zankoku_zen

Fruity red currants and slushy icy snow. Again, the comparison to Ice Queen abounds. If you wanted Ice Queen as a hair gloss, give this a whirl.

Sugary candy strawberries and peaches. Fruit, sweet, and very nice.

Fresh, green holly, with a dash of sugar and slushy ice. This to me reminds me to Ice Queen but without the berries. Very Christmasy and festive.

Cherry, white tea and maybe a kiss of strawberry. This one smells clean, spring-like and like the best shampoo you've ever wanted. Will definitely keep!

Bright pear, creamy rice milk, and a touch of white musk. It ends up being whiter and muskier than I intended. White musk isn't generally a note that I'm fond of, but the milk and pear almost mask it. Good throw and wear length.

Fig, cinnamon, musk and a touch of tonka. This one is a manly sort of fig smelling cologne. And I really am sort of enjoying this. Will slather this on mr. zee_zee and see....

I really do have to admit to myself that I need more opium blends in my life. Opium, sandalwood, and a touch of tobacco and amber. Gorgeous. Would definitely get a bottle of this.

Dark, sexy, chewy tobacco with perfumey black amber. Skin scent, very gender neutral. I can see a guy wearing this though. Medium throw and wear length.

Lemon, peach and a ton of tuberose. Tuberose is one of those florals that is white and sharp on my skin and I sort of smells like hairspray. This is no exception. Lemony-peachy hairspray. Medium throw and wear length.

 

Skin fail.

Bourbon vanilla and oudh with a touch of honey. This one is like a vanilla + woody resin, with a swirl of honey. This is very much a skin scent. Low throw and average wear length.

Aquatic lavender, tinges of incense, and resins. This one is more masculine than I expected. Medium throw and wear length.

 

This is a very clean, sailor/pirate blend.

Grapefruit, moss, and dirt. On wet, I get a blast of grapefruit and it dries down to a slightly dirty mossy aquatic. Medium throw and wear length.

Resinous opium (a bit Coca Cola-esque) but in general, its a fuzzy, plush opium. Slinky. Good throw and wear length.

 

For me, this is pretty much Opium SN. LOVE IT.

Iris, steel, frankincense combine into.... well, something that smells more appropriately in a public restroom.

 

EPIC FAIL.

Warm woody, labdanum, smoky vetiver and touches of both red currant and plum adding a juicy red/purple fruit note to this. Dark woody incensey.

#280

 

This one is bright and juicy florals. Like guava, pineapple, and tropical. Maybe some ginger in there as well? It reminds me of the luscious fruitiness that you get in some of the Chinese New Year lunar blends like Fire Pig and Fire Cock.

Tobacco, high john the conqueror, patchouli, and ginger on top of a bed of bitter dark chocolate. This smells like it should belong in a voodoo shop. This isn't eating chocolate. This is magical chocolate. The kind that you buy, throw in big chunks to appease a deity, and hope that its powerful enough to keep them at bay. Medium throw and wear length.

 

I'd put this up there as a potential TAL blend.

Patchouli, pepper, tobacco, and buff of gold. This smells like expensive patchouli and I'm surprised at how wearable it is. It almost has a 'dark bitter chocolate' edge to it. Good throw and wear length.

White pepper, benzoin, clove and frankincense. This is a peppery, clovey, resin blend on me. Gender neutral, trending masculine. Good throw and wear length.

Honeydew melon, peony, and a touch of citrus and bamboo. All of the new year blends have been similar to my nose, but this one is definitely more a of a fruity peony blend than the others. I'm really amping up the peony, with a watery bamboo on the drydown. Good throw and wear length.

[No description listed at the Twilight Alchemy Lab website.]

It smells like cool water, with dabs of pink rose in it. I think there's either mugwort, and another floral that sort of makes me think of either as if ylang ylang or moonflower were there. The base made me think of parts of Blue Moon 04 and 07, but more charged.

Energetically, I get the impression of moonlight and a pool of water. I used this in an emotional healing/cleansing/purification sense. I dabbed this on my heart chakra and just asked for healing sleep last night. It was an impulse decision, and our home environment has been stressful lately, and I just wanted sleep and to feel more stable. I typically don't sleep well when stressed and have been known to just randomly wake up in the middle of the night and ponder.

I slept like a rock for eight hours, but I felt more grounded this morning. The sources of stress are not gone, but emotionally, I feel better equipped to deal with it.

I feel more attuned to solar energy, and using Luna for the first time felt like a counter. Like things got snuffed out while I slept. I've gotten that impression from both Ebon Night and Lunar Tincture (both of which are dream/sleep blends) as well but Luna felt more like the source. It's not a TAL I feel an immediate connection with, but it's an interesting experience to have something that forces you to stop being in your wheelhouse and might stretch you to grow into the more shadowy recesses of your personality.

Cologney black musk, hints of cedar and patchouli. This one is gender neutral/slightly masculine. That said, mr. zee_zee was "Oooh, you smell good." I'm actually not that fond of this scent and much prefer Spectre Blue. Good throw and wear length.

Soft, dreamy jasmine. It's soft, very pillowy jasmine. But very definitely jasmine. Not sure I like, but its got excellent throw and wear length. OOF.

Peppermint, thyme, honey and mugwort. On wet, its a peppermint candy cane. As it dries, the herbal aspect comes through, with a pinch of honey to keep it sweet. Herbal, pungent, minty. Slightly masculine. Good throw, low wear length.

Cherry, lemon scented fog, sugar, and a dash of vanilla. This one is sweet, but foggy. In some ways, it reminds me to a louder, brasher, Midnight on the Midways. If the clouds tasted like sugary toxic chemicals. Good throw, medium wear length.