TokyoMilk Dark Femme Fatale Collection Lip Elixir Review

TokyoMilk Dark's Femme Fatale Collection Lip Elixirs are my new obsession. Actually, I take that back. It's TokyoMilk that's my new obsession and these perfect tins of lip balm are just part of it. On a whim, I picked up two TokyoMilk Dark fragrances and these four Lip Elixirs and it was love at first sniff. I don't know how else to describe these but perfection.

TokyoMilk Dark Femme Fatale Collection Lip Elixirs

The Lip Elixirs come in a black tin sealed with a paper band. The paper band features a number and a small image on the ends, which fold over the top of the tin (Clove Cigarettes has the Eiffel Tower, Smoked Salt has a pistol, Salted Caramel has a bee and Coco Noir has a top hat.). The name of the scent is along the bottom, on the center of the band. On the tin itself, the TokyoMilk Dark logo is embossed into the metal with grey and black, but the back label is a sticker.

The tins themselves are surprisingly large. They're bigger than a tin of Smith's Rosebud Salve, almost identical in size to a MAC blush compact. They contain a respectable 0.7 oz (19.85 g) of product.

You can remove the paper bands (they are stickers) from the tin, or you can cut the stickers along the edge of the lid and leave them on. This is how the tin looks with the band removed. I prefer the look of the tin with the band intact.

The back label has a full list of ingredients, TokyoMilk's phone number and URL, a lot code and a tiny version of the picture from the sticker.

Ingredients:
petrolatum, microcrystalline wax, flavor, canola oil and aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera) leaf extract, tocopherol (vitamin E), tocopheryl (Vitamin E) acetate, stevia rebaudiana (Stevia) leaf extract, organic camellia sinensis (Green Tea) leaf extract, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil and jasminum officinale (Jasmine) flower extract, monarda didyma (Bee Balm) leaf extract.

TokyoMilk Dark Lip Elixir in 18 Clove Cigarettes
Crushed Clove, Lavender Rose, Saigon Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean

The strongest note in here is clove. It's spicy and fresh, not like the dusty half-bottle of stale cloves kicking around in the back of your spice cabinet. At the back of the scent is something warm and smooth, the combination of cinnamon and vanilla bean. I don't smell any lavender rose. The flavor is stevia-sweetened clove that feels slightly numbing. It tastes just like an unlit Djarum Black kretek, sweet black paper and all.

TokyoMilk Dark Lip Elixir in 22 Smoked Salt
Smoked Sea Salt, Burnt Sugar, Molasses, Vanilla Bean

This smells like a light, dry smoke in the tin. There's a bit of leather scent in with the smoke, but it's sweet and light. It actually smells just like an Irish flake tobacco, or a lighter, sweeter Latakia. There is something salty and savory about the scent, but underneath the smoke is a sweet and slightly sharp scent. I can smell molasses and burnt sugar, but only lightly. It tastes a little smoky with a strong scent of dry tobacco and leather, a little bit of a 'perfume' flavor, and it is sweet-tasting from the stevia.

TokyoMilk Dark Lip Elixir in 36 Salted Caramel
Sweet Cream, Sea Salt, Caramelized Sugar, Toasted Vanilla Bean

This one smells exactly as it should. I smell actual salted caramel, not artificial/perfumey sharp, fake caramel like most caramel-scented beauty products. It smells rich and buttery, smooth, not excessively sweet and has a little bit of a candy corn or caramel popcorn note to it. It tastes lightly of buttery caramel and is slightly sweet.

TokyoMilk Dark Lip Elixir in 60 Coco Noir
Dark Rum, Maraschino Cherry, Sweet Milk, Cacao Bean

This is the only one that didn't smell exactly how I expected it to. It's odd, but good. It smells very sweet and syrupy, like cherry and something else. I can't quite identify the other scent I smell with the cherry and the rum is rather faint. The next strongest note I smell is chocolate, and then something milky and a little dusty or waxy smelling. Not unpleasant, just unusual. I actually really like how it smells. The taste is sweet, mostly like perfume with a little cherry and some of that milky-dusty note.

The balms themselves are colorless. The texture is firm and waxy, but not hard or dry. Imagine a slightly thicker, more dry Jack Black Lip Therapy. Like a cross between soft wax or hair pomade and vaseline. It's not melty or slippery and it is very thick and protective on the lips. It adds no color or shine, only a slight hint of a sheen that's barely noticeable.

What I liked:

• I adore the packaging. Everything about it is beautiful and very much my style.
• The scents are unconventional and awesome. It's not every day that you find a Smoked Salt flavored lip balm. Despite the unusual notes, they all smell and taste very good.
• The scents are strong, but not too strong. Strong enough to enjoy but not strong enough to make me sick.
• The balm is long-wearing and soothing, even though it feels more protective than truly moisturizing.
• The tin contains a lot of product. 0.7 oz. I'm sure I'll never be able to finish one of these.
• They're very inexpensive for how nice they are. Only $7. That's a steal.
• They can be used as cuticle balm or hair balm, so they're versatile.
• They don't seem to melt into a liquid if I leave them in the car when it's warm out.
• There's only enough stevia in the formula to make it taste sweet. Too much stevia in lip products makes them taste bitter and I really hate the taste of stevia to begin with, so I'm glad these don't go overboard on it.
  

