dementia_divine

In the decant: I can detect the apple, cherry, melon, citrus, and what I am guessing is the quince (I am not familiar with that note). Wet: The apple, cherry, and citrus seem to be dominant on my skin. The medley of fruits reminds me of some kind of chewy, fruity candy (it isn't as sweet as candy, though). The citrus seems to get stronger over time, and what I think must be the quince is quite prominent as well. Dry: The scent is a lot softer now. The unfamiliar note (which I think is the quince) seems to stand out the most now, with the other fruity notes mingling in the background. Verdict: I was hoping the apple note would be the most prominent on my skin, but this scent is nice! I won't be getting a bottle because I don't see myself wearing something like this often enough to warrant a bottle, but I am glad that I was able to try it.

I have not used this in the bath... just as an after-shower moisturizer. Okay, I did two applications of this. First application: I mainly get crisp red apple and apple blossoms from this. The caramel and the oak notes are practically nonexistent on my skin, although I could detect the caramel in the bottle (although the apple and apple blossom were the dominant notes to my nose in the bottle as well). Oddly enough, I do get a bit of the caramel note on my legs, but I can't smell it on my arms. I was hoping that the oak wouldn't be a dominant note, and it's not, so it must be really well blended! It's really just a lovely apple scent. Second application (I added some more oil to my arms): I do get the caramel note on my arms now, but the crisp apple and apple blossom notes seem to be striving to overtake it. Still, it is more prominent than it was before! Verdict: I love apple scents! I am so glad that the oak played nicely and that I bought a bottle.

In the decant: Somewhat cologne-y, slightly soapy, and a bit herbal-y. Wet: Sharp, very cologne-y (for lack of a better description). I can't detect any specific notes, but it seems to be a very masculine scent. It is very soapy on my skin. Several minutes later, the scent is starting to soften up a bit, but it still is rather soapy and holds that cologne-y vibe. Dry: This is very soft now. It is still rather soapy and possesses a cologne-y masculine quality to it. I wish I could pinpoint what this reminds me of, but it's just not coming to me. Verdict: Definitely not for me... I don't foresee myself testing this one again, so I don't intend to keep the decant!

This really does remind me of pumpkin s'mores. I get the graham cracker, brown sugar, chocolate, pumpkin, and marshmallow out of this, and it smells sooo goood. The graham cracker and the brown sugar seem to be the dominant notes. It is also a very potent atmosphere spray that lasts for a really long time! I could detect traces of it in the kitchen the next day. If you aren't extremely fond of pumpkin, this is more s'more-y than pumpkin-y. It's more like pumpkin spice smores without actual pumpkin. It's a wonderful foodie room spray! *edit* After this has settled for a few weeks, the pumpkin spice and graham cracker seem to be the dominant notes.

In the decant: Black patchouli, cinnamon, and something that reminds me of red musk even though I know there isn't any of it in this blend. Wet: Pumpkin and cinnamon. I hope that the cinnamon doesn't end up burning my skin. The cinnamon note is becoming more prominent the longer it is on my skin. It's the same awesome pumpkin note found in the rest of the GC in the pumpkin patch blends. I have never tried Sin before (because patchouli and I are not friends), but I thought I would try this anyway just to say that I did. This is more cinnamon-y than the other pumpkin patch scents that I've tried this year (the only one I haven't tried is Samhain in the Pumpkin Patch, because I do not like Samhain itself). The combination of some of the notes in this blend remind me of another blend minus the pumpkin... and for some reason, I keep thinking it reminds me of something with red musk in it, although this blend doesn't contain that note! I think the black patchouli is giving this an odd undertone on my skin. Dry: The cinnamon is the dominant note, and I am surprised that it never ended up burning my skin. Verdict: I don't really see myself wearing this one, but I am glad that I got to try it.

