galahad

In The Bottle Soft dry amber and musk. Warm and gentle On Application Strange. Seems to play hide and seek. When it's there it is very nice, if a little too powder sweet. Dry Down There is a sharp dryness to this which is totally evocative of the concept. This started off seeming a fairly feminine blend to me but as it dries becomes more masculine (all subjective, I know). The powder sweet amber gives way to the woods, making this drier and dustier. What started off as being somwhat disappointing has now rocketed to one of my favourites. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Thick aromatic herbs and clove On Application Wow...sweetens up but is dry and dusty which I like Dry Down Gets very, very spicey and musty. At no stage do I get the black currant. This is a very mysterious blend to me - from a distance so spicey (cinnamon, clove, etc) but closer sniff aromatic herbs (sage, rosemary, etc). I like it. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Lavender and lime On Application Quite sharp and astringent. Quite strongly lavender with a sweetness beneath. Dry Down I almost get anise in the initial stages of drydown. 10 minutes in and I am really starting to like this more. It was initially a bit fragmented but has now blended to a sweet colgney floral - not startling but pleasant. Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Smells exactly like Davidhoff Cool Water in the imp - fresh with a bubblegum base. On Application Cologney warm lavender and aromatic herbs Dry Down This is beautiful and sensually masculine. Still very much like Cool Water which I like but has a more sophisticated edge as it dries down further. The lavender pops up to say hello every now and then and then pulls it's head back in. This is a stunner and perfect for summer. Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle I'm a little scared to put this on. On Application The chocolate comes to the fore pretty quickly. The cherry is more almond at this stage. Dry Down I don't like what the orange blossom does to this oil. The chocolate peeps out every now and then. I don't really get much cherry. Rating (0-5) 2

In The Bottle Mint and lavender. Cool and crisp On Application Very green and crisp. Moist, sharp and bitter Dry Down This stays nice and herby green on me all the way through. The mint is no longer evident and the overall effect is wild, weedy, sappy green - hemlock, dandelion and green grass. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Cherry and chocolate for me On Application As above the with the chocolate coming to the fore. Very dark and cloying. Dry Down It has taken 10 minutes for this to tone down enough for my sinuses to get a break. I am really getting the honey now and a touch of the wine. Feral musk is right! I am thinking I will like this when it starts to behave. 20 minutes in and this is now a smooth honey, vanilla and clove scent with a touch of wine. This will be too sweet and cloying for me to wear. Rating (0-5) 3

In The Bottle Moss and ozone - fresh and bright On Application Warm, airy mint Dry Down This initially switches constantly for me between light and warm to cool and airy but dries down very quickly to a hand cream smell. Not unpleasant but a bit disappointing considering the opening. Rating (0-5) 3

In The Bottle Leather and incense On Application Woody leather. Dry and worn. Dry Down I can smell rosemary on initial application, with rich woods and incense. This is a fantastic scent of cologne, old polished wood and soft incense. Awesome! Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Dark fruit and herbs On Application Yes...pomegranate and musky amber Dry Down This is quite tart under the amber powdery sweetness. Dries down to a slightly fuity, incensey and powdery scent. Rating (0-5) 3

In The Bottle Almost nothing except what seems to be black pepper catching at the back of my throat On Application A touch of currant joins the spicey black pepper note. Dry Down This is soft and powdery. There is a bit of a kick which is fleetingly obvious (the ozone?) Overall impression is of strongly scented baby powder. Pleasant but not me. Rating (0-5) 2

In The Bottle Ylang ylang On Application Ylang ylang Dry Down Ylang ylang plus ylang ylang and then some more ylang ylang on top. Ugh! Rating (0-5) 0

In The Bottle A touch of cocoa with something drier and deeper On Application Very dry cocoa with a woody note. Dry Down Very definitely not foody which is a nice surprise. This is so dry and woody with a touch of sweetness. Intriguing, indeed. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Aromatic herbs - lemon verbena to the fore On Application Lemon verbena with something musky rounding it out. Dry Down Buttery, lemon at first. Actually the buttery note smells kind of rancid. Lemon scents don't do anything for me. This is a miss. Rating (0-5) 0