What I didn't like:

• I don't normally like lip balms in tins. I hate having to put my fingers in them or remember to carry a lip brush. I'll make an exception for these just because everything else about them is so great.
• The tins get nicked and scratched fairly easily.
  
• If you cut the bands instead of removing them, the ends can peel up and catch dirt and lint.
  
• This is really a complaint about beauty.com, not about the product itself, but something important to be aware of nonetheless: If you order these from beauty.com, they put a sticker over the back that's hard to remove without damaging the label or the band. They also send glass TokyoMilk Dark eau de parfum bottles unboxed, with stickers over their labels, bouncing around in cardboard boxes without bubble wrap.
  
• The ingredients aren't so great; the first three are petrolatum (aka Vaseline), wax and canola oil. Not the most high-end formula, but at least they feel and smell nice.

I love these. I already have La Vie En Rose on the way from Sephora, and I plan on picking up the rest of them at some point in the near future. With as many lip balms as I own, it's hard to believe that I could find something unique to add to my collection, but there it is. I do wish that they weren't in tins, but then they probably wouldn't look as cool if they weren't. The tins are charming. Look at them! How could anyone resist?

TokyoMilk has their own web shop, and if you sign up for the newsletter, they'll send you a code for a free gift on your first order. Sephora has also just started carrying the TokyoMilk Dark line, though the Lip Elixir selection is limited.

Color Club Copy Coats Scented Topcoat Collection Spring 2012 Swatches and Review

Color Club is really on a roll with all these scented nail polishes they've been doing recently. First, there was Wicked Sweet from summer 2011, then there was the Scent-suous Holiday collection that just came out a couple months ago. Now we have Color Club Copy Coats; six scented clear topcoats for adding fragrance to any manicure.

The colors are: Parallel Universe, Dead Ringer, Mimic, Duplicity, Replica and Copycat.

Each Copycoat topcoat has a different scent and is slightly tinted. They're all practically clear, but over certain colors, you can definitely see a bit of a tint.


Here's one coat of Dead Ringer, which has a yellow tint, over a three-day-old (excuse the chips and cracks) China Glaze Aquadelic manicure. It's not significantly different looking with the Copycoat topcoat, but it definitely has a yellow glaze added to it.



I did two coats of these over white to show you how much tint you can expect. Parallel Universe, Duplicity, Replica and Copycat, two coats each over white.

A little closer. Copycat, Replica, Duplicity and Parallel Universe, two coats each over white.

These topcoats aren't quick-dry on their own, so I wouldn't recommend using them over wet polish as it'll make them take longer to dry. Since these are not quick-dry, they make excellent refresher topcoats because they won't peel, shrink or chip when applied over dry polish. They're very glossy and are perfect for adding the shine back to a day-old manicure.

The scents in these aren't as strong as I had anticipated. They're subtle enough that you only smell them if you bring your hands close to your nose, plus the scents are so subtle that they only last about a day before they disappear completely. This is not necessarily a bad thing; persistent, strong scents on my hands can be annoying and headache-inducing. These give you the novelty of having scented nails without it being overbearing to the point where you get irritated with how strong they are.

These scents all smell pretty familiar to me, and they're called "Copycats," so I did a little comparing with the notes and descriptions, and I think I've narrowed down what scents these are supposed to imitate.

Mimic = YSL Parisienne
Duplicity = Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue
Dead Ringer = Marc Jacobs Daisy
Parallel Universe = Burberry Brit
Replica = Marc Jacobs Lola
Copycat = Burberry Classic

I could be wrong, as none of them smell exactly the same as the originals, but I also think something gets lost when translating them into nail polish form, so who knows. They do smell similar and the listed notes match up, so those are my best guesses.

I think this is a pretty cool product to have if one of these fragrances is your signature scent or just one that you wear often. You can match your topcoat to your perfume! None of the scents really appeal to me all that much in nail polish form (they all have a bit of an 'air freshener' smell as topcoats), but scented topcoat is always more interesting than unscented topcoat, so I still like them.

Also, I can't type the word Mimic without thinking of this:

What I liked:

• They look pretty all lined up in their square bottles.
• They're not too strong.
• The scent is gone by the next day.
• Good refresher topcoats; they don't shrink or peel.
• Very shiny.
• Scented things are cool.

What I didn't like:

• The slight tint in these can alter your polish color. Not by much, but it still happens.
• The scents smell dull and air-freshener-esque in nail polish form. Not bright and lively like the Wicked Sweet or Scent-suous Holiday scents.
• They're not quick dry, so I can't use them as my usual topcoat.

The Color Club Copy Coats Scented Topcoat Collection is available now, though the only place I've seen them so far is on Color Club's online store where they retail for $8 each.

(This was sent for review.)

