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DOLCE STIL NUOVO In Bottle: Sharp sour floral On Skin: Wow, this one woke me up. It’s so sharp it brought tears to my eyes. That rose cuts through me like a knife. There’s no denying it, rose almost never works on me. And combined with carnation which is bitter on me and lavender which is also super sharp on me, this scent doesn’t look like it will be a keeper. The vanilla sweetens it just slightly . The jasmine is actually quite light in comparrison to the other notes. The musk and amber are soft and also dominated by the sharp florals… but provide a somewhat calmer background. After about 10 minutes, the amber comes out a bit more and really takes the edge off the scent. Now I can stand it. The vanilla also deepens and provides even more sweetness. I like the scent a lot better at this stage, but it’s still much too floral for me. Starts with a very strong throw and fades into something quite light, average to long wearlength.

VIPRALABDA In Bottle: Herbal On Skin: The sage is dominant here, sharp, herbal and green. This scent is earthy and very planty in feel, but not fresh or lush plants… dried and dead plants… powdery dirt. Yes, a very dry and sharp scent. It smells like it could be used for aromatherapy, not really as a perfume… at least in my opinion. It’s not my kind of scent at all sadly. Light to medium throw and long wearlength.

VIRAHOTKANTITA In Bottle: Pungent floral On Skin: The lilac and cedar scream at me in this scent. It’s a bit too heady for me and gives me a bit of a headache right away. It’s very heavy scented and thick. I get a blue violet tone from it. Very very floral with an incensey background. Almost sickly sweet on me… The frankincense starts to come out more as the scent develops and it gives an even stronger powdery incense feel to the scent. Strong throw and long wearlength.

SVADHINAOPATIKA In Bottle: Honey and amber On Skin: Oh happy day!!! This is gorgeous!!!! Dominant note is my favorite note in the world, honey. Thick beautiful BPAL honey… followed by resins and woods. The amber is so golden and warm and combined with the honey just takes my breath away. The woody notes are soft and not too earthy. And the best part? The currant is super faint so I barely detect it and it doesn’t turn to cat pee on me. This is bottle worthy for sure. It’s like an incensey “O”. I am in love!! Light to medium throw and average wearlength.

PROSHITAPATHIKA In Bottle: Verbena On Skin: Verbena loves to amp on my skin… so at forst I get pure lemon. There is the dark musk in the background, keeping it from being too bright and sour. The iris gives a light floral edge and the star anise gives a hint of spice. All in all, it stays pretty lemony on me. It becomes almost a lemon licorice on me… candylike with just that floral hint keeping it from being too foody. It’s pretty but not me at all. Strong throw and long wearlength.

KHANDITA In Bottle: Soft and spicy On Skin: Wow, this scnet is so soft and spicy… it feels like a blanket of beautiful musky warmth. The black musk is dominant and I LOVE it… the neroli is second in line, resinous and warm. The saffron gives a delicous sweet spice. The rose is light, I barely smell it and the rosemary is also faint. Nice because those two notes are usually very sharp on me and here the other notes tame them into submission. I really like this scent and the warmth it exudes. I feel sexy yet comforted. It’s an intriguing scent for sure… people will be asking you about it. Exotic, soft, musky and sensual. Medium throw and average to long wearlength.

KALAHANTARIKA In Bottle: Herbal! On Skin: This scent is very sharp and herbal. Wow! Clears the sinuses! I smell the lavender right away… which generally doesn’t work on me. This scent has a green feel, bright at first, but then slowly shaded. It becomes a filtered light. It is quite strong and it does have a soft calming feeling after some of the sharpness wears off. Sadly I am not a fan of lavender, balsam or herbal scents so I don’t think I’d wear it. It seems more suitable for aromatherapy. Strong throw and long wearlength.

ABHISARIKA In Bottle: Perfumey rose On Skin: This is a very “perfumey” scent. Floral to an extreme… the rose jumps out. Rose is usually quite sour on me. Here it is in a way, but the cream helps balance it. The orchid adds a formal yet exotic quality and the musk is a beautiful base that also helps soften the scent. The musk is also quite clean and gives the scent a bright feel with a slightly soapy edge when combined with the rose. This is very pretty and very much a womans scent. I like it, but since the rose is so dominant I probably wouldn’t wear it often. Starts with a heavy throw but actually fades to a light throw fairly quickly. Short to average wearlength.

KING COBRA In Bottle: Dark Snake Oil On Skin: This seems like a darker version of Snake Oil. Beautiful incense and resin. Some of the Snake Pits have amped the sweetness of Snake Oil, this one amps the incense feel. It’s a bit smoky and reminds me of some of Beth’s heavy incense blends. I like it, but it has a bit of a sharp tone that comes forward on me. It’s also a bit too incensy for my tastes. It is pretty and I’d wear it again for sure but not sure if I need a bottle. Light throw and short wearlength.