In The Bottle Tobacco and musk but a but more sparkly On Application The rums peeks through 5 minutes into the drydown. Dry Down I have been trying to find a scent reminiscent of my father's pipe tobacco which was sweet, vanillary with rum. This comes very close in the drydown and then turns very, very spicey. This goes through a very smokey, burning stage before softening out to rum, coconut and spice. Lovely Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle A touch of earth and rose with something else in there to round it out On Application Dirt and forals including rose and night blooming flowers Dry Down This is the first time I can pick out the wine note in a blend and I like it! I am not really sure about this - I love the dirt and wine but the rose undercurrent is not to my liking. As long as it doesn't come to the fore, this will be OK. That's better, this finally dries down to dirt and wine. A must have. Rating (0-5) 4.5 Full Wear Test Fantastic. Just needs a bit of a touch up part way through the day. Love the earthy scent which seems to last for ages on me and really love the winey note. The rose is bearable. Another bottle! I managed to spill the imp in my office, so I am going to be experiencing this one for a while.

In The Bottle Rich wood and eucalyptus On Application Very dry and sweet - the woods and the vanilla. Dry Down Smokey, woody and sweet. This is so unsual but the whole thing reminds me of something at the edge of my memory - incense and the afterglow of sex, perhaps? Yes, love it! Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Golden apples. Gorgeous. Where Poisoned Apple was red apples these are definitely golden apples On Application Holy Mother of God, this is amazing. The oak bark gives these apples a mustiness which is so evocative. Dry Down To me this is apples drying and wrinkling in the sun - nothing twilight about it, perhaps a promise of the end of the day. There is very little sweetness to this, only juicy and slightly tart apples. This does go a bit plastic -y at the end of the drydown but still a lovely summer/autumn scent. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Fresh with a touch of melon sweetness but with a bitter afterthought On Application Definitely sea air with just a hint of saltiness Dry Down Wow, this does warm and sweeten up more as it dries down but the briney quality increases. Definitely has a cool and damp feel to it. I have just noticed that I have used both warm and cool to describe this and that is entirely accurate - it's a warm, leather-clad pirate body in cool, misty sea air. Great scent. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Air freshener On Application Oh god no Dry Down Wash off Rating (0-5) 0

In The Bottle Orchid, rosewood and a hint of juniper On Application Ugh! Juniper and sandalwood with the strong orchid. Dry Down In the initial stages this tones down and blends nicely to give a spicey scent which is really quite nice. I can still pick the juniper through it all and an after-image of lilac. Becomes really smooth and the musk sweetens up the blend to take the astringency away. This goes through quite a strong rose stage which I find disturbing but it doesn't last long. Lovely and worth retrying. Has made me want to try some lilac blends. Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Amaretto, indeed. On Application Really sweet with the fruit amping initially. Nice so far Dry Down Thank goodness for the black currant which keeps this scent on the good side of sickly sweet. The amaretto moves to the back to allow the juicy plum and currant to shine in the first stages of drydown. There is a slight sourness from the wine which, combined with the tart currants, gives this scent a maturity which is nice. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Lime and fruits On Application Yum , the grapefruit really features on initial application (another of my favourite oils) but it is a sweet grapefruit. Dry Down I swear I can smell the nectarine, all juicy and ripe. Thnankfully the rose is behaving itself. There emerges a sweetish muskiness (must be the hedgehog musk!). This is a really languid and deep scent without being cloying. Absolute heaven and I wouldn't class the overall effect foody at all. This actually smells more tea-like than some of the tea blends. Doesn't last long but reapplication is no chore. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Vanilla and leather with something herby and spicey On Application This immediately puts out sage and vanilla with a little kick of lavender. Very nice. Dry Down Wow. The leather and musk with the spicey carnation make an awesome combination in the initial drydown stages. The sage gives a sweaty muskiness. Very, very manly. The term "sultry" has been used in some of the reviews and I concur. Sex in a bottle! Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Almond - bitter and strong On Application As above Dry Down I get a bit of anise coming through as it dries down. I am not liking so far. Turns to more cherry than almond further into the drydown but this is definitely not me. Rating (0-5) 1