lilwhiterabbit

I like vanilla, I like florals, but I really, really do not like Antique Lace. This is the first scent I've tried that I really just actively hate. I'm glad that I got a frimp of this with just enough oil to test the scent; I would have been upset if I'd made a larger investment. If Antique Lace smells on most people like it does in the bottle, then I can understand why everyone's so gaga about it. In the bottle it really is a lovely, creamy vanilla floral. On me, though, it smells like rubbing alcohol with potpourri in the background. It's just awful. Whatever that sharp note is, my skin amps it like there's no tomorrow and I smell like a combination of my grandmother's old fashioned perfume and a hospital. Yuck! The alchohol-ish scent was so strong and overpowering that I eventually had to wash it off because it was giving me a headache. This one is definitely not a winner for me.

In the bottle it really reminds me of indie brand ginger ale, like Dr. Brown's. On me, though, this is definitely ginger and musk and it does smell scorched. I can't smell any other notes (if there are any). On me Playing With a Loaded Gun smells exactly as it's described. No real surprises here. I sort of like it, which is good because I wasn't really expecting to.

In the bottle this smells wonderful--spicy and exotic and complex. On me, however, it just disappears completely, no matter how heavily I slather it on. It smelled like strong peppermint for about a minute after application and then nothing. My boyfriend says he can smell faint spice, but I guess my nose isn't as sensitive. Since it's supposed to be a more masculine blend, we're going to try it on him and see if he's more successful. **EDIT** It's a tiny bit stronger on him, but still very faint to me. I'm afraid I'm going to have to give this one a pass.

In the bottle, this is overwhelmingly floral with just a hint of something musky beneath. My guess is that's the amber. Otherwise, it's hard to pick out one distinct scent. On me, however, it's this lovely magnolia fragrance, with a subtle bouquet of the other flowers in the background, and the amber to round it out. Magnolia's one of the smells of my childhood (I grew up in Louisiana), so this is really comforting to me. It's a lot more like traditional perfume than most of the other blends I've tried, but I rather like it. There's something sensual and elegant about it.

This is one of the few of the first round of imps I've ordered that I've smelled on me and immediately decided to get a bigger bottle. Normally, even if I like a scent, it really has to wow me for me to want to make the leap to a 5ml, due to the increased expense. Belle Vinu is definitely something I will eventually buy. In the bottle, this is very sweet with a little sharpness. I love peaches in blends, so that's really what calls to me, and mostly what I can smell prior to application. Maybe a bit of floral in the background. On my skin this does wonderful, wonderful things. I can smell every note and they're all working in harmony to create a beautiful blend. The peach brightens it a little bit, the rosewood deepens it and the vanilla warms and calms everything down. It's just beautiful. Definitely on my short list.

Oh, Red Lantern, I wanted to love you, but I'm going to have to settle for 'like' instead. In the bottle it smells like butterscotch to me. I guess that's the caramel note, but it really smells more like butterscotch--like the gooey, sticky sauce you'd get on a butterscotch sundae. Overwhelmingly so, but that's not a bad thing (I love butterscotch... yum). Once on me, though, I get this weird scent of wet cardboard for about thirty seconds, then the tobacco takes over. For the first several minutes I smell like nothing but tobacco. After a while the tobacco settles down a bit, and I can smell the butterscotch/caramel again, and a bit of the coconut in the background. It's quite nice, but not exactly what I was expecting. I was really hoping for a strong caramel scent, but tobacco seems to be the most prominent note on my skin--so much so that sometimes I can't smell anything but tobacco. I'm not horribly disappointed in Red Lantern but, well, it's not quite what I expected.

In the bottle, Dormouse smells just like sugary black tea with lemon, to me. Upon application, it smells exactly the same for the first few minutes, then I start to get a whiff of the peony. Mostly, though, it's tea and lemon. Surprisingly fresh and clean; I really like it. I think a 5ml bottle of this may be in order. It's lovely and sort of makes me feel energized (the scent of tea will do that to me).

