galahad

The Bull of Minos, guardian of the Labyrinth in Knossos. A deep, swarthy black musk dusted by a dark, resinous blend of sacred bisabol myrrh, atramentous benzoin, tsori, balsam, and galbanum. In The Bottle Resinous, slightly sweet (I suspect form the benzoin which has a vanillary scent). I was expecting it to be thick and dark and dry but it isn't in the bottle. On Application Quite a thin, waxy oil on application. Beautiful musk with a slightly aromatic herbal background Dry Down Goes powdery but lovely on drydown. Certainly dustier and drier than I expected from the bottle. This was a free bottle with my latest order. I am assuming freshly made so this should be fanstastic when it ages. Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Sweet lavender and vanilla On Application Lavender, sweet and rounded out by what I think is vanilla Dry Down I love lavender and I love lavender with vanilla. This is gorgeous. I must try it next time I am having difficulty sleeping. A definite bottle for me Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Slightly fruity and spicey honey On Application Light fruity honey Dry Down I am surprised at how light and airy this is. Not cloying at all. The honey becomes stronger and sweter as this dries down further. Really, really nice. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Patchouli and sandalwood On Application Woody patchouli Dry Down Dry, musty and woody. The cardamom adds an odd note for me. This is interesting but doesn't really appeal to me. Rating (0-5) 3

In The Bottle I have been trying to figure out what the scent in this is that I really, really know and love. And it's basil! Should have looked at the listing of notes. On Application Pine and basil. Not as strong as I expected Dry Down This has the freshness of pine and the spiciness of basil, cumin and clove. An interesting blend. I think I am loving it. Rating 4.5

In The Bottle Not alot from the imp but I do get whiffs of earth. On Application Patchouli with something sweetish in the background Dry Down Light warm and earthy. Definitely some frankinsence in there, warming and sweetening the blend eventually. Really pleasant and light. Worth trying again. Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Honey and slightly sour wine On Application Honey and wine Dry Down Surprisingly soft as it warms. Honey at the fore with a herbal/dry wildflower backdrop. The wine re-emerges, stronger than ever, after about 5 minutes into the drydown to give the blend a honeyed wine scent. Becomes stronger as it dries. I really quite like this but don't think I would wear it. Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Odd. Like some previous reviewers, I get lime in the imp. On Application Limey and herbal Dry Down The musks almost immediately rear their lovely heads as it warms to give a slighly sweet piney effect. Smells vey fesh and woodsy in the cool of night. This woud be awesome aged. Bottle-worthy. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Pomegranate with the coolness of evaporating alcohol. On Application As above Dry Down Starts really crisp and cool and then gets sweeter and sweeter as it dries down. Lovely. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Spicey floral On Application As above. Really quite spicey Dry Down I can't quite place what the spice is - cinnamon perhaps? This is quite nice and not really what I was expecting. Bright and warm. Not my thing however. Rating (0-5) 2

In The Bottle Rich amber with some dragon's blood in the background On Application Dragon's blood. I smell jasmine quite strongly initially Dry Down This is fantastic as it dries down. The amber starts to assert some control to make this warm and powdery. Direct sniff from my skin is worryingly overpowering but the overall effect as it wafts around is awesome. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle An aged imp - Musk and pine and slightly dusty. Gorgeous On Application As above. Rich but piney fresh however the pine doesn't overpower Dry Down Amazing stuff. Smells quite cologney but the musk and leather are so beautifully rich. The piney quality remains. This is STRONG and remains strong three hours later. Love. Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Slightly aquatic with sanke oil in the background On Application Fresh and almost fruity with the sweetness of snake oil. Dry Down Vanillary, fresh and slightly earthy. Really hard to quantify other than to say I like it. Eventually dries down to a nice vanilla and leather. Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Leather. Aged and rich On Application Primarily leather with a touch of tonka Dry Down This was a generous imp from Vultureguy. Thank you! I am so loving this. The snake oil emerges about 10 minutes into the drydown to sweeten up the blend while still leaving the leather at the forefront. This is a top 5 for me and I will need to stock up on bottles before the carnival leaves town! Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Fresh coconut, honey and the dreaded almond On Application The almond amps up Dry Down Wow, the coconut is really toasted and nutty. The almond has settled to a creamy almond milk which works really nicely with the coconut and the fig gives an earthiness to help counteract the sweetness of the honey. Fades quickly. Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Cool floral and almost a plummy note On Application Smooth floral. Not to sharp. Dry Down Beautiful translucent aquatic floral. There is an earthiness and warmth to this, courtesy of the ginger and musk, I assume. I love this but it seems to fade quickly. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Musk with a touch of patchouli On Application Sweet musk giving quite a cologney effect Dry Down I was expecting this to be really strong musk but it is actually really soft, dry and powdery. Smells of baby powder and doesn't change from there. Pleasant enough. Rating (0-5) 2

In The Bottle Spicey and slightly fruity amber. Very nice in the imp On Application Amber and cedar with an overlay of citrus Dry Down The saffron is really evident giving the distinctive medicinal smell. It's not unpleasant, I just don't think it works well with the mandarin. The overall effect becomes an earthy and spicey dry blend. Interesting but not a winner for me. Rating (0-5) 3

In The Bottle Green vegetation and musk On Application Strong musk! Dry Down The florals manage to make an appearance behind the musk in the first few minutes of the drydown, ylang ylang most prominently. Thankfully, everything tones down fairly quickly. Occasionally, I get wafts of the volcanic gases. Lush. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Ripe apple and herbs On Application Very herbal and appley. The apples are green apples with a tart bite. Dry Down The amber warms this up as it dries to give a subtle sweet dry quality. Smells like spiced apple (cinnamon with a touch of clove) a lttle further in. Doesn't seem to last long on my skin. 10 minutes in and it is just a faint, soft waxy apple scent. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Light musk and sage On Application Earthy, mossy musk and sage. Foresty. Dry Down The woods really start to come out and blend with the musk beautifully to make this sweeter and resnous. The sage re-emerges to add a herbal dry twist a bit later on. This scent is fantastic - warm, natural, musky, mysterious. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Earthy and cold. I can detect some jasmine in the imp. I hope it behaves. On Application Floral. Quite strong dirty jasmine scent. Dry Down The floral aspect starts to become more refined and works better with the other elements after about 5 minutes. Becomes more earthy and the incense wafts in. Later bemomes quite green with the flowers and earthy. Worth retrying but suspect will not be a favourite. Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Definitely metallic and sage. On Application Dusty sage. Dry Down This is so elusive on my skin that it is had to quantify. The sage seems to have faded into the background and the incense has come to the front. While the insence and sage are warm and spicy, the overall effect is quite cool and slick. Actually quite amazing. Wll need to try a slather test. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Smells thin, slightly sweet and, yes, metallic On Application Leather and anise. Could this be love? Dry Down Cool and cologney. A bit of spice contributed by the anise and frankincense. I would classify this as a masculine scent. Worth considering a bottle. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Lavender sweetened and softened by amber On Application Tonka, amber and lavender. Really quite nice. Dry Down What started off, briefly, as a clogney lavender/amber has been darkened by the patchoulli ending up a deep, warm and ambery scent lightened slightly by the lavender. Nice. Rating (0-5) 4