zankoku_zen

In the Bottle: I can smell the violet and the gardenia. On Skin: Still smelling the violet and the gardenia. It kind of reminds me to Ultraviolet at this point. Except with an extra shot of bitterness, like a crushed plant aroma. On Drydown: I think its the gardenia that makes this scent smell kind of bitter on my skin. I can smell the violet but the gardenia is overpowering. Verdict: I don't think gardenia and I get along at all. Off to the swap!

In the Bottle: Something sweet... and yet kind of citrusy? On Skin: There's almost something that smells like a bay leaf to me in this scent. I can smell the spicy mulled wine, a hint of cinnamon. Yet there is something almost peppery to it. This is striking me as a slightly more masculine scent. Maybe I am smelling the leather or perhaps it is the dragon's blood resin. On Drydown: Not really waiting for this. This is a beautiful scent, very evocative of medieval times. Simply not me though. Verdict:This is a very complex scent. Unfortunately, just not me.

In the Bottle: Juicy plum and berries. It's very sweet smelling and enticing. On Skin: Still smelling like delicious plum. Huzzah! I get a bit of a rosy scent after sniffing it for a bit. And I can definitely smell some of the berry goodness. This is still a sweet scent. On Drydown: I'm gettinga whiff of something darker though, I think it might be the opium. It's a nice counterbalance to the rest of the sweetness. However, this fades fast from my skin. Verdict: Just for the sheer deliciousness of the plum at the beginning, I'd consider keeping this. I don't think that this is a scent I would order large quantities of or could really live with. It's much too sweet. I'll send it on its way and hope someone else loves her more than I do.

In the bottle: Sharp lemon herbiness. I smell the lemon verbena and the rosemary most prominently. I got a whiff of lavender. On Skin: Woof. It sort of smells like Vick's Vapor Rub... without the fresh mintyness. After a bit it calms down, and I can smell some of the floral goodness. On Drydown: Still associated in my mind with Vick's Vapor Rub. Can't get over it. Nuts. Verdict: My skin and I don't agree with this. I'd think about offering this to the boy because this strikes me as a more masculine like scent. Except I don't like how it smells and I'm not sure I would want him smelling of this. Off to the swap pile.

In the Bottle: Floral with a hint of green to it. On Skin: A very wet floral. This is very flowery. It's pretty and the hint of green prevents it from turning to cloying. On Drydown: Still floral. I can't pick out a specific flower smell. It is that well blended. Verdict: Very pretty. But I don't think it's me. Off to the swap pile it goes.

In the Bottle: Floral but manly. On Skin: Oh wow. This spells out M-A-N. There's something fresh and musky and yet the floral hints make it so very appealing to my nose. On Drydown: Definitely masculine. A little like Irish Spring perhaps but with more oomph. Verdict: Put it on the boy. I like the results. He likes the results. Oh yes.

In the Bottle: Very sweet. Candy syrup sweet almost. On Skin: I smell like a Jolly Rancher watermelon candy! Eep! It calms down a bit after a while but its still sugary sweet. On Drydown: I smell some of the whispy flowers now. There is something very clean to it. Verdict: Watermelong + Flowers = Not ME. But hopefully, somebody else will love it more than I do.

A glittering icicle of a woman, regal, proud and cold: shimmering white grapefruit, pale flowers and lemon bark with orchid, rose and a dash of mandarin. I have very high hopes for this. I love grapefruit. In the Bottle: Grapefruit and something floral. Almost masculine. It smells a bit like a men's aftershave. On Skin: Still smells a bit like aftershave. It's a fresh smell but this wasn't what I was expecting. It's calming down a bit and now it smells a bit more floral. On Drydown: I get peaks of delicate florals under the aftershavey sort of smell. I wonder if I don't get along with orchid. Verdict: No grapefruit scent for me. Pooh. Too bad the Queen decided to become Gillette's aftershave. Cool and regal but not in a way that suits me. I would go slather this on the boy but I think I'll swap it instead. I think the decant I first got way back in the day was mislabeled, it was probably the King and not the Queen. Because this decant does NOT smell at all like what I remember it smelling like. This one started out as nivea soap, there was something that was clean and bright and slightly floral. No grapefruit, but it dries to a delicate orchid/rose smell. I don't like how aggressive it started out, but the drydown is quite lovely. Unfortunately, it fades fast on my skin.

