Diva Urd

A light, feminine vanilla floral perfume and a swirl of smoke and leather. Vial: Smoky vanilla floral On: Ahh, there's the leather. Vanilla and sweet, white floral notes with smoky leather in the background. Very nice so far. Later: This is Snow White in a dominatrix getup smoking a vanilla-flavored filterless cigarette. It has pretty good staying power and the scent stays true once the leather has come out completely. I enjoy this quite a bit, and it goes on the bottle list

Vial: Smoky, slightly sweet aftershave On: Huh, what do you know. Something about this DOES remind me of cats, but I really can't put my finger on what it is. It's still aftershave, slightly sweet and slightly smoky at the same time. I don't mind it, but I don't love it so far. Later: Aftershave and warm cat fur. I think I need to put some on the husband, I'd snuggle up to anyone smelling like that We'll see how long the decant lasts, we might have to get a bottle later

Vial: Strong vetiver over leather. Hopefully, it'll tone down a bit on me... On: Yessss, the vetiver does calm down... even before drydown, it turns into a tiny smidge of sharp green-black vetiver with a rather feral musk and sleek black leather. This is Iago on speed on me, and I'm loving it! I also put some on the husband, and... RAWR. Who would have thought steampunk cyborg leather nazis smelled so sexy? Later: Sharp musky leather. Tasty. Bottle list.

I also haven't smelled the soap in question, but dark-green, mossy scents, I just recently discovered Robin Goodfellow: It's green and deep, but not super-heavy or extraordinarily dirty like scents heavy on the patchouli.

Vial: Oh yes, amber, orange and lilac all in one sniff. On: Orange and lilac... they smell sort of sickly together while wet. It does calm down as it dries, and I get more of the amber and a bit of frankincense. The orange gives way to the lilac. Strong, slightly cleanerish lilac. I still kinda like it, but I think I'm going to refrain from buying a bottle.

CXCV Vial: Vial is labeled "sandalwood, daisy and spanish moss". Well, if it says so... I really can't tell sniffing it in the vial. On: I dunno... I read a review mentioning violet, and I'm pretty sure I'm smelling some here. Sandalwood is probably present, too. The slightly-powdery-yet-green note I can detect might be moss (I've smelled something similar in "Robin Goodfellow"), but daisies, I don't get at all. This isn't very strong or very appealing, although it's far from repulsive, as well. Later: Violet dominates. I don't know, it doesn't smell very perfumey to me for some reason. I think I'll try to find a better home for this. EDIT 05/07/2011: Tried another variety of this. MXCII In the vial: I honestly don't know exactly... also can't find a review of this number. I would say there is something fruity on top (the closest I can say this smells like is some sort of red berry, though it's neither strawberry, raspberry or cranberry), and the base note seems to be a musk, probably red musk or something similar, as it's not high-pitched enough for white and not deep/soapy enough in the vial for black musk. On: A fruity note (it reminds me of rosehip now, a musk, and a hint of something floral? Smells okay, although it doesn't bowl me over. Later: Ripe red fruit, flowers and musk. It's okay, but nothing to write home about.

Vial: Fresh, cold, and a little cleanerish. On: Um... men's deodorant. Axe, most likely, maybe also one of the Old Spice scents, but definitely in that family of scents. I hope this gets better on drydown... When the scent warms up a bit, I definitely get a distinct pine note and some musk, but so far, no other notes have emerged from the jumble. Let's see what drydown brings... It seems to be less generic deodorant the more it dries. Later: Once dry, this isn't bad, but it still retains that deodorant vibe, even though it loses its edge and feels like a snowy floral. I'm gonna hold on to the imp, I think. But I don't need more.

Vial: Something orange... and OMG WHOA VETIVER! On: Orange citrus fruit, licorice and WHOA VETIVER! Too... much... vetiver... It's not as overwhelmingly horrifying as "Malediction" was on me, but it certainly is very, VERY strong. The cinnamon and licorice notes are probably somewhat to blame for how this turned out on me, too. Later: Vetiver and a bit of licorice. While I appreciate the clever selection of notes (orange, reddish and black items provide the scent), the scent itself is... less than pleasant on me. Swap.

