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Eat Me

Initially this is delicious vanilla and sweet cake. The currant slowly emerges until at day's end there is a decided spiciness that is reminiscent of patchouli, woods and resins. Just glorious.

August 22, 2008

Sea of Glass

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. This smells overwhelmingly of soap. Clean, Holy soap. I'm not a fan of aquatics or ozone or florals, so I would have been surprised if it had worked.

August 22, 2008

The Illustrated Woman

In the imp: An almost effervescent - yet resiny - pine! On wet: Sweet pine at first, but then the scent begins to deepen and grow more complex within seconds. Patchouli and musk come to the forefront next... Drydown: Sweetness from the skin musk, vanilla, and honey (perhaps the Indian resins, too), smokiness from the tobacco, an earthy swirl from the patchouli, and that almost jarring green sap vibe from the pine pitch. Every note is apparent, but the overall scent I'm getting is sweet, rich, slightly dirty musk with a juniper garnish. Colour impressions: shimmering gold with a bold streak of silvery-sage green through the center. Overall: This might be a touch overwhelming on me. Maybe if the pine was a smidge less glaring, or the musk not quite so sweet, I could see this being perfection on my skin. As it stands now, I'm willing to let it age, see if it calms down a bit before making any rash decisions. It really is a *lovely* fragrance wafting from me at present, here's hoping it just gets better with a little time! A (temporary?) 3/5.

August 21, 2008

The Reaper and the Flowers

In the imp: Green sourness and white rose. On wet: Herbal powder, something warm, and a twinge of sourness underneath it all. Drydown: Very soapy powder on me - like a cross between some kind of amber and orchid (ick!). The white rose is especially bad (it *never* works on me, no matter how many chances I give it) - I think it's joined forces with whatever's powdery in an attempt to kill me. Perhaps that's the Reaper aspect of this blend? What's sad is that I can detect the *barest* hint of peppered cream from the carnation (perhaps some cool creaminess from the lily, too?) - if only I could get *that* smell as the primary aspect of this blend... Overall: Powdered soap. Something sour. Evil white rose. Not enough yummy carnation. Sadness. 1/5

August 21, 2008

Diary of a Lovestruck Teenage Cannibal

I am a foody whore that specializes in sweet. So DLTC is pure sticky sweet heaven to me. I think this maybe the sweetest blend I've ever tested and I just wallow in it like a fat, happy pig. It isn't overly cloying though, because the ginger and citrus keeps things tangy. I so wish I had a bottle, my decant isn't going to last very long at all.

August 21, 2008

Cockaigne

A rare instance of a milk note that does not sour on my skin. A deliciously foody scent that for some reason resembles Shub-Niggurath to my nose. I think the wine provides some shub-like warmth. I love it.

August 21, 2008

Asphodel

Smells exactly like easter lilies to me. Oh yes, and some kind of cleanser. A very familiar smell, but not terrifically compelling as a perfume for me. Discontinued from Rappacini's Garden

August 21, 2008

Antonio the Carny Talker

Antonio the Carny Talker - purchased a decant from a forumite and I think it is well aged. Gorgeously fruity and yet dark. I normally have a bit of trouble with coconut smelling like suntan lotion - but here it is perfect. Also, the green components of vetiver and verbena are subtle - allowing the fruits to play center stage. This is worthy of a bottle or three.

August 21, 2008

Antique Lace

Yay to the lab for frimping this one! Another one I would not have ordered on my own. Antique Lace is a very clean soft and sweet vanilla with just a hint of floral. I prefer it somewhat aged so that the vanilla smooths out a bit.

August 21, 2008

Adventures in Wonderland

wow, I smell delicious!

So I actually got to wear my stuff today. I'd mostly just been moping around the house and I didn't want to waste any. But I went for a little hike with my mom today and I thought I'd wear some while we went out. I kept getting whiffs of my perfume while I was walking and I was like "wow, I smell delicious!" But I was talking to my mom, who has been wearing patchouli from the Body Shop for years and she says she can't smell it on herself any more. (She's been wearing it for probably twenty years or something.) I don't want that to happen, so I might look into getting another one, so I can alternate. ... and I'd told myself just one. Isn't that how it always goes?

Meep

August 20, 2008

Sacred Whore Of Babylon

Category: Excolo Mmmm, I get sweet florals from this, like honeysuckle and/or jasmine, with perhaps a hint of cinnamon to give it some warmth and kick. It's nice...though I think I like Bathsheba just a little bit better.

August 20, 2008

Rose Cross

Category: Sin and Salvation Auuuugh OMG!!! Either I have only experienced very well-behaved, domesticated notes of rose before, or I just haven't had rose on my skin before. But this blend HATES me. And I hate it. From the second I opened the imp it was ROOOOOOOOSE, attacking my nostrils and pounding against my temples trying to give me a headache. And, wouldn't you know it, I not only amped it, but it lasted...all...day...long. Oh good Lord. Near the end, it *did* morph into the sandalwood note, but it was far too little tempering, far too late. Aside from the very interesting morphing process, this blend holds no allure for me. I will still have to experiment with rose a bit more to see if I just hate all roses, or if it's just certain blends. But I'm scared to.

