zankoku_zen

Apple, plum, lily and drying fields. I'm apparently amping up the floral and lily component of this blend. It makes me think of fall blend potpourris. Epic. Fail.

This Pom is definitely dark. Swirl of vetiver, but I really get the opium and the amber. The pom note lends a slightly fruity/sweetness to the blend. Dark, spooky, tart.

Pomegrante and benzoin. I get a whiff of jasmine on wet, but its almost straight up POMEGRANATE. As it dries, I get a little more of the benzoin. Pass.

I definitely get the herbal honey. It has a slight lavender tinge to it. I feel like this is more of a lavender aromatherapy blend than a perfume.

Smoky, burning wind and sage. I definitely get the sage on the drydown and a spicy grass. It has a masculine edge for me. Spicy, smoky, dangerous. If you smell smoke, there's usually a fire.

Okay so on wet started as cool sweet water, dried to absolutely a premier version of Irish Spring, and after about four hours it smells like a nice cool aquatic floral. Unfortunately, I'm not the kind to wait four hours of soapiness out to get what I want.

Apple blossom, tart pom (not too tart) and a swirl of fig. I get a hit of almond on wet, but thankfully, it's dries down to a clean, crisp tart fruit smell. Mmm.. fig. It's not uberly figgy but that swirl is enough to sweeten the blend up for me. ETA: I was lucky enough to receive this as a 5ml. I get more of the apple, fig, and almond, and the pom is just a light overlay on it. Sadly, mr. zee_zee apparently does not care for pom notes on me, and therefore this must find a new place to live. On the other hand, this is a soft, baked fruity blend, very in line with the Harvesters. Definitely more late summer/early autumn in feel.

This one is definitely voluptuous. Lush red roses, touch of frankincense that definitely grounds this and a swirl of honey. Rich, deep, womanly. From the 3 Dawn female scents I've tried, this one would be the winner in my book. I don't do roses but hell if this one isn't sexy.

Ah, priestess you smell like rose soap, jasmine and patchouli. Underneath the rosy floral smells, you smell like incense. Nope, not for me.

Tea roses I think is one of the rose types that smell oddly sour on me. Because this is definitely sour rose with a brush of honeysuckle on wet. On the drydown, its the olive blossom and way way underneath I think I smell some of the milk and honey which remind me of Alice. Overall however this scent does not work for me.

Slightly soapy florals that dry into a clean sandalwood with a hint of linen. Pretty, interesting, warm.

Cedar, pine, hint of fig and a touch of gin. Woodsy, male cologne. My skin EATS this like there's no tomorrow.

The Shadowy and the Sublime is more than the sum of its parts. Wisteria, magnolia and certain rose notes are absolutely DEATH notes to me, so I am pleasantly surprised on how much I truly enjoy this blend. Myrrh and amber create a nice resinous base with hints of florals but they are stopped from being overly floral with swirls of ambergris which lends a slightly aquatic blush to it. Warm, spicy, resinous. I am seriously digging this.

Oh man, this is prettier than I expected. It's a sweet aquatic, and I definitely get lemons on wet, and peaches as it dries. Hints of mossiness and white florals underneath, but yes, there is definitely a peach note in it. Perhaps a splash of honeysuckle? This smells to me like a nice summer night in the South. Light, southern, refreshing.

Odd Portents is well, odd, to me. It starts out with lavender with a tinge of rose and then dries down to a musky amber incense blend. The musk isn't one that tends to work on me and it's slight powdery. I think it might be brown musk actually since it makes me think 'furry', and evokes Brown Jenkins in my mind - minus the coconut. Dark, resinous, powdery.

True to life lilacs. I'm not a giant fan of it - but my husband is. Gah. So sad that I can't find more of this....

The honeysuckle SN on me, wet is very sweet. It's honeysuckle + sugar amped up. As it dries, it becomes less sweet and prettier, and more delicate. Very floral, feminine. Unfortunately for me, there's a "fake" overlay to it that makes me think of Barbie dolls.

For me, blends with gardenia tend to smell like wet wool. Hence, my assumption that gardenia will smell like wet wool. And it does, and then it becomes a bitter pungent floral. On further drydown, it is almost peppery. I never get the coconut, the creamy tropical, soft or anything like that sort. On me, it's harsh, bitter and with HUGE throw. At least, it is nice to confirm that me and gardenia will NOT get along.

Strawberry frosted donuts. Actually, it smells more like those vanilla cookies that have the strawberry frosting in the middle. Sugary, strawberry and baked goods. Very sweet on me. Potentially a good choice for a young girl.

2010 version Roses, hint of lily and gardenia and at the very background a touch of incense. Unfortunately, this is the BPAL rose note that I amp up to high heaven. Pass.

Smoke, olive blossom and beeswax. It's an amazing beeswax scent. On the drydown, I get more of the chamomile peeking out and it's the kind that you find in Sachs, and it turns the beeswax into something slightly herbal.

Definitely sand, (reminds me to Sunbird and Capella de Ossos), cumin, patchouli, woods and musk. It's a very very dry, spicy, resinous blend. Makes me think of Tomb Raider, except perhaps less sexually overt and more in the kickass, I tramp through sand dunes and excavate forgotten treasures sort of way.

Juicy, jammy strawberry. It is the same lush strawberry note as in White Chocolate, Strawberry and White Pepper. There's some musk and/or amber. Out of all the strawberry blends this is the one that smells the least like a Strawberry Shortcake doll. That being said, it still sort of does.

I find both the proto and released version to be vastly different. The released version is heavy in the spices, and there is a very 'berry' smell that I get esp. on wet. It's more of a pumpkin spice candle/pie. As opposed to the prototype, which really had more of a 'citrus' and 'candy' overlay to it. The released version is stronger and richer. More vibrant on the drydown than the released. I think it's the spices that hold better on my skin. Still not my cup of tea.

Almond and cake. Unfortunately the vanilla in the cake is not one that plays well with my skin.