coulrophobe

A few weeks ago, if you would have told me that I'd actually really like a blend containing civet, I would have laughed at you (or maybe thrown up in my mouth a little). But that was before the wonderful GothicMissManners gifted me with an imp of Morella on Thanksgiving. I can't smell the civet at all, though there is a bit more warmth than with most herbal/floral blends. What I mainly get is FLORENTINE IRIS, my second favorite note of all time! The sage adds a bit of an edge and keeps it from getting too sweet, and the orris adds a bit of earthy roundness... All in all, an amazing purple-smelling blend. With civet... who knew? There's a reason I never give up on a note... in some blend, it's bound to work.

Rosalind is an unusual smelling blend for me - the herbal/fruity/floral notes combine in a way that's really unique. On me, it's like Empyreal Mist's bouncy, hyperactive sister - a very fun, fresh scent with something vaguely peachy lurking in the background (I know it's supposed to be berries, but my nose keeps telling me it's peaches and flowers). Thinking about getting a 5 ML of this for early spring... it's just making me think of daffodils and tulips.

I can do a lot of florals, but roses are my nemisis. I've had some luck with blends that contain a small amount of rose lately, so I had high hopes. But sadly, rose is the only thing I can smell in Ophelia. It's an odd, powdery rose - not offensive, but still a little too rosey for my tastes.

I'd go with blends that have mint, eucalyptus or citrus - if I remember correctly, those are supposed to be invigorating/uplifting from an aromatherapy standpoint. I'd agree with the recommendations for Moxie, Pain, Ultraviolet and Embalming Fluid. Maybe Cathode or Aizen-Miyoo as well. Clean aquatics or ozone scents like Lightning might work well, too.

Another vote for Dirty, and I'd suggest Pele, too. Other categories that are nonsexual to my nose: aquatic/ozone, citrus, and tea (yes, even Dorian - so maybe my sex-detector is a little off!). Personally, I can't wear any of my "power" scents when I want to be non-sexy... I found that out when I made the mistake of wearing Loviatar to work. I wanted to cut out early and take advantage of someone. Or myself, if there weren't any suitable prospects.

I already know that lavender, jasmine and rose usually spell disaster for me... so why am I trying something with all three? Heh... guess I'm more of an optimist than I like to admit. In the imp, and for the first minute or two on my skin, all I can smell is the sharp, harsh scent of lavender. Then the musk starts to soften it up a bit... but there's a vaguely putrid note in the background... yep, that's what jasmine does on my skin. But that goes away after a few more minutes - and once again, it's a lavender blend, but a softer one, thanks to the musk. There's also something that smells a bit lemony, but perhaps my nose is playing tricks on me. All in all, not nearly the disaster I thought it would be. Sophia isn't one that really works for me, but for something that contains three of my nemisis-notes - not too bad!

First impression (smelling imp without looking at description): roses and some kind of fruit - apricot maybe? *looks at description* Ah, it was pear! On me: At first, the rose is a little too dominant for my tastes - my skin loves roses, but sadly, my nose does not. Then the fruity notes tame it down a little, making La Belle au Bois Dormant much better for me than a lot of rose blends. It's a fresh scent, and almost bubbly (I'm obviously not getting the soporific effects!) - I think it'd be nice for spring. Final verdict: not an overwhelming favorite, but very nice.

The instant I open the imp, I'm assaulted by civet. This one smells a lot like Czernobog out of the imp - cleaning products and poo. This isn't a good sign, but I always try anyway. On my skin - it's spicier than Czernobog, but that can't save it. I have yet to try a civet blend that doesn't make me smell like I've been rolling around in the dung heap (and frankly, I don't think it's a matter of chemistry, as I've smelled civet-based blends on other people, and still think it smells like poo - I think I just plain don't like it, period!). Not for me, obviously!

This one is very lemony on me, with hints of tea and leather (and luckily, the lemon is fresh, and not the dreaded "lemon Pledge" type). However - this is the quickest-fading BPAL blend I've encountered. 10 minutes after applying, I can't even smell it - usually blends with leather last on my skin, but this one does not. Too bad, because it smelled promising.