Tocca Limited Edition Eau de Parfum Viaggio Holiday 2011 Photos and Review

Over the summer I fell in love with Tocca's Colette fragrance and since then I've been more interested in the brand than I was before. Shortly after I bought Colette, Tocca released a new scent called Giulietta and I just had to try it. Not because it sounded like something I'd like- a floral with notes of apple and tulip, really not my thing- but because it reminded me of one of my favorite films, Giulietta Degli Spiriti (Juliet of the Spirits). The fragrance is in fact named after Giulietta Masina, the star of the film and wife of director Federico Fellini.

Not wanting to risk buying a full bottle of a scent I probably wouldn't like, I added Giulietta to my wishlist, waiting to order until I had actually smelled it for myself. Then, lo and behold, Tocca releases a mini fragrance coffret containing not just Giulietta, but a mini bottle of Colette and another scent I've been wanting to try, Bianca. All three 0.5 fl oz bottles for less than the price of a single 1.7 fl oz full sized bottle.

The Tocca Eau de Parfum Viaggio 2011 comes with three 0.5 fluid ounce glass bottles, each one a miniature version of the full sized bottle design. The scents are Colette, Giulietta and Bianca.

Back of the box, notes listed for each scent.


These are mini bottles, but are still a very good size. Included in this picture for scale are a quarter and a full-sized bottle of Tocca Colette.


Here's a little more comparison detail. I love how they've styled the mini bottles to be near-exact replicas of the normal bottles. They've even tinted the liquid inside just like the full-sized versions.


The caps bear the same bird motif and brushed metal color. These caps are made of plastic unlike the full bottles which are made of a substantially weighty metal.


How beautiful.


The only flaw with these bottles is that they're splashes and not sprays. On the upside, the mouths of these bottles are big enough to easily apply the fragrance.



Interesting to note that the bottom label says spray, though I'm not certain if it's referring to the fluid itself or the method of delivery.

The scents:

Giulietta: Bulgarian Rose, Ylang Ylang, Green Apple, Pink Tulips, Lily of the Valley, Iris Pallida, Vanilla Orchid, Lilac, Heliotrope, Cedarwood, Musk, Amber, Sandalwood.

Colette: Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Juniper Berry, Pink Peppercorn, Jasmine, Violet, Cyclamen, Pine Needles, Incense, Musk, Sandalwood, Amber, Vanilla, Cedarwood.

Bianca: Bergamot, Lavender, Mandarin, Lemon Orpur, Rose Petals, Jasmine, Green Tea, Musk, Sugar.

Giulietta, the reason I bought the set, is, sadly, my least favorite of the three. I like a lot of the listed notes: rose, iris, lilac, cedarwood, musk, amber, sandalwood. But together with the rest of the notes, it's too strongly floral. To me it smells like shampoo, or like a kind, sweet, gentle older woman; motherly and feminine. Very, very feminine and very floral. A tad heavy and dense but with a little freshness at the end. And frankly, it gives me a pretty bad headache and makes the bridge of my nose hurt. After a few hours most of the sharpness fades away and I smell a sweet, soft, delicate hint of clean, cool floral on my skin. Girly to the very end.

Bianca is a nice surprise. The back of the package characterizes it as a green tea, rose, sugar and lemon scent and that's exactly what I smell. Green tea is the strongest on my skin, and the lemon and rose are about equal. It's sweet but not candy-like or sugary. It's fresh but the rose keeps it from being noticeably light or crisp. It smells like some tea perfumes I've had in the past so to me it smells familiar and a little comforting, like happy memories. Not really my style, but a scent I enjoy and may consider wearing on a really hot, humid day. Unfortunately, this one gives me a headache too, but not as bad as Giulietta. Bianca fades nicely, though, and after an hour or so it becomes very sweet and sugary, almost like cotton candy and tea blended together.

I knew I would at least like Colette, and worst-case scenario, I'd either hate the other two so much I'd have to return the whole set, or like them enough to keep it and have a nice travel bottle of Colette to carry. I like almost all of the notes listed for Colette, but two of them worried me at first: Jasmine, which usually smells like cat pee on me, and pink peppercorn, which seems to be a common element in nearly every scent I hate. Luckily, the notes that stand out to me the most are bergamot, lemon, pine and juniper and only a little of the jasmine, which is more heavy than syrupy. The scent has a slightly masculine edge to it from the juniper and cedarwood, and after it's been on for a while, a creamy vanilla emerges and sits very close to the skin. It's very much my kind of scent, except I wish it was less floral and a lot stronger. The vanilla note in here is amazing and I wish it had more of it to take the edge off the flowers. For such a 'strong' scent, it's shockingly light and weak with very little staying power. This is one of those perfumes that I can really soak myself in and still not be able to smell it on me.

Strangely enough, it's Colette that reminds me more, scent-wise, of Giulietta of the Spirits. It makes me think of an old abandoned mansion where there are memories and ghosts of the past still lingering in the air. It's sexy and mysterious, but in an old-fashioned way. It's Suzy's scent.

