ih8perfume

Shockingly pretty!! This is a perfect springtime fragrance. Very soft and green in a damp, misty kind of way. Fresh and verdant and just a bit earthy. Aside from the cool, powdery fern, the notes meld together into a harmonious and happy whole and I really can't pick one from another. I do get the occasional whiff of a resinous lavender floating around in the air, but I can't pick it up when I smell my skin. The scent does skew floral which makes it lean toward the feminine side of Unisex. It brings to mind a fresh faced Swede with blonde milkmaid braids and ruddy cheeks. While this isn't my usual scent style, I could see reaching for this during the Winter and early Spring when I'm longing for those first few green buds.

Oh my! This is lovely! It has aged amazingly well. This is one of those "never say never" scents. I haven't had success with pomegranate, but it lends a dark, juicy undertone to what is otherwise a somewhat masculine, outdoorsy scent. The other "never" is Fossilized Amber, which I was not find of as an essential oil. But it is a standout in this blend and I enjoy it here immensely. It adds a luscious dry mustiness. The soaring beauty in this, though, is the balsam. It is absolutely magical. It is both the light and the shadow of the forest. Sunshine, green leaves and fir needles and evergreen sap and mouldering leaves. And while I am usually not a fan of alcohol based perfumes, the alcohol in this makes the scent swirl around me in a heady cloud and that seems less personal scent and more mobile personal atmosphere. I so wish this were a regular scent because I could smell like this for ages.

Patchouli is definitely the dominant note in this blend. And I have an iffy relationship with patchouli. In this case, I find the patchouli amps like crazy when wet, swirling around my head in an oily kind of cloud. Just as I think I have overdone it... Poof! The patch settles down and the other notes begin to emerge. Dry, it is still patchouli dominant, but the pine-tinged balsam resin and slightly sour, rich, leathery Oude fence it in and hold it closer to the skin. Vanilla absolute has a surprisingly woodsy character and, while I can't pick it out individually, likely smooths the raspier edges and helps everything blend. I also can't pick out Champaca as a single note, which makes me a little sad as its a favorite. However, there's a kicky little exclamation point on the end, a little fruity and resinous, that could be Champaca. I haven't a clue what pepperwood smells like, but there is a strong woody flavor to the whole blend and I wouldn't be surprised to find that the pepperwood adds a wee hint of sour oakyness. Taken as a whole, this is an assertive, DARK scent that skews masculine. It smells EXPENSIVE and rich and calls to mind sweet, musky, well-worn suede and moon dappled, dry leaves on the forest floor.

Thanks Wren12 for giving me the chance to try this!! This one morphs like crazy! As others have said, it starts off with a sharp, but sweet fresh cut grass note that is absolutely gorgeous. Riding on its heels is an effervescent candied sweetness with a whiff of menthol and something resinous. It's a brighter resin, maybe myrrh? Up next is a bubbly, boozy, slosh of honeyed beer! It finally settles into smooshed grass with a hint of upturned earth; gooey, sticky remains of 1000 candied apples and cotton candies; and wafting over all, sweet, effervescent spilled beer. Unbelievable!

Several months ago, I managed to nab a few precious drops of a Snake Oil Chaos Theory with Heliotrope as the primary mixer. Thus began my current love affair with all things Heliotrope. Bpal's berry scents can be really problematic for as I tend to amp them like whoa and they often turn very waxy and artificial smelling like bad scented candles. But I've had a run of good luck with some cherry scents lately and Strawberry is usually pretty good, so I wanted to give HB a try. So glad that I did. While this is not a dupe of my beloved Chaos Theory, it does have the same dark, resinous vanilla, incense-y musk, and uplifting, golden heliotrope. The strawberry is more of a head shop strawberry incense than a -real- strawberry, as those tend to smell a little sour even when dead ripe. This is sweeter and richer. The cherry blends with the strawberry giving it a bit of dark juiciness. The amber and vanilla drift up to meet the fruity berries, giving the blend the most gorgeous resinous bottom note. Its a rich, warm, sticky amber with less of the dry, powdery notes that don't work so well for me with a creamy, lush vanilla that stays surprisingly subtle. The red musk NAILS this to my skin. It does not budge for HOURS. However, it also increases the throw by quite a lot. Just a few drops on my skin can fill an entire room with scent. That's wonderful when I'm alone, but I don't like to impose my scent on others against their will so I've got to be careful how much I apply. Laid over this whole wonderful melange is a haze of golden heliotrope. It makes the scent so much rounder and more complex. And it mellows the red musk, adding an air of innocence and playfulness to the blatant sexuality. I'll most definitely be buying a bottle of this scent. Love love love it.

