ravenrigan

This was one fo those scents that just had to be done. Thank you Beth for bringing out a raven scent for the full moon of the big scary bfday with a 0 on the end. I also get feathers. And moonlight, and incense, and black silk velvet. When I was going though one of my intensely magickal phases I had a pair of crow wings* which had been dried and preserved in salt on my altar that I used to waft my home made incense blends around me with. I used quite a lot of Benzoin and Myrrh, and used to raid the kitchen cabinet for spices and hebs. This smells just like those! I can almost see them in front of me, dark, a little dusty, fragrant but disturbing, feather, a hint of bone, and just the faintest rasp of salty dry dead birdskin. It's also very much like Schwartzer Mond without the Sarsparilla note that I sometimes get from that. This is going next to Inez, and Snake Charmer and Schwartzer Mond and Glowing Vulva in my all time favourite BPALs corner. *(They came from a farmer Up North, who used to cull crows by the hundreds to keep them off his bean crops - I've never looked at vegetarianism in the same way since)

First impressions In the imp this smelt like a very odd combination of scents. On skin there is a faint almost leathery smell which I think is the tobacco which I'm not liking, but it lurks close to the skin. The throw is vanilla, almond and smoky patchouli. The funky note dies down, and after that the smoky patchouli with a hint of warm almond and almost floral sarsparilla stays true. It smells dark and rich, and purple. I'm loving this. Something is nagging at my brain as I drive, wearing this. It smells like something I know well, something I like. It smells almost like a missing part of me. Finally I realise what it is. On me The Organ Grinder smells like my beloved Icon by Lush! It must be the black patchouli. The boy likes it too.

I just dabbed a bit of this on before getting in my car this morning and nearly had an accident for trying to drive with my wrist pressed against my nose trying to figure out what the smell on me reminded me of. I finally got it! I was walking down Carnaby Street ten years ago, when I smelled something different and unusual wafting down the street. It smelled of all the good things in the world. Hypnotised, I literally followed my nose to a funny little shop, with intriguingly shaped soaps the size of cartwheels piled high, and stuff in pots, and bins of pastel coloured cricket ball sized ballistics. The acid green and yellow logo on the window said LUSH! I'd be a rich woman today if I hadn't smelled that smell! I can still find a Lush in any shopping mall from 200 yards away just by smell, and now, I can smell of it myself, any time I like! Yes, there was a burst of lemon, which is nice and herbal while it lasts but fades quite quickly, and I get the fig and plum and coconut too, and something powdery which i assume is the Musk. During the drydown the scent layers, but after its dry it blends very well into that gorgeous "There's a Lush somewhere near here, I just know it!" smell. And the best thing? I now have a scent that will layer well with lemony flutter cuticle butter, and will no longer have to choose between soft cuticles and smelling fabulous! The one downside to Tony is that while he struts up to the microphone full of confidence and swagger, he sidles off into the crowd after just a short performance. All the more reason to buy a bottle and slather regularly!

In the bottle Figgy, and incredibly fresh smelling Wet on skin Figgy, and herbal. I also get orange. Drydown A hint of orange, a hint of fruit, a hint of spice, lots of herbs (I blame the tarragon) , but mostly really yummy men's aftershave. It's a strange combination of spicy, fruity and herbal I like men's aftershave much better than most women's commercial perfumes, so I'm happy. She's hard to define, she's definitely her own self! But she fades waay too quickly, at lunchtime I'm reapplying, and by teatime she's gone Finish Soft powdery musk and amber with a hint of herbs. Wearlength Not great Throw Good while it lasts Mood Airy, breezy, but sexy. Aeronwen may touch you, but you can never touch her, she's her own self, brash, breezy and far away. Verdict Keep the imp, and try in a scent locket and on the boy! Unfortunately my scent locket brings out the sharp metallic qualities of the tarragon, so that's a non starter. On the boy she also smells metallic, but she throws like a bastard, and is still strong, in the morning! I think poor Aeronwen might be off to swapsies.

