kakiphony

In the imp: Caramel with a hint of something light and floral on the front of the palate as I sniff. Wet on skin: Caramel, but not a deep dark caramel. This is light and golden. The floral I smelled in the bottle is missing at this stage. Early dry down (10 minutes): The floral note I smelled at the beginning has risen, lending a more sophisticated vibe to the caramel. I tend to stay away from all florals except fruit blossoms, since they seem to be light enough for me to escape the rhinitus reaction most florals cause. (The orange blossom in Vixen and the ylang ylang in Hetairae, for example, work quite nicely on me.) The apple blossom in this is staying true to that generalization. It is definitely a floral, but it is light and sweet enough that it is not making me sneeze. Late dry down (45 minutes): This really is very like Red Lantern, only without a smoky note. The caramel lends on on-going sweetness, but the star is the wood mixed with apple blossom.

In the imp: A sweet floral mixed with a spicy (as opposed to deep and resiny) patchouli. If I didn't know better, I'd guess the sweet was from something like honeysuckle or a fruit blossom rather than peach. This is actually scaring me a little. Wet on skin: This is still very floral as it hits my skin, with a very spicy patchouli in the background. Early dry down (10 minutes): Huh. This is strange and I must be amping the ambergris and patchouli like crazy because I am getting no peach and no honey. This is not even a little bit sweet on me. It is all spicy patchouli mixed with something almost ammonia-like. It is kind of ick, honestly. Late dry down: Wash. It. Off. This is like peach and urine on my left wrist and patchouli and ammonia on the right. It is just plain foul on me. Oy.

In the imp: I can't pick out a single note in the decant. This is very complex and well blended. It's a warm, deep, golden scent -- like dry grasses mixed with chai (but not sweet -- like brewed chai before you add the milk or honey). Wet on skin: Still very golden. It doesn't smell like hay so much as it does like an empty hay mow. There is the hint of dryed hay there, but it is more about sunlight baking the dry wood of the barn with just a hint at what that barn used to contain. Early dry down (10 minutes): My skin is amping the cardamom like crazy. It's rich, warm and savory. I also smell something that is very like sage, but which I suspect is the hay interacting with the cardamom. Late dry down (45 minutes): This faded incredibly quickly on me. All that is left is a bit of warm, dusty smell.

In the imp: Pungent, sharp, almost cleaning product woods over the top of a sweet, resiny beeswax. I think I smell Murphy's Oil Soap? Wet on skin: A hint of sulfur against woods and the beeswax. Much nicer than in the imp. Early dry down (10 minutes): The woods amp on me and take on a musky, dry, men's cologne smell. The beeswax fades very quickly. This is pleasant and J expresses approval, but I think it may be a bit too masculine for me. I need some sweetness with my dry. Late dry down: This continues to get dustier and more dry on me as it morphs. I get the slight powder that sandalwood often gives me (I usually get more powder from sandalwood than I do from amber). It's a very masculine scent and very, VERY dry. The beeswax sweetness didn't last much past the wet stage, and if it added much depth gto the scent on me this would have been dust without it. Not my thing, but it's purely a chemistry issue I think.

In the imp: Red hots -- the usual cinnamon smell to my nose before other notes allow it to morph. Wet on skin: Cinnamon is dominant, but there's also a sharp, pungent smell under it that I suspect to be the pine. Early dry down: Strangely, I'm getting cinnamon and woods. This almost smells to me like there is some uncredited wood base -- maybe something like teak or mahoganey. The two scents aren't mingling either -- more like they are fighting for dominance. I suppose the "wood" I smell could be the pine sap, but it smells nothing like pine to me. It is a deep, smooth cedary aroma. Late dry down: High, sweet, cinnamon and vanilla. Like cinnamon toast crunch cereal. Really. I smell like cereal. And it is wafting. This is the first time anyone from work has ever noticed and commented on my scent. (It was called "evocative.") I'm actually not comfortable with that. I like my scents to be private diversions and am NOT someone who likes a cloud of scent to trail about me. Verdict: This is perfectly nice, but just not me. I'm happily sending it on.

