Scents by Alexis Venus in Furs, Eve's Revenge and Vixen and a Giveaway

The final three scents in my package, I'd covered the other ones here and here. Venus in Furs lists spicy amber, freesia, vanilla and florals. There's a powdery note to it that keeps is just this side of Velvet Underground, but only just; it's sweet young flesh doing rather outre things at places like the Chelsea hotel. Karl writes "This is your secret password". I might be a touch too old to enter that club.. Eve's Revenge is so not me: a green apple sweetness that reminds me of candy or gum. Luckily that's just the opening. It deepens into amber, still sweet, but then this is Eve's revenge not Adam's. Vixen gets back into territory I'm happier in: coffee and berries, bone dry with that sly sillage and a bright blackberry note that's delightful. All of these are available at her website in I might add some really gorgeous hand-finished bottles. I will give my samples of all nine scents to a random commenter; if you would like to be included in the draw, please leave a comment. The draw is now closed.

Scents by Alexis Duchess, White Sable and Goddess

By Tom Last time we covered three of nine of Alexis Karl's delicious perfume oils, today we will look at three more, Goddess according to Ms. Karl contains vanilla and jasmine. It also has a nuttiness to it that reminds me a bit of Parfumerie Generale's Aomassai, minus what March call the a$$ part. Well, maybe just a touch, but it a very goddessey sort: innocent, Rubensesque and very sexy. The jasmine and citrus cut the sweetness, and although it's not listed I think I smell lily of the valley. Yum. Duchess is a literal eye-opener, with a rich dark chocolate that smells like of has a hint of both coffee and raspberry before I get the best smelling simulacrum of a fresh pear I've ever run across. If you've been reading my reviews over the past (is it really nearly?) three years here you would think that I would back away making the sign of the cross, but it's by far my favorite of the bunch thus far. White Sable on the other hand was a miss for me, my skin took it's white flowers and vanilla and made it seem just strange, kind of like the scent of high-end nail polish. Which would make it a great Etat Libre scent, but isn't what I imagine Ms. Karl wanted it to do. I'd love to read how others found it. Next time, the other three in the package, and a giveaway. Available at her website, $100/ 1oz, $175/ 2 oz

Scents by Alexis Black Valentine, Minx and Femme Fatale

By Tom It's been a long road for me to learn to appreciate perfume oils. Originally I dismissed them all as being godawful things that popped up every now and again in health food stores reeking of cheap patch with the staying power of a freshly startled skunk. Luckily, perfumers like Liz Zorn and Roxana Villa have been able to teach me an appreciation for well done oils. Alexis Karl does well done oils. Black Valentine manages to be gorgeously gourmand and wonderfully flowery at the same time. The combination of tuberose and caramel is spellbinding: on my skin it almost becomes chocolaty. I never thought that chocolate covered tuberose would be something I'd care to smell like. Live and learn.. Femme Fatale is real old-style Hollywood Glamour: amber, jasmine and ylang-ylang that fairly cries out for bias-cut silk. It's retro-glam punch is mitigated by crystalline brightness (I think there's some kind of citrus in there) that makes it completely wearable. It's the perfect scent for releasing your inner Bacall. Minx is distinctly different and one that's going to be a love/hate scent. It opens with a winey bitter cocao accord. For a while there seems to be a distinct hazelnut scent to it, ubtil stewed fruits and a distinct merlot scent comes forward and it goes from love/hate to love/need. There are six others in the range that I have samples of, should I go on? Available at her website, $100/ 1oz, $175/ 2 oz