In the bottle Old fashioned cinnamon sweets, cinnamon and clove Wet on skin OOOh Vanilla softens this right down. Right up close to the skin i get a faint fresh tang which might be pine sap. Drydown Very foody cinnamon, clove and vanilla perfectly blended. It smells like uncooked Christmas cake mixture. This is not a bad thing! Bit of a burn reaction but only on the extra tender inside elbows. Finish Stays the same as the drydown to the end, but just gets softer and softer Wearlength a couple of hours at best Throw Close to skin, a private scent Mood Christmassy Baking, homey, foody, reassuring Verdict Very nice, but a bit too foody for me.

In the bottle Musty, overipe fruit Wet on skin Cherry Cola Drydown Get it off usss Precious, it burns uss it does! Great stingy red blotches on elbows and neck, OK on wrists and cleavage. That will teach me to slather and go. But once it dries down it smells divine, almost worth the pain. Spiced cherries with a hint of incense and smoke. Wearlength Medium Throw Strong at first, fading to wispy close to the skin insubstantiality Finish Ghostly, elusive wafts of smoky cherry (like very good pipe tobacco on the other side of a large room) drift around me all afternoon fading into the distance about 3. Mood Bittersweet beauty achingly out of reach. Pipesmoke, on the other side of a cherry wood fire, in the next field, with music. Verdict I love the way it smells, but I may sell or swap it on because of the skin reaction. I'll try it in a scent locket and as a room scent first though.

In the bottle Luscious tropical flowers with a hint of wood and spice Wet on skin The sandalwood comes out to play, with a creamy floral but its still sweet, warm and yummy Drydown On me Patchouli insinuates herself into the room and draws every eye to herself, but she's a sophisticated creamy patchouli, in her best clothes, and she's playing nice with the amber and vanilla with a faint hint of floral. Finish Sandalwood and vanilla earthed in patchouli. Mood It reminds me of Hell's Belle if she hadn't been tangoed by Mandarin (not a personal favourite). On me Cytheria is wet, dense complex and opulent, morphing between earthy woody sex and creamy floral yumminess. It has great throw, and lasts fairly well, but I love it so much I had to reapply so that I could really waft it around myself. Verdict This was an impulse bottle buy unsniffed from Ebay, and I am so glad I bought it. I wore it to a job interview, and felt like a million dollars, confident unstoppable, distinctive, but approachable. (Didn't get the job, but didn't want it that much). I will keep the bottle I have, and consider a second before the Carnival leaves.

In the bottle Rose ROSE ROSE Wet on skin Johnson's Baby Powder. With ROSE Drydown Johnson's baby powder with a hint of Sandalwood, and did I mention the ROSE! Finish Stays true. Wish it didn't Rose and baby powder. And it wears like a bastard! I can still smell it in the morning, having tested it at bedtime. Wearlength Long........ Throw Unfortunately good and strong Mood I don't mind baby powder as it happens, it has good sexy associations for me, but the Rose mugs everything else in this scent. It smells like the cheap rose cologne one of my less intuitive Aunties gave me for Xmas when I was fourteen Verdict I had high hopes for this one, but the rose went and stomped over all the other lovely notes. Now I get the baby powder reference that everybody talks about. First time its happened to me. Swaps!

In the bottle - a crystal clear liquid, smells of spicy orange peel, bit like a Christmas scented candle, or a pomander ball Drydown -warm, fruity, christmassy, very foody Finish - light warm foody fruityness. This smells like Christmas pot pourri, nice, but can't imagine wearing it every day

In the bottle Sea Minerals Shower gel Wet on skin Sea Minerals shower gel Drydown Sea Minerals Shower gel with a bit of cucumber, and the barest hint of musk. Finish Got bored and washed it off Wearlength Moderate Throw Unfortunately rather strong Mood Cheap men's shower gell Verdict Really not my kind of thing. I prefer deeper darker richer scents for perfume.

In the bottle Musky, Incensy, complex Wet on skin The same, but with a hint of marzipan and a dash of bitterness, (pink peppercorns?) sugared by complex florals. Drydown Incense, musk, a hint of herbs, wormwood taos sage, honeyed marzipan dipped in chocolate, over blowsy overblown flowers, ylang ylang, hawthorn, and the slightly rotten scent of full blown carnation. Incredibly well blended, amazingly complex. Creamy, warm, and powerfully sexy. No note dominates, but morphs constantly, with different notes coming to the fore and receding back. Throw Average Mood A tray of expensive hand made sweets, served with sugared absinthe in a room redolent of languid sex. Theres a faintly glowing burner on the altar with the last crumbs of incense dribbling into the air, and a big vase of overblown flowers beside it. And OMG it does the trick when used for its intended purpose An olfactory orgasm on me! Verdict Gaaah, this may be another must have a bottle. A great oil for wearing in bed ;-).

