voodoobaby

In the bottle: A slightly floral aquatic. Pretty inobtrusive. Wearing: Hmm. I smell the rain, but I also smell the flowers and something that makes it not smell like a rainy day. Kind of synthetic smelling, but not quite air freshener. For some reason I never get much ozone in these ozone scents. Later: Well, I wore this to bed last night, and when I awoke it was still there. It smelled a lot like Sea of Glass, only not as citrusy or floral. It's very fresh and clean, but not really me. If the cap hadn't arrived damaged, I would swap it off. Maybe it's the perfume gods' way of telling me to keep it for later? I will wear it when I know for sure that I'm in good health and see what it does then.

In the bottle: Hmm. This is certainly the cleanest patchouli blend I've smelled. That's not to say that it's airy or fresh in any way, it just doesn't smell like mold to me. It's kind of light, yet has a deepness to it. Of course, when I sniffed it out of the bottle I had a fresh piece of minty gum in my mouth, so that might kind of obscure the scent. On: Wow. A very dark floral. The patchouli, almost artificial smelling in this blend, oddly remains in the background as the ylang ylang adds a sinister sensuality to the blend. The oleander adds a kind of softness and brooding feel to it. Oh, and if it helps, I have no idea what neroli smells like. Still, everything here blends together so very well. Later: Well darn. Nothing today has been lasting very long on me. I think it might just be my skin chemistry lately, as I think I'm coming down with something. Still, love it. I wore a lot of black lace today, and it seemed to fit my outfit very well. It will be a nice addition to my more dark, feminine outfits.

In the bottle: Sweet, sweet, sweet, and lightly floral. It's very innocent and pretty. Wearing: As usual, the lily goes from light and innocent to full and voluptuous, which isn't a bad thing. The honey is very pronounced on me, but it's not heavy like other honey blends (case in point: O). It doesn't give me a headache! I'm just afraid that it's going to turn into burning rubber bands like O and Snow White did. Later: It didn't last very long, but no rubber bands, either! Ah, this is good. It did smell a bit toasty, though, like a roasted marshmallow...again, not a bad thing. I really like this. It's simple and very beautiful--a perfect scent for early spring when things are just starting to bud, but the vegetation isn't fully lush yet. Definitely keeping this.

In the bottle: Berries! Mmm. There is a definite coldness to this...it smells almost like a very faint mint, without the sharp bite that mint usually has. Wearing: Oh yum. It smells like I just opened a freezer full of cranberries. This is wonderful, as I love the smell of freezers, and specifically frosty ice. This definitely has that smell, but it's very juicy. This is winter in a bottle, no doubt about it. I'm very impressed. Later: Allspice! The berry smell is still there, but it's spicy and even more festive now. The pine is very, very slight, taking the form of a deep wood, not Pine-Sol. This is the smell of coming in from a snowy day and sitting by the fireplace, still cold, but with the fire's heat (allspice) starting to warm you up. Overall: I love this. So lovely, and so evocative of the season. Will definitely wear this when I'm forced to go outside on a snowy day, or whenever I want to smell like Christmas.

In the bottle: Wowee, that's strong! I'm afraid of this. I don't get the light scent you would expect from a vanilla-apricot scent, this is sharp! Oh, and may I add that this is a beautiful color red in the bottle? Wearing: Hmm. It's still strong, especially when I sniff directly from my arm. There's something here that's kind of dark and...sandalwood! Sandalwood? Am I crazy? I swear it's here, though. In addition to that, there also seems to be a musk in here. Maybe this is just the ginger playing tricks on me? It doesn't smell like any ginger I've ever sniffed. Later: Ah, wow. Smelling directly from the skin it's still spicy, musky sandalwood, but there's this absolutely gorgeous "aura" scent around me that's apricot and vanilla. Oh, I love it. If the air around me was edible when wearing this, I would totally eat it, and the blend isn't even that foody. This I will definitely wear again. Yum!

