zankoku_zen

In the Bottle: Incensey. I can smell the patchouli. On Skin: I can smell the carnation and a light tinge or iris. Its very dark green in my mind, like a mysterious forest. The patchouli is still prevalent. On drydown: The floral notes have gone away. Now it smells almost strictly of patchoulie. Nuts. Verdict: Ordinarily, I don't like patchouli. I like this one though. But it still isn't me, so off to swap it will go. ETA: I tried this again, almost two years after I tried it originally. Now that I have more BPAL under my belt, I do have to praise this scent. It's complex and heady, and something I don't think as a newbie I could altogether appreciate. I got more of the jasmine and orange blossom on this scent, esp. when wet and not so much patchouli. It was incensey and spicy. I might have to retry it again tomorrow just to double check.

In the Bottle: Green. Like sharp little plants. On Skin: Still sharp. Still very green. I can smell something floral underneath. It's very herbal. On Drydown: The sharpness remains, and now its a soft herbal scent. For odd reasons, it makes me think of sauteed mushrooms. Verdict: It's a very interesting scent but its not me. I'm not really into the herbal scents. Plus it makes me really really hungry. Off to the swap pile! ETA: Tried this again, and it struck me as smelling very similar to Sta. Eularia des Riu.

In the Bottle: I smell something fresh, and a little floral and a little sharp. Makes me think of children's cologne On Skin: There's something very herbal and sweet, it smells like sage. I can also smell hints of mint. There's also something almost citrusy. On Drydown: This such a complex scent. I keep sniffing it trying to decide if I like it enough or if I dislike it enough. I smell something floral and I think its the geranium because it doesn't smell like lavender, its floral with a trace of bitterness. In the end, this is a very clean scent for me, however there is a lingering soapy kinda whiff. Yes, it does kind of smell like... Irish Soap... Verdict: The mint is very present in this scent which leads to a very refreshing smell. Underneath the florals are really pretty. But it smells like an old lady perfume before turning into Irish soap. Off to the swap!

this was a gift from witch's dagger. thank you! The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, an icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger. In the Bottle: Something floral, and yet something that smells like a vegetable. Like celery. On Skin: Something overpoweringly bitter. Perhaps the Ginger? I smell whiffs of the gardenia. On Drydown: I can still smell the bitterness overlayed with the floral. It just doesn't work for me. Verdict: This combination and I don't get along. *sigh* I'll put it up for swap.

In the Bottle: Smells floral and watery On Skin: Ewww. This smells like nail polish remover. There is a definite sharpness to it. I think what isn't working with my body chemistry is the lotus. On Drydown: The nail polish remover smell doesn't really go away. It smells very green right now with a faint floral sometimes though. Verdict: In the end, I can't hack the first 10 minutes of strong nail polish remover smell on my skin. Lotus and I just can't get along. This imp is better off with someone else.

In the Bottle: It smells watermelony. On Skin: It smells very fresh, but still like a watermelon. I think that's the peony. I can smell a bit of the tea. On Drydown: I can't place what exactly it smells like. It doesn't smell like a watermelon anymore but it is a sweet floral. Very sweet. On Verdict: I like it but I don't think I could wear it often. I would have to be in a particular mood to want to wear this. But its still a very lovely scent. I'll keep the imp.

In the Bottle: I smell the honey and the carnation On Skin: There is a milky scent to it, I can still smell the honey. There is something more floral about it now, and I can catch whiffs of rose to it. On Drydown: There is a sweetness to this and almost a powdery quality to it but it makes me think of a young girl. A young girl like when she's seven or eight which is age that Alice is in my mind. Verdict: I think this scent perfect encapsulates Alice from the Lewis Carroll books. This is a floral that isn't quite a floral and yet is so lovely. I can see myself ordering more of this.

In the Bottle: Smells citrusy. I can smell the sharp tang of grapefruit. On Skin: I smell the grapefruit and something slightly bitter, which is probably the ginger. After a while, there is something floral which I'm assuming is the apple blossom. This is a very refreshing, very cool scent. I think its perfect for summer. On Drydown: It fades a bit from my skin but I can still smell the whiffs of freshness. It warms up a bit and the ginger seems to be a bit of a spicyness. Verdict: This is lovely. I love it. Its citrusy with a teeny bit of floral and its perfect for feeling 'cool' in the summer. It feels delicate without being girly I can feel myself going on an acquisition binge for this. Like 'sell my soul and/or first born for a 5ml'

In Bottle: Smells fresh, a bit lemony but with a sweetness to it. On Skin: Very lemony at the beginning, almost a bit like Lemon Pledge. But soon I get a whiff of something floral. It's very light and airy though. On Drydown: The scent deepens, and I can smell some of the neroli and sandalwood underneath of it. Still lemony though. Verdict: This is a lovely scent but I don't get a strong impression from it. I'll probably end up swapping this one.

