phoefromelsewhere

In the bottle: chocolate, flowers and booze. Wet: rose. Everything else is running and hiding. Rose and lotus. I know my skin loves these two, hope it broadens out tho. Drydown: As far as bpal roses go, this one settles in rather nicely. The lotus cuts out and doesn’t go all horrid and and sweet. Nothing else has come up yet but I may have to keep it simply because I’ve found a rose I can wear. Finaly: Other notes did decide to make cameos. It’s actually quite complex once the rose chills out a bit. I’m going to keep this and wear it on the days I wanna feel feminine.

Sadly this really aggravated my asthma. Which sucks big hairy donkey balls because I LOVE this. It smells rich and warm and red and pulsing with vampiric sensuality. A full blooded and round blend that had big bottle written all over it for me. And then the asthma kicked in… I am guessing it’s the vetivert because it is really really stong and overpowering and I know I love and can wear dragon’s blood and most spices.

In the bottle: The green parts of lavender plants, sweet florals. Wet: Instant soap. Very nice lavender soap tho. Drydown: The lavender soap is gone and the jasmine has taken the stage and is singing her little heart out. Ouch. Finally: Jasmine has a way of being a complete stage hog. She’s very loud and unfortunately, she wreaks her horrible sweet vengence all over this blend. to jasmine.

Vetivert. Completely. Very very strong as well. I have a bottle of B&BW Vetivert which is way weaker and far more wearable. And it makes this imp redundant.

In the bottle: Soap. Wet: Slightly more orangey but still soap. Drydown: This smells just like orange blossoms. And…like home (Southern California). Finally: I really love this but I don’t think I’ll wear it. It’s almost like homesickness in a bottle and it makes me sad.

In the bottle: smells like chocolate oranges and flowers. Wet: Hmm. There’s no chocolate in this. It smells like chocolate oranges to me. And very sweet flowers. Hrm. On me this smells just like some Exclamation body powder I got one year for my birthday. Ick. to skin.

In the bottle: Sweet n fruity. Wet: Very weird. I can smell the fruit, it’s bright and sweet but there is also a rotten mushiness to it. Like rotten apples. Drydown: Oh, it’s ok now. Spicy and appley and only a slight mushy smell. Finally: Nope. It’s settled into a rank sweetness and I just can’t handle it. *pout*

I don’t have much hope for this one as everything with “lunar oils” turns sickeningly sweet on me. In the bottle: Fresh, sweet, cold. Mild spicy note. Wet: Ferny and sweet. Too sweet. Finally: Lunar oils strike again. I get ferns and a spicy rotten melon smell. Oh well, that’ll teach me.

In the bottle: Oooh, herby. Mint, lavender…tomato leaf? Maybe not. Stg with the same green pungency tho. Wet: Wow, this is weird. It is definitely green, but not a soothing calming green. This is poisonous toad green, harsh and dangerous. Drydown: I can’t really tell if I like this or not. It’s pungency is off putting but it’s smooth herbiness is alluring. Later: And now it’s turned to soap. Soap with matching baby powder. Bum. Smells like generic lavender baby powder. Where on earth did all the mint go?

In the bottle: Green nyquil. Um… Wet: Definitely getting the vanilla. A smidge of ginger…so far everything is fleeting… Drydown: It’s warmer now. It does smell like a cup of warm tea with milk and honey. No pepper or ginger yet. Or linen, come to think of it. Later: Ooh, this is really growing on me! Sort of milky yet warm and spicy. Somehow this seems more mad than I envisioned the White Rabbit to be, but is IS Wonderland, and as the Cheshire Cat says: We’re ALL mad here!

In the bottle: Oof, sweet flowers. Wet: I smell nothing but insanely sweet flowers. It’s the same sort of sweetness as in New Orleans but that had a grounding note. This one just keeps rising. Drydown: Unfortunately I still have not learned that florals + my skin = bad. I have to wash it off, it’s giving me a headache.

Warm, cozy gingerbread spiced with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. In the bottle: Gingerbread cookies. Freshly baked. Wet: Warm and super gingery. It actually smells like it’s fresh out of the oven. I want gingerbread cookies! Makes me wanna gnaw off my hand. Drydown: Smells kind of sweet yet dry, sort of like a spice that makes you sneeze when you open the jar, not sure what it is. Still very nice tho, just not sure if I actually like it on my skin. Will have to wear this one in a scent locket. Later: Very spicy, very nice. So glad I got ahold of this one.

In the bottle: Eucalyptus and just a smidge of pine. Wet: More pine. Bordering on the OTT pine overload that Skadi had for me. Drydown: Toilet bowl freshener. Later: Yup. Eau de la loo. Bum. Oh well, the Jabberwocky always did scare me.

In the bottle: minty green and mossy. Wet: Very clean and green. Also very very light, I had to slather this one. Drydown: Oh gosh, this is gorgeous. It makes me think of standing in a lovely green forest with ferns and moss over everything and a coupla wild mint plants twining through everything. Later: Very planty and green. This would be great for wanting to feel closer to the earth. There is a very earthy smell to it, I wonder if that’s the ambergris. It really does feel like I am sitting in a cool, dark, green forest on loamy rich soil. This may be a big bottle for me, will have to try it out a few more times.