In the decant: This is a very rich, sweet, syrupy pumpkin with maple and honey. It reminds me of a pumpkin-y version of Dwarven Ale without the potent ginger that burned my skin. It isn't particularly booze-y. I have high hopes for this one! Wet: Okay, I do get a yeast note from this as soon as it hits my skin, so it is somewhat boozy on me, but not overly so. The pumpkin note is a spiced pumpkin, and it seems to be at the front of the blend, with the maple and honey lurking in the background. I am slightly reminded of pumpkin spice pancakes with maple syrup... but only a little bit. I seem to be amping the spices, but fortunately, they are not burning my skin. (This smelled better on the boy when he wore it yesterday, though. It was a lot sweeter.) Dry: This really is like Dwarven Ale with pumpkin instead of fermented mushrooms and without the prominent ginger. Verdict: I like this (but it smells better on the boy). I don't see this as something I would wear very often, but since my boyfriend would wear it as well, and I vastly prefer it to Dwarven Ale, I think I will get a bottle of this. *edit* This seems to be a lot more yeast-y and maple-y on me now. I may just keep the decant and only buy a bottle if the boy wants one.

In the decant: Marzipan, buttercream, pumpkin spice, and a little bit of lemon zest. This is very foody, and it smells delicious (even though I am not a big fan of marzipan itself, I do love almond scents). Wet: The marzipan has the main stage in all of its almondy glory! Then, the spiced pumpkin candies start to make themselves known, and I get a bit of the lemon zest as well. The marzipan and buttercream are now in the background as the spiced pumpkin candies have asserted their dominance. I can still smell the almondy marzipan, but it is nowhere as strong as it was originally. Unfortunately, the cinnamon in this is starting to irritate my skin! It burns! I have sensitive skin, so I was hoping the lightly spiced pumpkin candies would be... you know, lightly spiced. Well, that is not the case on my skin. Pshaw! I wish the marzipan and buttercream would return! The boy thinks this smells like potpourri. He has a point. I see the craft store comparisons. I can't help but to think one of those cinnamon brooms. Ugh, skin chemistry, make the marzipan and buttercream return! Dry: Cinnamon. The other notes are practically nonexistent now. One is not amused. Verdict: I really, really wanted to like Ooky, but alas, Ooky did not like me! The Dark Lord Cinnamon came and conquered the other notes. No bottle for me!

In the decant: Sweet, lightly-spiced syrupy pumpkin with a bit of beeswax. This seems to be a different pumpkin note than the one found in this year's pumpkin patch scents. It does not remind me of raw pumpkin guts whatsoever, and this is a good thing. Wet: This is very similar to how it was in the decant, but I think the pumpkin note has a slightly buttery quality in addition to the sweet syrupy quality. Although the pumpkin note is lightly spiced and reminds me a bit of baking pumpkin, it also has a fresh quality to it that makes me think of an actual pumpkin as opposed to spiced pumpkin puree. I can smell the sweet beeswax as well, which helps give the impression of a newly carved pumpkin warming up as a candle burns within it (save for the smell of pumpkin guts). The boy thinks that it is rather foody. Dry: Hmm. This is actually a lot sweeter than I thought it would be. The pumpkin note is still lightly spiced. I am getting even more of a warm, fresh pumpkin with candle wax now. Verdict: I had really high hopes for this, but I guess I prefer my pumpkin more heavily spiced or blended with other notes. I do get the 'fresh pumpkins warmed by candlelight' from the description of this scent, but sadly, it is just too sweet for me, and I don't see myself wearing this as much as something like Snakes in the Pumpkin Patch or Dorian in the Pumpkin Patch. I am glad that I went for a decant instead of buying a bottle.

In the bottle, I mainly smell the lime and the yuzu. It's a very fresh, zesty citrus scent. It smells as if there are rinds or shavings of rinds in the scent to add that extra bit of zest. It also has a slightly herbal aspect to it as well, probably due to the ginger and the mint. I am relieved that this is not a candied citrus scent... I was worried when a previous reviewer compared this to Lush's Calacas (a scent that I hate -- it smells like green gummy worms). In my hair, the jolt of lime and yuzu mellow out a bit and don't smell nearly as zesty, but they are still the dominant notes. I thought this scent would be more minty than it turned out to be, but it is predominantly citrus. This isn't a bad thing, though! I really like it, and I think that it would be a really refreshing summer scent.

