devilot

In the Vial: Fruity! Plummy. Grape? Just a purpley sweetness. (Ah yes, black whine and grapes and sugar cane would all be contributors.)

 

Wet: Still a purple fruity feel. But now something a little tart. Mebbe it's the champagne part of the champagne grapes? I dunno what's making it seem a bit sharp.

 

Drydown: Mm, lovely! This is a bit reminiscent of some of the lab's other winey blends but somehow darker, while still maintaining a kind of wearable "lightness" but it's definitely darker feeling than Athens, Delphi, Lady MacBeth or Fairy Wine. (Yes, I've tried all those winey blends )

 

Verdict: I'm really loving this blend on its own, but I'd gotten it in hopes of it satisfying my tobacco craving and this just won't do for that. But on its own? A gorgeous blend and I'm glad there's yet another GC I love. Not ready to buy a bottle just yet, but definitely keeping this imp! And will quite likely eventually wind up w/ a bottle.

In the Vial: Something smoky and something that seems "green;" perhaps it's the lavender, but maybe I'm smelling the labdanum.

 

Wet: Blinks. Lots and lots of lavender. Really caught me off guard.

 

Drydown: Still a lot of lavender, touch of the labdanum, and now the nag champa.

 

Verdict: Pass. Very disappointing as I'm really really looking for an amazing tobacco blend. Imp is off to the swaps pile!

Huge thanks to the super generous emzebel who PIF this bottle to me!

 

In the Bottle: There are a few notes that I can't identify on their own in this blend (heliotrope, calamus), but in the bottle it definitely has a golden and mellow scent to it. In fact, something is tricking my nose into thinking there might be the tiniest bit of vetiver there.

 

Wet: Holy moly CEDAR! Heh, v sharp cedar wet on me. Then I can smell the 'golden warmth' that others have mentioned. Some florals now (frangipani = plumeria and I don't smell it v distinctly, but can discern a v subtly sweet floral that wouldn't surprise me if it were plumeria), guess it could also be the almond flower.

 

Drydown: Still warm, but almost dusty. I think this is what some folks refer to as the 'pencil shavings' result of cedar. Could also be the amber making it dusty, but it doesn't always go dusty on me. *ponders* Hmm...

 

Verdict: I'm not the biggest fan of cedar and not how much I can smell of it here. Wish there were more sweet floral, wish there was more warmth. And yet, despite this not being my all-time favorite, I can't seem to stop sniffing my hand over and over again.

In the Bottle: There's the Snake Oil-- dark and sweet. Hm, smelling something else, not sure what it is.

 

Wet: Whoa, no SO on my skin! Sort of dusty, methinks that's the subtle hint of leather and perhaps the sandalwood (since that can get powdery on me sometimes), and the sage.

 

Drydown: It's official-- I amp leather. I could just barely detect it before, but now it's taking over. It's not as sharp as De Sade (duh) or Le Pere Fouettard's leather, but it's definitely noticeable. Still a very "dusty" feel overall.

 

Verdict: Still undecided. I think a partial bottle should be enough. I wish that it had more SO or that the SO came out more on my skin. I love me my leather blends, but this is so dusty-- I feel parched like I should run off and chug some water.

Has anyone tried Hand of Glory and Western Diamondback? I love the dry, slightly sweet, smokiness of Hand of Glory, and Western Diamondback sounds similar in feel..they both share the leather note. If I love Hand of Glory, will I like Western D?

Just for you, I pulled my partial bottle of Western Diamondback out to skin test for the v first time.

 

On my skin, it's a bit dusty with the leather note being noticeable but w/out the sharpness I've smelled in other leather-containing blends. I just skin-tested Hand of Glory for the 2nd or 3rd time last night, and to my nose, they're not really similar. Keep in mind, HoG might do something different on my skin vs how it is on your skin. But for me, HoG is mainly about the beeswax-- that's the strongest note on my skin, so it winds up being v warm and sweet on me (a lot like Hanerot Halalu actually). Hmm, West. Diamondback is staying really dusty on me-- I think it's a combination of the leather, red sandalwood, and sage. So yeah, that's my verdict-- I don't think the two are similar, but I think if you don't mind leather being more noticeable, you might like W.D. especially if you don't mind "dustier" blends.

In the Vial: Definitely aquatic. But almost green? It smells like fig to me, I swear! Really green fig.

