scarletgenesis

I was wearing a bit of Jack last night and put Masala Whipped on my arms. OMG spicey, buttery, pumpkin yummyness.

For the steampunk scientist, what about Dee? I realize that John Dee was way early (time period wise), but I feel like he would fit right into the steampunk world. And the scent is all leather and paper and sexy and a tiny bit metallic yum. But in a smart-sexy kind of way, y'know?

On my skin, I immediately got a rich, buttery pumpkin, with a hint of smoke and nutmeg. I also put a few drops of this in my hair, and OMG Clove! It came off my hair in spicy waves. This was amazing! My skin toned it down a bit, but the clove and spicyness came out after a while and is just gorgeous. This is not really foody on me. It's more like a fine Halloween night, next to a bonfire, drinking hot cups of spiced tea. I never really get the peach, which is fine. I really love this. It will make a fine companion to Samhain, I think. Definite future bottle purchase.

I had this on my wishlist to try, even though I'm not a huge floral fan. I thought I should see what all the hype was about. Color me amazed when a forumite that I bought a few bottles from included a decant of Snow White 07 as a freebie! This is incredibly light on my skin. I get creamy almond and faint, light florals. I almost think one of them is rose, a very cold, sugary rose. I am wearing it in a scent locket as well as on my skin, and the florals are still light, but a bit more prominent. And even though the florals are light, I get a sensation of standing under a trellis covered in blooms in the middle of a snowstorm. Amazing! Interestingly, in the locket, I almost get a crisp fruit with the florals, like maybe a very cold apple? Since this is called Snow White, apple is extremely appropriate, but unexpected. This scent is incredible in that it's almost warm and creamy on my skin, but very cool and crisp in a scent locket. So if you wanted one way, and got the other, try wearing it differently (in your hair, in a scent locket, etc). I really do like this, even though it's not a scent I'd normally go for. Not sure that I need a bottle of this ever, but I'm glad to have tried it.

In the bottle, this is all Robitussen. Cherry Robitussen. Wet, lots of tart berry here...um...where's the Snake Oil? Dry-ahhh there it is. Once it dries, the berry sort of fades to a tart background, and the vanilla, amber, and a hint of Snake Oil come through nicely. I get cardamom if I really concentrate, also. In my scent locket and behind my ears, I still get whiffs of the very tart berry that is much stronger than on my wrists (weird that a scent would react differently depending on where on my body I apply it). I really like this once it's dry and not overwhelmingly berry. But it's not what I expected. The Snake Oil takes a secondary role here, when I was thinking it would be OMG SNAKE OIL with hints of the other notes. It's actually the other way around. I think this actually may be really nice layered with the 'pure' snake oil. I do like this on its own though.

In the bottle, Lunar Eclipse smelled....well, not to my liking. I couldn't place any notes specifically in the bottle, but it was very strong. Once on, I got something like patchouli but with none of the spicy sweetness. I actually like the Lab's patchouli, even though I'm not a fan otherwise. I think that it was the red musk. I'm beginning to see that blends with red musk (at least as a primary note), just don't work for me. I so wanted to get all the lavender, tea, moss, myrrh and tobacco. I didn't get any of that, really. Just lots of red musk and the fruit gums, which, I'm pretty sure didn't like me. I ran and washed it off and slathered on some Dorian to make me feel better. (since it's a total sexy comfort scent for me) I had a huge headache yesterday morning, and don't know if the blend enhanced it, or if I'm just associating bad feelings with the fact that I had a headache when I tried this. I may try it again on a day that I'm feeling all pleasant so that my mood does not affect how I perceive it. I had high hopes for this, but it just may not be for me. I'm glad others are loving it.

Very sweet fruit in the bottle. Once applied to my skin, and once dry, the hibiscus really comes out. There's also guava and grapefruit, and possibly some cherry blossom. And....is that sage? There's some kind of unexpected herb here that is VERY faint. I only get a whiff occasionally, and only if I really concentrate on picking it out. Anyway, I'm pleased to say that Cheshire Moon is just light and fun. It's a definite keeper. I am kind of surprising myself. I never thought I was all that into fruits and flowers. It turns out, I just have to find the RIGHT fruits and (especially) flowers.