While the Lab's chocolate notes are to die for, Cherry is a bit problematic for me and Orange Blossom can either be lovely and fresh or a little screech-y. But lately, I've had a run of good luck with scents including cherry so I wanted to give this a try. Big fat cherries, restroom air freshener and burnt hair. wtf. I have never had the lab's chocolate note go so very very wrong. And it seems that berries and I don't often play well together. I amp them like whoa and they tend to smell very artificial and waxy like very bad scented candles. Boo. I'm in a terribly pissy mood right now and I thought this might soothe my ragged edges, but apparently not. I'm willing to give this another shot since I've never had the experience of a BPAL going so horribly wrong on my skin, but my hopes aren't high, what with the cherry ampage.

The star jasmine and musk have always made me write off Vasilissa, but I got to test it as part of a traveling imp box and was surprised to find it very very lovely and soft. While I can somewhat pick out individual notes in this, the components blend so well together that the impression is more of a unified whole rather than a collection of notes. If that makes sense. The musks lend this blend the most luscious creamy almost coconut milk quality, while Star Jasmine swirls gently through the background adding a delicate sheen of humid tropical sweetness. The sandalwood and myrrh ground the more airy notes and give a smooth warm depth. And amber surrounds the whole with a hazy cloud of golden light. I usually prefer my blends a little grittier and a whole lot less delicate, but under the right circumstance I could see myself dabbing on a bit of Vasilissa. It would make a great first date scent... feminine and innocent with a hint of unconscious sexuality. Floral lovers will find enough breezy flowers to love while those on the fence about florals will not be overwhelmed by the Jasmine. Definitely worth a try. A lovely GC find!

oh. my. god. This is so good. For several years, we had these decrepit old White Pines in our front yard that towered menacingly over our house. The sap got all over EVERYTHING. My car, 3+ years later, still has spots of sap on it. The Dogs would get it in their fur, and god forbid you tried to sit in the courtyard under the pines. You'd most certainly get pine sap on your clothes and it never washes out. I hated those trees. But I loved the way the sap smelled. So gooey and resinous. Crisp and refreshing, joyous and comforting all at once. This is ~that~ pine. A little astringent, in a very very good way. Surrounding the pine is the ambergris, a luxurious cloud of sweet, golden light. I cannot actually pick out juniper or cypress in particular and suspect that they add a good measure of complexity to the pine. Unfortunately, that gorgeous pine and ambergris combo fades quickly and the black musk begins to dominate. To be fair, the black musk does evoke a certain inescapable, inevitable darkness. The shadowy, dangerous part of the forest where wolves lurk and curious children vanish. Black Forest calls to mind the sense of both elation and fear that being alone and small in a very large, very wild place brings. So glad this is GC!

Oh my! What a fun, playful scent!! Grapefruit isn't always my favorite note. It can go quite astringent and bitter sometimes. But here it just adds a zingy zest. While the lime does jump out and mischeviously tweak your nose, the citrus in this is not sharp and puckery with an almost candied quality. Quite juicy and well grounded by the base notes. As it dries, the bergamot, sage, and musk mingle to create a more earthy scent. A bit soapy in a good way. It isn't something I would wear very often, but I'm so happy I got to try it!

As a personal fragrance, I'm not crazy about this. It has a musty smell to me. Someone mentioned "grandma soap" in another review, and BOOM! That's exactly what I get. Only it was lotion. It smells just like my grandmother's lotion. But really not in a good way. I get some heavy rose from this with hints of Jasmine in the background and something like indolic scent that elderly people sometimes get. Sorry, Has No Hanna. But smell-wise, you just don't work for me. I will have to report back on the voodoo effects. I could certainly use some good luck.

Have you tried Black Annis? Its a GC. I'm not a HUGE fan of anise/licorice scents, though I do enjoy it as a background note. It is the main note in Black Annis (to my nose) with backing from oakmoss, vetiver, and just a hint of civet. I was really a little afraid of this scent, not just because I didn't want to smell like cat pee, but I LOVE it. It definitely doesn't smell like cat pee. Although it is heavy on the oakmoss and vetiver. Lab decription: Black Annis' perfume is a mixture of damp cave lichen and oak leaf with a hint of vetiver, civet and anise.

