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Imp: A light, sweet plum, more floral than fruity, with beautiful carnation, over a bed of pale musk. This does indeed smell like a craft store or a Yankee Candle, but damn, it's a good-smelling craft store or candle. I don't know what chrysanthemum is like, really, but I'm sure it's in here. Wet: A little waxy, a little soapy, but still a spicy, floaty plum with touches of spiky floral. Quite nice, but a bit perfumey. We'll see if it mellows. Dry: This one settles as it dries and becomes a little less in your face, but there's still a slightly smoky quality to it that I associate with a craft store filled with candles. If chrysanthemum and carnation behave on you, definitely give this one a shot, since it would be amazing without the wax. That being said, I think this would be absolutely gorgeous in a lotion, and think I will keep my Imp for that purpose.

Imp: Tea. Earl Grey mixed with other strong black teas. Am I hallucinating or did I catch a touch of jasmine, like maybe a jasmine green? It's kind of sweet, but nice. The leather will go weird on me, because leather always does. Wet: Bergamot and tea and a faint hint of that weird slick-vanilla smell I get with leather. And jasmine. I'd swear there's the tiniest drop of jasmine in here. That "wrong" leather note just keeps getting louder, unfortunately. I think it might end up ruining this for me but we'll see. Dry: Alas, only a faint hint of bergamot and tea is left. This one DOES go by quick.

Imp: Bitter, bubbly pomegranate and a splash of something herbal, probably juniper, and booze. FIZZ. Wet: A strong juniper, but then, this Imp has aged a lot so I guess it makes sense. Almost sort of soapy. Then some pomegranate, and something bitter. Dry: Sweet, fruity powder with a touch of something herbal. Not, I think, for me.

Imp: Mmm! Jasmine, sweet floral orange, herbal lemon verbena and a faint soapy green tea. This smells like some kind of really good cleanser, which is fine by me! Wet: Orange candies, like Sweet Tarts, and jasmine powder and lemon drops. Then green tea cough drops. This reminds me a lot of Embalming Fluid, but sweeter and less musky. More like a candy than a soap. Dry: This is almost completely gone now, just a faint breath of sweetness and soap. Pretty, but I think I like Embalming Fluid more.

Chaos Theory 2: XI (11) So someone gave me a few drops of this this absolutely ages ago and somehow I never got 'round to reviewing it. zenvodunista also reviewed it, I believe. Imp: This is indeed quite hard to get a handle on. Strong, sweet spices, something like a dark amber over a musky base, and a sweet, piercing floral, quite possibly lotus. I can definitely see the spices and bubblegum comparison, but to me it smells like overly-sweet incense. Wet: Sweet pea? And strong tonka or something of that nature. Lotus, spice, something nose-tingly like menthol. This reminds me a LOT of Perversion-- same tonka, same background spice, same sugar and even a hint of booze. It is however even foodier than Perversion. The throw on this is ridiculous. Dry: For me, this is pretty much a dead ringer of Perversion. Must be the tonka? Same waxy sweetness, layered with spice and something like leather. It's nice, but it's nothing (fortunately) that I'm in love with. Last reviewed by Shollin.

Imp: CEDAR. And heavy vetiver, and something a little fruity. Bears a very strong resemblance to Fire of Love on me, but without the black musk that makes that one so oppressive. Wet: Oh, cool! Olive leaf! Smells like olive oil but greener and softer. Then-- WHOOSH-- cedar. A faint trace of subdued, pleasant raspberry, and lastly a well-behaved vetiver. I agree with whoever said that this works surprisingly well for the notes listed. Nice throw. To me, the woodsiness and earthiness and fruit combine into a smell that smells like the compost pile and the garden at home. Which is not an insult by any means-- in fact it's rather comforting. Dry: So I expected to hate this because of the cedar, and I have to admit, it's not my favorite thing in the world, but this is surprisingly herbal and pleasant and, I think, would be great layered with something creamy-sweet. If wood blends are your thing, this would be great on you!

