fundercat55

Well, this is just...sexy. Just pure sexy, bottled. It smells like nights my younger self spent going to local funk music shows with friends- dancing my face off, sweating, drinking, laughing, after parties, skinny dipping, watching the sunrise. Sugary, boozy, slightly smoky, powdery. I only get the mint when first applied- I wish it stuck around longer, but as soon as it dried the green minty hit was gone. This reminds me of Follow Me Boy, just less sweet, and slightly less powdery. I love Follow Me Boy, so naturally I love this one too.

This is the scent of climbing into fresh, clean sheets with your just bathed toddler, snuggling them close and taking a deep inhale of their clean hair as you read a bedtime story. It's clean, innocent, cozy, and fresh. I love it. It's a very "whole" scent on my skin- I can't really pick out any single notes, just the overwhelming impression of coziness. But it's cozy in a light, sunshiny, springtime way, not a heavier autumn way. Scent is mostly a no-no in my profession (I'm a massage therapist), but I think I could probably get away with wearing this one on the clock. It doesn't really smell of perfume, just of being clean. Not much throw to it either. My only complaint is that even with a healthy slathering my skin ate this up fairly quickly. At the two hour mark, not even the ghost of the fragrance was left. Now I can say I adore Coraline in all her forms- book, movie, and fragrance.

If a slightly overripe honeydew melon came to life and was sitting next to you smoking a pipe and drinking some sort of honey drenched gin cocktail, this is what it would smell like. So, it's basically Dr Bunsen Honeydew distilled. It's interesting, but also bordering on unpleasant on my skin. I don't think my chemistry plays nicely with melon scents. They always seem to smell a little rotten on me. I got this as a Lab frimp, so no harm done. Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

This is one I tried on expecting to dislike it. Chocolate scents aren't my thing, but in my last Lab order I received two frimps of Bliss, so I figured that was a sign that I should at least give it a skin test. Surprisingly, I actually really like it! It's one of those that has me compulsively sniffing my wrists every few minutes and grinning each time. It smells like pure, real cocoa powder. Like I had been baking and accidentally got cocoa powder all over myself. It's sweet, but not cloying and doesn't have that plasticky note a lot of chocolate scents. It wears pleasantly close to the skin. While I don't think it's a bottle buy for me, I will enjoy my frimps wholeheartedly.

When I was a kid, my brother and I used to make grass pallets to lay on in the yard right after the grass had been mowed. We would gather the fresh grass clippings, shape them into a vaguely bed shaped pile, cover the pile with old flannel baby blankets, and then laze around reading books or watching clouds or playing GI Joes on our grass bed. To me, this perfume is the scent of those sunny afternoons in a bottle. Fresh, sappy, impossibly green grass through thin, sun warmed flannel baby blankets. I adore it.

This one smells like I was hoping Ian from the OLLA line would smell. It's the scent of the jacket you borrowed from that sweet, bookish guy in the art program when you were in college. Well worn suede, a clean, soapy spiciness, and just a touch of sweetness. I love it. That said, when I first apply it, it smells like straight up gasoline. Thankfully, that goes away within minutes as it dries. I don't know what element of the scent reacts with my skin to make the smell of petrol while it's wet. It's weird. But other than that, I absolutely love this. It's a comfy, cozy, wonderfully unisex scent.

This is one I never would have picked out on my own, but I received it as a frimp with my last order and I'm so glad I did. In the bottle and wet on my skin, it's a sharp, green, herbaceous scent that quickly morphs into a spicy, carnation like scent with a whiff of greenery in the background. I love it. It reminds me quite a bit of LUSH's old Potion lotion, which was a favorite of mine. It turns slightly powdery at about 30 minutes of wear, but in a pleasant, soft way. This also has a surprisingly long wear for such a light scent. 4+ hours later and I can still smell it. I'm definitely putting this imp into heavy rotation and will definitely consider a full bottle once it's gone.

This one was an unfortunate dud for me. I was hoping for a boozy, beery pumpkin, but on my skin all I'm getting is a nuclear blast of cinnamon. For about the first 5 minutes I get a nice whiff of fresh, pulpy pumpkin, but cinnamon quickly overpowers everything else. I'm bummed it's not working out with my skin chemistry. Sadly, into the swap pile with this one.

I really like this one. Wet: Juicy fruit punch and flowers. Dry down: I'm getting fresh jasmine and sugar. My skin tends to amp jasmine to a sickening degree, but this is staying sweet and soft. As the dry down continues, it reminds me of these little white rose and violet flavored pastilles my mom used to get when I was a kid, but with jasmine. Sweet, soft white flowers and a breath of confectioners sugar. A fun, sweet, innocent floral.

