darkling

At first, Skadi is all pine and eucalyptus. It smells almost like cleanser and I came very close to washing it off. The scent begins to change entirely. Everything green vanishes. All that remains are rich, warm berries. The berries continue to linger with a hint of muskiness and warmth underneath. I don't know what happened but this scent is anything but cold on my skin. There is no hint of winter or snow or slush. As a bonus, this scent lingers. I could smell it faintly after 24 hours! From the first sniff, I thought that I would hate Skadi but those berries are scrumptious and I will be very sad when my decanted imp is empty.

Bastet started out as sweet, rich almond very similar to Eclipse. As it dries, Bastet becomes much sharper and spicier. The saffron is very noticeable in this blend as it merges with the almond. The amber seems to fuse with the almond insuch as way that the almond actually fades over time although a richness to the scent remains. Bastet is a very beautiful scent with its combination of sweet and spicy.

Wolf Moon was very different than I expected, especially after reading the reviews. This scent reminded me strongly of Blue Moon with its soft blend of herbs and flowers that is dazzling in its complexity. While there is an ethereal edge to Blue Moon, the Wolf Moon is warm and earthy. It has incredible throw and lasting power. I did not pick up any pine or aquatic scents like many other reviewers. Unfortunately, I am poor at picking out notes so I can not image which ingredients are triggering my connection to Blue Moon.

Thalia is the perfect blend of fruit and floral. The pear and the plumeria fuse with the champagne to create a pear that glistens. The flower adds an extra hint of the outdoors and a slight dusky edge to the pear. This scent is sweet and delicious with decent lasting power.

Aglaea is an exquite scent. I adore peach but this note is usually eaten up by my skin and disappears. Aglaea is the first peach scent that actually remains on my skin. The peach melds beautifully with the amber to create a sense of warmth and sunshine. Musk is generally my nemesis but it does me no harm in this scent. If you are looking for a peach scent with more throw and lasting power, Aglaea is for you!

I absolutely love this scent! It is an exciting and almost erotic blend of bright lime dimmed by sandalwood. I believe that I can catch an edge of the juniper and heliotrope on the edges of Leo. I don't get a hint of orange which is great because I am not a fan of orange scents or oranges in general. This scent is bold and enticing. I think it is a bit too bright and aggressive for my personality and wardrobe but I hope I can convince my partner to wear it! Leo also has great staying power. I could pick it up fairly easily for about 5 hours. I am really sad that this scent is discontinued.

Doh! All I got from Sybaris was the same nasty green incense that drove me away from Delphi. I could not catch a hint of clove, violet, or tonka bean. The incense was somewhat watered down compared to the harsh assault that it was in Delphi but it was still unpleasant and obliterated all other notes.

Niflheim was all fog and gloom. I could not identify any of the notes present and I did not pick up on anything icy and cool about this scent. It is very oppressive and heavy. While it absolutely captures the essence of the House of Mists, it is too gloomy even for my tastes.

In the bottle: Black Pearl was pure coconut and strongly reminded me of my Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion. On my skin: The coconut is deepened by a hint of iris and an undertone of hazelnut. The coconut remains predominant. Drydown: An unpleasant musky scent begins to seep into the blend offsetting the delicious coconut and making the iris stronger. Usually, white musk and I get along but this has a distinctly unpleasant quality that I get with the darker musks. I love the coconut but the musk ruined this scent for me

Wow! Grog smells just like butterscotch lifesavers mixed with rum. It is very boozy and sweet. There is an odd undertone as though the butter has gone a bit off but it largely adds to the complexity of the scent. Grog has decent staying power as it lasted for about four hours before I needed to reapply.

Initially, Eris was all sweet apple with only a hint of artificiality and an edge of mimosa. An unpleasant undertone began to arise. I wish that I could describe it effectively or that I had some idea as to the ingredient that could produce such an odd scent. The only comparison I have is that it smelled like plastic. The fruit smell was lovely although I never picked up any spices in Eris. Unfortunately, the odd undertone ruined this scent for me.

Oddly enough, I did not scent any of the pineapple note that others sensed in Baba Yaga. At first, the witch was an odd mix of too sweet bubble gum interspersed with a spicy musk underneath. A watery grapefruit element was also present. Baba Yaga cotinued to shift from flowery to soapy. Once dry, the perfume remained soapy with a hint of watered-down grapefruit and musk. The bubble gum sweetness did not return. This is an odd scent that morphed repeatedly on my skin and faded after a couple of hours. I don't enjoy soapy scents so this one will be swapped.

In the bottle: Dracul smells like light mint and subtle wood (perhaps the balsam?). On my wrist: The cloves have devoured the other ingredients except for the slow rising scent of tobacco. Drdown: The fir makes itself known and Dracul now has the base scent of a winter forest. The clove and mint wind within the forest most frequently and once in a while the cumin and musk peer out. I don't catch a whiff of the elusive orange. This scent is phenomenally complex and rich. It has incredible lasting power. Unfortunately, it is way too masculine for my tastes.