In the imp: Hmm. I was expecting something rich and woody, but this smells strangely like some kind of floor cleaning product in the decant. Wet on skin: That's more like it! The dominant note upon first application to me is the combined with cloves. It's a deep, well rounded tea note, kind of dry and a bit smoky. This is like sticking your head into a little hole-in-the-wall tea shop that specializes in spicy blends and chais. The clove is amping and wafting and making it sweet. The clove is, in fact, so sweet that there is an almost licorice aroma at the very top (not like licorice candy as much as Twinings' licorice tea in the pale blue bags). Early dry down (10 minutes): Spicy tea! I once wished for a Constant Comment scent, and I think this may be it. Woot! Late dry down (45 minutes): Definitely, really and truly Constant Comment. I even get a tiny hint of citrus/orange which is not listed in the notes. I really can't get more specific than this. It is a dead ringer for Constant Comment. Must. Have. Bottle.

Full disclosure: I tried this yesterday and wrote 90% of a review then. My computer crashed, taking that 90% with it. This is a recreation, and I can't swear I'm remembering every nuance. In the imp: Pine sap. The kind that forms in sticky globs on trees and that people braver than me chew in place of gum. Early dry down: The pine sap is quite dominant, and it seems sharper on my skin than it did in the decant. I get very little sweet or smoky from this. There is something resinous and a bit woody at the base that the jagged pine sap scent is sitting on, but it's not the usual molasses/wood I get from patchouli. Late dry down: Huh. I smell like an old man wearing something truly wretched from a drug store -- like Aqua-Velva or Stetson. I have no idea what about this scent has turned it into my grandpa on me, but that's what it is. Usually, this happens from dark musk blends (not skin musk!). I never got any lovely tobacco or rounded resins from this, it went straight from spiky pine to old man musk. This is one of those scents that makes bpal unpredictable and exciting to me. Based on the notes, this should have been awesome on me. Patchouli is my best base, honey is beloved, smoky vanilla and tobacco both do well on me, and pine has worked in some blends quite well (Organ Grinder specifically). Skin musk has worked before too. Yet, somehow, in combination, this blend just does not jive with my chemistry. It just goes to show that bpal is tricksy stuff. I may let this age a bit and come back, but I doubt it will age enough for me to judge it again before the CD comes down. So this is probably not a bottle purchase. I'm still marveling because of all the ladies, this is the one I expected to buy.

In the imp: Strangely, in the imp this smells nutty to me. It reminds me of Queen of Sheba or Wezwanie/Hold. Wet on skin: This is very sweet and rich at first application. The vanilla is a dark, sultry vanilla and the carnation is immediately present on me as a very spicy undertone to the sweetness. On my left wrist there is still that nutty note from the decant, but it is not present on my right wrist. Early dry down (10 minutes): Pretty. The amber is developing into something subtle and golden that blends very nicely into my skin. The woods re anot detectable as separate notes, but have evened out the heavy vanilla sweetness and mde this into something less sticky sweet and more grown-up and grounded. Late dry down (45 minutes): This is subtle, skin hugging amber and red sandalwood scent on me. The vanilla, so strong in the bottle and in the earliest stages, has almost entirely disappeared leaving dry, golden amber and the slightly musky men's cologne scent that I sometimes get from red sandalwood. It's pleasant and unobtrusive, but doesn't knock my socks off. I can see myself keeping this imp and reaching for it when I want to smell good, but undetectable (as when I wear O). But I don't think I need a bottle or have any hording impulse. This is very similar on me to the Lion (which I actually like better) and to the dry down phase of Wezwanie/Hold (I think it's the red sandalwood amping on me).

In the imp: Sweet and rich with an almost floral (honeysuckle?) top note. This is much more complex than all the "whoah, honey" reviews have led me to believe. Wet on skin: A floral honey that is both sticky and light. This does not smell like a fruit honey (blackberry etc) to me, but more like an herb or flower blossom honey (something like a thyme honey maybe...nothing as distinctive as an orange blossom honey, but definitely a light, sweet, almost herbal honey). I don't get any of the gruit or spices yet, but I do get a whiff of lemon. Early dry down: This is rich without being cloying. Although I don't get an alcohol note, I am definitely feeling the mead. The honey is tempered with enough herbs and spices to make this a more rounded scent, rather than just be sticky sweet honey. The rosemary note stands out to me as resinous and a little sharp, but it is blending really well with the sweetness. There is some fruit (from the gruit) in the bcakground at this stage, but I can't pick out an individual note. Instead, they add a kind of tart counter-point to the honey sweetness. If I was drinking this, I'd call it a dry mead rather than a sweet one. In fact, I just had a dry cyser (mead made with apples) at Coopersmither's brewery, and the aroma is remarkably similar to this. (I had to guess, I'd suspect apple in the gruit, but a very tart apple.) Late dry down: As it dries, this develops a slightly powdery edge that reminds me of the amber in the Lion. It doesn't go baby powder, so those who hate the powder scent shouldn't fear. It simply gives a dry, soft finish to the scent. The herbs and gruit at the base have gone a bit bitter on me over time, but this is not a bad thing. Instead, they form a kind of bitter/tart base on which all the sweetness of the honey can rest. In the crooks of my arms (where the oil stays more moist) the lemon note is quite distinct and is a rich lemonaide note rather than a cleaning product. This is a lovely summer scent!

