Diva Urd

I was kind of wary of this when I got it, since my nose isn't too fond of citrussy smells and this contains bergamot, so you can color me somewhat prejudiced in Oberon's case. Upon trying out: Yup, citrus and not much more. It takes about an hour for the bergamot to fade away enough so the other notes come into play, and then, it is pretty nice, even though it doesn't rock my socks. Will see whether this might work a bit better as a room scent than on me, but so far, I have to say I don't think I'll order any more of this.

Named for the ambitious, vengeful poisoner Catherine deMedici, who used perfumes to perform her dark deeds. A sinful blend of orange blossom, rosemary and rose... allegedly the exact perfume she utilzed in her work. Very herbal, almost, but not quite bitter on me (that's probably the rosemary speaking). That seems to be the base scent. Over that, there is a soft floral top layer that tries to mask the spike of the rosemary, but does not (and seemingly does not want to) quite manage. It definitely has my interest. I am not in love with it, but I find it fascinating in a different way, even though I can't quite determine how yet. Will have to test some more.

*sigh* The citrus monster strikes again for me. Villain smelled rather astringent on me, and while lavender alone usually does not tend to do it, it seems to be amped up by the citrus component. The scent is also flighty - after an hour, nothing seems to be left. Hm, seems my skin chemistry doesn't like villains. Off to the swap pile you go!

Hm, this one is interesting, certainly. I was a little surprised to learn that there's orange blossom in here, I didn't smell much of it. Sadly, the vanilla/floral combination didn't work out completely for me - after a while, it turned a little plasticky on me. Too bad, I like narcissus... Will hold on to the imp, though, I'll be interested how it fares in my oil burner.

I was already very sceptical about this when I got it (I didn't pick it out myself) - fig, clove, ylang-ylang? That doesn't sound like something lil Urdy can wear. Sadly, I was right. I smelled as though my body was made up of mushed-up raisins and fell head over heels into a huge vat of extremely sugary honey. The scent was extremely cloying and wouldn't wash off... Conclusion: Waaaaaaaay too sweet for me. Off to the swap pile! Maybe someone who likes fig and ylang will love you more than I do...

For some reason, the leather in this turned very soapy on me (which is weird, since Loviatar never did). Might be the rose's fault. It stays that way from start to finish - soapy, slightly leathery rose. Overall, it's not bad; might experiment on my husband and maybe use it as a room scent and see whether I can trick the leather to come out of hiding. If it weren't so soapy, it would be a definite for a bigger bottle, but as it is... will have to see (depending on the outcomes of my experiments).

Ohh, this is already pretty in the imp! I hope it won't do the same thing to me "Fallen" did... No, it doesn't! Nefertiti sticks around on my skin, and while the floral notes are on the sweet side, they are not overbearing my nose. I feel very feminine (and dare I say beautiful?) wearing this. Usually, I'd say I'm not the type for wearing this, but this is so stunning, I'll make an exception Off to bigger bottle list!

*fanfare* Ladies and Gentlemen (and other possible Gentlebeings around), Diva Urd is proud to announce that she has found a scent with a strongish fruit note that actually works for her! On me, this is a beautiful mix of the two notes, none really overpowers the other. I would have never thought that apricot could complement patchouli (especially black patchouli) so well! It freshens up the scent and gives it something youthful, but the patchouli keeps it from being childish or overly playful and turns it into something rather sensual, instead. This is absolutely lovely - and it lasts forever. Definitely bigger bottle!

I had high hopes for this when I tried Hellfire on - the concept sounded cool, the notes interesting. Alas... what is that nasty stench I smell? Oh, oh dear, it's the oil. 'Fraid my love affair with Hellfire was over before it began. On me, it smelled like stale alcohol (and not even of a particularly appealing kind) and, curiously enough, not pipe tobacco, but like the smoke of one of those big cheap cigars they sell at gas stations around here. After about half an hour of unchanging olfactory assault (did I mention that it was also extraordinarily strong on my skin?), I had to wash it off - it made me feel woozy and slightly nauseated. Don't worry, Frankie-boy, I'll find a nice home for you in the near future...

On me, I don't get much of the patchouli, which is strange (it usually peeks out at least for a little while in most other blends, since I seem to amp it somewhat). What I do get a lot of, though, is the neroli. After complete drydown, most of the other notes come out (aside from the patchouli, which is still AWOL) and turn this into a rather pleasant scent. While I don't consider this scent unpleasant, it just completely failed to wow me so far, I'm afraid. Well, maybe if I try it a couple more times - we'll see what happens. I don't see myself reordering "Masquerade" as of right now.

This smells exactly like my husband's aunt's pumpkin pies. Now, I like to eat those, but I really don't want to go out smelling like them, and I'm not fond enough of pumpkin smell for keeping it as a home scent, so... off to the swap pile. If you're into pumpkin smell, though, check it out.

Since I got this one mainly for my husband, we tried it out on him first... I haven't worn it myself yet, since it's so incredible on him, I can't waste a drop on myself!!! On him, the red wine note is prevalent, at first, but the cold, dark background (which is blended so well I can't tell the notes apart) comes out to play rather quickly. Also, it's not super-strong on him, but damn, it has staying power! My husband's skin tends to kill off anything I throw at him within half an hour, but this one is his personal Energizer Bunny - it lasts and lasts and lasts. I like this on him even more than I did Loviatar Totally bigger bottle. His b-day's coming up, I know what I'm getting! ETA: I actually went ahead and tried it on myself - and wow! I can't say anything but "sensational"! *is floored* On me, it smells about the same as it does on him (maybe a bit less wine and a bit more of the smokiness), but it is much stronger without ever seeming overwhelming - and it also lasts forever. If this wasn't already a must-get before, now it is right on top of the ever-growing bottle purchase list!

