moosue

Imp: Oh my. I'm not sure what to think, it's sickeningly sweet vanilla and its buttery and smells naughty. There's LILAC in this? You've got to be kidding, I don't smell anything floral at all. But yay, I like lilac, so we'll keep watch for it. Wet: Hmm, if this stays this way, its not a keeper. All buttery popcorn and sweeeeeet almost milky-sour vanilla. If you look hard enough, lilac does seem to be back there somewhere. Dry: Yeah, the lilac comes out but that butter note never leaves. The wood note is there, but only if you really look for it and sniff close to the skin. It's actually a rather spicy lilac. Spicy lilac dipped in butter. It's got a salty feel more than a sweet feel. This isn't bad, but it's weird and not necessarily something I want to smell like. I was sure this one was going to be a winner based on the notes, too.

Oh my this is nice. Imp: Sweet floral, definitely vanilla and violet with something dusty and dark Dry: Beautiful vanilla violet with what smells like dustiness, but not in a gross way because the vanilla overpowers it. It's really gorgeous and will be considered for a bottle. Could easily be worn all year round, although it doesn't really scream "summer" to me.

Oh boy, I don't know about this one. In the bottle (it's really warm from being in our incredibly hot lobby): warm flowers. Lilac specifically, but wow thats soapy. It's also not as strong as other scents are in the bottle. On, wet: Okay...I smell lilac, and what MUST be wisteria. I also think I don't like wisteria, now that I'm smelling this. The lilac is actually quite true to what actual lilacs smell like, but its weird to be wearing it. I get very little tea, and the ginger must be the note that's giving me the "stinky daisy" smell when it mixes with the flowers. I recognize this ginger from Sudha Segara, although the scents aren't at all similar, the note is the same. On the skin, this does turn into a "cool" scent. Dry: I don't know, I'm waffling on this one. If the wisteria and ginger were to just back off, this would be fine. The fresh, true lilac isn't there anymore and is now closer to my mom's lilac scented hand soap. Happily the tea does come out more. This does indeed smell like a hot summer day in the shade, but would be much too heavy for summer wear for me. This just doesn't suit me. I want to love it but don't think my bottle will get enough wear. My mom can try it, and if she doesn't like it, this will be going to swaps or sales. I love the bottle art, it's beautiful. ETA: So this tones down after awhile to a beautiful lilac tea. Just like I wanted, ginger and wisteria back off and leave this really pretty smelling. It just takes a couple of hours to get there.

See I didn't mind this in the imp. Mostly I got pear, which was good. On, gardenia immediately began to rear it's ugly head and I got a strong, astringent odor reminiscent of nail polish remover. Wood slowly creeped in (it didn't smell like ho wood to me, it was more like the cedar note in Intrigue. It could just be the ho wood mixing with the thistle that made it smell more cedary) Pear backs off into the background and is only there if you sniff the skin. Mostly, this is slightly sweet, woody nail polish remover on me. This was a frimp from the lab, so I'll frimp it along to someone else who will hopefully love it more than me.

Oh this is nice. I was frimped this, and it was the only one of the frimp batch that worked for me at all. In the imp, this was mostly rose, citrus (lemon I guess), and a TOUCH of apple. On, the apple really jumps out, and is a really nice golden or red delicious apple, not a green, tart apple at all. Very sweet and delicious. I totally get the hair chemical comparison someone made earlier up, but I don't smell that unless I look for it. Unfortunately, the rose in this is the strong, headache inducing variety. I don't think I can do this, unfortunately, which is a pity because I LOVE the apple note in here. If this were to be made without the rose, I'd be all over it.

In the bottle this was almost nauseatingly sweet, syrupy chocolate (with hint of something dry, like chalk). I was a bit disappointed. I put it on anyways, and almost immediately it became a truer chocolate scent. Very pleasant with quite a throw. Like others have mentioned, it lasted only a few hours, but it was very nice. Much better than the initial bottle-sniff, and there was no wait for a pleasant drydown, it happened in a matter of 10 seconds or so. Glad I sprang for a bottle!

This is such a pretty light floral! Very ladylike and light, I smell pale blossoms. Rose stays in check, and isn't present while you're actually huffing in the scent, it's a note that you smell after you stop inhaling it, if that makes any sense. If this is Snow White with added rose, I think I'm going to like Snow White. This isn't what I expected, I think there is some sort of lily in here, which I normally dislike but it works here. I was expecting something very sweet based on reviews, and while there is sweetness, it's not at all foody or play-dohish. ETA: Around hour 4 or so, play-doh/plastic emerges from underneath all that sweet light floral goodness. It's still wearable and gorgeous, but it does eventually turn on my skin. Thankfully it takes awhile.

I love orchids and didn't mind my frimp of Shadow Witch Orchid, so decided to give this a try. In the imp, I didn't like it at all. Very sharp floral. On, it did have a backdrop of vanilla, but it was so heady and overwhelmingly floral that the vanilla just added a sickeningly sweet component to an already too-much blend. This is just the type of scent that triggers headaches in me. I can see how it would be pretty on someone else, but it won't work for me, unfortunately.

