottle of Flying Potion as a Christmas present for my mom, who smelled me the other day and went into raptures. And I decided to get Garland and Lace, in a spray, since that is the only one of the November releases that I feel I just HAVE to have for the Christmas season. I think it's a safe gamble. Hoping it will make working retail in December a lot more fun! Everything HAS to ship by the 29th, right? Can't wait for all the goodies I have on the way! For the record: just about everything on the November New Releases list looks like a potential full bottle, so note to self: perhaps set up a small LP savings account and start accumulating funds for January....

You and me both!! Moriko, I also received the lemon version sniffie and was curious as to what Fleur thought about the two in comparison, thanks for asking! And Fleur--so excited to try your creation. I asked for my invoice on the 11th, really crossing my fingers I'll get my shipping notice today!

Finally got a chance to test this sample and I really love it! I totally get the smoke, with the softest hint of marshmallow underneath, and then the amber and musk anchor it very close to the skin. It's subtle and wonderfully atmospheric. It doesn't smell at all like Haunted Hallows, but I get the same kind of nostalgic thrill from it. If Haunted Hallows is the cool moss-covered fallen tombstones in a two-hundred year old New England cemetery, Apparition is what you would smell if you camp out overnight there on a dare and roast marshmallows.... Question: I've been a total devotee of the oil roll-ons up until now, but Flying Potion got me excited about sprays--wondering how this would work in that form? Has anyone tried it? On the one hand, I love the way the oil melds into and is warmed by my skin. On the other hand, this is gorgeous and light and I wonder what it would be like to spray a little cloud of it on my hair and clothes. Any thoughts?

Yeah, I caved and put that on the list! Kind of in the spirit of "If you build it......"

Oh, wow, this one is intense! I get the fruit, but it feels like rich, preserved fruit--it doesn't smell like mince, but it has that quality, if that makes any sense. My unsophisticated nose is not picking out individual notes, just taking in the whole ensemble. At first, it went a little wonky--almost cough syrup-y--on me, but that faded almost immediately and it's a very deep, rich, sweet scent. Seriously autumnal. I'm trying to think what I would wear this for--it's grown up enough to work in a more elegant setting, I think. It doesn't feel like a work scent, because it's too intense and carries too much of a sense of personal power. But I would totally wear in any situation where I needed to queen it up a bit, like maybe a social situation where I was feeling a little insecure and needed to amp my personal power. Amazing.

Hm, interesting! I was excited to try this because the notes all looked right up my alley--though when I think about it, I love patchouli AND I love foodie/cake, but I hadn't thought about the implications of patchouli cake! It's definitely intriguing--a serious blend of gorgeous spiciness. On me, though, it has a very incense-y vibe rather than a foodie vibe, and incense-y vibes can a bit headache inducing for me, even when I love the scent. Sadly, I think this might fall in that category--I say sadly, because this is a perfect autumnal scent.

This is lovely! I agree with all who have mentioned the first frost--the musk is sheer and subtle, and the peppermint and anise notes just sparkle. (It's perfectly named, by the way!) The mint is initially almost candy cane-like for me (which was a plus) but as it dries, it settles into something softer and less foodie. This actually feels like a perfect winter scent to me: festive, cool and bright, all at the same time. Elegant without being overwhelming. This feels quiet and understated enough to wear to work, but pretty and festive enough for socializing. Very nice!

Oh, thank you guys so much for the kind words! It has been really special to get to share this with the LP community, and I appreciate all the helpful input I got in the PE topic thread. And isn't Mara amazing!

