Wench457

Absolutely delicious vanilla mint. The vanilla on me is the same vanilla as in Dorian, which is great, because I love it! Another Yule I need to stockpile!

Oh. Oh my. This is just amazing! I smell like clouds of coconut cotton candy on an icy day. I am in totally and utterly love with this one, and definitely need to stockpile more before she goes away!

Just like gingerbread (no, really?), and quite yummy smelling. As it happens though, I apparently don't want to smell like gingerbread, and I'm not much for oil burners, so it's off to swaps.

All Saints'" In the bottle, quite a lovely incense, with a hint of the flowers arranged at the altar. On me, alas, it was all soap.

You're very welcome ladyfair! I'm so glad the Moxie helped - it's one of my favorites, and just seems to say: "you can do it!"

Wolf Moon: A hint of sweetness, almost like patchouli, but not with the usual "ick" I get from patchouli. On: Crisp and wild, like leaves underfoot in a forest. I smell berries - yum! Dry: This is lovely. I can't stop smelling my wrists. The throw is ethereal and sweet, and quite addicting.

ITB: Yummy caramel lollypops. No, really! I'm guessing it's the butter that's giving me that hit. If I sniff repeatedly I can smell the pomegranate just a bit. On: Now the pomegranate sharpens the scent, but I can still smell the buttery caramel underneath. It's a bit unsettling, actually. Dry: The scent has melded now into a warm, rich scent, but the pomegranate gives it an edge and keeps it from being too heavy. I like it alot, and am surprised that it is much less foody than I would expect. I could see myself wearing this now and again, although I don't think I'll need a bottle.

Kyoto: In the bottle this smells exactly like anise cookies - sweet and light. On: The anise becomes a bit stronger, but the cherry blossom comes out to keep it sweet. Not at all foody on. Dry: A medium spicy floral. It's nice, but isn't wowing me for some reason. I think I need to try this one again.

The Ghost: This is another scent that I had a lot of trouble discerning the individual notes from. Actually, I find that I rather like that in a perfume, when every note is so perfectly balanced with the other notes, that the scent seems to be entire in itself - like smelling a unique flower. It just smells like itself. All that aside, this is a lovely light floral, and I like it quite a lot.

The Queen of Hearts: Cherry and light florals. On: Heavier now as the Lilies bloom. Dry: Started out a nice, medium heavy floral with just a hint of cherry, then quickly went to soap. Very strong soap. Like wading in liquid hand soap. Not a keeper for me, I'm afraid.

Jabberwocky: Eucalyptus and pine. The orange is nowhere to be sniffed. On: Ah, there's the orange, floating lightly above the still heavy pine. The eucalyptus has backed down a bit, though I can taste it on the tip of my tongue. Interesting. Dry: not really sure. It was intensely strong initially, then faded down to practically nothing within five minutes. I do like this scent, but more for aromatherapy uses than as a perfume. It would be great in my car diffuser to help keep me alert.

Masquerade: I confess, I was afraid to try this oil. In fact, I finally had to make myself pull imps from the box to test at random, because I found myself avoiding testing the "scary" ones - read: those containing patchouli. Today Masquerade got pulled out of the box, so here goes. ITB: patchouli, with a hint of citrus. On: the throw is orange blossom and carnation, but closer up, all I can smell is the patchouli. It's actually not bad as long as I don't sniff my wrists. Dry: Well, this oil really surprised me. The patchouli faded way down, and ended up giving the scent a roundness which was actually pleasant. While Masquerade was still not a scent for me, neither was it the "Eww, get if off!" I usually experience with scents containing patchouli. Maybe there's hope for me yet.

Juke Joint: I had high hopes for this one, as I adore Mint Juleps. In the bottle this was chocolate mints. On: Definitely chocolate mints. Is there even chocolate in this? My nose sure thinks so anyway! Dry: Still very clearly chocolate mint. It's nice, but I'm just not a big fan of smelling like chocolate, unfortunately.

La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente: Sweet and fruity. The pomegranate is the star here, with a backup from florals. On: The rose comes out strongly, but the pomegranate is still clear. Very nice indeed! Dry: Lovely. The hint of fruit sweetens the scent, and keeps it from being overly floral. There is also a hint of an herbal scent, perhaps the myrtle? Altogether a masterful scent, just slightly too heavy for day wear for me, but it will be perfect for evenings out. Love it!

