zankoku_zen

This one is a dark and sweet blend. On wet, it smelled like dusty cola. And on dry, it smells like dusty tea. Meh.

It is that hippie shop incense with hints of Coke/soda and a blast of lime. Smells like chill times and hanging out, when life stretched out forever in front of you, and all you needed were friends, good music and a 2 liter of Coke to have a good time. ETA: A little too masculine for me, but I'll be intrigued to try this on the hubby.

This one is an odd one. I do get the 'pine resin' and the lilies, and something lemony. There's something almost bitter about this blend and yet, it smells oddly familiar. Growing up, in middle school, one of my best friends was from India and this kinda reminds me to her mother. I think it's the incense + spices + something definitely Indian.

Spicy jasmine. Admittedly this wasn't as sharp as I expected. I get more of a 'resin' tone (probably the myrrh). On wet, it had a nice apple note to it that I miss when it's dry.

Hmm.... this is a soft piney musk with hints of air freshner. Weird.

Woody incense with hints of cedar... and crayola? Yeah, there's a certain sweetness to this blend that when I smell it with the incense makes me think of crayons. It's kinda nostalgic.

Definitely the same metal note as in Bed of Nails and Torture Queen, but with a bright tangy citrus that is more orange than lemon and slightly sugary. There's also I think either a juniper or gin note in their, slightly boozy. Mmm... Yum! I'd throw over Torture Queen for this one. And she's my favorite metal blend.

Ah, Death. You are patchouli with a hint of vetiver. That's it. Kinda stinky, kinda dirty, kinda clean. ... Meh.

This isn't scary at all. At the beginning, this was like a raisin in blood wine (I know, weird huh?) and it has dried to a rose/raisin/some sort of baked good + soap. Which isn't as off putting as it sounds. But yeah, nothing like I expected. At all. Huh.

Soapy lilies. I smell a bit of the lilies and the plumeria, but overall, it's got this fresh, breezy clean soap smell. Pass.

I have to say that this must be the first lotus blend... ever not to go bubblegum pop on me. On wet, the resinous base actually kinda reminded me to Voodoo Queen... as it dries though I get more of a sweet amber and a hint of green. Not my kind of blend... but hey, at least it wasn't just straight up bubblegum!

Mmmm. Amber powder like WHOAH. It's sweet, golden, resinous powder. ... *shrug*

Gah. This is like smelling brimstone... it's got this acrid smoky smell (ah vetivert, at least you don't smell like smoky bacon) with a slight 'clean' edge that is still stinky (ah patchouli). This smells like someone cursing someone else. Foul.

I agree --- this is sweet, dewy and fresh. A light, almost citrusy aquatic smell with nice clean skin musk. There's an almost 'green' tinge to it. A very spring scent. This is lighter and more innocent than I would have thought.

I basically get sweet plum wine. It's a little smokier and grittier at the beginning, but it dries down to plum wine. If you love plums, I'd definitely give this a shot.

Spicy patchouli with wood hints. On wet, I could smell the hints of caramel but on the drydown, it almost has a rootbeer quality to it. Despite all the 'foody' elements, it isn't foody. It's spicy patchouli with hints of clove and tobacco. Dark and sultry.

Resinous roses.... but the roses explode on my skin and it's a little too much for me to handle.... Pass.

This one is a sweet, fruity blend and I have to say that despite it containing rose, I really get the orchid in this one. It's sweeter, fruitier and flirtier than say, Shadow Witch Orchid. More playful. Orchid fans, take note.

Much more floral than I expected. I get a white floral, with touches of fruitiness but I can smell the cedar at the base. It does have a 'clean, white musk' feel to it. ... I'm not sure what to make of it.

At the beginning this did have certain similarities with Ebisu with the clean musk and oakmoss feel, but then the coconut comes out... but not as much as I would have thought. It's got a certain tropical vibe to it, but it kinda reminds me again, of Ebisu, substituting the peach for coconut. I like this, but then again, I love Ebisu. Not enough to buy a bottle, but I am, indeed, pleasantly surprised.

It makes me sad to think that I can't wear mums (it was my maternal grandparents favorite flower!), but I can't. It's always so bitter on me. And in this case, the vanilla turns to plastic, so it's a bitter vanilla plastic. Sad, but true.

Rose and violet soap. ... Yeah, why do I bother?

Leather and BPAL's metallic note (the same in Bed of Nails, Torture Queen and others)... but combined together, it's too butch and manly for me. And not the kind of blend that my husband likes. He likes a little musk with his leather to soften it.

Straight up rose soap. ... I can't say I am surprised. At all.

Oh man, Harvest Moon 2006 is super yummy. And it kinda reminds me to Mabon. I think it's the sweet berry/apple spice thing it has going on, with a woodsy background. Definitely spicier on the drydown though. It's got other stuff in it, so it makes it, in my mind, a variation of Mabon. But yes, I can see the comparisons to Samhain also being made.