Honey

Has really nobody mentioned Ava Maria Gratia Plena yet?? A pale, delicate, truly angelic blend. A scent created to emulate Adonis' halo of beauty: fragile, distant, and radiant. Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris. I love it so much!

I also used it as a soothing oil to put on before going to bed. Man, I really like this! Imp: Before reading the Lab's description I smelled vetiver, mint and tobacco leaf. Knowing the ingredients, though, and then paying attention: I can smell cedar (what I mistook for vetiver) and sweet spices. Wet: Smokey, wooden, fresh. Definitely has a menthol-camphor vibe. Cedar is somewhat dark, smokey and salty (like bacon). Icy fresh scent, a bit medicinal. Dry: Definitely menthol and/or camphor in this one. Wooden and spicy. The sandalwood shows up after a while, and the blend becomes very sweet, fresh and aromatic. I think this is not something I would wear as a perfume but as a relaxing scent when I want to meditate or sleep. Nice.

Geesh, how could I have forgotten to add a review here?! Have to do this from memory.. To me, Gluttony smells like toffee cake that turns into burned sugar/caramel on my skin. It reminds me a bit of stale burned coffee or even pee. Heavy on the sweetness, and the burned sugar is very prominent. I cannot wear this as much as I cannot wear Sugar Skull and Boo! (only found that out, though, after having purchased a bottle, grr) I have to try Eat Me to check if that cake scent works better with my skin. I can wear Cockaigne and totally get away with it: maybe the wine in it evens out the butter and sugar components.

This review has also taken me quite a while now.. I bought this for the mandarin in it, and I was not disappointed!! Bottle: Juicy fresh mandarin orange! Omg, this is so good! I know straight orange oleoresins used in the food industry, and Kuang Shi smells like something that could be put into a beverage of sweets. Very close to reality, so very foody in that sense! Wet: Bittersweet mandarin and orange. Maybe some green fresh mango. Cannot detect any sandalwood or musk, maybe those will come through once the scent has dried down and warmed up. Dry: Maybe I can detect some musk now. But it's mainly fresh and fruity. Slightly tart but not chemical or plastic note at all! LOVE this! Smells like Christmas time to me when there are mandarins everywhere! Yum!

Pickle water? Imp: VERY aquatic. Like.. salty pickle water with a dash of cedar. Wet: Soft florals appear. Hyacinth or lotus I would guess (as they are tart water flowers). Dry: So, this could by a hyacinth, vetiver and cedar scent. There are other notes that my nose cannot single out however. Maybe something sweet like a berry note? Juniper perhaps? It's a very tart, murky, watery scent that has some sweet and fresh qualities. Very unisex. I am not a fan of aquatic scents but like this somehow.

Plum pudding, holly, and brandy-soaked raisin with frumenty, mince pie, and a hint of suet. Holy fruitiness! Imp: Sweet purple bubblegum with a wooden/nutty note in the background. Wet: Smells like grapes, raisins and other fruity purple things mixed with rice or rice pudding. Has a very sweet and soapy character. Slightly nutty. Dry: Rice pudding with fruit. Don't get any boozy notes. Not spicy either. Just sweet, fruity, nutty, foody, soft and soapy.

Sadly, I cannot apply this because of the violet in it (and I only found out after 2 scents or so that I react badly to it). It smells very much like violets to me. Very strong scent even without my having opened the imp yet! I also get some sour pickle / gherkin note. Odd. Cinnamon and frankincense are detectable. But no scent for me.

The dry stage of Queen of Sheba smelled very much like jasmine rice on me.

One of my first frimps.. Imp: Salty, wooden and smokey. Vetiver, oakmoss and oak/teak is what I smell I guess. Wet: Oak and vetiver. Dry: Polished oak and vetiver. That's all. Turns somewhat soapy and sweet (and nutty?) after a while.Maybe good for layering or if you need something solid. Reminds me of Brimstone that turned from acrid to real pretty on me after a while. Vetiver really morphs into toasted almonds and dill on my skin, that's cute.

Also one of my first oils.. and one that really scarred me a little (literally). So damn hot, it actually burned my skin! People - watch out with that one! Bottle: Yummy! A huge waft of marzpian-y almonds, a good dash of cinnamon and the bitter sweetness of oranges (neroli) hitting my nose. Wet: Marzipan and cinnamon. Very much like.. well, marzipan. Dry: Marzipan and cinnamon (like the one in Mentos or Big Red chewing gum). Very, very sweet and warm. Have to use it sparsely though since my skin actually reacted badly to it. I am not allergic to any of the ingredients (I was tested on almonds and cinnamon a while ago), but the warming effect of the cinnamon in this one is responsible for the redness of my skin I think. I am sensitive, and I have had a similar reaction to a cinnamon massage oil before (that I even bought because I wanted to heat up my skin and improve circulation). So, hmm.. while I like cinnamon, this combination is too sweet and a bit boring with only 3 noticeable ingredients.

