zankoku_zen

In the imp: pepper and lilies On Skin: pepper, lilies and ginger. There's a tinge of green to it. On Drydown: creamy lilies. I don't get as much of a pepper, but it isn't a huge floral explosion as I thought it would be. Verdict: I was originally worried about the pepper, since blends that contain pepper in them tend to be very peppery on my skin. In this case, the pepper and ginger serve as a counterbalance against the florals. The lilies are creamy. This is a very pretty scent, in a non-conventional way. It has a coy tinge to it. Very interesting.

Dorian is the first one that popped into mind. Severin doesn't have vanilla in it, but it might be good to try and see if you can find an imp. It's very tea (Earl grey to be precise) and a hint of leather, which gives it a dark quality. Of course, you can always try layering different scent to get an approximate.

In the imp: Spicy On Skin: Spicy resiny floral. On Drydown: I smell the ylang ylang. The base of dragon's blood works well with this. The amber seems to lend some sweetness to it as well. Verdict: I'm not a huge fan of dragon's blood resin but this was a delightful surprise. Still not the kind of floral I'm attracted to but perhaps I was too quick to dismiss the Ars Draconis line and dragon's blood in general. Reconsiderations will be had.

In the imp: Piney On Skin: Medicinal pine smell, slightly aquatic, a hint of bitterness On Drydown: Very aquatic fresh, slightly like laundry, very masculine Verdict: This ends up smelling like an aquatic men's cologne on me. Definitely not my kind of thing.

In the imp: Chesnut and mandarin On Skin: Very chesnutty and herby... upon first application it sort of smells like salty chicken in some spicy chinese sauce. Definitely salty. Thankfully, that fades. The chesnut remains though, and I get hints of the musk and something almost honey sweet. On Drydown: Musky, chesnutty and again, something that reminds me to honey. It's a very heavy blend. Verdict: This is a very regal, very heavy blend. Like that of a proud woman wrapped in velvet. I do get brown and red vibes from it. Even without looking at the picture, I feel like this is an excellent olfactory representation of the picture. Bravo Lab!

This is pretty much a straight shot from what it smells in the imp to all the way in the drydown. In the imp: fresh and clean, floral and herby On Skin: Light florals and clean herbs, grassy and a hint limey Drydown: Sunlight florals and slightly herbal. Verdict: This is the scent of a backyard garden in the early summer, the smell of flowers and grasses intermingling. It's a nice, light and calming scent actually. Like you've stepped outside with a book and are enjoying your garden, the sunlight and the glorious time to yourself, no worries or cares. Very well done.

In the imp: earl grey, bergamoty and citrusy. Yum! On Skin: Earl Grey. Drydown: Tea and citrusy, with just a wee hint of leather After an hour: Very cologney, tends to be slightly more masculine. Verdict: I hope this works on the boy because it's pertty yummy. Clean but tough. Sophisticated with a hint of danger. But if it doesn't work for him, I'll keep it because it's a refreshing take and I do enjoy it loads.

In the imp: Orangey On SKin: warm orangey blossom Drydown: Patchouli Verdict: Patchouli is usually a deal breaker in my case. I'm not a fan. So why try this out? I'm trying to find out how different types of patchouli react on my skin. I don't get the dirty hippie smell from this one quite so much, but rather a pleasant earthy smell to it. Still not my cup of tea but at least now I know that red patchouli is milder on my skin than black patchouli.

In the imp: apple, peach and honey On Skin: The apple note is very dominant, it's a light floral with a touch of sweetness. Very girly and pretty. On Drydown: Slightly green tinge to it (I think it might be myrrh), more of the musk comes out. The apple note has vanished but it's still slightly floral without being ROSE!smash or anything distinguishable like that. Several hours later: Smells like fragrant skin, with a tinge of sweetness. Very very sexy. Verdict: This was a bit of a morpher on my skin. I have to admit that the wet and several hours late stages are fabulous... for entirely different reasons. I'm less keen on the immediate drydown but it isn't enough of a deterrent. I really do enjoy this scent. I'm also pleasantly surprised that this isn't overtly rose. This scent makes me think of the deflowering of a girl. In the beginning, she's bright and innocent. At the end of it, she's knowing, sexy and very enticing.

In the imp: It reminds me to panetone, which is an italian fruitcake. Fruity and cakey. On Skin: Medicinal cherry. It starts to sweeten up as it dries. On Drydown: REALLY sweet cherries. Creamy sweet cherries. After several hours: sweet powder. Verdict: This is quite a deliciously foody/juicy scent. Unfortunately, it ends up way too sweet on my skin. This is not horrific at all... but rather tooth-achingly inducingly girlish sweet.

In the imp: Musty rose On Skin: Musty rose On Drydown: Woodsy, a light touch of rose and something else. Verdict: Very not me. The combination is funky on my skin. It has a strong throw though. But yeah, definitely not to my liking.

