Ajila

In the bottle - Amber and furniture polish. Wet on me - Warm and slightly spicy, but indistinct sitting just off my skin. Dry on me - Soft powdered floral with just a hint of amber. Overall - Nice, but not me.

In the bottle - Conflicting high florals and a dab of citrus. Wet on me - Soft and bubbly lemon, with the jasmine in the background. Dry on me - Bright berries, tart by sweet. Overall - Not at all what I expected, nice enough, but not really me.

In the bottle - Dark green and bitter. Wet on me - Herby, powdery and slightly sweet. Dry on me - Stays stongly, before fading to a sweet powder, possibly with sage, Overall - I like the dry down, but the blend isn't really me.

Huckleberry and red currant with the incisive bite of neroli. In the bottle - Neroli and a candyish fruit that I presume is huckleberry. Wet on me - Slightly tart bubblegum. Dry on me - Red fruity and juicy. Overall - I like this, but I've had others like it and I don't tend to wear them.

In the bottle - Green bright and berry fruity, with an underlying current of tea. Wet on me - Bitter citrus, presumably the grapefruit. Dry on me - Sweet powdery and barely there. Overall - I think this one may grow on me, but it's not an immediate love.

In the bottle - Bright yellow, orange peel and neroli. Wet on me - Vibrant warm and yellow - the notes are indistinct on me, but there is a sense of pollen. Dry on me - The ylang ylang and honey take over in a manner similar to O. Overall - The dry down isn't really me, but the brightness of the earlier phases rocks my world, a real pick me up blend.

CCLV - 255 In the bottle - Sweet caramel and some sort of fruit, possibly some booze as well. Wet on me - Strawberries and something green and tangy. Dry on me - At first Strawberry Moon and then ashes (not uncommon on my skin) and then strawberry flavoured bubble gum . Overall - I like this alot I just need to overcome the ash period, which isn't too long. CLXXIII - 173 In the bottle - Not a clue, something soapy and possibly toasted coconut. Wet on me - Light bright green, like the chorophyll of wet grass. Dry on me - The green fades to powdery musk and then the vanilla comes out. Overall - This is very reminiscent of Antique Lace in it's final stages and it's the perfect hot weather blend for me. CMXXIX - 929 In the bottle - Berries and just a hint of liquorice. Wet on me - Blackcurrant and menthol, I smell like a Tune Dry on me - Dry and earth covered by rich sweet berries. Overall - Midwinters Eve without the sugar and sparkle. Nice, very nice. MLXVIII - 1068 In the bottle - Spicy furniture polish Wet on me - Washing powder Dry on me - For a long time this made me smell like a new born baby, before finally becoming a creamy 'custard musk' if such a thing could exist. Overall - I love, love, love the dry down, but do I want to smell like a baby for a couple of hours before I get to it?

In the bottle - Sweet highness of the plum, with the roses in the background. Wet on me - Soft indistinct florals backed by the heavy spiciness of the opium. Dry on me - It fades quickly to a dry memory of spices. Overall - This doesn't work for me, but my mum likes it so ity's going into her burgeoning collection.

In the bottle - Green grass with just a hint of ginger. Wet on me - Green grass with something smokey and just a hint of lemon. Dry on me - Powdery herbs, slightly sweetened. Overall - Nice, but not something I'll wear.

In the bottle - Orange blossom and pepper and sweetness like the syrup in canned fruit. Wet on me - The sweetness softens and a bitter greeness (the kumquat?) comes out. Dry on me - Soft sweet, but slightly sharp. Overall - I like this, but I'm not convinced I'll wear it, I don't know why.

In the bottle - Mint with grapefruit behind it. Wet on me - Mint backed by something floral. Dry on me - The mint disappears leaving something vaguely citrussy and then that disappears as well. Overall - Interesting but shortlived.

In the bottle - Lemon grass and something slightly woody/slightly soapy. Wet on me - Soft and creamy, but highlighted by the citrus tang of the grapefruit and lemon verbena/grass. Dry on me - A warm grapefruit scent. It fades quickly to become a barely there vanilla skin scent. Overall - This is nice but a bit meh on me.

