dementia_divine

I used to have a partial bottle of this, but I swapped it away for something else many years ago, and apparently, I never reviewed it. In the (carded) imp: The skin must is the dominant note, followed by the dry grass, and then a hint of the mossy berry. Wet: The skin musk is very prominent, but I’m also getting a lot more dry grass and mossy berry than I did from the vial. I am not particularly fond of berry notes in perfume, but the berry in this is more moss than berry and not cloying or artificial at all. Dry: The skin musk and the moss notes stand out to me the most. After a few hours, it remains the same: clean skin musk, moss, and some dry grass. I no longer smell the berry. Verdict: This is a nice, clean, fresh scent. I think it would be great perfume oil for a child just getting to wear perfume, for those that work in a scent-sensitive environment, or for those that just happen to adore fresh, clean scents! It’s not something I need more of (as I didn’t reach for my partial enough back in 2013), but I do like it.

In the decant: Whoa! This really does smell like a fir Christmas tree, adorned with tinsel and metallic garlands, with a bit of waxy berry and ozone beneath it. Wet: Yep, it smells like a tinsel-strewn fir tree with some berries! As it sits on my skin, there’s a mentholic vibe beneath the fir note. There’s just a hint of a sharp, metallic note in the background. Dry: The fir note is not as strong as it was during the wet phase of the scent. The bracing, mentholic quality has gone away, and the berry note is stronger than before (woe)! After a few hours, what remains is a light, ozonic fir and berry scent (I’m thinking cranberry). Verdict: I thought I was going to love this after smelling it from the decant and when it was freshly applied, and I would have, too, if it weren’t for those pesky berries!

In the decant: Bitter, fresh grass clippings. Wet: This is very green. It smells like freshly mown grass and a bit of dirt. I think that some dandelions may have dotted the lawn and gotten mowed down as well, but mostly, it’s GRASS. Freshly cut, dripping (if that makes sense), grass. Dry: After the blast of grass calms down, this ends up being a light, clean, floral scent on my skin. It’s not dandelions I’m getting, though. It’s softer and reads as a pale, white or yellow floral note to my nose. I prefer this stage of the scent. Verdict: The grass in this one is too much for me during the wet stage, but it definitely fits its description! I am really glad I got to try this WKAP scent, but I can’t see myself reaching for this one.

In the decant: I’m getting lots of perfume-y lettuce from this. I recognize the note from Rapunzel. Wet: This is perfume-y, green, and somewhat sharp. I get the lettuce, and after a little bit, I can smell some cucumber as well Dry: Really perfume-y lettuce and cucumber (although the cucumber is not as strong as it had been). This is a clean, green scent. Verdict: It was really nice to be able to try another WKAP scent, but I am not feeling the lettuce in this, and I prefer Squirting Cucumber as far as cucumber goes.

This is an old, aged imp. In the imp: The spicy mulled wine stands out to me the most, with some berry and an evergreen note in the background. Wet: The spicy mulled wine is the strongest note, but I’m also getting lots of dragon’s blood. Behind those notes, I can smell a bit of waxy berry. Then, after only a few minutes, it smells like mulled wine, dragon’s blood, and evergreens. It makes me think of the holidays. Far behind these notes, I get a bit of leather, and there’s a hint of something sharp in the background that I’m thinking may be the armor note. Dry: This is really strong on the dragon’s blood (the cherry floral variety) and wine (which is far less spiced now) on me. I’m no longer getting the wonderful juniper and tree notes… or anything else, really. Verdict: This smelled so promising in the imp and when it was first applied. When the forest-y notes went away, it had a holiday candle vibe to it on my skin, and then my skin amped the dragon’s blood and wine to the point that it just got to be too much for me. On a positive note, at least I didn’t fall in love with it, since it’s discontinued and hard to find?