After 4 years in my possession, maybe I should write a little review.. Bottle: Sweet and spiced apple cider. Apple juice even. Reminds me a little of the fruity and nutty flavor you have in baked apples (is that only something we eat in Germany?). No clove, allspice or pumpkin detectable. Wet: Slightly creamy, fruity and sweet red apple. Spices are there but I cannot make out single notes. Dry: Ah, the patchouli appears! Maybe also the medicinal note of fir. Still very much apple cider with all those spices and resin in the background. This is nice I think - but I just don't think apples work with me at all!

Yummy yum! Imp: Vanilla, soft spices and sugar! Smells like a delicious oriental cake! Wet: Vanilla, sugar and champaca. Omg, how good is this?? Dry: Finally, a sugar note that does not smell like burned caramel or pee on my skin! Vanilla and spices make it really special so it doesn't smell like a generic vanilla perfume. The champaca adds that little oriental flavor. Man, I so wish I had a big bottle of this!

Wow, salty goodness! Imp: It smells like salty wood! Very powerful, just teak and oak. Reminds me a little of tea tree oil. No other notes detectable. Wet: Sharp, acrid wood. Still like tea tree oil on me. Very medicinal. And like wood polish. Dry: Wow, did my oil go bad?? I cannot detect ANYTHING besides wood polish! Not even the slightest waft of a floral note. Ahh, it takes a while for the teeniest tiny bit of a rose note to get through. Hmm, still.. odd scent.

This is one hell of a nice men's cologne.. Imp: Aftershave balm. I can smell the frankincense, spices, maybe something like lavender and rosemary. So.. herbal spicy goodness but with a soft creaminess. I guess that could count as "glossy". Wet: Yes, smells very mainly and tarty fresh and aquatic. I can detect the frankincense and the anise. How wonderfully it blends! Only slightly sweet and oh-so-good! Dry: Frankincense, anise, cinnamon, maybe myrrh. Only a faint leather note. Very manly and really fragrant. I will get a bottle for the bf.

Maybe this is supposed to be a more masculine scent but I really like it anyhow. Bottle: Sweet and.. fruity? Smells like warm resins, too. Wet: Mainly myrrh. Also has this slightly greenish, herbal appeal and makes you think you can detect a bit of honey (but maybe there is?). Dry: Myrrh and storax. Very sweet and soapy. I also detect some green florals.. like lily or lotus perhaps. Though lotus would be more befitting to the scent name. I get the masculine vibe but this appeals to me, especially since I plan on testing layering options. Layering: Put Anubis over a layer of Boo! 2010. This is.. interesting. The sweetness is amped, and I would describe this scent as "Sweet cake offerings at the altar of Anubis" (although I am sure Egyptians never actually did this). Ack, OK, laying not so good. Smells like pee now.

Mandarin. Oh, I so want to love this.. Imp: Very sweet. Mandarin (a bit too artificial and plastic) and magnolia (on the soapy side). Wet: Too sweet, too chemical. Alas, not a juicy mandarin. Dry: A slight bitterness from the mandarin. Still, very soapy. Soapy is not bad, but.. the whole scent.. it smells like plastic on me and I just.. no.

I once had this great cucumber & peppermint shower gel that was so refreshing. Please, PLEASE be close to that scent!! Imp: Uargh! Pickle and glue! Wet: Grassy cucumber, pickle juice and more glue! Dry: Grass and wet cucumber. Very faint and light and fresh. No more pickle juice or glue. It's OK.

It has violet in it, so I already know I cannot keep it.. but, I want to write a review anyhow. Imp: Violet!! And another floral note. Plus.. mint and cucumber? Wet: Soapy-creamy violet (must be the sandalwood). A bit musky and, still, fresh and greenish as if there was mint and cucumber in it as well. Dry: Oh, yes, a minty floral over spicy/woodsy sandalwood. Creamy and spicy. The floral notes come closer to mushroom somehow (thinking of Destroying Angel). My luck: violet is not too strong in this one, and I must not gag! Hmm.. spicy and creamy mushroom soup? But not really suitable as a perfume.

If a scent is purple and green, then it's this one! Imp: Sweet purple grapes! Wet: Grapes and granny smith apple. So, this is sweet, fruity, purple and green. Yes, that sums it up pretty nicely. Dry: Purple grapes and maybe even white grapes. Definitely green apples. And there is a floral note like calla lily. Mmmm.. I don't like sweet fruits on me normally, but this one turns out great on my skin. Not as bubblegum-like as I has thought it would be. Must check how it turns out to smell in a couple of hours.