In the imp: OMG. This is the leather from Spanked. I am in shock. No one told me that this could be the one that was meant to replace my best beloved LE of LEs. Oh my dear sweet heavens, please let this initial impression be true. Wet on skin: Leather -- the supple, sueded, glorious leather of Spanked, plus something spicy, resinous and oh so wonderful. I know the notes don't say a word about cinnamon or cassia, but I'm getting something that spicy. If this dries down true, I am in LOVE. Early dry down (10 minutes): This is amazing! It is turning into a slight more subdued version of Spanked. It's the same incredibly soft leather and spices on a resinous base. The only thing it lacks is the patchouli note (which dries down to an almost molasses note on me). This is glorious and perfect and....oh why is it June rather than December so that I could buy a bottle? Late dry down (1/2 hour): Oh glorious leather! Oh perfect woods! Oh beautiful scents that dry down softly, yet retain their shape without going powdery! Oh bpal at its best, let me sing your praises! You are more invigorating than a cold shower. You are more beautiful than the desert under a full moon. This scent is stunning. Really and truly stunning. Not quite as perfect as Spanked, but very, very near. It my dry, naughty alternative to Vixen. I must now sell my first born child for a bottle...

Full disclosure: Pumpkin scares me. I used to have a pumpkin pie body wash/shampoo by Philosophy (the only one of the Cookbook set I used) that I adored. And there are all those articles that say pumpkin pie is the most appealing smell to me. But when I tried Jack... Holy microwave popcorn, Batman! The lab's pumpkin has a history of going fake-butter smell on me, which is not appealing. But every year I long for the pumpkins even though I think they won't work. Finally, I got my courage up to try them and a super kind person scent me some sniffies of Pumpkins II and IV to try. I will be brave! In the imp: Buttery pumpkin overlaid with something sweet and floral. I only catch the floral at the back of my palate, the front is all butter and pumpkin. This is a thick scent. Wet on skin: Upon application this is a bit less thick and buttery. I'm able to smell a bit of the carnation as floral spice and the champaca is sweetening the pumpkin while also thinnging it out. (I'm always confused when I see champaca flower as a note. Is it frangipani or is it different?) Early dry down (10 minutes): This is really surprising me. I expected the combination of pumpkin, tobacco and tonka to be really rich and deep, but this is developing into something light and sweet. It reminds me of Hetairae. It is slightly fruity (the same kind of vaguely grape/berry/plum fruit that I get from both dragon's blood and ylang ylang) over something almost brandy-like (although more like peach brandy than straight-up brandy). Half hour mark: This really pretty, and not at all what I was expecting. The scent still reminds of me of Hetairae, but also of Nature's Gate Hawaiian Awapui shampoo and conditioner. It's that kind of light, sweet floral that is almost more fruit and honey to my nose than it is flowers. The tonka base allows this to stay rounded and soft, while other notes play way up high on my palate. This is pretty, VERY feminine, and sophisticated. It speaks to me of floaty chiffon dresses and floral and leafy garlands in your hair. The pumpkin is just a background note, deepening and sweetening this blend. I think I love this.

