Ina Garten Davita

First Impression: Mint, cold, icy mint.

 

Second Impression: Yes, Beth has managed to capture a frosty cold, crystal clear, moonlit night in a bottle. The notes work very well together.

 

Final Analysis: I didn't order this as I don't care for "aquatics" but this isn't watery at all. It was a wonderful gift. Thanks so much.

First Impression: Crisp cold pine.

 

Second Impression: This is the hands down winner of the Winter 2004 Limited Editions. This is winter in a bottle. Beth has captured the ice and snow covered trees in a magical Disney-esque forest in this scent. It's clean, crisp and beautiful. It morphs on the drydown, from icy snowy pine to slightly sweet frozen berries, a touch of something creamy but always but always staying true to the wintery intentions.

 

Final Analysis: This is more Ice than Ice Queen, more Snow than Snow White. I adore this scent, it is PERFECT.

First Impression: Yes, it is gingerbread.

 

Second Impression: How did she do it? It smells so dead on, it's amazing.

 

Final Analysis: It doesn't last long, not at all. But while it does, it's wonderful. A keeper.

First Impression: Juicy plum and berries.

 

Second Impression: Love this, love love love! It's so juicy but not overly "fruity", the lilac works so wonderfully with the fruits. I can't stop smelling this. It's deep, rich, sexy.

 

Final Analysis: Oh, the non LE's have been too good this time, another to the big bottle list!

 

First Impression: Oh glorious musk.

 

Second Impression: This is one sexy as hell blend. This definitely is a masculine scent, it's as if Beth turned my favorite Axe into a proper men's fragrance.

 

Final Analysis: If Rob would wear this, I'd be one happy girlie. I want a big bottle.

First Impression: Juicy and tropical.

 

Second Impression: I can pick out the banana leaf, most definitely. It's very similar to Baba Yaga only not as incensy. It's very much how I imagine a tropical rain forest would smell.

 

Final Analysis: A beautiful, tropical scent...will be just the thing when I've tired of winter and want to inject a bit of summer into the cold days.

 

First Impression: Honey wine and bay.

 

Second Impression: This brings up images of the first Olympic games in ancient Greece and the celebrations that must have occurred during and after. You can smell each of the notes and they are lovely.

 

Final Analysis: I adore the honey scents but they do go a bit dirty funky on my skin on the long dry down. I hope this one will prove to be the exception because it's a beauty.

Florence:

 

 

First Impression: Iris, but not overpowering.

 

Second Impression: Oh, goodness another gorgeous, evocative scent. I bought this scent purely for the name, it's the city in Italy I most want to visit. And this conjures up the images of sitting in a window sketching the a gorgeous view of the city as warm, gentle breeze blows in. Better yet, this is the scent of a tryst with David. Spices, amber and iris all blend wonderfully together. Not getting the berries at this time.

 

Final Analysis: The name called to me and so I bought a bottle unsmelled, I'm thrilled that I did. A keeper.

First Impression: That sharp cherry almond note from Black Phoenix and Seraglio straight out of the vial.

 

Second Impression: OMG, this is amazing. It's golden and glorious, ultra feminine and sensual. Once it dries, that cherry almond is gone, replaced with a velvety smooth, luxurious, silky fragrance. The Egyptian musk blends seamlessly with the amber, the resin and spices are warm and subtle and the lotus adds a bit of feminine sexuality that is really making me crazy with lust. I'm even getting imagery from this one...a sinewy, cat-like woman languishing in a desert oasis.

 

Final Analysis: Big bottle, no doubt about it. I'm making the prediction that this scent will be very popular.

First Impression: Buttered rum.

 

Second Impression: Butterscotch schnapps. Very buttery on the skin, but not boozey at all.

 

Final Analysis: It's scrumptious in the bottle but it really doesn't smell very good on my skin.

 

First Impression: Tea and amber.

 

Second Impression: This has a sharpness about it, it's not smooth and glowing like I thought it would be. It mellows as it dries to a golden slightly resinous floral. I also think I smell jasmine in this.

 

Final Analysis: Nice, very nice, but not a favorite. May swap this one.

First Impression: Light citrus.

Second Impression: This smells like grapefruit with the lightest touch of herbs. I'm not getting much musk or amber.