In the decant: I’m mostly getting the lavender and tobacco from the vial. Wet: Lavender, tobacco, and lemon-y black musk are the most prominent notes, with the tobacco getting stronger as the oil sits on my skin. As it dries, the copal emerges and adds even more smokiness to the scent. Dry: The tobacco and copal have gotten a lot stronger and have become the main players. The lavender is still present, but not as strong as it was before. It’s shot through with strong black musk. There’s only a tinge of the dark vanilla. Verdict: I love lavender, but this too smoky, musky, and masculine for me. There isn’t enough vanilla to tame the darker notes. It was nice to get to try it, though!

Just like any art form, drag is a question with no right answer. Proceeds from this scent will be donated to the Los Angeles LGBT Center. A universal sheer frankincense and bourbon vanilla skin musk that works on every body type. It can be worn alone, or as a base upon which you layer other scents. This one is light and bright. The frankincense is definitely a sheer variety. This isn't reminiscent of Hope and Fear Set Free at all (and I can't compare it to The Contrast, because I've never sniffed it.) I get more musk than vanilla in the bourbon vanilla-infused skin musk, so while I can tell the vanilla is present, it's not as vanilla-forward on me as some other BPALs with vanilla musk in them. That said, the vanilla does come out more over time, and by the end of the day, it became the most prominent note on my wrists (with the scent in the crooks of my elbows still being stronger on the frankincense and skin musk). But by that point, the scent stays really close to the skin. I can see why this would be an ideal perfume for layering purposes, and I look forward to trying it with different scents. I'm glad I grabbed a bottle!

In the imp: A mist-enveloped, slightly sweet, citrus-y floral. Wet: I’m still thinking this is a citrus-y floral (possibly peony?) shrouded in mist. The mist note becomes more prominent as it sits on my skin. There’s also a green aspect to the scent. Overall, it’s a clean, green floral scent with a lemon-y quality to it. I wonder if that quality can be attributed to actual citrus or if there’s white tea in this, which is also somewhat lemon-y to me. If I had to compare it to another scent, I’d say this is like an aquatic Dormouse. As it begins its drydown, I smell a waxy berry note in the background. Dry: I think I’m smelling apple blossom, something green, mist, and a bit of waxy berry in the background. After a while, when it is much softer and evocative of a cool breeze, I can’t help wondering if there’s white mint in this, and I do think it contains white tea now. Verdict: Empyreal Mist is a nice, clean scent. I’m glad I am not in love with it, since it is discontinued, but it was nice to be able to try it.

In the imp: Bitter mandarin orange and white musk, backed by the white sandalwood and a bit of mango. The mandarin orange in this is so bitter that it makes me think of neroli. Wet: Bitter mandarin, mango, and white musk. Then, the dry, white sandalwood emerges. This smells like a citrus-y soap infused with bitter orange peel. Dry: The mandarin isn’t as bitter as it was during the wet phase, but it is still bitter. I’m getting a little more mango now. The white musk is still going strong, and the white sandalwood is stronger than it was before. Verdict: This is too bitter on my skin, sadly. I am glad that I got a chance to try it, though!

In the imp: Aquatic lime. It reminds me of those lime Freeze Pops. Wet: It’s lime Freeze Pop on me at first, but then it becomes more aquatic and floral as it sits on my skin. Dry: This is still very green, but it’s more of a fresh green now. It has a dewy quality to it as well. Like a dewy, pink rose with the stem and leaves still attached. This ends up getting sweeter on my skin, and violet is the culprit. It ends up being aquatic violet on me either accompanied by a citrus-y floral like peony or with something adding that clean, aquatic vibe in the background with a tinge of citrus. Verdict: Water of Notre Dame is not something I would reach for again, but it was nice to be able to try it.