Cathode: I can barely pick out a hint of mint. On: Ohh, lovely floral, with enough mint to give it an edge. Wonderful! Dry: Sadly, this dried down to a dusty "meh" scent on me. It did smell very mossy, but it turns out I don't want to smell like moss. It was so wonderful wet that the drydown was a disappointment.

Bewitched: Like bubble solution, oddly enough. On: Now I get berries, but berries covered in soapsuds. Dry: A nice light berry scent. But I think I prefer Kitsune-Tsuki for my "fruity" days, as it doesn't go through that awkward soapy stage. I'm not quite ready to give this up quite yet though.

Queen of Sheba: almonds and spice. On: Yum, the honey warms up. This smells delicious. But at the same time, not too foody, and very wearable. There's almost a cola smell to the throw. Dry: The spices amp way up out of control, which is not at all unusual on me. The honey and the almonds didn't stand a chance. Pity.

Lucy's Kiss: A creamy rose, almost herby. On: It takes on a metallic, chemically tang. Fairly unpleasant actually. The throw is still rose, though. Dry: Totally sour on me, alas. I played Lucy in a stage production of Dracula, so I really wanted this one to work on me.

Akuma: A bit sour, yet sweet at the same time. The raspberry is clear, with a hint of orange, but more the rind of the orange than the flesh. On: Orange blossoms and raspberries. The raspberries are a bit powdery though, like my raspberry flavored vitamin C tablets. Dry: The throw is all raspberry on me, and I can't get over the idea that I smell like vitamins. Close to my wrist, the orange blossom is more apparent, but overall this scent is just not my cup of tea.

Lavender makes her stand. Rose and Musk join her to add their warmth to the alliance. Alack! Here enters Violet, not like a shy, small flower, but like a warrior upon her steed, her sword brandishing defiance at those who would keep her from total victory. And the other florals and their ally the musk rise up and vanquish the evil violet usurper! Then they quit the field of honor to hit the local pub for a celebratory round or two. Leaving the faintest hint of forlorn frankincense to waft across the deserted battleground.

The World: Whoa - wintergreen! Very strong wintergreen, which is weird, since most reviewers seem to get cinnamon. It does smell terrific, just like a linament I used to make for my horse. My horse got a lot of rubdowns, because I adored the wintergreen smell so much! On: Ah, there's the cinnamon. But where did the wintergreen go? Dry: Sandalwood with just a hint of cinnamon. More of a working scent for me, which is just fine. If the wintergreen had lasted through my skin chemistry, I would have been elated.

Veil: I find it difficult to pick out specific notes in this - they all seem to blend together into a whole. Just a bit of lilac, perhaps. On: Very strongly orris for a moment, then the gardenia tries to take over. The sandalwood beats it back though. Dry: A medium weight floral with a sandalwood base. It's nice, but doesn't wow me.

ITB: Jasmine and vanilla. Very warm and soft. On: The jasmine amps way up, overpowering anything else. Dry: All jasmine, all the time. I can just barely detect the vanilla, if I sniff very closely. Sigh. I really wish jasmine didn't go so sour on me, because this was really quite lovely in the bottle.

London: A lovely soft rose. On: Oh dear. The rose has gone decidedly sour. But I am determined to wait it out. Dry: A pretty, soft rose on me. Whatever wickedness should be there has been completely vanquished by the rose. Lovely. I shall have to compare this side-by-side with Zombi to see which rose I prefer. ETA: This also lasted quite well on me, still going strong after six hours.

I was so happy to finally get a half imp of this in swaps. I'm afraid that the mystique gave me a heightened expectation, which was not met by the actuality. ITB: strawberries and perfume. I'm guessing something in the combination of notes, or in the age of my imp, mislead my nose into smelling strawberries instead of pear. On: Hmm. Sweet public restroom deodorizer. DH said the same thing. Dry: pretty much the same. After about four hours, it finally went to a lovely strawberry cream soda smell. Nice, but not worth the wait for me. I am glad I got to try it, but will be passing this imp along to someone else.