saralaughs

In the decant: Lemon and basil Just applied: Lemon and basil. Like, really fresh basil. You know how just cut basil will sometimes have that licoricey type of smell? Yeah, that's this here. And the lemon is sweet, almost candied. So far I'm not getting any spiciness or anything else, just the sweet lemon and basil. Into Drydown: Now there is a bit of spice and something sharp coming into play. It tones down the sweetness that I was getting from the citrus. So far this is a really pretty blend. I almost like it enough to buy a bottle (which is weird for me, I tend to avoid most citrus) but this is very smooth and well-rounded.

Holy dirt cakes. This is really earthy/dirty. The patch is wildly strong upon application. The sandalwood springs out, making this a dry scent. The sage is there, giving this yet another edge that invokes the sort of dirty/gritty/wildness you may think of when the rat speakers come to mind. The leather is there, unclean and supporting the rest of the notes. Glad I got to try it, not wearing it again...

Very soft, soothing scent. It's regal almost. It's mostly this sweet honey that isn't surupy in the least, if that makes sense. It's smooth, golden honey that is hasn't been processed yet. Then the supporting role is blue chamomile. Very floral in a soothing way that is sort of weird on me. It's going powdery after a while, yet it is still pretty. Very soothing honey scent. Just not me.

I really agree with vegasblueblood. It falls flat. It starts out with promise. The vanilla is rich, the cherry is vibrant. I think the musk combined with the booze really does a dozy with this though. It ends up a bit powdery on me and shows no depth. Glad I got to try it but I'm crossing it off my list.

WHOA strong. Teeny, tiny drop is right. Bah! Strong, dark, powdery incense. After about 10minutes it calms down and sweetens up a bit. The amber is taking this out of total darkness and lending a rich, golden feel to it. The powderiness also lightens up. It's not so in-your-face grandmother's powder puff, you know? It's more a hint of a silky, dry feel than anything. The plum starts to give it a bit of a dark fruity feel as well. It's dark and deep yet very sweet. Mysterious almost. Very nicely blended and quite beautiful. Just not something that I would wear that often.

I haz her skin chemistry. Kinda. I agree that in the decant, I'm getting a very nice strawberry with a bit of sweet peach backing it up. On my skin, the floral comes in and mixes with the sweet fruit and makes it a floral fruit smelling thing. It reminded me of something strongly and I finally thought of what it was. Exclamation! perfume. Only 'pink'-er'. Or something. Great for a teenage me. But not for me now.

You've done your best to tell me I'll be ok, which is what I asked for. So thank you. I guess I'll just have to chance it and order a bottle soon.

Gimme 5. The imp smells of patchouli, musk and smokey vanilla... like very smooth. The 5ml is like orange creamsicle like some reviews of it. Oh Jumping Jesus. This scares me. I recently fell hard for an imp of Ravenous and it really isn't anything like an orange creamsicle to me. It's heady orange blossom, patchouli and glorious creamy vanilla (but only a bit). I don't want orange! I want orange blossom! Someone tell me I'll be ok.

Skin Chemistry is sooo weird. There is no amber on me, I get no spice, and vanilla has left the damn freakin' building. The tiare is strong on me. I actually made my Controller sneeze til his nose flew off, hit the wall, and he had to go home (no joke on the going home part). I get a bit of the sandalwood but that only serves to dry out the tiare instead of leaving it alone to be nice and juicy in its floral yumminess. Not what I was looking for. It's strong too. And long lasting. Too bad.

Wow. This is really powdery on me. Like, the powdery smell crushes everything else into non-existance. It reminds me of Baby Soft perfume. It may be the jasmine doing this, I dunno.

Cream. And ginger. Very nice. Rich. Decadent. Sinful. Lustful. Yum. It's almost manly on me as well. Sexy yet comforting. RAWR.

It did to me as well so I did a side by side. Amsterdam is more light with heady florals while Sky City (Before) has milder florals and dampness that is darker somehow. Not DARK but milder maybe? It's a very good spring time scent with a greeness that is wet and alive. There is something that is behind that floral/green/clean scent that really doesn't like me though. Overall, while Amsterdam reminds me of some shampoo right out of the bottle (very good shampoo mind you, but still shampoo) Sky City Before is the smell of hair that has been blown dry after a good washing at the salon...after you've had a perm or color. I like it but I think I prefer Amsterdam over this.

Yeah, Black Lace is NOTHING like Antique Lace on me, so YMMV with that one too.

The myrrh does it again. I'm just not good friends with myrrh. It doesn't speak my language. Nor does it ride my wave. It rides a wave in a total different universe. It does what I fear every blend with myrrh will do...go sharp. The orange blossom in this really strikes a very bright, heady floral note. It's very pretty. But my non-friend myrrh plops down and stays sharp. Not smooth but pokeyouinthedamneye sharp. In the background there is this musical of smoky amber and warm benzoin that I would love! LOVE! But alas, I cannot get over the sharpness of the myrrh. I may try it again on a day I'm not so hormonal but I doubt it will make a difference.