I tried this one at Drag Con and thought I got grapefruit from it, so I wanted to try it outside of a convention setting. In the imp: This does have a glassy feel to it. It’s an aquatic, citrus-y, floral scent to my nose. Wet: Lime and lily? Or maybe white grapefruit? As the scent sits on my skin, I think white grapefruit is more likely. The lily note and the aquatic vibe become more prominent as the scent begins to dry. Dry: Glassy, aquatic lily backed by the citrus, which is not as strong as it was before. After a while, I get some moss in the background, and there's some salty sea air at play here as well. Verdict: Most aquatics do not work for me, but this one does! I don’t need a bottle of this, but I am happy to have an imp of it!

In the decant: I can smell all of the notes in the order they’re listed, although I’m not sure what kind of oil this is supposed to be. Maybe olive? The blood note is not dragon’s blood, to my nose. It’s actually citrus-y to me (maybe blood orange?) with a bit of a metallic tang to it. Wet: Blood, milk, oil, and a bit of honey. This isn’t as sweet as most milk and honey scents I’ve tried. I do think the blood note consists of a citrus component, maybe blood orange or mandarin, with a bit of a metallic tang to it, but there’s also an incense-y quality to it. As the scent begins its drydown, I get some clove from the blood note. Dry: The spice I was getting from the blood note calms down and ends up disappearing. This is mostly incense-y, still slightly citrus-y blood, oil (I’m still thinking olive oil), and milk on me, although the scent is sweeter now since the honey decided to come out more. After a few hours, the honey note becomes stronger and adds a little more sweetness to the scent. I like this stage of the scent the most. Verdict: I like this! I did not know what to expect from the blood or oil notes, but neither were problematic on me. If this were a tad sweeter, I’d probably want a bottle of it. I am going to hold on to my decant and see how often I reach for it.

In the decant: The snow note stands out the most to me, followed by the milk, and just a tinge of blackberry and candle smoke. The snow note combined with the berry makes me think of Skadi. Wet: I’m getting the ozonic, pine-y snow, milk, a bit of blackberry, and the warmth of the candle wax and smoke. As it sits on my skin, the milk note gains strength, and as the scent begins its drydown, the slightly smoky candle wax becomes more prominent as well. Dry: Bright, slushy snow, milk, and candle wax and smoke with just a hint of blackberry. After a while, it kind of smells like Cap’n Crunch on me thanks to the blackberry combining with the warm milk. But it’s like… a more sophisticated Cap’n Crunch. But I only get that vibe from it when sniffing up close. Verdict: This is like Skadi’s young sister. I like Skadi more, but this is nice, and I’m really glad I got to try it!

Note: I am not sure what marigolds smell like. In the decant: The copal note stands out to me the most, followed by the chrysanthemums, myrrh, and a smattering of soil. This is primarily a resin scent to my nose. Wet: The copal and chrysanthemum notes are the strongest notes on my skin. Behind those notes, I can smell the black soil note. There’s something somewhat medicinal in this on my skin, and I am not sure which note is the cause of it. Is it the marigold note? Dry: The medicinal vibe has calmed down, but now the scent smells really cool. It’s a cool floral and smoky copal scent, backed by the myrrh and some dark soil. Verdict: This one is unique. It’s not something I could see myself reaching for, but it was nice to be able to try it. *edit* I just wanted to comment that, when I tested this, I could still smell it on my arm the next morning!

In the decant: Citrus and herb soap with a bit of blackcurrant. Maybe that’s how the citrus and thyme is interacting with the green musk to my nose. Wet: I am getting lots of citrus and tea. This one is still reading as soapy to me, sadly. After a few minutes, the blackcurrant note emerges and adds a bit of sweetness to the scent. Dry: Now I smell like some thyme and citrus-filled sauce for some chicken with some green musk in the background. I think this is the third scent with thyme in it where I’ve amped the thyme, so I guess I officially amp that note. Verdict: This one just doesn’t work with my skin chemistry. I’m glad I got to try it, though -- it has confirmed that thyme insists on being a main player on me. *edit* I just wanted to comment that, when I tested this, I could still smell it on my arm the next morning! That's some serious longevity for a scent with several citrus components!

