Ajila

In the bottle –First coconut then a hit of patchouli Wet on me – The rubbery vanilla of the benzoin, the dirtiness of the patchouli and the sweetness of the coconut Dry on me – Initially the patchouli grows stronger and stronger, until it dominates the blend, but eventually it fades leaving a lovely real vanilla ice cream sort of scent Overall – I love the final dry down, but I’m less keen on the ‘I am patchouli hear me roar’ aspect earlier on. I’m in a bit of an odd place hormonally at the moment so I think this is probably worth holding on to and trying again when things have settled down

In the bottle –Very strong damp earth with a slight woody edge Wet on me – The dry wood is now slightly stronger but the damp earth remains the dominant scent Dry on me – Soft masculine woods with just a hint of alcohol Overall – Whilst I like this blend the masculinity combined with the alcohol gives the impression of a traditional aftershave, which puts me off the idea of wearing it

In the bottle –A high note from the orchid, backed by the rich spicy resins Wet on me – A kind of ozony fizziness made dark with the resins and edged by what smells like orange peel Dry on me – For a while it smells like unburnt incense, but gradually it warms and sweetens becoming a sensual amalgamation of the resins Overall – The dry down is a glorious thing, and this blend stays strong on my skin for upwards of 16 hours. This may well become a favourite

In the bottle –The wine, a hint of the clay and something sweet, but not sugar sweet, more like some sort of flower Wet on me – Sharp berryish wine, again with that hint of sweetness behind it Dry on me – Dry crumbling woods and that sweetness, in the end I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s violets Overall – Surprisingly on me this is quite a grown up scent and it’s one that I think I will enjoy wearing

In the bottle –Thick black smoke, that hits the back of your throat, stale beer and a hint of treacle Wet on me – A hint of the treacle, but predominantly thick overpowering smoke Dry on me – Thick smoke, ashes and stale beer. It does finally dry into a sweet, hoppy skin scent, but it’s too little too late Overall – Perhaps if my skin had brought out more of the treacle and not turned the beer sour this would have worked, but how it is

In the bottle –Warm, slightly sweet green herbs – most probably the olive leaf Wet on me – The same deep warm herby scent, but with the cedar wood rising in the background Dry on me – Warm and dry herbs bathed in a sweet skin musk Overall – With the exception of an odd tendency towards I was pleasantly surprised by this blend. However, I can’t imagine it would be one I would reach for.

The Scent - Pepper, violets and mint. The Meditation - Plumes of dark smoke billow around me, lit by swirling clouds of light, green and purple mixing with the darkness. As the smoke clears I see I am in a cave. The walls are dark and wet and covered in moss. A stream cuts through the centre of the cave and disappears thundering into the deepening darkness before me. It's surface is lit by floating lights which swirl and dance and flicker through the dark. I am aware that the surfaces of the cave are radiating warmth. The sounds and heat overwhelm me, I lay down on the floor, which is dry and hard and close my eyes. (I use my temple oils as aids to meditation, with the oil in my burner, so this is how I've reviewed them)

The scent - Lemons, apples and something purple. The meditation - The sun beats down on my face at the same time as the strong wind buffets my body. I can taste the salt from the sea on the wind and hear the waves crashing below me. I stand at the top of a rocky outcrop, to either side of me there are sandy beaches, but beneath me the rocks are black and forbidding. In land I see rugged hills topped with outcrops of prickly gorse, with it's deceptively merry yellow flowers. Equally misleading is the calm of the distant sea which stretches to the horizon, glinting in the sun, with only the shadows of clouds to warn of the dangers which lie beneath. (I use my temple oils as aids to meditation, with the oil in my burner, so this is how I've reviewed them)

In the bottle –Dry dirty spices. Actually this is one of the few scents when smelling it in the bottle made me pull away. Wearing it should be interesting Wet on me – The combination of a really animalistic red musk and dirty patchouli make this unpleasantly overpowering on me Dry on me – Warm sweet spices with a rich deep musky undertone Overall – I’m flummoxed the dry down is lovely and it’s the first blend to win me two unsolicited comments in one wear. On the other hand for the first half an hour I don’t want my nose anywhere near the parts of my body with the blend on, which is something of an issue.

