dementia_divine

In the imp: Lots of tea leaf, moss, grass, and herbs! Wet: The tea leaf and moss are the most prominent notes, followed by the green grass. After a few minutes, the ginger note emerges, so that it's tea leaf dominant, backed by the moss, grass, and ginger. Dry: The tea leaf, ginger, and moss are now the dominant notes, with a smattering of herbs in the background and some fig in the background. Verdict: This one is nice tea/herbal scent, but I am not sure I would ever reach for it.

In the imp: Mostly lilac musk and violet. Wet: The lilac musk reigns, followed by the wood violet. Then, the benzoin note pops up, and I think the tonka is now helping add a bit of sweetness in the background. The lime rind is present, but barely there. Then, the wood violet ends up becoming the dominant note. As the scent begins to dry, the tonka note becomes a lot stronger, so the scent is much sweeter than before. The combination of the lilac musk and tonka remind me a bit of Ashlultum, but with more tonka, and the addition of wood violet. I prefer this phase of the scent. Dry: The wood violet has reasserted itself, so the tonka isn't quite as strong now. The blackberry leaf has also emerged. I'm now getting wood violet, blackberry leaf, lilac musk, and tonka, with some benzoin lurking in the background. Verdict: This one was more pleasant than I thought it would be, thanks to the tonka note playing a big role. There is still too much violet for me, but it's not an overwhelming violet by any means. It's not something I think I'd reach for, but if you like lilac or violet, but don't want a scent that is strictly floral, this might be up your alley.

In the imp: I can smell all of the notes, but it is hard to say which one is the most prominent. Sometimes, I smell more blue sage, and sometimes, I smell more of the bay leaf over the white cedarwood. Wet: The blue sage is the first note to jump out at me, followed by the white cedar, and then the bay leaf. After a few minutes, the herbal notes get stronger. It's a cool, almost medicinal scent, thanks to the blue sage, warmed by the bay leaf and the cedar base. But as it begins to dry, the cedar becomes stronger. Dry: This is now cedar dominant, although the bay leaf and blue sage are still quite prominent. I am now getting more of the bay leaf than the blue sage. Verdict: This one isn't bad, but it is far too masculine for me to wear.

In the decant: There are so many notes in this that I don't think I could pick all of them out, but I do get a lot of oakmoss and bergamot from the decant. Wet: The oakmoss and bergamot are the first notes to jump out to me, along with the ti leaf. As the scent begins to dry, the ti leaf note dominates. Dry: The ti leaf reigns, but I can still smell a lot of oakmoss and bergamot behind it. After a while, I do get some of the blackberry, orange, and florals, and a bit of the black amber, black musk, and vanilla, but the scent is very faint by that point. Verdict: I didn't know what to expect from this one. I thought it might be dark and heavy with the resins and jasmine, or possibly really fruity due to all of the fruit notes, but the ti leaf and oakmoss made this much greener (and cleaner!) than I had anticipated. It's not bad, but not something I could see myself reaching for.

In the decant: I can smell all of the listed notes, but the amber, cream, apple blossom, and caramel stand out to me the most. Wet: Resins and cream, accompanied by caramel and apple blossom. The teak note is far stronger on my skin than it was in the decant. The caramel in this is stronger than it is in Red Lantern, making this a sweet, smoky resin scent. Dry: This dries down to a smoky resin scent, with some caramel and skin musk. Verdict: I liked the sound of the amber, cream, apple blossom, and honey notes. Unfortunately, the teak and caramel in this are too strong for my liking, but I'm glad I got a chance to try it!