Never in a bazillion years would I have chosen this scent. I don't like licorice and musty/dirt type scents are usually not my thing. But it smelled quite intriguing in the imp, so on it went. Well... I'll be damned. This is really quite amazing and I think I may love it! It reminds me alot of How Doth the Little Crocodile, which I also enjoyed. It has the same herbal freshness mixed with oakmoss. But where Little Crocodile was playful, this has a kind of sexy, animalic undertone that must be the civet. I most certainly do NOT smell cat pee. Just something lurking underneath that is like a sweet/sour true skin scent. I must say, I am completely shocked by how much I like this scent. I can't stop sniffing it! It doesn't change much from imp to skin. The anise is assertive and fresh and keeps this from feeling "dirty". The oakmoss and vetiver are grounding and reinforce the outdoors feeling, and the civet gives it a little salty umami quality that rounds out the bottom and adds more than a little sexiness. Way way way in the back, I'm finally smelling a bit of mineral, which must be the "cave lichen". In a way, this scent reminds me of the goal of Japanese cuisine, which (as I understand it) is to present a balanced meal touching on all the taste sensations and senses. This scent is balanced in that way by including animal, vegetable, and mineral. While this scent will not be for everyone, it would definitely work for either a man or woman. It's powerful enough to wear with a business suit, fresh enough to wear on a hike, and sexy enough to wear on a date. I will definitely be using up my imp to the last drop, then probably putting this on my list for a bottle purchase! So glad this is GC!

Cacao, black musk, and tobacco absolute. I initially got this when it first came out in 2012, but for some reason, didn't review it. I remembered not being fond of it, but couldn't remember why. But I was just frimped a tester from the sweet Seussala, so giving it another go! OK. I'm a weirdo. I know. I am not really a sweets person and even then, I prefer vanilla to chocolate. But I LOVE to smell like a walking dessert tray, so anything with cocoa or chocolate gets a try. In the Imp: gulp. Chocolate delousing powder? Not at all what I was expecting. On she goes. On the skin: Yup. Chocolate delousing powder, heavy emphasis on the powder, with something off-putting lurking in the background that can only be the black musk. This seems to change quite a bit from wet to dry, starting off lemony as others have mentioned, then damn it puts the POW in powder. The cocoa eventually pokes out its fuzzy brown head and tobacco makes an appearance in the form of a hand-roll blend I used to use when I was way to young to smoke. I think it was Drum, but I swear it was something that came in an orange pouch, but that was a long time ago and I digress. This stage was amazing. Sexy, naughty, utterly lickable. Then that stage was, as another reviewer put it, "smothered by a black musk pillow". Crap. Super-crap. Craptastic. It does eventually dry down to a nice powdery cocoa scent, but I'm not sure I can manage the black musk strangler in order to get there. I will try it again, just to be sure, but it seems that musk and I aren't on very good terms at the moment. ETA: The hand-rolling tobacco I was searching for was Bali Shag Red Pouch. Oh god I want a cigarette.

This was graciously frimped to me by the Lab. It's something I never would have considered for myself, though I do love me some Oudh. In the Imp: This was very faint to me. Evergreen, but not Pine or Cedar, with something soft in the background. Cypress isn't a note I'm familiar with, but I'm assuming it is the evergreen-ish top note. It does kind of come out swinging in this blend. But then, poof... It's gone. And the "something soft" comes to the forefront. I'd almost swear that the imp was mislabeled if it weren't for that evergreen opener. I'm really having trouble describing this scent. I like it... quite a bit actually. Although it is FAR from my usual scent choices. It is softly, very softly, resinous without being powdery. Sweet without being foody, cloying, or floral. And fresh without that artificial quality that so many "fresh" scents have for me. I normally can't handle aquatics or "clean laundry" type scents. They quite literally make me nauseated. But this is just those things in the most lovely way. Like a crisp, freshly washed cotton sheet dried in the sunshine on an evergreen studded beach. This scent, more than anything, brings to my mind images of the Greek seashore, though I've never been there. The picture in my mind: Low craggy hills with windswept gray-blue cypress looking like bent, little old greek ladies, lined with ancient footpaths, dotted with bright blue and crisp white villas, dropping down into a perfectly crystalline turquoise waters. Not at all what the scent was supposed to evoke, but really beautiful nonetheless.

Oh Mama-Ji, you truly are a bitch goddess. I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to smell like a black-skinned, blade weilding, skull festooned GODDESS, but all I get is the old lady with the disapproval pinched face. I can see her in my head when I sniff this on my skin and she does NOT like what I am wearing or the way I do my hair. Sadly, this is like a cheap musk and floral powder bomb exploded in my face. I really don't even get the spices. Because American Gods is my most favoritest book EVAR and I want to like this SO VERY MUCH I am going to put it aside and try it again when I haven't been dealing with a sinus related illness, although my hopes are not high.