Antique Lace is made of gorgeous. I took a bath and put some on a bit ago to wear to bed. It's soft vanilla, without being foody, quiet flowers, without being 'perfumy', and it all blends together with a clean linen and skin smell. Utterly beautiful and relaxing. edited to add: even my cats like this! 2 of my 3 cats laid next to me in bed and tried to lick my wrists and they snuggled closer to me than usual last night! edited to add, part 2: the past few nights, this has become my wear-to-bed scent. It's so yummy and relaxing. Wonderful and I'm so glad to have bought a bottle unsniffed.

I believe this is for Devil's Night 05. In the bottle: All gingerbread. Wet on skin, and drydown: this is still a bit sweet, but way smoky now. It's wonderful smoke, like tendrils curling away from all the crackling leaves in a fall bonfire. Oh yes, I'm getting a picture now. I get the sugary, boozy notes as well. Glad the gingerbread isn't there much anymore. And the musk is underneath it all. I think the musk is actually going a bit powdery on me, but everything else is so nice that I can hopefully ignore it. Glad I swapped for this!

Yum! In the imp, this is all sweet grapefruit. I kind of overapplied this (and ended up using like 1/2 the imp!), so it really pops on my skin. Wet, I also got a hint of the popcorn note from Midway. Dry it stays very light. I now get grapefruit, lemony candyfloss, and some lovely spicy ginger. The ginger was the reason that I didn't order a bottle outright, since it might have been the thing that went all funky on me in War. But ohhhhhhmyyyyyy. It is just spicy enough and really blends well with the fruit. It adds a note of sinister to the whole scent, that serves to keep it just on the right side of too sweet. This is a real winner, and totally surprised me with how much I like it.

Did you receive a Click n' ship? If so, you should be able to go to the USPS website to track it from a link on the CnS email. You should be able to see where in the process your package is, if it says it was delivered, etc.

When sniffing Red Lantern (08) in the bottle, all I could smell was cloyingly sweet caramel and coconut. I was worried, because I like very few of the uber sweet scents. I applied to my skin and almost immediately, the sweetness toned down and I got an amazing tobacco scent (like really good cigars being lit). As it dried and once dry, the tobacco remained, and I can now pick out what I think is the white opium and definitely spice. I get a sort of boozy note as well, like really good Scotch. That may be the tobacco again, since some good scotch has a smoky note to it. Amber is definitely making an appearance on my skin and I think I can even detect the delphinium (though I'm glad it's not too noticible). The sweetness is very mild now, and truthfully I'd be okay if it were gone all together. This is a perfect blend for its description. So rich and complex, and it evokes a clear picture in my head. Quite the winner! (oh, and I don't get the currant at all. I like currant, so I'd be happy if I could smell it, but this blend is so nice anyway, I don't actually miss it) edited: the second time I'm wearing this (today) and I get almost none of the cloying sweetness I got last time. It's mostly smoky and a bit boozy, with some incense thrown in for good measure. I like this much better all around this time.

This smells alot like what I hoped War would smell like on me, and without the rancid note! I get the daemonorops, musk, leather, cinnamon, clove, amber and sage. I might also be getting the grapefruit, but I can't pinpoint it exactly. I'd have liked the cinnamon to stick around for a while longer, but at least it was there and didn't burn my skin. I like this alot, but I'm not sure yet if I need a whole bottle. I have a decant and that's enough for now.

In the bottle- similar to Hungry Ghost Moon, but a bit sharper. I can't pick out individual notes. Wet and dry: Wow, this is really lovely! Sandalwood, rice wine, black tea, and tonka are all making an appearance. No moss yet, but I only put this on a while ago. When I first applied this, I thought it was like a cross between Hungry Ghost Moon and Mechanical Phoenix (there's a sharpness/metallic note here that reminds me of MP). That sharpness has backed off a bit now, but it was great while it lasted. Overall, this is a wonderful scent. It's sort of quiet and relaxing, but somehow energizing all at the same time! I hope it lasts a long time on my skin, because I want to sniff myself all day.

