SophieCedar

Wet: vanilla infused sandalwood: check. blood musk: check. antiqued patchouli: check check. lavender: check. vetivert: check. beyond that it's a little fuzzy. There is a dryness that many others mentioned. I think this is because of the lavender and sandalwood mixing with the vetivert. Drydown: uh oh.. I need to try this again later. It smells like cow patties on me. I think my sense of smell is messed up.

Wet: custard thick cake with a hint of orange in the background. I can smell something a little sharp..not in a bad way. Maybe the flowers and anise in the background but not obvious at all. Drydown: ahhh there it is. This is the sister to Dia de los Muertos. Sweeter and more orangey. the flowers bloom and the sweet spice similar stevia is coming out from the anise. Very nice!

Wet: this isn't exactly dark and brooding... the eucalyptus and bergamont make this a pretty bouncy.. too bad. I was hoping for an amplification of a dark stormy sea because this is the THICKEST fog I've seen on the Maine coast in a while! But then again.. let's look at the description. It's accurate. But anyways..It's aquatic, salty, citrusy, and a touch astringent from the eucalyptus, the ambergris gives it a powdery softness too. Drydown: More ambergris! This becomes something I would enjoy wearing, more and more. Reminds me a bit of that Gaultier perfume that comes in the sailor torso bottle. Bright, aquatic, bouncy, fresh.

Wet: nose away from my arm it smells like coco puffs! Up close, coco-puffs sopping in black musk instead of milk with a dirty man watching me while he smokes a pipe. This is turning into a bizarre dream. Drydown: Went through a pure coco puffs stage, but settled nicely as the tobacco absolute and black musk takes more of a hold. There's a fresh plant smell in the background that I contribute to the tobacco.. but wait, they said cacao so that could me in husk cocoa.. anyways. It's not just all chocolate and smutty musk. yay!

Wet: red amber, the "scorched" musk, vetivert, and tonka are what I can smell first. Carnation comes out quickly. It's creamy, not sharp. Ooh I like unwholesome! Hahahah! Drydown: this continues to get creamier and the amber becomes more prominent. It's now a smoky amber, tonka, carnation and orris mix with a touch of charred vetivert in the background. Either my nose adjusts to this quickly or it fades fast. Either way, this is a short ride.

Hags smell better than I thought they would. I guess old age won't be so bad. Wet: the black musk is awesome..meaty sweet currant, and rum are there too. My skin decided to turn this to mostly musk and rum with a bit of currant to the point that it smells very much like a drunken Eat Me. (!!) I think the galangal and bay leaf, and bourbon vetivert actually just ground the whole mix (well the bourbon is making it a dreamy soporific cocktail..). I feel like I'm getting drunk at a holiday dinner. Drydown: same! And it's bpal lab ordering day.. what luck! Totally getting a bottle.

Wet: Egyptian musk, African musk, and papyrus, which smells similar to palm + grass to me. This is musky and meaty with a green wet note. Drydown: holy morphing! This continues to get greener and more watery. I can barely smell the vanilla flower however the aloe takes over big time. Anyone wishing for a green clean natural smell (aka something similar to the feel of a green tea) should try this.

Got this as a frimp from the lab. I would never order tea rose on my own. Wet: sweet wet violet. Not the green kind, just the lab's violet note. There's the tea from tea rose coming through but the actual rose note sticks in the background. Drydown: the violet burns off almost completely. The rose element comes out more, soft and sweet, that kills the sharpness of the tea part.. Maybe it's my chemistry, but there's a milky sweet touch to this. Maybe it warms after mixing with skin for a while? Not as bad as I would have expected however still tea rose and violet.. my 2 most dreaded notes.

Wet: Crunch Berries!! 100%. I never thought this would translate to one of my favorite childhood junkfood cereals. I was testing this along with Halloween New Orleans and Huesos de Santo the other night. Husband said I smelled like potpourri mixed with candy, mixed with vomit then turned on the air filter...thanks fun-sponge. Drydown: anyways.. this still smells exactly like crunch berries, just creamier, like I added whole milk. So weird that I'll keep it around.