In the imp: All I smell are the aquatics. It's a watery, acquatic, and a bit ozoney men's cologne. Wet on skin: My skin immediately amps the aquatics and ozone. I am sneeze-central. I'm really hoping they tame themselves, because the other notes should work. Early dry down (10 minues): This is still very aquatic/ozone (I know they're different, but my nose tends to sense them exactly the same way: fresh cologny=sneeze!). The lime has risen up a bit and I'm getting a citrus tang with my sneeze. The woods and snake oil have not yet made themselves known. Half hour mark: Sometimes, perseverence pays off! I tend to wash off aquatics and ozone very quickly because of the histamine reaction they give me upon application, but when I do struggle through it they tend to fade fairly quickly. After twenty minutes, those aquatics/ozone top notes have begun to retreat and my friends the woods are coming out to play. This is turning into a light, bright lime and wood scent. It makes me think less of pirate ships than of a day spent in the middle of Lake Erie on my uncle's bass boat drinking (completely illegal) Corona with lime, and baking in the blue dazzle of sky and water. One hour mark: This has settled into a very subtle (little to no throw) citrus tinged wood with a just a hint of musk at the base. The snake oil is present only as the faint, sweet musk on me. I have never sensed either the gun powder or the blood notes in the blend - they are so subtle that they simply contribute to sweetness and brightness of the base. This is a much fresher scent than I usually wear, yet it is pleasant. Lime is one of my favorite citruses as it is both bright and a bit spicy on me, without the cleaning product associations that plague lemon and (more infrequently) orange scents. It combines with the snake oil/musk base and the woods to produce a light cologne that is grounded, yet sparkles. On another note entirely, why do I always want to stick a 'c' in aquatic (so it would be spelled acquatic)? Is it phonetic? A left-over from other language I once knew?

Thanks to an incredibly awesome bpaler, I finally got to try this!!!! In the imp: I sense an earthiness to this that surprises me for something with so many woods -- I think it is the red musk. Behind that is a sharp, clear lime and a hint of something salty. Wet on skin: There is a sweet, aquatic note front and center which sounds great in theory (cool water), but is making my nose itch/run just a tad. I'm hoping it calms down because underneath it I can smell the woods (faintly) and a bit of leather (even fainter). This one either HAS to morph on me, or I can now safely say that aquatic notes are a deal breaker, because every other note in this should be gorgeous on me based on past experience. Please morph little Pirate Moon. Early dry down (10 minutes): Thank you bpal fairies! This is, indeed, morphing in amost pleasing fashion. The musk and woods have combined into something that resembles my usual reaction to woods as a base note, but less dry and with a touch of wet to it. Overlaying the wet (not damp and mildewy, but really and truly wet) is a soft, almost delicate leather note. Late dry down (1/2 hour): This has turned into the spicy, woody, leather scent that I was expecting. It reminds me a lot of Villainess' Quick or Dead soap, but without the sweetness from the sasparilla. The leather is a soft, delicate leather and it is in harmony with the lime, which is also soft and not too sharp. The base has dried out considerably and is now dry woods and musk, without the previously mentioned wetness.

In the imp: Old, soft, worn-out so it drapes well leather with a hint of some. Wet on skin: Buttery leather with a hint of smoke. There is a hint of incense at the back of my throat at the end of each whuff. Early dry down (10 minutes): The paper smell is developing along with the leather, and the dryness of the paper is taking away the soft feel of the leather and turning into the cracked leather of the description. This reminds me of a darker, more masculine antique lace. There is also a smoky aspect to this which is less incense on me than it is fruit wood. It's kind of like applewood in the smoke before you put the meat in. Late dry down: This is very nice. The individual notes have blended into a kind of better-than-incense incense on me. It's a kind of tobacco leaf and leather smokey smell. The only thing I can imagine making this better is a dollop of dark vanilla. I mayve to try layering it with O or Sudha Segara to give it a bit of sweetness.

Full disclosure: I am floral phobic. I took the plunge and ordered a decant of this because the wood, leather and berries sounded wearable if the flowers were VERY background, and because I can't help but adore the character. (One of my goals in life is to own a complete Mary Poppins costume.) I am going into this praying that this is as leather on me as it appears to have been on so many other reviewers. If I'm the only one who gets flowers, then I will know that this indeed an evil demon of a scent. In the imp: Strangely, I get men's cologne and doctor's office. This is evoking all the afternoons I spent sitting in the small injection room waiting to get my allergy shot. It's antiseptic and woody. I'm getting alcohol, band-aids, and tongue depressors with just a hint of some perfumey cleaning product or air freshener. Maybe the lab got confused and this is naughty nurse rather than naughty nanny? Wet on skin: Wood, wood, wood. And burning plastic. And it still smells like the shot room. This is very, very odd. On my right wrist band-aid is by far the dominant note. Early dry down (10 minutes): This very wood and leather, and yes it still reminds me of the shot room. It's a hot, sterile, wood, leather and band-aid smell. Strangely, this is not a bad smell to me. It actually reminds me of my childhood in good (if twisted) ways. Half hour mark: This has dried down to a really pretty wood and leather scent which is rounded out by something that might be berry and might be floral and might even be a musk, but is so subtle that it's not really detectable as a separate note. I don't think it's masculine as much as it is extremely dry and warm. This makes me think of the inside of saunas. Several (4+) hours later: I had to come back and add to this because zomg has it gotten good! It still doesn't have a lot of throw, but I keep catching whiffs of something super sexy, and it's me! This has bloomed into a sexy yet subtle blend of leather and wood with something sweet at the base that makes it incredibly graceful. This is a bottle FOR SURE, and I really want to try it on J (although he may balk at wearing a nanny's perfume!)