In the Bottle, Blood Phoenix smells very much like grape and cherry candy. There's something a bit darker there though (probably dragon's blood). Wet, once applied: This is all cherry cough drops on me. Or maybe a mix of grape and cherry. It smelled that way ALL day in the scent locket. I don't want to smell like cough drops. Dry: This disappeared totally from my skin within an hour and a half of application. I'm disappointed b/c I love all the notes. My skin just didn't like this (first with the making of the funky smells, and then with not even sticking around. Oh well, can't win them all. And I LOVE Mechanical Phoenix, so maybe I can swap for another bottle of that.

The Spell of Amorous Love In bottle: Fruit Punch! I can't pick out any individual notes. It just smells like fruit punch to me! Wet, once applied: Ok, there's something spicy with the fruit punch now. I'd say cinnamon and clove, but those aren't notes listed. Maybe it's the sake I'm smelling? Dry: This has almost disappeared from my wrist an hour after I first applied it. It still appears to be going strong behind my earlobes, though. I'm wearing this also in my scent locket. I can pick out the individual notes much better in the locket than on my skin. Current, plum flower, sake, and cherry blossom all make an appearance. I even think I might be able to pick out the sake. This isn't bad, but may be a bit too fruity, and I'm sad that it disappeared from my skin so quickly. I agree with the previous post that said it is a casual scent.

I adore Love's Philosophy. In the bottle and once applied/wet, I get a creamy vanilla buttercream scent. Once dry though, it morphs into less foody and all warm, sensual romance. Vague, right? The vanilla and cream temper each other, so neither is too sweet or foody. The vanilla has a bit of smokiness to it, and the saffron is right at the edge (I assume that's the other note I'm smelling, since I'm not able to pick out saffron alone by scent yet). But there's definitely some mild spice showing its face. Love's Philosophy has stayed on my wrists and in the scent locket all day. I can still smell it 14 hours after I applied it! I'm really happy to find a scent that is truly romantic without being flowery or too foody on me. And this was my first 2 bottle purchase. I had a feeling I'd love it, and since it was an LE, I wanted to make sure I got enough! I'm also pleased that both of the cream blends I've tried so far (this and Glowing Vulva) have worked really well on me.

In the bottle - Glowing Vulva smells sort of foody, but I can't place it, other than a creamy, lemony, vanilla. Wet and applied, upon drydown: Still a lovely vanilla creamyness. I am also getting something resiny; it's almost like pine. I assume it's the combination of teak and amber. I still get a fain sour-lemon smell, but it's nice and tart (like lemon curd). The lotus might be hanging around faintly, but I barely get it, which is fine by me, since I've noticed too many florals in the scents I've sniffed lately. This scent is unique. I've not yet smelled anything even remotely similar to it. I think this will win over those that like individual food notes without liking particularly foody scents. It's an incredibly comforting and warm scent.

It's a good thing I ended up really liking Defututa, because I managed to spill 1/3 of a bottle when trying to apply it! So consequently, I'm wearing a lot more oil than I usually would, in an effort not to waste it. At least it's a GC scent. In the bottle and wet (on me and the dresser!), this is light and flowery. Maybe too flowery, I thought. But once it starts to dry down, and work with my skin chemistry, it becomes much more complex. I definitely get the olive blossom and jasmine, but I also get a warm cinnamon and maybe a hint of vanilla lurking in the background somewhere. It's like spring, but before it gets truly warm. It smells like the end of March makes me feel. Though I love winter, by March I'm ready for a bit more warmth and life. Defututa is like the coll breeze at the end of winter that holds a waft of spring flowers and makes me want to become energized. A Lot more complex than I thought at first, and I'm really liking it now.

I wanted to love Earth Rat, but it was just too melony on me. I must also amp melon, because that's ALL I could smell for the first 2 hours. A bit later, I got the tinyest hint of coconut, but that's it. No dragon's blood, no orange, no pine. The melon is my least favorite of the notes listed for this scent, and unfortunately it's all that I could really smell. My stepdaughter (11 yrs old) told me that she liked it 'because it smells like the mall.' I don't WANT to smell like a mall! So, sadly, I will be putting this up for swap soon, since I'm sure there are plenty of people who love melon and/or who will get the other notes more prominently.