Oh, this is seriously lovely on me. Cozy, airy, sweet, foamy coffee with a splash of vanilla. In the bottle and when first applied, it was sweeter than I liked, with less of the coffee note. But within five minutes on my skin, the sweetness has softened and the coffee has come out in a way that almost makes my mouth water. This scent feels like pulling on a soft, fuzzy, well worn sweater that you splashed coffee on. It stays very close to the skin. This is delicious, soft and comforting. I can see myself reaching for it again and again. I also love the story behind the name, because "This is a Terrible Pillow" is a game I used to play with my son, too. Edited to add- I didn't notice it at first, but as this fades a spicy, warm, woody note comes out. It reminds me of a quilt that's been stored in a cedar lined chest. Super, super nice.

Oh Twenty-One, you sounded so promising and yet you just did not work for me at. all. I received it as a frimp, so no harm done, I just wish it had worked with my chemistry. Smelling like a martini sounded like a wonderfully classy and refreshing experience. Unfortunately, rather than a martini, it just smelled of juniper scented dish soap on me from start to finish. I kept waiting for it to soften or morph or just smell less dish soapy, but it never happened. Oh well. Into the "pass it on" pile this one goes.

I'm generally not crazy about foodie scents, but this is so sweet and happy it is impossible not to like. In the bottle: Sweet, buttery yellow cake and sugary strawberry frosting. Wet: Still ridiculously sweet, innocent cake and sugared strawberries. This is like a memory of cutting the cake on your 10th birthday- all sugar and excitement. Drydown: On me, the strawberries faded away upon drydown, leaving light spun sugar and buttery cake. This lasted a surprisingly long time on- my skin tends to gobble lighter, sweeter scents within an hour or so. This was still sticking around 3 hours later when I got into the shower. Verdict: A surprise hit for me! A keeper for sure.

The decant I just received is the 2009 version. First impression is sweet, sweet candy corn that has been left out in a dish for a few weeks. It's sugary, and buttery, but also a little stale. I'm guessing that part of the scent is just coming from the fact that the oil has aged a few years. Dry down is quick, and leaves a slightly smoky, sweet caramel scent. I like it, but I think I'll be satisfied with just an imp. Not one I can see myself wearing on the reg.

Upon application, my first thought was "I immediately regret this decision." All I was getting was incredibly strong, slightly overripe pumpkin and dirt. So much dirt. 20 minutes in and the leather pipes up and it's also incredibly strong to my nose. This isn't the saddle soapy, broken in leather note I was hoping for- this is green leather. Not sure this one is going to work out for me. 30 minutes in and the dirt is gone, the pumpkin is a sweet whisper in the background, and the leather has gone soft and brown, broken in and buttery, with a slightly resinous note. Ahhh, now we're talking. It wears this way on my skin for 4+ hours before fading away and is very nice. Verdict: I'm not 100% sure I'll hang on to this one, as I really am not crazy about how it wears for the first 20 minutes or so, but the drydown phase is quite lovely.

This scent is so bizarre, so crazily accurate, that I can't help but smile every time I smell it. I was scared that the banana note would be plasticky or overly sweet, but it isn't- this is the scent of a banana peel, sweet but also slightly green, that has just this moment been discarded on the ground. And that ground! Fresh, loamy, rich soil that has piled up next to wet, crumbling granite. I seriously can't wrap my head around how such a specific, peculiar scent was captured so masterfully. Is this a perfume I would put on if I want to feel sexy, or alluring, or powerful? No, it isn't. It's something I would want to wear when I need to grin, when I want to giggle with wonder every time I catch a whiff of my wrists. Very evocative scent. Thumbs up to Beth for creating this strange little masterpiece.

In the imp: Creamy, clean, tropical flowers. Wet on the skin: Same as in the imp. Perhaps a little sweeter. It reminds me of the packages my Uncle & Auntie used to send from Hawaii when I was a girl. Bottles of black sand, macadamia nut chocolates, a polished and painted coconut shell purse, pictures of volcanoes, idyllic beaches, and lush greenery. If those packages had a scent, it would be Pele. Dry: This one isn't much of a morpher on me. It quietly fades away, but doesn't change much from the creamy floral. I love this scent, I only wish my skin didn't eat it. I can slather it on, and an hour and a half later there is nary a whiff of it left. It's lovely though. A perfect summer scent.

I got this as a frimp with my last order. In the imp: Sweet, warm, fruity, boozy. I'm liking it. Wet: Sharp, alcoholic apricots. I'm wishing that it will dry to a rounder, more mellow scent. I always love the boozy scents in the bottle, but they often disagree with my skin. Initial drydown: Still to sharp for my nose. There is something to the brandy note that is remaining very astringent. 1+ hours later: This is alllllmost right. So close. I love the soft apricot scent, and if the sharp tang of alcohol would calm down on my skin, I'd love it. As it is, it's just an okay scent for me.