Vial: A cigar and a dark mocha. On: Smoke and booze with a bit of coffee in the background. Feels very dark and has the same astringent edge I taste in coffee. I'm not sure I approve just yet. Smells a bit like a bouillon cube upon drying... *scratches head* The husband claims it smells like diaper, but his schnozz is notoriously broken. Nevertheless, I'm leaning towards swapping at this point. Later: Primarily unlit tobacco. I don't think this is my kind of scent at all. Swap.

Vial: Rose and Pepper... the result is somewhat clove-y, but not bad out of the vial On: Becomes a bit more rosey, but it's still mainly rose and pepper, maybe with a bit of benzoin. The other notes don't seem to show up while wet, and thankfully, the rose doesn't seem inclined to SCREAM like it usually does on my skin. It doesn't seem to change much during drydown and has quite a bit of oomph. Later: Again somewhat clove-y rose. Not bad. I never got caramel or other listed notes, this was mainly rose and pepper, and the pepper might have mingled with a whiff of benzoin for the clove-y effect. I don't think it's bottle-worthy, but I'll keep the decant.

Vial: Very fresh and woody, kinda what I was hoping Yggdrasil would be like. On: Cypress and a slight undercurrent of pine, a bit powdery and yet also a bit astringent. And, um... is that paper I smell? This turns very light on drydown, but it is still present. I wonder how long it is going to last... Later: The scent has softened quite a bit, but is still present, fresh and light. I quite enjoy this, and if it became available again, I might get it. It's not special enough to spend beaucoup bucks on it, though.

Vial: Primarily the bite of apple, with hibiscus (it smells somewhat like the herbal tea) and a bit of lily. On: Wet, it's pretty soapy. I hope that will fade on drydown, without taking the whole scent with it. So far, it isn't going so well - the soapiness seems to stick around, while the remainder of the scent slowly fades... uh-oh. Later: Lilies and soap. This sadly didn't work out. Swap.

Vial: Fresh, almost fruity floral. Almost a bit boozy. On: When first on, it still retains the almost boozy freshness. It's very hard to tell the notes apart, especially since I don't know half the flowers that went into this. It reminds me of the beginning of "Tavern of Hell", before that went to nothing on me. Hopefully, this one will last a bit longer, as it would be a very nice floral for hot days, as cool as it feels. It seems to be still rather strong on drydown, which is a good sign, and it doesn't seem to morph much on me. Later: Still the same cool, fresh floral. Quite enjoyable. Maybe a low-priority entrance into the bottle list.

Vial: Very exotic, hard to describe. I'd say it's spicy-incense-y and woody. The vanilla seems to mostly stay in the background. On: Hm, I gotta guess, but I'd say there's definitely cinnamon, possibly a tad of cedar... it shares something with Kathmandu, so maybe also the chiuri bark (I wouldn't know what that smells like on its own). Maybe some anise, cardamom and saffron? It's not bad... but it doesn't wow me so far. Later: This didn't change on me at all. It's pleasantly spicy and not your typical department store perfume, but... I dunno, it's not my favorite scent ever. I'm glad I got to try it, though, and will hold on to the imp.

Vial: Musk and something solidly woody - oak? On: Oh yeah, there's the rose. It's not overwhelming, but it's there. It's tempered by something that makes it a bit hair-spray-y at first, maybe the moss? The musk lurks underneath, along with the stout woody note. I don't get any overt amber. It does actually remind me of furs, something about it smells like my mom's old fur coat. Later: ROSE! Dammit Swap.

Vial: Sweetened, lightly floral apple On: Apple and what I believe is hyacinth. I don't get dragon's blood as a distinct note in this. It is VERY pretty though, even better than "Dragon's Reverie". Hopefully, this will last for a while. Later: It's still there, but very light - that, or the Absorbine I had to put on an injury is clogging my nose. The beginning was so gorgeous that I have to hold on to the imp at any rate, though, and if I can make it last longer, it will be a bottle. ETA: The goal has been achieved! Put on the collar of my shirt, it is now in its sixth hour and still absolutely gorgeous. Oh yeah, bottle list for sure.

Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine. Vial: An exotic men's cologne, a few floral notes, a hint of fruit and an underlying freshness. On: First on, it smells of opium, with a slight edge of ginger, slight fruitiness of mandarin and creaminess of vanilla, and mixed florals softening the mixture. Complex and quite interesting, and for once, the roses aren't going crazy on me. It doesn't seem to morph much upon drydown - the vanilla fades a bit, and the mandarin gets a bit stronger, but the florals and the opium keeps the scent just this side of becoming a creamsicle. I enjoy this. Later: A strange note has surfaced - smells wet and a bit tinny... like wet hay. Dayum. This is interesting, and although I'm not all that fond of this stage, its strangeness warrants further testing. I don't know yet if I want more, though.

Vial: Leather! On: Oh wow leather unf. Like Loviatar, but without any distractions. Straight up sexy leather. Later: Still leather, barely any weaker. Not bad, but after a while, it gets just a smidge boring. The imp will stay to tide me and the DH over until we can purchase a bottle of Loviatar, but I don't know if we need more of this.

Vial: Very men's cologney, hard to tell what's what for me. On: On me, Robin turns into a deep, mossy green. There seems to be a slight undercurrent of soap, but for now, it's in check. It seems to stay checked by the greenery drying down. This is what I was hoping "Yggdrasil" would be like - a beautiful green forest to wander around in. Later: Woody, powdery. I like it enough to keep the imp around. Not sure if I want more.

Vial: Fresh floral (the freshness probably stems from the pear) On: At the very beginning, it smells a bit cleanerish, but starts to dry and warm up quickly. Now I'm getting quite a bit of cherry blossom, the rest is currently in the background. As it dries, it mingles with the other notes to form a nice floral. I'm not sure whether I'm going to love it, but I like it. Later: Something about this (the honey in conjunction with the florals?) reminds me a bit of "Samael", although there are some differences - this is much less "in-your-face" than old Sam. Good memories, definitely. I am tending towards a bottle and will definitely keep my decant.

Vial: Dark, damp, unidentifiable and cold floral. On: What a strange smell. Something bordering on... celery? I'm not sure if this is working out. Later: Smells like evening mist. Sadly, not good enough. Swap. Two days later - Hmm... I actually wore this all day today, as I got frimped another imp of this, and it's growing on me somewhat. Don't discount this one right away, folks! Still no bottle for me, but one of the imps stays.

Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus. Vial: Strawberry herbal tea. On: Strawberry - now more natural than in the vial, with a fresh undercurrent. Still reminds me of flavored herbal tea. Kinda nice, even though I'm usually not a "berry" person. Dries down to a sweet strawberry floral. Later: Strawberry (now somewhat like the lipgloss flavor) and hibiscus. Not shabby, but not great. Swap.

Vial: Similar to "War", probably because of the ginger-patch mix, but sharper. On: About equal parts ginger, patchouli and orange blossom. What I was hoping "War" would be like. It has a bit of sharpness, a bit of sweetness and clearly says "I can kick your butt". It softens as it dries - hopefully not as much as "War" did, though... Later: Gingery, slightly sweet patchouli. This is nice. Definitely keep the imp, maybe a bottle later.

Vial: Holy Opium, Batman! But there's something darker... probably Vetiver, judging from my experiences with that note. On: Whoa, thick and smoky. Dense, gray-black smoke. Strong, too. I don't know yet if I approve of this. Later: Smoky opium. Not bad now, but the "gray smoke" phase was a bit overwhelming.

Vial: Lime and Nectarine, nice and fruity On: Mostly lime, but the underpinnings are kinda making it a bit dusty and soapy... the non-fruity notes might clash with the fruit on me. Let's see where this is going. Later: Soap and nothing else. This wasn't meant to be. Swap.