LushNatty

In the bottle: I’m thinking…morning glory (are those the little white cup-like flowers that grow as ground cover? The oil smells exactly like those.) Applied: I can still smell that original scent, but with a bit more of a bouquet…lilies, something a bit spicy that isn’t a carnation, and a rose hovering in the background. It’s sweet. I like it. (It’s funny how I never, ever smell the correct flowers! Well, “never” is a bit hyperbolic, but that’s how it feels sometimes.) After 30 minutes, it’s starting to cloy a bit and I’m sneezing a little when I get a whiff. *sigh* Story of my life when it comes to most floral blends. ALL of the initial flowers that I smelled (the "wrong" ones) are disappearing and I am finally beginning to pick up on the lilac and violet, but the violet is so faint I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if I didn’t know it was supposed to be in there. Throw is pretty light. I imagine that I would need to reapply this every two hours at least if I were to wear it as a regular perfume. Because of the sneezing, though, I won’t be doing that. Later: the violet is developing more…and turns to “powdery violet” after an hour, as I have read on here before-- in fact, that's the only thing left. I happen to love violets, but this isn’t the best one for me. Definitely try it if you agree with florals, folks, because it’s a very beautiful bouquet of flowers. On a scale of 1 to 5: 3.

In the bottle: To the best of my reckoning: mint, lavender and eucalyptus. The mint is the most prominent and is pretty strong right when you open the imp. Applied: Mint, but kind of sweet, like peppermint candy. The peppermint candy smell lingers for a while, and the oil even feels a bit sticky on my skin. I am really curious now as to whether or not Lick It will smell like this when I have a chance to try it. After 30 minutes, the throw (originally quite strong) has decreased a bit, but it’s still a peppermint candy scent on my skin EXCEPT that there is a very slight hint of soap in the background. I really like mint, but this particular mint wouldn’t be one I would want to wear for a perfume because it’s too much like a candy—kind of like how I felt when I tried Absinthe (giant licorice drop), I would feel like a big swirly peppermint disc if I wore this all day. After an hour: it’s mint mixed with soap. Mint soap. OK, so I’d feel like a big bar of mint soap all day. Which is funny, because I hoard mint soaps and bubble bars and stuff, and if this was a bubble bath I’d be all over it. (Note to self: not a bad justification if this is ever released on the website…I could make it into a bubble bath if I had the know-how.) I certainly wouldn’t be averse to buying this in a bottle, but it wouldn’t be at the top of my bottle wish list. On a scale of 1 to 5: 3. Isn't it funny how almost everyone gets something different after the mint? Maybe that's the mystery.

In the bottle: Interesting—it’s like a light rose vinegar. I know that sounds weird, but it’s not—it’s actually strangely pleasant. Applied: It turns right into what it smells like for the rest of the time it’s on you—there aren’t beginning or intermediate stages. It’s a very light, innocent floral. The floral is very old-fashioned smelling without being cloying, and just very slightly sweet in the background. I would say that it is just short of being powdery, but isn’t. This is what Juliet would smell like if it hadn’t turned soapy on me from the sweet pea—a dainty, feminine, sweet-natured bouquet. Light to medium throw, and it fades after a few hours. This is a must-try if florals generally work well on you. I have a hit-or-miss history with floral blends, and this one is very nice but not “me” enough to put into regular rotation. On a scale of 1 to 5: 3.

I was predisposed to like this one, because I LOVED this poem when I was a kid. It's an old favorite. In the bottle: herbs, water and flowers. Very light and dainty. Applied: I anticipate that I won’t be able to wear this because sweet pea doesn’t work on me—turns to soap. Well, it is turning to soap, but I must say it is a pleasant type of soap—like most sweet pea, it reminds me of this soap I got at Anthropologie with a Victorian-style wrapper. That was supposed to be a Jasmine soap, but it wasn’t very jasmine-y, just nice. Perhaps because the sweet pea is always most dominant on me, it reminds me a lot of Juliet. However, this one is much less soapy on me than that was. I can smell the lilies in this and they are very sweet, and they seem to be able to tone down the soapiness that I get from the sweet pea. I would say this is one of the better DimV scents, definitely. It’s nice—I may not get a bottle, but I also may. It has a nice tea-with-honey smell to it. It’s clean and fresh-smelling, and a happy smell. On a scale of 1 to 5: 4.

