reynardine

In bottle: a touch of wild rose and gardenia Wet: Spicy scent, reminds me a lot of Pumpkin V 2007, probably because of the similar notes of ginger and blood orange. Drydown: Stays a light, spicy citrus with a touch of wild rose. Not getting any vanilla at all. Later: Light scent, stays close to the skin. This is like the summer version of the Pumpkin Patch scents. Not woodsy, but it kinda reminds me of going to play outdoors in the neighborhood I grew up in, with some garden scents from other people’s yards coming through. I love this and might need to get a backup bottle of this before it goes away.

Someone was kind enough to send me a sample of this, since I was interested in the notes. It’s very spicy—too spicy for my tastes, but those of you who love the Snake Oil variations should love it. My husband absolutely adored it, but it is so not me. I got pure spice and musk out of this one—very little floral.

This scent is very straightforward. Milk Chocolate with buttercream, and Oh! Does it smell divine! I wish I had gotten a bottle of this when it was available. The Lab’s chocolate note can be powdery at times, but this one wasn’t like that at all. Glad I got to try a decant.

Sister to Pele, Patroness of Hula Dancers, she is a Lady of Hawa'ii, and is caretaker, mother, and beloved of the land itself. The heart of the forest beats along with Her dance, and the air is suffused with Her scent: mai'a, hibiscus, white ginger, akala, na'u, Hawaiian moon flower, yellow ilima, pink lokelani, jewel orchid, and fringed orchid. In imp: fresh ginger Wet: Oh, I love me some tropical florals! This is gorgeous. Mainly getting hibiscus and orchid. Drydown: some fruitiness, but mainly tropical floral and LOTS OF IT. I love this one and it is going on my bottle list!!! EDIT: added description since this is top of page.

In decant: very sharp citrus Wet: I’m getting citrus and I think, cedar? Sandalwood? There a wood in here, and I’m reacting to it. Allergic, had to wash off.

In imp: Almost a cake scent? Wet: Weird! Cake scattered on the grass. Drydown: Okay, this is a strange scent. I’m getting foodie and I’m getting floral at the same time. It’s like a refreshing food scent? Later: Moderate throw, but I just can’t deal with the dichotomy of foodie/floral. It’s nice, but just not me. Trade pile.

In imp: Very citrus Wet: lemony scent (probably the citron). Hint of musk. Drydown: Now I’m getting the musk and lilac, too. This is a very light scent, though. Later: Turns into lemon Pledge on me. Just not going to work. Might do better on a man.

In imp: hint of vanilla Wet: Vanilla and the sharpness of amber. Maybe a touch of sandalwood—hoping that won’t set off the allergies! Drydown: Vanilla and sandalwood—and dang it, the sandalwood is making my eyes water…! Allergic. It’s a pretty scent, but I can’t wear it. Off to swaps.

In imp: light tea Wet: very light, tea with peony Drydown: My skin completely ate this. No trace of it at all after 15 minutes. It’s too bad, as I tend to enjoy tea scents. Trade pile.

In bottle: wow, gorgeous floral scent Wet: More subdued. The wheat seems to keep the roses from dominating everything. Drydown: the honey and nectarine are coming out now. This is really a complex blend here! Lovely floral, subtle and discreet. Beautiful.

In bottle: bright and fruity Wet: getting the apple, very fresh, and the banana, with a bit of pomegranate. Drydown: Really getting a lot of banana in this one! The coconut and sugar cane is starting to come out, too, while the apple is fading a bit into the background. Later: Medium throw, lasts a couple of hours. If you like fruity scents, then this one is perfect. Also, I know what I’m wearing this year for Mardi Gras!

In bottle: Mess o’Florals Wet: HELLO JASMINE!! Yes, I can see that you are the shining star diva queen. Can you move out of the way a bit so that I can see who else is in the room? Drydown: Starting to pick out a few others now, like honeysuckle and carnation. Maybe a touch of apricot? Later: The florals have evened out more into the Mess o’Florals that I got when I took a whiff from the bottle. The honey seems to move around a bit in the background, but don’t fool yourself: this is a VERY FLORAL SCENT. I don’t have that much of a problem with Jasmine, but if you loathe it, then it is probably best to pass on this one, since it insists on stepping out in front of the others.

