Category: Sin and Salvation
Normally, I greatly enjoy florals, and this should have been a really great combination: lovely ylang ylang, earthy patchouli, and sultry, amping musk. And I think that if it had just been the patchouli and musk, it might have been fine...but today it's the floral note that kills it. It's like a menage a trois gone horribly, horribly wrong; the primadonna floral sweeps in, greedily hooks into the musk, and gets selfishly, insatiably busy with it while patchouli cries in the corner, wondering what the hell just happened.
When you are wincing every time you lift your wrist anywhere near your nose, it's a bad sign.
So, nope, no Lust for me, thanks.
Category: Limited Editions -- Samhain 2008
As much as I like sweet, foody scents, the just-straight-up sugar note doesn't do too well with me. It has an overly-sweet, plasticky edge to it that is not fun.
There *is* a warmer, almost boozy undernote to it, but it's overpowered by the plastic fruitiness. Not for me!
Category -- Bewitching Brews
Straight out of the imp, it's chocolate brownies! Moist, fresh brownies with chunks of chocolate chip melted in them...oh man, I really want to bake some, now.
As it dries, it turns to more of a dry cocoa powder...the sticky sort of smell you'd get on your hands if you've been nomming on a bag of chocolate candies for far too long.
I can see this being great layered with other scents...just by itself, it's not quite to my taste, but it could be fun to experiment with!
Category -- Bewitching Brews
A sweet, almost cloying mix if rose and other florals. Not really my thing. It has decent longevity and some moderate throw, especially if, like me, you tend to amp this certain kind of rose. (Now if only I knew just what *kind* of rose it is...)
Category: Limited Editions: Yule 2007
I didn't really get any tartness from this; sweetness, yes, but never shrill or sickly...it had a nice, full body to it. I think my only complaint about it would be that it doesn't throw quite as far or last as long as I would like. But it's quite a lovely scent, and sensual in its own way (which I suppose is appropriate...)
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.
Oddly enough, this is not 'cold' on me at all. Quite the opposite...I get the 'warm' notes of amber, sandalwood, balsam, and musk. There is a hint of pine/fir, sweetened vaguely by berry. It's pleasant enough, but somehow just doesn't do it for me. Alas!
I will vouch for the fact that cedar at no point comes out and bullies things the way it usually does. So if you are usually very leery of cedar, you may want to give this a shot.
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.
Forum-only scent
I get lots of fresh, green apple from this, with just a hint of carnation. It's pretty, but just a wee bit too fruity for my taste. It faded pretty quickly.
Category: Ars Amatoria
I had a hard time envisioning plum as an appropriate scent, but this fits the bill entirely. It really does seem like the sort of perfume that a five-dollar whore would wear (in 1880 dollars). It's sweet and feminine but definitely not innocent; it's one of those ladies that makes a point of putting a roll in her hips to make sure you keep following her up the stairs. Lasts all day, like a working girl should. Another winner!
Category: Mad Tea Party
In the imp: Honey, with a very warm tone to it.
Wet: Thick, sweet, honeyed cream, with a bit of spiciness to it.
Dry: The floral scents come out to me as it dries, and it 'cools off' as in the honey note becomes more subdued, though it never quite disappears...more like it coats the petals of the flowers (and I'm wanting to say that I smell more carnation than rose). And yet, there's a powdery note to it, as well...I'm wanting to call it 'baby powder' only because it's a very light, feminine, innocent sort of tone...not soapy or strident at all.
Verdict: I can see why this is a popular scent; it's *really* lovely, and very feminine, very elegant in an innocent sort of way. Unfortunately, it has *no* throw or lasting power on me at all, which makes me very sad. I'm reluctant to get rid of it because it's so pretty, so hopefully I'll be able to find another use for it.
What I liked: The honey and the floral scent.
What I didn't like: It's too weak! Sadness.
I have to wonder what sort of lotion this would make.
Category: Rappacini's Garden
This one is pretty straightforward: juicy, plump berry scent. It lasted a moderate amount of time, though it had definitely faded by the end of the day. Those of you who love all things berry should definitely jump on this one. It's not really my personal cup of tea, however.
Category: Rappacini's Garden
This one is definitely very 'green', earthy, and has a medicinal snap to it, though it's not overwhelming or obnoxious. More or less, it feels like standing knee-deep in a clump of thin, tiny green vines -- you can smell the tartness of the plants themselves, with a hint of the earth beneath it all, and a tantalizing sweetness throughout, as if from hidden blooms amid all the twining tangle. It's really nice. I'm still not decided as to whether I need a bottle of it, but, for the time being at least, it's a fond favorite. And the green color of the oil itself is pretty cool.
Category: Limited Editions -- Samhain 2008
This didn't strike me as a 'rosey' scent when I initially tested it, but now that I am re-sniffing it to jog my memory as I write this, I can smell the rose. It's definitely a very sweet floral scent...any incense is just peripheral, but I can detect the undercurrent of cocoa lurking at the very, very bottom of it all.
