desu

I was feeling pretty low and worn down after a couple of weeks of just plain ol' ugh -- that is until I found a bottle of this in my big bottle order that arrived today. This one had me worried after reading the above reviews because roses and I have never been on the best of terms with each other, as it usually turns into soap seconds after being applied. Jasmine, on the other hand, just adores my skin -- too much, in fact, since it has a tendency to amp up on my skin. In the bottle: Rich, sweet rose and warm jasmine immediately jump out at me although I detect other notes under these. Something a little warm and slightly spicy I can't quite put my finger on. Musk perhaps? Rose and jasmine overall after application. The rose threatens to go soapy at first, but it seems the jasmine and whatever else is in this keeps it from going over the edge. The jasmine isn't going nuts as usual either which is a pleasant surprise. Don't get me wrong: the jasmine is pronounced in this blend, but it isn't hogging the limelight like it usually does on me. As it dries, the notes start to round out and blend nicely together becoming warmer, deeper, and incredibly elegant as time wears on. I keep sniffing at my hand, waiting for that moment where the rose goes soapy on me, but it never seems to come. It's just sultry goodness wafting up at me. The throw is about medium on me so far when dry. Final thoughts: I would wear this on an evening out, intimate activites, or just wanting to feel pampered and cozy. Frankly, I never thought I'd fall so head-over-heels for something with rose in it!

In the bottle: Sweet honey mead edged with sunny florals and herbs. On my skin: Mmmmm... honey meeeeeaaaaad. Sweet, bright, cheerful summer scent. As it dries, the sweetness starts to give way to the florals. There's a bit of spicy warmth I'm guessing is from the carnation. Later on: More florals than honey now and starting to detect some greens and woods peeping out.

In the bottle: A sweet, delicate lotus lightly tinged with a faint herbal note -- the pine resin? On my skin: Sweet and golden, no bubblegum yet. Not really detecting the pine resin or rose otto yet at first either, but as time wears on, I start to pick up a very faint soapy scent -- the route rose of just about any stripe goes on me. Until then, it's a happyfun summer scent. Later on: Glad I didn't take rubbing alcohol to this one yet since the soap is mostly gone and replaced with something with a spicier edge! The sweetness of the lotus has also died down as the resins come to the foreground.

In the imp: Sweet pink booziness. On my skin: The lime and cranberry are brilliant and bubbly for a time, then gradually start to fade away. Later on: Juniper is more prominent now although the lime and cranberry are still hanging around. This is the perfect summer scent, so crisp and refreshing.

Roses usually go to soap on me, so it'll be interesting to see if this one does the same. In the imp: Myrrh. On my skin: The myrrh is so far holding its own with jasmine in the background. No sign of the soapy rose yet. Later on: Ah, there's the soap. That's too bad since I was starting to like this one. :/

VIII (8) In the imp: Faint minty toothpaste with herbal undertones. On me: Still smells vaguely like minty toothpaste, now with some sort of floral coming through. Not faint, yet not strong either. (Last reviewed by cranberry.) DCXXXIII (633) I googled the numerals to see what number this was and got this Crowley tidbit. Interesting. In the imp: Sweet, sweet bubblegum. On my skin: Bubblegum, but now with a shining note breaking through the sweetness. It quickly morphs into something recognizeable: clean, bright lemon with a slightly powdery (think confectioners sugar rather than baby powder) sweet tinge to it. Dare I say this is sweetness and light? (Last reviewed by Fefferbella.)

In the imp: Bright spicy, slightly sweet. On me: Very strong spicy scent now. Nothing sweet about this one anymore. I actually like this one sans the sweetness since it was doing unpleasant things when I smelled it in the imp. Later: This just keeps getting warmer and spicier. Yum!

In the imp: A lighty spicy-floral scent. On me: Spectre is a faint floral before gradually warming up to a delicate spicy lilac scent. It's a bit too faint for my tastes, though. Later on: The roses are going soapy on me just as I thought they would. :/

In the imp: Very sharp, almost eyewatering coconut and lime. On me: The lime is at the forefront here, barely mellowed out by the coconut. It begins to become more creamy as time wears on while still managing to remain bright and clear. An interesting scent of which I think I need more.

In the imp: A fascinating, sublime floral. I can't pick out any one flower out of this one. On me: Good heavens! Florals tend to be hit or miss on me, either too strong or too faint, but this one has definately hit the mark! I can't stop sniffing at my wrist, this is just that lovely. Later on: This just keeps going and going. It hasn't changed a bit, but I don't mind; it's so lovely as is.

I've wanted to try this one for awhile now because I love citrus and lilac, and naturally it showed up as a frimp from The Lab. In the imp: Sharp lime. On my skin: The ubercitrus eventually fades some, allowing a musky lilac to come forward. I'm seriously loving this one due to its chilly nature and yummy lilac. I knew I'd love this one. Later on: The ubercitrus is mostly gone now, but the musky lilac remains.