2009 Version In bottle: Wasn't sure this would work on me (I got it because I ADORE candy corn). Scent is more caramel. Wet: SPICY! Caramel with what smells like a touch of clove? Drydown: Still doesn't smell anything like candy corn, but more like mulled apple cider? Later: Doesn't last a long time, but actually, I do like this scent. It smells like autumn to me and will be fun to wear when the season comes around again! Glad I got a bottle!

Starts off as very sweet, almost darling scent. Baby powder, yes, but extremely sweet. Not getting any brimstone. Has a good throw and lasts a while. I may get a bottle of this.

First whiff—NO, just NO. “Something not quite right” absolutely dominates and it is making me nauseous. Trade pile.

I’m getting chrome, plastic, sweat and a lot of grass. Interesting in a storytelling fashion, but not something I would actually wear. Trade pile.

Heavy on the oak, lemon and dust. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this, but I keep sniffing my arm. The blend really works well on me. Bottle.

Whoa, not kidding about the hot cocoa and marshmallows! Getting a touch of glue, but it isn’t unpleasant. Drydown into an almost-perfect chocolate scent. Doesn’t quite have the powdery feel of Bliss (may be the marshmallow). I am so getting a bottle. Or two.

Vanilla, saffron, and cream. In bottle: Ooooh, creamy goodness! Wet: And there’s the plastic vanilla note. It’s not as harsh as, say, Detestable Putrescence, but it’s still there. Drydown: The saffron and cream almost cover the plastic of the vanilla. Later: And then it turns into something absolutely awesome! The question is whether to put up with the plastic doom note long enough to get to the good stuff. I’m keeping this, though, as it is perfect scent-locket material. EDIT: to add description as this is the top of a page.

In decant: a little perfumey Wet: Ooooh, this actually is rather nice. There’s a sweetness to the dry background. Drydown: Now more of the clove and balsam seems to be coming out. Maybe a touch of incense. Still that sweetness that I like lurking around. Later: Dries down to a light scent, sweet but not too sweet. Very unusual scent. Not sure if I’d get a bottle or not (must test again), but I do like this one a lot!

In decant: this is another Snake blend that doesn’t smell much like Snake Oil—very fresh, green scent. Wet: Something in Snake Oil always smells a bit plastic on my skin. The other elements do a bit to cover it up, but that underlying note is there and it just doesn’t work with me. Drydown: I do like these mosses. They dry down beautifully. Later: Still too “Snake Oil” for me. Again, will try to age and see if that doesn’t soften this down a bit.

In decant: Are you sure there’s Snake Oil in here? Wet: Very soft woods with a touch of musk. Drydown: The musk is coming out more. I don’t usually like black musk but it goes very well with all these wood notes. Later: Again, a very soft wood blend. I don’t get any spices at all. I like it but it’s not really my style. Will give it a second test when the weather is warmer.

In decant: chocolate and spices Wet: Got the chocolate, got the spicy Snake Oil, maybe a hint of teak? Drydown: The scent is starting to blend now. Before, all the notes were very distinctive. The chocolate does help to ease the over-spiciness of the Snake Oil and the teak adds a weird tinge. Later: Meh, it’s alright but I still don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Will age this six months and try again.

In bottle: getting a touch of the date and the ginger Wet: the vanilla plastic strikes again! Hoping this will dry down into something tolerable… Drydown: A woody scent is coming out. Complex and hard to describe. This must be the oud. The fragrance is morphing quite a bit. Later: Subtle wood scent which might be okay, but that vanilla plastic is still in the background. The wood part reminds me a lot of Bezoar (from Carnival Diabolique). While this would work very well on some skin types, and might layer wonderfully, it is just sort of limp on me—the vanilla and ginger I was looking for just didn’t work on my skin. Going to trade pile on this one.

In the bottle, this has more of the buttery pumpkin smell (like Jack), which had me worried because Jack didn’t work on me at all. And after a rocky drydown period where it approached plastic, the scent settled into an interesting mix of spicy (the pumpkin) and bittersweet (the pomegranate). They compliment each other nicely, not battling for dominance but working together. I do prefer my other pumpkin scents, but this one would be nice to mix in for a bit of variety. It’s a late autumn scent that could be worn into winter.