When first applied it's incredibly sharp, green, and acrid. The honeysuckle and star jasmine clash when 1st warmed, but quickly let go of each other. It becomes a very harmonious scent. Oakmoss & musk come out with soft powdery orris behind it. This makes it more palatable and meaty. The impression is very soft green. Not very aquatic, but soft green and earthy with flashes of emerald green, aqua, and yellow. The throw is very low: that's my only complaint. But then again, I can't ask the ingredients to do something chemically impossible on human skin.. That would only happen if they were synthetic (none of us want that anyways!)

Wet: mostly tea (green or is it just the green grass note?), moss and green grass. Drydown: still green grass but herbs start to appear as well. the fig and ginger are exactly as stated: just a drop. It warms and rounds it slightly. This is the perfect opposite of all the sticky sweet, boozy, and dirty musk imps I've been ordering until now. This is clean, earthy, and relaxing. Color impression is light brown and wet emerald green.

Wet: peach blossom, palmarosa, and wisteria are strongest. I can also smell rice flour. I can't believe it's dominating the attar of rose! This is creamy and fruity with elegant florals underneath. Drydown: Peach blossom obscured the black musk, which is usually only notable in the wet phase and burns off quickly. This stays as a creamy floral peach. Similar to La Vague however the floral combination makes this brighter and more sparkly. My skin amps anything peach, so I'm interested to see how it fares on others. Fades quickly unfortunately. But, considering the notes, I didn't expect it to hang around very long.

Wet: definitely with others that say they smelled cassia. This is pretty much all strong cassia and a touch of musk on me. Completely unexpected and a little bummed out. Further into wet, rose or lily and either fir or cedar too. Drydown: still a decent amount of cassia and warm resiny incense. Better. It's mellowed but hasn't provided the anticipated results that I had in mind when I ordered it.

I was really looking forward to this one and I'm not disappointed. Wet: The creamy skin musk is very quick to blossom. Smells like rich butter. Next is the pink musk, which dominates the skin musk quickly. ((I'm realizing, against my own pride, that I really enjoy pink musk.(loli.goth) I really wish Beth would use it more!)) Anyways..the amber is sweet and soft. Strange... the laudanum that I tested between Vasilissa and Knave of Hearts now smells awesome! It's amping sweet nutmeg, myrrh, and poppy. That gives me blending ideas for later. Drydown: pink musk is dominant and the jasmine is just amplifying it. Brilliant. The amber is my favorite kind: sweet and sticky and sandalwood is offering a peaceful dreamy element. I can't really pick out the myrrh however I'm sure it's in there deepening this blend. This is a total win.

Wet: whoa. Myrrh and sassafras rush towards my nostrils first, then followed by the black poppy. Very rich, dark, and all encompassing. Color impression, dark red and brown with flashes of golden orange. Drydown: Nutmeg comes out and sadly this blend turns mostly towards that. There's a faint trickle of poppy and sassafras in the background however I smell mostly nutmeg. I still like it but wish the others could (basically do the chemically impossible and..) stick around longer.

Wet: away from wrist all I smell are sweet buttery pastries and black currant jam. Yum. Up close, sharp red rose distorting it and souring it. Experience translation: the ugly and sad underbelly of love. Drydown: The tarts win! The rose mellows into the background while jammy dark currant and sweet butter sugar pastries take over. I really love this. It's like walking into an old school pastry shop with red roses displayed on the counter.

Ooh wow. So complex I really don't know where to start... Wet: the laudanum and sandalwood are awesome together. I can see the association with a library. The lavender is a great addition. adds the perfect top note. There's something meaty and dark like vetivert in here, but not pungent and repelling. maybe it's the nag champa and tobacco mixing with all of it. Drydown: lavender burned off. Smells like smoking a pipe in an old library, next door to a tibetan wares shop. I'm in love. I feel like I'm back in Harvard Square.

