Melantha

In the bottle: Sharp, but pleasing. I love the spicy incense smell. On: Uh, maybe this was a mistake? Loud, brash, doesn't seem to go well with me. Later: After a few minutes, it dies down a little, and the blend of notes starts to work well! It smells a touch resin-y, but I really like it. I have two imps now, and I'm gonna keep 'em! Throw: Medium. This is not a subtle blend.

In the bottle: I'm almost afraid to try this one. The sage is overpowering everything else, and while that's fine when you're smudging, I don't want to smell that way. On: A burst of strong herbs, which then settles down into a berry-ness with sage and musk undertones. Drydown: After a few minutes, it's tickling my nose. I like it, and I think it would be a great scent to wear to ritual, but I hope that's not a sneeze I feel coming on.... Throw: Not much at all, which is fine. This isn't an "annouce yourself to the world" scent, it's an "I feel confident in my place in nature" scent, if that doesn't sound to silly. I will have to eventually get a bottle. ETA: No, I won't. I'm allergic.

Melantha loves teh Smut! (Thank you, angharad!) I've managed to get a hold of a few bottles, but it *will* run out. What other scents can I try? I have a feeling I should have ordered Fortunato and Montressor, my bad. Are there any GC scents along that line? Thanks!

In the bottle: Pear!!! And I can smell the musk, and the florals aren't overpowering. On: The florals exploded! Bright and sharp. I'm not a floral gal, but I hoped the musk and pear would calm them down. Drydown: It's morphed, and I can smell the honeysuckle a bit, and the pear. Still too floral for me, though. I know someone who would like my imp.... ETA: Oh, and I'm allergic to it, too! Can't stop sneezing. I washed my wrists twice, and it's still there!

Bottle: Mmmmm. Can't really pick out what I'm smelling, though. On: Holy cow! A blast of what seems like citrus, too much for my nose. If I had to make a call right now, I'd say no. drydown: Within a minute or so the too-strong notes fade back, revealing a combination of florals and darker notes that I like very, very much. I only have an imp, but I'll be looking for a 5ml.

angharad sent me an imp, and of course I had to try it out. As noted previously, everything that can be said about this has been, but I had to say how much I love it. It was very strong on my wrist for the first half hour or so, but then calmed down to a spicy vanilla that I can't stop sniffing. I know I'll have to get a big bottle of this! It's a confident scent that I can see myself wearing when I need to feel good about myself. ETA: What a difference a day makes. I put it on again today, because i really needed to feel good about myself. Not good. Today all I can smell is the incense, and I feel it in my nose and on my tongue. I don't know what happened. 2 June: I tried it again, because I HAD to. It was great for about 5 minutes, then went Play Doh on me. I wanna cry.

It's called Urd. I did a search on both bpal.org and the Lab site, and nothing came up. Does anyone have info on it? It's wearing a Lab label, and seems interesting...

angharad was kind enough to send me a bottle of this, because it was on my want list, and she obviously is the nicest person in the world. I opened it at a friend's house, and she, her daughter and I couldn't stop smelling it! I tried it when I got home. In the bottle: Wow! The booze is right up front there. The other notes are in the background, and the whole thing smells good enough to eat (drink). On: It's incredibly strong, and it's obvious that I put on too much. I'm surrounded in wafts of scent, but boy, I'm a happy camper. The booziness is very strong, but the whole thing just makes me smile. Drydown: The booze fades to the background, and a spiceness and the vanilla come into play. I really, really love this. I just have to remember to use less! Throw: Boy, does it! And lasts, and lasts, and lasts..... ETA: twelve hours later, and I can still sniff it on my wrists!!!

In the bottle: Spicy, pine-y, cold. My DS said, "I wanna eat the pretty smell!" On: The pine/fir blooms, then pulls back to reveal the bark and flowers. It smells cold, like I'm walking through a forest in the snow. Oh, I'm so glad I got this!

Wet: POW! A blast of spiciness from the ginger, with the other notes detectable far behind it. It calmed down after a couple of minutes. Drydown: The overpowering ginger has faded to blend in with the vanilla and apricot, with a trace of the jasmine there. I like it, more than I thought I would after the first sniff. Verdict: I now have two imps, and I'll keep trying it. I think I could grow quite fond of it, as long as the first few minutes I wear it are in a well-ventilated place.

Alas. I truly wanted to like this one. The description was so evocative.... the name is beautiful (who wouldn't want, when asked "What is that perfume you're wearing?" to say "The City in the Sea"?). However, when I put it on, the sharpness of the ozone was overpowering, and lasted until drydown, at which point the scent faded into the violet and green area, but only faintly. I can barely smell it at all. I'll stick with Haunted Palace for now....

Open: Lots of vanilla, only a hint of anything darker. On: Again with the vanilla, not too overpowering, though. Delicate. Dry: The vanilla is still there, but the musks are a bit stronger now. I like this, it's a light scent. Throw: Not much once it dries. I think I'll have to get a bottle of this.

I loved the name of this, and the notes sounded wonderful, so I was really hoping.... Open: Delicious! I can pick out a few of the notes, especially the honeysuckle, probably because I love it so much. On: The orange suddenly blooms for a few seconds, then fades to the background. Dry: I really like this, but I'm going to have to try it again, and put less on. It seemed a bit faint on at first, so I put more on, and when it dried, it became almost overwhelming when my chemistry amplified it. The florals together are lovely, and the orange sits in the background, adding interest. Throw: Goodly amount. Verdict: I suspect I'm going to become quite fond of this! ETA: After an hour, it calmed down quite a bit, and occasionally threw flashes of orange out at me. I'm so glad I got this!