Man, I hate my skin chemistry sometimes. I am seriously not getting any of the amber/creamy/peachy stuff anyone else is. Lamia, to sum it up, is a very dark, cold floral. Very sensual and sinister yet cold and definitely floral. Kinda like I imagined how she would smell from descriptions in the book. Beth did a good job on this one. On, I get the orchid and champaca right away and they meld together and build in strength of scent. They have center stage and they keep it the whole way through. The myrrh comes in with a bit of a bitterness on me, as myrrh tends to be. The vanilla amber isn't really anywhere to be found and I am CRYING over that fact. UGH. Anyway, the vetiver really lends a darkness with a bit of sweet smokiness. Nothing too strong or overpowering. Also, there is this slight fruity/tartness that takes away the sting of the vertiver/myrrh for me and keeps everything from beating eachother up. I suppose that is the coconut or black currant perhaps. I dunno. Very nice. Sophisticated yet feral. Just not me.

Initial application was straight Liz on me. Wet it is very much sweet vanilla flower with leather. The vanilla slowly deepens and intensifies as it dries. As it does, the leather takes a back seat, like way in the back. The amber then enters the picture in a big way and basically almost steals the show. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with that but some of the Lab's amber notes go really, really powdery on me and this happened to be one of them. POWDER+a bit of vanilla/orchid/leather (in that order) really doesn't do it for me. Thing is, I'm in a weird place in my cycle so I don't know if it's my chemistry or not. Without that POWDER, I would love it so I may just have to track down a bottle. *shrugs* It was a mixed bag.

It's one of this years Lupers Beatrice, so if you want to check it out, don't wait too long.

I think I just died. As I've been going through this years Lupers, I found myself dissapointed that a lot that I thought would be super great on me were super awful. Then I started testing the ones I got just because they sounded interesting and were "possibles". Yeah. Possibles my ass. First applied, it is WINE (capital letters must be used to describe the scent). It immediately calms though and isn't so in your face with the WINE. It has become wine with cherry and plum. A very deep plum/cherry scent with a bit of incense and wood. I wish I got more coffee but this is nice and rich. Ok, ok...possible bottle.

Plastic. Roses, limes, and plastic.

Oh my, I love a well done bergamot blend. And oh geez, this is. First one, I get the olive blossom (very smooth and not in your face floral...just light and a bit sweet), amber, and bergamot. It is very soft and fuzzy (as in cuddly-like), almost vanilla musk-ish like. I believe it is the amber, olive blossom, and bergamot making it smell like that. It brings to mind a beefed-up female version of Lush's Olive Branch shower gel. Yum. Will probably be getting a bottle.

I just tested Enchanted Wood Florist yesterday. It is gorgeous. Light florals, wet greenery, and a bit of sap to sweeten and brighten it up. If you have tried High Strung Daisies and liked it, it is in the same vein.

As soon as I put this on, I immediately felt like I had smelled this before. It was a sniff I had sniffed before, at another place and time. First applied, the coconut milk jumps out and is smooth, creamy and a bit sweet. No suntan lotion here. It morphs really fast though. The ambergris jumps out as a cool, almost aquatic type of scent. It's very clean and a bit sharp. The Ylang is right behind it. A heady floral that is light yet in your face. The coconut milk is still right behind these two, creaming it up in a tropical way. I finally placed it. This smells a lot like Isle of Eden's Monoi Euphoria. I apologize greatly for comparing the two companies but that's what it reminds me of. I, in no way, encourage the purchasing of said Monoi Euphoria. That is all.

Ok, I was hoping (against hope) that the daemonorops wouldn't be too prominent as it (dragon's blood is never a good thing on me) goes wonky on my skin. It's like a cherry/resin cough drop. Weird. Anyway, my hope was in vein. Anactoria starts off nice. The amber comes out as very golden and the honey sweetens it up just a bit but isn't syrupy. The currant comes in a little tart but smooths out quickly. It's when the cherry cough drop that smells like it's been sucked on, spit out, and rolled in resin comes into play that ruins it for me. It amps to high heaven and just takes over. A couple hours later, that cough drop resin thing is gone and it smells lovely. I just don't know if I can get through that icky phase first.

This is beautiful. It is full of heady florals but it's a floral shop, dammit. It's supposed to be. I get a bit of rose, lily, plumeria maybe, and hyacinth? Yeah, I think it's hyacinth. There is a bit of greenery in here as well. It's lovely and moist. I wouldn't say wet but definitely moist smelling, like a flower in full bloom can look moist or full of radiance. A few minutes after application, the moon-tree sap blooms and adds a sweetness to it. It just ties everything together and keeps the florals from going soapy or too heady or perfumey on me. LOVE. Will get a bottle. This reminds me of: Amsterdam and High Strung Daisies.

When first applied: whiffs of BBQ Sauce. I dunno why but yeah, seriously. I think it may be a combination of the honey, white cognac and golden tobacco but really, I don't know. Ok, there is a spice in here that I associate with BBQ. Which is really too bad because the rest of the blend that I can smell is absolutely divine. I just can't get past picturing my hand as a pulled pork BBQ sanich.