Category: Illyria
This is another pretty sort of 'bouquet of flowers' smell. The florals all just kind of bunch together and I really don't get any defining characteristic out of it. It seemed to fade fairly quickly and did not throw much.
Category: Marchen
Initially, this is plum, leather and musk like woah. After a bit, it softens, and the lilac comes out. Believe it or not, this is a fairly manly sort of floral. I am discovering that plum is one of my favorite notes, and this perfume does not disappoint. It has good staying power and some pretty decent throw from time to time.
Category: Excolo
In the imp, it's pretty light and unobtrusive...but once you lift that wand up and expose it to the air, it reaches out and latches onto your senses. It has a very sweet, almost candy-like scent to it, yet there's also an herbal touch to it.
As it goes on, it morphs rather dramatically again. To be quite honest, my first thought as it touched my skin was, "Oh god...it's mummy parts and wet jackal butt." Not exactly the most charming scent...and yet it seemed so appropriate, somehow, to the theme of this particular god...and don't worry, it gets better.
The scent becomes dry -- still pungeant, but there is a sandy sort of air to it. The incense and herbs are quite fragrant and there is the sweetness of the balsam all around the edges. This scent has a pretty healthy throw -- the first day I wore it I may as well have worn a sign that said "HEY, COME MEET ANUBIS!"
As time passes, the scent retains these same qualities, just with gradually-decreasing strength. The sweet tones are at times reminiscent of sacrificial wine, left in a bowl on an altar all day long.
Now, when I say that those rather unflattering components are appropriate, I mean that it really does conjure up funerary rites, an ancient temple, bandages scented with myrrh and packed with spices. It is *very* evocative.
I'm reluctant to set this scent aside, but ultimately I don't think it's for me. I would highly recommend it to any Egyptophiles, however, or to anyone who likes to conjure up a little sweet, dry decay now and then. And I definitely give it kudos for its strength and longevity.
What I liked: It's an incense scent with throw. And really, if I were to somehow meet this god, this is what he would smell like.
What I didn't like: Something is just off, and I don't know what it is! I'm really conflicted about it...I hate the thought of actually getting rid of it. It's not a bad scent by any means, it's just...not perfect for me, somehow.
Category: Picnic In Arkham
In the imp: Wow. It really does smell like an old person's house. Like...cleanser and very artificial air fresheners trying to cover...something gross. Eeek.
This scent morphs quite a bit. When first applied, the florals are predominant, in an almost sickly-sweet way, though having them in open air on the skin does wonders for the geriatric-home smell. Then, there's pine, trees, woodsy scents...perhaps the moss as well. Definitely a sense of earth and loam and undergrowth there.
When dry...it actually smells a lot as if you'd come to a halt on a forest path, and were scenting the trees and ferns around you. I'm not familiar with Eastern US trees, but there's definitely a pine smell like Douglas Fir, cedar, redwoods...that's what it reminds me of.
I don't believe it's for me (and it didn't last long on me at any rate), but if you like nature scents perhaps you should give this a try.
I rather like the way that it morphs around, as it's an interesting phenomena. However, the florals are just too...artificial-seeming, to me. I compare them to something like Aeval or even Amsterdam, and they just don't stack up.
Category: Bewitching Brews -- The Conjure Bag
In the imp, it smelled warm and spicy, like cinnamon and other spices, with a sugary hint to it...as if someone sexy were baking something sweet in my kitchen! (Hey, one of the many ways to my heart is through my stomach...)
If only it had remained like that. As it went on, it immediately smelled like red-hots, or Big Red gum. Not really my idea of sexy, now.
An hour later, it's gone. Not even a remote trace of it left to sniff.
So, no...not for me.
Category: Discontinued Scents
Oh, dear. I *like* this. It's a nice, light floral -- not sweet so much as...natural and a little earthy. It's much like leaning into the buds of a flower that have just opened, that soft velvety odor that you get from a flower that derives beauty more from the shape and color of its petals than from an overwhelming fragrance.
That, and it was long-lived in addition to being pretty...so now I'm sad that it got discontinued!
Category: Wanderlust
In the imp I could tell that there was some sandlewood there, with maybe a hint of something sweet, like the mandarin.
Once it gets on me, that sandlewood really amps up. At first there is a sharp, woody tone, but it quickly mellows to something that has sweetness around the edges -- bergamot and orange, it seems.
It's a lovely scent, though like all the sandlewood scents before, it doesn't last too long.