 

Wet: Still skin-cuttingly sharp. I'm not super familiar w/ hyacinth or star jasmine, but what had smelled like fig is now smelling like fir (piney) and yes, I can smell the 'ocean' or aquatic element and some florals.

 

Drydown: Thank goodness the insane sharpness is finally rounding out a little tiny bit. Still very piney, though. And yes, duh, has that green + aquatic feel to it.

 

Verdict: Pass. I love having a piney tree in the house for the holidays, but I don't care to smell like one. I think I'm just a bit over the cleaner smells and aquatics in general. (I'm really not a 'water' person. )

In the Vial: Super BANANA! Like, Runts candy banana. Something else really sharp. Reminds me of car grease ('s what your nose picks up after having an ex who was a bit of a car grease-monkey).

 

Wet: Okay, still banana, but a bit less candyish. Now I'm getting crust. Pie crust. I feel like I need to cough-- as if I just inhaled actual crust crumbs. *blinks*

 

Drydown: Whoa, all crust on my stupid skin! Banana is totally gone. No grease. No nothin' but pie crust. I mean, that's the only part I find edible on pies, and yet, I really don't want to smell like it. Sigh. And then, plastic-doom.

 

Verdict: I really wanted to love this, but it was too-banana in the vial, and not enough lasting banana for me. Plus, my skin amped pie crust until it became very plasticy. Again, glad I got to try some, but I'm glad I only opted for a 1/2 decant.

In the Vial: Something sharpish, almost boozy (quick google tells me that I'm most likely smelling the 'grenadine' note). Ick. Also, definitely get the corn syrup and choco syrup. This is pungent stuff! Burn your nose, strong.

 

Wet: Still that booziness, but loads of chocolate.

 

Drydown: Whew, grenadine has finally slunk away and I'm left w/ something super sweet. Something that I want to say resembles peanut butter, but not quite.

 

Verdict: Ick. Turns to plastic on me. I'm honestly a bit disappointed as I was just morbidly curious about peanut butter and hoped for more in-your-face-PB. Alas, this blend is more overly syrupy sweet booze + chocolate than anything else. And it got all My Little Pony plastic on me. Glad I got to try it, but definitely don't need a full decant or bottle.

I forgot to mention, but the label for Strawberry Moon '09 has got to easily be within my top five favorite labels I've seen so far. Can't wait to get a bottle and am wishing I'd gotten two.

 

Added photos of Vintages and Prototypes from Clearing out the Cobwebs II to Flickr.

Okay. I am officially jealous of the prototype owners now. I love that "lined paper" w/ ink scrawl look! Damn. That's cool. *swoons*

In the vial: Patchouli?! I'm starting to wonder if mebbe the decanter mixed labels/ oils up? Definitely smells "dark" (indicative of the red currant) and maybe the Moroccan musk. But this doesn't smell like sage or frankincense to me.

 

Wet: Ooh, now I can smell the frankincense. Even w/ my allergy-ridden nose. And some sage, too. But somehow, the red currant (and probably musk) do a great job of balancing it out-- even when wet!

 

Drydown: Absolutely delicious. From start to finish.

 

Verdict: Again, this was the Le Mat blend I thought would be most promising and it didn't disappoint. I was thisclose to buying a partial bottle, but on my skin, I find that it resembles Sugar Moon quite a bit (just not nearly as sweet and I have bottles of) but also like Bat of Wealth (which I have a bottle of, too) and even a bit like Midnight Kiss, and so I'll have to ponder some more before deciding on a bottle or not. But I really like this Coxcomb.

In the Vial: Mushroom. Perhaps a hint of myrrh, and a hint of the black currant.

 

Wet: Holy moly they weren't kidding about mushroom! Pretty much all I'm getting on my skin at this point, is mushroom. Though to be fair, I really am NOT a fan of the way mushrooms smell and so am having a really hard time making myself resniff for other notes. Suffice it to say, that on my skin? It's basically all mushroom.

 

Drydown: I feel queasy. Even more mushroom. And much less of everything else I could smell in the vial, which was precious little to begin with.

 

Verdict: Ugh. No freaking way. This blend is NOT for me. At all. My nose must be hyper-sensitive to mushroom because that's just all I pick up and it's so nasty to me that I can't bring myself to text this a 2nd time. I really can't. Ugh.