Oh my.. I LOVE this scent so much! Bottle: Toasted or roasted almonds with something.. peppery in the background. Peppercorn, pimento or cardamom. Wet: Nutty, peppery and spicy. So luxurious and divine. There is something.. earthy, tart and dark.. could be patchouli and/or vetiver. Dry: Smells like jasmine rice?! Yes, that's nutty and slightly spiced rice alright that borders on roasted almonds. Good thing this is not like sweet marzipan. A nice and delicate blend of spices takes a while to show up but it is really lovely.

Huh.. this is totally one of my signature scents.. but the more I smell it with a critical nose, the lesser I like it. What happened after all this time?!?! Bottle: Almonds (a bit marzipan-y), hazelnuts and booze! Yes, this is very rum-y but not in a bad way. After several sniffs, I also get something.. creamy and cake-like; I guess this must be the buttercream. Only the faintest hints of honey detectable. Wet: Huh.. something almost fruity appears. Like.. pear perhaps? Sweet and succulent; the rum and honey mead now overrule any almond or hazelnut notes. Dry: Nutty! Hazelnut overrules the sweet almond. The notes turn really spicy now.. oh no, I have to think of those dreadful pencil shavings. And.. hmm, I don't know if it's the aging process of the bottle or my skin chemistry today, but it reminds me a bit of fish oil now. I assume this is the buttercream as I am having issues with butter notes lately (butterscotch, toffee..). So, yes.. this still is honey cake with a nut filling and buttercream on top. A great scent for fall.. or, you know, END OF EFFING JULY when it's dark and cloudy outside. *looks outside* Funny story.. this scent combined with my forum name ("Honey Hellcat") is actually my Geoaching alias. So I just cannot stop liking this.. I guess I have to get back to this later today or retry on another day. No idea why this is so wonky all of a sudden.

I cannot believe I haven't written a review for this yet as it is one of my favorite scents that I blindly got a 5ml bottle of and never regretted it! ^^ Bottle: Vanilla-in-your-face! Actually, I do not like vanilla all that much, yet.. in Defututa it works its special magic on me so I cannot not like it. Wet: To me it's smokey vanilla and something.. green, possible the olive blossom. I cannot detect anything else. Dry: Now we're talking! Smokey vanilla and olive blossom. The green freshness of the olive tones down the sweet vanilla. Alas, I cannot detect the honey or the sandalwood or the champaca flower per se. Either they are too weak and only add to the "texture" OR the scents just blends so well that it seems like one note that's just lovely. Ah, yes, it takes a while for the sandalwood and the honey to get through. They fit so damn well to the smokey vanilla! And I totally forgot this had cinnamon in it, too! I cannot detect it but I think that is good. Don't need another chai or gingerbread scent (although I love them!) so the cinnamon can work its more subtle qualities here. I dunno.. I just like this scent. And, I totally have to agree: men love this scent! My bf complimented me on this and, heck, my former boss at work even told me I smelled really good (which made me go a little). I guess this is a great girl-next-door-who-wears-kinky-lace-lingerie-underneath kind of scent. Layering: Works great with Flor de Muerto, apparently! The greenness in FdM blends well with the olive blossom. Great way for me to tone down the vanilla even more. I could imagine that layering Defututa works with other white/green scents that are not laden with too many notes, OR I could imagine this could work with a lavender-heavy scent (maybe Veil).

Not at all what I thought it would smell like.. Imp: Very woodsy, bitter and a bit acrid. Reminds me of darker scents like Brimstone of Devil's Claw. Wet: I have a hard time making out anything as this scent hits my skin. Could be amber, could be honey.. could be anything faintly sweet. Dry: All that remains is.. a note of frankincense and.. musk? And something tangy.. I don't know. This smells like sticky, musky men parts on me.

Yep. This one is heavy alright.. Imp: Thick, sweet, heavy and sludgy. Something citrus-like tickles my nose. Wet: Musky. Like incense. Only a little soapy. Dry: The mix smells alright on me but there's just nothing in there that screams "Oh! Transforms you into an olfactory goddess!" - I guess that means it could be decent for layering but.. on its own, a bit boring and just too heavy.

Ohhh, can't wait to find out how this one turns out dry on my skin.. I love the idea of notes after all! Imp: Very strong sandalwood: spicy, dusty, wooden-sweet. Reminds me very much of the sandalwood incense of mine. Chocolate and vanilla are both equally strong yet hang in the background and get pushed at the edge of the frame by the sandalwood. Wet: Strong chocolate and vanilla, medium sandalwood. Faint scent allover. Dry: Smells a bit.. salty. But, yeah, I can see why this reminds people of pencil shavings with smudged milk chocolate. I can detect the chocolate and the vanilla alright, but I just don't like that specific sandalwood in there.