In the decant: Rose and resins? I think my nose is starting to die after sniffing so many scents today! I wish I could be more descriptive! Wet: The rose note and the resins seem to be battling for center stage, and I think the rose is going to win. I am beginning to wonder if I amp rose notes. At the moment, I am mainly getting rose, frankincense, and something sweet? Is that the gummy bear finger print residue, or the fact that I am eating a cupcake as I am reviewing this? I am actually really enjoying this thus far. It is far more promising than it seemed to be in the decant. I am surprised that the myrrh and the sandalwood seem to be behaving! Although Little Pythia also had rose and frankincense, I like this blend more... I think it is because I prefer the rose note in this one to the rose champaca in the other one. Dry: This is very similar to what the blend was like in the wet stage, only softer, somewhat smokier, and sweeter. Verdict: I really like this! This is probably my favorite of this year's Lilith blends from the Lab (Capax Infiniti is my favorite overall and now one of my favorite scents in general), which is a surprise, as I didn't think that it would be! I am definitely going to keep my decant, and I am debating ordering a bottle. *edit* Due to the lack of staying power this blend has on my skin, I have decided against getting a bottle.

In the decant: I can't really detect any specific notes in this, but I definitely see why some people said this was rather commercial smelling. I mainly just smell a medley of florals with an ethereal quality, so it fits the description, and I get the 'sparkling with mystery' part of the description from the initial sniff as well. Wet: This is the same as it was in the decant. I can't really pick out any specific notes at first, even though I am familiar with some of them. This is very well blended! After a few minutes, the orange blossom seems to become more prominent. The blend is becoming sweeter over time. The boy thinks this is rather commercial smelling. Dry: It has... actually managed to stay the same (only much sweeter and mellow). I thought the jasmine sembac, patchouli, and orange blossom might rebel, but that hasn't been the case. Again, this is really well blended, so it's difficult to pick out certain notes! Verdict: This is lovely, but I'm not really sure that it is 'me' (and the boy doesn't like it). I will keep my decant, but at the moment, I do not feel tempted to get my hands on a bottle.

In the decant: I mainly get chocolate out of the decant, but the chocolate in the decant keeps separating from the rest of the blend. I can smell a bit of the hazelnut and plum as well. Wet: I was hoping this would be chocolate-dominant, but that is not the case (probably since the chocolate doesn't seem to want to blend with the other notes in the decant). It is more perfume-y than I thought it would be. The chocolate is there, but it is not at the front of the blend... I am actually getting the plum note more than the other notes. Plum, chocolate, and a hint of nutmeg. Dry: The nutmeg seems to be the dominant note now, with the other notes lingering in the background. Verdict: I had hoped this would be more of a chocolate scent! I don't dislike it, but I don't see myself really reaching for this one either, so no bottle for me! *edit* Much later, the white sandalwood has made an appearance, as I suspected that it would (my skin seems to amp this note)! So now it is like a woody nutmeg.

In the decant: Classic pink bubblegum! This is what I mainly get out of it on first sniff, but further sniffing reveals a hint of rose. I am not a fan of bubblegum, but I do love sugary florals, so I had to try this! Wet: Same! Lots of sugary pink bubblegum and a hint of rose! The rose starts to emerge more over time. I can imagine pink bubblegum and red rose petals. Dry: The rose has now taken the center stage. The bubblegum is still present, but it's nowhere as strong as it originally was! Verdict: This is exactly what it says on the tin! Although I tend to love sugary florals, there are several sugary floral blends that I prefer over this one. I think I might have enjoyed this more if a different rose note had been used. I will keep my decant, but I do not feel like I need a bottle.

In the decant: The rose champaca note is very strong, and so is the red licorice! The frankincense is there, but the rose champaca and the red licorice are stronger than the frankincense (to my nose). Wet: The rose champaca is the dominant note, and it is blended well with the red licorice. The frankincense note is in the background for the first few minutes, but it is starting to make its presence known. Dry: The blend is becoming slightly sweeter, which is always a good thing in my book! Alas, it is still a rose champaca and frankincense blend. It kind of reminds me of the White Peach and Incense Hair Gloss with rose instead of peach. Verdict: I wish the vanilla part of the frankincense would have emerged, and that the red licorice note had stayed around. The rose champaca note is slightly soapy on my skin, and I have a few frankincense blends that I prefer to this one, so I won't be getting a bottle. I'm glad that I was able to try it, though!