In the imp: This high, sweet and dry to my nose. I detect something akin to almond extract with cinnamon. Wet on skin: The red musk hits the back of the palate first, and then there is an after-whiff of sweet, dry almonds and a high floral of some sort (I assume it's the dragon's blood, but its a much less grape syrup floral than DB usually evokes on me). It reminds me a bit of Scherherzade, but with more sweetness and less spice. Early dry down (10 minutes): The dragon's blood is amping on me and I'm getting a much sweeter scent than many of the other reviews have reflected. I am not getting sand so much as I am some kind of small, sweet, gingery cakes. These are dry cakes, but they have a floral water infused, extra sweet icing on top. Half hour mark: This is still quite sweet, but no longer reminds me of a cakes. It is definitely a morpher and one of the bpals that seems to interact with my skin in interesting ways. The top note on this is sweet dragon's blood. Usually, dragon's blood on me is grape Nehi, but this more like one of the "dry sodas" that whole foods sells (they have lavender and ginger), flavored with a bit of tart concord grapes. Under the sweet is a base of very dry ginger, heated up just a touch with cinnamon. The cinnamon is not of the red hot candy variety, but is deep and resinous, like cinnamon sticks that have been tucked away in a cupboard for years and years. One hour: This scent had an unusually long dry down/morph phase. Finally, after a full hour, I am getting some of the sand/desert that others have mentioned. It is hot, dry and sweet all at the same time. It's also a fairly mild scent, without a lot of throw. I like it. But a bottle? We'll see how often I gravitate toward the imp...

In the imp: More sharply woody than I was expecting. It's sharp and polished. This is what Buffy's stakes smell like. Wet on skin: There is more vanilla than in the imp. There is also a cologny, pungent scent that I was not expecting. At this stage it almost seems as if this has some unrevealed ozone or perhaps mosses in it. It's making me sniffle a bit. This is kind of reminding me of my grandpa (a classic Aqua-Velva man) at this stage. I'm anxious to see how it dries down as others have remarked that it improves dramatically from wet to dry. Early dry down (10 minutes): Hmm. This is starting to turn powdery on my already. It's a kind of musky powder, with a hint of vanilla tobacco in the background. Half hour mark: It's almost completely gone at this point, so I doubt I'll check back in at the 1 hour mark. It's powder on both wrists. Straight-up baby powder. Edited after several hours to add: My wrists still smell like powder when I hold them to my nose, but I keep getting random whiffs of old man/grandpa cologne. Something amping oddly -- I suspect the teak. I'm very sad because out of all the Steamworks this was the only one I suspected would be good on me. It's not, so that's one more whole catalog section eliminated. Boo.

In the imp: Black licorice with a bit of vetiver. Wet on skin: Much soapier than in the imp. A bit floral. Something pungent and a bit spicy at the base. Civet? This is much more standard cologne smelling than I expected from the imp. Early dry down (10 minutes): Hmm. This is getting spicy on me quite quickly. There's something high and astringent against a backdrop of something deep, woody and a bit peppery. I can see how some folks think this smells "bad." The high astringent thing has a bit of an ammonia vibe to it, but it's not nose stingingly bad to me, just odd for a perfume. It's like ammonia mixed with musk! It's definitely not one of the skin wedding bpals that make me smell like "me" only better. This is definitely its own thing. I get very little annis from this at all, if anything I'd call the annis a grace note. The dominant note is vetiver, and that high ammonia-like scent which I'm betting is how civet develops on me. Half hour mark: I'm dithering about whether or not to wash this one off. It's not horrid and hasn't made me sneeze yet, which are my two usual benchmarks of wash-off, but it's...not right. My right wrist is very soapy with that musky ammonia over it, and my left is vetiver with molding leaves. I'm finally getting the whole "dank" vibe that other people have mentioned. This doesn't smell awful, it just doesn't smell good or appealing to my nose. I can equally understand why some folks despise this and others find it to be a surprise hit. I'm ambivalent, but leaning toward not liking it because I'm afraid others will smell it on me and not like it. This scent makes very self conscious, which is the opposite of what I want a bpal to do. One hour: Still not my favorite, but still not hideously awful either. The right wrist is now all deep woods (cedar closets) and just a hint of the musky ammonia. The left wrist (watch hand) is actually milder and more dank. This is not one I'll ever use, but I'm glad to have tried it.