Creamy, warm vanilla. Imp: Veeeeery sweet. Very well rounded though, with nice depth. This could be because this is likely aged, since it was last available in 2008. On, wet: Okay, this is definitely toning down nicely. But cream is coming forward, which means latex/plastic on me. Oh no! Suspicions are confirmed, boyfriend says I smell like a doctor's office. He may be right. Dry: Doctor's officedom goes away and I smell like melty vanilla ice cream. I can see where some people would get plastic from, but to me it smells like a bowl of ice cream by the pool in summertime. This one works, even though my skin chemistry fights a battle with it. Would love to try layering this one with some Mad Tea Party scents or Snake Oil. Or Dorian! I bet it would be really great with Alice too. I'll definitely have some fun with this one. ETA: With Alice layered on top, Love's Philosophy initially disappeared, and I sadly thought I had killed the scent with Alice's spicy carnation. LP resurrected itself quickly though, and actually overtook Alice. Now there is wafting of melty vanilla ice cream, and if you sniff the skin, the warm carnation of Alice. Really pretty. ETA Months later: After a mass sniffing of all my decants, something sweet and gorgeous kept catching my nose. I couldn't figure out which scent it was, and it was Love's Philosophy. This is so, SO good. If I ever see a bottle up for grabs, I'll be all over it.

Mouse's Long Sad Tale, or Unveiled would work, as mentioned. Something playful, light, and flowy rather than heavy. The Unicorn could also work, and I'd stay away from heavy, serious scents.

This was one I didn't think to try myself, but was frimped it. I'm glad I was! It reminds me of high school, but I'm not sure why. In the imp it smells very rootbeerlike. Lemony, citrusy sweet rootbeer. I can definitely smell the cinnamony candy scent others are getting too. Definitely get the sugarcane. On: Very much the same as in the imp. Neat scent. Summery. Dry: Wood comes out a bit if you look for it, but the rootbeer/cinnamon scent stays at the forefront. I'm not sure what red musk smells like, but I suspect it's adding the syrupy sweetness here. Sugarcane could be doing that as well. Overall: Very interesting scent. I like it, but am not sure that it's one that would be a daily wear sort of scent. Verdict: Probably keep the imp for when the mood strikes, but pass on a bottle.

Oddly enough, I don't get a whole ton of tea from this. Imp: Peony! Oh, a gorgeous peony at that. So fresh and dewy smelling! On, wet: Okay, yeah, there's tea with the peony too. Drydown: Herbs come out more (not sure what kind, but they're herbal smelling). Peony unfortunately backs off and we're left with very herbal tea with whisps of peony. Pretty much as described, but I miss the peony. Overall: Very springish and likeable. I'll get another imp, but probably wouldn't use up a bottle.

Got imps of this from the lovely doublehelix. In the vial: Hmm. I'm not sure, it's sweet and pleasant enough, but I just don't know. I do think this will smell different on. On, wet: Yes, there is honey, and it is good. But it's really really sweet. We need the amber to come in and calm this down. Doesn't smell like sex, just really sweet and soft. Drydown (only about 20 minutes in): Oh god yes. This is kind of reminiscent of Lush's Butterball bomb, only sexier. There's the smell of sweet sweat or something (so not in a gross way, which is hard to imagine) behind this vanillary, powdery honey goodness. This is really hot. As much as I want to wear it to work and all the time, I feel like I should save it so it doesn't lose its "powers" and become associated with work. Also, I don't exactly exude sexuality normally, but I got hit on a LOT today. I blame (or credit) O. ETA: Aaaand then I did wear it to work and was asked "why I smell like incense". Hmph. ETAA: I did end up buying a bottle of this. I suspect the imps I tried were well aged, as they were very incensey. My bottle smells like O honey with a WHOOMP of sex. Like, mixed fluids post-sex. It sort of smells like a shower and a good washing is in order. I'm sure it will age into the pretty powdery, incensey honey that my imps are. Hopefully the bodily fluid smells go away once its on the skin as well.

In the vial, this is sweet, creamy carnation and rose. On, the spiciness of the carnation comes out a lot more. Rose is a sweet contrast to the spicy carnation, and honey and cream lighten the scent. On my inner arm, where it's warmer, bergamot is very pronounced, however I can't smell citrusy bergamot on my wrists. Overall, this is very pretty and I think could be suited to fall, spring, or winter. May be a tad heavy for hot summer days. I will get another imp of this one. I fully intend to wear this when I go see Alice in Wonderland in theatres on Saturday. Later: This sweetens right up on me as time goes on (most things do). It's absolutely gorgeous. On my inner arm, bergamot remains present but things threaten to go a little soapy. They haven't yet, but it's hovering on that line. On my wrist, the scent is absolutely divine, creamy, carnation goodness. Like a cup of warm milk and honey next to a big vase of red carnations.