In the Bottle: Smells like blackberries. But it also reminds me of cherry cough syrup. On Skin: Very sharp, there is a freshness to it. The blackberries are still there, but it still has that faint smell of cherry cough syrup. On Drydown: I can still smell the hint of berries on it and something kinda floral, which I am assuming is the heather. Verdict: Not really me. This is going to swap.

In Bottle: White flowers. Do I really need more at this point? On Skin: More white flowers but there is an underlying bitterness to it. The bitterness quickly takes over and it smells like raw hide. After fifteen - Where did the flowers go?!?!? It smells like a cross between a dead flower and something peppery and wet leather. I think its the cyclamen that just doesn't agree with me. On Drydown: It smells flowery and nice again. With a trace of the bitterness. I catch whiffs of it now and then. I get a sort of cleanness but its tainted. It actually kinda smells like laundry now. Verdict: Poo. It doesn't agree with me at the beginning. I don't think its quite worth it to be severely repelled by myself for a few minutes until it calms down. And I do like the smell of clean laundry. Lovely scent at the end but I have less problematic ones. Will ponder decision to keep but will probably end up swapping.

In bottle: I can smell the sandalwood and something that smells like bergamot, which I am going to assume is the lemongrass On Skin: Smells strongly of lemongrass. It's very refreshing. There is something sweet to it, although I can't distinguish if it's jasmine or rose. On Drydown: I'm getting a very healthy vibe. Like I should be doing yoga. Some of the sharpness of the lemongrass fades and I get the warmer scent of sandalwood. Now the cedarwood is peaking. There's a tone of spiciness to this. Verdict: Can a scent be energizing? Because I think I just got a charge from this! I'm usually not a patchouli or sandalwood sort of girl, but this has pleasantly surprised me. More importantly, this does convey a feeling of wholeness. Wow. The scent description is totally on. I might have to order more of this. I just feel... whole. Words utterly fail me.

In Bottle: Sharp and smells like cologne. I think the lemon gives it sharpness. On Skin: Smells like white flowers. Very calming and beautiful. I can smell some of the lemon. It has a fresh undertone to it for me. On Drydown: It fades quite a bit on my skin after fifteen minutes, so this would be a scent to slather on. It is very peaceful and radiant. After three hours, you can really smell the sandalwood underneath. Verdict: Another very lovely scent. Very floral. It makes me think delicate and goodly without being sanctimonious. On second thought, its very pretty but I'm not sure I can deal with the sandalwood undertone. Probably goes to swap. ETA: After trying it again, I realise that the sandalwood is very prominent on my skin. Crud.

In bottle: Violet tinged, but deeper and more aggressive than Ultraviolet. On Skin: I can smell the violet first, and some other floral. There is something very purple about this scent at the moment. Starting to smell some of the incense now. On Drydown: Getting some of the earthiness. This is a very powerful scent. I'm getting a bit of a dark woman, powerful and sure of herself. It smells floral and then gives way to the incense. I get a different 'power' vibe than when I smell Goneril. It isn't so much that she is treacherous and conniving, but rather that the notions of right/wrong just don't mean anything to her. Verdict: I'm going to keep her for now. She is an interesting lady and definitely something else.

On Bottle: Smells very floral. I can smell the lilac On Skin: Lilies, roses and lilacs. This smells like a stronger version of Juliet. But with more oomph to it. On Drydown: The scent seems very gentle. There's a faint wiff of baby powder to it. I have the vision of a woman who hides herself, not realizing how lovely she is. Verdict: This scent is warmer and more gentle than Juliet although there are some notable similarities. It's a bit more refined. Probably not order more, but I will keep the imp.

In bottle: Citrusy and floral. Crossing my fingers against the anti-lotus vibe. On Skin: Over-ripe fruit. On Drydown: Bubblegum?!?! I'm going to have to side with the people that aren't keen on lotus. Or rather, it isn't keen on me. It smells like a weird combination of over-ripe fruit and too sweet bublegum. Verdict: This so doesn't work for me. To the swap pile!

In bottle: Smells very light, playful and floral. I agree with the description of youth. It's very light hearted On Skin: I can smell the lilies and the honeysuckle the most. After a while, it becomes a very 'clean' smell, but I have a bias to like those. There is a mild 'green' note at the end, but again, I'm not adverse to it. On Drydown: Very floral, the lilies are still there. I haven't smelt the pear at all. But I do have the impression when I smell it of a young girl, carefree and innocent, full of dreams and high hopes. Someone that is waiting to fall in love. Verdict: I like this scent. Right off the bat my nose went "oooh!" and on my skin, it went 'oooh' as well. It doesn't have the power that Goneril has and both are very lily scents on my skin. This one is more innocent and clean. Not to say that there isn't an intensity in this scent.