Final Analysis: This will really appeal to the citrus scent lovers.

Centzon Totochtin:

 

 

First Impression: Deep dark cocoa, Almost the scent of Nutella in a vial.

 

Second impression: This is a very deep scent, the richest of cocoa, the finest, darkest red wine. The long drydown reveals something richly floral, but then wine and chocolate can have floral notes. It's a gorgeous scent. Though it doesn't smell like it, I can compare the "type" of scent to CK Obsession.

 

Final Analysis: The long, long drydown went a bit funny on me, but I think it's definitely worth it as this is such a complex and unique scent.

 

First Impression: Soft white floral.

 

Second Impression: This is a jasmine scent for people who don't like jasmine. It's so soft and subtle. The buttercup and honeysuckle play center stage. This is very feminine and pretty.

 

Final Analysis: Perfect Easter/springtime scent. Lovely.

First Impression: Very warm vanilla musk.

 

Second Impression: This is a very pretty, very old fashoined smelling vanilla musk. It's warm and pretty, not dusty as I thought it would be.

 

Final Analysis: I like this, I will use the imp. I may even want to get some more. Lovely.

First Impression: Sweet vanilla and sandalwood.

Second Impression: Oh, I'm in love with this. It so perfectly fits the description. The notes blend so artfully together, the sandalwood plays harmoniously with the florals and vanilla. Just gorgeous. This is a light scent, perfect for slathering. This has much more depth than Tushnamatay.

Final Analysis: Big bottle for sure. It's a keeper.

First Impression: Geranium, straight up.

 

Second Impression: This isn't as deep and bloody and I'd expected. It's juicy and light and a bit sharp. I get a lot of geranium, so much so that I find Rage to be a very relaxing bedtime blend. I get a hint of dragon's blood in there and juicy mandarin and currant notes. I've dabbed this on several times, sometimes there is a nice whiff of amber and other times not.

 

Final Analysis: This is a very relaxing blend for something called Rage. I really like it, I love the way it changes on my skin and I love how it works on me at bedtime. *snooze*

Love Me contains both jas and vanilla. Also Les Serpent has violets and vanilla and Regan is just gorgeous orchid vanilla.

Mystery Blend #6

 

First Impression: Warm, sweet and spicy cinnamon.

 

Second Impression: This could very well be the cinnamon single note, but there is something deeper blendend that may be a bit of dark and dry cedar.

 

Final Analysis: This is a very wintery and Christmasy scent, it's warming and wonderful. I can't wait to layer this with Sugar Cookie!

 

I found this as a little surprise in the bottom of a yarn box from supervillainess. Thanks

 

First Impression: Green, straight up bright green and herbal.

 

Second Impression: This isn't the black and blue bloody scent I was expecting. Nosferatu is very green, herbaceous with just the lightest spritz of red wine. A bit of the dusty dirt comes through on the drydown, just a bit.

 

Final Analysis: It's lovely. On my skin this scent is more of a poncey, girlie vampire dancing in a field of greens...like say Tom Cruise as Lestat rather than the Bella Lugosi's dark and frightening Nosferatu.

Xiuhtecuhtli smells EXACTLY like Angel on me.

 

maybe give it a whirl?

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Yes, for me too. Layered with Skindazzles Mayan Gold body frosting.

I got a decant of this from Red Hot Mama.

 

First Impression: Very soothing and aquatic.

 

Second Impression: This reminds of that fresh salt marsh scent from my hometown Revere, MA. The dry down is lovely, watery white florals.

 

Final Analysis: This is not something I would have chosen for myself, but I'm thrilled I got to try it. It's very pretty and reminds of what the Little Mermaid, Ariel would smell like.

I just returned from a trip (Atlanta to Boston and back again). I had my essential oil travel carrying case full of bottles and imps in my backpack that I carried on. Not a word from anyone on either end. The TSA guy in Boston laughed at the cake pans in my hand luggage on the way home though. He wanted to know where his cake was.

 

No leakage or breakage at all from bottles or imps. I also had some imps in a film container in my handbag and no one said anything about them either.

I've moved this to FAQ's so that when the time comes for Lab to let us know what's going on (if they choose to do so), we can update this thread with the appropriate information.

It's a plain bottle, no label, tied with a goldish colored wax seal that is stamped "54".