elinox

First Sniff: Fresh lemons Initial Wet Application: I guess the lemons I’m getting is really the orange blossoms? There may be a faint whiff of mint keeping this fresh. I think I can also detect the fir and balsam which is keeping this woodsy and nice. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): I liked this and although it got a little soapy with the dry down, it was still fresh lemon and pine needles on the forest floor. Once it dried completely there was mostly the same. My Reaction: I’m mostly getting some balsam with lemon. I had expected this to be darker and I’m surprised I didn’t detect any of the tobacco. Maybe this is what the forests of Transylvania smell like? That’d be nice! Rating: 2

First Sniff: Slightly fake vanilla. Initial Wet Application: Soft vanilla. Not creamy, but still pleasant. So far, this vanilla is similar to my test with Snake Oil; although Hunger is a little more gentle. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this dries, it stays a soft and light vanilla. It actually gets lighter and so I think it will fade, unlike Snake Oil’s vanilla which lasted all day. My Reaction: I’ll be honest, I’m not impressed with the lab’s vanillas I’ve tried recently. Where’s my milky, creamy sweet stuff? I want the creamy goodness from Obatala, just more sugary vanilla cake! Rating: 2

First Sniff: Ammonia and then snowdrops. Initial Wet Application: This is very light. It’s very gentle and smells like faint clean cotton. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): This goes between ammonia which reminds me of urine and a faint, fake snow smell. I obviously don’t care for the acridness. There’s a tiny bit of milk hiding underneath all of this, but it’s not enough to keep this creamy unfortunately. I think I can also detect beeswax, but it’s faint. My Reaction: I guess the acrid smell is from the blackberry not working well on my skin with the snow. I wanted to like this, for the association and the light snow, but I don’t like the flipside with the ammonia. Rating: 2

First Sniff: Soft and sugary vanilla Initial Wet Application: This is powdery soft so I hope it doesn’t fade into nothingness! There’s some sort of woody, plywood in this too. Sandalwood, is that you? Dry Down (first 15 minutes): Wait...is this becoming more gentle vanilla again? My Reaction: I tried this because it’s the labs #1 seller and because I love vanilla and have been looking for the perfect, sugary sweet vanilla for ages. I wanted to like this, I really did, since it’s so popular, but I just don’t care for the dried out plywood that sandalwood becomes on my skin. It seems to go back and forth between plywood and faint vanilla. It was alright, but still not the vanilla I’m looking for. Rating: 2.5

First Sniff: White aster, light, clean and like really fresh linen. Initial Wet Application: This is light and clean and fresh. It’s lovely, but it’s going to fade away. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): I’m not sure this is even going to make it through the full dry down time; it’s basically nothing already! Nope, 15 minutes in and there’s really nothing there any more. My Reaction: The first sniff was lovely; freshly laundered white linen snapping in a breeze. But it was just too light to last. Rating: 1

First Sniff: Maraschino cherries. Initial Wet Application: The maraschino cherries are still prominent, but not as in-your-face as first sniff. It’s also changing to a warmer, more nutty scent now, which I really like. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): This was lovely as it dried! Warm and nutty with a delicious almond scent. It stays close to the skin though so I hope it doesn’t fade too much more. My Reaction: I really like this, but it’s faint, even after two swipes with the wand. It’s yummy and nutty with a tiny hint of Moroccan vanilla which just makes this lovely. Rating: 4

First Sniff: Pine resin and amber. Initial Wet Application: Heady musk and amber. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): The rosewood seems to place nice with the sandalwood,which is good, as wood notes tend to go plywood on me. As this completed the dry down, then I was getting the dusty, dry sandalwood. My Reaction: This was more gentle than I would have anticipated. And it was very ‘dry wood’ scent. I had hoped for a darker, more sinister and wild woodsy scent. It’s okay, but not something I’d likely reach for often. Rating: 2

First Sniff: Pleasant, boozy vanilla. It's gentle, not in your face, alcohol which I like. Initial Wet Application: Soft bourbon, it's barely alcoholic at all. There's a smooth mint in the background too. Now there's faint lemon drops, which I hope doesn't stick around. It's alright, as far as lemon goes, but I generally don't care for it overall. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): I think I can smell a tiny bit of white chocolate? Something seems to be making the mint soft and lovely. More chocolate please! My Reaction: I liked this. I enjoyed the vanilla/soft mint/slight lemon. I wish the white chocolate had been stronger though. Not something I’d reach for often, but yummy nonetheless. Rating: 3

First Sniff: White cake and red currants. The white cake reminds me of the vanilla in Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. Initial Wet Application: Light, sugary vanilla and faint currants. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As it began the drydown, this was sugary, fake vanilla and was very light. I’ve already lost the yummy white cake smell. My Reaction: After it dried down completely, there was a very faint fake-vanilla scent, but it was unimpressive. I had high hopes for this to be another delicious foody scent, but alas, it’s basically nothing. Oh well. I’ll give this another try later, but the first try didn’t go well. Rating: 1