In the decant: There’s lots of cardamom pod and honey milk. It actually reminds me of chai tea without the actual tea component and the other spices. Wet: The cardamom pod and honey milk are the dominant notes on me, and I still get that chai tea association. Then, the white carnation emerges behind these notes. The cardamom pod is increasing in strength on me, and I’m not surprised, as I have a tendency to amp spice notes. Dry: The honey part of the honey milk has soared to the front of the scent. I’m still getting a lot of cardamom pod, but the white carnation is also playing a bigger role than before, while the milk adding a nice creaminess to the scent. Eventually, it ends up being honeyed, white carnation with the spicy cardamom pod on me, with some creamy milk in the background. Verdict: This one is nice! Not something I feel the need to obtain more of, but I am glad that I decided to try it.

In the decant: I’m getting lots of wet earth, crushed grass, moss, and some dandelions. Wet: The crushed grass and wet earth jump out at me first, followed by the dandelions. Then, the moss emerges. Behind these notes resides the tar and labdanum, darkening the scent. Dry: There’s a brief clash between the clean notes (grass and dandelion) and the heavier notes (dirt and tar), but then the opoponax emerges, adding a cola-like sweetness to the scent. It ends up becoming the main player. The soil is not nearly as strong as it was initially, and behind it, I can smell the dandelion and some moss and grass. The labdanum, unfortunately, is a bit sour on me, but the tar smells a lot better now. Verdict: This one is a morpher! I am not sure what to think about it yet. It’s nice, and ends up being sweet on me thanks to the opoponax, but I was hoping for more dandelion and dirt than opoponax’s cola-like self. I’ll probably end up retesting this one at some point in the future before deciding. *edit* I retested this and got the same thing: it starts off as grass, dirt, moss, and dandelion, and ends up being pretty much an opoponax single note on me after a few hours. I like it, but I just don't know what I'd be able to pair this one with. I'm going to hang on to my decant, in any case!

In the decant: Realistic raspberry and tart red currant accompanied by an herbal vetiver. Wet: The raspberry note is the dominant note, and it is a very realistic raspberry, not artificial at all. I was curious about this, even though I am generally not fond of berry scents, because I love raspberries, and that note rarely pops up in a scent. The tart, red currant and vetiver are right behind it. Vetiver is a note I tend to avoid, but here, it really does give the impression of berries on a vine. There’s no smoky, BBQ-y vetiver here. Dry: The raspberries and currants are the star of the show, with the herbal vetiver right behind them, though I do get more vetiver than I did before. Verdict: This is not a scent I feel the need to obtain more of, since berry-dominant scents aren’t really my thing, but it was really nice to be able to experience raspberry in a scent! If you are wary of the vetiver, don’t be. It’s not a bully here.

In the decant: I can smell the beeswax, the woodsmoke, some pine, and then, the leather, which is a soft, well-worn variety. Wet: The beeswax and campfire smoke are the most prominent notes on my skin. The campfire smoke has a beef jerky vibe to it at first, but the beeswax and the pine help to tame it. The well-worn brown leather emerges and sidles up to the beeswax. Dry: The beeswax is still the main player. The campfire smoke has calmed down significantly and just smells like woodsmoke without the beef jerky association that I originally got from it. The well-worn brown leather is still beside the beeswax. The lovely pine note is very faint now. I have to inhale really deeply to smell it. Verdict: I enjoy the beeswax, leather, and pine, but the campfire smoke in this is a little too strong for my liking during the wet phase, so I won’t be needing a bottle of this one. This has made me want a beeswax and pine scent, though.

In the imp: I’m getting jasmine, what I think is the myrtle, a bit of red sandalwood, and a soft, bourbon vanilla. Wet: The floral notes are the most prominent, backed by the warm musk and a light bourbon vanilla. I’m not getting any of the red sandalwood or clove on my skin. Dry: Musk and florals, with the jasmine being particularly prominent on my skin. Just a breath of vanilla, only a hint of clove, and some faint sandalwood far in the background. Verdict: I really wish the floral notes and musk in this let the vanilla, clove, and sandalwood shine more. Alas! I’m glad I was able to try it, though!

