Rock Geisha

I was very excited to try this one because I also love the blues. Thankfully, I also love foody scents.

 

In bottle: At first sniff, it's all caramel. Inhaling, I smell lime and pepper. Second sniff, I can smell the sage. The vetiver is there, too.

Wet: The mullein and sage come to the forefront and it starts to smell very medicinal. There's still a sweetness to it. As it starts to dry, it becomes very spicy, with the cigar smell at the forefront and a sweet, buttery back of caramel.

Drydown: It's long and strong but I am unsure if it's down to get the friction on. This dries down to a warm sagey caramel with a hint of vetiver. It's got a heft to it but it's not too manly for a girly girl like me.

 

I'd give this a four out of five with bonus points for that beautiful label.

In bottle: This is a very green scent--all pine and mint.

Wet: Still that fir and balsam smell, with a hint of citrus. A little tobacco.

Drydown: It dries down to a scent that reminds me of Old Spice but brighter and more open.

 

Overall, this is a pleasant scent but it's a little too manly for me.

In the bottle: Sharp and soapy, like a shampoo.

 

Wet: Once on the skin, the dragon's blood comes out. And something else...something floral. Like gardenia but not as sweet. Lily?

 

Drydown: The floral note comes to the forefront but the dragon's blood is right behind it. To me, there's a fine line between good floral and old lady and too often florals go full tilt into old lady. I like this floral, though. It has a subtle spice to it and it smells pretty. I don't feel sexy in this--no "aura of temptation and carnal sin" here. This is for the morning after, not the night before.

In the bottle: Buttery, kind of sweet.

 

Wet: Butterscotch.

 

Drydown: Upon drying, it becomes a lot sweeter and the pineapple emerges as it settles into a creamy pineapple scent. Not much throw, not much staying power on me. It's pleasant but just okay.

In the bottle: Patchouli is strong, as usual. But it's tempered by the sweetness of the orange blossom.

 

Wet: Like a good synaesthete, scents have colors to me. Not surprisingly, Vixen is orange. And if I can stretch my synaesthetic impressions, it smells like orange blossom is giving patchouli a hug.

 

Drydown: The notes settle into a nice balance and this scent goes all night long. It is strong and spicy and you have to have confidence to wear a scent like this. Luckily, I do.

In the bottle: Bright grape with a slightly sweet, slightly sour back.

Wet: Still grape but slightly spicy.

Drydown: The clove becomes the dominant note but there's still a big fruity background.

In bottle: Juniper is light but the pine dominates. I think the pine is the note I find so disagreeable in #20 Love Oil.

 

Wet: The pine calms a bit, as I can now smell the amber and just a whiff of the vanilla's sweetness.

 

Drydown: As it dries, the notes become more harmonious but that pine is still strong, making it the reason why this one will never be a favorite.

In the bottle: Neroli, you are all over the place. I guess this is my confirmation that I amp neroli.

 

Wet: The neroli backs down a bit due to competition from the bergamot.

 

Drydown: It dries down into a musky bergamot with a light sprinkling of sandalwood. I don't smell the amber or frankincense.

In bottle and wet: Strong cherry, almost a fake candy cherry.

 

Drydown: The cherry fades to a light scent as the lilies take center stage and the stephanotis swirls around them.

In the bottle and wet: Hellooooooo, neroli!

 

Drydown:

 

Rock Geisha: Neroli, are you still there?

Neroli: Yes, ma'am!

Rock Geisha: Ylang Ylang? Oleander? Patchouli?

"Mmmfmmsmmmf."

Rock Geisha: Neroli, are you--are you sitting on the other scents?

*teensy cough*

Rock Geisha: Ylang ylang!

 

Straight version: Very sweet floral, heavy on the neroli, not for me.

In the bottle: Smells like a suntan lotion--like an artificial buttery coconut scent.

 

Wet on skin: Just on, it's very buttery and salty with a bit of sweetness. There's still that artificial, plasticky scent, though.

 

Drydown: Mmmm, funnelcake. Lots of caramel, too.

 

Overall: As a confirmed foodie, I liked it as I thought I would. I just wish that on me, it would last longer and throw more.

In the bottle: Wow, this is the most sunshine-y BPAl oil I've ever smelled. Very citrusy. Many oils I've had to actually wear to see if I'll like them but I loved this one from the opening of the bottle.

 

Wet on skin: The grapefruit and ginger fight for dominance as a strong musk lurks in the background. This kinda reminds me of Lolita's older sister. Lolita's older sister who's really into uppers, that is--this is a very "frantic" upon application.

 

Drydown: It becomes a sweet grapefruit-y musk.

