kakiphony

Citrusy and classic "clean" scent at first spray, but definitely something herbal as it longer in the air. I'm getting mint and/or tarragon rather than rosemary though... This is not super long lasting, but is very pleasant.

As everyone else has said, this is (really good, not cheap-o) Nag Chama in a bottle. It's a golden, thick, incense scent on the skin. There's a little fruity/sweet at the beginning, and then pure incense for ages and ages. Throw is moderate. It smells like the clothing racks at a shop I used to frequent in college that carried hippie skirts and loads of scarves from Indian. I will wear this loads on the weekend when I can smell how I want, but never to work. If I wore it to work I'd get the reputation of a total hippie!

I did not pay enough attention to this scent, and I'm afraid this review is not as thorough or insightful as I would like. In the bottle this smelled sort of mildly aquatic and a little bit floral to me. I did get plum from it. At first application is immediately amped and smell strongly of aquatics and old lady in a way that made me sneeze (and may be the "soap" smell that others have mentioned.) It read as wet rather than cold to me -- like a sleety, slushy mess rather than pretty snow flakes. Then, I was in a hurry to leave the house, and managed to not sniff my wrists at all during the early dry down phases, so I'm not sure how the top notes bloomed and developed. Several hours later, it has faded to the point of having zero throw and being a skin scent. It's a very pretty resin, with final powder. On one wrist there is something a little bit sharp, which is probably the last remaining bit of the carnation. It's pretty and unobtrusive, but nothing special. I will come back and edit this post once I have a chance to try it on a day when I can PAY ATTENTION.

In the imp: Not as deep as I would have expected from cypress. Light, with something like mint that I think may actually be birch? Wet on skin: Total amping here. This was a quiet scent in the imp and is a LOUD scent on me at first application. It's exactly what the title says: The inside of a box where jewelry worn close to perfumed skin has been stored. A little wood (I tend to read almost all wood as "cedar" because it smells like my cedar chest!), a little powder, some florals, and maybe a touch of dry spice. Early dry down (10 minutes): The amping mellows, but the scent remains large unchanged from first application. This is not (at least on me) an early morpher. Again, it's what it says on the label: The inside of the jewelry box of a rich, perfumed lady. Late dry down (about 45 minutes to an hour): This is really a very stable scent on me. The only real change was from imp to skin. Wood, subtle perfume (more cologne than perfume -- it has some resins and spice and sin't overtly floral) and a little dry spice. It's golden yet deep, resinous, yet heady. Very pretty.

In the imp: Very faint. Mild even. One of the least aggressive oils I have smelled in the imp in ages. Wet on skin: A quick sharp jolt of cologne, that very quickly mellows in the nose. There is a bit of high and sweet from the lotus, and then a really soft vanilla-sandalwood under it. Early dry down (5-10 minutes): This is bizarre to me. I expected something complex and rich, and instead I'm getting something really gentle and mild. I don't get the creamy note others have mentioned, but it might come out with time. As it starts to settle, I am catching more of the floral ylang ylang and a little more sweet bubble gum from the lotus. It's a very poppy bubble gum -- more bubbles than glob if that makes sense. There's also just a tiny bit of something plastic (like a Strawberry Shortcake doll) in there which I have occasionally gotten from vanilla. Late dry down (45+ minutes): A delicate skin scent, most ylang ylang and sandalwood. This is soft, warm, and comforting. Very pretty and subtly feminine,

In the imp: Very citrusy and bright. Wet on skin: This applies with a burst of bitter orange and the very quickly there is something sharp and herbal poking up through it. It's loud and sharp, mostly ginger -- and fresh, eye watering ginger at that -- but with a little bit of green spice from the geranium. Early dry down (5-10 minutes): In the early stages this a VERY strong on me. The bitter orange morphs into something more like lemon scented cleaner (pledge, dish soap, that variety) with a healthy kicker of ginger and a little geranium if I hold my nose right up close to my wrist and huff. I can almost detect some more subtle notes waiting to come out as this wears, but they're very faint and absolutely crushed by the citrus/ginger combination. Late Dry Down (60 minutes+): For all the amping in the early stages, this almost disappeared rather quickly. I am left with faintly sweet frankincense. It's rather powdery and so subtle that it could be the skin-scent left behind by a scented soap or scrub.

Starts out as an odd combination of dusty pepper (like the really low quality black pepper you find in diners) and sharp, slightly damp dead leaves. Quickly, the dead leaf odor fades and the sandalwood rises up to make this a little spicy, a little dry, and overall a fairly traditional scent. Low throw, very much a "cologne" fragrance on me -- my chemistry has just devoured anything subtle that was there.