TEMPLE VIPER Snake Oil with sugar cane, frankincense, champaca, opoponax, labdanum, and hyssop. In Bottle: SweetTarts and snake oil On Skin: This smells like the candy SweetTarts to me! YUM!!! Mixed with Snake Oil? You have me hooked Beth. As it develops I can smell the resins giving it it’s sweetness. Subtle spice, and a bit grapelike… but very golden and warm. It is very light, I keep leaning in to inhale my skin over and over. I see it being quite sexy and that people will want to lean and smell this one on you for sure. I love that its’ incensey and resinous without being very smoky or overwhelming. I love it!! Light throw and short to average wearlength.

WESTERN DIAMONDBACK In Bottle: Leather and wood On Skin: Wow, drop dead sexy. Can I get my husband to wear this??? This is the masculine form of Snake Oil for sure. The sandalwood and sage give a nice earthy and woody tone, very rugged and slightly minty. The Snake Oil and tonka sweeten the leather and keep it in check. Leather is my favorite note in Beth’s masculine blends and here is again the case. It’s spicy, woody, leatherclad and so very manly. I couldn’t picture a woman wearing this since it screams manly man. I want my husband to bathe in this. And I like that it isn’t overwhelmingly strong. It has a good throw and short to average wearlength.

ASP VIPER In Bottle: Nutty cherry almond On Skin: I smell the sweet cherry like note of the almond, but combined with the myrrh it is also slightly nutty. The Snake Oil is present for sure, adding to the sweet and resinous feel. Yum! I don’t really smell the mandarin other than a slight tart tone that is in the background. This scent is very red and warm in feel. Also a bit foody… like the almond cookies you get sometimes with Chinese take-out. If you like Snake Oil but it’s too intense for you, this is a softer sweeter take on the scent. I love it and would wear it for sure. I also like how the almond is not overwhelmingly cherry sweet, the other notes balance it so well. It has a light to medium throw and average wearlength.

AUSTRALIAN COPPERHEAD In Bottle: Resinous berry love On Skin: Oh my god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, calm down. I LOVE this. This is by far one of the most gorgeous scents I’ve fallen in love with just one sniff. I can’t explain how unique and alive this is. It has the beautiful Snake Oil base but it is faint and not very spicy here, and the fresh juicy acai berry jumps out and sweetens the heck out of it. The amber and the neroli help amp the snake oil resins a bit… and the smoked vanilla also echos the vanilla in Snake Oil. After about 15 minutes the Snake Oilness of the scent is much more obvious. I just love the berry edge, this is one of my favorites of the pit for sure!! Medium throw and short wearlength… I do wish it lasted longer.

SAW-SCALED VIPER In Bottle: Spicy whoah nelly On Skin: Wow, this one doesn’t work on me for even a second. Pure spicy cinnamon and cassia… and then the reg ginger gives a very odd funk. I really dislike red ginger as a single note… this isn’t the sweet ginger like in Shub, this is the very sharp and pungent red ginger and it doesn’t work on me in the slightest. Cinnamon and cassia don’t work on me 90% of the time so I knew this one would probably be a quitter for me. But wow… it hates me. I need to wash it off right away. I can’t handle it, I’m sorry. SUPER strong throw though.

BANDED SEA SNAKE In Bottle: Bright snake oil On Skin: Wow, what a contrast! This is such a brighter version of Snake Oil. The olive leaf really takes over and makes it so fresh and with a beautiful green tone. The oakmoss gives a gorgeous earthy feel and the sea moss has a superb ozoney note. This isn’t a strong scent at all, it’s quite faint but so pretty and clean. A very interesting cousin of Snake Oil and I love how it contrasts. If Snake Oil was too dark or resinous for you, try this one for sure. It has a very low throw and short wearlength… I do wish it lasted longer on me.

BOOMSLANG In Bottle: Chocolate snake oil On Skin: This is the darkest oil ever… putting it on it stains my skin pretty quick so apply with care. It smells delicious!!! I am usually not a fan of chocolate scents mostly because my husband doesn’t like them… and because they make me feel like a giant Hershey’s Kiss. But this is freaking beautiful. It’s totally Snake oil, but with the sweetest most tasty edge. The gorgeous spices of the Snake Oil keep it from being too foody. The teakwood gives a nice woody note that gives it further depth and the rice milk smooths it out perfectly. This is bottleworthy for sure. So sweet and sexy… instant love for me. Strong throw but it does fade a bit, medium wearlength.

MR. NANCY In Bottle: Key lime pie and a hint of smoke On Skin: Odd combination right? It is so interesting!!! I have to say Beth, this is one freaking cool scent. I can’t imagine anyone thinking something like this up. Want to smell unusual? I can pretty much imagine nobody around you will be also wearing a scent like this. This will make you stand out in a crowd. It has the beautiful sweetness of cookies, warm and comforting. Then a nice squeeze of lime to keep you from getting too comfortable and falling asleep and all of this surrounded by a nice big glass of rum in a dark little smoky bar. It’s sexy, and yummy and so unique. It reminds me of how unique last years Convergence scents were. And that same feel of sweet debauchery. I love this scent. An instant hit with me. It has a strong throw and average wearlength.