In the bottle: Oh wow, this is beautiful! A glowing white floral. It really does smell heavenly. Wearing: This becomes more three-dimensional, but loses a lot of the glow. The lilies are definitely prominent, but I also smell a greenness (wisteria?) and a very, very light rose. A few minutes after application my great aunt walked in, gave me a hug, and complimented me on how good I smelled. Heehee. Later: The florals fade a bit, and the frankincense and sandalwood come out, making it just a bit incensey. However, the whole thing lasts for maybe about two hours, and after that is nothing but powder. Well darn, from the smell in the bottle I expected more from this. Since I already have a favorite lily scent (Queen of Hearts), I think I'm going to have to pass this fleeting beauty on.

In the bottle: Sweet, spicy citrus. My nose is tricking me into thinking there's coconut in here, but I'm thinking it might be the almond. Wearing: This is basically the same scent as in the bottle, only a little less citrus. A soft rose comes out as well, which kind of seems to conflict with the rest of it. Overall: I would have normally done a "later" section, but this only lasted a few minutes on me (an hour at the most) before disappearing completely. It's definitely very Middle Eastern and foody. To my nose, though, it's kind of non-descript and nothing too special, so it will be passed on.

In the bottle: Pepper! I smell cinnamon too. Wow, this is fiery, to say the least. Wearing: Yup. Still pepper and cinnamon. A rich woody smell comes out too, I'm guessing sandalwood. I think I smell vetiver, too. This is anger in a bottle. Later: The pepper has died down a bit, leaving the cinnamon and sandalwood to harmonize. It's not as angry anymore, but still fiery. Overall: When I wore this today, it made me feel very edgy, in an angry, rageful way. I think I'll risk a bad mood to wear this, though, because I love the way it smells so much. Never thought that pepper could be such a pleasant smell.

Got a few imps in a swap for a bottle of Snow White, and this was one of them. In the vial: A lot sweeter than I expected. I get the caramel smell with a little spiciness underneath. Yikes, I'm scared I won't care for this. Wearing: Apples! Tart red apples, but for some reason it doesn't seem like the kind of apple you would eat. More the type that you would put on display or photograph. Of course, this isn't all apples. I get a slight touch of patchouli, but this patchouli is nowhere near being overpowering. The wood is prominent as well, as is a sharp spicy smell. I swear there's cinnamon here. Oh, and luckily no pumpkin. I don't want to smell like a jack-o-lantern! Later: Oh. my. goodness. I want to make sweet, sweet love to myself wearing this. The alcoholic note comes out so pleasantly and warmly. I smell like a perfect mulled wine! It's so gorgeous! While wearing this, especially in this stage, half of all I could say was "Man, I smell GOOD!" or the alternate "Smell me!" when someone I knew entered the room (I was at the library). Overall: Yowza! This is definitely in my top three list, if not my #1. It's such a "me" scent--a perfect blend of earthy and fiery, but neither too strongly. A very good deal for my Snow White (which hated me). If this is resurrected this coming September/October, you'd better believe I'm ordering a big bottle.

In the bottle: This is rosey, but not a freshly bloomed rose. The greenness of the leaf is there, as is a little woodiness, and something very sweet in the background. Hazel? I didn't imagine hazel being so marshmallowy sweet if that's what this is, but it's nice. Wearing: Ah. I don't know what it is, but something's making this bitter, which I love. I say that, but it's actually more bittersweet than downright bitter. I seem to be smelling a lightly-scented fruit, maybe something like pear, but it's very much in the background and not juicy at all. The blend is kind of dusty, dry, and very Victorian. I hate to assign a scent to a subculture, but this is quite gothic. It's sophisticated, nostalgic, and beautifully somber (as well as being a bit spooky, but in a classy way, not a shocker Mansonite way). Later: Florals are souring on me again. Oh well, it's really not a big issue, I still like it. It just seems to have taken a kind of alcoholic, wine-ish turn is all, which I know is just what flowers do on my skin. I will definitely keep an imp of this for the days when I want to dress up kind of fancy and listen to some Faith & the Muse. Luckily I have two, so I can keep one and still share the love. Yay!