In the Vial: Fig! I definitely smell the fig and the pear. I also smell something I'd describe as "bronzey" so I'm not sure if it's the bronze musk or the pyrite, most likely the pyrite since it is a metallic note I detect.

 

Wet: My nose is still primarily smelling the fig (wait, it is a bit sharp to be the fruit, yes, the lab notes say 'fig leaf'). Pear's pretty much gone. Bummer. And I am not a patchouli-lover and am so glad to say that it does not come out and slap you in the face at all in this blend-- if it is there, it's not actually discernible as its own note--- it probably grounds the blend a bit and adds some depth. Which is to say, I can't tell w/ my nose that patchouli is there, but if one were to remove the patchouli, the blend would probably smell different somehow.

 

Drydown: Ah, I do believe there's some amber now as it's warmed up a bit and gone a bit powdery. I'm not sure if the mahogany note listed is a wood, but if so, then my nose can detect it not as a woody note, but something that suggests woods. Still, the fig leaf is predominant in a sharp green figgy way with the pear making a shy reappearance once in awhile.

 

Verdict: It's nice, but not nice enough for a full bottle, a partial perhaps. But I prefer fig notes in their fruitier form (like say Miller v CA) rather than the green note of the fig leaf. Still, I quite like this blend especially for how well behaved and nearly non-existent the patchouli is.

In the vial: Something deeper-- perhaps the opium smoke or tobacco? Something almost, cologney.

 

Wet: Whoa, yes, cologne. I really don't know what notes I'm smelling, might be the peru balsam (sort of woody) and the jasmine. But somehow it translates to "man cologne" on me. *resniffs* Yup, definitely balsam. Sharp woody smell. Sharp ginger! Yes, ginger.

 

Drydown: It's softening just a tad. Wonder if it's the 'dark vanilla' or even the hay absolute that's helping to soften the blend.

 

Verdict: I was really surprised by how this blend smelled compared to how I read the notes. It didn't manifest at all, how I thought it might. At any point, I'm still a bit disappointed because I'm still on my quest for a tobacco blend to call my own...

In the vial: All bubbly. Wait, did I get bubbles up my nose?! This is some serious champagne action.

Wet: You'd better love champagne to like this blend. I'm gettin' all bubbly. Where's the chocolate at? And where's the cheap sex, dammit?

Drydown: Still predominantly champagne, but 30 minutes later, I get a teensiest tiniest hint of chocolate, a dusty choco like another reviewer mentioned-- Gelt. Which, also didn't work on my skin.

Verdict: This blend just didn't do it for me. I think I've tried the lab's champagne note in another blend and also found it a bit too realistic for my taste, but at least that other blend's notes seemed to play more. With this decant, all I really get is the bubbly and it's just not what I wanna smell like. I'm glad I got to smell and try this, but it's off to the swapping block for this guy. (Note: my mom said it smelled pretty good and particularly when I walked past her, though, that might have been the Pink Sugar I'd spritzed in my hair earlier today, hehe.)

In the vial: Mint. Retch. All mint. Wait-- no, a smidgeon bergamot. But mint. Really. Mint.

 

Wet: Still mainly mint. Hint of something sweetish, but to my poor allergy-ridden stuffy nose, I can't discern what kind of sweetness. And really, only a subtle sweetness.

 

Drydown: Awhile later-- whoa! What happened?! The mint is pretty much gone, and all I can smell is tea, now! And not green tea, either. It freaking smells the most wonderful fresh Dorian! How odd.

 

Verdict: I thought that for sure this would NOT be a blend for me-- I sort of hate minty B&B stuff. I don't even like most edible mints. But the drydown of this blend is so lovely. I have to keep telling myself that I really don't want it. I really don't want a bottle. I can just get... Dorian. Must. Not. Get. But, it's so nice when it dries! A very pleasant surprise. I'll keep my gift of a partial decant and contemplate whether or not I can justify a bottle.

Just a disclaimer-- my sniffer isn't at its best right now-- definitely stuffed up from allergies. Ugh.

 

In the Vial: Sweet, a hint of the vanilla of Snake Oil but not nearly so dark.

 

Wet: Mm, yes, there is definitely some of that classic SO vanilla sweetness but it's so much lighter here! I'm also getting something else sweet (is passion flower sweet?). I'm not really familiar w/ any of the florals listed, but if one or any of them tend to smell sweet, then yes, I smell 'em.

