dementia_divine

In the bottle: Whoa! I can definitely smell the 'black velvet accord' in this, and it is very realistic! I also smell the florals, blackened vanilla musk, and what I think is the amber note. Fortunately, I don't get any caraway from this in the bottle, and I hope it remains that way on my skin. Wet: I'm mostly getting the floral notes from this. Although the jasmine is quite prominent on my skin, it hasn't turned into a stinky jasmine yet. The black velvet and the amber are lingering in the background. This scent is strong! The blackened vanilla musk is present, but it is not a main player on my skin. I think it's main role is to tie everything together and keep the floral notes in check. Dry: The black velvet accord is now the dominant note, and the amber is still present. The floral notes have now taken a background role. Verdict: I am sad that I didn't get more of the blackened vanilla musk from this, but I am glad that the caraway wasn't problematic for me. It definitely has a regal feel to it. I am going to keep it because I have nothing else like it, and I am curious to see how it ages.

I'm not sure which year I'm reviewing. In the decant: Very sweet! That is definitely candy corn, but there's also a butter-y and caramel-like vibe to this. Wet: There is a bit of a butterscotch-like quality to this... not quite butterscotch, but almost. It goes away rather quickly, and I'm left with a sugar note. Dry: A buttery, burnt-sugar note remains. Verdict: This is waaaaay too sickly-sweet for me.

In the imp: Milk chocolate and the wonderful spiced pumpkin note found in all of the “...in the pumpkin patch” scents. Wet: Creamy milk chocolate and pumpkin. Yum! Bliss is usually more like a brownie-esque chocolate than a milk chocolate candy bar on my skin, but that isn't the case with this scent. It's a creamy milk chocolate with a spiced pumpkin note, and the spiced pumpkin note is getting stronger the longer this sits on my skin. Dry: The spiced pumpkin note completely overtook the creamy milk chocolate note, and now all that remains is a spiced pumpkin. No, I take that back. If I press my nose to my arm and inhale really deeply, I get a whiff of the creamy milk chocolate, so it's still present. It's just very light. Verdict: I like this, but I wish the chocolate hadn't decided to hide in the background on my skin! The combination of milk chocolate and spiced pumpkin smells quite delicious, though.

Thanks to ladymeag for the decant! In the decant: I smell the pear, oat, and wine notes. Wet: The pear seems to be the dominant note on my skin, but I can still smell the oats and the wine. The boiled oats note is becoming stronger. It smells like a bowl of delicious oatmeal. Then, it becomes sweeter as the pear and wine take the main stage. Dry: Pear and wine. The oat note is lingering in the background. Verdict: This is a comforting scent! I don't feel the need to try and find more of this, but I am glad that I was able to try it! :]

This review is for the 2013 version. In the decant: White florals! I can definitely pick out the narcissus in this. I also get a bit of the cognac (which I hope ends up being more prominent on my skin than it is in the decant). Wet: The floral notes dominate. This doesn't change, but the sandalwood and the cognac are present as well. Dry: Still floral dominant, but the floral notes are sweeter now. Verdict: I am glad that I was able to try this one, but I'm also glad that I didn't buy a bottle of this one unsniffed last year, as the cognac wasn't as strong as I hoped it would be.

In the imp: ALMOND. It's strong, but I love almond notes. If I inhale really deeply, I get a bit of cinnamon, but I'm mainly just smelling almond. Wet: Creamy almond and cinnamon. The almond is the dominant note. I am glad this only contains a drop of cinnamon, and that it doesn't burn. The cinnamon seems to be becoming more prominent, and the creaminess isn't actually part of the almond note at all. It's the vanilla note complementing the almond. After a while, the frankincense starts to peek out. The almond note does register as a bitter almond to my nose now. Dry: At first, it was bitter almond, frankincense, and cinnamon. Later on, the vanilla has decided to announce its creamy presence again, and the cinnamon is the dominant note. Verdict: I like this, and I'm surprised that I didn't try this one sooner. The combination of the almond, vanilla, and cinnamon give this an icing-on-a-spiced-cookie vibe, but the frankincense keeps it from being distinctly foody. I will definitely be keeping my imp, and I will probably end up getting a bottle of this one some time in the future.

I ended up getting a bottle of this last year because the peach, Egyptian amber, and oudh notes appealed to me, and I thought it would go well with the White Peach and Incense Hair Gloss. However, I rarely wore this scent because it was too resin-dominant on my skin. I think it's the myrrh and possibly the burgundy pitch that I wasn't too fond of... I ended up swapping my bottle away. I think I will stick to scents like Aglaea and Tamora when I want a peach and amber fix.

This review is for the 2005 version that I bought from the Lab on eBay last year. This is a sharp, fresh rose with a citrus bite when it is first applied. Then, it becomes a bright red rose with some greenery. It has good staying power, too. I don't dislike it, but my bottle was neglected in favor of several other rose blends (as I prefer sugary florals), so I ended up swapping it away.