In the decant: Green, with a fruity edge from the nectarine. I think I'm mostly getting the oakmoss, green musk, and nectarine from this. Wet: On my skin, the nectarine is much more prominent, backed by the oakmoss and green musk. After a few minutes, the sandalwood note emerges, as well as what I believe could be the sea buckthorn berry, but I'm not familiar with that note. Dry: I'm still getting a lot of oakmoss, green musk, and nectarine, accompanied by the sandalwood and what I believe is the sea buckthorn berry. I think the honey may be adding a bit of sweetness in the background, but it's certainly not a main player on my skin. It's clean and aquatic without being soapy, and I imagine it would be a nice scent to wear during warm weather. Verdict: This one was a pleasant surprise. I did not expect to like this as much as I do based on the notes. I don't think I need a bottle of it, but I think I'll hold onto the decant to wear during the warmer months.

In the decant: I'm mostly getting the Bulgarian rose with some nectarine and clove. Wet: Fruity and floral. I'm getting the Bulgarian rose, nectarine, and clove still, but the nectarine isn't as prominent as it is in Alcie. Then, the jasmine note emerges. I was hoping to get honeysuckle from this, as I adore that note, but it seems to be hiding at the moment. I hope it decides to make an appearance later! The clove note is light in this, just adding a bit of spice. Dry: Okay, I do get the honeysuckle now, but it doesn't really get to shine on its own because of the other florals in the scent. The clove note has increased in strength now, and I'm still getting the nectarine. It remains a fruity floral and clove scent with the rose being the strongest of the floral notes. Verdict: This one is pleasant. It is not something that I feel the need to obtain more of, but I am glad that I was able to try it.

In the decant: Lots of dark chocolate, spiced with clove, black pepper, and pink pepper. Wet: The dark chocolate reigns, followed by the clove and pink pepper. After a bit, the bourbon vanilla tar emerges, adding some sweetness to the spicy, dark chocolate. Dry: The dark chocolate note has calmed down somewhat, and the spices are more prominent, with the clove and pink pepper still being the strongest of the spices on me. The amber seems to be content with its background role. Verdict: I really enjoy how strong the clove is in this one! I almost ordered a blind bottle of this back in 2015, but decided against it because I have too many chocolate scents in my collection. And I would have been happy if I had done so! I don't think I need to hunt down more of it, even though it's really nice, because I have too many chocolate scents as it is, but I'll certainly hold onto this to pair it with El Dia de los Reyes HG or Black Clove, Tobacco Flower, and Grave Soil HG. I'm so glad I got to try it!

In the decant: Spiced oranges! I am mostly getting the ginger, carnation, and orange peel. Wet: This still smells like spiced orange to me. Dry: This is very carnation-dominant on me now, but I am still getting a bit of the orange peel, as well as some honey. After a while, the spicy carnation becomes even stronger, with just a bit of the orange peel, ginger, and honey lingering in the background. Verdict: I really liked this when the orange peel played more of a role in the wet phase, but once dry, it's mostly just carnation on me. I don't think I need more of it, but I'm glad I got to try it!

In the imp: I'm mostly getting the jasmine and rose, followed by the coffee bean, fig, and a touch of mahogany if I inhale really deeply. Wet: The rose and jasmine are the most prominent notes, followed by the coffee bean and fig. I am getting more coffee bean from this on my skin than I did in the imp, but this is by no means a coffee scent. Dry: This is jasmine-dominant on me, followed by the rose, and then the fig. My boyfriend thinks this smells like “a relatively clean butt has been wiped with a flower petal”. Well, I guess this is not a jasmine-variety that works on me. After a few hours, the rose, which was somewhat sour on me, fades away, and what is left is a much calmer jasmine note and a bit of vanilla and coffee bean. Verdict: I was hoping to get coffee bean, tonka bean, and vanilla out of this, but this was a floral party on my skin (with the jasmine in particular being pretty strong). This one just doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

In the decant: Sweet coffee and buttercream! It has been a while since I smelled Misk U, but it makes me think of that, only not as intense, and without the dust note. Wet: Sweet, creamy coffee, warmed by the brown sugar. It's not overly boozy or sweet. Dry: The buttercream note seems to be getting stronger over time, making the scent creamier and sweeter. Verdict: Some coffee scents are too strong for me, but this one isn't one of them! This would be a nice, cozy scent to wear on a cold day. I may end up getting a bottle of this before it goes away.

