hkhm

imp: carnations and neroli. wet: the florals are completely overwhelming. this often happens when there's lots of floral notes, they go everywhere and end up jarring and brash. i also think i have some issue with carnations, i'm noticing that note goes yucky on me. dry: the florals stay strong and abrasive, i tend more toward soft florals myself.

imp: sweet and boozy! two of my favourites! i'm already thinking i'll need to add this one to the bottle list. wet: this smells like jolly rancher candy dropped into a glass of booze. i'm in heaven here! dry: oh wow! this is such a yes! i'm just hopping up and down in excitement over the next order i'm gonna place, but there will be two bottles of this sweet, yummy scent in there. this is going to be one of my favourites, perhaps even a top ten.

my under-kimono already carries a faint apple scent (i'm thinking it's from the hesperides or ladon) and my over-kimono has a barest floral scent (i can't figure out what scent is was/is). i was thinking i'd wear the hesperides and yemaya so as to smell like an appley melon. but then i realized those scents are a bit more srpingy and since these kimonos are autumnul (deep rust tones on one, dusty olive greens on the other, the obi is a rich golden colour, haven't selected an obi-age yet) i need to select something more apropriate. i'll probably go with something sweet and spicy but i haven't narrowed it down enough yet. maybe i'll try a bit of plunder with samhain?

imp: smooth aquatic with a dusty, musty smell. wet: this is the same smoky dirt scent i got from baron samedi. the aquatic note is nearby but the smoky scent is thick in this blend. dry: when the dustiness clears this become the best-smelling aquatic i've tried yet (with, perhaps, the exception of the pool of tears). that dusty scent takes the edge off the aquatic and makes it more smooth. it puts me in mind of fog rolling over the water, spooky and mysterious.

imp: there's something sweet and... animally here. is this what civet smells like? interesting... wet: this is sweet florals and some sort of tangy musk. unfortunately the florals are threatening to go soapy on me. dry: phew! no soapiness. this is a much more floral musk than usual. i'm still curious about pinpointing civet so i may have to do a little more testing to figure it out.

imp: the first thing i smell is clove. there is something sweet and floral too but all i can really smell is clove. yum. wet: this is like sweet clove candy on my skin. a very unusual scent to me. dry: this dries to indistinct florals with a slight spiciness.

imp: musk and patchouli. the musk is definitely strongest here. wet: gah! musk! that is... proabably... the most musk i've ever inhaled at once. i don't think i'll ever be the same. dry: well... i'm sure i'll smell like musk for the next week after this test. and i think everything in the house will smell like musk too. this is for serious musk-lovers and i'm not sure i'm enough into musk to get a bottle of this. i might try layering it with other scnets though.

imp: light florals with musk. wet: jasmine and musk. i keep thinking i'm catching a hint of some other florals but, whenever i go in for a closer sniff, it's all jasmine. dry: the jasmine wins out over the musk and is what remains on my skin for hours. this is really a nice jasmine, soft and sweet.

imp: warm, spicy, citrusy plums. this reminds me of canning day when i'm pouring the spiced syrup over plums that have a touch of lemon juice on them. wet: oh lovely! the amber warms up to it's creamy, wonderful best and blends with the citrus beautifully. this is golden sunlight coming in the windows at an angle on a nice, lazy autumn afternoon. the plums have all been gobbled up. dry: still creamy amber and citrus. lovely and relaxing.

imp: after one sniff i find myself yearning for honeydews. i wonder why? wet: i'm sure someone is going to think i've just gorged on melons if i walk around with this scent on. but who cares? this puts a smile on my face every single time i sniff it. dry: the melon here is ripe and sweet and juicy. i think htere might be some other fruit here but it's all melon on me. added for the bottle list!

imp: i smell amber, vetiver and cedar. the vertiver is sharp but it's not knocking me back like it does in some of the other scents. wet: smoky pines. the amber is quite faint. there is nothing to suggest tangerine when i sniff this scent. dry: this dries to a faint, soft pine.

imp: strong, almost bitter, citrus with some florals. wet: very bright, crisp citrus. i'm not even getting a hint of jasmine or lavender. dry: there is a faint floral here but i can't pinpoint it. the citrus smoothed out to be a bit more sweet and fruity.

imp: aquatic lavender. wet: much more aquatic once on but it mixes with the lavender in a most pleasant way. dry: the lavender fades away leaving only the aquatic note which is soft and mellow.