Wow. Who knew that something so soft could have so much staying power?! My nose isn't the best out there, but I believe I can smell some kind of amber, ozone and either some vanilla or coconut in this (on me, it seems like it's the latter, in the bottle it's more like the former). As already said, I found this to be very soft, not cloying at all, but also not all happy happy joy joy. It seems like a stern scent to me, which kind of doesn't go with the vanilla/coconut note, but it still is I really love it, and I'm happy I got it in a package deal from someone (wouldn't have ordered it myself). Bigger bottle later.

*is wearing Phantasm right now* Hm, this is pretty nice. I've been wearing this for a good seven hours now, and I can still smell it. I never got anything strongly lemony, which I am very, very happy about (lemon always tends to turn into cheap household cleaner on me), but the jasmine is beautifully tempered by the small amount of neroli I get. I don't think I like it enough for a bigger bottle, but the imp will stay with me.

On me, Blood just screams CHERRY. It's spiced cherries all the way. I personally find it to be more than a little repulsive (I'm just not a person for wearing most foody scents, and this one additionally seems very close to its namesake, which doesn't make it easier for me), but if you love cherries, give this one a try. For me, it's off to the swap pile.

Hmm... this smells like the bubble bath I used to have (which, of course smelled like milk and honey). Relaxing, comforting, warm. I like it. ... however, since I'm not really the relaxed, comforting, warm type, I won't be wearing this much outside the house. It's an awesome bedtime scent for me, though. Jury is still out over whether I'd like more of it - will use up the imp and see.

This was another freebie that came with my first order. In the vial: Very berry, tart. Nuff said. On me, the fruits in this blend ran amuck thanks to my skin disliking most predominantly fruity blends. They all turned overly sweet on me and soon gained a distinctly rotten note! Rotten Jolly Ranchers was all I'm getting from this from close to the start until finish. I don't know huckleberries, but I used to love red currant (not as smell, the actual berries). Would have been interesting to find a scent with them in there that worked on me... Ah well, they can't all fit! Off to swap/sale pile!

In the vial: Citrussy and something chemical... ozone? On me, it was a very bitter citrus note and the chemical smell turned into dryer sheets that have been lying on a heated surface for too long. On my husband, it was about the same. We left it on for an hour and it didn't change or fade. Then, we tried washing it off, and it wouldn't come off! Mommy, Nyarlathotep scared me! *whimper* Off to swap/sell pile!

This was another freebie from the generous folks at the lab. In the vial: butterscotch and nuts. On my husband, this blend turned into cookie dough - I thought it was kind of yummy, but he said he didn't wanna smell like a kitchen. On me, it turned into black tea with milk and sugar. Not really something to wear out, since I would probably not want to have people remember me as smelling like a kitchen, but it's a feel-good scent for staying at home. I also have the feeling that this might work well in an oil burner as a room scent. Dunno whether I'll order more, I'll decide that when the imp is gone.

*points to user name* I have used the handle in different forms ever since I came online, since I love the concept of the Norns and like Oh! My Goddess a lot... score! In the vial: Grapes and nag champa. On me: Grapes and nag champa, with the grapes always on the verge of overpowering the nag champa. No patchouli, no cereus. The grape note itself was a little too sweet for my taste. I had high hopes for this one and am slightly disappointed that it didn't quite work out for me, but I'll keep my imp.

In the vial: Almonds and nothing else. The scent initially even put me off trying it for a while. On me: The almond overload instantly fades into the background and complements the other notes just wonderfully. I'm not getting much myrrh, this blend is all about the almonds, the amber and the spices for me, with the lotus paying a visit once in a while. This is gorgeous! So different from what I usually like, but I can't stop adoring it! 'Bastet' truly reminds me of a cat, basking in the sun in her favorite spot and stretching in contentment once in a while. It also sticks with me forever - the musk and the amber seem to anchor it on my skin for incredible staying power. Big bottle a definite.

In the vial: mainly leather, a little bit of myrrh. On me: Myrrh and leather. Would have loved for the black amber to come out and play a little more, but it still was an intriguing combination. And then, I put some on my husband... Two words. HOT DAMN! *is getting hot and bothered if she only THINKS about it* Big bottle, definitely - not for me, for HIM!

In the vial: Something indefinable, it is so soft my nose can't get a hold of it. On me: Hm. That is the first time that ever happened to me. I got a whiff of peach or apricot (neither of which seems to be in this blend), and only if I sniff directly on my wrist, and absolutely nothing else. After less than half an hour, it is completely gone, I can't detect any of it on me anymore. Off to the swap/sell pile so you get to someone with more agreeable chemistry, granny!

I originally ordered this for my husband. In the vial: Like the bathroom cleaner we use at the motel. Uh-oh... On my husband, it stayed bathroom cleaner all the way, with the dragon's blood occasionally spiking up in a rather unpleasant manner. On me, it separated into the advertised scents of dragon's blood and leather with smoke in the background... sadly, I don't think I like this combo as much as I thought I would. Will keep the imp around, but probably no reorder for me.

Once I read lily and lilac in one brand, I just knew I absolutely had to have it. In the vial: Lily and lilac. On me, I also smell lily and lilac fused into one angelic floral. Beautiful. I'm not sure what galbanum smells like, and the dragon's blood kind of hid away from me, but the flowers... so pretty, and with so much incredible staying power! They stay true on me until they fade, which can take 12 hours and more! I love this blend. It has recently been dethroned from its exalted place of "Diva's absolute number 1" by 'Anne Bonny', but I'm definitely gonna get a bigger bottle of this (especially since my imp is almost empty).