alsatia

Expectations: Sweet, fruity, and creamy. In vial: Slightly sour cherries, and something rich and buttery...pound cake! On skin, wet: Mostly the same as in the vial. It smells a little "off" somehow. If this was an actual dessert, I'd hesitate to take a bite. On skin, dry: I don't distinctly smell strawberry, but I think it's a strawberry undertone that I'm not enjoying. After time: Up close the cake scent is vying for dominance, but what I can smell from a (very short) distance is mostly cherry and reminds me of Luden's cough drops. The vanilla cream is more cream than vanilla, and I don't think I care for it. If I really concentrate and exhaust my nose with the sniffing, there's a bit of strawberry. It's not real strawberries though, it's like the little scented cat that came with Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Conclusion: The overall scent improved with time, but I'm not crazy about it and the strength/throw aren't very impressive. I'm undecided on whether I'll keep this to use or pass it along to someone else.

Expectations: Hawaiian Punch and rum. At least, I hope for that. In vial: Wow, I could smell it from 6" away while opening it. The first blast was booze, and when I got closer it reminded me of Bazooka gum. On skin, wet: Still bubble gum with the booze, but with more cherry to it. I wonder if I could get drunk just sniffing my wrist? On skin, dry: I don't know if I'd have been able to identify it if not for reading other reviews, but there's grape showing up as it dries. Unfortunately it's starting to smell like I inhaled a whole packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid mix. After time: In the first 30 minutes it hasn't morphed at all. Decent throw starting out, especially since I was conservative about applying it. After an hour it's fading a little, especially the acidity. It still smells like Kool-Aid mix, but not to the extent that makes me imagine it hurting. Conclusion: This is a fun scent. I'll definitely enjoy the imp, but I doubt I'll ever love it enough that I feel compelled to hunt down an elusive overpriced bottle.

Expectations: An explosion of fruit, with a layer of spiciness on top. In vial: Ew. Fruity, yes, but with something dirty mixed in. I think the tea and musk don't like me. On skin, wet: It's already gone to baby powder in the 5 seconds I've had it on. I'm not getting any fruitiness at all. On skin, dry: Powdery with a little ginger. After time: It's been 20 minutes and I lost the ginger but can pick out a little bit of the peony. I often dislike peony. It's not too bad here, but I'm disappointed that it's the one note standing out. I've given it another 10 minutes with no change, and it's really not for me. Conclusion: How disappointing. I saw all those fabulous fruits listed and got no fruitiness at all. I already have a new home picked out for this though.

Expectations: I'm wary of this one, having already tried Lick It One More Time and hating it—both the scent and the way it made my skin feel. In vial: Less overwhelmingly minty than Lick It One More Time was. On skin, wet: Mildly sweet, like dark chocolate. Once again I'm reminded of a York Peppermint Patty. On skin, dry: Not as strong as Lick It One More Time. So far so good. After time: For the first 25 minutes I was thinking "It's just like Lick It One More Time, only less so." Then the cold tingly feeling set in and that part isn't less so. Conclusion: The scent is ok, but I can't wear this. Passing this on to a friend who will appreciate it much more than I do.

Expectations: Dry autumn leaves, smoky flowers, and a hint of sweetness. In vial: Flowers, flowers, and more flowers. At least it smells like real flowers and not the fake chemical kind. On skin, wet: Oh no, it's the toilet paper holder scent again. This is so frustrating, because I like that scent but don't like the instant association. On skin, dry: Just flowers. After time: This has stayed exactly the same from wet in vial to an hour after application. No food, chocolate, or other candy. No tobacco. Just flowers. Conclusion: It's very pretty but it's not really my style.

Expectations: Sugared flowers, with a bit of acridity. In vial: Sugar and maple syrup, with a bit of ginger. On skin, wet: Faint gingerbread. On skin, dry: Sweetness and violets. After time: There's not enough here to really test. Conclusion: From what little I can smell here, the sweets and flowers really don't go together.

Expectations: Dirty, nose-tickling floral. In vial: Sharply chemical commercial perfume. On skin, wet: Soft powdery flowers. On skin, dry: Wow, much better than expected. It does tickle my nose a little, but it's a nice simple floral. After time: 20 minutes...yep, those are mums. It's still tickling my nose. Conclusion: My mother would probably love this, but for me it's not worth feeling like I'm going to sneeze.