(image source)

As for the set itself, I have very few criticisms. The presentation is incredibly gorgeous, well-designed and practically beyond reproach. The only true flaws are that the plastic tray that secures the bottles is so weak that it arrived shattered, the glue that holds the bottles into the tray is much too strong, and the bottles don't have spray caps. That's all. Everything else about this is perfect.

This is one of those things that even though I'll probably never use it regularly, I still love having it because it's so beautiful. I love the metallic floral filigree on the pastel purple box. I love the tiny yet heavy glass bottles, their charming design, the faithfulness to the original bottle design. It feels luxurious and special. And even though their headquarters is in New York, everything in this set looks so old world glamorous, so Italian. It really is beautiful to look at.

I bought mine from Sephora. $45 for the set of three half-ounce bottles. For comparison, one full sized bottle is $68 for 1.7 fluid ounces, so if you like Tocca fragrances, this set is a steal.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Halloween in Montreal 2011 Review

Pretty Indulgent is a Canadian e-tailer for all kinds of great stuff: Nail polish like China Glaze, OPI, Zoya and Nubar as well as some great handmade bath and body lines like Villainess (a personal favorite of mine) and Arcana. Pretty Indulgent has recently started carrying Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfumes, and among them are four limited edition Pretty Indulgent exclusive scents. The four scents are designed to celebrate the culture and history of Quebec, and one of them is dedicated to the celebration of Halloween in Montreal, and that's what I'm reviewing today.

The description of Halloween: Montreal from the site:

"When Halloween comes to Montreal, winter doesn’t lag far behind. Trick-or-treating is done in mad, giddy dashes between houses, an exhilarated rush in the darkness. The air is crisp, sometimes biting, and more than one toddler waddles through the eve, bundled in a snowsuit beneath their inevitably rotund costumes. Chimney smoke and woodstove fires, and all the classic scents of Halloween – loads of candy, leaves, cold earth, smashed pumpkins left over from Mat Night’s debauchery – are sharp and clear in the frosty air.

La fumée de cheminée et toutes les odeurs de l'Halloween - bonbons en masse, feuilles mortes, terre gelée, citrouilles écrasées - parfument l'air glacial."



The very first time I smelled it, I smelled strong pumpkin and earthy leaves. I wore it for a few hours and then set the bottle aside for a few days so I could think about the scent.

I've just tried it again after a few days of not smelling it and I get a completely different impression. Cold air and sweet, sticky pine sap.

Straight from the bottle, I smell syrupy pumpkin and maple, icy air, and pine needles. On my skin, the pine needles come to the forefront and the whole thing smells green and icy. Sap, pine needles, snow, cold air. The pine in this is not sharp and chemical like cleaning products, it's fresh and realistic like sitting next to a Christmas tree. There's a quick hint of a creamy, edible pumpkin, but it disappears shortly after application.

After a while, the pine settles down and a soft sweetness emerges. This may be the candy that's noted in the description, but it's not strong or particularly sweet. It's a delicate, sugary sweetness, not necessarily a candy-like fruity or baked type of sweetness. It seems to provide a smooth and somewhat soft base to what is otherwise a very crisp and outdoorsy scent. Beyond the sugar, ice and pine, I get a very fleeting impression of woodsmoke. Dry and warm, very cozy, but very subtle. It balances the cold and sweet nicely.

After a few hours on my skin, the whole thing blends to a cool sweetness with no detectable single notes. It reminds me in a way of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Snow White, which is cold and sweet, but this is softer and more sugary.

It's a really nice scent that perfectly captures that change from fall to winter. It's not just an interesting scent, it's actually a wearable, flattering scent to wear. And what's more, it's very unlike any perfume you will smell in a store or on someone in a crowd, and that's what I love about Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Every scent is not the standard nondescript-fruity-floral-migraine hell that dominates the mainstream fragrance market. These are definitely in a class of their own.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Halloween in Montreal is limited edition and available exclusively from Pretty Indulgent.

(This was sent to me by Pretty Indulgent.)

More Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Halloween Scent Reviews

As requested, another handful of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Halloween scent reviews. I don't have this year's versions of these scents, so I'm reviewing based on previous releases. Usually the re-releases tend to be close to identical to the past versions (not considering aging/maturing of the scents), however, like I mentioned, I don't have the new versions to confirm. In my experience, though, the re-releases I've purchased have always been nearly identical to the originals/previous releases.

I've included the list of notes for each scent, as listed on The Lab's website, for quick reference. The full list and descriptions can be viewed here until they go away on November 13th.

To answer the question asked by Moonz in my last post (even I have trouble getting comments on my own blog to go through): I've never experienced a Black Phoenix scent selling out before the end of the sale period. In my experience, all the scents remain for sale until the end date specified by the Lab, and after that point, they are no longer available for purchase. Sometimes they will sell the odd bottle on eBay, but you can't order from the website after the specified ending date.

BOO: Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream.

Sniffed directly from the bottle, I smell that BPAL cream note (think a creamier version of Comptoir sud Pacifique Matin Calin with a toasted white bread note) and nothing else.

