Wench457

Terpsichore: A sweet, light floral - a bit lemony. On: something grassy underneath the lemon. Dry: seems like there is some resin in here. I go back and forth on this one. The throw is intriguing, a hint of sasparilla. All the notes sounded lovely, but this is ultimately not a scent I'm in love with.

Grandmother of Ghosts: a scary very dark brown - it smells earthy with a hint of spice. On: Earthy and woodsy - reminds me just a bit of Gnome, then it starts to sweeten up - I'm guessing the peony trying to assert itself as peony tends to be quite lovely on me. Dry: sweet and spicy - I can definitely pick out the pepper, but it fades very fast, and never really settles down to a distinctive smell on me.

Aizen-Myoo: Of the five listed notes, I only know what two smell like. This winds up smelling fruity and floral on me, and very, very pretty. I'm thinking I need a big bottle of this one!

Thaleia: sweetened citrus. The honey and blood orange are leaders here. On: this is great! The blood orange smells almost like grapefruit on me, though not quite. The throw is gingery. Quite lovely! Dry: Fades considerably to a bland floral. I need to try this again, to see I can get the wet stage to stick around longer. If it does, this one will be a definite 10ml!

Ulalume: sweet with a hint of spice, like mint gum - must be the lilies. On: I have no idea where wintergreen came from, but there it is. Dry: minty and floral. I know mint is not listed, but that's what I get from this. It's actually almost unsettling. It does mellow after 30 minutes to a fresh, clean summery smell. No cypress or oak on me whatsoever.

Phantasm: Floral - probably jasmine, which may be problematic. On: Sour and definitely jasmine. There's a woody, citrus smell as well. Probably The lemon verbena - that part is very nice. Dry: Exactly like tangerines molding in the bottom of Christmas stockings. Don't ask me how I know what that smells like, but I do.

Leanan Sidhe: Perfumey, for want of a better word - floral with an alcohol edge. On: Strong floral, quite pleasant. Dry: Strong floral, which soon becomes soap. Stupid body chemistry.

Dana O'Shee: sweetened vanilla extract. On: the alcohol smell gets stronger, but softens again very quickly. A bit of a plastic smell. Dry: Pure plastic - and stale plastic at that. The same note which ruined Snowblind for me - must be a milk thing. Eventually, I got the faintest whiff of vanilla and grains, as though to tease me with what might have been. If that's what most people get, I can see why this scent is so popular. Unfortunately, this is yet another one ruined by my wonky body chemistry. Oh how I wanted to smell like marzipan!

Bon Vivant: very sweet and light, makes me feel cheerful just sniffing it! On: Strawberry candies - this is wonderful! Dry: the candy note has mellowed, though it is still recognizably a strawberry scent. The champagne adds a richer and deeper note to it, though it is still light and effervescent. I definitely need a bottle of this. The longer I wear it, the better it gets.

Blood: Sweet DBR. On: still sweet, but spicy, definite cloves. Delish! Dry: And then myrrh comes charging out - spoiling the party. Something else sour up close, but an all myrrh, and oddly, sandalwood, throw. Eventually mellowed, but ended up very masculine and spicy on me.

Aureus: I can smell patchouli for sure. On: patchouli and sandalwood. Dry: as usual, the sandalwood has been amped out of control on me. Had to wash it off.

Arachne: sweet and almost alcoholic. On: sharper, like cleaning fluid. The throw is still very sweet though. Dry: Very odd, I was sniffing it, and it morphed mid-sniff from sweet to pencil shavings. The fastest transition I've ever noticed in a scent - pallid flowers to dusty woods in .05 second. I don't wish to smell like pencil shavings, so this one's off to swaps.

Now I'm even happier that I ordered La Fee Verte - so pretty!

Initially, I also get the powdered kool-aid hit from this. However, Midwinter's Eve dries down on me into a lovely, fruity-with-a-hint-of-spice scent, that just brings a smile to my face. Definitely need another bottle of this one before it goes away.

I almost didn't order Red Phoenix, since patchouli and I have a hate/hate relationship. I did anyway, hoping for another bpal miracle, a la Samhain. Alas, Red Phoenix simply hates me. I smell like a cinnamon candle burning in a head shop. Ah well, I can always console myself with Samhain.

Extra buttery caramel. With extra butter. And caramel sauce on top. And while it is a distinctly delicious smell, it's not one I want to smell like. And so, to my surprise, it does appear that a scent can be "too foody" for me.

Okay. I have always had an aversion to patchouli, even usually to Beth's patchouli. But I simply couldn't resist Samhain. It's my favorite time of year, and the reviews were so wonderful, that I took the plunge and ordered a bottle. I am so glad I did. This is quite simply lovely. I can't really separate any of the notes, but it smells like a crisp fall day. I love it.

Juliet: Sweet florals. The honeysuckle and pear shine at this point. On: stronger and almost sour. Dry: very heavy and rich. Unfortunately, something in this went very sour on me after a short time, I suspect the heliotrope or maybe the sweet pea. Sigh.

Dracul: This smelled of patchouli to me in the imp, which is odd, because it's not listed as a note. Hm. Maybe the tobacco and orange blossom fooling my nose. It does smell cold and remote, which is a neat effect. On: Chocolate and spices. (I know, but that's what it smells like.) Dry: A nice incensy scent, I can definitely pick out the clove and cumin, and something that smells like leather to me. I like it a lot, but it's a bit more masculine than I would wear. And DH so far has been resistant to being assimilated, so it's off to swaps.

Blood Countess: Sweet and fruity, but with a sour bite. Smells a bit like pomegranate in the imp, must be the berries. On: Um. Strange actually. It's still sweet and fruity, but with a musty undertone, like berries moldering on the vine. Dry: pretty much the same, just a bit fainter. Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid.

An allegorical expression of the ineffable, indisputable triumph of death, generally expressed in medieval artwork as a violin or flute-wielding skeleton leading a procession of dancers to their graves. Black cypress with oakmoss, frankincense, oude, and a sliver of toasted hazelnut. Danse Macabre: In the imp, this smelled like a light floral with a hint of smoke. On: A total transformation. Now it is a sharp resin scent, a bit lemony actually. Dry: Like scented candles - but not one particular scented candle. Like a scented candle shop where all the scents meld together. A nice enough smell, but not the one for me.

Endymion: Sour florals in the imp. Not a very strong scent at all. On: It has almost an "off" scent on me, almost like a citrus, but in an unpleasant way. I have no idea what might be going sour, as all the notes are usually winners or me. Dry: Ah, it's rose! The bois du rose going sour on me. Dry it wasn't quite as sour, and was pleasant enough, but after Peacock Queen, there can be no other rose scent for me!

Delight: Very winey in the imp. On: Sour and harsh, I'm guessing from the jasmine. It's very strong! Dry: Wow, what a transformation! It's now an even, rich floral with a hint of spice. Unfortunately, it faded on me after only a half hour.

Whew! Very, very boozy! Rum with a rum chaser. On me, it was all booze, all the time. Like the smell of a bar right after closing. I tend to like foody and sweet scents, and would have sworn they couldn't get too foody or too sweet for me. Sugar Skull proved me wrong. I never got any of the fruit I was so hoping for, alas.

This reminds me a lot of Bengal actually. It has that spicy, resiny honey feel to it, although I think it's a bit less sweet than Bengal, at least on me. The citrus note adds a tartness that I don't get from Bengal. This is not the burning heat of the sun in the desert, but more being out on a cold day, and feeling the warmth of the sun on your face. Really beautiful, and I wish I had ordered more than one bottle!