In the bottle: A citrusy scent, which could be tangerine, orange, or even grapefruit. There's some saltiness thrown in, and then there's some freshness in the background, but I don't know what notes it could be coming from. Wearing: Hmm. Floral. I hate to say it, but this is air freshener on me. Not the cheap, stale, artificial kind, but something made of actual flower and citrus extracts. OK, I'll wait for this one. Later: This is all aquatic. It smells like this antibacterial liquid hand soap they have at my local public library. It doesn't smell like soap in general, just this particular kind of soap. Well, this one is beautiful, but it's not for me. Off to the swaps it goes.

In the bottle: Dandelion jumps out here, in a kind of mellow way. I smell the earthiness of the hemp, and a particular sweetness (hops?). It's light and unusual. Wearing: Oh wow, on the skin this absolutely thickens. I don't know what's thickening it, but I love it. It's not too light anymore, it's kind of heavy and unstable, but still upbeat. You know, kind of like being drunk. Despite this, I'm not getting alcohol at all, which I think is a good thing. Later: The dandelion has passed for the most part, leaving that sweetness that must be the hops to fill it out and make it a bit feminine (but not very much so). Aside from a very faint waft of tobacco every now and then (it's VERY faint, you'd have to be looking for it), that's mostly what this is. Overall: I really like this. It reminds me of a sunny, lazy day in late June when temperatures are just starting to get really up there, before the humidity comes out in July. It's mostly a dark yellow, but with little pieces of green here and there. Oddly, I wouldn't hesitate to call it cute, of all things. This is a perfect summer scent that I will definitely wear a lot at the appropriate time of the year.

In the bottle: Very cherry. To my nose it's somewhere between candy-ish and fresh cherries, not totally Ludens or anything. And I get no NyQuil, thankfully. There's just a bit of a woody smell. Wearing: Hmm. Cherry is fading a bit, but it's still sweet. I don't smell the currant right off, but there is a hint of juiciness that might be coming from that note. Later: The more I wear this, the woodier it gets, and that's a good thing! I love woody smells. This is a dry wood, however, not a freshly polished furniture wood. After a while it starts smelling a lot like a sweeter Kathmandu, which is also a good thing for me. There has to be a similar note between the two (maybe cedar?). Overall: Love it! It's almost edible, and a lovely, relaxing scent. I will definitely keep the imp.

In the bottle: Mmm, creamy cherries, with a gentle-but-stern lily. Wearing: Wow, this has totally transformed on my skin. It's gone from almost edible to somehow quite dark! It deepens and swells out to a beautifully manic crescendo. For now, at least. Later: Another transformation. The cherry has died down, leaving lilies in its wake. This has turned into a very sophisticated, classic lady's perfume. It's still deep, but in more of the way of a beautiful, wise woman with a calmness in her eyes. The slight creaminess is coming back from the bottle, and at the same time it's going kind of sour (which most florals do on me, but it's not too bad). I don't really know what stephanotis smells like, but here I think I can make a good guess that it's the element giving texture and greenness to an otherwise pastel bouquet. Overall: For a floral, I love this. It's classy, and though I would have liked it to stay at its first dark, manic stage on my skin, I'm still very impressed. I will definitely keep the imp and wear it on my 1940s days. Edit: The second wearing brought about an incredible smell of soap. Grr! I liked it so much. Off to the swap pile, eh?

In the bottle: Aye chiwawa! That's rose! Yes, it is extremely rosey and extremely strong. It's practically screaming. I know the narcissus is there because this isn't straight rose...but jeez. Wearing: OK. I put one little swipe on my arm and I'm encompassed by this cloud of super sharp rose. Talk about heady, I think it's actually making me high. There's also something here making the scent incredibly dry, but it doesn't smell like narcissus. If this were a color, it would be bright, bright red. Nay, it would be red and shiny. I like red and shiny, I just don't want to smell like it! Rose can be nice, but this is just a wee bit much on me. I think I'm going to have to prematurely wash it off. Overall: Um. Wow. Yeah, this conjures images of a flamboyant old woman in a gaudy sequined dress, huge gold jewelry, and shiny red stiletto heels. If you've ever seen the Tex Avery cartoon with the sexy Red Riding Hood, this is her grandmother. Yes, flamboyant would be the best word. It is so not me, and will go to someone who doesn't mind so much of an attention-getting scent. I'll stick to London if I want rose.