August 20, 2008

Rosalind

Category: Illyria This is a really light, clean, pretty scent -- just like a fresh bouquet of flowers. Usually in scents like this I home in on the stems, the leaves, almost anything but the actual blossoms, but here I don't have so much of a choice; my nose is buried in fragrant petals. That's far from a bad thing, though; they are soft and given with affection, and therefore inutterably beautiful. There is an extra hint of berry-like sweetness, but it's perfectly-balanced and subtle with the rest of the blend. It's very lovely -- definitely go for this if you like fresh scents or florals.

August 20, 2008

Oya

Category: Excolo For the most part, I don't get any sweetness from this, certainly not in a juicy cherry way like others have mentioned -- it's just spicy and warm. Granted, it's a pungeance that does have a bit of moistness to it, like rosemary oil, or when you crush sage leaves between your fingers...hmm, and I guess I can smell the plum, lurking around in the background there. So I guess there *is* a bit of sweetness there, but overall, to me, it's all herbs and drying fruit and a hint of incense.

August 20, 2008

House Of Night

Category: Ars Moriendi At first sniff, it's very green and a bit herbal; I definitely get the funeral boughs, as well as the dried stems of leftover, long-dead bouquets. As it warms up, it does get a little bit sweeter, and more floral, in a very subtle way. It has very little throw, and average staying power. If you enjoy piney scents, I'd say to give this a try.

August 20, 2008

Western Diamondback

In the imp: Uber leathery - that cherry-vanilla leather that I get from Quincey Morris. A touch of Snake Oil underneath. On wet: Oooh - sweeeet Snake Oil! Extra sweet! Absolutely delicious. Drydown: Back to mostly leather. It's sweet, though, and both the sandalwood and Snake Oil are apparent - not sure where the sage is, it's usually not very friendly with my chemistry. There's an almost smoky quality to this now, and it's *really* yummy. If the sage stays missing or quiet (whatever it's doing), I'll be extremely happy. Overall: Lovely. This is dark and sweet and lightly smoked - it's also quite addictive. I can't stop sniffing myself! Totally brings to mind being pinned against the wall of some dark club by a pair of very masculine, leather-clad arms. ::fans self:: Oooh, yeah - I'm thinking I might need a bottle of this one. Freakin' HAWT! 4.5/5

August 20, 2008

Adventures in Wonderland

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

I meant to post this last night, but the epic thunderstorm was epic so I had to disconnect, just in case. Anyway, I made my first BPAL purchase yesterday. I had been thinking about it for awhile, but I had no idea what scents I would like. I knew I'd liked sandalwoods and ambers and vanillas in other stuff but I had no idea if I'd like anything else. Long story short, I never got around to ordering anything because I didn't want to spend money blind. Then yet another person on my LiveJournal flist bought a bunch of imps and I went clicking through the site again. I made a list of scents that sounded interesting thinking I'd buy a set of imps. Then I looked at the list of brick and mortar locations hoping there would be something in or around Boston, MA, where I go to school. There wasn't anything there, but at the bottom of the page was a place in South Burlington, VT of all places. I live a couple towns over and actually had an appointment out that way, anyway. So I told my mom about it and asked if we could stop there on the way home, which we did. We then proceeded to spend about the next hour trying everything that they had in stock, including a few from the want list I'd typed up. Well, I didn't end up liking any of them. I went with "Mouse's Long and Sad Tale," with "Phantom Queen" as a close second. Neither of them were on my list at home, so go figure. I'm hoping to figure out what it was about those two that I liked so I can try some other as well, but I'm not very good at that sort of thing.

Meep

August 19, 2008

Nostrum Remedium

In the imp: An almost candy-like sweetness and tea. On wet: Fresh, sweet, faintly...lemon and/or anise-y? Drydown: Wow, I can't get over how much muted lemon (pith?) I'm getting from this! I know tea can have a citrus-y vibe, but this goes far beyond a mere "vibe", my friend. The sweetness present is of the lighter, cooler variety - like white sugar that's been heated into a syrup and then chilled. It's pretty intense. The tea lives underneath that sugar-glazed lemon. It's a weak brew, but distinct when I press my nose against my skin. Not 100% sure what wasabi as a scent component should smell like, but I *am* picking up on a touch of heat where I applied the oil - it's making my skin tingle! No pain, no redness, nothing unpleasant - more like my wrist has been in the sun for a while. Overall: Interesting blend - wearable, pretty, simple and complex at the same time - but, ultimately, not for me. I have Dorian and Severin to see to all my tea-scent needs. If sugared tea (with a wasabi-tingle!) is *your* thing, though, you will absolutely love this. 3.5/5