In the Bottle: Flowery apples. On Skin: Sweet apples. I'm getting the visual image of a summer picnic out in the country, flowers in the air and eating apples in the shade. It's a bit overpowering at this point. Occasionally I get whiffs of something grassy. On Drydown: Awwww nuts. My skin turned this into soap. Really nice smelling soap but still soap. Verdict: Since my skin chemistry doesn't like it, no use in arguing with what will not be. Off to the swap pile.

In the Bottle: Very floral and very sweet. It reminds me to Juliet. On Skin: I can smell the sweet pea and the carnation. The sweet pea is the dominant note right now. On Drydown: The sweet pea mellows out a bit but its still very sweet. Almost too much. Verdict: This has the same basic appeal that Juliet does but Desdemona is too sweet and almost too floral on me. I don't get a very strong feeling for it, although its a very pretty floral. It's off to swap.

Given the recent experiment with Phantasm, I wonder if I will smell like fizzy lemonade because of this. The cap also seems welded shut... I'm crossing my fingers against spillage. In the Bottle: Smells very sharp. Very clean. On Skin: Still sharp. Still clean. The lemon verbena is very prevalent but not like it was in Phantasm. The jasmine is starting to come out. Mmm... On Drydown: This strikes me as a very delicate scent. Very ethereal. It's very refreshing. This is smelling more like jasmine with a sharp citrus tang but with a spark of warmth from the sandalwood. It fades a bit fast but that's perhaps I used the teeniest amount I could. Verdict: The combination is very haunting and very fresh. It doesn't turn cloying like Phantasm did. I am keeping this one. I don't know if I would ever order more of this necessarily but it make a great summer scent for keeping cool.

In the Bottle: Strong lemon citrus. On Skin: Smells like lemon candies. Pleasant but not something I want to smell like. I'm starting to smell some of the jasmine but its very faint. On Drydown: Still smelling like lemon candies although I get more the feeling of being fizzy lemonade. It's fun and refreshing though. Verdict: This is a very fun, pleasant scent. But since I don't fancy smelling like a giant lemon candy or fizzy lemonade, I think I'll send this off in its merry way.

In the bottle: Something strong, almost masculine. And something that smells like apples? On Skin: I still have that pungent musky sort of smell. More of the florals are starting to peek out. I don't know if this is me yet but it is a truly gorgeous smell to sniff. There is a woodsy smell to it now. On Drydown:Still very masculine and very earthy. I really enjoy this scent but it's definitely a boy scent in my mind. I get whiffs of the florals now and then and its such a tantalizing combination. This is powerful and beautiful, with a certain degree of arrogance with just enough softness to pardon the arrogance. Verdict: I'm going to slather this on the boy now. Excuse me.

In the Bottle: Something citrusy but sweet. I definitely feel that "Bright, sweet and youthful, but swelling with a poisonous sexuality" explains it perfectly. On Skin: I can smell the citrusy but with a bittery note which is the lemon verbena. I'm starting to smell some of the sweetness. On Drydown:This has become almost cloyingly sweet. Almost like lollipops. Bah. Verdict: If this had retained more of the citrusy smell that it had in the beginning I would have kept the imp. I do think that the description was dead on. In the end, I just don't think its me. Off to swap.

I have high hopes for this. I was hoping for the White Rabbit to be quite lineny but it turned out to be cloyingly sweet on me. In the Bottle: Smells floral. And very clean On Skin: It's a light, pretty floral. Very clean. Very breezy. There is something fruit-sweet to it. On Drydown:It smells like golden sunshine, like Fae does but without the peach note. I find that I enjoy Fae for the same reasons but the peach is a great enhancement. I was hoping for a more clean-linen smell and this ended up more floral than anything. Verdict: This scent gives me a 'just bathed' scent. It's a great pick me up. But I'm not wild about it. I think that there is someone who has to be more enthusiastic about it than I am, and this imp definitely deserves someone who can love it more.

In the Bottle: Smells very sharp and ozoney. On Skin: Still very sharp. Very green too. I think its the vetivert I'm smelling. On Drydown: I get a hint of a floral but its still very ozoney. Its got a clean feel to it but its very different from Tempest. Definitely a different energy. Verdict: I like the smell but I don't think its me. I think I much rather smell this on a boy. This strikes me as a more masculine aquatic. I'll offer it to the boy, but if he doesn't like it, I'll offer it for swap.