I'm always a bit leary of vetiver, as it tends to smell like motor oil on my skin - but figured I'd give it a try. In the imp: Well, I can't smell the vetiver - that's a good sign! On skin: Honeysuckle! One of my favorite florals, but this blend manages not to be too flowery. This is honeysuckle, but the blooms are deepened and perverted by the smoky, spicy opium. As drydown continues, the honeysuckle tones down just a bit, making it more dark and seductive, but still very feminine. I can catch whiffs of the vetiver occasionally, but it's not overwhelming. This one surprised me quite a bit, it works with my chemistry much better than I expected!

This one is mostly rose on me, both wet and dried down. Not too surprising, as my skin amps up roses like crazy... unfortunately, rose is not the best note for me. Les Fleurs du Mal starts out with roses combined with something that smells vaguely soapy, much like lily of the valley - maybe that's the wisteria? I'm never able to smell the lilac which is unfortunate. It's not horrible on me, but this blend turns into yet another rose-dominated floral on my skin.

Without looking at the description, my initial impression of this (both in the imp and on my skin) was lemon and dry woods. And from the description, I was pretty close - just lemon verbena rather than actual lemon. I'm not smelling any of the patchouli - rather than any earthy notes, it smells quite clean and simple. On me, the lemon stays fresh, and doesn't turn "Pledge-y" at all. It fades eventually, leaving just a dry wood smell. Shadow is a very pleasant scent, but it's not really me.

I can't really add much to what's already been said - I'll just say that on my skin, Blood Moon is the lovechild of Sugar Cookie and Devil's Night. Which ain't a bad thing at all. I'm mainly getting spice, but with a smoky/musky note. Nice! I don't get anything feral here, but then... I never think anything smells feral (unless there's civet in there, and that's not a good kind of feral for me). So... for me, this is fall air and baked goods. Not what I expected, but quite pleasant.

On me, Lex Talionis is vetiver, vetiver, and a bit more vetiver. Sadly, vetiver makes me smell like I've been rolling around on the floor of someone's garage - motor oil and dirt. I can catch hints of the other notes as the blend dries down, but nothing ever really challenges the vetiver's dominance. This one just ain't for me.

Weird how different everyone's noses are - on me, The Chariot was pure lotus! And for The Hierophant, I got a mossy cinnamon smell, a lot like Hamadryad. The Hermit was a rich berry scent, to me... I'm not helping much here, I suppose. I guess my advice is that, if you're looking for a Tarot blend based on scent rather than for any significance or purpose, just scour the reviews and see what most people think it smells like. Or find someone selling imps of them - that's the only way I was able to try them all.

In the imp: Dish soap and lime... ack. On: Yes... still dish soap and lime. And it doesn't change. As someone who loves comsos, this is a disappointment. My skin finds absolutely no cranberry, and the soapy note is a bit disconcerting. I'm assuming the soap smell is juniper... which isn't a scent I associate with my beloved cosmos at all. With my chemistry, this is a cosmo made by a novice bartender who puts gin in it rather than vodka, and skimps on the cranberry. I'm so sad this didn't work for me!

Dirt blends don't really work for me, but I keep trying 'em. In the imp: Yes, that's dirt. A bit moldy, but the soil blends always strike me that way. On: After I let this dry for a few minutes, I smell lemons and soil. It's a sweet, earthy scent, and I'm surprised that anything's able to get past the dirt smell - soil notes tend to be very strong with my chemistry. And then something vaguely perfumey emerges - the florals are coming out. Strangely, I only get fleeting hints of the booze notes once in a while. Verdict: This is the best soil-blend I've tried; the dirt settles into the background and provides a gritty undertone, but doesn't dominate the blend. It's still a little earthy for my tastes, but much better than anticipated.