Once applied to my skin, the scent becomes very sweet and I smell a white sugar scent, a very, very light cotton candy note, a tiny touch of something citrus (not detectable unless I breathe deeply) and the cream note has settled down to the bottom and lost most of the toasty scent it had before. It reminds me of Midway mixed with Love's Philosophy. It's smooth, it's sweet, it's light, it's sugary but not sickening-barfy-toothache sugary. Very pleasant, calm, gentle, maybe even cozy. Once I've been wearing it for a while, it just smells like Midway with a spritz of CSP Matin Calin to me. Light fresh sugar scent, touch of milky cream, but without any heaviness or buttery notes.

DEVIL'S NIGHT: This is the scent of autumn night, fires in the distance, with a touch of boozy swoon, playful sugar and thuggish musk.

Let me preface this review by saying that this is not only one of my favorite (if not my top favorite) Black Phoenix scents, it's one of the best scents I've ever smelled, period. I think it's amazing and, in my eyes, it's pretty close to my idea of a perfect fragrance. So, obviously, I'm biased. I have several bottles of this, each from different years, and I can tell you that it ages extremely well.

Straight from the bottle I smell sweet, smoky, spicy, warm and cold. This is one of those scents were no particular note stands out to me; it all blends together into one rich and magical smell. I smell something sweet and sugary, like white sugar or cotton candy. I smell warm and spicy, like ginger or perhaps cardamom, but not cinnamon. I smell smoky, like a recently extinguished candle, or like a sweet pipe smoke, not a harsh barbecue-type smoke. There are some prickly notes over a smooth base.

When I wear this, I've been told that I smell like fall. That's good enough for me.

JOHN BARLEYCORN: Barley, beer, blood, and whiskey.

In the bottle, this smells really sweet, kinda fermented and actually a little gross. Something about it just makes me think of Swedish Fish and rotten fruit. There's a distinctly alcohol-like high note that hits me at the top of the nose like bubbles.

On the skin, I smell warm, dry hay. Grape juice. Wood and wax. After a little while, it actually starts to smell warm and smooth. It has a masculine dry woodsy side and a soft, spicy, nutty character over the dry wood. Much better after a little while on the skin than straight from the bottle.

OCTOBER: Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air.

Sniffed from the bottle, I smell sweet dried grass and fresh, crisp green leaves. Extremely natural and herbal.

On the skin, the dried grass becomes warm and sweet, like dried seagrass. The green, leafy herbal scent sits right on top, but softens and mellows into a bed of cool green grass, citrus rind and breezy wildflowers. Something cedar-like comes out after about half an hour, and the base mellows even more into a smooth and smoky yet still sweet dried grass. This one is very enjoyable; it smells like a walk in the woods.

PUMPKIN LATTE: Espresso, pumpkin syrup, smoky vanilla bean, milk, raw sugar, and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Out of the bottle, this smells unbelievably amazing. Coffee bean, woody, spicy cinnamon, nutmeg, milky vanilla, and generic 'pumpkin spice' candle smell. I can't get over how spicy and sweet and awesome it smells out of the bottle. I want to eat this.

On the skin, it immediately takes on a dry peppery smell. Dry, spicy, woody. Remember the Bath and Body Works / White Barn The Perfect Autumn Pumpkin candle/fragrance oil from a few years back? Pumpkin Latte smells a lot like that, but with more dry spice. After a little while longer, the dryness increases. Cinnamon sticks, freshly ground nutmeg, an oaty, nutty, grainy smell like dried wheat or oats. I don't smell any actual pumpkin, but I do smell pumpkin spice perfume smell. It has a creamy sweet scent at the very bottom that reinforces the edible quality of the scent. After an hour or so, I smell oatmeal, cinnamon brooms, brown sugar and pumpkin spice. Sadly, the scent doesn't retain any of the coffee that I smell upon opening the bottle, but it's still one of my top favorite Black Phoenix pumpkin scents ever.

SAMHAIN: Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.

This one doesn't change as much on me as a lot of Black Phoenix' other scents do. Out of the bottle I smell very sweet honeyed apples, pine, smoke, a hint of spice. On my skin, I smell really strong honey, apple, pine, spice and wood. The honey/apple combination stays strong the entire time and that's the main thing I smell in this scent. It doesn't list honey anywhere in the notes, but it smells like real, actual, edible honey to me, not just 'perfume' honey note. The apple in here also smells realistic. It starts off bright and then becomes a sweeter, more muted apple cider scent.

SAMHAINOPHOBIA: Menacing Haitian vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves.

Out of the bottle, it smells a lot like Samhain- honey and apples with fir needle- but with some bitter greens and smoke to cover up the sweetness.

On my skin, it smells.... Like Samhain. They don't list any of the same notes, but somehow they smell so similar to me! I don't smell any strong patchouli or vetiver. I smell lots of clove, I smell a little oakmoss, but mainly I smell honey, apples, pine trees and smoke. After a while, the apple-honey sweetness backs off and a dry, dusty sandalwood-esque woody scent takes over. But still... It smells so much like Samhain to me... Am I crazy? Does this one smell like Samhain to anyone else?