Imp: Sexy! Mostly I get a bitter, biting ginger, some earthy (but not dirty) patchouli, and a tiny hint of citrussy sweetness that is the orange blossom. This is extremely nice. I can definitely see the Snake Oil comparisons, although this one lacks the deep vanilla. Wet: Heavy, almost greenish-herbal ginger, sweet orange blossom and a round, grounding patchouli. I smell like some kind of really deliciously spicy orange-ginger cake! There's definitely something about this patchouli that gives me the impression of baking, which is really weird but oh well, who cares, because I smell awesome! Dry: Mmm... this is the grown up version of Shub with a twist of Snake Oil. Less cookies and lemon and more spice and earth. Stunning, dramatic, and almost foody without being sweet. Verrrrry nice.

Frimp from the Lab. Imp: A sweet, airy and light floral, primarily gardenia, rose, and that honey-sweet heliotrope. I know what cyclamen and stephanotis look like but I've never smelled them on their own, so I guess that's why I can't detect them. This is very pretty. I would like my laundry to smell like this. Wet: Sweet white florals with a touch of spice. Reminds me a good deal of Dirty, but sweeter and rounder. It almost smells like there's some pear in here, but I think that's just because pear and gardenia go together in so many body products. Dry: This is a nice sweet white floral, pretty and feminine and summery. Nevertheless, not my thing.

Frimp from the lab with the most recent order. Imp: Dry cocoa, sweet salt and booze. Oh, so much booze. Wine scents don't usually work on me and I really doubt I'm going to like this. Wet: Chocolate, a salty tang of blood, something that smells like dying flowers, and a strong alcoholic note. Insanely strong, insanely good throw... too bad I'm not diggin' it. There's definitely spice and something dry and leathery in the sillage as well. And some sort of wood note, too. Maybe vetiver? Starting to dry: This is too strong, pungent and sort of "sour" smelling on me for me to let it dry completely down. The vetiver is whatever kind of vetiver that's in Highwayman and a few other things-- the one that doesn't work on me and smells faintly like burning vegetables and body odor. This would be great on someone whose skin chemistry likes wine and blood notes, but on me it's just too... prickly and off... to enjoy. Going to wash it off now.

Like the above poster, something about the simplicity of the notes listed above meant I just needed it. In the bottle: Oh. My. God. This smells amazing. It smells just like-- just like-- beeswax, and olive oil, and orange blossom honey, and just the tiniest bit of blown out candle. It's so creamy and honey-sweet that it's almost foody, but without smelling like candles or bakery or any of that. Just... rich, and soothing, and warm, but still kind austere, kind of quiet. It's absolutely beautiful. Wet: Beeswax and orange blossom at the first sniff. I was wrong about the honey-- I can smell the wax now that I have it on, so strongly I can almost feel it. Olive oil then, green and rich and peaceful. Still creamy and soft and just the slightest hint of smoke. This is by far one of the most evocative and beautiful blends I've worn, elegant in its simplicity, but it's also so comfortable, so accessible and friendly that I don't feel like I'm not grown-up enough to wear it. Dry: Everything I said above and more. Sweet, creamy without foody, rich without being overwhelming... just.... perfected simplicity and absolutely gorgeous.

My friend Christi gave me a sample of this to try... what makes it even more awesome is the fact it's contained in a chem-lab sample tube! Imp... er, tube: When jasmine attacks. Smells a lot like the Perfumed Garden, but spicier and darker. I really don't know why I'm reviewing this now, as I am on the rag as of tomorrow morning so my hormones may be responsible for any weirdness rather than the blend. Wikipedia tells me jasmine sambac is more commonly known as Arabic jasmine. Wet: Violet + jasmine + a dark vanilla. I don't get a whole lot of dark musk out of this, which is probably good since black musk is one of those notes that can just kill a blend for me. Surprisingly deep and creamy for an almost all-floral blend. If you were a floral hater this might be a good intro for you, if you can deal with jasmine. Dry: Pretty much the same. A tame, very pleasant floral and a touch of foody vanilla. This is quite nice, although since I have a bottle of the Perfumed Garden I'm not sure I'll need to hang on to it. I would certainly recommend it to those easing into the floral realm, though.

