storme

Slivers of warm, pulsating blood forever crystallized in golden amber resin. In the imp: mm, this is warm dragon's blood under that spicy amber. On me, wet: The amber is dry and the dragon's blood is sticky-juicy. The combination is confusing my nose. On me, dry: Mrm, this is nice enough. Amber and dragon's blood and not a lot else. A bit thin as a blend, really. Verdict: Fairly nice, but nothing amazing. I think I'll swap this away.

In the imp: ooh, lots of berry, something that smells a little like mace, and that sticky goldy amber smell. On me, wet: sweet spices and berries and sticky amber. It's somewhat foody, really. On me, dry: oh, there's the iris, but that foodiness has gone sort of powdery on me, and a little stale-smelling. Verdict: Not once it dries, certainly, and before that it was a bit too sweet for me. Ah well.

CT3: DCXXVI (624) In the imp: cherry-almond pastries, warm and thick and sweet and foody. On me, wet: thick cherry-almond with a hint of caramelly booze - this is like one of the Monster Baits. Delicious booze-infused cake. On me, dry: This reminds me of the Monster Baits, still - sweet cake with booze. There's less almond and more coconut in the cake, but the booze is still caramelly. Verdict: This is nicer than any of the Monster Baits actually were on me. Still, I'm not really a sweet-cake-perfume sort of person - I think I'll pass on my decant to someone who'll love it more. Previously reviewed by kunoichi.

In the imp: violets and thick boozy grapes. On me, wet: powdery musky wine. I can really sense the orris here, too, lurking menacingly beneath the wine - this has a dry dustiness beneath the booze. On me, dry: talcum-powdery alcoholic meh. I can just about still detect the florals, but everything else has become subsumed into the talcum powder. Verdict: I took a risk, since several of these notes are dealbreakers for me. But the violets and orris were not going to change their usual habits on my skin, so.

In the imp: lots of dark vetiver and dirty patchouli. On me, wet: pencil-shaving-ish vetiver tinged with sandalwood and patchouli. Very dark, very heavy, not really very pleasant. On me, dry: dark heavy woodsy-dirt vetiver alleviated slightly by musk and patchouli. Too heavy, really, and slightly reminiscent of dirty hippy sweat. Verdict: This certainly captures the 'earth' part. Alas, this is too much vetiver for me.

In the imp: effervescent grapey-peary-lotus bubblegum. On me, wet: sugary-sharp lemon-citrus. *Really* sweet-sharp. Dear god. On me, dry: hmm, what does this remind me of... ah, mosquito-repellant! That same antiseptic citrusy sharpness. Verdict: Nope. Just.. nope. From the notes, I thought it might be somewhat like Thalia, but alas. I guess I will stick with Thalia.

In the imp: Whoa, lots of that fresh clean pure aquatic note that makes me think of men's aftershave. On me, wet: lots of aquatics, and a hint of ozone behind it. This is nice, but sort of ephemeral-feeling - and not at all vetiver-ish. On me, dry: soap. lots of very ozone-ish made-for-men soap, but still, soap. Verdict: This has quite a throw, and it's a little less soapy and more aquatic at the edges of the throw, but I don't think I need to keep ths around.

In the imp: a very soft, feminine mint-and-floral scent. On me, wet: Mm, this is a lot like Nuclear Winter - mint and cucumbery wateriness. It's lighter, though. On me, dry: creamy soft mints and that cucumbery wateriness. It's quite light, but otherwise reminds me of Tulzscha and Nuclear Winter - that awesome cooling mint/cucumber combination that is wonderful for hot muggy days. Verdict: Oh yes. I can see this bottle being used a lot next summer, even if I have to slather somewhat. Definitely a keeper.