Huh... I was worried about the lavender and ozone in this blend making it too strong and harsh, but now that I'm trying it on, I can barely smell it. At first, I get a faintly smoky skin-scent... gradually, a faint fruit/berry scent peeks out, and there's a tiny hint of soap. Not what I expected at all - this is staying so close to my skin that it's practically being absorbed. I think I'll keep this around and see if it becomes stronger with age - what I can smell is intriguing and unexpected, but extremely light.

I can't add much that hasn't been said already about baneberry - the "dark green herbal with bulging black fruit" in the description is the exact image this scent evokes for me. It starts out a strong herbal/berry, but sweetens a bit on my skin to a fresh blackberry scent - I'm picturing blackberry vines entwined with dark green ivy. To me, this is a very late summer scent, sweet and warm, but with a "growing wild" feel.

I've had a hard time picking orchid out of blends, so I was looking forward to a scent that was predominantly orchid. On me, Shadow Witch Orchid is a very wet, lush floral, with a "fruity" aspect that's similar to lotus (not that it smells like lotus per se, but there's a similar quality). As it dries on my skin it becomes creamier; it's almost a floral-fruit-honey smell, with a bit of tang to it... it's making me think of tropical flowers with slightly underripe pears (which is how I like 'em - tart and crispy). My verdict: SWO is unusual, exotic and feminine; it doesn't quite smell like anything else. Very nice!

In the imp: I can barely smell this - just the faint hint of green herbs. On: It's stronger now - for me, it's still very green and herbal, but now with a hint of florals. Usually, rose not only blooms but runs rampant on my skin, but it uncharacteristically stays in check in this blend, just adding a bit of sweetness without being overtly rosey. It blends well with the peony, adding a pink tone to an otherwise sharp herbal scent. This blend sweetens a little during drydown on my skin, and some of the sharpness dissipates. I end up with a very light, pleasant, and not too sweet floral scent, with all the notes well blended.

Er... yum? The first thing to hit me when trying on Hod isn't any note in particular, but just a big ol' wallop of creamy warmth. As it dries down, I can really smell the carnation, and I'm betting a bit of amber as well. While I can see the comparisons to O, I find Hod to be much better for me - O turns into what one of my friends calls "happy little ferrets and play-doh," while Hod stays warm and creamy. My guess is there's less honey (or none at all), since honey is the note that has a tendency to go a bit ferrety on me. Hod is gorgeous, light, and not cloying... I may just have to go for a whole bottle of this one. It's the sort of smell that makes me want to gnaw my wrist.

The Womb, Shabbathai, the Uppermost Feminine in the Godhead, Supernal Mother, Divine Sorrow, Supernal Shekhinah, and the source of the 50 Gates of Understanding. The first note to hit me is the sweet, syrupy ooze of myrrh... I love most incense, but myrrh is just a bit to heavy and sticky for me. There's also an initial sourness to the blend, but luckily, that seems to evaporate on my skin. I'm also getting a hint of floral - roses, I think, but they're not as overpowering as roses are with my chemistry. All in all, this seems well-blended to me, but just not my thing. Myrrh and roses just aren't notes that work well for me.

First impression out of the imp was "pencil shavings!" - definitely cedary. I don't like to smell like cedar all the time, but it is a comforting kind of smell... takes me back to elementary school. On my skin, the fruity note emerges - peach or apricot (I can't tell BPAL's peach/apricot notes apart, but they're both gorgeous on me). This reminds me of a more innocent version of depraved; the cedar adds a clean, earthy tone to the peach/apricot and keeps it from getting too overpowering. Even the non-fruity folks might like this one. Final verdict - very pleasant and pretty without being to sweet or frou-frou. One of my favorites in the Sephiroth category.

I'll agree with everyone else and say jasmine, and maybe a bit of something else... possibly gardenia? Sadly, jasmine always smells like it's the slightest bit rotten on me - not horribly so, but a few days past the expiration date. That sickly sweet waft of decay before it goes full-on rancid. Not the best of associations, so I've concluded that it's just not a note that works for me. Sadly, it appears to be the most prominent note in Yesod, so I can't see myself wearing this one.