In the decant: I smell the lavender, carnation, honey, chamomile, and perhaps a little bit of the ginger, too. This smells like a really relaxing herbal blend, like something someone might use when trying to fall asleep. Wet: This is slightly sweeter on my skin, and the florals have taken the main stage. I am mainly getting the carnation note out of this right now. I can detect the honey and a bit of the aloe as well. Dry: The carnation is still the dominant note, and the honey is more prominent than before. I think I get a faint tinge of chamomile and the chocolate peppermint, but for the most part, it's just carnation and honey. Verdict: I was hoping to get more lavender out of this, but alas, my skin seems to amp carnation. I think I will stick with Alice when I want to wear a blend with carnation and honey. I will keep my decant, though!

In the decant: This definitely conjures the image of blue lollipops to my mind. It's not the kind with the bubblegum in the middle, but one of those blue and white swirled lollipops. Wet: Blue and white swirled lollipops! This is very sweet, but that was to be expected! It is definitely a blueberry scent. I'm not a fan of blueberries, but the candy-quality makes it wearable. The boy says it reminds him of bubblegum, and I can see why he would think that as the sugary qualities seem to overtake the blueberry note as it dries. Dry: The blueberry note isn't as prominent, but it still remains, with the sugary candy quality of the scent soaring above it. The lollipop is mostly gone now, and what remains is a happy child with a blue tongue. Verdict: Although I am not particularly fond of blueberries and would have preferred a blue raspberry lollipop scent, I was pleasantly surprised by this scent (and how realistic it is)! I don't think that I will be springing for a bottle, but I intend to keep my decant. I'm glad that I was able to try this!

I am not a big fan of Snake Oil. I mean, I like it, but it's not one of my favorites. However, I am a big fan of the blends that feature Snake Oil plus other notes, so this was an instant bottle purchase. In the bottle: I mainly smell the Snake Oil. The pumpkin note is there, but it isn't as strong as the pumpkin in the other pumpkin patch scents I've tried (when sniffed in the bottle). It smells like a creamy, sweet pumpkin. This is really well blended. Wet: Huzzah! The pumpkin is more prominent on my skin than it is in the bottle. However, that doesn't mean that the Snake Oil is in the background. It, too, is at the front of the blend, and it really complements the pumpkin note. The pumpkin note doesn't seem to be buttery at all. It's a nice, spiced pumpkin that one would use in baking. I am really enjoying this! The pumpkin really softens the heady spices that I usually get when first applying Snake Oil. This is a good thing, because I usually prefer the drydown of Snake Oil to the scent that I get from it when it is first applied. Dry: This is mainly the drydown of Snake Oil with a hint of pumpkin spice. The drydown of Snake Oil tends to be different on me. Sometimes it is powdery, but other times, I get that lovely vanilla. Right now, I am getting the former, with the spices from the pumpkin, and a hint of vanilla. The drydown of this smelled better on the boy when he wore it yesterday (he usually gets that wonderful vanilla on the drydown). Verdict: I am keeping my bottle because I like this, and I'm sure it will age wonderfully. However, it is not my favorite pumpkin patch scent this year. *edited to add* A few weeks of settling seems to have done wonders for this. The spiced pumpkin note is more prominent now, and the drydown is a lovely pumpkin spice Snake Oil scent (as opposed to just regular Snake Oil with a hint of pumpkin spice). It ended up being one of my favorite Weenies this year!

