empi girl

I wasn't entirely sure if I would like this scent because of the cucumber, but had to have it. And it has turned out to be a complete winner on me! I think it smells somewhat like 51, with the addition of syrupy honey and a hint of watery cucumber. And the cucumber works well here, lending just a hint of watery feeling without bashing you over the head saying "CUCUMBER!". Lasts several hours, and stays pretty true. Towards the end, it reminds me Theodosius, which must be the tea. I might need a back-up bottle of this one, it's so nice.

When wet, a sweet lemon and sugar scent that has the zing of the lenongrass in it. Dries down after a bit to sweet hard lemon candies. Very nice. After 1-1 1/2 hours, it becomes a creamy musky scent, with no real trace of lemon, and reminds me of coconut. Odd, I know. In fact, it reminds me distinctly of Obatala at that point, and while I tried, I had to wash it off. Something at this point doesn't agree with me. Sadly, this one will be off to swaps.

Usually Perversion. Sultry, sexy, a little smoky-sweet.

As advertised, a sweet rose. Very nice, full and pretty. No sharp greenery to be found. Not plasticky, either, or too sugary sweet. It reminds me a lot of the Peacock Queen, however, and therefore will probably not be a keeper, since I already have PQ. Otherwise, I would hold onto this for sure! A beautiful rose!

Not what I was expecting...I was hoping for more of the star anise, but on me, it is mainly black musk, vetiver and perhaps the king mandarin. Very cologne-like, actually. I'm going to re-test later, and then have my husband try it out. It seems like it should work better on him!

Light, clean, ethereal indeed! It manages not to smell like laundry, or soap, or be sharp on me. Nothing really stands out distinctly, it's simply a light, slightly sweet citrus and air scent (and not ozone-y, because I can't do ozone), that gives me a lift. Bottle worthy!

The spices amped on me, so while I wanted to love this, and love the scent of apples, this one is more like apple being bludgeoned by cinnamon sticks. The cinnamon is heavy, and because it amps on me, a little potpourri-ish. No creaminess that I can detect and the apple is far in the background. Not a keeper, though I wish it was!

As others have said, red musk and clove. I love red musk, but have never found quite the right blend with it. But I think with Mircalla, I have a keeper. I like how the clove keeps the sweetness of the red musk in check, and adds a layer of interest to it. Those are pretty much the only notes I get, and that is fine with me. A bottle for sure; it will be interesting to see if aging brings out the other notes more.

A light sweet candied rose. It smells almost fruity at first, then as this dies down it becomes a soft, clinging sweet rose with the incense in the background. It's a lighter, sweeter version of Parlement of Foules, on me. Very pale, feminine and delicate. I like it, but I like other roses more.

This completely makes up for Antique Lace and Snow White both being total fail on me!!! It's like what both of them could have been, but aren't. Thank you Beth! This is a beautiful soft vanilla and musk scent, and it LASTS! I tried it on at 1:30, and it is still noticeable at 8:30. In my book, that is impressive. And the scent hasn't morphed much, but remained true, a lovely, soft and slightly powdery vanilla, though it may have had a more visible floral component initially. I would never have tried it without those will-call reviews, because it has jasmine and ylang ylang-yet I LOVE IT!!! Bottle purchase, maybe two.

I had high expectations for this one, since most pumpkins are too buttery for me to wear. I thought the rose and sandalwood might temper it a bit... Initially, it is ALL buttery pumpkin, but eventually it lets a little rosewood in. Gradually the rose joins the group, and it comes on strong at first, drowning out most of the pumpkin. However, as it wears, the rose softens, the red sandalwood is in the background, and a beautiful soft rose scent is the result. It isn't a green rose, just a beautiful and gentle tea rose. I have a few rose scents already, and am undecided what to do with this one. I was hoping for just a wee bit more pumpkin to share with the rose. Perhaps aging would do that? As it is, it is a beautiful blend, and my expectations were definitely met.

I totally get the comparisons to Midway. Midway is one of my favorites, and this has a similar cotton candy/salt water taffy scent to it, though not as strong. Up close, it smells almost spicy, and I don't smell the spun sugar, but the waft is pure deliciousness. The linen keeps it from being too sweet and also keeps it bright. I love it! I might even grab a second bottle of this one. (edited to add, I don't get the same vanilla sweetness as Antique Lace, which never quite works on me and ends up dusty-funky. This doesn't do that, so don't be scared if that's your experience with AL too.)