In the bottle - Honey and something green and fresh that I'm sure I should recognise. Wet on me - It's fairly indistinct and immediately becomes a skin scent. There's something fruity there and something peppery all backed by the honey. Dry on me - Sweet and peppery and almost smokey. Not as sharp as some honey blends, but very long lasting. Overall - I like this, but I don't know when I'd wear it.

In the bottle - Vanilla, in the same way as Tombstone, but with a dab of sweet pea behind it. Wet on me - Like a softer more feminine version of Tombstone, with the sweet pea distinct in the background. Dry on me - Soft creamy vanilla that sits just off the skin. Overall - I like this a lot, I suspect it will be a future big bottle purchase.

In the bottle - First the lily and jasmine and then something green and then the bergamot spring to the attention. Wet on me - A high floral scent that I don't recognise backed by a soft sweetness. Dry on me - Lily, rose and jasmine all take their turns before ending in a softly sweet powdered skin scent, Overall - I like the final dry down, but it's hours before the blend becomes something I'd wear.

In the bottle - Lavender backed by cherry, odd... Wet on me - Something soapy (possibly the rose) and cherries. Dry on me - At first the aftershave note of the lavender dominates, then the sweetness of the cherries sits on my skin Overall - I like the dry down, but it doesn't last very long and there are others that work better for me.

In the bottle - Quite masculine and aftershave like, with the fruit in the background. Wet on me - Caramelly earth, with soft fruits in the background. Odd, but not unpleasant. Dry on me - Dark mellow fruits dripping with their own juices. Overall - Very nice, but not spectacularly so.

In the bottle - Fruit (more berry/cherry than currant to me) backed by just a little sponge. Wet on me - Bright red fruits and a slightly synthetic smelling vanilla. Dry on me - The sweet red fruits last well on me and change little. Overall - Nice, on me straight forward, I'll probably use my imp, but I doubt I'll need a bottle.

In the bottle - Toffee/coffee liquer, very like Misk U, with a hint of pinapple in the background. Wet on me - Slightly tart, but still creamy booze, backed with digestive buscuit and coconut. Dry on me - Sweet toffee booze, finally drying down to a candied fruit after thought. Overall - On paper I should love this, but I don't seem to get anything from it, it's just there.

In the bottle - Metallic Dragon's Blood Resin, a slight hint of cherry and an even slighter hint of the bitterness of the tea leaf. Wet on me - Green and soapy with a hint of stale tea. Dry on me - For the first couple of hours it's green and bitter, then it softens becoming soft sweet cherry blossoms that hang just off the skin. Overall - I like the final dry down very much, I suspect this may be one that grows on me.

In the bottle - Dark and dank, like a Victorian church yard on a foggy morning. Wet on me - Sweet and hot (it almost seems as if I can feel the heat rising from my skin). The heavy opium is lightened by the fizziness of the myrrh. Dry on me - Slightly sweetened myrrh, dark, rich and dry. Overall - Once it dried it was totally myrrh, which is pleasent, but not something I would wear.

In the bottle - Soft rounded grapefruit with the chamomile providing a backdrop. Wet on me - Grapefruit peel, with an airiness provided by the musk and a floral, which I guess is the delphinium. Dry on me - Soft, powdery and delicate without really smelling of anything. Overall - Nice enough, but not me and very rapid fading.

In the bottle - The sharp metallic take of dragon's blood resin. Wet on me - The floral tinge dragon's blood resin sometimes has, backed by something thicker, which I guess is the amber. Dry on me - The slightly metallic tang of the dragon's blood resin is warmed and made golden by the amber, drying to a sweet golden syrup. Overall - I love the final dry down, but in general I find the dragon's blood resin overpowering.

In the bottle - Grapefruit and something floral (I would have said lilies). Sweet, but with a tart almost bitter background. Wet on me - The grapefruit takes the lead, but its green almost grassy. It's fresh and clean and slightly sweet. Dry on me - It fades pretty quickly, leaving just a faint gasp of sweetness. Overall - I was hoping for more ginger, in the end it was nice (and similar to the early stages of Beltane 2006) but disappeared too quickly and is not really me.

Scent wise - to me this is clean and green. Utility wise - I found using this oil made my meditation seem more intense, the pathworkings more vibrant, almost startlingly so. I also found that afterwards it was easier for me to ground myself and that I was more alert to the world than I normally am. I'm very impressed.