First Sniff: Raspberries and a sweet musk. Initial Wet Application: Ginger and something reminiscent of bubbles. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): I think I’m detecting faint peaches! As this completed the drydown though, there was dry wood in this too; that I didn’t really care for. My Reaction: This is lovely; it’s ethereal, sweet and light. It’s a bit too faint on my skin, but I like it nonetheless. I prefer the peach sweetness to the wood though. Rating: 3

First Sniff: Golden amber and honey Initial Wet Application: It becomes dry and dusty. And...there’s the patchouli. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this dried, it was all musky, dry patchouli. I think I can also detect some oakmoss. It’s earthy and definitely masculine. My Reaction: Dry patchouli, musky, masculine and just not my thing. So, to the swap pile this goes. Rating: 1

First Sniff: Gentle, soft musk and light plastic toy (the last is really faint) Initial Wet Application: I’m thinking the plastic toy scent is vanilla, as per the description. This is incredibly light and feminine but it’s barely detectable within the first few minutes. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this completed the dry down I was getting light peaches which was nice. Maybe white peach? My Reaction: I wanted to like this one, for the peaches, but it was just too light. Plus, the imp leaked so there wasn’t a lot to keep anyway. Rating: 2

First Sniff: Similar to Jack, but with more cinnamon and cream to it. Initial Wet Application: Biting cinnamon and dry wood. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this dried down, the cinnamon got a little more tame. It’s still the sharp cinnamon I associate with Red Hots/Big Red gum and I don’t like it. Once this dried completely it was a bit creamier, but it still had spicy cinnamon as the dominant scent. My Reaction: This is better than when I tried it initially, aging has helped make the cinnamon more enjoyable. I’m getting a softer, milky quality to it too which I like. Maybe aging this even further will bring out the cream even more? The longer I have this on, the creamier it gets and eventually, it does bring to mind melted ice cream with vanilla and a small dash of pumpkin spice! It does seem to fade though which is a shame because aging really turned this one around for me! Rating: 3

First Sniff: Jungle flowers and fresh lime. Initial Wet Application: Jasmine and heady flowers. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): The first sniff was interesting, but the wet application leaves something to be desired. It’s already seems to be fading fast! My Reaction: I thought the scent was fading, but it came back to the flowers. The amber is strong and makes this seem ‘thick’ as a scent. I’m still getting strong jungle flowers too which I don’t particularly care for. Rating: 1

I love this show too! (I've only seen season 1 though!) Vanessa: Zombie or Crossroads Sir Malcom: Tavern of Hell Ethan: Loup Garou or Tombstone Dorian Gray: Dorian, obviously Dr. Frankenstein: Miskatonic University

First Sniff: Something vaguely familiar, but I’m not sure what. After reading the notes, I’m guessing it’s the patchouli. Initial Wet Application: I’m not impressed with this at all so far. It’s light and makes me think of water flowers like lily or gardenia. Or, upon reading a description of nag champa, of plumeria! Dry Down (first 15 minutes): After this completed the dry down, and I figured out why I wanted to try it, then I was getting ripe purple grapes. Apparently, ‘muscadine’ is a grape! It now smells like the kind of grapes freshly picked for wine: concord grapes, I think. My Reaction: I had this on my ‘want to try’ list and could not remember why as the notes are not ones I generally enjoy. However, I found that according to some people, it’s a good ‘grape’ scent. Once it dried completely, I was getting lovely, ripe grapes: sweet and ripened by the sun! The grape scent is similar to the one I get from Bess, but a bit more cheerful. Rating: 3

First Sniff: Amber: golden and strong. Initial Wet Application: Dry, like warmed sunshine, but with perfume in it. The amber is dominant, which I don’t care for. It’s similar to what I remember of Bast, but without the sharpness. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this began the drydown, it went soft and warm. Now I think I’m getting some delicious vanilla in this, yay! My Reaction: This is better than I expected! I’d thought this would just be too-strong amber all the way, but when it dried, the soft and gentle fur came through which I loved. And the vanilla, mmm, so yummy! It’s a bit faint on my skin, but the vanilla and warmth make this a keeper anyway! Rating: 4

First Sniff: Soft jasmine and feisty patchouli. Initial Wet Application: A slightly bitter kitchen spice, I’m guessing that’s the almond. It seems like it’s rounding out though. It’s pleasant, although light. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this began the drydown, it was a lovely, light, feminine jasmine. I’m definitely getting the green leaf smell in this too, it’s making this very pleasant and gentle. My Reaction: This stayed mostly jasmine on me, which was nice as I enjoyed the feminine scent. However, it’s rather faint so I’m not sure if this is a keeper or not. I’d also hoped the almond, a kitcheny/foody scent, would’ve popped out more. Rating: 2.5

