Gin

Mi-Go Brain Canister

 

Fruity-fruit-fruits! And Jasmine. I think I might love the Brain Canister if not for the that. The jasmine is similar to Lush's Flying Fox (etc.) and dominates the whole scent. It might be worth trying in a locket, though, as the jasmine is not as apparent in the bottle, it just totally amps on my skin.

Golden. Warm amber, vanilla, musk, sun-colored flowers. I love HappyLoveJoy's review that says L'Estate "smells like the color of honey," because it does.

Pruno

 

I was hoping for fizza orange soda. Instead, I got fizzy vinegar.

Marae

 

*weeps* I wanted to like this. Instead, it's Gardenia with a tiny bit of incense. But mostly gardenia. I like gardenia, but not that much.

Anactoria 2008

 

I don't think I ever get more than musk and amber and maybe honey, but this is gooood. It goes on *strong* but mellows into a fantastic amber-musk with a touch of sweetness.

Harikata

 

Sadly, this is all honey-floral-musk on me. It's just too warm and heavy-feeling.

The Spell of Amorous Love

 

OMFG. I want to drink this. But I won't. Probably. Cool, refreshing tea and cherry blossom. Slightly citrussy, but I think that's the red currant. The currant is wonderfully tart, but the cherry blossom gives it sweetness--like currants dusted with sugar. Incredible!

Hanami

 

Somehow this smells minty on me. There's a bit of flowers, too, but it strikes me as mostly herbal. It's very peaceful, and quiet. Makes me think of a meditation garden and mist.

Red Lantern 2008

 

Oooh! Caramel + coconut. There's a dry smokiness to it, too, like the embers in a fire.

Khajuraho 2008

 

Whoa, florals. This is sweet and just too much for me. I don't know which flower is the culprit... it's almost jasmine-like, but it, along with honey is too heavy.

I'm starting to wonder if I just don't get along with the Lab's apple blossom. I want to love it, but it always seems so sharp! This is no exception. The apple blossom is sharp and green. The grapes lend a grapey effervescence. The lemon balm and rose are soft in the background. This is a clean, shampoo scent... nice, but not me.

The Perilous Parlor

 

The only pear I smell is in the bottle, when I get a whiff of the acetone-like scent of D'Anjou. On my skin it's vanilla, much like the vanilla in Love's Philosophy, but here, it seems so syrupy. And there's something that smells almost masculine about this. I wish I could figure out what it is, because it smells familiar and it's driving me crazy. Anyway, I like but not love. I think I'll pass it along to someone who'll appreciate it more.

Dionysia

 

The strong patchouli in the bottle freaked me out a little bit, but on my skin, the plum and raspberry appear. Dionysia is so gorgeous. Fruit and patchouli, a little smoke, a little mahogany, a little booze (? maybe it's the fruits giving the impression of wine?).

Tiki Queen

 

Wet, this has a bit of a funky note under the florals. I don't know what it is, but I blame the ylang ylang. Luckily, that lasts for only a minute or so, and the hibiscus steps forward. OMG, hibiscus + vanilla = LOVE. As others have said, this is similar to Cheshire Moon--I think they share or have a similar vanilla note--but Tiki Queen is floral, instead of Cheshire Moon's foody. Beautiful!!

Schrodinger's Cat is heavily lavender at first, but gives way to the citrus fruits. The final stages are smooth and creamy... slightly herbal, slightly citrus, but quite lovely.

Cheshire Moon

 

Citrus and flowers and ... sugar? This smells like the most wonderful fruit and cake dessert ever. And scented doll heads, in an awesome, "oh, I loved that doll!" way.

Lune Noire

 

This is more subdued than I expected. It's quiet, dark, lightly-fruity, resinous, and floral.

Screeching Parrot

 

This starts out super-boozy and then switches to primarily grapefruit over apricot and pineapple.

Nuclear Winter 2005

 

Love this. This is the same mint-iciness that Frost Moon has. It's cold and minty and aquatic with a twist of pine.

Love's Philosophy

 

In the bottle: What the hell? Why have I not been wearing this EVERY DAY? It's fantastic! On skin: The same. Lovely vanilla cream. I can't believe I've had this for over a year and am just discovering it now.

Her Voice

 

This is really green, which I find annoying because that's not what i think it should be, according to the notes listed. That said, it's still a nice green floral. I can smell heliotrope the most, and something faintly vanilla-like. I only wish I got more carnation and honeysuckle.

Tupapau

 

Freshly applied, the flowers are muted to a disappointingly low level. Moments later, it absolutely blooms on my skin. I smell the plumeria most of all--it has a sort of clean, floral shampoo scent.

Te Po

This is fantastic. At first, I thought the golden-ness of the rum and the warmth and cherryness of the almond liquor was going to be too much for me. Reading through the reviews, I realized it really does smell like cherry cola at first. When that vanishes, the mint, lime, and vodka conspire to smell like gin and tonic, with the simple syrup and black cherry to sweeten it up.

Sticky Pillowcase 2008

 

Terminal sugar rush, indeed! It's like crushed-up SweeTarts sprinkled over strawberry hard candies.

Taurus 2007

 

Taurus 2007 is oddly spicy on me. Thyme + daisy + mint with maybe a bit of violet. Dry, I think I get some poppy, but I'm sadly missing the apple blossom.