In the imp: High, light and sweet. Reminds me of sweet tarts mixed with coconut candy. The lotus root is definitely prominent to my nose. Wet on skin: The incense notes immediately bloom on my skin along-side the already noted high, sweet smell. Early dry down (10 minutes): On my right wrist (the no watch side) this is strong incense notes, but I can also smell sweet nut butter at the very front of my sniffs and a slight syrup/honey note. On the left wrist (with the watch) it incense mixed with Dial soap. Half hour mark: The right wrist has turned into a delicate, sweet blend that doesn't have intense individual notes. It is sweet, a bit thick/syrupy, and a bit like how my house smells a DAY after burning Fred Soll's Honey/Amber incense. It's delicate, yet distinctive. The left wrist is now all deodorant soap. It's not unpleasant (on a boy it might even smell clean and nice), it's just not terribly interesting. Neither wrist is a strong scent or amping much at all. I can now be reassured that I did not miss my holy grail by not getting a bottle.

In the imp: A deep, very dark mint, against a backdrop of lemon. Surprisingly, I get a sensation of dry from the combination. Wet on skin: This blooms almost as soon as it hits my skin, and the scent becomes rounder and fuller. The first impression is of lemon balm and a hint of something flowery/herbal that I can't quite place. Early dry down (10 minutes): As usual, my chemistry is giving me two different scents on my right and left wrists. The left wrist is dry, hot tea with a hint of lemongrass. It's a bit sour, but there is also something bright in the background. The right wrist is sweet and light. It is amping the honey and orange blossom, with a hint of mint grounding it. The right wrist is wonderful, the left is so-so. Half hour mark: This is fading very quickly on me, so much so that this may well be the latest dry-down phase I can accurately assess. The left wrist has begun to amp the lemongrass while the right continues to be a delicate balance of honey and orange blossom. The right wrist actually reminds me of the very late dry-down phase of Hetairae on me -- the barely there sweet, delicate floral that is grounded enough that I don't sneeze. This is a very gentle scent. More pleasant than I expected and it never gave me the sneezes the way some herbal and floral blends do. It would make an excellent scent for shampoo and conditioner. However, I think that I can forego a bottle.

In the imp: Sharp and astringent lemon over a suntan lotion base. This smells like it would get you clean. Wet on skin: There's an immediate left/right wrist difference with this one. At the initial application the left wrist is much sharper and more lemony with a metalic tang. The right wrist is dry, dusty coconut with a hint of something feral and musky. It will be interesting to see how this blooms. If the right wrist develops as I think it may, this one might break my heart since I only have a wee imp... Early dry down (10 minutes): Oh. This is Not Good. Not the scent mind you, th scent is drying down to something approaching divine. The Not Good is how very little of it I have and how dreadfully hard/expensive I expect it will be to ever get any more. I mourn for my stupid budget and lost opportunity. But onto the scent... The astringent quality of this has already faded almost completely. Both wrists now have a dry, almost dusty quality to them. For the first time I can sense the "nut" in coconut. It's a deep, rich, lush smell which reminds me more of nut oils (think macadamia nut oil) than of nuts themselves or of nut butters. It's sweet, but the musk is making this more a skin sweetness than a suntan oil one. The left wrist is a bit sharper, although the lemon is not discernible as an individual note. The right wrist is grounded and woody with an overlay of the sweet, rich, dry coconut. There is simply nothing to which to compare this... I'm stumped except to say that it is Love. Late dry down (30 minutes): I am a sad, sad, sad girl. I am said because this beauitful and I only have an imp. I am also sad because the imp is unlikely to last long as it also fades pretty quickly. But, ah, while it lasts! Dry, rich, woody, coconut! It is heaven.

