suki

in the imp: stinky socks. and some vetiver. yipes! wet on skin: more vetiver, more stink. oh dear. dry down: straight up vetiver. which i don't mind. but i can't detect *any* thing else. in all: :shrug: tis ok. nothing special, tho.

in the imp: honey and rose in equal measure. yeah! wet on skin: the honey comes on strong, the rose is now in the background. still lovely dry down: BEAUtiful honey, subtle, gorgeous rose in all:it reminds me of rose hookah tobacco while still wet in the package, which is high praise from me, believe me. more, PLEASE!!!

thanks again to the lovely copyshopclerk, for including a full imp of this precious elixir with my order! in the imp: sticky-sweet, without being cloying, if that makes sense. there's a fruity note, but it's not quite foodie. wet on skin: the sweet dies down slightly, and i'm getting something like...watermelon and sugar candy. yum! dry down: a subtle mix, i can't really pick any one thing out! it's like a bit of gardenia, rose, watermelon jolly ranchers and a splash of Water of Notre Dame. i've never smelled anything like it! in all: i will cherish this imp as long as it will last me and will hopefully find some more!!!

An eternal thanks to copyshopclerk for making it possible to have this in my possession!!! in the bottle: all butter and sugar, with a *slight* hint of the currants yet to come wet on skin: the currants come to the fore, making this smell EXACTLY like warm scones with jam and butter dry down: a fantastic bit of citrus zest gets thrown in, making it more complex and SOOO real- like i am actually in a tea house having a nibble :swoon: an hour later: i am left with a faint remnant of sweet bread. it reminds me slightly of Closet in it's pastry-ness, and slightly of sugar Skull in the sugary aspect, but it's less overwhelming than either of those two. there's just a beautiful slightly incense slightly food finish. in all: SO in love!!! :D

dang, but i've been waiting for this to show up- and now it's here! yippie! in the bottle: holy CRAP this is just. like. cheesecake. wet on skin: the cheesecake remains and now i'm picking out a perfect graham cracker crust under it. how DOES beth do it?!?!? dry down: a ginger spice element emerges giving a full impression of a pumpkin cheesecake situation and oh GOD is this making me hungry :attempts to chew on arm without success: in all: more please?

in the bottle: candy corn! full on! weeee! wet on skin: more of the same. i see what people are saying about that boozy note. reminds me of eggnog (the food substance, not the oil) i likes it! dry down: a fabulous sweet spicy note comes out strong. reminds me of every food-spice-halloween candle i ever loved, but this one actually smells *good* on me! huzzah! in all: although just acquired, i can already see i'm gonna have to start scoping out another bottle!

this is one of *three* delectable bottles i acquired off the lovely carnival noir, and i am most pleased with all in the bottle: chocolate! straight up, no-holds-barred. reminds me slightly of scratch n sniff variety of me youth. :wistful: wet on skin: more of the same, with the chocolate opening a bit to become lighter, more 'real'. also the orange is peeping out just a hair. dry down: the choco love still dominates but is joined by a slight sweet-spicy combo that must be the currants. in all: this is the second 13 i've tried (the other was the purple label) and i like this one for being a bit lighter and a little more complex. whereas the other seemed strictly for wintertime, i can already see wearing this one year round. yeah!

i have been waiting to review this, and i've got very, very high hopes! :fingers crossed: in the bottle: vaguely foodie, but with offeratory incense under it, sort of what i get from Dia de los Muertos, but with an eastern edge. wet on skin: a floral rises up, but i'm definitely getting hints of those raisins as well. dry down: i think because of the inclusion of cardamom i was hoping for something more chai-like. this is more like incense i get in little india, mixed with thick jasmine and a slight touch of the coconut and raisin without being foodie at all. in all: although not what i anticipated, a beautiful, very complex scent, that i will cherish throughout the year.

in the bottle: fruity and yummy! like candied fruits and flowers. wet on skin: the rose starts to peek out, but the sweet fruit remains (must be the dragon's blood?) dry down: the rose comes out strong and this changes into something akin to being in the sorts of magic shops they had when i was a kid in '70's: incense, fruit smoke, and flavored rolling papers in all: a sexy little number, i'll likely wear this out dancing when i want to attract some attention.

in the bottle: cream and hazelnut, with a dark undernote of something sinister i can't name. wet on skin: i'm catching little whiffs of the cherry, but it's buried under the hazelnut/cream so that i only get it once in a while. dry down: the cherry recedes further, leaving me with a hazelnut/vanilla combo that is to die for. in all: SO glad i went with my gut and bought the 5ml bottle!!!

in the imp: lots of rose, but in a gentle, non-cloying way. wet on skin: rose rose rose. like being in a rose garden- it's really natural, not perfume rose at ALL. dry down: gorgeous rose! anyone that knows me knows that i'm not big on florals, but man oh man is this a keeper. in all: not only do i love this, but i think THIS is the one i've been waiting for, to enable my best friend with!

in the imp: the vaguely turpentine smell of a painting studio. not unpleasant, but... wet on skin: the turp becomes stronger. erm. dry down: more of the same, with an undernote of something citrus, like gum copal. in all: not for me or my skin chemistry, i'm afraid.