Category: Diabolus
It's definitely a mix of lemon and ginger, a very tart, sour, strident aroma. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. They are both notes that I've enjoyed in other blends, but this particular one just does not knock my socks off. Even so, if you are an afficianado of either lemon or ginger, give it a whirl. On me, the lemon came out and was more prominent, with the ginger punctuating it.
Category: Bewitching Brews
Vanilla baby-powder -- that's pretty much what I get from this. And...I suppose that's what an opal *would* smell like, if it had an odor (though I get a lot more of the white, fiery opal vibe from this).
It has a decent amount of tenacity and throw -- I'd rate it a 3 out of 5, on that scale. More of a feminine, demure scent.
I'll probably hang on to my imp of this, just because it's something I'd like to share with my mom somehow, at some point.
Category: Limited Editions -- The Salon -- April Fools
This...smells so familiar. And delicious. I think...I think it might be reminding me of that one magical time when I was wearing Fearful Pleasure, and it had that woody sarsparilla smell with just a hint of vanilla beans and other stuff...so hey, if cigars, coffee, and Irish creme is what makes it smell like that, FINE! There is definitely a smooth, woody tone pervading the sweetness throughout. As one reviewer noted, it does smell more like the mess left in the room afterward, as opposed to the actual doggy poker party itself...but that's fine by me. I think I need a bottle now.
Category: Rappacini's Garden
The apple in this is rather medicinal-smelling...almost like eucalyptus, as someone else noted earlier. However, I don't find it unpleasant at all, due to the way that the ashy notes blend in with it. Honestly, to me it's like a mixture of the appletini smell of Mock Turtle's Lessons and the wondrous charcoal of Brimstone. I like both of those scents, and really like this one. It is a scent that soaks into your skin and gives little wafts here and there, and seems to last for a goodly time. One of my favorites, now.
Category: Illyria
I smell violet, and possibly benzoin and tonka. It actually kind of reminds me of a sweet herbal liqueur...kinda like Galliano, for some really weird reason. It's a pretty durable scent, lasting all day long.
Limited Editions: Yule 2009 -- Miskatonic Valley Yuletide Faire
For me, this doesn't register as either 'chocolate' or 'tobacco' right away...it actually smelled like vanilla. A real sultry vanilla, the dark black of vanilla extract without the alcoholic edge to it. But that's just my nose being silly. Close up, I can definitely get the cacao, which is unlike any chocolate scent I've smelled heretofore...and the tobacco melds so nicely with it, that to me it becomes a dark, creamy, sensuous scent. And it lasts. All day long, and then some. I was actually on the fence about it for the longest time, but I realized that every time I put my coat on I was smelling the redolant aroma of the Troupe and *smiling* because of it...and so I came to my senses and ordered some. This is probably the most awesome of the 2009 Yule scents, and I'm *so* glad that I ordered a bottle!
Category: Bewitching Brews
I smelled mostly cedar and patchouli in this one, with some other vague incense smokiness going on around the edges.
Aureus is golden in the way that a chunk of amber is golden; you get that lovely deep aura of radiant wood and patchouli, dark red-gold and bright orange-gold; and then there are those dark swirls and flecks of smoke and leftover incense embers caught up within it. If you are blessed with skin chemistry that highlights incense and smokiness, I suspect that your senses would be going over and over it, like polishing a smooth stone in your palm.
I, alas, am not one of those people. As seems to be the norm with incense, this faded quickly on me, though the cedar stuck around for a bit.
Category: Discontinued Scents
Straight out from the imp, it smelled like soap. So, at least I smelled clean, albeit with a sharp touch of lye. And that's the way it stayed, the first few days that I wore it.
Today, though, it smelled differently...it actually smelled *good*, and of flowers. (Yes, I tend to persist with scents, even if they don't work right away.) I couldn't really detect any myrrh; I think in the imp I'm mostly smelling ylang ylang and sweet pea. As I put it on, the flowery notes gained a bit of strength, but weren't overpowering in soapiness as they had been before.
Dry, I smell sweet pea, and perhaps rose. There *is* a faint bit of soapiness and powder to it, which keeps it from being perfect...but it's definitely an improvement.
So, hm, something's definitely going on with my body chemistry. The only notes I've previously experienced have been sweet pea and myrrh, so I'm not sure who the culprit is for the strange, intriguing acrobatics that I'm noticing here.
In the end, unfortunately, there was just too much soapiness present to make this one a keeper.
Category: Excolo
In the imp: Cinnamon, patchouli, and orange...very, very warm and spicy.