In the decant: A blast of juicy kumquat! I can smell the lemon and lime in the background, but the kumquat is the strongest note. In my hair, I get a ton of fizzy citrus! It smells like candied lemon and lime rind in my hair, but I also get the juicy kumquat. As the scent sits in my hair, the juicy kumquat becomes the dominant note, with a kick of effervescence from the lemon and lime. The scent is delightfully citrusy! It sticks around for a few hours when applied to wet hair and lasts throughout the day when applied to dry hair (although it is rather faint by the end of the day, being a citrus scent). I'm definitely going to keep my decant, and I may end up upgrading to a full bottle before the Yules come down to fill the citrus void in my hair gloss collection (because my beloved Lightning Storm HG is almost gone, and I am now rationing what is left of its yuzu/grapefruit/lime glory).

In the decant: The honeysuckle stands out to me the most, followed by the jasmine and milk notes. Wet: The honeysuckle note is the first note to jump out at me, and I'm hoping that it remains as the dominant note, as I adore honeysuckle! This reminds me of the honeysuckle from BPTP's Nice Glop from the 2013 Naughty or Nice Inquisition. Then, the jasmine note asserts itself, and the sweet milk emerges. The jasmine hasn't overtaken the honeysuckle yet, but it is pretty strong. That said, it isn't a dirty jasmine note. Dry: The honeysuckle is, fortunately, still a main player! But it's not as strong as it was before. I do get more jasmine, sweet milk, and skin musk during this phase, so now the scent is a creamy floral. Verdict: I really like this, and I'm so glad that the jasmine in this is one that cooperates with me! I think I'll give it a full day test to see if I need to upgrade to a bottle. I could see myself reaching for this in the spring and summer and pairing it with the Post's Nectar hair gloss.

In the decant: This smells so wonderful. I'm getting the cardamom and cocoa over the myrrh and amber. It's very cozy, and it is in the same family as Morocco, Bastet, and OLLA Eve. Wet: On my skin, the honey is the most prominent note, followed by the cardamom, amber, and myrrh. After a few minutes, the bourbon vanilla note emerges. The cacao seems to be adding more warmth to the scent as opposed to making it chocolate-y, which is fine by me! I have too many chocolate scents as it is, but I don't have enough sweet resins in my collection. Dry: Warm and cuddly. This is cardamom-dominant on me, backed by the sweetened resin notes (with the amber being stronger than the myrrh on me during this phase). Verdict: This is like Morocco and Bastet, but with more oomph. I am loving the combination of the cardamom, resins, and the sweet notes. I need more of this in my life. Thank you so much for the tester, Lucchesa!

In the imp: Dry woods with some herbs, something spicy, and something cool. I think the cool aspect might be eucalyptus? Wet: Same. The dry woods are at the front of the scent, then there's a bit of warmth that I think could be a spice, and a menthol-like quality to the scent. As the scent dries down, the cool quality becomes more prominent. Dry: The cool note is prominent for a while, and then the dry woods reassert themselves, so that I get more of a balance between the two. The herbs are also more present during this stage scent, but the scent itself stays really close to the skin. Verdict: This one is nice. It's not one that I would likely reach for, as I don't really wear wood-y scents, but I like the cool aspect of the scent paired with the woods, and I'm tempted to keep it around just in case I am in the mood to wear a scent like this again (plus, I'm fond of Norse mythology)... but I hardly ever reach for imps over bottles.

In the imp: Super strong red musk, backed by resins. Wet: The red musk is the dominant note. The resins are in the background, unable to compete with the red musk at the moment, but I can detect some of rosewood and amber. Dry: The red musk continues to reign, but after a while, the resins to become more prominent, with the amber being the strongest of the three, followed by the rosewood. Verdict: This is too strong on the red musk for me, although the amber is really nice during the dry stage. It's not one that I would reach for again, but since I'm a fan of Norse mythology, I'm glad I got to try it!