I recently swapped my bottle of this away, but I thought I should probably post a review before I forget what it smelled like. The prototype possesses a different cake note. It is a drier cake note, which is more like a pound cake (as opposed to the white cake found in the released version). It has a sharp quality to it, which could be due to the different berry note, or a note that's kind of like an extract that would be used in a glaze. Maybe it's due to both of those factors. The prototype does not have the awesome vanilla note found in the released version. I decided to swap my bottle because I prefer the released version, and never really reached for this one.

In the imp: Root beer barrel candies! Wet: Yep, this reminds me of those root beer barrel candies (as opposed to root beer itself). The sassafras is somewhat spicy, and somewhat minty. It makes my skin somewhat tingly where it was applied, but the tingly-ness isn't too bad. Dry: It's softer and creamier now. It still makes me think of root beer barrel candies, but I could also see it being a particularly creamy root beer. Verdict: Why did I wait so long to try this!? I love root beer. I don't like this as much a Tombstone (which is more like a root beer float on me with a hint of cedar... and when it is aged, it contains the most amazing creamy vanilla note), but I really do like this. I will be keeping my imp, and if I use it often, I will order a bottle. (I am pretty sure a bottle will end up falling into my cart sometime in the future, though!)

In the imp: CAAAAAKE. A very sweet buttery cake with drizzled with a glaze (and not a frosting). I don't really get the wine note at all. Wet: The cake is not nearly as sweet or intense as it was in the imp. I still believe that it is a buttery cake with a glaze, though. It smells delicious. I am getting a bit of spice from the sweet cake note now as well, but fortunately, it isn't burning my skin. The milk and honey is definitely present. Still no wine note (which I suppose is a good thing). The scent is familiar, and at first I thought it was the cake note, but I actually think it is the milk and honey, which must be the same milk and honey note used in Alice. Dry: The spices from the cake note are now front and center. The cake itself is still present, as well as the milk and honey, but the spices are far more prominent. Still no wine. Verdict: I like this, but I don't feel the need to spring for a bottle just yet. I will have to see how often I reach for my imp to see if I really need a bottle. *edit* Over three years of aging has brought out the wine note. I'm getting less cake than I used to from this because of it.

In the imp: I'm mostly getting the musk from this, but I can also detect a floral note, and a hint of sweetness. Wet: A bit of sweetness is present at first, which I think is the honey or the sugar. Then, a floral note announces its presence. It's a floral musk scent at the moment, with some sweetness lingering in the background. The floral note is somewhat soapy on my skin. Dry: FLORAL. It must be the acacia. It's a musky floral on me. I don't really get any of the honey, sugar, or vanilla specifically, although there is a faint sweetness in the background. Verdict: I actually wish this were sweeter on me, and I'm disappointed that it is mainly a musky floral on my skin. I will hold onto my imp to see if I like it layered with any of the other RPG scents, but I won't be getting a bottle.

In the decant: Lemony honey... but the more I sniff it, the more I think of a lemon drop. Wet: Sweet lemony candy. Dry: The honey seems to have won out over the sugar, so now it is a lemony honey again. Much later, the sugar seems to be the dominant note, but the lemony honey is still present. I like this phase of the scent the most. Verdict: I'm glad that I was able to try this, and that I didn't get the anise-like note that some of the other reviewers mentioned. It's pleasant, but I don't think that I need a bottle of it.

In the bottle: This seems to be a fruity lemonade mixed with some sugary florals. Wet: The lemon blossom is the most prominent note at first. That note, combined with the other fruity notes, make me think of a berry lemonade. The berry notes are getting stronger the longer they sit on my skin, and the scent is becoming sweeter. Dry: A sugary berry lemonade. Verdict: At one point during the wet phase, the scent was becoming too berry-prominent and sweet for me. I wish I had gotten more of the honeysuckle, sweet pea, rose sugar, and candyfloss from this scent. I will hang onto it for a while and test it again to see if those notes peek out more with age. Retest 9/12/15: After aging for a year, I do get more of the candyfloss note. It's not like a berry lemonade anymore. The lemon and berry notes are still present, but they no longer dominate the blend. I like that the scent is sweeter now. I can definitely pick out the vanilla bean in the dry phase, and the scent seems more floral now than it was a year ago. It's nice, but I don't love it. I think I'll have to give it a full-day test before deciding whether or not to swap it or keep it.

In the bottle: Delicious orange creamsicle! Well, tangerine creamsicle. Wet: Same. I hope it stays like this! The other citrus components are beginning to emerge. I can definitely smell all of the citrus components, so it’s a citrus creamsicle now. Dry: Citrus-y creamsicle goodness! Much later on: The vanilla cream is all that remains. Verdict: LOVE. I am so glad that I took a chance and bought a bottle unsniffed.