In the bottle: A light yet solemn floral scent. The violet is listed first in the description, and it is the first to catch my attention. There's some herbiness in the background, adding a lovely, stabilizing effect to the violet. Wearing: A couple of minutes after application, the violet has retreated to almost nothing. It's the ghost of a violet, with a lack of a better comparison. There's another, less full-bodied floral coming out, which I'm thinking must be the wisteria. But right now, the herby notes have taken over for the most part. This is the smell of a garden without the soil. It's a very lovely garden, complete with little white, intricately carved marbel benches, and trellises with dark-hued flowers growing on them. Couple hours later: Nothing! Bah, darn scents not lasting very long. If you can get past this, it's a nice blend. As the description says, it is regal, and it is lovely...but it is not me. To the swaps!

In the bottle: Floral, fresh, and somewhat mossy and damp. Wearing: Orchid is most definitely the main scent here. In fact, aside from the Irish moss, it's the only note that I can accurately pick out. There's a bit of a sour smell coming from what might be apple blossom...and why do I smell wine? That's not a bad thing, just very unexpected. This is a very dark blue/violet. Later: Wow, great staying power! Not many changes come about. It's a very stable scent, overall. It's too bad that flowers aren't my thing, but this will make a swapper who likes them very, very happy.

In the bottle: Light and floral. Nothing too special. Wearing: Hmm. I remember when I was really little, my older sister had a Hawaiian Barbie doll that came with a little bottle of perfume. This smells almost exactly like it, only more organic, and oddly that's not a bad thing. It's very tropical and floral. I know there's supposed to be white ginger in this, but I can't pick it out. In fact, I can't pick out any single notes, except for maybe hibiscus. Later: The only change is a large amount of fading. After two or three hours, it's faded to just a wisp of what it was originally. It's a very, very pretty blend, very full and ripe, but as a rule florals are just not me. I hate to part with it, but I know I won't wear it very often, if at all. I will pass it on, either in a swap or to a friend.

In the bottle: Earthiness abounds. It's not a dark, damp, woody or dirt-y kind of earthy, but instead just very nature-inspired. Wearing: Mostly white musk. There's a considerable amount of greenery, a light, vibrant green. I get no florals, thankfully. A very masculine blend, which isn't bad at all as I love men's cologne. Later: It's gone from masculine to leaning more on the feminine side in about half an hour-45 minutes. The musk is still prominent, but softened, and the greens have died down to a nice robin's egg color. It's light and airy, but not in an innocent or just plain boring way. I like it a lot, and if my boyfriend was into cologne, I would totally want to smell it on him.

This was a freebie in one of my orders, which I liked because I was curious about it. In the bottle: Creamy, very sweet, and just a little spicy. It's not defiled innocence, it's just innocent. Wearing: OK. Honey is dominant here. It's incredibly sweet and very foody. The amber is second in command, with the vanilla being just a faint breath of creaminess. A few minutes later: I'm being assaulted by honey! It's still just as sweet as before, if not more, and it's giving me a stomach ache. Also, there's something here that was in Snow White, because I get the same burnt rubber bands smell as I did with that. The amber helps to thicken and spice things up a bit, but on my skin it turns into something that just shouldn't mix with honey. I really wish the vanilla came out more to balance this out. Final verdict: No thank you. It's just a matter of personal taste and skin chemistry; I could see it being nice on the right person. This will go to someone who doesn't mind smelling like a dessert and whose skin won't turn it into burning rubber.

I admit that I ordered this based partly on the name (I'm a Lovecraft fiend) and partly on the mention of incense. When the reviews started coming in and mentioned citrus, it was that rather than the Crawling Chaos that scared me. It ended up pretty friendly, but the rest of the blend later on was a different story. In the bottle: Murky grapefruit, if you can imagine. Wearing: Hmm. It's turning to lemon rind on my skin, with something making it smell fuller and deeper. Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes after application, the incense notes start coming out...and why do I smell leather? It might be that I'm wearing a leather jacket, but I've never smelled leather in any other non-leather scents when wearing the jacket. Still, it's not bad. I was expecting something darker, but it's not bad. That is, until... A couple hours later: Clean laundry with extra fabric softener? Crap. I liked the incense/slight leather/citrus phase, but this is odd. I think I still smell something like myrrh, but there's Downy too. For me it's very clean, and kind of dark lavender color. This scent is not for me, as it just doesn't strike me as very interesting. It will go off in a swap with someone who likes fresh scents.