I really like this in the bottle. It's sharp and sweet and definitely smells like icy rain. On me it immediately becomes extremely sharp and spicy, and I can't smell the aquatic notes at all. Then it turns into... grapefruit? Yes, really exactly like freshly-sliced grapefruit. Bizarre. Now that it's had time to settle, it's mellowed out a bit and I can smell the aquatics again, though most of the bite is gone. It's sort of like fresh water and baby powder, with maybe a tinge of ozone in the background. If it doesn't decide to morph again, this may be a little too soft for me. I was really hoping it would smell as strong and sharp as it did in the bottle. **Edit** Aha! It has morphed yet again. Now it smells exactly like it does in the bottle, only slightly softer. Very nice! Maybe this one is a keeper after all.

In the bottle the Knave smells like buttery, fruity tarts with a hint of something sharp in the background. I'm guessing that's the roses, though it doesn't smell particularly rose-like to me; it's a bit sharper, like grass. On me I start to really smell the roses in full force and the berry smell takes a backseat. The buttery scent is almost completely gone, so it smells like roses and blackberries. I sort of wish there was more of the 'crust' of the tart, but overall the scent is very refreshing. Immediately after application, the Knave is super strong on my skin, but it seems to fade quickly, or I just get used to smelling it more easily than most other scents. After about ten minutes I can only detect the barest hint. I like it, but I don't think it's a real 'winner' for me; I'm not madly in love.

On a whim, I picked up a 5ml bottle of this at my local retailer this afternoon and I am so glad I did! In the bottle, Bordello smells very wet, sweet and fruity to me. I get a lot of the plum and black currant, with just a hint of the wine. No amaretto to speak of, it's just all fruit. Very jucy. On me the fruitiness fades and the amaretto comes out to play. The fruit and amaretto blend seamlessly and deliciously. My dogs agree, as they keep licking my wrists, trying to 'taste' the smell. The wine has faded into the background for the most part but I get a tiny bit of it now and again. The scent doesn't seem to last long, though--maybe three hours tops, but that may have something to do with my dogs' attempts to taste the oil. It is one of those scents that wafts. I occasionally catch a whiff when walking or lifting something.

Quick history--I actually purchased a 5ml vial of this for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day (he actually got it early, because I suck at surprises). So this is going to be a two-for-one review of both my and my boyfriend's opinion. Maybe this will be helpful to someone to get a guy's perspective on the scent. In the bottle, Dorian smells like black sugared tea and gingersnaps to me. I mean, like the cookies. There is something sharp and very spicy about it that comes out after the tea scent overwhelms you. It's strong to my nose, but not unpleasant. My boyfriend says Dorian in the bottle smells spicy, like aftershave to him, with a bit of vanilla. On me, I get mostly black tea and sugar with something very clean underneath. Maybe the ginger smell has mellowed out a bit? Not sure what the 'ginger' would be, though. The musks, maybe? On him tea and musk. The vanilla scent is pretty much gone. It's much more spicy on his skin than on mine. Almost peppery. Overall, I find Dorian very nice, but it's probably not something I would wear very often. The slight gingersnap smell puts me off a bit. My boyfriend, however, loves it. I have a feeling he's going to use up the bottle really quickly, the way he slathers it on. At least I know my Valentine's Day gift was a success!

In the bottle it is definitely vanilla with a wet waft of sweet, soft floral. The smell in the bottle alone made me pause when I picked it up, since it's fairly complex on first sniff. On me the amber starts to come out, blending with the vanilla, and the floral becomes the barest hint in the background. I can also smell the sandalwood, but it is very, very subtle. Overall a delightful, complex blend. It smells exactly like the description of notes, which meld beautifully with one another, and it lasts, and lasts and lasts. I still got wafts of the scent when I moved nine hours after I put it on. The Mouse seems to love my skin. This may be my go-to scent. My boyfriend described it as 'hypnotic'.

In the bottle, it's warm buttery hazelnuts with a tiny hint of sharpness in the background. Maybe the carrot? On my skin I get the honey and hazelnuts full force for the first hour, and not much else. I smell warm, golden and almost edible. After the first hour, the overwhelming hazelnut scent fades enough that I can smell the hay, which is sweet and pleasant. It lasts a couple more hours smelling of honey, hazelnut and hay. I don't get much of the carrot and I don't ever smell the berries, but overall I'm really pleased with Sleipnir. It's delicious in the bottle and delicious on my skin. I just wish it lasted a little longer.