 

Drydown: How intriguing... a sticky sweet flower. Definitely floral but sweeter than a blossom that exists naturally in the wild. Delicious.

 

Verdict: I wasn't sure I'd want a bottle, but I think I might get one before CD leaves forever. This isn't my favorite blend ever, but it's oddly attractive. Must. Keep. Smelling. That tangible "stickiness" is so weird. A good weird, but weird nonetheless. I can also see how others smell "clean linen" but to me, I get more of a sticky sweet floral.

 

ETA: It's had a bit more time and now it really has lost the sticky sweetness I liked. It's all clean linens like others mentioned. Guess I will be more than happy w/ my decant and not want a bottle after all.

In the vial: Holy moly maraschino cherry! I really can't stand this. I've never been a fan of cherry scents (though oddly enough, I love love love the actual fruit). This imp reeks of cherry. It burns the nose! It burns!

 

Verdict: I am not even gonna bother skin-testing this. *shudders* Just way too much cherry and even if the other notes come out upon application? I'm not a huge fan of woods. Thanks, but no thanks! Away w/ ye!

Thanks, z_z for posting-- I had also been dying to know more recs but was too chicken to post. But since you posted, you got lotsa other folks to reply, too! (But thanks to Inventrix who had also piped up w/ a recommendation in that " Do you ever get strangely obsessed with a certain note..." thread.)

 

Velvet Dogs didn't hang onto the tobacco on my skin (it just sort of wafted away). And Tiresias sometimes allows me to catch whiffs of the tobacco I'd love; but it's just not enough tobacco for me. Les Anges Déchus went all sorts of wrong on me. *retch*

 

The Antikythera Mechanism is actually on my list of things I really wanna try, but now, I'm worried it'll be too "woody" for my taste. I'm just really excited because I know I have some imps of some of the GCs mentioned in the last couple of posts so I know what I'll be testing in the next couple of days.

 

Thanks so much for the recs!

Had to google "frangipani" and it seems that it's a different name for plumeria. Nice! Plumeria = Hawaii to me and that's not usually a bad association, hehe.

 

In the vial: WHOA! Floralpineapplefloralwhoa! Yes, pretty much like that. And undoubtedly tropical.

 

Wet: Tangy. The only note listed that I think might come across as tangy would be pineapple and passion fruit. Sweetness of the pineapple. Now shifting into florals. Sort of sharp (odd because the first time I tested this there wasn't any sharpness, so I'm guessing the 90º+ heat is making things wonky).

 

Drydown: Ah, the edges are rounding out. Methinks the vanilla bean and coconut are adding a creamy smoothness to this blend. And the florals are peeking through now.

 

Verdict: Absolutely gorgeous! I'm not usually a big fan of fruity blends, but this has enough floral and other notes to blend with the right kind of fruits that I still really enjoy it! Or, more likely, it's the fact that the scent really does call to mind fantastic memories of Hawaii/ Bahamas. At any rate, I'm gonna need to get one bottle for sure. I'll retest on a cooler day and see if I'll want 2 bottles or not.

In the vial: I smell the sugar. Cherry fluff. And yes, meringue (like, lemon meringue)!

 

Wet: Sweet. Lotsa meringue on my skin. I see why folks compare it to Floating Brain/ Teenage Cannibal; but to me, Velvet Unicorn isn't as cakey as Floating Brain and is closer to how Teenage Cannibal smelled in the vial (since that one really went weird on my skin).

 

Drydown: Sort of just generic "sweet." Definitely not bad at all, but no specific note stands out to my nose when compared to in the vial or wet. It's fading away super fast on me-- as in, almost not noticeable after ten minutes.

 

Verdict: It's a really nice blend, and sort of what I wanted Teenage Cannibal to be. I'll want a bottle, but don't think I'll want a backup. We'll see. I'll have to retest this another day and maybe when it's not 97º and wreaking havoc on my skin/ senses.

Huge huge huge thanks to dpoulsen21 who so generously gifted me this amazing decant from my WL!

 

In the vial: Murky smelling, not at all like mango or rooibus tea. But still intriguing. Slightly reminiscent of patchouli leaf, but since that's not listed, I'll guess that it's my nose's interpretation of the red and black musk.