I had an Imp of this once, and have either mislaid or swapped it.... As I recall, this was a lovely deep-red musk and cinnamon blend, overlaid with black cherry. Very nice, but so similar to Red Phoenix that I (apparently) didn't feel the need to keep it. As I remember, it was a touch juicier, but vanished fairly quickly on my skin. [edit] Aha! I have found my Imp of it, and so I shall do a real review: Imp: Yum! Some kind of delicious hard-candy, cherry and cinnamon and spiced cardamom and lovely lemony verbena. It's all underlaid by a very mild, very pleasant patchouli note, more like a dark polished wood than hippie-stank. Wet: Big old blast of cassis at first, then the sweet round cherry, lemon verbena and cardamom come up to round it out. It's a lot like Red Phoenix, as I remembered, but sweetier, fruitier and less smoky. I like it a lot! Dry: Eventually all the notes meld into one lovely spicy-fruity melange that smells like Southern Comfort tastes without the booze. If you wanted to like Red Phoenix but it was just too dry and harsh on you, get your hands on some of this, stat-- it's great!

Ordered in my most recent batch of Imps. Ambergris is one of THOSE notes on me, the kind that take a really good blend and turn it into an AWESOME one. Imp: This smells almost foody in the imp, almost all a swirl of golden vanilla and something crisply lemony (presumably the elemi.) The ambergris and musk provide a rich, almost buttery background. The moss and the grey amber provide a slightly salty, sea-fresh sort of layer to it as well. Very unusual-- foody without being FOODY, aquatic without being ozone-ish or overpowering. I really don't think this combo would work without the pine-and-lemon freshness of the elemi-- it's the note that brings it all together. Wet: At first, salt. Then, vanilla. Then, smooth musk, amber and ambergris, a little spice, a little floral. Individual elements become very hard to pick out. Like Poisoned Apple, this one is extremely hard to classify. Foody? Aquatic? Incense? It's not really any of these, but rather a sophisticated enigma. It's very much a perfume scent, while not smelling commercial at all. The ambergris is quite strong, on me at least, giving it that wonderful musky-soft base. Soft, subtle, but still there. Dry: This actually gets stronger as it dries, which is unusual. The whole thing has blended even further, settling into a spicy-powdery melange. With its elegant, perfumey sensibility, Lyonesse reminds me of nothing so much as a more unisex Morocco-- likewise creamy, sweet, and rich without actually smelling at all the same. I think this is destined to become a VERY popular blend, although, like Morocco, I will have to see how much I reach for it before investing in anything other than my Imp.

Not a floral fan, but this was a frimp, so what the hell. Imp: Lemon drops! Sweet sticky lemon candy, with a little spicy orange. I'm shocked, but this smells really good. Then again, I really like lemon drops. It's a little floral, too. Fun! Wet: Floral soap and lemon drops! Lots of honeysuckle, heliotrope, and sweet orange blossom and lemon verbena. Almost sort of bubble-gummy without being artificial. Sweet and girly and fresh and young. Dry: A spicy, citrussy, candy-ish floral now, with tons of heliotrope and honeysuckle. I can see this being a fun summer-day-at-the-pool scent, but I'm not sure I'll hang on to it for that, it's not terribly me. That being said, this captures the teasing "innocence" of a budding girl amazingly well-- it's fresh and sweet and somehow still just a little sinful.

Imp: Strong, strong frankincense and spicy (not dirty) patchouli. There's a breath of sandalwood, too, like an old wooden box that has been used to keep incense for many, many years. Wet: Bitter frankincense and dry, sweet patchouli. This is extremely dry and smells like an old furniture shop to me-- very woody and dusty. But nice. Salty, too. Dry: There's something in here that's so sharp it's almost a little bit urine-ish on me. I strongly suspect it's the frankincense, and without the softer, sweeter notes present in, say, Midnight Mass, it's pretty much doing this one in on me. It's not at all a bad scent, but nowhere near as sultry as I was expecting. I can't see reaching for this over, say, Scherazade.