... Be good, or Krampus will toss you in a river! Sinister red musk, black leather, dusty rags, and wooden switches. In the bottle: lots of red musk and dustiness. On me, wet: the leather comes out immediately, softening the dustiness and cutting across the red musk. It's quite a male scent, harsh yet warming. On me, dry: the musk and the dry woods reassert themselves over the leather. This is a hot, dry musk and leather scent, rather masculine and quite sexy. Verdict: If it were just up to me, I'd keep this - I love leather scents and I love red musk scents, so this is a fine combination to me. But the SO really dislikes that dustiness, so alas, I'll be unlikely to get much use out of this bottle.

In the imp: smoky champaca, sort of stale but floral. Not very enticing. On me, wet: poppy and tonka and sandalwood, sort of dusty and plasticky and with a weird fake-fruit tinge to it. On me, dry: oh ew ew ew. The florals and the fruitiness together are sticky and alcoholic, and the poppy smoke over the top too... enh. Verdict: The notes don't play together very well on me, and since even in the bottle it's making me recoil, I don't even want to try it on the SO.

In the imp: lots of beautiful soft gardenia and a few other gentle florals to sweeten it further. On me, wet: whoa the gardenia. The other florals have taken on a commercial-perfume-ish tinge, but there's a warmth and a depth to this that's quite wonderful. On me, dry: this is beautiful. Very light and airy florals - the perfumey tinge has burnt off but it's still got a hitn of warmth from the sandalwood and vanilla. Verdict: Definitely keep the imp around, and maybe seek out a bottle if I find myself reaching for it often enough.

In the bottle: lavender and blackberry, bittersweet and soothing and lovely. On me, wet: mm, that's very juicy and almost edible - like a lavender and blackberry jam. The sage and the tonka are just about detectable too. On me, dry: this keeps dancing around on the edge of becoming soapy - but the blackberry keeps it from tipping over completely. Sweet, soft and faintly smoky. Verdict: I like this, but I suspect I will be unlikely to wear it often - it's a little too foody. I'll keep the bottle around and see.

In the imp: bitter bitter oranges and frangipani and a trace of resin. On me, wet: oh the bitter oranges - there's also warm amber and dry frankincense under the citrus - it's a very dry, hot, barren scent. On me, dry: soapy oranges and warm dry saffron and amber. This is now a hot dry barren scent that's been well-scrubbed. Verdict: not terrible, but not great either. I don't think I need to keep this around.

In the imp: chocolate-orange-vanilla, slightly sticky yet dusty, like the inside of a truffle. On me, wet: this smells slightly foody and slightly woody and slightly floral, but it's hard to distinguish individual notes at all. It's sort of... perfumey and warm, with a chocolate-orange tinge. On me, dry: hello? When opening this, I spilled a fairly large amount over my hand, but all I can smell is a very faint trace of chocolate orange and some warm wood in the background. Verdict: well, there's no point in me keeping this around, really, is there? I wish my skin hadn't devoured it, though - it seemed nice until it went poof.

In the imp: whoa. the pear and the tobacco and the leather sort of thwack you in the nose - this is a dirty and very male scent. On me, wet: vanilla tobacco and some dirty pear behind it, being weird and almost sharp - I think the cedar is coming out, too. On me, dry: No, I really don't like that cedar-pear combination - it smells almost mouldy to me, and unfortunately it's dominating the scent. Verdict: This didn't work at all on the SO when he tried it, and it doesn't work on me at all. Ick.

In the imp: Verbena and tea, sparkly and light over the lavender. On me, wet: lots of verbena and lavender and tea, and just a trace of a vaguely lily-ish floral, which I assume is iris. On me, dry: very light, fragile sweet citrus over a hint of warmth and sharp lavender. Very very light, though pleasant. Verdict: A bit light for me. On the SO it's stronger but still pleasant. Not really worth keeping around, though.

In the imp: rum and warm vanilla-caramel tobacco. On me, wet: lots of alcohol, lots of leather, something coconut-ish, and stale smoke. It's reminding me of some pubs I've been to. On me, dry: whoa, that tobacco-ish scent warmed and softened into a caramelish vanilla, and blended with a really strong rum note. It's still a litle stale, though. Verdict: It's making me think of old men's pubs, ceilings encrusted with tar and carpets sticky from accumulated spilled drinks. Not a keeper.

