arabella

First Impression: Jasmine: Dries down to: Still jasmine, nicely tempered by the other notes. Additional Comments: The juniper gives this a soft bite and the geranium, a peppery kick. I've really grown to love jasmine in the right combos and this is one of them. It may not be quite bottle-worthy but I'm certainly going to enjoy every bit of my imp. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: Dried fruit. Dries down to: Dusty, dried fruit with chunks of dirt. Additional Comments: This one just doesn't work on me. The mix turns muddy and bland almost immediately. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 1.5 out of 5

First Impression: A fresh, crisp floral. I'm pretty sure there's lilac in here. Dries down to: Stays much the same. Additional Comments: It's not lilac after all (I really must get better at picking out notes) - it's stargazer lily, which I've recently come to realize is usually a great note on me. Aloe gives this freshness and I've always liked white musk and amber. The linen is pretty new to me and I like the dry feel it seems to give it - keeps the lily from becoming cloying. This is just in time for spring - it smells gorgeous and it lasts on me - what more could I ask. I'm definitely going to order a bottle shortly. Lasted: Overnight. Rating: 5 out of 5

First Impression: Animal glands. Dries down to: Rose arrives and rolls around in the stench, which now has rotten eggs added to it. Additional Comments: I know the description only lists rose and cognac but I swear there's something else evil in here. My father always drank cognac on special occasions and it was the first liquor I ever tried (and liked) so I know it's not the cognac that's the culprit - unless this is some really cheap off-brand or faux cognac. This is definitely a "wash it off a.s.a.p." scent on me. Lasted: ? (Who knows how long it might have lurked if I hadn't scrubbed down.) Rating: 0.5 out of 5

First Impression: A sweet rose. Dries down to: A faded, dirty rose. Additional Comments: I can't identify any of the spices - all I get is a dirty rose. Rose just amps up on me in this blend, so I'll stick to the blends where it doesn't (Bearded Lady, Beatrice, Othello, Juliet, Baghdad, Alice, Wanda, Phantom Queen, La Bella Donna Della Mia Miente, Hanging Gardens, Baghdad, Haunted Palace - that's enough to keep me in roses.). Lasted: Overnight. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Dirty Cinnamon. Dries down to: Not much changes. Additional Comments: The cinnamon overwhelms everything - even the clove and dragon's blood. Cinnamon's okay in its place but it's way out of control here. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 1.5 out of 5

First Impression: Latex. Dries down to: Smells like a new factory. Additional Comments: I didn't pick up on any of the listed notes. At the end it smelled like Welch's Grape Juice. Not bad but not for me either. Lasted: Overnight. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Sweet almond and cedar. Dries down to: Feels like smoky amber. Additional Comments: I think it was the combo of vanilla and sassafras that came across as sweet almond in the beginning. The cedar is, surprisingly, tame - I thought it would be overpowering but it isn't. And, what I thought was amber was balsam. On the whole, this was much, much nicer than I expected it to be. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: A tart floral steeped in tea. Dries down to: It becomes sweeter. Additional Comments: You can definitely tell there's tea in this blend. It's a nice, fresh scent - reminds me of Elizabeth Arden's (I think) Green Tea Perfume. It's very nice but it's just not me. Lasted: 3-4 hours. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: A voluptuous floral. Dries down to: Floral confetti - no green parts at all - just petals; then, it becomes identifiable as rose. Additional Comments: This is an interesting one. Rose will amp up on me 95% of the time. In this one, I can't recognize the apple or lemon at all but they're doing a good job of keeping the rose hidden, at least, for a while. Of course, it works its way out in the end and overpowers everything else. Lasted: Overnight Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Patchouli. Dries down to: There's a floral note and some spice emerging. Finally, it all blends seamlessly together. Additional Comments: This one is a real surprise - it's perfectly balanced and very lovely in an exotic way - alluring. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 4 out of 5

First Impression: Almonds with a burnt sugar glaze. Dries down to: The hazelnuts and rum are more obvious now. Then, shortly after, the almonds fade away and finally, it's all burnt sugar. Additional Comments: I don't know if it's the sugar, hazelnuts, rum or the combination of them causing the burnt smell but I've had this happen before (Sugar Skull and Gluttony come to mind). Initially, it was hazelnut creme brulee but, just like the dessert, it disappeared too quickly. I also wish the sweet almond had lasted longer as that's one of my favorite notes. I'll try this as a room scent and, hopefully, the burnt part won't show up. I certainly can't wear it as it is. Lasted: Overnight. Rating: 1.5 out of 5

First Impression: Floral - can't identify it but there's something familiar about it. Dries down to: Stays much the same. Additional Comments: I figured out that this smells like bulb flowers to me - a mixture of tulips, crocuses and daffodils. I have no clue what asphodel is but I quite like it - it's hauntingly lovely. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 4 out of 5