In the bottle: Hard to pin down, but I would say… like green tea with honey. Applied: I can tell this is going to be a favorite. This smells a LOT like this oil I got years ago called Milk and Honey and for which I’ve never been able to find a duplicate---this is close. It’s very subtle, but so yummy. If this was a bit stronger and a little more honey it would be the duplicate of the mystery oil. Wow. I need a bottle of this one for sure. With time, it just gets better and better. I have to get a bottle of this, maybe two bottles. On a scale of 1 to 5: 5!

In the bottle: Like wet greenery in a garden. Applied: The inside of an unripe apricot. I know this smell really well because my grandmother had an apricot tree in her backyard when I was growing up and I spent a lot of time back there poking around under the tree, and I’ve smelled a lot of those unripe fruits. It’s actually a great scent—very green and live. It’s so fresh you can almost smell the dew on the ground. This would be incredible for spring, and I’d also like to test it in a burner. The fruit ripens a little bit as it develops on the skin. I really, really like this one. Like Al-Araaf, I know I’ll be getting at least one bottle of it. On a scale of 1 to 5: 5!

In the bottle: Oh! Not what I was expecting! Lots of orange! Applied: I can immediately smell the vanilla, amber, and gardenia—it’s gorgeous. In a way, it reminds me a lot of some of the Wanderlust blends I like—Morocco, Baghdad, etc. I’m thinking this might be the DimV oil that I end up hunting down on eBay after it gets discontinued. (Isn’t it funny how you can never tell from the description? I thought I would be hardcore into three of the ones I ended up not liking the most…) Medium throw—it’ll be noticeable but not too heavy. (On a second trial run of this, it was all cloying gardenias. But unlike the first time, it was “that time of the month” so it was probably me that changed, not the oil.) On a scale of 1 to 5: 4.

In the bottle: violets and water Applied: the initial flowers are all blue: violets and lilacs, and then I can definitely smell the lilies. So far the aquatic notes are staying, but the violets and lilacs have disappeared and something is starting to cloy. That only lasts for a few minutes, though, and then I can smell the carnation come in, and that seems to blend everything together. The throw is fairly light soon after first application, which makes me think that it will probably completely disappear within an hour or so. However, this would be a great one for before bed, I think, and I’m going to test that theory right now. I do like how this manages to stay “watery” smelling on me, while a lot of similar oils to this one don’t. (Upon awakening: I did have a good sex dream! It involved lost love at the end, though.) On a scale of 1 to 5: 3.5

In the bottle: Mmmmmmm! Chocolate and nut! Smells like a Hershey’s Almond bar, or chocolate-covered almonds, or something. Applied: Wow—this really has a strong throw, which I was totally not expecting. I smell really yummy, really like a chocolate-covered almond tastes. It’s just a little….toasted to wear on my skin, though, I don’t know… Half an hour later: there’s something sweet that has emerged, like sugar. And the throw has almost totally disappeared, except for the sweet sugar smell. It smells a bit like cotton candy, but not exactly. Hmmmm..sugar and violets, maybe? It’s nice, but there are so many nicer ones that I will probably swap this so someone else can try it. Then again, I may need to give this one another try. It may grow on me. On a scale of 1 to 5: 3.

I really liked it in the imp: it had a light, watery quality. Applied, however, the lightness and wateriness disappears, and it immediately becomes a very strong, cloying floral. I can’t identify the exact notes that are so strong (because there are a few in the description that I am not familiar with) but the overall effect is “Grandma’s Perfume.” I feel like there is a cloud of perfume around me, and I’m at work so I can’t take a shower. It’s so strong it’s making my eyes water. Darn. Another DimV scent that I don’t like. On a scale of 1 to 5: 1.

In the bottle: This is a really strong fruity smell, but for some reason I can’t quite identify the fruit. Fig, maybe? Applied: Oh, I know! This is like one of those really good-smelling permanent markers!! I LOVE the smell of those markers—I don’t know if they make this kind anymore, but it was the permanent marker of choice throughout my grade school years—all the teachers used them. It’s kind of a cross between that and the grape (and non-toxic) Mr. Marker. I don’t mean this in a bad way at all—I think it’s a really pleasant smell or I wouldn’t have huffed so many of those pens when I was a kid. Wow, this takes me back. I am interested to try this one out and see if it works well for its purpose. If it does, I’m buying a bottle, definitely. If not, I might buy a bottle anyway because it just smells good—it’s pretty darn close to smelling as good as the amazing French Love. On a scale of 1 to 5: 4.

