zankoku_zen

2010 version. I find this version less like O and much more perfumey and musky. The honey in this is very very light on wet, and it's more of a slightly sweet, musky amber blend. As it dries, the honey does come out more but still I find it less cloying and heavy than the 2008 version.

Mmmm. Fruit. This one is a fruitier citrus version of Fire Pig to me. I get the kumquat and the lychee the most on wet. However, my skin eats this puppy up. Like 2 hours later and its GONE GONE GONE. While it last though - bright, cheery fruit. I wish the wet stage with the citrus last longer than 30 minutes, but that's just me.

So on wet, I definitely got the wine note combined with the beeswax. As it dries, its more of a candle scent (beeswax) because to me, it almost smells like coconut, with a touch of frankincense. A touch of rose here and there. Not my cup of tea, and I'm surprised at how well the frankincense has behaved in this blend.

I am surprised at how 'delicate' this blend is. It's a little sharp on wet, because of the orris, but ends up drying to a violet and vanilla powder. Sweet, powdery, slightly creamy. Pretty, and not at all what I was expecting!

Lilac, vanilla and a touch of wood. Overall, it's a very LILAC blend on me. Unfortunately, lilac and I don't get along...

On wet, it is very much veitver, red musk and rose thrown in. There is also something darkly spicy, and I think that may be the ambrette. It dries to a darker rose/jasmine blend with a light fruity floral overtone. Not my cup of tea but very well blended. If you like roses and can handle jasmine, I bet this would be a gorgeous blend on you.

COCONUT. On wet, it's a hard slap of coconut which thankfully mellows out on the drydown to a milky coconut floral. If you love coconut, you'll love this. It never smells like suntan lotion, which is a surprise in my experiences with BPAL coconut.

Caraway, amber, saffron, bergamot, and neroli. Orange (hello neroli), caraway and saffron. It just smells spicy ODD. Like old man spice and leather that has been cleaned in orange cleaning liquid. I know, not a flattering description. But that's what it smells like to me.

Definitely the biggest thing I can smell is the white chocolate. As I inhale deeper, I get the wafts of the black raspberry. And yeah, its not like the usual raspberry. It's darker, less sweet, a little tarter. It basically dries down to a fruity white chocolate scent. And yes, it does sort of smell like an 80s doll. Kinda nostalgic, actually.

Aatos - sorry buddy. I get loads of cedar with a hint of fruitiness, but in combination with the saffron all of this smells like wood varnish. *Sigh*

Oh lord, this is like HONEY PLASTIC. The S.O. turns to plastic on me and the honey amps to high heaven. It's actually slightly like baby powder on the drydown. Utter. Fail.

No orange or lilies. Just a giant blast of frankincense and musks. Sexy, because it's got the red musk going on, but it had so many promising notes. Damn you skin chemistry. Damn you.

Snow White doesn't work for me since it basically goes to piña colada hell. Pink Snowballs with the rose mixed in softens the coconut tropical vibe and brings outs the almond to the forefront. I get a very creamy, very feminine PINK blend. Very pretty. It's a little too sweet for me, but a pleasant surprise.

Okey... jasmine, ylang ylang and rose totally dominated this blend. To the point, I couldn't smell any of the other components. Not a winner for me.

I got a lot of sweet plum and cherry blossom from this. It dries to a softer plum and more of the rice flower, like Castitas, comes out. Very pretty.

Tomoe Gozen is a giant burst of juicy red fruit, with just enough tartness that it never veers into too sweet. On the drydown, I definitely get more of the honey and the red currant note is less aggressive. Fruity and fun!

I found Ice Prince to be warmer than I expected - it was more of a warm christmas candle - I got loads of pine, plum, bergamot. Particularly with the plum, I found that it made it warmer, and lent a very sweet edge to it.

Mine would have to be Host of Air. For me it smells like OUTSIDE.

I think the closest maybe the long discontinued Eidolon: A curious word, meaning both a phantom or apparition and the image of an ideal. A complex, unearthly scent: Himalayan cedarwood, Italian bergamot, verbena and sage Or you could try Zephyr: A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla.

You put me in mind of Water Phoenix. You could also try: Danube, Amsterdam, Szepasszony, Sturgeon Moon (LE). Maybe even Tempest but that always struck me as more 'airy', but it depends on your skin chemistry. There's also Festival of Anukhet (LE), and the Black Swan which gives more of a river impression in my mind.

Hmm, the first to jump to my mind was Amsterdam, and Kitsune Tsuki. Maybe the East or E Pluribus Unum, if you're not opposed to hunting down LEs.

Number has rubbed off completely. This is one is such an interesting blend. On wet, there is a GIANT hit of juicy red grapefruit. It's sweet pink grapefruit. It's gone after maybe two minutes, except for this ever lingering grapefruit tinge that lasts into the drydown. For the next fifteen minutes it reminds me to orange blossoms (citrus + light florals) and it dries to what I can only consider pink sugar. My skin literally eats this one up. Low throw and wear length. I mean two hours later and its GONE. I think I will have to retest this one again and I do wish that the grapefruit had lasted longer though.

This one is odd - I get lemony green tea but it dries to a dusty milk chocolate, slightly watery version of Bliss.

Hmmm - green but in a different way. I get a slight mushroom note (which I find intriguing), herbs (lavender and I think it may be rosemary...) and moss (a little dank earthy type). Interesting, to say the least.

Aquatic (in the rain way) and lots of green - I would say ivy, grass and maybe a touch of violet? I get something almost peppery, like green peppers in this, that makes me think of some other grass blends I've tried and on the drydown something almost musty appears. Overall, very likeable in my book. But then again, I like grass blends.