Expectations: Nauseatingly sweet. In vial: Brown sugar and vanilla extract. On skin, wet: Oooh, the confectioner's sugar came out to play too! On skin, dry: Sugar! Sugar, sugar, sugar! Suuuuugaaaaaar!!! There's a hint of fruit too. After time: After 10 minutes, it's strongly vanilla extract. I like, but I want the sugary goodness back. At 15 minutes, thick and syrupy. At 20 minutes, caramel. This keeps changing, but it hasn't ever been a bad scent. Amazing throw, and I'm having a hard time not licking my arm. Conclusion: It's a little too sweet for daily wear, but it makes me feel really good, so I definitely need a full imp to tide me over until it is (hopefully) re-released this year.

Expectations: The Headless Horseman after a long night at the pub. In vial: This smells exactly like Shill! Completely weird and unexpected, but I'll probably disappointed when it morphs into a more pumpkiny scent. On skin, wet: Whoa. Completely different than in the vial. I'm getting mostly candle from it. A little bit of asphalt. On skin, dry: Candles and asphalt still. It's a bit acrid. After time: It's a lit jack-o-lantern sitting at the edge of a new driveway. After 15 minutes, it started smelling a little buttery again, but this is like real butter, not the fake butter of Shill. 45 minutes and I still haven't gotten any beer (a good thing!). The butteryness faded or blended in. Conclusion: Oh man, I love this. The fact that it smells like food-scented candle rather than smelling like actual food is probably appealing to me, since most of my scent experiences have been with candles. Hopefully one of the billion slightly less rare pumpkin scents will make me as happy as this one.

Expectations: Musky incense. In vial: Cocoa and wine. I wouldn't mind if it stays like this. On skin, wet: Still cocoa and wine, but with a hint of the other scents. It's cocoa powder, not syrup. On skin, dry: The cocoa faded a bit, and I'm getting something leafy. Could that be the nicotiana? Also there's a hint of sandalwood. After time: It's been a lovely hot cocoa with a few drops of booze, and I'm almost ashamed to admit I had my nose pressed against my arm, sighing in ecstasy. Then at 30 minutes, there it was...a whiff of baby powder. NO! After another 10 minutes, the baby powder went away, but so did the cocoa and it's now the musky incense I expected initially. At the 1 hour mark, it's a bit smoky, with no more booze or cocoa. Conclusion: How disappointing. This was fabulous when wet, but as it dried it got progressively worse. It doesn't smell offensive dry, just not all tasty and lustworthy.

Expectations: Light, spicy florals with a hint of citrus. In vial: Ginger and grapefruit. On skin, wet: Argh, it's that toilet paper holder again. Now with a sprinkling of ginger on the quilted tissue. On skin, dry: Ginger, a bit of sweetness (presumably the grapefruit), and a bouquet that definitely contains jasmine and honeysuckle. After time: Not even 10 minutes have passed and it turned to Pledge. I am not a coffee table! Stop trying to dust and polish me! Another 5 minutes or so, and the citrus is a bit less overpowering, allowing the ginger to blend back in and make the overall scent more like lemon frosting...for a brief while, until it goes all Pledge again. Conclusion: Grapefruit and I do not get along. This is the second scent including grapefruit that I've tried today, and both went very quickly to the Land O' Pledge. Considering I just barely missed being able to buy a bottle of this after testing, I'm probably glad I don't like it!

Expectations: Not good. Musk, incense, spices, leather? My nose doesn't mind these things, but my skin apparently hates them. In vial: A hint of cinnamon, some unexpected pine. On skin, wet: Cinnamon and clove, with a generic incense base. Plus something that's making my throat cool and tingly. On skin, dry: Cinnamon and clove. That's about it (and I'm not complaining). Oh! And a hint of ginger just popped up. After time: 25 minutes in, it's like someone spilled Three Witches on a leather jacket. Conclusion: It's okay, but there are similar scents I prefer.

Expectations: Sweet, creamy, spicy, and boozy. In vial: Spicy incense and a faint bit of cherry. No vanilla or honey as far as I can tell. On skin, wet: Medicinal cherry. I think the combination of clove and wine is most responsible for the medicinal aspect. On skin, dry: Musk, spice, incense. Barely any sweetness to this at all. After time: 10 minutes in I say, "No! Not the dreaded floral!" But there it is, and the whole thing is starting to go powdery on me. 30 minutes, it's all powder with the rarest moments of a slight clove scent in the background. Conclusion: It could be worse. But not much worse. I'm going to have to learn that just because half the notes are good doesn't mean they belong with the questionable other half.