In the imp: This makes me think of watermelon Jolly Ranchers. I can also smell some mimosa. Wet: Yep, watermelon candy and mimosa. Dry: The mimosa is stronger during this phase, but the watermelon candy vibe hasn't gone away. After a while, it smells like a mix between watermelon Jolly Ranchers and apple ones. Verdict: Aww, I was hoping this would feature a golden apple note! This one was too candy-like on me, and I don't even like watermelon-flavored candy, so I won't be holding on to this imp. I'm glad I got a chance to try it, though!

In the imp: I am mostly getting the musk, Bulgar rose, bergamot, and resins, with a bit of nutmeg. Wet: The rose is the strongest note, followed by the musk. The bergamot, saffron, and nutmeg have emerged, but they are not as strong as the rose and musk notes. Then, the resins appear. I'm getting more sandalwood than amber from this. Dry: The rose, musk, and amber notes are now the main players on my skin, but I'm still getting some of the citrus and spices. After a while, the rose calms down, so that it's a musky amber scent with soft Bulgarian rose and saffron. Verdict: Musky rose scents are not my jam. I was hoping for more of the citrus and saffron! It's nice after it has been dry for a while, but it's still not one I would end up reaching for. But I'm glad I got to try it.

In the imp: Lots of dragon's blood accompanied by black pepper, cinnamon, and clove. I am not really looking forward to the combination of dragon's blood and pepper on my skin, but here goes. Wet: Alas, the dragon's blood and black pepper are the strongest notes on my skin, followed by the cinnamon. The cinnamon is pretty strong itself, but it has not overtaken the dragon's blood or black pepper. After a little bit, I do get the clove, but it isn't as strong as the other notes. The scent is really warm on my skin, but it hasn't started burning yet. Dry: The cherry-floral of the dragon's blood combined with the spices is really bad on my skin. At one point, it smelled like a spicy cough syrup. Now, it's mainly the heady floral of dragon's blood with some black pepper and cinnamon. Verdict: Not for me. But on a positive note, at least it didn't leave any welts?

In the imp: I'm mainly getting the red musk, with some of the chypre, patchouli, and red currant in the background. Wet: The red musk is the dominant note, but I'm also getting the chypre and the currant. After a few minutes, I start to get a bit of the bergamot and vanilla bean. The red musk and currant are the dominant notes, so this is surprisingly fruity on me. Dry: The red currant is now the dominant note on me, and it's the same red currant found in Eat Me. But I'm still getting a fair amount of red musk. The bergamot note is a little more noticeable in this stage of the scent, but the chypre seems to be content to linger in the background. Oddly enough, I haven't gotten any patchouli yet. The combination of the currant and vanilla bean are making me think of Eat Me, with less vanilla and without the cake. After a while, I do get some incense-y chypre and soft patchouli in the background, but I have to press my nose really close to my wrist to smell it. Verdict: Red musk and I are usually enemies, but oddly enough, it works for me here. I was expecting this to be a heavier scent with notes like chypre and patchouli, but my skin chemistry seemed to run away with the sweeter notes. I don't think I'd reach for this over a scent like Eat Me, but this was a pleasant surprise. If you're normally averse to red musk, like me, don't be afraid to give this one a try!