 

Overall: I should have bought more bottles.

This was a frimp with HGM.

 

In the bottle: I can't make out individual notes but it reminds me strongly of what I hated about #20 Love Oil.

 

Wet on skin: Wow, this reminds me so much of Jean Nate--a bright citrus. There's a faint herbal back--sage?

 

Drydown: As it settles, it gets sweeter--like baby powder with spice. I don't feel like a sex bomb wearing this. I feel like my six-year-old self after a bath--putting on Jean Nate splash and powder.

 

Overall: I'll use the rest of the imp but probably won't buy it again.

In the bottle: Very strong musk with a faint hint of something sweet. I realized with Smut that what I'd been describing as a "perfume-y smell" is most likely musk.

 

Wet on skin: That strong musk pops up again, temporarily drowning out the other notes.

 

Drydown: The musk finally settles down and smells almost sweet. I swear I can almost smell a tobacco smell--a chewing tobacco smell. I definitely get the comparisons to Snake Oil but SO smells "brighter" to me, whereas Smut is darker and dirtier.

 

Overall: I like it and will probably wear it often, though it's not one of my OMG, BPAL! scents.

In the bottle: Herbal, spicy, woods

Wet: The herbal scent comes to the forefront.

Drydown: It turns into a spicy jasmine.

 

I love this one--it's a bottler, for sure.

In the bottle: Cherries, an herbal smell and...puppies.
Wet: Herbal puppies with a light rose.
Drydown: This is so nasty on me and it's making my eyes burn. I had my grandmother smell it on me and she made a face.

I'm going to try layering it with other stuff but so far this is not doing it for me.

Edit: I've tried layering it with Snake Oil and although I can at least stand myself now, it's still not very me.

In the bottle: Heavy spices and almond.

Wet: Red Hots!

Drydown: Cinnamon-y warm almonds.

 

Would I buy it in a bottle? Oh, yes.

In the bottle: Perfume-y, like a soap or a detergent.

Wet: It starts to smell more herbal. It reminds me a little of Skin So Soft by Avon.

Drydown: It smells soapy again--a very clean scent.

 

This one's another keeper.

In the bottle: Spicy Kool-Aid.

Wet: It smells a little like these orange gummies my mom used to buy--kinda citrusy and spicy.

Drydown: Really fruity with a hint of spicy musk.

 

I adore this one. Definitely one for a bottle.

In the bottle: Ginger with a bit of cedar and patchouli.

Wet: Straight cedar.

Drydown: A very smoky, spicy cedar.

 

Would I buy it in a bottle? I don't think so but I'll use up the vial.

In the bottle: A little Johnson's Baby Lotion, a little lemony incense.

Wet: A sharper lemon, backed by subtle florals.

Drydown: Powdery lemon surrounded by Southern flowers.

 

Overall, this one's yummy. Usually I don't like citrus scents but this one's really doing it for me. Bottle, please!

Exquisitely melancholy. The background scent to an ancient exequies. Heavy, dark and floral: a blend of roses, with a touch of amber and musk.

 

In the bottle: Rose with a bit of amber.

Wet: ROSE!

Drydown: This dries down to a powdery rose scent that I actually like a lot. However, that takes hours. Before that, it's an intensely cloying rose scent, like that of a decorative soap. Pass!

In the bottle: Strong dandelion, with a faint whiff of tobacco and something that smells like a rose.

 

Wet: Hops and a stronger weedy smell.

 

Drydown: The dandelion mellows and I can really smell the hemp now. That rose scent makes a reappearance then there's a strong earthy smell--literally, like fresh earth. The sharp notes start to fade and it settles into a gorgeous soft, powdery herbal.

In the bottle: Old-school ozone-depleting aerosol hairspray.

 

Wet: Hairspray and something sour and unpleasant.

 

Dry: The first time I wore this, it dried down to a lovely floral but after wearing it a second time, I think that might have been the Black Rose I sampled mingling with it. The second time I wore it, I wore it by its lonesome and it gave me a pounding headache. It's a very perfume-y scent. I appreciate the craft that went into blending it but it's just not me.

In the bottle: Mmm, sweet! Strong almond and jasmine.

Wet: Jasmine is stronger and the musk comes forward. This smells exactly like bath oil beads I had when I was little.

Drydown: Powdery, spicy jasmine.

 

To be honest, I wouldn't have ordered this if I didn't share a name with it--those just aren't notes that would have called to me. But it turned out to be one of my favorites--the jasmine mellows out a lot as it dries and the sandalwood grounds it. Smells like yummy incense.

 

Would I buy it in a bottle?: Definitely.