Expectations: No idea, other than sweet. In vial: Vanilla and a Butterfinger bar. On skin, wet: Green tea, honey musk, some kind of spice. It smells a bit dirty. On skin, dry: At a distance, I get honey and vanilla. Up close it smells like...it smells like...*thinks*...like this cat my cousins used to have. Blech. After time: The skin where I applied it is glistening. The smell? Less pretty. It's only been 20 minutes, but it still smells like dirty cat, and there's nothing in it with potential to be beautiful smelling enough later on to make up for this stage. Conclusion: Absolutely not for me. I'm pretty sure all musks are going on my Do Not Want list for the future.

This review is for the 2005 version: Expectations: It probably won't work well on me (curse the florals), but I have more hope for it than others since it's a simple scent. In vial: Wow, rose. Very fresh. On skin, wet: Wow, rose! Very fresh! On skin, dry: Aha, I knew there were florals that worked on me. It reminds me of some dolls with flower-scented hair I had as a child. After time: A bit soapy, not because it smells like soap, but because there are soaps that smell like this rose. Occasionally I get a whiff of the greenery in addition to the petals. Conclusion: Maybe I'm just too attached to those old dolls, but I keep wondering how this would work if diluted and sprayed on my hair.

Expectations: Fruity floral, hopefully more fruity than floral. In vial: Cantaloupe. Which is completely not expected, but isn't bad. I always think cantaloupes smell tasty...until I take a bite and remember that I hate them. On skin, wet: Mandarin plus. Plus what? It might be the persimmon, I'm not positive what those smell like but I kind of imagine them this way. On skin, dry: Aw, man, I'm getting a bit of that toilet paper holder scent out of this too. I'm eyeing the magnolia and osmanthus suspiciously. After time: 10 minutes in, I got distracted by the scent on my other arm, and when I finished sniffing it I noticed a sudden blast of MANDARIN from the Tanuki...a foot away from my nose. At 20 minutes, the orange has graciously decided to share the limelight, and it became this delicious fruit salad. I finally found a scent for which "don't lick your arm" is a necessary warning. At 30 minutes, a little bit of floral (cherry blossoms, I think) is coming forward. Conclusion: This is amazing, and it has impressive throw. I'm so glad I didn't condemn it based on the initial drying. More Tanuki for me, please!

Expectations: I'm hesitant to even test this, as the mass of florals will probably give me a headache (beyond the one I'm already starting to get), and massive "yuck" to the sage. But I just want to get it over with and hope for the best. In vial: Yep, that's the "lots-of-florals commercial perfume scent". On skin, wet: Ylang ylang, jupiter, and sage. On skin, dry: This is another one that reminds me of the scented toilet paper holders. It's not completely offensive at a distance, but up close it gets a huge thumbs down. After time: So not bothering with this one. Conclusion: Florals don't like me. Or rather, complicated florals don't like me. There are lots of single notes or combinations of 2 or 3 notes that I think smell perfectly fine, but more than that and it's just a disgusting mess.

Expectations: I'm hoping to be reminded of the fabulous peppermint milkshakes that one of the campus restaurants served last Christmas. In vial: Very peppermint, almost too much peppermint. On skin, wet: Still overwhelmingly peppermint and why does it smell so famil—oh! York Peppermint Patties! On skin, dry: Up close it's just too powerful, but at a distance I get some of the sweetness as well. After time: Ugh, I'm getting the Vicks VapoRub from this one too. At least there's a logical reason this time. Around 30 minutes after application, I start getting the numb and tingly reaction at the application point. Not comfortable. Conclusion: Definitely never again. It feels like I put Icy Hot on (which stays icy on me and never ever goes hot, and hurts), so I'm scrubbing it off ASAP.

Expectations: Fresh and fruity, with a bit of spice. In vial: Wow! Lemon. I'm sure that's really grapefruit, but it's funny that adding other ingredients makes it lemony. On skin, wet: There's so little in the sniffie that I can just barely get a sense of what this does on my skin, but it's starting to smell more like grapefruit with a whole lot of sugar on top, how my grandpa used to eat it. Also like Pledge. The first description is more appetizing. On skin, dry: Not enough to test, but even with this tiniest of drops it's strong and has good throw. This gives me hope for other fruity scents. After time: Not enough to test. Conclusion: I don't think I mind the smell, and if I ended up with a larger sample I'd give it another chance, but I wouldn't go actively seeking it.

Review for the 2005 version: Expectations: I really have no idea. It doesn't sound terribly appealing, but I've been surprised by so many scents in the last 24 hours. In vial: Gingerbread? And a bit of alcohol? I understand the latter, but the former is in the wrong holiday! On skin, wet: Still gingerbread, with some extra sugar, and a bit of leaves. On skin, dry: Mmm, nice. Same as wet, except it's blending together more. After time: After 15 minutes, the smoke started peeking out, but it's very subtle, like the rest of the scent is a candle and it's just been extinguished. After 30 minutes, it's the slightest bit powdery when I sniff hard, but blends fine otherwise. Conclusion: I really like this, but I can imagine it being better. Also, I'm trying to be very picky about what I would actually wear, and this isn't "me". It would be fabulous for use as a room scent in the Halloween through Christmas season though.