When I first sniffed this in the bottle, and when I first applied it, my only thought was...huh? Hairspray? It seriously smelled like flowery hairspray to me. Then I went out and shoveled snow from my driveway for 45 minutes. And sweated my butt off. I came back inside and sniffed again. It's still a bit flowery, but NOW, finally, I am getting amber and myrrh and some oakmoss. I think it just needed time to settle into my skin. Sapphics is actually quite light for having amber and myrrh, notes I normally associate with heavier scents. And oh yes, there is some tonka peeking out now as well! Quite nice. Amber tends to occasionally go powdery on me, which is a shame, because I love it so. So I hope the other yummy stuff in this blend temper that and let the amber come out in its natural state. Time will tell. ETA: Mar 2nd - this is the 2nd time I've worn Sapphics. I wanted to wear something more floral than I normally wear and this won the lottery today. This isn't going powdery at all, and now smells like an absolutely GORGEOUS spicy floral.

I got Angeronalia for 2 reasons. 1. Based on the reviews/notes, it sounded lovely and like something different than what I usually go for, and 2. I've been reading a series set in ancient Rome and this seemed like a fitting scent to wear with my newfound love of the time period. Bottle: orange peel, florals. wet and dry: there is something sparkly about this. It almost smells like champagne tastes, if that makes sense. I definitely get the orange, which I love. There is something I can't place...maybe the olive blossom, b/c I don't really know what it smells like alone. Anyway, I also get florals, but they're not sickly sweet. Instead, they are very light and almost an afterthought on me. I think the honey and lemongrass tone them down, which is good. This is more floral than I usually like in a scent, but overall, it's very nice and the floral is not overwhelming. It certainly is an energizing, joyous bpal product! I think this is a nice day-time scent, though probably too light for 'evening wear'.

Snake Oil is so well blended that on me, other than the vanilla (which is not foody vanilla), I just get a wonderful spice blend...nothing really specific. It doesn't have a ton of throw on me either, though I also didn't slather as much as usual. I am loving this though, and can see why it is the best selling BPAL and a favorite of many. I layered it (accidentally) with Samhain 07 last week and OMG was it wonderful...all spice and vanilla scented candied apples. I will eventually have to get at least 1 bottle of this just to age, and maybe a 3rd to play with layering and putting in lotions. Smells lovely, sexy, yet subtle on my skin.

Mechanical Phoenix starts out very cologne-y, all ozone and lime (or something like it). But on drydown, some of the fused wiring and metal comes out. I'd like a bit more metal and oil, but this is pretty nice. I love that it's very different from anything else I own. I wore it to fence today and felt very strong and focused. I bet this would be dead sexy on a man. Too bad my husband won't touch cologne or anything scented (other than scented bath products, strangely). Anyway, this may sound gross, but I was sweating some from fencing, and it made this come out even better. And I LOVE the steampunk-ness of it all!

In the bottle, El Dia De Reyes is like strong coffee beans with some chocolate and a slightly nutty scent. Wet/drydown - Cinnamon jumps out the instant this hit my skin (quite alot hit my skin, since a large arc of the oil jumped right out of the bottle onto my arm!). Smells like chocolate covered red hots melting in steaming coffee. This is completely decadent smelling. Who needs dessert when you smell like this? I also have this in my scent locket, and the coffee is much stronger there, with other notes taking the background. My skin must really like cinnamon and chocolate, because there they are! This is a fantastic colder weather scent. Probably too heavy for summer, but will work wonderfully from October - March on me. It's different than anything else I've smelled (by far the most food-y scent I've tried), and seems to be exactly what it aims to be. edited to add: my husband told me the other night that he really disliked this for some reason. He likes the smell of chocolate and baked goods, but this was just too much for him. He doesn't usually have a reaction either way to scents, so for him to say he disliked it means he must hate it. Anyway, that just means I'll wear it when he's out of town!