In the bottle: Lots of lavender, bergamot, and peppermint. Wet: I get lots of lavender and peppermint at first, but then the bergamot note quickly rises to the front of the scent, so that it's bergamot-dominant on me, but the peppermint and lavender are pretty strong themselves. I'm not getting any of the mandrake at this time. Dry: The bergamot note continues to be the strongest note on me, followed by the peppermint and lavender. I have a tea with peppermint, lavender, and bergamot in it, and this scent makes me think of an herbal Earl Grey. After a few hours, the mandrake finally appears, and the combination of the bergamot and mandrake is really odd on me. I have tried this for a few days as a sleep scent, but I always fall sleep before I can evaluate the scent after it has been dry for a while, so I hadn't experienced this phase before. The next morning, it ends up being a very faint herbal bergamot scent. Verdict: I am surprised that this is so strong on the bergamot on me! It seems like most reviewers mostly got the lavender and peppermint. This being so bergamot-forward must be a result of my skin chemistry. I had smelled this at a con a few years ago and didn't end up buying a bottle (but a friend of mine did), and I decided to randomly buy a bottle with my Luper order because I recently read and loved Neverwhere, and I wanted one of the scents in my collection. I think it could work well as a sleep scent, for those that are calmed by lavender and peppermint, or manage to fall asleep before the bergamot really takes over. I'm happy to have my bottle, but I don't think I'd wear it as a perfume during the day because of the odd bergamot and mandrake phase.

2018 version. In the bottle: When this first arrived, I got the cherry-almond aspect some reviewers have described from this with fresh Snake Oil. Now, after it has had several days to settle, it smells like Snake Oil snuggled into a black leather jacket. Wet: Soft black leather intertwined with Snake Oil. The black leather note is stronger than the Snake Oil on me, although it isn't sharp or chemically on me, I hope the vanilla of the Snake Oil comes out and sweetens this a little bit. Dry: Fortunately, the vanilla does come out during the dry phase, helping to tame the black leather note, and the vanilla and leather combo, backed by Snake Oil's spices, is amazing. Verdict: I wasn't sure about this at first, but once dry, it's a cozy, soft, well-worn leather and Snake Oil scent that I'm sure will only get better with age.

In the imp: Brown musk, amber, and a bit of rose. Wet: The brown musk note reigns, followed by the amber. Then the rose note emerges. After a while, the oak bark note pops up, and as usual, it's a bit sharp and cologne-y on me. Hopefully the other notes will keep it in check, as I was really enjoying it until the oak decided it wanted to play a role. Dry: Now the moss has emerged, and the oak has calmed down. The brown musk and amber still reign, followed by the rose, moss, and a bit of oak. Verdict: I really enjoy the brown musk and amber in this, although it does smell rather powdery on me in the end. And I'm glad that the other notes ended up keeping the oak in check. It's not something that I'd probably reach for, given that I generally enjoy amber paired with something sweeter, like vanilla, but it does make me want to seek out more brown musk scents. I'm glad I got to try this!

In the imp: I smell all of the notes in the order that they appear: ylang ylang, clove, red patchouli, and myrrh. Wet: First, I'm hit with a blast of clove, but then the ylang ylang quickly rises up to join it. Then the patchouli and myrrh emerge. The myrrh is definitely a dark myrrh, not a soft one, and the combo of the ylang ylang and myrrh are somewhat sharp on me, with an extra bite from the clove. The red patchouli, while present, is Dry: The ylang ylang has calmed down significantly and is no longer playing a major role. Now it is mostly a clove and patchouli scent, darkened by the myrrh in the background. The clove is the dominant note. Verdict: I really like the prominence of the clove in this, especially during the dry stage, but alas, the wet stage was too sharp on me for my liking. I think I'll keep the imp just because of the clove, but I doubt I'd reach for it over something like Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe, which has plenty of sugared clove and no phase I dislike. That clove, tho!

In the imp: I can smell all of the notes in the imp, but the coconut meat and shea butter are the strongest, followed by the milk and the cool water. Wet: The coconut meat is the strongest note, but I'm getting lots of shea butter, too, and I can also smell the milk and cool water. After a few minutes, I start getting more shea butter and milk, but the coconut meat still reigns. Dry: Coconut and shea butter accompanied by milk and cool water. The scent is now staying really close to the skin. Verdict: This one smells really pleasant, but it also makes me think of popular liquid hand soaps. It doesn't smell soapy, but the fragrance is one that I would expect to be found in such a product. That said, I'd recommend this for fans of coconut, and I could see this being really nice to wear while it's summer. Although I think it is pleasant, I just don't think I'd end up reaching for it.