in the imp: i get dragon's blood, myrrh and orange mixing into a beautiful offeratory scent. wet on skin: the citrus and dragon's blood continue to dance and are now joined by something i can't quite name...something creamy-nutty-floral all at the same time. whatever it is, it's swoon-worthy. dry down: everything mixes in such a way so that i come to a point where i can no longer pull out individual notes, but just have something entirely new to smell. in all: and that smell is SO yummy!

florals are not my total thing, but i like *some* of them, so lessee what we can do here: in the imp: fetid. like stinky socks and grandma perfume. :shudder: wet on skin: a slightly musty rose element comes out. dry down: the sweat-sock thing goes away, leaving the dusty rose thing behind more strongly. in all: SO not for me.

in the imp: sweet and VERY lemony, like Lemonheads candy. wet on skin: more of the same. a persistent sweet lemon. dry down: a lemon verbena comes out full force. that's it in a nutshell. this could be a lemon verbena SN, it's so pure. in all: a good summer time smell for those who are partial to all things lemon-y.

A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony. in the imp: very lemony, with some heavy floral throw in for good measure. wet on skin: more lemon, and sadly, it's become a dishsoap lemon dry down: the lemon fades back a bit, and the peony comes up. i *can* smell the tea, but it's like a Lipton orange-pekoe sort of tea, and it's drown heavily in lemon. in all: not terrible if you're partial to floral/citrus mixes. which i'm not. off to swap!

LOVE!!! ok, here's why: in the bottle: CHOCOLATE. that's. all. swoon-worthy in it's richness, i might add. wet on skin: more chocolate, and a gorgeous, rich spicy note gets thrown into the mix. dry down: this is kind of what i'd thought Dia de los Muertos would be, and wasn't: a beautiful cinnamon-chocolate mix, very, very reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate. mmmmm in all: a warm, foodie scent that lasts for hours to keep you going through the long, cold winter afternoons. ADDED April 2: in the bottle: that rich cocoa absolute that i loved with the white label version wet on skin: WOW! i get clove, something a bit citrus that might be the starfruit, and something spicy/sweet i can't identify dry down: chocolate-laden, but tempered with the clove and fruit- a little bit of peach now-and it's really a good food oil. in all: foodies will adore this one, but some open-minded spice fans should give it a try too!

in the bottle: pure, strong violet. no chaser, straight up. wet on skin: a strong mix of violet and gardenia, with violet in the lead. it becomes so strong that it smells like soap dry down: the violet mellows and softens as does the gardenia. i get NO vanilla in the mix at all. in all: after a time it morphs and on me smells *just* like Love's Baby Soft. this reminds me of my junior high school prom, and i don't mind that in the least, actually.

This is Dia de los Muertos 2005 version. in the bottle: sweet and floral, but not cloying. it's so layered, it's impossible to pick out a single note! wet on skin: more of the same, but with a slight fruity edge coming out. again, though, impossible to name anything distinct. i like that! dry down: an incredible throw, as people have said. it's mellowed now and reminds me *exactly* of this little tin of solid hippy perfume my mom had in the 70's. i loved it so much as a baby that i tried to take a bite out of it! she kept the tin, with my little baby teeth marks, until the day she died. in all: although i don't wish to eat it think scent is wonderful and evocative of some distant by-gone era. beautiful, timeless, nostalgic. simply gorgeous.

in the bottle: green cucumber-y goodness! wet on skin: more cucumber, with a *slight* hint of floral. maybe it's that hyacinth? dry down: the hyacinth comes out in a more pronounced way, while the green cucumber is still there, but lessens. in all: a lovely 'clean' sort of scent, the kind i like to wear when it's 105 outside and i'm melting in a pool of my own flesh.

in the bottle: cream, incense, grape. yum! wet on skin: something floral mixes with a sugary smell, like lilacs and funnel cake. dry down: the cream-incense combo make a comeback, the floral lightly coming out from behind. in all: beautiful, sexy and unusual. something i'd wear out dancing, or on a first date (if i wasn't about to get married )

in the bottle: this is so weird: it's like cream soda and magic markers. i seriously can't describe it any better than that. wet on skin: that root beer thing people talk about is showing itself, plus something sweeter and more resinous poking through. dry down: like cream soda and a light rose! in all: unusual, but i will keep it- it's pretty nice, actually.

in the bottle: damn! MUSKY! wet on skin: musky, with an undertone of ozone and dark, red roses. hmmm. dry down: reminds me of the cheap perfume my great-aunties used to wear when i was a wee one. in all: too perfume-y, too cloying, SO not for me.

in the bottle: darkly floral, resinous undertones. cloying. wet on skin: this smells like floor cleaner. dry down: wow. this is just horrendous on me. rose, but like the distillation of old ladies and embalming fluid fresh from the funeral home- and NOT in a good way. in all: this just does not work on me. trade, anyone???

i have waited oh, so patiently to get my hot little hands on any amount of this, and the fine miss ladybug and i were able to work out a trade. hallelujia! in the imp: delicious buttery, sugary goodness. wet on skin: WOW! i'm getting notes of white cake, a tinge of the blackberry, and LOADS of that afore-mentioned buttery, sugary goodness. dry down: it reminds me of warm scones with clotted cream and berry jam. i am SOOOO in love! in all: i will love this imp with all my heart, and then i will have to hunt down some more- immediately. :D