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Halloween 2011 Reviews

As requested, here's a few short reviews of the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Halloween scents I ordered. I'll do my best to describe the scents as they smell to me, but do keep in mind that scent is very subjective and these fragrances in particular tend to change more than most brands with individual skin chemistry.

The Changeling: The scent out of the bottle is a strong, rough, grassy dark vanilla. It has a bit of a buttery smell to it along with what smells like a little puff of woodsmoke. It reminds me of Monster Bait: Underpants with a bit of leather and dry grass. Once it's been on my skin for a few minutes, it lightens and adds a cinnamon-like spicy note on top of the rough, smoky vanilla scent. On me it smells both very dry (dusty/smoky/woody) but also very rich (heavy buttery spice). After an hour or so, it becomes very smooth and loses the rough/scratchy quality and becomes more creamy and I swear I smell a little leather with that smoky, woody vanilla.

The Gorobble: Out of the bottle it's a thin, high-pitched and extremely over-sweetened, sugary, and vaguely fruity rather than creamy scent. On the skin it immediately transforms to a light cinnamon and burnt sugar. I don't really smell burnt marshmallow... I do smell marshmallow if I inhale very deeply, but otherwise all I smell on myself is a sweet cinnamon sugar.

The Wiley Grasser: This one is WEIRD. The scent in the bottle immediately reminds me of auto wax... You know, like the stuff you use to wax your car? That's a scent I actually like, and I like a lot of odd scents like diesel, skunk, plastic, new kitchen sponges, sawdust, dog paws... But not necessarily one I'd think of actually wearing. After a moment on my skin, the strong piney petrochemical scent takes a backseat to PURE COTTON CANDY. Cotton candy on top of pine with a little powdery floral floating around in there somewhere. After a while longer, the powder comes forward more, the cotton candy is dominant and the pine mellows out, but the whole scent blended together is one crazy, bizarre, unexpected olfactory trip. I really like this, but man, is it positively alien smelling.

The Ta-Ta: Straight from the bottle I smell fresh flower petals with something a little dusty or dirty underneath. On my skin I smell a spicy, peppery leather with a soft carnation in the background. When I move my nose further away to sniff, I get a soapy, thick floral with a bit of leather at the end. The description lists coffee absolute, but I can't detect it on my skin. When the flowers start to back away, I can smell tobacco with the leather. It's not a sweet tobacco like a cavendish, it's a dry, unsweetened English blend tobacco. Then, after it's been on for an hour or so, the soapy floral scent almost entirely disappears and I'm left with a cool leather aroma (like the leather in De Sade and Whip), a very dry tobacco (like black Virginia) with a very faint, fleeting men's chypre cologne note.

Sonnet D'Automne: Out of the bottle I smell both bright grassy herbal notes and dry, dead grass notes akin to old lawn clippings. On my skin it immediately transforms into a sweet grassy scent with a smooth, light coffee/cocoa base that hits me in the back of the throat when I inhale deeply. It smells light, clean and somewhat cold/icy (not minty or menthol) in the way that Snow White smelled cold and icy but deepened and sweetened with that cocoa and coffee sugary base note. After an hour I start to smell an amber scent along with the sweet, light, powdery cocoa and the cool icy note, and most of the grassy aroma is gone. It still has a high, somewhat soapy floral note to it, but it's no longer distinctly grass or leaves.

Halloween in Las Vegas: In the bottle I smell that familiar BPAL 'red wine' note (very, very sweet and fruity but with a strange staleness to it) with a really creamy, sugary background. On my skin the red wine is dominant, followed by the distinctive scent of Dorian, a smoky drop of Snake Oil (it's subtle but adds a nice depth), a piney/appley scent like Samhain, honey and, at the very bottom of it all, a creamy vanilla frosting scent. It reminds me a LOT of Lilith Victoria with a heavy splash of red wine and a bit of Samhain. After an hour, most of the wine has faded and I smell that sweet honey apple Samhain smell (most dominant on my skin), the tea scent from Dorian (nearly as strong), the smokiness from Snake Oil (fairly faintly) and the creamy vanilla base.

And not technically a Halloween scent but I ordered it along with my Halloween stuff:
Sprinklecake: Out of the bottle it's almost unbearably sweet. On the skin it's much smoother. It reminds me a LOT of the Dylan's Candy Bar Chocolate Cupcake body butter. Even more if the Chocolate Cupcake body butter is mixed with the Cake Batter body lotion. Very sweet, very creamy, lots of sugar and vanilla. Something in here smells vaguely fruity on me as well, though it could just be all the heavy sugar notes. It has a little bit of a plastic smell on me, only at the very base of the fragrance, and that usually means it's too new and that it's going to age really well. I can't wait to smell this again six months from now. Right now it smells all sugar-frosting-candy-creamy-sprinkles (which I like) but I have a feeling it'll be really smooth once it mellows out for a while.