On Bottle: Pears and flowers On Skin: Juicy pear. Very fruity. There is a soft floral undertone to it. After a while, the pear dies down a bit and it becomes more floral. On Drydown: Definitely floral now. I can smell hints of rose and magnolia. Verdict: I'm not big on the initial fruitiness of the scent. I do agree that it is a lovely scent although it feels almost a bit too girly for me. My feelings on this scent are neither love it nor hate it. It might end up in the swap pile. It might not.

In the bottle: Floral. Very Delicate. Can you bottle 'pretty'? Because this is the image and feel what I get. On Skin: Still floral. Still delicate. Fades fast and I got an almost medicinal smell to it. I reapplied 15 minutes later and it seems better. On Drydown: I can smell a bit of the lavender now and it's very calming. I really do get a sense of delicacy and purity. After a while, I can smell the frankincense and its very warm. Verdict: I'm very torn on the issue. Its very pretty and I do like it but I wonder if I can live with how delicate it is at the beginning and then how warm it becomes at the end. It's very lovely but not a stand out for me. It will probably end up in the swap pile.

In the Bottle: Smells very strong as a floral and avery sharp. It makes me take a step back. On Skin: It smells very sharp and very green, almost like crushed lilies and its almost overpowering. After a while, the sharpness is still there although it seems to be calming down more as time passes by or I'm getting used to it. On Drydown: I can smell the cedar now, peeking through. Still floral but there is an intensity there, like something lurking. Verdict: I like the scent enough to keep the imp. It intrigues me. It plots, if that makes sense. I like it because it makes me think 'complex' and 'conniving'. It's not an easy scent to live with, so I don't think I will order more. But good in small quantities. ETA: I got another imp of this after I swapped my original one away. In this one there is an almost patchouli like smell that overtakes the lily in the drydown. It must have been a combination of the cedar and perhaps the black orchid.

In the bottle: Smells floral and spicy. And expensive. I'm excited. On Skin: It smelled very floral for a few minutes and then it turns into soap! On drydown: It has almost completely faded from my skin. Verdict: Doesn't like me at all! Going into the swap pile!

On Bottle: Smells clean and like winter. Faint floral smell. I'm excited! On Application: COCONUTS! The smell is almost overwhelming. Like suntan lotion. Where did the winter go? After an hour: I still have faint whiffs of coconut but its not overwhelming. I'm catching a wift of pine and a hint of vanilla. I smell something else, reminds me of warmth, so I'm guessing it may be the almond? It's smelling a bit more green, which makes an interesting contrast. This isn't exactly reminding me of winter or snow. Overall: I so wanted to like this scent. I guess my body chemistry brings out the coconut and vanilla and all the other warm scents to the forefront. I have to say its an interesting smell. But not what I was expecting. I was expecting something cooler and more wintry. To the swap pile. *sigh* ETA: I have now tried the 2007 incarnation. Doesn't work for me. Not coconut, but still tropical and it has that weird plastic smell to it. This blend, in whatever incarnation just doesn't work on me.

In the Bottle: I can smell the sandalwood. I can't pick out the vanilla but it smells warm. On Skin: Smells like it did on the bottle. I don't get the lily or the mandarin. Drydown: It fades fast on my skin. I agree with the assessment that you can slather this one on. Verdict: It smells wealthy and opulent in my mind. It makes me think of wearing long gowns, going to the opera and drinking martinis in a sophisticated soiree. I like what it evokes but I'm not sure I actually like the smell. It may just not be for me. It will probably end in the swap pile.

In the Bottle: very sharp. very green. there is also something very sweet. On Skin: it still smells green and i can still smell the sweetness. its a very odd mix. On Drydown: the hint of sweetness is gone. it smells very earthy and after an hour, almost peppery on me. Overall: this scent turns very masculine on me and i like the smell, but i rather have my boy wear this. this gives me the impression of being a very powerful scent and not one to be trifled with. as it is, i don't think its me. if the sweetness had remained, i might have liked it better. i'll probably be swapping this. nuts.

In the Bottle: smells like very potent incense. On Skin: i can smell the sandalwood. it's pretty strong. i can't smell the ylang ylang. i have to say that this is a very powerful scent. it does smell sensual. On Drydown: i can smell some floral hints to it. it just doesn't smell like me. the scent is too aggressive for my personal tastes. i may give it another whirl because i really wanted to like this scent, although i did have my doubts when i read about the vanilla tints to it, since i'm not a big fan of vanilla. maybe i just don't do "sexy".