imp: kind of a spicy, tangy, watery gardenia. wet: it's gardenia and some other florals, perhaps lilac or jasmine. very sweet and aquatic. dry: this dries to a lovely sweet, soft floral with just a bare hint of the aquatic note. this feels shimmery and clean.

imp: this smells quite bitter in the imp. bitter fruits with bitter flowers. wet: this still has a sharpness to it that doesn't smell sweet at all. i can sorta catch a hint of orange but it's either the musk or the sandalwood (or both) that is turning this all strong and bitter. dry: i'm finally getting a bit more sweetness here. it smells both like orange and mango, sweet and juicy. there is still a bit of the sharpness present but it has faded enough to be enjoyable.

imp: this smells like musk and rose with maybe a little bit of dragon's blood. wet: i think there must be some sandalwood in here because that's what i get as soon as it hits my skin. sandalwood, light rose, a bit of musk. dry: more musky with the rose on the verge of soapiness. there is still a faint sandalwood and dragon's blood touch but it is indistinct.

imp: i smell pine and something tart-sweet. wet: very piney! this puts me in mind of fresh-cut firewood with sap still oozing. dry: the tart-sweet scent is back with the pine scent. this smells very crisp and refreshing.

imp: sweet vanilla and honey muffins. or like a rich vanilla poundcake. very sugary and sweet. wet: buttery, lightly spiced, vanilla cake. jewelbug mentioned this being jack without the pumpkin, that is exactly what i thought when i smelled this. dry: this is sugar skull, dipped in butter and slathered on a cupcake. i normally do not go for scents like this so i'm surprised by how often i keep sniffing my arm and making yummy noises to myself. very sweet, satisfies my sweet tooth without eating anything.

imp: faint apples with a woody/herby note. not getting any amber yet. wet: herbed apples. this is not as woodsy an apple as the hesperides nor as virulent an apple as poisoned apple. very nice! dry: this reminds me of poisoned apple... but a more tame, less sharp scent. why do i still only have an imp of this? added to the bottle list!

imp: lavender is most prominent but i'm catching hints of the lime and mint and other herby goodness. wet: this reminds me of the stems of lavender. certainly it smells like lavender but there is also a woody, herby scent to it. also, there is a scent that reminds me of little chamomile plants basking in the sunlight. it's such a cheerful, happy scent. dry: okay, this dries down to something that smells nothing like lavender but is definitely a green scent. a soft, yet lasting, sweet herbal scent.

Swarthy and vibrant! An elegant, full-bodied scent that ignites all the darkest passions. Bold red wine, mimosa, and a trickle of clove. imp: oh my god! i'm having a flashbask to medicines taken in childhood! this is some weird "cherry-flavoured" concoction that i must take twice per day. wet: this is like some sort of cherry soft drink or a cherry italian soda with extra syrup. maybe a cherry lollipop sitting a glass of cherry kool-aid. cherry. dry: this finally dries down to a lightly spiced cherry wine but boy was it a syrupy, sugary ride getting here! i don't know if i can take that much super-sweet cherry just to get to this part of the scent. it is lovely though, like a nice, deep-red mulled wine.

imp: cherry-scented flowers. the cherry is a bit faint and the florals are not distinct. wet: there's a lemony note with the cherry florals. this has gone a touch soapy on me but it's not as bad as it could be. dry: the lemony scent has faded but so has the cherry. i'm left with that vague floral scent that must be lily but doesn't really smell like it to me.

imp: rose, rose and more rose. wet: there is a nice spiciness here. roses and rose-hips and spice is what this sorta smells like. dry: this did not go too soapy on me (there's a faint bit of soapiness but i can manage) and that little bit of spiciness stays put. this is one of the nicer rose blends.

bodello and the raven seem to most purple to me so far. everytime i open my bottle of bordello i sound just like homer simpson: "mmmm... purple."

ladon seems like the most appley scent to me, followed by the hesperides and poisoned apple. xanthe smells like apples & fruit while cupid complaining to venus smells like apples & fruit & honey. coral snake smells like apples and snake oil. shango is a weird one. i almost never gat apple out of it. that being said, it's tied with imp for my all-time favourite scent. and, of course, sugar-slathered candied apple smells just like it's name. most of the other apple scents are so faint in the apple department that i don't wear them frequently (like bilquis which smells like spicy almonds and somewhere in the back is maybe a little piece of apple). maybe i'll go back through my apple stash and see if my opinions are different now.