Time to review my first PE! As some folks know, my beloved little dog of twelve years died very suddenly this August, shortly after I had joined the LP forum as an active member. As I was floundering around, I decided to do a private edition scent to memorialize her--when I emailed Mara last month, I told her that, as weird it sounded, I was looking for something warm and brown and sweet and spicy--basically ginger cookies with a hint of fur. Even as I wrote it, I knew it sounded very odd, but I also had been around long enough to know that Mara is a genius, and to trust she would do something amazing. Well, she succeeded beyond anything I could have imagined! This is, as she herself said, "a warm and comforting gingery bakery scent." I had told her that while I am a huge fan of Lizzy's Ebil Sugared Cookies, and Santa's Little Helper, I was thinking of something softer here. The ginger is warm and energizing, sweet but not cloying (I think I pick up vanilla, and a creamy/buttery note), and a very soft enveloping energy. In the vial, it's more purely foodie, and exactly the foodie smell I was hoping for. But when I put it on, the "hint of animalic musk to suggest the aura of Olivia's fur" deepens and anchors the scent in the most amazing way. I do not know how she did this, but it truly is ginger cookies with a hint of fur AND an amazing perfume! I was visiting beloved friends this weekend who live about 90 minutes away on the other side of the mountains. For years, this is a trip I would make with Olivia. I'd finish up work on Friday, run home, order takeout, throw an overnight bag in the car and set her on the passenger seat and we'd do a little roadtrip together. When we got there, the kids would demand serious snuggles with Olivia, then we would send them off to their rooms and go hang out in the bedroom watching movies and talking, with Olivia tucked in the middle of it, always so happy and joyful to be at the center of things. This was only my second time making the trip without her, so to be able to walk in and hand over the bottle with Olivia's picture on it was so lovely. My friend slathered herself in it (I had slathered before driving!) and then her little six year old daughter also put some on. Her husband and son both pronounced it perfect, and we all just took so much pleasure in how perfectly the sense of her had been captured. The six year old said, "I wish Olivia was here right now!" but then sniffed her wrist and we all agreed that maybe she was anyway! Then last night, I went over to have dinner at my folks' house--Olivia was as much their dog as mine. I gave my mom her bottle and she put some on immediately. My mom is a trained massage therapist, and a serious meditation practitioner, and someone who does a lot of energy work too, and she immediately said, "This feels really powerful! It's got strong energetic properties!" Then, after a few minutes, she said, "It's just like Olivia! At first sniff, it's just beautifully simple and sweet and delightful, but then you realize there is a LOT more going on there!" I have to say, I hadn't thought about this being something I was asking to have crafted with intent, but I've been wearing it all weekend, and I've just felt enormously buoyed up and hopeful and happy. And I remembered that I did tell Mara... well, at the risk of making this too long for anyone to bear to read, here is what I wrote: "She was a little brown dog who was part of an animal hoarding case; when I got her, she was really just kind of shell shocked. You could set her down, leave her, come back two hours later and she wouldn't have moved. It took six months for her to bark and a year to wag her tail. A year to learn to play with toys (if you threw something away from her, she thought she wasn't supposed to have it; if you threw something towards her, she thought you were trying to hit her with it.) "But after that.... oh, my. I had the privilege of watching her blossom for almost twelve years, and every time I would think, "It can't get better than this" she would shed another layer of timidity and fearfulness and find more joy. By the last few years she just had two speeds. She was either blissfully, radiantly content, or so overcome with ecstasy that she couldn't physically contain it, and had to dance and twirl. So I was thinking of a happy yummy scent (I've ordered enough bottles to give some away to other people who adored her!) to lift everyone's spirits while we're missing her so much." This is everything I hoped it could be, and more. It feels as powerful as any of the spell oils. My mother said she thought this was the best tribute/remembrance I could have come up, and I agree. Thank you, Mara, for such a wonderful creation. I may give away another bottle, but I am keeping enough so that I can slather this to my heart's content for quite some time. It's truly magical.

Fleur! I got a sniffie of your PE in my Olivia package!!! That will tide me over until I can place November order and get my own bottle!! I am rushing out the door to go out of town for the night, but hope to have review of Comfort & Joy up this weekend.. and perhaps Inna's Gadda da Vita too!

Oh, Mara, I just got home to my packages and I can't express how much they warmed my heart! I am headed out of town, so will have to hold off looking at everything in detail and reveling in the wonderfulness, but I just wanted to say... I am driving over the mountains to visit my best friends, and the trip is one that is a little bittersweet, because for almost a decade, I made this drive with Olivia curled up in the passenger seat. This is only my second time doing it without her, and it's still very hard. But having a bottle of Olivia's Comfort and Joy tucked in my bag to give to the lady of the house, knowing we will smell this for the first time together.... I'm taking such comfort in that! The timing couldn't have been better, as with everything that happens with LP. I'm sure I'll be back here to rave in greater detail, but I was just blown away by the gorgeous bags, all the little sniffies, and ALL the wonderfulness. You and your company are amazing. I know of nothing like it! ETA: Oh, Mara, just went through everything in the boxes and I am stunned at your generosity, and almost in tears. The gift pouch kits are beyond anything I would have expected you to include--feeling very humbled and thrilled. Thank you SO much!!

Well, this is exactly the kind of advice I log on here to get!!! Thanks, Molls!