Wet: It starts out spicy, peppery, a scent with bite; the patchouli attacks your nose with the spiky texture of its scent. Then it seems to dissolve and turn smokey, like a newly-lit stick of incense. There's definitely a strong note of both patchouli and orange, mixed with the darker notes of the other incense. It smells exactly like a little clothing shop that I used to go to...it's a gorgeous scent, and very 'incensey' without becoming obnoxious.
Dry: Unfortunately, it grows faint pretty quickly. The airy quality of it takes on a more woody sort of tone, and reaches a strange juxtaposition in that it's earthy and 'grounded', while the faintness of it makes it ethereal.
Verdict: I really like it, I just wish that it stuck around longer...Come back, dammit, I like youuuuu!!
What I liked: Orange FTW!!!!! Also the cinnamon. I was afraid of the patchouli, but it behaved itself quite nicely.
What I didn't like: Its throw diminished pretty quickly, and its staying power is pretty minimal.
This is interesting to compare with Al Azif; where Azif is sweeter and more candylike to me, Shairan is very much a stereotypical incense scent to me. I'm thinking if I can find a happy medium, that has decent throw and lasts throughout the day, that I'd be really happy.
Category: Excolo
This is lovely.
The juniper adds a very nice, grounding effect for the other woods, because for some reason sandalwood seems to do odd things on me that are not always pleasant. Together, the woods form a nice base, and there is a bit of spiciness from the juniper, I think, that creeps up every now and then, as well as bergamot. The florals lurk in the background; I can detect just a hint of lilac, just enough to make it especially sweet and pretty.
A very pleasant, romantic scent, in my opinion.
Category: Limited Editions -- Samhain 2008
There are definitely dry, dead leaves here, but they are accompanied by sweet, warm apple cider and poppies. It's a very nice autumn scent -- right smack in between the earthiness of Chant D' Autumne and the warm deliciousness of Fearful Pleasure. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long on me, which is why I'll just content myself with an imp.
Category -- Diabolus
The licorice/anise component stands out the most for me -- which is great, because I love that scent! It is framed subtley by faintly-woody tones...so I can sort of see how one could get that 'witch in the woods' imagery. As time passes, it turns extremely creamy -- as if I had put on some anise-scented lotion. Which would be great, if I actually had lotion that smelled like this...but is sort of disappointing from just the oil.
I would have loved for this to have more throw. It has very decent staying power -- I could still smell it, on my wrist, at night when I went to bed -- but it is too subdued for me to really desire a bottle of it.
Category: Rappacini's Garden
Several people have described this as 'flowery bubblegum', and I concur! It's very, very sweet -- and pretty, in its own way. I pretty much get just damp, juicy lotus, and that's it. Maybe a powdery hint of myrrh as it starts to dry, but it's mostly a floral, on me.
Category -- Excolo
This is a very pretty, and well-balanced, blend of lotus and rose. Neither becomes too overpowering; it just blends to create a nice, sweet, light floral. Not quite to my own personal tastes, but still a very pleasant experience overall. If you don't *quite* like either lotus or rose, you may still want to try this, because they really do balance each other well in this blend.
Category -- Rappacini's Garden
In the first stages, this scent is dominated by a dark, lust, full-petaled rose, with the musk and amber lending a peppery sort of undertone to it. As it dries, the other notes come forward, so that by the end of the day a delicious warm aura of musk and amber is left on my skin. A very sexy, seductive scent that hugs the skin and just gives faint wisps of sultry lust throughout the day.
There's a lot of white chocolate here, and after a few moments the violet peeks out. It's really lovely at first, but wears off all too quickly. Ah well.
Limited Edition -- Halloween 2009
A very yummy Pumpkin, indeed! This is the first time I really came up against the 'buttery' note that a lot of people talk about. But as soon as the cap is off and it's being applied, I get a hearty blast of freshly-melted butter. It quickly ebbs a bit so that it just smells like lightly-salted buttered popcorn...and then the other notes come out to play. I like honey, but often it can smell just a little too musky or tart; here, the pumpkin mellows it out enough so that it gives a nice, mellow body to the pumpkin and takes away a light sweetness from its fellow component. I liked it so much, I made sure to buy a bottle.
Category -- Diabolus
*gack cough* This is aggressive, all right. Vetiver whispers unkind things into the ear of patchouli, who otherwise is my friend, and together they are stalking across the way to rearrange my face. I think I shall be leaving by the back door, now...
And you know what's ironic? Besides being so angry, it smells like the Queen Of All Hippies. Talk about a paradox.
It actually reminds me a lot of my experiences with Crossroads and Lust...and those weren't very pleasant, either.