In the bottle: I smell the resin of Cathedral but a bit watered down. On my wrist: Is this Cathedral? Does my imp have the wrong label? No. There are some subtle differences. The resin scent is weaker in Florence and has a touch of cinnamon spice. Drydown: The scent evaporates quickly. It is almost completely gone within a few hours. I tried this one about four times to be sure that my nose (or my body chemistry) wasn't confounding the scent. However, Florence remained the same.

The Kings of Spades is sweet and fruity with a hint of coconut. Even with the passage of time, none of the wood or musk notes appear on my skin. This is possibly the most short-lived scent that I have ever encountered. I slathered it on myself for the second try and it still dissipated in less than ten minutes. I absolutely love the fuit blend of this King but he leaves too soon to give me any satisfaction.

I am very wary of chocolate scents but I received this as a freebie with my last order. In the bottle: Very chocolately. I am feeling nervous. On my skin: *drool* This is dark chocolate. And cookies. And nuts. And sweets. It smells like a dessert cart. Or a Godiva chocolate shop. It is delicious! Drydown: Gluttony is incredibly soothing and warm and sweet. It makes me feel safe and comfortable, probably becasue I tend to eat more when I am anxious. I wore this to bed and slept better than I have all week. It has excellent lasting power as it would only need reapplication after about 6 hours.

In the bottle: Blood Lotus smells like the sweet dragon's blood resin scents that I adore. On my skin: The dragon's blood has a sweet, fruity edge that is juicy and seductive. Drydown: The scent becomes sickly sweet almost like rotting fruit. It is a shame because it is just a hair's breath away from a scent I could love.

In the bottle: It smells a bit spicy and nutty. On my wrist: It smells like very faint, dry almonds with a hint of myrrh underneath. It is a very wispy scent and I have to strain to distinguish the notes. Drydown: This is a very gentle, warm sandalwood. I tend to dislike sandalwood with a passion but this is different from any sandalwood that I have ever encountered. There is still a thread of spice and myrrh mingling with the light sandalwood. Nefertiti is a dry and gentle scent that only lingered for a couple of hours. It is very beautiful but it is just not to my tastes.

Sadly, all I got from Chiroptera was the honeysuckle with a vaguely present base of darker flowers.

In the bottle: It smells strongly of chocolate, making me nervous because I did not like Vice at all. On my skin: This is an entirely different form of chocolate. It is natural and bitter. It reminds me of my trips to the Children's Museum when I was a child because one of their exhibits involved making your own Mexican hot chocolate by crushing the chcocolate with a mortar and pestle. Time passes: The chocolate scent remains natural and has developed an undertone of wine. I don't pick up any hint of blood or rum but it is delicious all the same. It lasts for a few hours but would require reapplication throughout the day.

In the bottle: It smelled like pure sugar with a slight hint of plum in the background. On my wrist: Briefly, a splash of deep plum appeared but was replaced by the sugary sweetness. After a few minutes: The sugar has a bit of a strange artifical edge that reminded me strongly of the scent of Strawberry Shortcake dolls from the 80s. It wasn't unpleasant but it was not at all what I was looking for or expecting. Midwinter's Eve faded within an hour but maintained its artificial sweetness until the end.

In the bottle: The enticing scent of poppy with a warm undertone of myrrh and an edge of night flowers and greenery. On my skin: Medea is the queen of night with dark rich flowers exuding an image of purple abd mystery. There is a spicy, slightly musky note in the background that adds a layer of depth to this scent. The scent remains stable on drydown and lasted about three hours before requiring reapplication. Medea is a regal and insidious scent that would be perfect for any evening events.

Tum was more reminiscent of a rising sun than a setting one for me because it seemed primarily bright and green. This was a very sharp scent like bitter herbs left in the sun. I could not pick out any particular notes and I did not catch any of the grape scent or sweet fruit that others have noticed. This is a strong scent and tends to linger for a good six hours or longer.

This was a freebie in my latest order. The Coiled Serpent is a patchouli lover's dream. It is strong, spicy, overpowering patchouli. Did I mention that I hate patchouli?!

I adore the scent of pear so I immediately fell in love with Tenochtitlan. In the bottle: Very light, sweet pear with a hint of flowers and greenery. On my skin: The pear is ripe and juicy with a background of wispy flowers. This is a very warm scent as though the desert air was muting the flowers and ripening the pear. Drydown: This is the most beautiful, natural pear scent that I have ever encountered and I could not stop sniffing my wrists. I love it! It lasted more briefly than I would have liked (only a few hours) and would require reapplication throughout the day.