In the Bottle: Smells like almonds. Hmm.. On Skin: This smells very strongly of almonds. It's very sweet and very homey. It makes me think of cookies. It's a very reassuring scent. I get some of the milky undertones now and some cloying sweetness. It's not very... pleasant at the moment. On Drydown: This scents fades fast from my skin. I get occasional whiffs of it though. Verdict: I liked the original note of almond. But then it became nauseatingly sweet. I don't think my skin likes this scent much. Off to the swap pile.

In the Bottle: Smells like pomegranates! Mmmm... pom juice! On Skin: Still pommy although I can smell some of the alcohol. This is very juicy. Very citrusy too. On Drydown: The food ripens a bit. This scent is very fresh. Very cool. Verdict: I like the cool citrus feel I get from this scent. Not that it smells anything like Baobhan Sith but it makes a good replacement in the cool citrus category.

In the bottle: I can't quite place this. Something sweet and yet floral. I think I smell some of the pomegranate. On Skin: I smell something kinda sharp but tasty. On Drydown: It has a clean smell to it. I can catch whiff of the peach. It's very comforting. Verdict: Keeping the imp. Dunno if I'm ordering more but since I got it from a swap. I will totally use most of it up.

I would have never thought of ordering this. It is a gift from the lab. In the bottle: Smells like strawberries and chocolate. On Skin: Smells a bit like root beer. I can still smell the strawberries. I can smell something floral too. Wow... I'm really digging this scent. I mean, I want to take a bite out of myself. Its making me feel sexy and flirty. On Drydown: Lovely. Absolutely lovely. I need more of this. This is such a comforting scent. Verdict: I love this. How did Beth know? Is she a psychic? She must be! Wow. I would have never thought to try this and yet it works so well on me. This is definitely on the "must order more" list.

In the Bottle: Smells floral and a bit mossy. On Skin: Smells very clean. Like clean linen. I can smell some of the jasmine right now. This is a very delicate scent. But underneath I can still catch whiffs of Egyptian incense. Lovely contrast. On Drydown: Still clean. Still pretty. Still delicate. Verdict: I'm keeping this scent. Oddly enough, this sort of smells like how I wanted the White Rabbit to smell. Chalk it up to body chemisty.

In the bottle: Floral. I can smell the lilies. On Skin: Lilies! And something else that is sweet. God, this is a gorgeous floral scent. On Drydown: I think I'm smelling some of the plum. This scent has turned much sweeter. I can still smell the lilies. Verdict: I'm kinda torn on this one. I have two other scents that are lily smells that I also like, one of which I completely adore. This one is nice too. Hmm... I'll keep this one for now.

Preconceived notions: I ordered this before I found out how much lotus and I don't get along. I love grapefruit so its a grapefruit vs lotus going on here. In the Bottle: Smells fresh and minty. Not unlike Scope actually... On Skin: It smells minty and fresh still. I can smell the grapefruit. Its very fizzy, which I am assuming is the white champagne notes. I can smell something underlying it all though. On Drydown: WAHOO! I'm not getting a huge bubblegummy smell from this. The lotus adds a hint of sweetness to the tartness of the grapefruit. Usually by now, all I can smell is lotus when I've tried it other blends. However, after about 20 minutes, all I can smell is the lotus. Nuts. Verdict: This is a really interesting scent. I'm glad that the lotus didn't predominate. I wish the fizzyness would have lasted longer. I wish the grapefruit lasted longer. At the beginning, its not so bad. But *sigh* lotus and I continue to fight and I lose. Off to swap this goes.

In the Bottle: Smells floral. And a bit salty. Why am I thinking of soy sauce? On Skin: I can smell the lilac and the lavender. This is very floral. Still has that salty tinge to it. I am starting to get a hint of the sandalwood. There is also a bitter note to it that my nose isn't digging. On Drydown: I can smell some of the violet now. But I still get that bitter note. I've noticed it in other imps I've tried and I wonder if its either the orris or the gardenia. Verdict: I wanted to like this one. Bah. Off to the swap pile it goes.

In the Bottle: Smells very sweet. Like a melon. On Skin: Still very sweet. Now that I place it, it actually smells more like apricots on my skin. I think its the combination of honey and vanilla. On Drydown: Still sweet. I can smell something else though - perhaps the linen, perhaps the pepper, perhaps the ginger. Verdict: Still too sweet for my taste. Off to the swap pile. And I had such high hopes for this one too. Ah well, my body chemistry simply doesn't like it.