I have a "bad" bottle of Organ Grinder. It wasn't purchased from the lab, so I can't send it back, but the person I swapped for it was swapping (straight from the lab for her) because she wasn't getting the expected notes on her skin. She thought it just didn't work on her, until it came to me (who owns 6 bottles of OG), and I could clearly tell that it is off. It's almost as if it's lacking most of the scent notes and is just carrier oils -- the smell is so minimal as to be non-existent.

Before I even start, I want to admit that this one scares the pants off me. Florals make me sneeze. Badly. I don't like them and can't wear them. But every once in a while, a floral mixed with patchouli will work. Vixen (patchouli and orange bossom) is heaven and Hetairae (patchouli and ylang ylang) is my "little black dress" of bpals. I also like citrus scents on occasion, especially for summer. So this has the theoretical potential to work, but well also wind up as a wash-off in ten minutes scent if it triggers the rhinitis. In the imp: Terrifyingly old lady floral. Rank gardenia and other moldy flowers. Ugh. Am I really going to try this? Wet on skin: Yes, I really am taking the plunge. At first application this is gardenia with a bit of citrus (I would say something like mandarin orange -- sweet, but a bit tinny), with something sharp I can't identify on the back of the palate. I have not sneezed yet, but boy does this ever not smell like me at this stage! Early dry down (10 minutes): Well, it's not quite a wash-off-immediately-or-the-sinuses-will-die. Which is good. The bad is that it is still VERY floral, and not showing many signs of being richened or tamed by the patchouli. The top note is decidedly gardenia and a vry true to life one at that. This is a smell I happen to enjoy very much outdoors where it belongs. On my wrist, however, it makes me think of 60-something Junior League Members with blonde washed hair of the type that is "set" rather than styles. The citrus has pretty much disappeared on me, and what is left behind the magnolia is a damp, green leaves kind of smell. At the moment, this is like rain in Georgia. Late dry down (30 minutes): This never hit "wash me" territory, but it certainly isn't a favorite for me. It's ALL gardenia, and that damp, almost moldy smell behind the floral has lingered. I smell like an old lady. It's not one I'd ever wear. Too bad.

The scent of the throes of violent passion: entangled limbs, teeth on flesh, furiously grasping hands, the taste of blood and sweat. Golden amber, white honey, red currant, daemonorops, kush, and Arabian musk. In the imp: Amber and musk. The musk is predominant, and it's a dry, harsh musk to my nose. I'm not getting any of the sweet notes. I wonder if that has to do with age or a decanting batching issue? Wet on skin: Musk is still predominant, but now I'm catching something a bit sweet and thick against the back of my palate as I sniff. This may be the honey, but there is a sharp spiciness to it rather than the rich honey of some other bpal scents. This is very middle eastern to my nose at this stage, filled with spice and dry musk. Early dry down (10 minutes): Hmm. This is definitely a strong one on me. The musk is more aggressive than I expected, and I can't help but think that musk smells WAY more like dirty hippie than patchouli does on me. This reminds me of an old college friend from India who wore some super strong Indian perfume that seemed to draw men to her like flies, but which always made other women behave like mean cats. The amber is definitely there and is trying its best to tame the musk, but none of the other sweet notes seem to be doing much. Late dry down (30 minutes): Some of the sweet notes have finally come out to play with the musk. On my left wrist this is still a FIERCE scent, with musk and something vaguely woody and peppery under the musk. I'm calling the left wrist my "dirty hippy girl wrist". The right wrist is a much milder, but also more complex scent. The powdery amber is predominant, and there is a syrupy almost tart sweetness underneath it that reminds me of Swank -- I'm guessing that's the red currant. Verdict: It's not a wash-off horror story experience, but I'm quite glad that I only swapped for a decant of this. It's too aggressively musky for my taste for everyday wear, and I know J's reaction will be a nose wrinkle. (My husband loves patchouli, but hates musk. I've trained him well.) I wish the amber were a bit stronger in this and the musk a bit milder. If both wrists smelled like the right, I'd be more apt to wear it. As it stands, I think this may get reswapped.

I would say that LP is much foodier than Underpants. Underpants was sexy, woody vanilla with saffron. LP is sweet, creamy (and a bit plastic on me!) vanilla. Underpants is teh sex whereas LP is a more "innocent" kind of scent. It's like a babydoll dress (LP) versus a body skimming sheath (Underpants).