Named after the primordial ocean of milk where Lord Vishnu reclines upon the thousand-headed Naga. Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia. In the bottle Warm and soothing Wet on skin I get the milk and the honey, and a hint of ginger Drydown Disappointingly, the ginger turns to lemon. It's not unpleasant, but I'd prefer the ginger Finish Soft, comforting skin scent. Wearlength A few hours Throw Close to the skin Mood I wore this on a day when I was thick with a cold, and it was indeed warm, snuggly and comforting, a creamy lemon and honey toddy. Verdict It's a bit light for me, though I may keep the imp and give it another try one day when I'm not so thick with cold.

In the bottle Wow, Pimento, Petitgrain, wood, this is really spicy and complex Wet on skin The Petitgrain comes to the fore, but the oakmoss and birchwood hold it back and stop it from becoming overwhelmingly sweet. It's definitely a masculine note, but that's fine by me. Drydown The musk comes out to play, but petitgrain is still the main note with a hint of spicy pepper, and soft warm musk. Finish Soft, dark woody musk with a hint of orange peel from the petitgrainWearlength Wearlength Average Throw Strong Mood Brisk, Woodsy, Outdoorsy, and yes, just a tiny bit goaty, but in a delicious rich fruity goats cheese sort of way, not an ancient minging afghan coat sort of way. Pan in an Arran sweater, offering wild goats cheese on oatcakes, with very good whiskey. Oops does that tell you more about me than the perfume? Verdict I think I like this one. Not sure it's bottle worthy, but I will enjoy the Imp.

In the bottle Vanilla, and amber with a hint of spice Wet on skin Still vanilla, but the carnation comes out to play, all spicy and dark red with a hint of green, and just a touch of rot at the very heart. Drydown I'm getting a bit of myrrh, and some red sandalwood but mostly carnation and vanilla. It's going a bit powdery and the throw has a hint of Play doh. Up close to the skin it smells just magical, and the resins and woods come forward but I'm not sure I like the way it smells wafting around me, the carnation seems a bit headachey. Will try this again properly, and not just on the back of my hand, especially while I'm cooking dinner, washing hands and chopping herbs. Tried again, and I do like it! Th play doh is only a brief passing phase, then there's a golden amber scent under the vanilla, and all in all it reminds me of Lushes Karma without the pungency and the evil orangey smell. Karma when she's grown up, got a job and swapped her hippy tat for Monsoon and Marks and Spencer. Perfect for this ageing hippy! Finish After 2-3 hours, faint vanilla amber, with a hint of spiced fruit. Makes me think of a really good rich creamy spicy bread and butter pudding, fragrant, creamy and understated. Wearlength and throw Not the longest wearlength, but certainly long enough to be worth reapplying during the day. Wears fairly close to the skin, like a gentle secret. Mood Languid, sultry and self indulgent. A courtesan, perfumed with the most costly essences available, sipping creamy Chai while lying on a bed of deep red carnation petals, replenished daily until the lowest layers begin to decompose...... Verdict May be another bottle before the carnival leaves.

In the bottle Green and piney with floral undertones Wet on skin still predominantly green but as it warns the more complex notes come out to play, and I get orange, complex florals, bergamot and oakmoss. Drydown The green fades into the background, and a rich musky complex floral emerges, sweet and dark. There's a bit of powdery dryness to it, the smooth scaly dry of a snakes skin Finish Fades to Generic musk way too quickly. Wearlength Shortish Throw Moderate Mood Yes, Faiza slithers herself around the room, androgynous, and enigmatic before disappearin g in a swirl of dry dusty musk. Verdict Not destined to be one of my signatures, but I'll use the partial Imp I have. Unfortunately the lovliest phase is the drydown, and wearing it in a scent locket it's just too green and piney.