lavenderfrost

(2015 Decant) In The Imp: Caramel. Initial Application: Still caramel. Some of the coconut and a sharp freshness that I'm assuming is the Delphinium starts to come through after a minute. Keeps it from being too foody for my taste so far. 30 Minutes Later: The delphinium fades to the background, but I think the amber and tobacco leaf are stepping in now? I definitely smell currant, and I have no idea what asian spice is used, so I don't know if I'm smelling it. Also not sure what bpal's opium note smells like, so I can't tell with it either. 3 Hours Later: Caramel, coconut, and tobacco leaf. I think. Verdict: Considering ordering a bottle. I don't like gourmand blends, but there are other ingredients that keep this from smelling 100% like food, so it works. It's sweet and starts off cool, but warms up on the dry-down.

Alas, Tombstone ended up being straight-up cedar on me. ^^;; I'll make a note of TKO and Mouse's Long & Sad Tale, the rest may not be do-able since they're LE's? But I'll look into them, at least. I'll try Eclipse, and Dorian did always look interesting. Tamora went straight-up peach cobbler for me. ^^;; Thanks for the help!

Anyone got recs for spicy vanillas that aren't necessarily gourmand? Like, vanilla-tinged "florientals" and the like? I want to dip my toes more into the sweetness of vanilla, but hate smelling like food. ^^;; To give you an example of vanilla blends I dig - I kinda like Euphrosyne and Lyonesse, and really like my bottle of Hod v2. Dolce Stil Nuovo and Three Brides have a nice vanilla flower smell in them that I enjoy as well. I don't like Snake Oil (yeah, blasphemy, I know) because it's got patchouli - that note makes me physically ill, so it's a 100% dealbreaker. Honey doesn't make me ill, but I also don't really like the smell, so O was a no-go when I tried it.

Oh man, I nearly cried when Ophelia was discontinued - I love it so much and I only have an imp of it! It's become a Special Occasion scent. Persephone was one that I tried and it unfortunately didn't go so well on my skin. I'll make a note to check out Love-In-Idleness and Pandy. Muse is already on my future-orders wishlist, this just bumps it up on the priority scale.

Thought I'd give this a shot for the hell of it. Basics: Late 20's Gemini Female Bisexual Non-religious My MTBI type is INFP. I'm introverted (and very shy until you know me), idealistic, curious, creative, and a non-stop daydreamer. I tend to be torn between hopeless romanticism and cynical realism, with a sarcastic streak and a love of puns. I have an Associate degree in Graphic Design and a penchant for singing, though my voice is very rusty. I have ADHD, which shows in my tendency to get sidetracked and bored very easily. I have trouble functioning without listening to music (very eclectic tastes), and I'm the kind of person who'll carry 2 paperbacks and an mp3 player in her purse at all times, but sometimes forgets to pack her cell phone or wallet. I like reading non-fiction and well as fiction. I've loved Greek mythology since childhood, and Shakespeare since adolescence. (A Midsummer Night's Dream is my fav play.) In terms of fiction, my poison tends to be Fantasy/Sci-Fi, horror, poetry, and historical fiction (esp. lady-centric historical fiction). In terms of non-fiction; lots of history, politics, feminism, and art/design books, with some psychology thrown in here and there. I'm also unabashedly fangirly - my fandoms of choice at the moment are Doctor Who and Marvel Comics/MCU. For all that I like history and old/classic things, I definitely don't feel like I was born in the wrong era. I'm quite fond of technology, indoor plumbing, modern medicine, and having the right to vote. My fashion sense is...whatever I can afford that doesn't look too horrible. I wear lots of black, though less because I'm partial to the color and more because it's versatile and can go with anything. On my very limited budget, mixing and matching is a requirement. I prefer wearing solid colors to prints, and at least 75% of my shirts are blue, though my all-time favorite color is purple. I don't like wearing things with logos. I hate makeup and don't do much with my hair; just wash it, condition it, and brush it. When I get really wild, I may pull it back in a ponytail at the nape of my neck. I also don't wear jewelry very often - I tend to feel like it's wearing me, in a weird way. I do, however, paint my nails periodically - I generally prefer blues and purples when it comes to the colors I pick. In short, my style is the essence of Plain Jane. Partly for financial reasons, and partly because I just don't like being very fussy about it. As for the negatives...I'm brutally self-critical and prone to depression and anxiety, but not one who romanticizes it. I'm no Jaques - when I'm depressed, I'm miserable and constantly looking for things to either distract me from it or help me feel better. I don't relish melancholia. I have trouble adapting to big changes and, as contradictory as it may sound, I tend to have difficulty keeping any sort of routine. I don't usually take criticism well - I don't necessarily lash out at the person criticizing me, I just tend to internalize it and use it as one more reason to beat myself up. There are times when my habitual day-dreaming will bite back; I'll obsess over worst-case scenarios until I give myself a panic attack sometimes. I over-think everything. My fav scents generally tend to be florals and aquatics. Patchouli literally makes me ill. Very earthy scents usually leave me feeling like I'm suffocating, and I tend to not like smelling like food, though fruity florals will sometimes get a pass. ...wow. Was that too long?