In the bottle: exactly what it says on the tin. Wet: strawberry candle scent and sparkling wine. Drydown: And it just keeps getting worse. Sweet and boozy, it’s doing exactly what Swank did on me. Finally: Evil sweetness.

This is…confusing. At first I loved it, then I wasn’t sure, then it was lovely and then it was evil and sour. Finally, it was grandma-ish. Not me at all.

In the bottle: A musky version of Blood. Wet: Musk. Clove and cherries come up as well, but mainly musk. Very warm and spicy. Drydown: Sweet and powdery. Nice and clovey too. As far as wearing it tho…being honest with myself, I would never wear this. I love Blood and there is a very similar vibe between the two. But I’ll just enjoy my Blood and pass this on to someone who loves it. Finally: Very very nice, but just not very me.

In the bottle: Ozone and impending rain. Heavenly! Wet: I can’t even pick anything out of this. The only image I am getting is rain. Glorious skies-about-to-pitch-a-fit-rain. Drydown: Noooo…evil sweetness. It’s gone kind of fruity, orange? No, it’s melon. Honeydew. Melon mixed with ozone. Um… Finally: BUM a million times bum. This now smells like rotten honeydew melon sprinkled with sugar. Bah. at skin chemisty.

In the bottle: Pine. Lotsa pine. Wet: Very piney but not like fresh cut pine, more like the smell of a pine forest with the dry and drying needles crunching underfoot. There is a sweetness as well which I am guessing is the berries? I’m getting the snowy feel but this isn’t so much walking in the snow as walking on paths surrounded by older snow. This would smell great as a candle. Drydown: Hrm. Sweetness overdrive. It’s completely dry pine and REALLY sweet berries. Why does everything go too sweet on me? Finally: Ugh, no. Very bad memory coming up of wet dogs, fresh cut pine, carsickness and windy mountain roads. Nothing against the the scent itself, it’s lovely if a bit overly sweet. But it’s not a memory I want to revisit anytime soon.

In the bottle: I can’t pick a single note out, this is perfectly blended and so nice. Wet: This smells like…autumn. A cool day when the wind is blowing and the leaves are rustling. This is similar to Hunter Moon in that it is evocative of autumn. Very warm and comforting. Drydown: This has gone sweet but not horridly so like Hunter Moon. More like berries and wine, very lovely and comforting. Finally: It's um...comforting! Very nice. And a limited edition that loves me as much as I love it. YAY!

In the bottle: flowers galore. Very nice. Wet: Whiff of flowers...no, it's gone now. There is nothing here. Seriously, it just smells like my skin. Drydown: Nothing. Later: Nope. Nothing. This is the second time I have tested this and both times there is the faintest hint of flowers for a few seconds and then it’s gone for good. Bum.

In the bottle: Cool and minty…very nice. Wet: Oh, this is lovely. It smells like mint chewing gum and eucalyptus. Everything is lovely and cold. There is a sweetness to it but so far it’s not overpowering. I hope it stays like this. Drydown: It’s faded a bit. It’s still minty and cool but the sweetness is getting louder every second. Later: URGH. The sweetness is now headache inducing. Are none of the lunacy oils going to work on me? This is awful. Whatever “lunar oils” are, they seem to not like me (which means that Cold Moon will probly hate me too). BUM. :D

In the bottle: Burning woods, stg sour smelling? “Ew” was my first thought. Will just have to see what it does tho… Wet: Cinnamon, woods…smells like those country craft shops with tons of candles everywhere. Drydown: Lovely, warm and rich. Perfectly evocative of that time of year. Crackling fire, cool night air and mulled wine. There is stg fresh and cool there as well, I want to say mint but it’s not that bright. This makes me wish it was autumn again! Later: Oh bother. This goes awfully smoky and sweet for some reason. There must be musk in this as it’s doing the typical love hate thing on my skin that musk does. Bum bum BUM. I hate musk but it seems to love me. Bother again. Off to the swaps.

The essence of pleasure heightened by pain: the raw scent of leather. I had an odd reaction to this one...stg in it is causing my allergies to go crazy. Seriously big time allergic reaction here (I don't mean life threatening, just very sneezing, itching, lung irritationy.) So that sucks. It didn't smell like the warm leather scent I was hoping for anyway, before my allergies kicked in, I envisioned not a leather jacket wearing bad boy on his motorcycle, but a Wrangler wearin' Stetson man smelling like dirt, sweat, hay and saddles. Then again, I'm allergic to hay and dust too! So, not for me.

Samhain 2004: In the bottle: Warm, spicy. Smells like gathering kindling in the woods and later a nice big bonfire on a cold night. Wet: Very strong spicy woodiness…sandalwood or patchouli maybe? Very woodsy and spicy. Very warm, like hot apple cider by the bonfire on the same cold night. I wish I had had this to wear on Samhain at the Chalice Well! It would be perfect for that setting. Oh well, there’s always next year. Drydown: I’m getting cinnamon, stg spicy that tickles my nose. And there’s a cool almost mintiness behind it, like cold fresh air. This is perfectly evocative of my favorite holiday. I’ll enjoy wearing it year round to put me in mind of autumn and the tingle of magick in the cold air on Samhain night. Later: This brings to mind sitting around a crackling fire, cinnamon stick stirrers in the apple cider, fresh, cool autumn air and the bite of evergreens. Brilliantly done, I love it!