Shollin

First sniff: Deep resiny-fruity. Soft round purple fruit, dark resins and a wispy aquatic overtone.

Wearing: There’s more wood in it now, soft evergreen backed by resinous warmth, and the aquatics seem to have disappeared immediately. It’s really interesting and different. And I love the painting – the scent is the same golden-brown of the rocks in the foreground.

First sniff: In the vial, this smells quite a bit like Scotch. A very sharp-edged, peaty, burn all the way down and not necessarily in a good way Scotch.

Wearing: It starts out very boozey and very spicy and ends up more like fruity spiced wine. Not quite me. Plus, I tried it in the crook of my elbow and it left a big red mark.

I’ll admit it – Lucretia freaks me right the hell out, and I’m actually hoping I don’t like her.

First sniff: Simultaneously sharp-edged and powdery; I’m trying to figure out how that works. Powdery flowers, sharp resins and a weird high note that reminds me of chlorine.

Wearing: It’s all just powder. I suppose with iris and violet it had no chance at all on my skin. At least I got my wish?

First sniff: There’s a similarity between the two graveyard scents in the first Salon exhibit… they both have the same sort of cold, stark outdoors-in-winter feel. Grave Digger seems to have a piney tinge, and it’s a little more substantial than Cloister Graveyard.

Wearing: Based on the listed notes, this should be airy and resinous, but all I’m getting is evergreen. Cold snowy evergreen.

First sniff: This is completely brilliant, and matches the art absolutely. Cold air, bare trees, stark beauty.

Wearing: Unsurprisingly, it feels a little strange to be wearing this scent when it’s in the 70s outside. But it’s chilly and beautiful and quite deep despite its airiness.

First sniff: Endlessly deep, dark-fruity with a little bit of a spicy kick.

Wearing: In the first few minutes on my skin, it goes from deep and dark to light and bouncey? There’s still quite a bit of presence here, but it seems playfully mysterious now, rather than wisely mysterious. But then when it dries, the depth returns and it develops a lovely fruity smokiness.

First sniff: This scent seems to have a big personality. It’s rich, warm and enveloping – sweet fruity resins.

Wearing: Warm and deep and spicy.

First sniff: Powdery floral with a bit of lavender.

Wearing: Sweet and soft, but still powdery enough to make my nose itch.

First sniff: Thickly resinous, and a little pungent. I figured out long ago that frankincense hates me, so I don’t expect this to work.

Wearing: The edges soften on my skin, and it’s weirdly quite a bit nicer on me than it is in the vial. Still decidedly resiny, but with a bit of soft sweetness to back it.

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First sniff: Sad cherry bubblegum.

Wearing: I completely understand the early “cherry blowpop” reviews from Will Call. And I’m trying to figure out where the hell it’s coming from. There’s no cherry in here. There’s not even a sneaky almond note that always makes me think it’s cherry. And yet.

First sniff: Oh, very much yum. This is decidedly Dorianesque, with a bit more citrus.

Wearing: Tea, Earl Grey, hot. With a drizzle of rich vanilla syrup. Puddin me dear, both your incarnations smell truly delicious.

First sniff: This one gives me the same “hollow” impression as Golachab. I wonder if they share ingredients. It’s a bit powdery, too.

Wearing: Definitely powdery. Dang.

First sniff: Pale mint, pale musk, pale green. All very very pale.

Wearing: Very soft and pretty, mostly mint with a bit of green.

First sniff: This smells not so much smoky as smoked. Like dragon’s blood run through a hickory smoker. There’s something lighter around the edges, but the core of the scent is that smoked dragon’s blood.

Wearing: Dragon’s blood at the core, with fruits and flowers on top. The smoked impression vanishes almost immediately on my skin. It’s prettier and less harsh than I expected.

First sniff: For someone who bears the title of “the Poison of God,” Samael smells pretty darn nice. It’s a soft, pale tea scent, very gentle and soothing.

Wearing: Tea and white musk, and maybe a little bit of honey? Understated and gorgeous.

First sniff: Bright fresh lemon, very very yellow.

Wearing: It’s still mostly lemon, but there’s something else here that makes it a bit deeper.

First sniff: O Droolworthy Sweetness, thy name is Lyonesse! Bright and deep and sweet and deep and edgy and deep.

Wearing: This may be the deepest sweet scent I’ve ever tried, almost to the point of darkness. It’s endless and beautiful.

First sniff: Bright apple and raw honey. Very, very fresh. I was expecting sex in an orchard based on the poem, but this is quite innocent.

Wearing: Wonderful soft warm musk shows up on my skin, wrapping the apples in velvet. Yum. Just yum.

First sniff: Wait until the absolute peak of harvest. Come to the Yakima Valley in central Washington. Find yourself an apple orchard (it ain’t hard, come visit me and there are at least two within walking distance of my apartment). Grab the sweetest, most amazingly crisp Fuji the farmer can find, yank it right off the branch, and sit in the sun while you take that first perfect bite. Do you hear that sound? That’s what Ladon smells like.

Wearing: As in the vial, plus a hint of dragon’s blood in the background. This is wonderful.

First sniff: Pungent on the outsides and hollow in the middle. It makes me uneasy and I’m not sure why.

Wearing: Sharply fruity and still weirdly hollow. Not my thing.

First sniff: It reminds me of drywall. Like a construction site with sun and wood and dust. But my first impression is dull white drywall.

Wearing: Well, this is much better. (It’d pretty much have to be, wouldn’t it?) On me, it’s a very quiet dry floral. It’s soft and light and quite subdued, just a little bit of sweetness. I’m not used to white florals that aren’t screamingly sweet, but Ghagiel fits that description.

First sniff: Medicinal… and outdoorsy. Which is a weirdass combination. It smells like medicine but it makes me think of camping. Maybe this is the first-aid tent down by the river.

Wearing: I still can’t pin down the outdoorsiness, but this is definitely medicinal. … And now that it’s dried down, it’s transformed into a lovely ladylike floral. I’m so very confused. The end stage is pretty, but the weirdness lasts a bit too long to make it worthwhile.

First sniff: Now this is an odd one. On the surface, it’s light and fresh and minty, but there’s a weirdness to it that makes you think it’s up to something.

Wearing: Oh, this is beautiful. Minty citrus tea, wonderfully light and refreshing.

First sniff: This feels like a combination of berries and citrus. It’s definitely sweet-fruity, but there’s a sharp edge to it.

Wearing: And on my skin it EXPLODES into coconut. Very much yum.