I love Dorian, and I love pumpkin, so this was a bottle purchase. In the bottle: Creamy pumpkin and the sugared vanilla tea of Dorian. SWOON. Wet: The Dorian is really prominent on my skin at first, but the pumpkin is definitely there. These actually go really well together! The pumpkin is starting to announce its presence more. The Dorian really complements the pumpkin and makes it smell really creamy. This is so lovely. The pumpkin note is very lightly spiced. It is slightly buttery, but nothing like the pumpkin note in Jack. Dry: I am mainly getting the creamy vanilla sugared tea of Dorian. The more masculine aspects of Dorian never appeared on me at all. The pumpkin is there, but it is in the background. Verdict: I love this! This is my favorite of the pumpkin patch scents that I've tried thus far. This isn't just bottle worthy... it's back-up bottle worthy!

In the bottle: The pumpkin note is the most prominent note. It's a sweet, somewhat syrupy (almost maple-y and mildly butter-like, but it's nothing like the pumpkin in Jack) smelling pumpkin. I think I am also detecting a bit of the honey from Alice, but for the most part, it's all pumpkin-y awesomeness. Wet: The pumpkin is the dominant note. It is a spiced pumpkin, and it smells delicious. I am fairly certain that the pumpkin note is spiced; I think there must be cinnamon in this, and that the spice note isn't merely the carnation in the blend. Drydown: This keeps making me think of Masala Chai tea... or maybe Indian food (which I like, but I don't want to smell like)! Dry: I think that the carnation is making an appearance now. I am mainly getting the spice from the pumpkin note and the florals in Alice, but no pumpkin, milk, or honey. I still have a faint hope that the milk and honey will rise above the other notes and/or the pumpkin will return, but I don't think that it's going to happen. I don't know if it is my skin chemistry ruining this, but it is not nearly as great as I thought it would be! The spices in the pumpkin note just drown out the part of Alice that I love the most (the milk and honey notes), and the pumpkin itself is nowhere to be found. The boy says that I smell delicious, though. Several hours later: Well, this has mellowed out nicely! The milk and honey have emerged, and the florals are still there, so this is very much like the drydown of Alice. I get a waft of pumpkin-y goodness every once in a while, but for the most part, I get the drydown of Alice. Verdict: I had high hopes for this. I was a bit disappointed during the 'Masala Chai' phase, but it ended up morphing into something better. I will keep my bottle, but the one bottle will suffice.

I bought this because of the lavender, vanilla ice cream residue, and Dorian notes. I am hoping that the honey-snuggled skin musk cooperates with my skin chemistry (I think the orris probably ruined Self Portrait, but I guess I will find out.) In the bottle: Oh, this smells amazing! I am reminded of Beaver Moon 2011 without the cheesecake note, and the sweetness I am getting from this is definitely the vanilla ice cream residue, which smells DIVINE. I am hoping that this doesn't go powdery on me (like Beaver Moon 2011 did). I am a huge fan of sugary florals, and this smells wonderful! Please oh please be like this on my skin! Wet: Honey and lavender take the center stage during the first few seconds, but then the vanilla ice cream note rises and asserts its awesomeness. I can envision the melted vanilla ice cream escaping from an ice cream cone and dripping onto a hand. I hope it stays like this. I LOVE THIS. Dry: The sweet vanilla ice cream residue has remained the dominant note on my skin, and it is such a lovely vanilla note! The other notes are there, too, and they all blend together wonderfully. This is absolutely beautiful. I cannot stop sniffing myself! This did not turn powdery or smell like baby powder on me at all. I even had the boy sniff my wrist a few times, and he didn't think it smelled of baby powder at all. I am glad to discover that honey-snuggled skin musk does work on my skin, and that it was the orris that ruined Self Portrait for me. Verdict: I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Seriously, I cannot express how much I have fallen for this. It makes me so happy that I could cry! (Actually, I did get a bit teary eyed at one point.) One bottle is not enough. I NEED LIKE FIVE MORE. This is hoard-worthy.

