dorothy humbird

Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver. I tested this out on my wrists again tonight to refresh my memory on my thoughts... The first time I tried this, and again this time, the smell reminded me of a particular high-end bed-and-bath store around my hometown, where I got a very beloved bedding set. It's a very feminine association, and perhaps that contributes to me associating it with a classic style of perfume that a lady of an older generation might wear. To me this smells like powdered incense; I suspect a good deal of what I'm smelling is patchouli, although I can't tell for sure, having limited experience with it. It's smoky, but in a light haze sort of way... this doesn't feel deep to me, as I would really expect with moss and vetiver involved. Overall I like the smell, but not to associate with me -- I'd like to keep it as a shop-smell. Maybe someone will want it from me at some point...

Dana O'Shee smells very strongly of almond (that almond-cherry hybrid smell) in the imp, but it doesn't take long for my skin to warm up the vanilla and honey. Once warmed up/dried down, it's just creamy loveliness. A great option for when I don't want to be quite as smoky and heady and syruppy as Blood Kiss makes me. Delicious. Unfortunately Dana O'Shee doesn't throw hardly at all... but I'm willing to reapply more for that.

Blood Kiss does an amazing transformation from the bottle to my skin when it dries down. Just smelling the imp I'm keenly aware of the honey and the red wine notes, and what I suspect is the musk. It smells interesting but not like anything I'd want to wear. When I first tested this I thought I smelled something vinegary, it's that sharp. The sweet honey and the sharp red wine notes are still very prominent while Blood Kiss is wet on my skin... but after 5 minutes' time there is a blending and mellowing effect that results in a heavenly, heady cloud of vanilla-honey-cherry syrup mulled with cloves, with a base of vetiver and musk that adds mystery and depth. It's very warm and delicious, and I often reapply before I go to bed. Blood Kiss just loves my skin, and stays there for hours nicely. It's hard for me to judge throw because while I often get whiffs of it myself, no one has spontaneously complemented me on it to date. (On the other hand, my flatmates agree that it's great.) Will order a 5ml bottle as soon as finances permit. Can't wait til next weekend to see if the boy approves! (He better!)

O is one of the scents I kept fantasizing about before I got my very first order from the lab a few weeks ago. There are doodles in all my notebooks because I was so stoked. I put off testing O until day 5 or so, and slowly came to the realization that I cannot stand what it does on my skin. It actually smells repulsive to me just in the imp, now, too. Something about the honey is so sickly sweet and yet weirdly fermented that all I imagine when it wafts up from my skin is rotting fruit left out in the sun. So disappointing... I wanted to revel in smelling like orgasmic sex and all I got was browning apple cores.