zankoku_zen

Musky vanilla with warm amber notes and just a tiny hint of florals. Much better after 10 - 15 minutes, once the blend has a chance to settle down. This is a SEXY vanilla. I agree with the comparison to a leather catsuit, minus the leather component. This is smooth. You know, like Chris Isaac's Wicked Games voice as he croons and seduces you into bed. OFF to find a bottle. Or two. Goddamn. #winning

So, epically soft brown leather (hello, are you the brown leather note from Quincy Morris?), patchouli and oudh. And while I get the faintest whiff of lemon/rose/citrus every so often (I mean like every fourth sniff or something like that), this is essentially SOFT brown leather. BPAL's leather note is a total bully on my skin so I'm surprised at how deliciously soft this one is. That being said, way too masculine for me. But I imagine that a guy with the right skin chemistry would be able to SLAY anyone with a whiff of this. DEVASTATING.

Gingerbread with hints of mint and bubblegum. It's like a different take on Gingerbread Poppet. Warm, sugary, gingerbread. Too foodie for me.

Dry cedar and ashes. Very dry, hint of watery overlay. Strong, masculine dirty sort of smell.

GREEEN. This has the same green planty smell that Green Party and Planting Moon have... but available via the GC catalogue. It's a nice green, stem-like, breezy, clean smell.

Dirt, cedar, redwood and a hint of green. This smells manly and green.

Watermelon, lilac and dirty sandalwood, watery oakmoss. It kinda smells like watermelon + b.o. on me. EPIC FAIL.

Light fizziness and juicy peach. This smells more like peach candy than anything else.

Chillier menthol, hit of sweet peppermint and soft vanilla on the drydown. Cooler and mintier than last year's variation.

HONEY + gingerbread. It's like O smeared all over Gingerbread Poppet. Not a honey fan, but if I were, I'd track some of this down.

Red velvet cake, with an extra dose of milk chocolate. It's like Cake Smash, minus the frosting. Which was the part that went horribly awry on my skin. Delicious.

Boozy rum, hit of coconut and clove. And maybe pineapple? There's a slight sweet powderiness, like powdered sugar. It's like a boozy, tropical drink.

Almond and coconut dough. Tasty, but not for me.

Green, vegetable floral that on wet reminds me to Planting Moon/Green Party. However, as it dries, it goes more soapy. Pretty, green, tasty.

Peppermint and blueberry. It actually kinda smells like a cough drop on me. BOO

White florals and a touch of amber. Chilly, white, floral.

Violet, moss and water. And dirt. And my skin likes to eat this up.

Dusty books, hints of wody and pine, paper and.... uhhh, this just smells like an old, expensive library. Except, well, human. So make that a sexy male librarian (with those hot black rimmed glasses), leather bound books and shiny bookshelves.

Lots of lavender, softened by honey and cheesecake. It's like a sugary sweet lavender cake. PASS.

Sugary fruity mango, touch of lychee and fizze champagne. I really thought I'd enjoy this, but it's way too sweet for me. Sugary, fruity, fizzy.

Heady, fruity red wine with champagne fizz. It reminds me to a fizzier Spiked Punch. Tasty, fun, bubbly.

Soft dry clove and musk. Oddly clean, and compelling.

Frankincense and oude. For some strange reason, my skin eats this up and 20 minutes, its almost gone from my skin.

Juniper, citrus and something that smells like leather. Oh, what dashing tragic men wear. Nice, manly, dashing.

WISTERIA, tuberose, lilac and a hint of mint. Would be deliciously a nice floral lilac blend if it wasn't for wisteria being such a bully. BOO on the wisteria.