Lately with Black Phoenix scents, I find myself not liking them right away. Sometimes they can be a little sharp or jarring or loud when I first get them, but after I've let them age and mellow out for a bit, I feel totally different about them. I can tell that almost all of these are going to improve once they've sat for a few months.

In addition to these new 2011 scents, I also have a lot of the Halloween scents from previous years that are back this year: October, Samhain, Devil's Night (just get this one, seriously, it's amazing), Boo, John Barleycorn, Pumpkin Latte and Samhainophobia. I know each year's versions can differ a bit, but would you want me to do reviews of those as well?

You can see the rest of the Halloween scents here, and they are all limited edition.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Halloween 2011: Scents from The Pickman Gallery

Halloween + Perfume + H.P. LOVECRAFT = YES, PLEASE. HAVE ALL OF MY MONEY.

These are the scents I ordered. I really want the complete collection, but I had to have a little self control this time...


THE CHANGELING. Blonde wood, linen swaddling, pumpkin rind, and bourbon vanilla.


THE GOROBBLE. A scent redolent of the crusty exterior of burnt marshmallows.


THE TA-TA. Boiled leather, carnation blossom, coffee absolute, and tobacco.


THE WILEY GRASSER. Pine needles, wildflowers, and cotton candy.


I nearly fainted with joy when I saw the Pickman Gallery business card included in my package.


And I would love a copy of this press release printed out on some aged-looking parchment:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NIGHTMARE AESTHETIC CELEBRATED AT ARKHAM’S PICKMAN GALLERY
Torment and Reverie: The Ecstasy of Horror and the Perversity of the Sublime on view at the Pickman Gallery from September 8 to November 13, 2011 Arkham, MA (May 13, 2011)—

Torment and Reverie is the first installation in an exhibition that exemplifies man’s fascination with the darkness of his own psyche. Hand-picked by acclaimed artist Richard Upton Pickman, the images embody the delightful beauty that is found when we confront the horror of sublimity. Opening at the Pickman Gallery on September 8, the show features phantasmagoric works of horror fantasy that span the globe and traverse the centuries, showcasing thirteen works of art illustrating the dreamscapes of Pieter Bruegel, Henry Fuseli, Hugo Simberg, Félicien Rops, Jaroslav Panuska, Luis Ricardo Falero, Loghi Kimon, Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard, Nicholas Manuel Deutsch, and Odilon Redon.

An Open House reception will be held on September 8, 2011, from midnight til 3 am. RSVP required. Refreshments provided by the Zadok Allen Vinyard and Epicure of the Terrible, the Miskatonic Valley’s premier event catering service.

Also on view at the Pickman Gallery until December 13, 2011, is Seeking the Seekim I, a selection of Sidney Sime’s zoological illustrations. This exhibition is on loan from the Department of Zoology at Miskatonic University and is part of a collection of nature illustrations that are featured in Prodromus of the Zoology of Non-Native Invasive Species Endemic to the Miskatonic Valley and Its Environs, published by Miskatonic University Press.

Sponsorship Torment and Reverie: The Ecstasy of Horror and the Perversity of the Sublime was guest curated by Elizabeth Barrial, director of the Black Phoenix Foundation for the Arts, and TJ Barrial, Visual Arts Professor and Department Chair at the Dunwich Academy of Arts, and was organized for the Celephaïs Athenæum by Brian Constantine, Curator of Sculpture for the Clark Ashton Smith Memorial Gallery.

About the Pickman Gallery
The Pickman Gallery is the Miskatonic Valley’s premier privately-owned art gallery. Founded in 1923 by interdimensionally renowned portrait artist Richard Upton Pickman, the Gallery offers the Miskatonic Valley community a dynamic roster of stimulating, dread-provoking exhibitions and enriching public programs.

Though the Pickman generally focuses on Aestheticism and Decadence, nearly all artistic movements have been represented throughout the years. Exhibitions organized by the Pickman have featured the works of both local and international artists, and have encompassed all of the visual arts, including printmaking, photography, sculpture, video, film, and performance.

General Information
Pickman Gallery, 432 Sentinel Street, Arkham, MA 01914
Tel: 978/271-1300,
Fax: 978/271-1313
Web site: http://www.pickman-gallery.com

Hours Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: Dusk - 1am
Saturday: Dusk - 3am
Sunday, Monday, and major astronomical events: Closed

CONTACT: James Thurber, Director of Media Relations
Pickman Gallery
978/271-1300
thurber@pickman-gallery.com
http://www.pickman-gallery.com

Bath and Body Works Slatkin and Co. Cream Fox Wallflower

Isn't this the most adorable thing? I have a soft spot for woodland creatures (okay, all creatures, not just the woodland ones) and as soon as I saw this I HAD to have it. This is the cream fox, but I also saw a red one there that looked suspiciously like the Firefox logo. The cream one matches my decor better, otherwise I would have gotten both.