In The Imp: What it says on the label - roses, leaves and a lovely aquatic note. Immediate Application: Stays pretty much the same. This actually smells to me like it could be unisex, or even a mens' aftershave. Dry-Down: The scent stays pretty consistent - cool, clean, and fresh. Definitely like an aftershave. I think any salty aquatic is going to be like that for me. Mental Image: A beautiful brownstone apartment or house up northeast in the autumn, and a charming, well-dressed, ridiculously attractive Significant Other cuddling on the couch with you as you watch the leaves fall outside your window. Stealing kisses, talking about your day, making Thanksgiving plans. You turn to plant your nose into the nape of his neck and just breathe deep for a moment while he chuckles and strokes your back. Verdict: Very nice. Bears re-testing, I don't know yet if I want a bottle. I'm so glad the Luper deadline's been pushed back!

Oddly enough, all I got was molasses with a little bit of musk. I love rose and know what red musk smells like on its' own, so I'm pretty sure it's the opoponax that causes it to do that on my skin. It's not horrible at all, and I'd say if you like darkly sweet foody scents, this is definitely right up your alley. I just don't dig foody scents. (Aside from the occasional fruity floral, anyway.) Passing this decant on to someone else.

This was a freebie I was wary of, but it's surprisingly nice. In The Imp: Coconut and rum. Immediate Application: Fruity coco-nutty rum, and between this and other fragrances I've tried, I think I know what tobacco leaf smells like on its' own. (I grew up in a family of non-smokers who didn't chew tobacco either, so I never smelled this stuff before.) It's either surprisingly sweet, or that's the coconut working with it. Dry-Down: Coconut and tobacco, the rum falls back just a tad. Mental Image: Absolutely dead-on for a Loa blend. Verdict: Not for me in terms of being a perfume I'd use regularly, but fun to try.

In The Imp: Jasmine, tonka (I think), and either fig or vanilla. Or both. Immediate Application: The roses come out just a tad, and then the coffee bean. It's not too intrusive, though. IDK what mahogany smells like on its' own, so it may or may not be in there, I can't necessarily tell. There's a sharpness to this that may be it? Again, idk. Seems like it could just as easily be the tonka. The "undertone" at the back of my nose reminds me a little of Moscow, I'm assuming that's from the jasmine. Dry-Down: Jasmine tonka coffee? ^^;; Not unpleasant, but not me. Verdict: Nah. Worth a shot, but I'll probably pass it on.

In The Imp: Sweet rosemary Immediate Application: The rosemary sharpens a bit, and the rose comes out a little. Alas, the orange blossom is so subtle I can't really tell it's there...and then it starts to stink. Like, stink stink. DAMMIT. Dry-Down: Didn't last that long. Had to wash it off. I don't think there's any individual note in this that dislikes me. Orange blossom and rose are lovely on me when they're in the right blend, and rosemary has worked for me in other blends, it's more that this particular mixture of notes just doesn't agree with me. I'm sure it'd be lovely on others, though. It was certainly nice enough on me before it started to turn. Mental Image: You really, really don't want to know. Seriously. I'm trying to avoid thinking about it myself. Verdict: Definitely a big giant NOPE. This leaves me sad, because I'm still searching for a nice floral orange blossom scent that's not ruined by patchouli. I had such high hopes for this one.

In The Imp: EEEE! Flowers!!! Immediate Application: Mmmm, YES. FLOWERS ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND SNOW. I SMELL THE SNOW. AND MORE FLOWERS. Dry-Down: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG Verdict: WAAAAAAAAANT. Also? Ditto what everyone else says - the throw on this one is HELLA strong, so apply with a light touch.

In The Imp: Grapefruit and orange. Immediate Application: I start to smell the Freesia and the snow note, as well as other soft floral notes. I have no idea what helichrysum or rockrose smell like on their own, so I can't actually identify them, but I'm assuming they're there. Dry-Down: Overall, a nice cold citrusy floral. I loves me some neroli/orange blossom and wish there were more of it in this, but I still can't complain. It's pretty, and pretty is what I was hoping for. Verdict: Jeeze. Another one where I can't figure out if I want a bottle or not. >.>;;

In The Imp: Very Sharp - almost like greenery. Must be the narcissus. Immediate Application: Still sharp, but some of the sweetness starts poking through. It actually smells very masculine to me. Like mens' aftershave. ^^;; Dry-Down: The sharpness and iciness gives way to sweetness, and it's still pretty unisex. Verdict: I keep going back and forth about getting a bottle.

In The Imp: Welp. Definitely lots of cold almond. Immediate Application: A sort of peppermint smell starts to come through? I think? After a few minutes it goes soapy on me, which isn't necessarily something I mind, but I'm not crazy about it either. Dry-Down: The soapiness fades and leaves behind a sweetness that's not actually reminiscent of food. I kind of like this stage. Verdict: It's good, but I'm not sure about liking it enough to get a full bottle. Definitely bears re-testing in a few days when I'm not in the middle of Shark Week to make sure, and even if I don't get a bottle, the imp is worth keeping.

Another frimp I'd never have ordered for myself. The description shows it's really not my thing at all, but I gave it a try in the name of being a good sport. Starts out surprisingly sweet, almost...minty? IDK. I'm having trouble picking things out. More things come through, idk what is what since I'm not sure what most of it smells like, and in the end it ends up smelling like the home fragrance section of every craft and sewing supply store ever. It's got that same sweetness and spice thing going. (O HAI CLOVE HOW YOU DOIN?) No idea what notes are causing it, because again, idk what most of this stuff smells like on its' own. Definitely not for me, but not as OMG HAHAHA NO THANK YOU as I was expecting? ^^;; (Not that I assumed it'd be bad, I'm just a florals and aquatics girl, myself.)