Let me just say that this was in my first order; I keep my oils in a cigar box, and whenever I opened the box this really nice fragrance always popped out above the rest. I just discovered today that the scent I smelled was Nosferatu. In the bottle: Yup. Herbs, dirt, and red wine, in that order. The herbs are sweet, yet pungent. Wearing: It's tart! It smells like those sour crystals on Sour Patch Kids might smell with some greenery and brownery (dirt) mixed in. Just the sourness, not the whole candies. I think the tartness must be the red wine. The dirt runs and hides very quickly. It remains just enough to keep it smelling damp and dark. On the other hand, it smells dusty. You know, kind of like a vampire--it's dead (dusty), but at the same time there's something keeping it alive (damp...OK, weird analogy, but it seemed appropriate for the name). Also, am I crazy, or do I actually smell flowers? They are dried, though, and have lost most of their fresh scent. I have to agree with the others, this is very oddly sexy, in a sort of necrophiliac way. Later: Bye-bye dirt. Darn, and I was enjoying what little was left. Ah well. Also, just a couple of hours later, bye-bye perfume, period. Maybe it's just my skin chemistry today, as I wore New Orleans earlier and it faded very quickly as well. Overall, though, I like it, if just for being so unusual. I will keep the imp, for sure.

In the bottle: This strikes me as mostly honeysuckle. I can't smell the jasmine right off, but I can tell it's there because the honeysuckle doesn't smell purely yellow. Wearing: Beautiful! The jasmine pushes itself to the foreground, but the honeysuckle is trailing right behind. I smell no lemon, and maybe just a hint of spice, but not much. Later: OK, this is weird. When I put my nose to my arm, I can't smell it, but I can smell it perfectly hovering about me. The jasmine and honeysuckle are staying the same, but the spice comes out every now and then. It smells kind of hot, like cinnamon, or maybe even nutmeg. My nose memory is tricking me into thinking I smell tea as well, but that's only because most of the tea I drink is some form of jasmine tea. Final verdict: This is not a floral for the weak! This is definitely a damp, humid, bold floral. It would be a perfect late spring/early summer scent, so maybe I'll save wearing it for the warmer weather when it feels more natural. Edit: I put this on one night when my boyfriend and I were going out, and when he smelled me he commented on how great I smelled. This is someone who cowers in fear at BPAL, so that's really saying something!

In the bottle: Smells like a head shop! Not what I expected, but let's see what happens upon application. Wearing: Hmm. Why am I thinking a darker, more dominant Blood Kiss? I think it must be the musk, but I swear there's vanilla here too. No matter, I likes it! The leather is there, but it's not the most prominent note. Musk is there, as is the amber keeping it sweet, but no myrrh so far. Later: This is SEX! Oh my, I need a cold shower. The leather has faded into the background, and the amber is right there in my face, scowling and making googly eyes at me simultaneously. Oh yeah, it's hot. The myrrh has finally come out. On me this note always blends perfectly with whatever it's mixed with, and this is a perfect example. Final verdict: Good throw, nice lasting power (hasn't faded a bit after a few hours of wear), a wonderful scent--an overall winner. This is probably number three on my list. While it's not number one, this works wonderfully with my personality. This will definitely be the scent I wear when I want to feel extra sexy or assertive.

In the bottle: It's a barely there rose, very light. Somehow I also smell a faint creaminess. Dont know where that came from. Wearing: I really underestimated this one. When it touches my skin it positively swells with roseyness. It's not too strong or cloying, but it is very robust for tea rose. I don't smell any other notes right now. And twisted/blackened? Hardly! It's just an innocent, feminine scent, no doubt meant for a lady. Also of note--I put this on before bed and it lasted on my skin all night. I don't usually think much of plain rose, but I might have to keep this one.