This decant is from 2007. In the decant: Aged Snake Oil (stronger on the vanilla, yaaaas) and moss. Wet: I’m met with a blast of glorious, aged Snake Oil with some moss. The moss is kept in check by the Snake Oil, so it’s not allowed to go into soap territory. This is aquatic Snake Oil, and I am really enjoying it so far. Dry: This is the perfect balance of Snake Oil and moss. Some of the Snake Pit scents only have a light Snake Oil base (or perhaps that was originally the case with this and the Snake Oil came out with age?), but the Snake Oil in this one is prominent, and its lovely vanilla and spices pair really well with the moss. Verdict: I never thought moss and Snake Oil would go so well together. This is amazing. I’m going to hold on to my decant and see if I can get a decant of the current iteration of the scent to see how it compares.

In the bottle: This is very cologne-like. The boy agrees. The note that jumps out at me is the bourbon vetiver, an herbal-smelling variety (like in Wulric, the Wolfman and Bram Stoker). I was a little afraid of this scent because Puddin’ mentioned it containing vetiver, but there’s no BBQ-y vetiver here. Wet: Bourbon vetiver and green tea leap out at me and make me smell like I just doused myself in cologne. Then, the lilac emerges, adding a bit of floral sweetness to the scent, and I think there may be some moss in this as well. It veers into soapy territory on me -- fancy soap, but soap nonetheless. As it begins to dry, I get some sharp citrus (perhaps bergamot) and a white floral note. There’s a creaminess to the floral note. Dry: Citrus-y floral, what I think could be a light musk, green tea, some sweet lilac, possibly some moss, shot through with the herbal, bourbon vetiver. It’s still somewhat cologne-like but not as strongly masculine as before. Verdict: On one hand, I am glad the vetiver isn’t the smoky variety. On the other, the wet phase was a little too masculine on me and also went into soap territory. The dry phase is better, but not really my cup of tea. I am going to hold on to this a little longer and retest it in a few weeks, but at the moment, I am thinking The Witch’s Tea Party may not be for me.

In the imp: I get lots of the opium, followed by the tobacco, green tea, and a little black plum. Wet: I’m hit with a blast of opium, tobacco, and some bright, green tea. After a few minutes, the black plum emerges, but it isn’t as strong as the opium, tobacco, and green tea at the moment. Dry: The opium tar has calmed down somewhat, the black plum note has increased in strength, and I get the ambergris now. The tobacco is still present, and so is the green tea. After a while, the khus emerges, and after a few hours, it’s the heavier notes that reign. Verdict: Evil is not a scent that I’d wear on its own. The plum ends up being a little too strong for me in the end. But I am going to hang on to my imp and try pairing it with RPGs.

I love layering Neutral with Ranger and Elf, but I haven’t actually ever reviewed it on its own, so here goes! In the bottle: That’s some clean, light musk, all right. Wet: This is bright, but not a crystalline, vanillic musk. It’s skin musk… so clean skin, but better. And sweeter. Dry: This isn’t a morpher. It calms down a little, but remains a bright, clean skin scent. I do get a floral vibe from this and some honeydew beneath the musk. Verdict: Neutral is not a scent I would wear on its own unless I were in a scent-sensitive environment, but it is my favorite of the RPG alignment scents, and since it is one part of my favorite RPG layering combo (thus far!), I am happy to have a bottle of it to layer with Ranger and Elf.

In the imp: Ah, this is the sweet, vanillic resin I get from The Mountebank. Wet: It’s like a sweet, fluffy substance wrapped around a pine tree. Yaaaaas. It has this soft, marshmallow-like vibe to it. Dry: This one stays true. It’s a fluffy, vanillic, beeswax-like resin scent. Verdict: I should have tried this one much sooner! It’s lovely! I may end up needing to grab a bottle of this in the future.