In the bottle: very cherry, in a way that’s hard to describe. Even while in the bottle it seems to change a lot. At first, it smelled really light and yummy, and then as I continued to smell it, it turned to maraschino cherry, then to cough medicine, and then to a really, really strong artificial cherry that made my head hurt a little. This one is going to be interesting. Applied: Cherry Tootsie pop, immediately turning into dirt, then licorice. This is so weird—it’s foody but there’s something else hovering in the background that I can’t quite identify--kind of like pus or Vaseline. Maybe it’s something I’m getting from the combination of the two foody notes (anise and cherry) hitting the musk or something. Unfortunately, this is one of the few that send me into the bathroom for the soap and water—REALLY doesn’t work on me. On a scale of 1 to 5: 1.

In the bottle: Mmmm—it’s herbally and a bit medicinal (in a nice way) Applied: it gets more medicinal and less herbally on my skin. It does smell fresh, though, like a new leaf, and it gets less medicinal as time passes. I am absolutely not detecting any woods, though, at least not at first…. …the woods start to emerge after about 15 minutes, and it really rounds out the scent. I think that Beth’s description is absolutely, totally accurate—this smells exactly like you would expect it to smell from the “leaves, woods, herbs” description, and once it develops it’s extremely well-balanced. I have trouble wearing woods, which is a shame because I can tell that this is a terrific scent if I could carry off woods. A smoky note starts to emerge after about half an hour (so I definitely will not be able to wear this). It’s not a really strong smoke, however, so if you can wear woods you should definitely try this. On a scale of 1 to 5: 4.

In the bottle: Oooh, this is beautiful. Dragon's Blood and roses, and it’s really hard to describe other than that. It’s just a mélange of beautiful scents. Applied: at first, it is much like it is in the bottle, except that it heats up on your skin and just explodes with beauty. Strong throw—it’s kind of like the effect of using an oil burner. Wow. This may be worthy of a 10 mL, which I don’t usually buy. This doesn’t change, but it is good from beginning to end. Great staying power, and it is strong but not overwhelming—you just want to get closer to it. (If I liked O, this is what O would smell like.) A total winner. On a scale of 1 to 5: 5!!

In the bottle: Tang (not the beverage, but the adjective). Applied: This reminds me of when my nephew started eating things other than breast milk and baby cereal. When he would try new foods that had sour or bitter qualities in them, he made a pucker face and we would say “Oooh! Dat’s tangy!” After a while, he made the face whenever we said the phrase, even when he wasn’t eating anything. Anyway, that’s how I feel about this oil: Ooooh! It’s TANGY! There is a lot of bitter stuff going on in this one. I can’t really describe it, but so it is. Kind of green, but in a medicinal way. On a scale of 1 to 5: 2.

In the bottle: Very green. Applied: It’s nice, but hard to describe. I am not really picking up too much fruit, or even floral, in here. This sounds weird, but this actually kind of reminds me of my grandfather; I think he must have owned a cologne that smelled like this. I primarily smell the “mountain air” type of scent; it’s like water and air and green things growing in it. I like it, but it’s too manly for me to wear—I think I mainly like it because it reminds me of someone special to me—always a good thing! Would probably be great on a guy. I may keep it just when I am feeling blue to cheer me up—kind of a “comfort smell.” On a scale of 1 to 5: 4 (but only because I don’t have a guy to test it on!!)

In the bottle: it’s a very strong, watery floral, and it is already cloying, but in a pretty kind of way. Definitely evocative of a bayou. Applied: another example of how you have to try these oils before you know if you like them or not. I was almost positive I wasn’t going to keep the imp from the bottle smell—I even put off testing it—but now that it is on, I really like it. It’s a really pretty aquatic floral with a honey-sweetness to it. It has a decent throw, not as strong as I had feared, and I’m just waiting to see if it starts getting overwhelming. An hour later, it has just gotten better with time. I love this scent— Two hours later--- turned to soap. Dang. On a scale of 1 to 5: 3 (was a 5 before the second hour, unfortunately.)