Bath and Body Works a bunch of new Wallflower starters for fall, and if I used Wallflowers more often, I probably would have gotten more because they're really cute AND on sale 6 for $24 (they're normally $6.50-$8.50 each, so that's a pretty good deal). I did get the Brown Owl because I adore owls, but there's also a Green Owl, two kinds of leaves, brown and cream acorns, PUMPKINS!!, skulls, bats, and Frankenstein's Monster.

The green wallflower refill I have in there matches nicely, doesn't it? It's Apple Crumble. Nice, but a little too weak in Wallflower form. I like the candle better.

I did a crumble. The teacher said mine was the best one.

Sephora Hello Kitty Fragrance

I got this as a sample in a Sephora order a while back. Isn't it cute? I love the packaging and the bottle. The scent is just okay... Not really my thing. It's a fruity floral that reminds me of something like Britney Spears Fantasy. Candy-like. The notes are: Cassis Sorbet, Italian Mandarin, Apple, Magnolia Blossom, Freesia, Orange Flower, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Musk. But the package! SO. CUTE. It has holographic foil! The bottle is in the shape of a cat head! Hello, my name is Scrangie and I'm a complete sucker for packaging.

Valentine's Day Beauty Wishlist

You all know how much I love holidays... So whenever I see something holiday-themed, I immediately want it. I've been putting together my Valentine's Day beauty wishlist over the past couple weeks and I thought I'd share my favorites with you. Since I started putting together this list, I've actually bought some of the things, so you can expect full reviews soon!


Urban Decay's flavored body powders. I actually have all of these scents in the old-style packaging, but the new style packaging is even better! I am a total sucker for packaging, I know. I'd get them again just to have the gorgeous boxes. I really do like these, they're sweet scented (Cocoa is amazing, I wish it had a matching perfume) and they also taste sweet. The have a little bit of a tinted shimmer. I used to wear them on my chest/collarbone/décolletage when I was wearing lower-cut shirts. Oddly enough, whenever I wore these, this guy I worked with always told me how pretty I looked.




Physician's Formula Happy Booster blush, bronzer and powder. I don't think I've lusted after any beauty product quite like I did with these. The minute I saw them I just couldn't stop thinking about them. I did end up finding these last week and I love them so much. I'll do a review on them shortly, but let me mention that these currently have $3 off coupons attached to them, so if you're thinking about getting one, make sure to get one with a coupon on it!



Stila Make Me Blush. I feel the same way about this that I do about the Physician's Formula Happy Booster powders. I know that logically, it's just a blush. But when I see it I go crazy. It makes me giddy to look at. Of course, I caved and ordered the set that comes with the Hugs and Kisses lip glazes. It's actually a pretty inexpensive indulgence- the set is only $20.


Philosophy Sweet on You set. One of my readers told me about this! It's supposed to smell like those candy hearts that I love. I have the sweetest readers :) Anyway, I'm a huge Philosophy fan so this is extremely appealing to me. I really really want this!


Bath and Body Works Valentine's Day PocketBacs! They're 5 for $5 right now. These are so cute. I'm a bit of a germophobe so I always have hand sanitizer in my purse, but I wish I had these instead of my plain unscented Purell! Here's what the scents are:

• I Love You (aww ♥) in Sweet Pea
  
• I Love Shoes (lets get ‘em!) in Stylish Strawberry
  
• I Love Cake (maybe just a mini cupcake so that I can fit into my LBD tonight) in Buttercream
• I Love Boys (#bieberfever) in Berry Crush
• I Love Bling (who doesn’t) in Rock Candy

Buttercream and rock candy scented hand sanitizer! Must have these!


YBF Pucker Up lipstick set. They're in heart-shaped tubes! I remember that Models Prefer used to have a set just like this, and I remember always wanting it. I'd probably only be able to pull off that pink color in the middle, but like I said, I'm a complete sucker for packaging.


Kiss Catwalk Nail Decals. Actually, this isn't so much a wishlist item as a recommendation. I just got these and they're perfect for Valentine's Day. Just wanted to make sure I mentioned it!


Sephora Collection Flower Kabuki brush set. Gah. I can't handle how cute these are. I'm not sure how well they would even work for applying powder, but I need them. Anyone have these? Are they good? I love looking at them.


Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb gift set from Nordstrom.com. It comes in a heart-shaped box, just like a Valentine's Day box of chocolates! I'd rather have perfume than chocolate. Well, maybe. Perfume lasts longer. Can I get perfume and chocolate? I've been meaning to get a full sized bottle of Flowerbomb...




Kat Von D Adora fragrance and Painted Love Lipstick in Adora. Adora doesn't even sound like a fragrance I'd like based on the list of notes (Lychee, Boysenberry, Thyme, Cassis, Hyacinth, Jasmine, Mango Flesh, Patchouli, Sheer Musk, Amber Wood.) but I love love love the bottle. It looks so heavy. And the lipstick? I don't think I really wear red well, but the color of it is so bright and sparkly and look at that romantic looking tube! The red flowers on the black satin background! The little clear base that shows the color!


I'm having cute makeup overload.