BILQUIS In Bottle: Apple and rose On Skin: Apple stand out quite strong but there is something funky. Wow. I’m not sure what it is, but something in this blend does not like me. I was very excited about the honey but I don’t smell it. I smell apple, I smell rose and florals and then I smell… can I really say it? I feel terrible because I love Beth… but it smells like wet dog to me. A clean shampooed and soft dog, but wet dog nonetheless. I think it’s the almonds… because its sweet and nutty. It just doesn’t work on my skin sadly… darn because I was so excited for this scent. Please don’t hate me Beth… you know some scents just go crazy on me. It has a strong throw and fairly long wearlength.

ENRAGED GROUNDHOG MUSK In Bottle: Spicy caramel On Skin: It is so sweet and yummy! At first it reminds me of grahm cracker crust. On my skin the cardamom come out dominant, very spicy and hot. Second is the chocolate which seems more like dry cocoa powder… not sweet melted chocolate. This is a foody scent no doubts about it. Super rich, super sweet and super making my stomach growl. The caramel that I smelled in the bottle is not really showing itself anymore and the cherry is very faint. Just a slight fruity tone in the background. While it is a yummy scent, it’s not the kind of foody I like to smell like. I don’t like spicy and I really don’t like cinnamon or cardamom. I may have to swap this sadly. But still a fun interesting scent and I LOVE the bottle! Strong throw and long wearlength.

CROW MOON In Bottle: Floral musk On Skin: This scent is quite pretty, very floral at first but as it develops the darker woodier notes come out. It very much reminds me of snow and the the few flowers that bloom during the cold season. The musk is soft and clean and I get a bit of a shampoo scent from this, but still I love it. This is a nice subtle scent, nothing is overwhelming or too strong. I nice scent to wear if you don’t like super perfumey perfumes. I love that it feels so fresh and airy, a nice breezy scent. This is a floral I’d wear for sure for those times I’d like a more subdued scent. It has a light to medium throw and short to average wearlength.

In Bottle: Light florals On Skin: This scent is so light and delicate. I see a dainty little chain of daisys on a little girls head, barely held together. Fresh and soft… The tone is white and light green. There is no doubt it’s spring, the sun is out, there are flowers all around in a huge green field. I can’t pick out any of the notes individually, it’s very well blended. I can say I don’t really smell the verbena or gardenis, those two notes usually amp on me and I don’t smell them strongly at all, they just melt into the other notes. It’s quite pretty, but again… I’m not a big floral fan so it’s not really me. I would use it as a room spray for a nice pick me up or to make me feel like I have fresh flowers. It’s very feminine… It’s a medium throw and short to average wearlength.

THE CUP OF DEATH In Bottle: Peach and lavender On Skin: I love peach and happily it comes forward right away. I don’t like lavender and sadly it’s the second most dominant note. This scent reminds me of a peach tea. Sweet peach, but a minty herbal note as well. As the scent develops, it becomes quite earthy. Also the rose note comes out and adds a sour spike. This scent has a very golden and green tone to it. The fruit mixed with the earthiness makes it very natural. Some fruit scents can be overly sweet but this one is well balanced with the other notes. It mellows out quite fast and becomes a light scent, pretty but very faint. Not really a scent for me, I prefer pure sticky sweet peaches, but for someone who likes things lighter and more earthy, check this scent out. It has a light throw and low to average wearlength.

In Bottle: Vetiver On Skin: The vetiver comes screaming out of this blend. Vetiver smells very earthy and dirty to me, it rarely works on me. Here it’s not being my friend at all. It also has my other archnemesis patchouli which is very strong and very much not working on me as well. It is so dark and earthy it is almost overwhelming. I can’t smell the pomegranate at all, and I smell the ginger slightly. Since there is such a dar smoky feel to this scent, that’s pretty much all I smell and the other notes just seem lost to my nose. This is the first Salon I really have dislike (sorry Beth!)… but it’s because it’s full of notes I knew wouldn’t work on me anyways. I need to wash it off. It has a very, very strong throw. Not sure of the wearlength since I washed it off, but I’d guess it has a fairly long wearlength since its so strong.

In Bottle: Heavy floral On Skin: This is a very white/yellow/light purple floral. It is pretty, feminine and not shy. It lets you know “I’m floral damnit!!!”. Lilac is the dominant note, it reminds me of the lilac bushes that grew outside our kitchen window at my childhood home. That smell always reminds me of spring and when the bush first started blooming. Sticky sweet… The sandalwood is light in comparison to the weight of the floral notes. The narcissus and ylang ylang are also quite strong. I am not a big fan of florals and this one is far too extreme for me, it gives me a slight headache, But if you love florals, try this one for sure. Medium to heavy throw, average wearlength.

THE AGONY OF LOSS In Bottle: Lavender! On Skin: Yes, the lavender is the leader here, very much in the front. Followed by the woody cedar and sandlewood. This scent seems a bit more masculine than the other 5. Very earthy and outdoorsy but also tranquil. The smoke compliments this scent as well. But sadly, the lavender and I don’t get along, it’s on eof the notes I’ve never been a fan of. It’s just too sharp for me. While I can see this being a pretty blend, it’s too much for me and gives me a little bit of a headache. But if you like sharp, clean woody scents, you’ll love this one for sure. Strong throw and medium to long wearlength.