I loved just about all the notes in this, and the poem that accompanied it, so I knew I had to spring for a bottle right away. And I'm so glad I did. This is a beautiful scent! The musks are strongest in the beginning with the lavender and carnation blending together for a gentle spiciness and a sweetness lingering in the back-probably the vanilla. It starts out soft and I thought it would disappear quickly, but it hasn't. It's stuck around and become a little stronger. I keep getting wafts of it, and wishing I'd gotten 2 bottles. In the dry down it has become a soft amber-vanilla bean-musk with an airy feel.

Yes, Penny Dreadful is a great scent!

I was thinking of Kumiho, which is cool and crisp, and conveys confidence without being overwhelming.

I was going to say Coyote too. (and as an aside, Laurel's run-down is fantastic!)

By rights, I shouldn't like this scent, since it has not only jasmine in it, but orris too. But I was going to France, to Versailles, and just had to get an imp to take along! And surprisingly, it has become a favorite, and a bottle purchase when I make my next order. It smells rich, soft, smooth and sensual. The amber and the orris meld together to create a warm, almost powdery base, with a hint of citrus underlying it. The rose might be contributing a little richness, but I don't get jasmine at all. This is one of those perfumes where all the notes combine in such a way that it's hard to describe for me. I think it's beautiful-a total win!

This is far lighter than I was expecting! I smell lilac and perhaps the tobacco at first, but the tobacco fades and is replaced by coconut, and it becomes a soft lilac-coconut combination. The coconut doesn't turn dry or dusty or plasticky the way it sometimes can on me. Someone earlier mentioned suntan oil, and while it doesn't smell at all like actual sun tan oil, the cocnut does bring back the memory of warm sun and sand and blue water. It fades fairly quickly to a soft sweet scent-this might be a prime candidate for a scent locket. I consider this a definite keeper!

#CCCXLVII I've never been able to wear O, so when the Chaos series came, I had to try for at least a variation. And I got one, a heady, musky, sensual one. But unfortunately, I think it has dragon's blood in it, a note that seems to work for a lot of people, but not for me. I usually get headaches from it. And in this blend, even on me it almost works. So I guess I would call it O and Dragon's Blood (or at least, that same sense of voluptuousness that dragon's blood seems to have). I sense honey, musk, the thick lilac scent I associate with dragon's blood. A great scent for someone else. Off to swaps.

#CDXLIX It seems to me to be a combination of Dorian, Theodosius and Zephyr. Light, with tea and lemon predominating, and a hint of soft flowers in the background. Very nice, and I almost kept it, but enough like the others that I'm going to try to swap my bottle for another.

On, a very chocolatey scent, less white chocolate than dark chocolate. Obviously, my nose is strange. Still, it smells good, with a hint of coconut underneath it. Unlike most chocolates, it doesn't go dusty or "off" on me, and has good wear length. Towards the end, it softens to a soft marshmallow cocoa note. I like it, and am glad I took a chance on it!

I am so glad I got thsi at the alst minute. It's a beautiful scent! On me, primarily caramel and spun sugar, and lemon, with a hint of floral sweetness. I don't get a distinct "apple" note, though that might be what is creating the feeling of "freshness" that this has. It does go a little dusty after a bit, but that's not noticeable unless I'm sniffing where I've applies. What wafts remains clear, sweet and cheerful. The scent reflects it's inspiration perfectly, I think.

Blackberry and sandalwood. The blackberry is juicy and beautiful but not overly sweet and the sandalwood lends it depth, softness and warmth. I never discern the mint or the orange blossom, but it's still quite lovely. This stays true on my skin for hours; I put it on at six in the morning and could still smell it, though much lighter, at eight that evening! A keeper.

More ozone on me than aquatic, but not a head-ache inducing ozone. Gentle, fresh, bright and clean, it does indeed remind me of laundry, in the best possible way. Still, not a scent I'll be keeping, since I was looking for aqua, not air.

A somewhat voluptuous scent. I get the lilac and the myrrh most strongly, in equal measure. They blend beautifully, and underneath I can detect the barest hint of the tea leaf. The scent has some sweetness to it, but isn't what I would call sweet. It feels full, if that makes sense, in the same way as some red wines are-this is the perfume equivalent! It has very good staying power, and stays remarkably true, not morphing much at all. I think it is definitely one for myrrh lovers!