In the bottle – Soft red apple and a background of herbs Wet on me – Fresh red apples Dry on me – Mainly apples, before fading into soft green slightly soapy herbs Overall – This blend is pleasant enough, but didn’t excite me

In the bottle – Sharp but sweet mango with just a hint of the green tea Wet on me – Again the mango is dominant, backed by what I would say was melon and with a hint of something peppery Dry on me – A sweet candy-like green fruit with just a hint of pepper behind it Overall – This reminds me of a brighter version of Midwinter’s Eve. It faded quickly, but as it’s a GC I can slather guilt free

In the bottle – Not a lot really, just a hint of cedar Wet on me – Fresh and green, with just a hint of the frangipani Dry on me – A soft creamy, green grass scent Overall – This is nice, but faint and I doubt I’ll wear it

In the bottle – Sweet and soapy, but somewhat indistinct Wet on me – Sharp green soap backed by the thick, treacly sweetness of the condensed milk Dry on me – After going through dusty and coconuty stages if finally settles to a warm, dry tobacco scent Overall – I don’t really know what to make of this blend, sweet and creamy I like and tobacco I like, but this blend never seems to sit right with me

... Our blend for this Moon mixes traditional lunar oils with the warmth of amber, red musk, and heliotrope, the russet haze of dragon's blood resin, sunflower, and crushed orange peel, with a dusting of summertime herbs: chamomile, rue, elder flower and marigold. In the bottle – Red musk and a layer of orange peel Wet on me – Bubbly red musk, oddly I would have said that the throw was all lotus, but I don’t know where that’s coming from Dry on me – Warm dry red musk sprinkled with brown sugar and flecks of a peppery herb Overall – Perfect, sensual yet comforting, but also light and up lifting. This is a blend that I could wear every day and be special enough for an occasion

In the bottle – Black currant with the white musk behind it, mouth watering (literally) Wet on me – The deep dark juiciness of the berries alongside the fuzziness of the musk and a hint of soap form the lavender Dry on me – It faded very quickly leaving just a hint of slightly herbal musk Overall – I love the wet stages, but it really doesn’t last very long at all

In the bottle – Roses and a hint of sweet pea Wet on me – Wet lush roses Dry on me – Soft powdery roses Overall – Whilst rose doesn’t particularly ‘amp’ on me it does tend to smother everything else it to submission and this is another example

In the bottle – The leather and cologne are very strong Wet on me – Soft leather with a smooth creamy undertone and hints of lilac cologne and lemon rind Dry on me – Warm sensual leather swirling with thick creamy vanilla and dark heady musks Overall – This is a very masculine, very sexy blend, whilst I will probably wear it myself I yearn for a man to slather it on

In the bottle – Mainly the almond and a touch of saffron Wet on me – Again the almond dominates, but there are hints of a bright warm scent bursting with sunshine behind that first note Dry on me – Once it has settled down this blend is a dead ringer for O on me Overall – I don’t need this and O, but I prefer the wet stages of Bastet so when my O runs out this is what I will replace it with

In the bottle – A green furry scent toped with civet Wet on me – Weirdly this smells of sweet almonds and balloons Dry on me – A soft powdery green scent like talc and fresh cut herbs Overall – Surprisingly light and pretty, but not really me

In the bottle – Nothing, absolutely nothing Wet on me – Furniture polish Dry on me – Very faint musks Overall – Neither my nose nor my skin did much with this, I guess I’m just not the angelic type

In the bottle – I haven’t read the other reviews so I’m just guessing at the notes, but I would say myrrh and sandalwood Wet on me – Heavy resins and woods Dry on me – Warm, earthy resins Overall – Not what I expected at all and not me

In the bottle – Fresh green florals Wet on me – Soft lush tulips Dry on me – Watery florals and (oddly) coffee Overall – This just isn’t my sort of blend

In the bottle – A bonfire with a metallic twang Wet on me – Dark smouldering smoke Dry on me – For the most part this is like ashes and dust on me, but it does finally settle to a soft warm tobacco Overall – I really like the final dry down, but I couldn’t wear this blend

In the bottle – Dry aftershave, with just a hint of the pear in the background Wet on me – The sea breeze with a pale watery pear behind it Dry on me – Clean, crisp ozone Overall – Pleasant enough, but not my sort of blend

In the bottle – Dark and burned and yet somehow juicy. Similar in feel if not in scent to Perversion Wet on me – Clean, cologney scent Dry on me – Slightly sweet ozone, with a dry earth backdrop Overall – Very unusual, but not for me