Expectations: This was on my "short" list for my imp pack order, and narrowly got eliminated, so I have high hopes for it. I wouldn't mind if it's heavy on the rum. In vial: Not what I imagined. I'm getting mostly leather, and can barely tell there's rum in here. On skin, wet: Sea spray and wood. On skin, dry: Still sea spray and wood. Where's my rum? This evokes great images, but I can already tell I won't give it above a "neutral" rating. After time: At 20 minutes, pretty much the same, but the saltiness has been enhanced. I'm not going to bother with checking it at later intervals. It's not for me. Conclusion: I want to smell it, but don't want to smell like it. When you buy this scent it should come with a very sexy man to slather it on.

Expectations: I will be shocked if I like this. The mix is too complicated, and I'll probably end up with pine and the florals. In vial: Warm fruits, with a bit of spice. Not at all what I expected. On skin, wet: Fruity floral. No particular notes stand out, but I get a hint of Band-Aids from the mixture. On skin, dry: Oh, I like this! Slightly more floral than fruity now, but it's well-balanced. After time: The scent is staying the same, but it's fading and has little throw. I'm desperately hoping this is because I'm working with a sniffie-sized amount, because this scent is gorgeous. I've been a bit sneezy since putting it on, and am choosing to attribute that to other factors because I don't want to assume such a lovely scent caused it. Conclusion: I'd definitely like a full imp so I could try it in larger quantities. My biggest qualm with Fire Pig is that the name doesn't go with the scent. I'm sure it does to people for whom the symbolism has significance, but for me...I read "Fire Pig" and think "jalapeños and bacon".

Expectations: Spicy earth. I'm concerned that the dragon's blood isn't going to like me, much as I may like it. In vial: Pepper! And...pine nuts? Maybe that's the vetiver. On skin, wet: Vicks VapoRub? Are all the oils attempting to give me bad flashbacks to childhood? On skin, dry: The prominent scents are alternating between a pepper/allspice mix and a cocoa/dragon's blood mix. That weird smell that I'm blaming on the vetiver pops up occasionally if I sniff hard. After time: I haven't been deliberately sniffing this but it has a lot of throw, which has resulted in two effects. First, my sinuses are unquestionably clear. Second, it feels like someone rubbed Carmex all over my tonsils. This isn't pleasant, but it's probably less unpleasant than it sounds. A bit later, the scent is still strong but less intense. I bet it's going to be very difficult to wash off. Conclusion: This is not an oil for smelling pretty, but it has a clear function. I can imagine using it in a mist fountain when suffering from respiratory illnesses.

Expectations: Sweet and sweaty, with a bit of spice and floral. Probably will not work on me. In vial: That chemical smell I get from a lot of florals. I think I detect a bit of the honeysuckle. On skin, wet: There's just barely enough in the sniffie to get a damp spot on my arm, so I can't tell much, but it's about the same as in the vial. Slightly less overwhelming with the chemical smell. On skin, dry: Much spicier now. I'm getting a lot of the patchouli and ginger. After time: There's so little here to work with that I don't think it's worth paying attention to how it morphs. It won't be accurate enough. Conclusion: At least in the beginning, this works better on me than the scents that are more heavy on the florals. It's still not something I'd choose to wear though, especially since I'm starting to think I'm sensitive to patchouli. This is sad, as I like the smell of it, but I usually feel either an impending headache or tickly nose (or both).

Expectations: Sounds a little too heavy and incensey for me. In vial: Strong commercial perfume. It reminds me of one that I can't recall the name of, but it came in a bottle with ridges and a tall red cap. Spanish something, maybe? On skin, wet: The sharp chemical smell is gone, and it now reminds me of a scented toilet paper roll holder we had when I was a child, with little plastic perfumed beads in it. I'm getting mostly floral from this (definitely can pick out the orchid, but I'm unfamiliar with the others). Not bad. On skin, dry: Little change from wet. It blends together well and no single note is standing out. After time: In the first 30 minutes, the scent has wavered between well-blended florals and sharply chemical. I'm not loving this (in either version), but it has very little throw so I only have to smell it when I do so deliberately. After an hour, it seems to have stabilized halfway between floral and chemical. Conclusion: Not for me. If I wore slightly more of it, I'd probably get a headache.