 

Wet: Still smelling mainly musk, but a hint of the tea comes through now.

 

Drydown: Ooh, a bit more tea! And a whiff of something lighter-- I'm guessing it's the mango even though it's not a well-defined mango to my nose.

 

Verdict: This is a really pleasant and easy-going scent; but it doesn't scream, "BUY ME! HUNT ME DOWN!" Guess I'm a little disappointed as I had hoped it would be a stronger smelling blend, in general. Still, I am incredibly grateful for the chance to sniff and try it and will probably keep my precious decant in hopes that I'll eventually get more mango or tea from it (say on a different day or in a scent locket).

In the vial: Sheer deliciousness. Gorgeous, warm, mulled wine. A scent I detest in the real form (as in, I don't like smelling actual mulled wine) but somehow smells amazing in perfume form, hehe.

 

Wet: LOVELY! At first, it's just mainly wine, not much of the spices-- and I prefer it like this!

 

Drydown: Holy moly, here come the spices. Definitely smell the cinnamon, cardamom, honey. Not so sure I detect the cloves, though. Then it goes all sorts of wrong on me-- sour, sour, sour.

 

Verdict: Such potential. I looove wine scents and so far, I'm not doing so well w/ the lab's wine notes: Delphi & Kali both went sour on me, but Lady MacBeth and Fairy Wine work. I had truly hoped Glühwein/ Gluhwein would work, too; alas, we weren't meant to be.

In the bottle: Can smell the dark fruitiness (grape, red currant, blackberry leaf). But something earthy too, NOT patchouli, but if patchouli were to have an earthy sibling who didn't stink as much. Maybe it's the blood accord? Or the oak? At any rate, there's a dark earthy note that does NOT instantly translate to my nose as "wood" and adds a gorgeous depth to the blend.

 

Wet: Something turns a little tangy-- currant perhaps? And ah, a hint of floral which I assume is the ginger lily. But I'm a little sad that it's already lost the darkness it had while just sniffing the imp-n-a-bottle.

 

Drydown: And now something greenish starts to appear-- the English ivy? Or Is it the blackberry leaf?

 

Verdict: I'm wishing I got a smidgeon more clove and I never smelled any leather (I looove the leather notes in the lab's blends). And I never thought I'd say this-- but I almost wish there was the teensiest tiniest bit of patchouli as that tends to make blends feel darker and definitely last longer on my screwy skin chemistry. All in all, not a bad blend at all, but not one of my favoritest ever. Wouldn't mind another decant or two to put into my bottle, though.

 

 

ETA: Whoa! Something's gone wrong. It's sour and dusty now. Ick.

Much much thanks to dpoulsen21 who frimped me w/ a testable sample of this! (And as such, is saving me mucho money!)

 

In the vial: Delicious vanilla cream! Grapefruit! Lotsa lemon-candyfloss for sure, and some pink pepper.

 

Wet: Whooooa. Way too much pink pepper (mebbe red ginger, too?). Ick! It smells like cheap craft store potpourri on me. No! Why?!

 

Drydown: Some of the pepper eventually backs down a smidgeon, but it's just not right on me. Damn it all! It smells amazing in the vial. Just not on me. A hint of the pear.

 

Verdict: Damn. It really has wonderful notes and smells drool-worthy in the vial. But it doesn't play nicely w/ my skin chemistry whatsoever. Sigh. Alas. I'll probably keep this generous sample to huff and maybe try in a scent-locket. But definitely no need to hunt down more of it. Such a shame.

In the vial: Whoa, vetiver vetiver vetiver.

 

Wet: Tons of vetiver. Getting a hint of something that is somewhat lemony, but not nearly so fresh or tangy (more lemony on my right wrist than my left, oddly enough).

 

Drydown: Still a very "earthy" smell ('cause of that vetiver). Smoother now, less in your face.

 

Verdict: Not thrilled w/ the way this smells, honestly. But I'm wearing it because I need an extra dosage of courage. Got v little sleep, a migraine, and I've got to watch 2 little girls today for quite a few hours. *gulp*

 

 

ETA: After wearing this all day, I have to conclude that this blend does NOT work for me. The two girls were not drawn to me and I really didn't feel more courageous, either. But hey, maybe had I not worn it today, I wouldn't have survived.