Wet: apple blossom and rose.. piercingly sharp and acrid. Then ylang ylang, which is usually my friend.. starts batting them over the head and screaming..the honey is whimpering in the background.. Oh man.. not good. Drydown: intervention happened and everyone's playing nice. It's actually really pleasant at this stage! The honey smothers all the rough and sharp parts. It's light apple, sweet rose, rich honey, and intoxicating ylang ylang. Lovely. That was totally bizarre. Experience translation: like I was having a bad nightmare then waking up to complete calm.. add on to it my husband greeting me with fresh cinnamon buns and a warm bubble bath.

Wet: strong red patchouli, myrrh, and a touch of clove. Gritty, dark, blackened. Smells a bit like burnt wood and damp ash. This is perfect for this time of year. Drydown: perfumey golden ylang ylang comes out, making the blend pretty and slightly ethereal, in a basal sort of way... if that makes sense...The concoction has the same sensation as leather scents. But it's scattered, broken, and manic.. instead of uniform & singular. Interesting!

I deadened my nasal passages due to excitement about my newly arrived GC order...yay. This is partially from memories of sniffing it when 1st arrived last night. Wet: This has a similar nasal feel/ experience as Perversion and Chimera. It hits all the same spots and causes the same feral drooling eyes rolling into back of ocular cavities goodness reaction. Deeper and darker. Strong buttery dark leather and tobacco with wet sticky amber. Wear this when out on the town some night... You're guaranteed an *ahem!* intriguing evening.. It's Perversion for the difficult to seduce... Perversion may be too obvious and would scare away your victim, but this.. hmmm. Drydown: creates and keeps an atmospheric cloud around me. I could stay in this bubble for quite a while...sigh. It's all my favorite things from any old downtown area.. the tobacco shops with chess boards and old leather.. bars from the 17 and 1800's with velvet curtains, embellished wallpaper, copious amounts and selections of absinthe, chartreuse, scotch, and dark corners.

Wet: The color was surprising! Inky blue green black. The smell is very dark and reminiscent of cologne, the musk is strong w/ wood spices and labdanum. However I can tell it has promise...something lovely in the drydown. Drydown: patchouli and saffron brightens the mix and the woods dry it out and deepen it. I truly love this one. Slightly masculine however with my skin chemistry it's complex, deep, slightly sweet, and seductive.

Wet: I blurted out "men." when I smelled it. Wet patchouli and new money smell. The copal is notable as well. Drydown: Reminds me of working as a courier in DT Boston. The financial district smells like this..dry new money, men's cologne, old wood, wrought iron stairwells & elevator shafts, the dampness of the old Boston sewers and sub-basements emanating through the cracks in the old marble floors and dank lobby carpets.. and me wreaking of oakmoss (my favorite singular note) whipping through the buildings. Wow.

Wet: the 1st note that rushes towards my nostrils is star jasmine. This has me hopeful and excited.. then I descend to the wrist.. cheap soap. Uh oh.. the jumble of notes are all screaming at each other producing a 10 cent bar of yuck. Well atleast it's not band-aids! Drydown: a little more spicy and the soap feeling isn't as strong. I think the lavender isn't getting along with the rest of it, in combination with my skin chemistry. It's really funny that everyone has such different impressions of this one! On me, I guess this makes me wonder what combination of scents were in soap a long time ago, before companies started just adding artificial chemical scents that simulate that combination. I guess this was it!

I accidentally ordered 2 imps of this.. that's what I get for rushing through a bpal order...glad I did! Wet: plums and cream with a breath of chamomile and bellflower or something? Drydown: much much more herbal and plum, with a slight creaminess left over. I wish I knew what's in the wildflower mix.. this is driving me nuts! Smells lovely though!

Wet: clean linen, touch of melon? I totally smell a light melon mixed with maybe moonflower or wisteria or sweetpea.. one of those. Drydown: there's some detergent that my sister is addicted to.. she's loyal to it because of the smell. This is very similar. Bouncy clean and sunshiney. I still get the melon smell. OK so I tried this on a hangover. It helps with that crudy, blood feels like molasses and omg what did I do that I don't remember I'll hide in a hole until I feel better feeling. I still prefer a few others to wipe away my sins, but this is good.