I received this as an extra from the lovely puck_nc, and I am sorry to say that it will NOT be released into the wild to be tested by more of my bpalista friends because OMG I LOVE THIS AND KEEPING IT AND YOU CANNOT STOP ME. Seriously, it's worth the all caps. Puddin', if you read this, I would buy more of this stuff. In the bottle it sort of smelled generically chocolate to me and made me think of the various 13s I've tried over the years. I honestly was not super excited. But I wanted a bath and I was out of anything else pampering so I threw a dollop in. As soon as it mixed with the hot water the scent of this stuff started to bloom. The chocolate is deep and cocoa-like, reminding me of the very quality cocoa powder I use for baking my chocolate porter cake. But there is also a healthy dash of spice in this. It's not cinnamon or cassia (so no worries for the lad bits), but possibly cardamom and saffron. There's also a lovely nuttiness here which reminds me of Queen of Sheba, so I expect some almond found its way in there as well. In fact, I think this smells very much like Queen of Sheba with cocoa. I am in LOVE.

This is the most vegetable of the dead leave scents I have tried yet, and the one for which the dead leaf note lingers the longest. It eventually turns quite powdery -- it's a sweet, dusty powder with just a little dead leaf funk under it. Interesting, but a bit too sweet and powdery for me.

This started out quite vegetable from the leaves, and then the frankincense amped and gave it a strong cologne smell. Over time it has faded and it now fairly pleasant, although I get an underlying hint of BO when I huff my wrists. Not my favorite of these Dead Leaves scents. The BO is just...kind of gross. First one I've washed off.

Much less sweet than I expected from a blend with honey, and the vegetable dead leaf note faded very quickly on me. The oudh was definitely the dominant note, and rose quickly to the surface and controlled the dry-down. I was left a slightly sweet, very resinous scent. It reminded me more of a traditional perfume than many pal blends -- but in a good way. It smelled rich and sophisticated. My husband pronounced it "powdery" and didn't care for it, so no bottle for me. But I thought it was quite gorgeous.

This started off lovely and fresh. Sadly, it has turned into Glade air freshener on me. Specifically, the weird cone shaped ones in the plastic that you find in gas station and camp ground bathrooms.

This is seriously gorgeous on me. It starts out all bright apple and very subtle coconut with just a little floral -- light, sweet, yet sophisticated. As it dries down and fades it turns a little powdery, but in a yummy I-want-to-lick-my-skin way. The coconut is the lingering scent, but with a sort of vanilla floral tone. Really, I can't describe how lovely this is. It's the surprise winner out of all the apples for me.

What are some of your favorite stocking stuffers? Candy, nuts, lip balms (tinted and regular), little tubes of hand lotion, socks and tights, tea, small kitchen items (like measuring spoons, silicone baking spatulas, spices and fancy salts, etc.), bath indulgences, tiny liquor bottles, tiny hair ties, and inexpensive jewelry. Is there anything in particular from another country that you can't get in your own country you'd like to get? What's most important to me: anything in particular from The Netherlands you'd like to get? In general, I love to try candy (especially chocolate), teas, spices, packaged cookies, and dried fruit/nut/snack mixes from other countries. I'm more a fan of consumable items than of knickknacks. I’m not sure what is from the Netherlands in particular though! Have you tried licorice candy before and do you like it? I like black and salty black licorice, but am not a fan of red licorice. (Also not a fan of gummy candies.) If you were to receive Christmas/Holiday ornaments or other decorations, do you care *when* you receive them in the swap? Early would stand more chance of getting put on the tree this year. We usually put it up mid-December and leave it up until sometime between the 26th of December and the first of January depending on how lazy we are being and how quickly the needles are shedding. Anyone like popcorn and what kinds? I do like popcorn, although I will admit that we mostly cook the microwave stuff because we don’t have an air or stove popper anymore. I like butter + salt and pepper and cheese toppings. There is a place near us that does things like truffle salt and butter or Sri Racha Lime butter and it is amazing. For pre-bagged already popped stuff, salt, pepper, and cheese are best. Caramel sticks in my teeth…but gets eaten anyway. Anyone a fan of http://www.cthulhulives.org/solstice/ I had never heard of it, but it looks entertaining. However, sheet music is not for me, and I don’t currently have a working CD player. is there any kind of photo you'd like to have? Landscape, critter, flowers, other? If so, what size would be good for your environment? Or would you like a set of notecards instead of a print? I am actually starting to run out of useable wall space in my house for art, which is a very odd problem to have! That said, notecards would be lovely. I like landscapes, foxes, flowers, really almost anything. Would you be interested in anything from this site? Maybe the disappearing Klingon mug? But really, my mug cupboard is already so full I've started having to stack things! Would you be interested in receiving cards against humanity's "holiday bullshit"? Maybe? I've never played Cards Against Humanity, but in theory is sounds fun. I don't have enough friends???? Would you be happy or annoyed or anything in between to receive a tentacle kitty? They are very cute. If one came to me, it would immediately be claimed by my niece. She has already taken over my Nagini, which I don't mind because watching a 2 year old walk in the front door and shriek "My Nagini! Mine!" and hug the snot out of a stuff snake is pretty much unbeatable for cute.)

Vanilla scented plastic with an undertone of the cheapest red hots made. What happened to me? My chemistry is destroyed!!!!!!!