In the imp: When this first arrived, I mostly smelled peach and vanilla, but after settling for a few days, the amber and sandalwood have become more prominent. Wet: The peach blossom seems to be the strongest note at first. Then, the amber starts to emerge. I definitely get the vanilla. The sandalwood is present as well (and it is a lot stronger in the crook of my elbow than it is on my wrist). I'm not really sure what heliotrope smells like. Dry: It's a sweet vanilla, peach blossom, and resin scent. Verdict: I like this, but I don't feel the need to spring for a bottle just yet. I will keep my imp and see how often I reach for it.

In the decant: Sometimes I smell more honey, cedar, and musk, but other times, I open it and am met with the benzoin as well. Wet: Lots of honey, musk, and cedar, softened a bit by the benzoin. The cedar in this reminds me of the one in Tombstone. Dry: Powdery honey, musk, and resins. Quite strong. Verdict: This was okay, but it's not really me. (I'm not a big fan of dark musk, and I have other honey scents that I prefer.)

I love Morocco, so I bought it in candle form not too long after it was released. When it is unlit, I go and stick my nose into it, and it smells amazing. Alas, I can't really smell this one at all when it is lit. I know that Morocco is a light scent as it is, but I just don't think the dry air here is carrying the scent very well... which is too bad, because I would love it if my room smelled like Morocco!

In the decant: This is a lot sharper than I thought it would be. I think it's the honey musk combined with either the green tea or the blackberry leaf, but I'm not sure. Wet: The blackberry leaf takes the center stage. I get a little bit of the honey musk and the spices, but mostly, it's just blackberry leaf on my skin. Dry: The vanilla bean has decided to make an appearance, and the honey musk is more prominent now. The blackberry leaf is still present, along with a hint of the spices. I really like this phase of the scent. Several hours later, it becomes too powdery-sweet on me. The honey musk and the blackberry leaf are very strong. Verdict: I'm glad that I was able to try this, but I won't be needing a bottle because the blackberry leaf is too prominent for my liking, and the honey musk ends up being too powdery and sweet after several hours.

In the decant: This is very tart and tangy. I can also smell the pink pepper. Wet: Same. It's quite fruity at first, but the pink pepper is becoming more prominent the longer this sits on my skin. It's kind of like a spicy red Kool-Aid. Dry: Spicy red fruit punch. Verdict: This is way too fruity for me.

In the imp: Wintery, indeed. I get the cool musk, mint, and flowers. Wet: This reminds me of something. It has a bit of a Yule-vibe, and so I thought it might be making me think of another snowy floral. However, it's the musk note that reminds me of something, and I think it's the musk found in Snow Glass Apples v4. (I've never tried the released version of that scent.) The floral notes in this blend are very strong, and they seem to be getting stronger with time (although the musk and the mint are still present). Dry: Same, but stronger on the floral aspect. I don't really get the white chocolate from this. Verdict: This is okay, but there are other wintery floral scents that I prefer to this one.

In the decant: The bergamot leaps out at me, supported by the brown notes lingering in the background. Wet: The bergamot is the most prominent note. The amber seems to be getting stronger the longer this sits on my skin, but the bergamot is still the dominant note. The other notes come together to create a 'fuzzy' background. Dry: The bergamot continues to reign, with the other notes contributing to that 'fuzzy brown' feel. Several hours later, the amber seems to be all that remains. Verdict: This is pleasant, but I don't need a bottle of this.

In the imp: Mostly rose and musk. On my skin: Same. Verdict: Roses and musk. Musk and roses. The amber seems to be hiding in the background. I'm not very fond of the musk in this blend. I think I will stick to my sugary florals.

In the imp: The grapefruit is the dominant note. It smells like an actual grapefruit (with the peel). I'm not really getting much else. Maybe a hint of the apple blossom? Wet: The grapefruit takes the center stage. It maintains its position, and the apple blossom joins it after a while. The other notes don't seem to want to make an appearance. Dry: The white tea does emerge after a while. It's a lovely citrus-y tea scent (with just a touch of ginger)! Verdict: This is a lovely scent, and I think it would be great for the warmer weather. I am going to see how quickly I use up my imp before leaping for a bottle, though!

In the imp: Mostly florals and mandarin. I hope I am able to get the vanilla from this. Wet: The mandarin is the most prominent note. It stays that way for a while, but then the florals start to peek out more. Dry: Eventually, the vanilla emerges to sweeten up the blend, although the mandarin is still the dominant note on me. (The vanilla isn't as prominent as I had hoped it would be, though.) There is a bit of dryness in the background that I think can be attributed to the red sandalwood. The florals have become more prominent. Verdict: This is pleasant during the wet phase, but there is an aspect to this scent that I'm not sure that I like (probably one of the florals), so I don't think I need more of this.