reynardine

Someone was kind enough to give me a testable sniffie of this. Starts off a bit sharp. I am picking up birch, musk and jasmine. BIG THROW on this one. It stays sharp as it dries down—too sharp for me, although The Man really likes it. After about 2 hours or so, I washed it off as it was giving me a headache.

Mainly getting tea, ginger and pepper off of this scent. Maybe a touch of linen, which I’m finding is not a note that I like very much. It has a decent throw as well. However, I find I prefer the Asian-themed tea scents better.

Despite the description, all I’m getting here is an almost single-note dandelion, which doesn’t suit me at all. None of the creaminess of the previous version. Off to swaps with this one.

At first application, this came up all as green stems, but now it has settled down into wildflowers in a meadow. Extremely light and pretty, a nice springtime fragrance. Does require frequent reapplication, though. EDIT: Now that I've had the bottle for awhile, I'm finding Little Bird to be best used as a layering scent. The grassiness in it compliments some of the floral and berry scents very well. In fact, I'm finding I like it much more in this capacity than I did on its own.

This one started off as a kinda run-of-the-mill tea-based Asian scent, but on the dry-down, the mind kicked in and WOW. This is absolutely gorgeous. I’m getting a bit of the florals/wood but mostly tea and mint. Beautiful scent!!!

Blarg…wine and something really nasty. Actually, it smells like a rat that died in a wine barrel. Ick.

In decant, picked up the tangerine and musk immediately. It applied very lightly. There was a burst of tangerine which lasted for a couple of hours, and then it faded into a powdery light fruit scent. Very clean-smelling.

Picked up on the rose in this immediately. Upon application, this becomes a very sophisticated scent on me, quite complex. Floral/fruit with resin undertones. It’s interesting, but rather flat—probably due to the resin, which usually don’t work well on me. Might have the Man try it on and see how it fairs on him.

I missed out on this scent at first because I was scared of the sandalwood note—sandalwood usually makes me sneeze-- but the other reviews made me think this might work on me, so I managed to get a hold of a decant. What a gorgeous scent! Rich fruit with a touch of floral. I’m not picking up the sandalwood at all (nor are my allergies complaining). I’m not getting the candy sweet-tarts that other people have been complaining about, but that may just be the luck of the draw with skin chemistry. For me, it’s a rich, rich fruit scent. And yes, I’m getting a bottle or three of this!

Got this in a trade, so I honestly had no idea what to expect. I only knew the notes all sounded good. First applied, carnation is dominant, but then on the dry-down, it fades to this very pretty beeswax and wild roses with a touch of vanilla amber. Not picking up on any of the other scents. Also, there’s a lot of grass in her (stems?), rather like a wildflower bouquet that has been thrown together. People who like grass scents should love this one. Very light throw, needs slathering, nice springtime scent, might go into early summer. I’m not wild about the wet stage, but once it has dried, it is very pretty.

CTV: CLXIV Someone frimped me this, so I figured I’d try it. Normally, Snake Oil and I don’t really get along, but hey, I’m willing to give it a try. This has almost a cake scent to it? Very fresh, light, almost tea? I like it, will certainly finish off this imp!

At first, I thought I was getting ginger or something from this. It was almost fizzy-smelling. But then it settled down into a bright mint with a touch of violet. Quite unlike anything else I’ve ever tried. Quirky and fun. I like it!

Very soft and pretty floral blend. I’m especially getting orchid, pair and musk with a touch of moss and clove. Sophisticated! Dries nicely. Not much throw, will have to slather. But I do love this one!

In the decant, this was piercing and pretty, but went soapy on my skin. Sorry, no luck on this one.

I must really amp grass notes, because upon application, that is most of what I’m getting here. There’s a touch of aquatic there, but otherwise, this one fails utterly on me. I’m certainly not getting the same scent that everyone else seems to be! Barely any florals and no sugar at all. Just grass…

At first application, the musk really comes out. I don’t care for that, but it settles pretty quickly. Then I pick up wild plum and beeswax and incense. It dries down pretty, but with so much musk, it’s not really my thing. This is in the same class, scent-wise, with Mme. Moriarty. If the good Madame seemed a bit much for you with the patchouli note, give the Witch Queen a try.

The scent of the winds beyond the wall: bluebonnet, passion flower, freesia, jasmine tea, mint, thyme, and redcurrant. Decant. At first, there was a piercing shot of something sharp, and then the bluebells came forward. Breathtaking floral mix, every note well balanced within. Not particularly long-lasting, so will have to slather, but regardless, I am going to get a bottle of this for sure. EDIT: Added description since top of page.

Blackberries and beeswax, that's what I'm getting from this blend. The man picked up a bit of creaminess that I missed. Mainly the blackberries are dominating on me. This is a GORGEOUS blend. Now I have to go and find a backup bottle...

HATMEHIT The Egyptian fish goddess, orginally a deification of the Nile River, the Great Flood, and the Waters of Creation. The scent of the depths of the River, teeming with aquatic life, sanctified by holy herbs. In bottle: almost minty herbal Wet: light, very green smelling. There’s an underlying floral I can’t identify. Also aquatic tinge. Drydown: Very clean scent. The herbs stand out pleasantly amidst the aquatic. Reminds me a bit of Leanan Sidhe, except the herbs have a different tinge to them. But very similar. Later: The herbs deepen—that’s really the only word I can think to describe it. Still a touch of aquatic, but this is mainly a very clean herbal fragrance. Not what I would think of in winter—this seems to be a perfect springtime scent. Also, I still get a touch of mint, I don’t know why. Lovely. I’m glad I went ahead and got a bottle.

In decant: Rooty, herby scent Wet: Very herbal. Touch of woods in the background, one of which is giving me allergy issues. Nope, have to wash it off. Allergic.

In decant: Light floral Wet: A bit of floral with a LOT of grassy notes. Drydown: Very grassy. Quite pleasant. Lasts a few hours. I think people looking for grass notes will want to stock up on this one!

Full disclosure: I did not get this decant based on the notes. The Gilman House Hotel is a running joke in our house, due to my husband’s last name. So of course I had to try this one out. In decant: Swamp gas and paint thinner Wet: Getting dust with a perfumey smell. The same note that was in Storytime at Dark Delicacies. Strangely, it works with the swamp gas and paint thinner. However, it kills the scent for me, causing my eyes to water. Had the same problem with Storytime. Drydown: Remarkably stable. The irritating elements calm down a bit, but it keeps one in mind of decay. Those may be the wood notes a previous poster mentioned. It is beautifully blended and an exercise in scent storytelling. This is what I imagine a haunted house would smell like. However, there is no way that I would be able to carry off wearing this scent. Some could, and more power to you.

In decant: rice powder Wet: powder scent, a touch of chesnut and geranium Drydown: This scent stays stable and doesn’t morph much. It’s a quiet scent, reminding me of very early spring days before it is warm enough to go outside (that’s probably the geranium). Not something I’d wear, however.

In decant: Sharp Wet: Opens up with amber and myrrh. Getting some of the mandarin in the background. Drydown: Fruitiness is coming out now. Citrus with some tea. No vanilla that I can pick up. Later: Has some staying power. Medium throw. Very citrus, so if you like citrus, this might be worth trying. I like this blend. It’s a nice balance. Going to test a second time before I decide on a bottle, but this is a possibility.

In decant: sharp scent (cedar?) Wet: Woodsy smell, more like an autumn or winter scent than spring. Masculine. Drydown: And there’s that tobacco again, messing things up. The cedar was behaving. Getting some mint here now, too. I want to like this scent, but that one death note ruins it for me. It’s one of the more interesting of this season’s line, though.