In the imp: lilies and carnations On Skin: lily smash! I think she is crowding out all the other flowers, and that's unusual because usually it's rose smash! for the win. On Drydown: Pale white floral Verdict: Neither a like or a dislike. This is an interesting, and yes, somber bouquet of flowers.

Seconding Depraved, Carnal and Frumious Bandersnatch. Good luck with that! I wasn't fond of Imp, but I did enjoy FB tremendously.

Try Moxie. For me, it wasn't the greatest grapefruit scent but for others it apparently is mega-grapefruit and has some staying power to it.

In the imp: Sunny, hint of verbena and hint of rain On Skin: A touch of amber, strong verbena, kinda grassy. Very bright citrusy/grassy. On Drydown: Mellows out a bit. I get more the sage/grassy vibe and the rain note is floating to the top. Verdict: Pleasant but not remarkable for me. I'll probably end up swapping it away.

In the imp: Strong coconut and shea butter smell On Skin: Coconut is the predominant note. I get a hint of cool aquatics. On Drydown: Suntan lotion Verdict: I'm not a huge coconut fan but this sounded intriguing. I wanted to test it out. Unfortunately, the coconut note turns on my skin and I end up smelling like suntan lotion. Sad. Off to swaps for this one.

In the imp: Sweet vanilla floral On Skin: A hint of green, kinda musty (I think that's the sandalwood), and fairly sweet On Drydown: Vanilla + Amber DOOM! Verdict: The amber and vanilla are very dominant in this scent. In fact, they team up against me and this ends up smelling like vanilla DOOM. This is the sugary powdery vanilla scent of a few commercial perfumes that I can't stomach. I was hoping for a more 'golden' kinda scent, but instead I got the ubervanilla cousin of O.

In the imp: light, fruity pear smelling floral On Skin: Lily-like floral, with a touch of soapyness. Reminds me alot ot Sea of Glass On Drydown: Sea of Glass + linen Verdict: I wish it smelled like a fruity pear floral most of the time. However, I get a more ghostly and gray version of Sea of Glass with a linen undercurrent to it. Pretty... but not my personal cup of tea.

In the imp: High floral and sweet. On Skin: I get some of the lime, sugar and something kinda rosey. Overall though, it kinda reminds me to plumeria. Weird, I know. On Drydown: I get more of the lime now, and definitely a light rose around the edges. Verdict: Very bright, and yes, I do get the pink vibes from it. It's a bright and cheery sort of scent, very playful.

In the imp: Minty! On Skin: Vanilla minty. Deep and sexy. On Drydown: The mint is pretty much gone and I just get the Snake Oil out of it. It seems a tad sweeter than regular S.O. with just a bare edge of mintyness to it. Verdict: Slightly minty S.O. I like it better than S.O. but I don't know if it is enough to buy a bottle of. Alas, I'm sad since I was considering taking the plunge and just buying a bottle of GTV.

I'd try Dove's Heart or Water of Notre Dame. I'm partial to Anthelion (TAL) but that's just because it's really uplifting. If you have trouble sleeping, I recommend Oneroi. It's really good for that.

In the imp: Spicy and musky On Skin: Spicy and musky, there is a patchouli/sandalwoody/earthy sort of feel to it. On Drydown: I get a floral sort of peeking out, perhaps a lilac? I'm not sure. There's something almost sweet about it too... and perhaps slightly fruity, perhaps cherry? Verdict: This is an odd duck, to my nose. It's warm and spicy and musky, and although this isn't usually something I go for, this isn't as overbearing as other types on my skin. As for the woo-woo, I'm not sure I find this pleasant enough a smell to actually wear it for the effects.

In the imp: Citrusy and fresh On Skin: Fresh and breezy, sea-like, with a hint of citrus Drydown: Kinda reminds me to Irish Spring, and kinda reminds me to bathroom sanitizer. Verdict: It's a very fresh and clean smelling aquatic. I can see this being perhaps more for masculine tastes than my own.

In the imp: Fresh and breezy florals On Skin: Fresh, very strong lily smell. I get a definite 'bridal' vibe from it. On Drydown: Stays pretty much the same, a touch warmer. Verdict: Pretty, but not a stand out for me. I can definitely see someone wearing this on their wedding day though.

In the imp: Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. Yum! On Skin: Graham cracker minty cookies. On Drydown: The mint disappears and I get a weird vanilla that has a funky plasticky edge on it. Verdict: WAAAH! I wanted to love this so much. When first applied and in the imp, it smells fabulous. But after like fifteen minutes and all the way into the drydown, I get this musty vanilla plastic funk. Soooo sad. I'm hoping that aging this will help but first I'll read up on the forum and consult other forumites about this. If not, I'm gonna have to swap this puppy away.