Disclaimer: This is my first 13 blend, and I am not familiar with many of the notes. In the bottle: The cacao is the dominant note, followed by the spices. I am somewhat reminded of the Mayan Chocolate with Annatto Seed, Anaheim Pepper, Cinnamon, and Vanilla Bean blend from this year's Box of Chocolates, but the cacao in this is stronger. Wet: The cacao isn't as strong as it was in the bottle. It's definitely there, but I think that the spices are stronger. I'm enjoying this thus far. Dry: I'm mainly getting the spices (I think the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and clove? I'm not sure, but the cinnamon is a dominant note) at the forefront with the cacao lingering behind them. I was hoping this would lean towards being a blend of chocolate and spices instead of chocolate and herbs, so this is a good thing. I am getting a bit of the sarsaparilla, too. The sarsaparilla is becoming more prominent the longer I wear this. It's now making me think of spiced root beer with a hint of chocolate. Curiouser and curiouser! Although I think the spices are the dominant notes, the boy is mainly getting the cacao note when he smells me, and describes it as "failed chocolate milk." Ignore his description. Verdict: Fortunately, this isn't nearly as odd as I thought it might be, thanks to the spices and the cacao being the most prominent on my skin. I was hoping that the cacao would be the strongest note, but this is nice! I'm glad that I bought a bottle.

I love Morocco (it is one of my favorite BPAL blends, and the boy loves it, too), so this was an instant bottle purchase. I also tend to love all things pumpkin, but I wasn't very fond of the buttery pumpkin note in Jack, so I was curious to see what the pumpkin note would be like and what Morocco + pumpkin would be like together. In the bottle: A warm, sweet, rich pumpkin with the creamy spices of Morocco. The pumpkin is more prominent to my nose. This is not like the pumpkin note in Jack, so don't hold back on trying this if Jack didn't work on you! Wet: The spices blend with the pumpkin perfectly. I think the pumpkin note itself might be spiced, because I get more of a cassia note from this than I do in Morocco (in fact, I don't think it's noticeable in the original Morocco). I have sensitive skin, but the extra cassia (or, if the pumpkin is helping to bring it out more, more noticeable cassia) is not an issue. While the spices are stronger than they were in the bottle, the pumpkin is still warm, sweet, and rich. I am not getting any butter from this (and that is a good thing)! Dry: The spices are stronger than the pumpkin note, but the pumpkin is still there. It is not as creamy as the original Morocco, but it is spicier. (I have Morocco hair gloss in my hair right now, which is helping me compare the two.) I wouldn't say that it is a really foody blend, but it does smell delicious. The pumpkin is still sweet, but not nearly as sweet as it was in the bottle or while it was wet; it seems like it is a little more fresh. Verdict: I am so glad that I bought a bottle of this! I cannot stop sniffing myself! I don't think that I prefer it to Morocco itself, but it is amazing nevertheless. I will probably end up ordering another bottle of this before the Weenies go down in December, but it depends on how this compares to the other pumpkin patch scents.

In the imp: I am mainly getting the 'peach wine' note from this. Wet: The peach is the most prominent note on my skin, and although I'm not a big fan of fruity blends, this is nice. Dry: The peach wine is still the dominant note, but the ambers are definitely there in the background. I'm getting the musk as well and a bit of the wine note. I like this. Verdict: Although I do not generally like fruit-dominant blends, this one is nice. (Also, it works well with the White Peach and Incense hair gloss!) I was hoping this would be more amber dominant, though! I won't be throwing a bottle into my order any time soon, but I will definitely keep my imp.

In the decant: I'm getting sharp lavender and something dark, perhaps the grave moss and the frankincense? Wet: Lavender and herby-ness with a soapy quality. Even after a few minutes, the soapy-vibe is still there. Dry: Damn, it's still soapy! Later: It stayed really soapy for a while, but now the frankincense is emerging, and I am getting more of a woody-vibe from this. Wow, this is a morpher! The frankincense is now the dominant note, and it's strong. It's no longer soapy, but it is slightly powdery in the background. Curiouser and curiouser! Verdict: Testing this was interesting experience, but the scent isn't really me. (Also, the soapy phase lasted for a really long time!)

In the decant: White florals with a touch of greenery. Wet: Same, but the green aspect is more prominent on my skin than it seemed to be in the decant. It's not soapy! Dry: It really stays the same, but the scent is a lot fainter and slightly sweeter. Verdict: This is not a bad white floral. I'm glad that it isn't soapy, but it's not really me.