I think I'd agree with another reviewer above, and say that this is a smokier, foodier version of Mictecacihuatl. I don't think one needs to be afraid of the rose note...so if you like a hint of cocoa in your perfume, I think you could safely give this a shot.
I'm almost regretting not having gotten a bottle...
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008 -- Sleepy Hollow
I got a variety of scents from this one over the time that I tested it...the first day, it was straight-on, overpowering apple juice, with a rather unpleasant...biological sort of edge to it. (Read: pee. Eeek.) On subsequent days, however, it played very nice. One day, I could swear that all I smelled was sarsparilla...like a smooth, creamy, home-brewed root beer with a hint of vanilla and just the barest wisp of smoke. I have NO idea what was going on, that day, but I liked it -- and if it had done that repeatedly, I'd definitely be wanting a bottle of it. Overall, however, it settles into spiced apple cider. It's a scent that's both sweet and warm and very evocative of Autumn. If you love apple scents, definitely grab some of this. It's really good, but for a foodie scent, I believe that Huesos works better for me.
Category -- Bewitching Brews
It's definitely a PINE scent -- but that's not to imply that it's offensive. Rather, it's a very green, fresh, 'pure' sort of pine -- the sort you'd get straight from the tree, rather than seeming like a cleaning product. Underneath is a faintly sweet, almost creamy sort of aroma -- the ambergris, perhaps, and/or the juniper.
Soon after application, I can also detect a cedary scent -- that must be the cypress. After a long moment of piney goodness, it turns into a more subdued, generally-woody scent.
It's really lovely, and perfect for wintertime, of course -- and though I don't need a bottle, I will definitely keep the imp for a day in summer when I am longing for some Christmas in July.
Unfortunately, Karl immediately said 'You smell like a car freshener!', so a bottle is definitely not in my future. But *I* like it!!!
Category -- Diabolus
The first time I wore this, I knew that I was smelling the plum pretty predominantly; it had a sort of rich, dark fruity tone to it without being too terribly juicy.
Now, as I retest it, I'm given the impression of a rich lady sampling plums in between sips of champagne; it's fruity, yes, but there's also a very rich, perfumey smell that is almost alcoholic in its headiness.
A co-worker of mine recently received a rose that smelled a lot like this -- a sweetness so fruity that it was hard to believe it was coming from a rose! So I can believe that there is rose in here...though in this case the sweetness is surely from the fruits mixing with all the various florals.
It tends to hug close to the skin; this is a scent that's pretty much reserved for your own pleasure, and that of anyone you invite into very close company.
Recommended for fans of plum and fruit scents, and even for those who normally hate rose (of which I am one). This is a sexy one.
Category: Wanderlust
This blend is very floral and very wet -- like being near a pond laden with blooming water lilies. It strikes me as very feminine. I would recommend it to those who like aquatic notes and/or florals -- it succeeds really nicely on both of those levels.
As much as I enjoyed this blend, I still think that of the lush plant scents, Amsterdam still conquers all.
Category: Discontinued Scents
This is a wonderfully light and delicate floral. I can smell iris and, I think, moonflower; I don't pick up the super-sweet tone that I normally do from jasmine, but that's fine, as it seems to be working its magic in other ways. This scent is fresh and clean, and highly evocative; imagine standing among reeds and fragrant, dew-covered flowers at the edge of a pool, while the moon and stars shine above. It's beautiful. This is the one Muse that I really liked!
This is, indeed, silly and playful and effervescent. It is grape soda and chewy, juicy fruit candies, so many fruity varieties that they just sort of mingle together in a wet, bubbly mauve haze. It has little throw, and tends to fade fairly fast.
Just like candy, this is a scent that would be nice to indulge in once in a while, but a constant olfactory diet of it would be unhealthy. But I'm thankful for the sweet treat, all the same!
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.
Category -- Rappacini's Garden
A rather innocuous rose. The dragon's blood gives it a sweetness that threatens to send it into the same icky rose territory that I amped like crazy in Rose Cross, but it stays okay for the most part. It actually ends up smelling soapy more than anything. Decent throw and staying power, just not for me.
Category: Diabolus
At first it smelled like funky vase water after you've just dumped out a rotting bouquet. But it gets better. It works its way upward from ugly rottenness to a twisted, vetivery musk tinged with violets, and eventually becomes a clean scent, floral but not quite unmanly...as if the murderer has washed his hands after his crimes and is ready to lay on the charm with a new victim. Conceptually this makes it *very* interesting, and as a scent it's a winner. Lasts most of the day with enough wafts throughout its transformation to mind you of how interesting it is.
Category: Ars Moriendi
Well, 'ethereal floral' certainly applies here...I get a whiff of light florals, with maybe a bit of dusty ivy...and then it's gone. Very faint, very fleeting.
Category: Diabolus
Very sweet: strawberries and poppy, definitely. It's more evocative of slumber parties and lipgloss than orgies, but...that's just me. Pretty decent staying power.