The chill waters of the Orkney coast, tea-leaved willow, honey-touched Grass-of-Parnassus, sea aster, and Scottish Primrose. First Sniff: Aquatic flowers: light and fresh. Initial Wet Application: Bright and fresh aquatic flowers, with a touch of lemon juice. The flower is similar to a lily, so I’m guessing that’s the astor. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this began the drydown, I’m betting this will fade away since it’s so light and clean. The lemon juice is pleasant and not overbearing though which is nice. My Reaction: I had hoped for a more salty aquatic, maybe even with a hint of fur (seal skin, you know?). This was nice, feminine, light and clean. But it’s too light on my skin and not nearly aquatic enough. Probably good that I didn’t love this since it’s discontinued! Rating: 2

First Sniff: Dusty, dry incense. Initial Wet Application: Soft and smokey; I think there’s something familiar in this but I can’t quite place it. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this began the drydown, I’m getting something slightly coppery in the background. It’s still mostly soft and smokey though. My Reaction: This was gentler than I thought it would be. With a name like ‘brimstone’ I was expecting fire and alchemy, bright and bold, but this is soft and gentle. There’s something similar to black pepper in this, but it’s faint and not likely to last long on my skin. It’s interesting, but probably not something I’d reach for very often. Rating: 2

Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar. First Sniff: Warm, delicious hot cocoa. Yummy! Initial Wet Application: Something is mixing with the hot cocoa but I don’t know what it is. It’s making it more creamy than first sniff. Ew, and now there’s dry plywood: what the hell? Dry Down (first 15 minutes): I’m guessing that the coffee is making this smell all dried out. I can still smell the cocoa, but it’s playing second fiddle to the plywood. I’m not getting any cinnamon spice at all. My Reaction: Once this dried completely, this was still nasty plywood with cocoa hiding in the background. What a disappointment! Rating: 1.5

First Sniff: Pumpkin spice: it smells just like Jack (which I already have and love). Initial Wet Application: It’s a little bit softer than Jack so I’m guessing that’s the ‘ice cream’ milkyness. There’s also warm cinnamon in here too. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As it dried down, the cinnamon was more prominent and spicy which I didn’t like. I prefer my cinnamon warm and toasty. As this finished the drydown this was all spicy cinnamon. It reminds me more of a Christmas scent than Fall or pumpkins. My Reaction: I was very excited to try this since it was an unreleased scent from the lap. I liked the initial first sniff, however since I already own and love Jack I didn’t need another just like him. I had hoped, after reading the reviews, that this would go creamy vanilla mixed with pumpkin spices, but it’s just spicy cinnamon. After awhile it faded, but I’m still getting mostly cinnamon. I think the vanilla in this went fake Yankee candle/plasticy on me. I can easily picture pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving from this, but as that’s the only pumpkin-thing I don’t enjoy, this is not really for me. Rating: 1.5

First Sniff: Salted caramel with some warm cookies and a bit of salty aquatics peeking through in the background. Initial Wet Application: Aquatic: wet and murky. There’s a little bit of the cookie smell but it’s hiding and hard to detect. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As it began to dry down, this went light and watery. It’s clean, with some aquatic plants lurking under the surface. There’s a bit of salted caramel coming back as well, but it’s faint so far. My Reaction: As this completed the dry down, it was still wet and aquatic which reminds me of The Old Ones from the lap. There’s a taste of salted caramel hovering in the background, which I love, and maybe some of the baked cookies too, but it’s hard to separate it from the water. A bit later it seems to switch between water and salted caramel; I can live with this! Rating: 3.5

My current werewolf World of Darkness character is a Ragabash Fianna. And since her first name is 'rose' a scent of pure, light roses would work very well on her. Or else something reminiscent of Ireland since that's where she's from. However, the ultimate werewolf scent is, obviously, Loup Garou. Love it!

First Sniff: Patchouli Initial Wet Application The patchouli is just like every other blend from the lab with this in it, which means this is going to be plywood on me eventually. Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this dried down, this was dry wood with a tiny hint of perfume. It’s surprisingly faint for a wood note for me so far. My Reaction: This remained the same from first sniff to completed dry down, which is surprising. All I am getting is patchouli, which is the ‘leather’ scent from the lab. I wish I could find an old leather scent not related to an incense, resin, New Age shop smell. This vaguely reminded me of Tombstone, but without the sarsaparilla. It’s dusty and dry and very ‘wood’ on me. It seems that patchouli and oakmoss just don’t work on me. Rating: 1