First Impression: Purple, airy floral with a touch of sea mist. Dries down to: Berries and heather. Additional Comments: The heather and blackberries are nicely balanced and work well together, but it's just not doing that much for me and I had expected to really like this one. Lasted: All day. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: Very light, resin-y amber. Dries down to: A very soft, elusive scent. Additional Comments: Amber and dragon's blood are two of my favorite notes and usually work very well on me; so, I had such high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it was just meh on me - I feel so betrayed. I got my imp in a swap, so maybe it's just old and faded. If I ever run across another imp of this, I'll give it another try but this one's getting dumped. Lasted: An hour or so. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: Honeyed fruit. Dries down to: Apricots, honey, a touch of lemon. After about fifteen minutes, the pomegranate makes a brief appearance. These are the only notes that I could actually identify. Additional Comments: I'm pleasantly surprised at how well the roses are really held in check. There's so many notes in here that I'm surprised at how dominant the apricot remains throughout. This is a nice, fruity floral - young and sparkly. Lasted: Only an hour or so. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (would have been higher if it had staying power).

First Impression: Smoky metal. Dries down to: Stays much the same. Additional Comments: Once I saw that it was leather - just leather - it made more sense. Leather can be very tricky on me and this one simply doesn't work. It smells like a tack room after a fire. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 1 out of 5

First Impression: Honeyed Floral. Dries down to: Doesn't change much, just loses some of the sweetness. Additional Comments: I guess the sweetness comes from the labdanum - I don't know what other note is sweet, unless it's the orchid. The rose is well-controlled and the orchid is delicate and perfect. Another nice but not particularly special scent that will work very well for everyday wear. Lasted: A few hours. Rating: 3 out of 5

First Impression: Honey, lemon, amber. Dries down to: A nice "golden glow" scent. Additional Comments: I was way off on this one. I usually like ylang ylang blends and that holds true here. I'm still not familiar with myrrh, so I can't comment on its effect. This feels like a honey blend, but, since honey usually tends to really amp up and gag me, I'm very happy to use this one as a substitute. Lasted: An hour or so. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

...Who says librarians can’t be sexy? A rakish blend of leather, anise, lavender, bergamot and amber with tonka, lemon peel and lusty patchouli. First Impression: Strongly bergamot. Dries down to: A definite, masculine cologne scent. Additional Comments: This is the blend that finally clued me in to what bergamot smells like - and the fact that whether I like a blend it's in depends greatly on the other notes. In this one, although I usually like all the other notes, the combo just doesn't work for me at all. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 2 out of 5

First Impression: A musky, creamy floral. Dried down to: A gorgeous, sophisticated floral. Additional comments: Another one where the notes are so well balanced that I can't specifically pinpoint any one in particular. The purple fruits and incenses are present as "secret ingredients" - I certainly am not aware of them at all. The only note close to being readily identifiable is the violet. To me, this is the scent background of a Harlequin romance set in the South. Lasted: Several hours, but was faint after the first hour. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: Lemony wood. Dries down to: A nice herbally blend. Additional Comments: I think I've finally figured out what vetiver smells like, thanks to this blend, and I like it. This isn't one I would have picked for myself but it's a pleasant surprise. Lasted: A couple of hours. Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First Impression: The canals of Venice. Dries down to: The florals slowly become more obvious. Additional Comments: The mental image I get is of gondolas floating down the canals past open windows with their windowboxes full of waxy flowers and heavy tapestry drapes closing off the rooms behind and forcing the scent to drift down. This is a very rich and heavy floral scent - it's definitely mature, not young, and full of secrets. There's so many notes in this one but the only ones I can readily identify are the jasmine, water lily and sandalwood. This is, also, another blend with rose in it where the rose doesn't amp up on me - a bonus. Lasted: 3 to 4 hours. Rating: 3 out of 5

First Impression: Patchouli, wood and something tangy. Dries down to: Smoky resin. Additional Comments: This is a nice patchouli blend. The rose keeps it from getting too headshop-y and there's just a hint of sandalwood. It's not one I'd wear but, at least, none of the notes plays 'diva' and it's nice, for a change of pace. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 2.5 out of 5

First Impression: Citrus rose. Dries down to: The rose stayed tempered much longer than usual but, eventually, amped up and drowned everything else out. Additional Comments: I'm not surprised there's amber in here. It held the rose in check as long as it could, along with the jasmine, which also tends to amp up on me. I don't know orris so I can't judge its contribution. All in all it was okay, until the rose amped up, but nothing special. Lasted: Several hours. Rating: 2.5 out of 5