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: 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.
It's got a very 'cologney' type vibe to it...not that that's a bad thing, at all. It starts off on the masculine end of the spectrum, maintaining a very deep, earthy atmosphere, but you can smell the sweeter notes lying underneath, and as time passes, those come up and give it a nice, more feminine elegance. So, I would agree with another reviewer who called it a unisex scent. I think if it would have projected more, I would have really been aching for a bottle of this; it's nice, but doesn't quite cut it for me.
Category -- Bewitching Brews
Pretty much as advertised -- dragon's blood and amber. The dragon's blood gives it sweetness, while the amber gives it warmth, and the feeling of a nice, round, polished edge to one's nose. Very pleasant. It has modest throw and decent staying power. Recommended to anyone who's a fan of these two components.
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: 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 -- 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: Limited Edition -- Yule 2007
Oh. My. God. Wonderful warm BEESWAX mixed with amber, and I think I'm even smelling the olive oil a bit...a warm, smoky sort of smell. Must...have...more!!
Category: Ars Amatoria
This is a really elegant and sexy blend. On me, it smelled mainly floral, but in a delicate, almost coy sort of way. I think the musk helps push the blend out and impress it on your senses, but it manages to do so in a pretty subtle way. It also has nice staying power. I don't know if it's bottle-worthy, but it's definitely on my list of favorites for the moment.
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: 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: 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!
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.
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: 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: 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.
Category: Sin & Salvation
In the imp: There's cinnamon, but in a sweet, sugary, Red Hots candy sort of way.
Wet: Sweetness predominates. I'm assuming this must be the clove, though I had never expected it to smell like that. It is mainly a floral sort of sweetness, with just a hint of sugar running through it; thankfully, the candy-like scent has gone away. Every now and then I can detect a brief spike of cinnamon or pepper, but the scent is predominantly sweet.
Dry: Finally when it had dried and died down (this would be *hours* later), I could detect a resinous incense scent on my skin -- dragon's blood.
Verdict: Even though it's not behaving the way I'd have thought from the description, I LOVE this scent! It is my favorite so far. Every time I would catch a whiff of myself I would feel quite happy...and this would happen quite often, as even with moderate application the scent is very strong and throws very well. Yum! A full bottle of this is a must-have.
What I liked: The sweet scent -- flowery and sugary, without crossing over into being obnoxious. The strength -- this throws *so* well, and I love being able to smell it on me without having to slather it on and risk being too stinky for people around me. And, the lasting power -- I put this on in the morning and can still smell it -- albeit faintly -- twelve hours later.
What I didn't like: Nothing! Wrath makes me happy!
I thought Absinthe and Aglaea were good, but this tops them, absolutely.
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: 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: 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.
Category: Ars Draconis
Upon first application, it's a very woody scent, with a vague hint of spiciness, and a delightful resinous edge. However, it wears off really quickly, leaving just a very faint blend of sweetness and sandalwood behind. Not a keeper for me.
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008
Admittedly, this is less-than-pleasant upon first application; you get all of the beery, boozy qualities of it, that stale, sour leftover-whiskey smell that lingers on your breath the morning after. Not nice.
However! It calms down and behaves itself really quickly. It is like a burly, scruffy man with booze on his breath, who completely surprises you by reciting a lovely poem from memory. The harsh booziness goes away, and you are left with a sweet, malty sort of aroma, like you're leaning over a freshly-drained cask of whiskey and inhaling that slightly-toasted, caramely smell that's still soaked into the wood. Once it's morphed to that stage, it stays there. I really liked this one.
If it weren't for the unpleasantness at the beginning, I would spring for a full-priced bottle. (If I had unlimted funds, I still would.) I managed to wrangle a partial bottle, and I certainly wouldn't mind buying up other people's unloved imps and adding them to it from time to time. It's inspiring borderline hoarding behavior.
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: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008
The rose note made me super-leery, but the other notes sounded so appealing that I had to at least try a decant. As anticipated, the rose amps hugely on me. However, it never really gets all that obnoxious. There's a fresh, wet side to it, and that may be the agave nobly leaping in and keeping the rose from ruining my day. I don't smell the copal too much, alas, but it is there, lurking in the background along with the woods. It's really lovely, and after Karl complimented me on it, I'm convinced that I need a full bottle.
If rose doesn't normally work for you, don't be afraid...this could be one of those pleasant exceptions, for you.