The End of All Things: empty white musk and mint seeped with solemn lavender, doleful patchouli and vetiver, scythe-sharp yuzu and lime, with geranium bourbon, white sandalwood and calla lily. In the imp: patchouli and sharp herbal cologne. On me, wet: whoa, really, aftershave, with just a trace of patchouli warming up behind the sharp alcoholic bite. On me, dry: a hint of lavender, a fair amount of patchouli, but mostly just the mingled morass of cologne that I sometimes encounter in department stores. Sigh. Verdict: Grr, no mint, no lime, no yuzu - none of the notes I was hoping for came out to play, and what's left isn't really to my taste. Alas.

In the imp: very soft and.. actually, this smells like the rose tea I drink, brewed very weakly. On me, wet: very much like rose tea in a sandalwood mug might smell. Very delicious. On me, dry: lots of sandalwood, lots of rose, not much patchouli. What patchouli there is is grounding the scent, while the sandalwood warms and the rose sweetens - but it doesn't last long on me. Verdict: Well, when my imp of <b>The Empress</b> runs out, this may be the cheapest way to replace it. But it fades much faster on my skin.

In the imp: cranberries and musk. Mmm, tht's lovely - sensual but with a sharp edge. On me, wet: The ginger and the cranberries and very prominent, but that musk - is that red musk? it feels like it - and those spices are giving this a warmth and a sultriness that's very pleasing. On me, dry: This is like the cranberry counterpart to Mania - tart cranberries instead of sweet strawberries, but that same fruit-and-musk loveliness. Verdict: Certainly keeping the imp around. At some point a wrist-off between this and Mania will be required so I can decide which one warrants a big bottle.

In the imp: orange blossom! over dirty woods. On me, wet: lots and lots of dirt, a hint of various woods, and a trace of the orange-blossom tang from before. On me, dry: the orange now smells like orange rather than neroli, and there's a lot of patchouli and dirt and wood here still. Verdict: Feh. This is too dirt and patchouli-ish for me, and not enough parchment. Alas.

Osmanthus, Damascus rose, violet, delphinium, white mint, palmarosa and white sandalwood. In the imp: mint tea over some florals - sort of sweet and clean-smelling. On me, wet: lots of mint, lots of clean fresh florals, not as sweet as in the imp. Very pure-smelling, somehow. On me, dry: a green, crisp but sweet floral. Very fresh and damp-feeling - I bet this would be lovely for summer. Verdict: I think I'll definitely be keeping this imp around - a lovely light crisp clean feminine scent. But not quite a bottle purchase yet.

In the imp: soft, sweet florals - the dragon's blood here isn't strong and cherry-ish like it usually is to my nose. On me, wet: soft poppy, very soft florals, and a very light trace of amber. On me, dry: oh, weird - now it's all poppy and ylang ylang, dark and slightly sticky-sweet, with the amber warming it from beneath. Verdict: Nice enough, but I'm not a huge fan of ylang ylang, and I have better poppy blends. Ah well.

In the imp: dragon's blood over woods, lots and lots of wood. On me, wet: dry dusty sandalwood, until the whole things warms up a little and softens to a warm, golden wood. On me, dry: Warm, soft, slightly dry sandalwood over what smells like a woody dry dragon's blood. It has almost no throw, though. Verdict: In theory this scent seemed tailor-made to appeal to me, but actually it's nothing that special on my skin, alas.

In the imp: Holy crap the vetiver - smoky earthy forest-floor mustiness, and lots of it. On me, wet: I sort of like vetiver but it does overwhelm anything else on my skin. And this is too much vetiver. Really, forest floor scrapings on a bonfire here. On me, dry: All the vetiver ever, still. If there's any other note to this, I can't identify it. Verdict: The one good thing I can say about this is that it certainly has throw and staying power. But I don't want vetiver single note, thank you.