In the bottle: very vinegary. Applied, the vinegar smell goes right away and there’s a fresh white rose smell—it’s very light, but nice. (Looking back at the description—I guess I am smelling lilies. Oh, well—I had pegged it as white rose at first.) It doesn’t seem to change very much after the initial application, and it is a very light throw. It’s nice, but not “wow”, and it smells a bit soapy as lilies can do sometimes. I may use up my imp, or I may pass it on to someone else who wants to try it—I feel pretty neutral about it. On a scale of 1 to 5: 3. (see? Neutral.)

In the bottle: patchouli, dragon’s blood, and vetiver. This may be the first time that I felt I could definitely identify everything I was smelling in a scent; it’s almost as if they are all spelled in CAPITAL LETTERS. WITH FULL STOPS. On the skin: wow, that vetiver really jumps off of me big time. I can tell already that this is going to be too smoky to be a favorite with me—I can’t deal with smoky smells. This literally smells like a campfire. Which I love when I’m out camping, but not on me. Half an hour later: this is still all smoke on me, which is kind of making me feel sick. I can detect that sweet, strong dragon’s blood in the background, but only faintly, and not enough to not make me feel sick from the smoke. I think that a person who likes vetiver will LOVE this, though. (In fact, I had a friend test this who likes vetiver, and yes she does. Love it.) On a scale of 1 to 5: 2.

In the bottle: young girl’s perfume (almost the scent of that peel-off nail polish—remember that stuff?!) spilled on grass. Applied: There’s something really unusual about this that is so appealing. It smells very, very green, like the insides of green leaves. Also kind of like celery leaves, which I love. This is so much a spring smell—it literally smells like green things poking out of the ground. It’s quite sharp, but I kind of like it anyway. 15 minutes later: There’s a problem: as I live with this, I notice that the throw is only the sharpness, not the greenness. Almost smells sharp like pre-B.O. armpits. Or lack of personal hygiene in another bodily region. Now that I have picked up on that, I am not going to be able to deal with this. It still smells green up close to the skin, but I can’t wear this and count on people not confusing it with funk. On a scale of 1 to 5: 2.

In the bottle: Ow! Something about this scent literally scares me. I have to work up a little courage to put it on, actually. Applied: there is still something so scary about this smell. There’s a scent that I can only describe as “noxious weed.” I’m not going to be able to keep this on. I can see where this would be herbally/lavendery in a kind of men’s cologne way, but there is something really poisonous-smelling in here. And a little bit of pool water. Honestly, I have never been so weirded out by a scent before. Off it goes. On a scale of 1 to 5: 1.

Very, very soapy floral (it's the sweet pea!). It’s light and pretty, but kind of like a bar of soap that I would get at Anthropologie in that kind of Victorian-style wrapping. Pretty light throw—it’s hard to detect when not close to my skin, unless I slathered, in which case I’m pretty sure it would be too cloying. It does actually do a good job of conjuring up the person that is supposed to be represented by the perfume—this is a fragrance that reminds one of a very young, innocent, romantic girl. And a clean one. On a scale of 1 to 5: 2.

In the bottle: Ew! Cow dung. Applied: Fruity cow dung at first. There’s a bit of a buttery floral underneath that comes out after a few minutes and then predominates, with a little sweetness. I can faintly identify what I formerly thought was poop, but it’s not dominant anymore—it does, however, still lend kind of an edge to the scent—it kind of plays with your mind. Is it nice? Is it horrible? I don’t know! I guess this is probably an appropriate effect for a scent named after a brain transporter. LOVE the sticky brain, though. I am having fantasies about throwing this onto people’s faces during class. On a scale from 1 to 5: 2

In the bottle: herbal kitchen soap. Applied: really soapy, and not in the jasmine way that I like, but more like a commercial brand of soap or shampoo. That’s really all I can detect. I definitely smell clean, though. On a scale of 1 to 5: 2. (On later reflection, and comparison to my reviews of other scents where I got this, I think it might be sweet pea that I am pinning as soap.)

In the bottle: Wow—not at all what I expected, but I do like it. It reminds me of a very high-end men’s cologne. I bet this would smell amazing on a guy. It’s very aquatic and clean-smelling. Applied: immediately gives off the “men’s cologne” smell, all right. Like Irish Spring mixed with cologne. It’s…men’s cologne. Really strong. Not as offensively “cologne” as Villain, but it’s way too strong for me, and for me to want to smell up close on someone. I have to go wash it off. (I don’t know what that note is that I identify as “men’s cologne” but whatever it is, it really reminds me of Irish Spring.) On a scale of 1 to 5: 2.