A perfect, lovely, gleaming red apple whose sweetness masks a swirl of narcotic opium, oleander, and hemlock. Hoping this will be the antidote to all things Marie. Imp: Big, ripe red and green apples, falling off the tree-- miraculously-- in the dead of winter. Crushed herbs, earthy and pungent, and grass underfoot, and, from somewhere, the sinister smell of incense and opium. I freakin' love it. Fruity and dark and herbal all at once. Wet: The apple goes a little sweeter on me than in the Imp, but nowhere near as fake and plastic as the Hesperides. It's grounded in the deeper scents of herbs and smoke. I really have to compliment Beth's hemlock scent, it really smells like walking across a clearing in the woods: just a macerated green-things smell, intertwined with apple and sweet opium and smoke. Somewhere under that is the flush smoothness of the oleander. Dry: 5mL now, kthnxbai.

Would have never gotten this for myself (the dreaded rose!) but it was lagniappe from the Lab, so... In the Imp: Cool, sweet, powdery-sharp violets and quietly refined rose. I really love the violets in this scent right now, not sure why. It's a pity this isn't going to work on me. Wet: The violet turns kind of bitter and green-smelling. Not bad, really, but not good, either. The rose is a bit soapy, but not too horrible. The overall impression is very much a grandmother's-perfume one, though. Not Quite Dry: Ugh. Distressingly refrigerated florals, unfriendly and brittle. This isn't so much offensive as vague and unpleasant, like an annoying mechanical buzz. Wash it off time, fo' shizzle. Guess I'm just not meant to get along with great ladies. [edit] And, of course, on my roommate, this smells absolutely great. *hate* I wish it was that elegant and womanly on me!

This was a gift from a friend, and therefore it must be tried. It's nothing I would have chosen for myself, since rose is always soap on me. In the Imp: Incredibly strong cedar, which is weird, because it's not a listed note. Perhaps it's that type of sandalwood. That's all. Wet: Cedar and sandalwood, like a dusty carved wooden box. The rose comes out more, smelling a lot like soap of course, but is given the smackdown by the prickly cedary smell and vanishes. What's really weird is, I can smell the rose and it almost smells like... you know... rose. Instead of soap. But only if I'm about six inches away from my wrist. It's a nail-polish fake flower-shop rose, though. Dry: Holy crap. The rose in this one worked for me... once it dried it turned into, y'know, real rose! Maybe there's hope yet. That being said, this is a strong, full, womanly rose touched with spice. Far too elegant for the likes of me, but it would be absolutely gorgeous on the right person. And it's giving me a headache. On you go, little imp.

Been a while since I've reviewed. In the Imp: Stale, sweet offertory flowers, with sweet wine, dry cocoa powder and dusty tobacco. It's kind of... tickly. I don't like it all that much, but we'll give it a go. Wet: Incredibly strong flowers, I think the tulip. Smells wet and springy. Rose is coming out to play as well, and threatens to turn the whole thing to soap. No sign of the darker bass notes, which is a pity, since I was hoping this would amp the tobacco, chocolate and wine. Smells a bit like a "clean laundry" candle on me. Overly floral for my tastes, but I'll see what it's like on the drydown. Dry: Not much has changed. I'm getting more of the dry cocoa and honey now, but it's faint and kind of boring and still smells predominantly like one of those "fresh" commercial scents on me. *sigh* If my skin amped cocoa and honey and tobacco, this would be gorgeous, but as it is it's mostly floral and kinda lame.

First review in a long time. In the Imp: Generic green foliage, I guess the myrtle, and spicy carnation. I can never smell amber until it's on my skin, so it makes sense that this one doesn't smell like much to me. Kind of an aquatic. Eh. Wet: Smells like a carnation soap I used for some time, and just a hint of fresh tingly myrtle. The amber is backing it, but it's very faint, sweet and watery. Apple blossom is edging the whole thing, just a tiny tiny hint of it. Oh, there's the amber. Smells a lot like the ambers in Jacob's Ladder. Dry: Soft, powdery amber, with faint cool myrtle and a little apple blossom. It almost smells like one of those girly "powder fresh" scents, but of course much much nicer. Smells like white and pink lingerie. It's pretty, rich and feminine, and exactly the sort of scent I don't generally wear.