Imp: Huh. That's rummy. Uh oh. Where's the frosting? On, wet: .....rootbeer? Really? Rummy, spicy rootbeer. There's almost a clove or cinnamon note and sasparilla Dry: Okay, the spicy note is actually walnut or something. That sharp walnut scent. Booze backs off. Praline/caramel scent as well. Unfortunately caramel isn't a friend of my skin. I can totally see the Red Hots comparison, only my brain is registering the Red Hot note as really strong walnuts. I get no frosting at all here, and this isn't something I want to wear as perfume. It'll be better on someone who appreciates seriously foody scents.

I ordered an imp of this because I wanted to try the lab's ozoney blend. In the vial, it smells alright, but nothing special. Kind of like "ocean" scented Calgon stuff. On, dry, it's definitely ozone, but smells laundryish, and not in the lovely Dirty laundry way. Cloying detergent. Still very much Calgon ocean or bathroom air freshener. On the plus side, this isn't bad at all, it's just not good. The throw is good, so if you do like it, it'll wear well. This smells nothing like a lightning storm to me. Although the first 10 seconds it was on, I did get an almost metallic scent that smelled sort of like the electricity in the air during a storm. It went away SO quickly though.

Oh God, I absolutely hated this. To be fair, if you love jasmine, this is for you. As a jasmine hater, this almost killed me. It's a very good jasmine scent, don't get me wrong, but if you hate jasmine, it doesn't matter how good a scent it is. I didn't skin test it, but whilst sniffing the imp some got on my hands and wouldn't come off even with soap. There's some strong throw and scent here. I didn't get any notes aside from screaming jasmine here. Clearly not for me, but I gave it to my mom and she likes it.

Yay, frimp!! In imp: Huh. I like it, watery and soft. Very pretty. Aquatic with ozone? On, dry: Woah, is this the same scent?! What went soapy?! Smells like floral drug store soap. I'm pretty sure it's my skin that did awful things to this. I've never had something go soapy before. Thanks for the first, Amsterdam! This would be so pretty on the right skin chemistry.

Imp: Melon. Yep, thats melon all right. Not much else. Its okay. On wet: Yep, melon. But wait, there's more! Citrus? This is turning candyish and has a much further throw than I'd have thought from the imp. Whoever said Nerds candy was right on. Dry: Sparkly. Melon backs off and citrus comes forward. Definitely getting lime, but no tea. Would be great for young girls. Verdict: I really like this, but it's not everyday wearable enough for a bottle.

Expectations: I figured I'd like this, but just in an "its ok" way. Imp: Yep, it's clean and nice On: It blooms. No floral here, but breezes and sunshine with something sweet and almost fruity or candyish. Not much throw, just really, really clean and pretty. Strikes me as more feminine than unisex. I really like it and need to consider a bottle.

Feeling of the blend: Warm, spritzy, sweet and juicy but also floral. Imp: Hmm. Interesting. Getting citrus, which contrast nicely with what smells like orange flowers (marigolds and such maybe?) On: Very warm and orange smelling. Getting lots of tangerine and pineapple (they're at the front), with amber and the wildflowers in the back providing warmth. No sign of tobacco, thank goodness. Like a plate of fruit sitting in the blazing sun next to a patch of orange and yellow flowers. Citrus backs off a bit on the drydown, but is still present. Verdict: It's nice, but I'm not an "orange" person. This is very pretty, but it's not for me. I'll hang onto my imp for now though, because it could grow on me.

Very commercial smelling in the imp. I'm not even sure what I smell. On, wet: Melon is in there, for sure. Lots of greenery. Florals, the commercial kind (read: the headache inducing, nauseating kind for me). The feeling is juicy and green, but I don't think I can handle this one. Even the whiffs I'm taking are giving me a headache and making my stomach turn. It's not an unpleasant scent (it's quite pretty, actually), it's just that I use BPAL because it's different from commercial blends, and this has a commercial blend feel, and is therefore making me ill. Verdict: I need to get this off. Pity, because it smells lovely.

While this is nice, it's not something I'd want to wear as a perfume a lot. It's more of a shampoo or body wash scent. Bitter, grounding neroli (love), lots o' orange, and some sweet candyish note (must be the raspberry). Overall: Smells almost exactly like Lush's I Love Juicy shampoo, but with a bitter neroli kick. In other words, bitterer Juicy Fruit gum.

I didn't get any floral orange blossom here. Maybe a tiny hint of musk, but start to finish this is sweet apricot/peach. Juicy and bright, I really liked it. Doesn't wear for terribly long, but has decent throw. As it wears, I agree that the apricot turns more peachy.

Oh HELL no. This is very close to my despised New Orleans, except with a bit less jasmine. The same scent of hot rotting is there, and while it smells impressively like a swamp surrounded by jasmine, it's SO not something I want to put on my skin.