In the imp: Chilling pine with a slight hint of sweetness. On me: About the same at first, but it gradually gets stronger. Some of the edge is gone now and is slightly sweeter. Later on: Still icy, still sweet, but it has lost some of its piney edge.

In the imp: Something dark and resinous and dragon bloody. On my skin: A dark lilac scent which eventually gets less dark and more lilacy. Later on: The lilac scent has given way to the darkness I knew was lurking somewhere. It's now morphed into something a bit more spicy. Sniffing at it is actually irritating my nose a bit. I can't see myself using it for its intended purpose or as a regular perfume, but I like how it smells.

In the imp: A sharp, green herby scent. On me: The sharp green is still there, but now it's backed by an intriguing darkness of sorts. It'll be interesting to see where this one goes. Later on: Still sharp and green although not as strong.

In the imp: Sweet incense. On me: Zero to bubblegum in two seconds as soon as it touches my skin, but the sweetness gradually tones down and turns back into the sweet incense I smelled in the imp. Later on: Almost all trace of the sweet lotus is gone, leaving a faint hint of incense.

In the imp: Berries tamed by tea. On me: Sweet berries, some tea, not so much sage, green, or musk. I really enjoy this scent, but I wish it were a bit a stronger and didn't get sucked up my skin so quickly. Later on: Gone.

Charming, mischevious, and ultimately chaotic! An aromatic paen to discord. Lotus and gardenia spiked with mint. In the imp: Sweet minty lotus. On my skin: This continues to be a love affair of mint and lotus for the most part. Gardenia is skulking in the background waiting for a chance to shine in this. Marshall says this smells like children's cough syrup, but I'm enjoying this one a lot. A shame since it's discontinued. :/ Later on: While the mint has died down some, the lotus is still keeping things sweet and the gardenia is finally starting to come forward a bit. It's actually become a bit smoky on me. Very nice indeed.

In the imp: A dark, sweet smell, somewhat perfumey. On my skin: Nothing special. It's a tad soapy on me and the floral appears to have disappeared. Later on: I kept smelling this exotic incensey smell while websurfing. At first I thought it was coming from one of my boxes of incense, but found none of them on the desk. Then I gave my arm a sniff and was pleasantly surprised to find this orchid decided to bloom after all. Not as sweet as it is in the imp, this is dark and spicy now. The throw is really excellent, too. I could see myself buying a bottle of this one.

In the imp: Sinus-clearing mint and eucalyptus. On my skin: This mellows out a bit to become a true frosty scent. I can't really pick out any single note in this one as everything is fighting for dominance. Later on: Sharp, sharp mint predominates now.

In the imp: A rich, red warmth with a slight floral hint to it. On me: While this smells lovely in the imp, this starts to go weird spicy floral on me in a way I don't care for.

In the imp: Sweet, creamy milk. On my skin: A variety of things: I smell a bit of almonds, a bit of mintyness, cream, coconut milk, honey. The milk scents have traditionally done well on me and this is no exception. Later on: Absolutely lovely. Definately need a bottle of this!

In the imp: something feral, deep, and darkly wooded. On me: An aquatic wetness begins to seep out and soften the dark nature of the scent. Later: Bleh. Aquatic notes are either hit or miss on me, and this one's a miss.

In the imp: buttery warmth, but also something vaguely sinus-clearing. It smells a bit like grapefruit to me almost, not butterscotch. On my skin: This just warms up and starts to glow on me with the butter/milk being balanced by the chilled nature of the other notes. Later on: Faded away.

In the imp: Now THIS is the sort of floral I've been looking for! Anyone who knows me knows how much I love California wildflowers. Despite containing no natives and only a couple non-natives in it, Pink Moon manages to remind me of those glorious days of early spring when everything is fresh and new in the valleys with wildflowers starting to dot the highways, waysides, roadsides, and railroad grades. It is reminiscent of the breezes with a bit of chill to them touseling the blades of emerald grass, of sunlight that is invigorating even though its warmth doesn't sink deeply into one's skin as it will later in the season. Unfortunately... On my skin: It gets sucked into my skin and disappears. Like the wildflowers I hold close to my heart, its life is beautiful but brief.

In the imp: A super sweet note I'm guessing is strawberry and lotus. I'm a bit worried about this one as the strawberry note tends to turn into sickly-sweet strawberry powder on me. On my skin: Strawberries, then dark strawberries. I think this is the sage and tea kicking in now, giving the berries some depth. Later on: Strawberries and tea. No hint of powder yet! While I'm glad there's at least one strawberry oil there that seems to work with my chemistry, it just had to be the one that's a LE.