* New Orleans
Described as “sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice.” The hint is very slight; I never get the spice at all, and the lemon is only fleetingly there while this is wet — not even really discernible as lemon so much as a touch of lightness (that doesn’t show up when my sister tries this one). It’s one of the better florals I’ve tried, though, nice and mild, with a faint honeyed note that comes through toward the end. Holding onto it for now.

* Manhattan
Described as “sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid.” I definitely smell a sweet leather in the bottle, along with the citrus, but (as is so often the case) the floral elements end up dominating. Not gratingly so, but enough that this is just a meh for me. (And yes, “meh” has become an actual rating in my system, indicating that it’s a three on my five-point scale.)

* Arcana
Described as “frankincense, rosemary, lavender, neroli, and verbena.” Starts out as rosemary and citrus, becomes resinous and herbal, and winds up as a mellowed frankincense that could almost pass for sandalwood. Not bad, but not me, so: meh.

* Bergamotto di Calabria (Perris Monte Carlo)
Described as “bergamot, petitgrain, timur pepper, pink pepper, orange flower, neroli, orange blossom, jasmine, iris, sandalwood, vetiver, and musk.” In the bottle, a generic “perfume” smell with an orange-y tinge. On me, it’s basically a citrus floral air freshener: inoffensive but also completely forgettable.

(Here endeth the Kurayami-Hime Citrus Collection. Now begin the samples that cgbookcat1 very kindly mailed to me!)

* Nephilim
Described as “holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress.” Oh BPAL, I’ve missed your more outrageous descriptions. 🙂 I suspect what I smell when I first apply this is the hyssop, maybe tag-teaming with the rosemary; it’s something very green and sharp. Over time the fig comes through, and I wind up with that and the cardamom. In the long run I’ll probably decide it’s not for me, but I’ll try it again.

* Penitence
Described as “a blend of pure, pious frankincense and graceful myrrh.” This is the first time I’ve had a perfume go full circle! In the bottle it’s kind of a heavy, sweet spice, but as soon as I apply it the tone goes much lighter and sharper, almost medicinal. Then it takes on a green and resinous edge, before mellowing to . . . a kind of heavy, sweet spice, pretty much identical to its bottle scent. Another that’s probably not for me, but I’m holding onto it because it will be useful for comparisons against more complex blends with frankincense and myrrh.

* Fighter
Described as “leather, musk, blood, and steel.” Well, it delivers, I’ll say that for it? Been a while since my reaction to a scent was “ugh, NO,” but I don’t really want to smell like metallic leather.

* Miskatonic University
Described as “Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.” Since I never got the woody element other people report for this, it was pretty much just identical to Irish Coffee Buttercream, which I tried before. But I’m going to hold onto it so I can compare the two; I’m curious what differences I’ll find between them, before I dump one or both.