My Ars Draconis experiences have been only so-so. However, the description of this one was too good for me to pass up. Imp: Mmm. Deep, smoky fruits-- pomegranite, I suppose, with rich red musk, and myrrh, and cassia. It reminds me a lot of Red Phoenix or Blood Moon, but it's different... not quite as "bright" as Red Phoenix, without the grain note and not quite so spicy as Blood Moon. It smells like rich, heady, smoked wine, with, I think, a touch of floral from the dragon's blood and mimosa. Gorgeous. Exactly the sort of scent I love. Wet: Myrrh and pomegranite city, at first, sweet resin. That smoke note quickly emerges afterward, then the sticky heady smell of red musk, backed by red patchouli and cassia. The dragon's blood, mimosa and pomegranite make this a little lighter than either Blood Moon or Red Phoenix, but no less delicious. It's definitely the daytime version of that scent family. This would be incredible aged, I think. Dry: Myrrh has become the dominant note, sweet and sticky and golden, followed by dragon's blood, musk, smoke and spice. The mimosa and pomegranite seem to have faded into the background. The overall impression is one of sweet red smoke, hugging close to the skin. If I didn't already own Red Phoenix and Blood Moon, I would be snapping up a bottle of this. As it is... we'll have to see.

Imp: Cedar! Cedar cedar cedar, and thick resin incense, and a touch of woodsmoke. Golden and dry and rich. This is lovely and solemn and reminds me very much of fall. Wet: A burst of that woodsmoke smell, a little too bitter for my taste, and then a secondary waft of cedar and incense. I'm pretty sure there's a bit of vetiver in here too. There's something sweet and pretty hovering behind it, but it's almost completely obscured by the harsher scents. And..... there's something really familiar and very.... very.... familiar... BANANAS? Holy crap! Yes! Bananas! I can smell bananas in the throw of this. SweartaGahd. WTF? Dry: Smokier and less banana but still..... eurgh. Something in this is making me nauseated and headachey. GET IT OFF!

In the Imp: Cloves? And something astringent, maybe birch or sassafras. It's almost medicinal-smelling, and very faint, and that unpleasant sharp note reminds me of a commercial perfume. Wet: Cinnamon? Definitely-- my arms are tingly. But cinnamon with a sickening sort of watery undertone for a minute, until that burns off and I'm left with a straight-up cinnamon... but a surprisingly faint one. Maybe some ginger as well, but nothing's jumping out at me. Perhaps it's the "rice" note that's not agreeing with me. Dry: It's already starting to fade even further, becoming just a breath of dusty spices. You know, it's weird, I thought this would be in my top ten, since the description is exactly what I'm looking for in a perfume, but alas, no dice. On to someone whose skin chemistry treats it more kindly.

(2006) I swapped my Crowley for a bottle of this from the lovely Buddha Mama. In the bottle: Amber does this really weird thing on me where I can barely smell it in the bottle. So instead of amber, I get an impression of faint fruits and florals and tonka, smooth and warm and round. It smells almost like some kind of delicious drink or sweet at this point. Wet: It starts out powdery, for just a moment, then morphs into strong beautiful amber overlaid with the aforementioned sweet syrup. Something is making it smell almost sort of milky on me, and something else lends a faint hint of powder. It's pretty, but it's very.... smooth, and not at all spicy or pointed like I usually like my blends. I wish I were getting the smokiness that some people describe. The bottom note of this has a lemony quality-- it must be the same amber used in Bearded Lady, since I can smell the same effect there. Dry: There's a little bit of spiciness coming out now. I'm not even going to try to describe notes, since I know I can't possibly, everything is perfectly blended to the point of being seamless. It's a sweet-milky-resin blend, rich and golden. As pretty as this is, and it is very pretty, I'm not really sure it's a "me" scent. I'm going to have to hang on to it and see how much I end up using it. EDIT: I ended up using this in a diffuserl, and it made my bedroom smell heavenly!

This was a frimp from the Lab. Imp: I really didn't expect to like this, but in the Imp it's gorgeous-- a sweet, floral, aquatic scent, tart and green and perfect for an extra-hot August day. Wet: It's less candyish and more floral once it goes on, but a very pretty, slightly bitter, incredibly green sort of floral. Light and springy and very very nice. Dry: This is fading already, but it's still pretty-- light aquatic touches laid over with unusual flowers. I might even keep it!