Lunasariel

In the imp: A dark, sticky, sweet, and sexy perfume. I'm definitely getting the bourbon vanilla, and something rougher at the base that's either patchouli or oud (or both), but overall, it's so well-blended even in the bottle that I get an impression or a feeling rather than a series of notes. Wet: It swirls around for a bit as something ineffably sweet and ballsy before settling down into a more identifiably syrupy-sweet fig/honey scent (figs preserved in honey?) over a base that's mostly oud, but still has a touch of patchouli for texture. Not getting much bourbon vanilla at this stage, but I'd be willing to bet it's lurking in the background somewhere, intensifying both the sweetness and the slinky, flagrantly sexual scent-impression. And, of course, my old friend amber is gilding everything, making sure that everyone works together. Dry: Passes through an amber-patchouli phase with bourbon vanilla facets, a dusting of the light, springtime, almost floral honey that's in Womb Furie, and a breath of fig. It eventually settles into an absolutely lovely and very sophisticated amber oudh with a surprisingly soft patchouli at the base and occasional wafts of slinky, almost boozy, bourbon vanilla. The fig has faded almost entirely and the loukhoum never did show up, but I was drawn to the dark, earthy, sexy aspects of the scent rather than the sweet foody ones (and I tend to amp fruit to high heaven, anyway), so I'm not too fussed about that. I was worried about wearing this one to work, but this Nasty Woman isn't just any ol' pissed-off lady - she's a pissed-off lady with class. Elegant, slightly understated, devastatingly lovely, and will fuck you up. I think I'm in love.

In the imp: A mellow herbal lavender. When it first arrived a couple of days ago, I couldn't help taking an olfactory peek, and the jolt of sharpness really put me off. I'm glad it's smoothed out considerably since then! I may even be getting hints of warm, rounded amber, or that could just me be trying to smell the listed notes. Wet: Gaaaaaaaah. *drools* Up close, it's a true herbal lavender, green and fresh out of the ground, with amber providing a broad, smooth, golden base for it to rest on. From further away, I get whiffs of the most gorgeous lavender-tinted amber every time I move my head. It quickly melds into something simple yet wholly unique, and I. Cannot. Get. Enough. Dry: The throw settles down to skin-level pretty quickly, and from there on out it's pretty much what you'd expect. It occasionally veers a touch too sweet (making me want to layer it with something woody, like Krampus or The Antikythera Mechanism), but mostly it's my old friends amber and lavender making some beautiful music together. I've never bought a backup bottle before, since I tend to go through scents slowly, but given how amazing this is, in a year or so it will be knock-down, drag-out gorgeous and I may need an extra bottle or two around between now and then.

Every time a new batch of LEs comes out, I make it a point to try out something completely weird, off the beaten path, and totally different from my usual warm ambers, leather/rum scents, and florals. In general, this has succeeded more than it's blown up in my face, so let's see how this one does! In the imp: Green and leafy, exactly what it says on the tin. The tomato leaf has much more emphasis on the latter than the former, and the dead leaves are much more mellow and vegetal, and much less acrid, than I had feared. The black pepper is present only as a subtle accent or enhancer - if I wasn't looking for it, I could easily pass it over. Wet: ...And there's the sharp, dead leaves I was anticipating! It's the almost soapy note I remember from Sonnet d'Automne and Autumn Overlooked My Knitting, but much more vegetal here. It settles down and melds with the tomato leaf very nicely to produce something softer and rounder than the dead leaves, but with more of a bite than the tomato leaf. Dry: The leafiness slowly returns over time, but never feels quite as "alive" as ITI. The soapiness, however, hangs around with a vengeance. Apparently dead leaves are something of a death note on me, huh. And the black pepper never did show up...

You might want to give White Rabbit a shot. On me, it's a soft-yet-zingy ginger over a base that is occasionally identifiable as honey and tea, but is mostly just "your skin but better."

In the imp: Primarily woozy, almost alcoholic cherry, with heady white florals also in appearance. Pretty much what I expected from reading the notes, with the exception that the cherry is a lot boozier and more prominent than I would have thought. Wet: The lilies take a big ol' step forward, and the cherry fades almost entirely. Right now, it's alternating between soap (I'm starting to think that lily-of-the-valley might be a death note on me - several blends containing it have turned to soap) and soft white florals, faint greenery, and clear running water. Huh, I wonder which it'll settle into... Dry: Settles into a soft, demure lily - feminine and innocuous. It's not at all assertive, or even all that sexy, but it's pleasant and comforting. Definitely not for everyone, but I could see myself in this mood enough to hang onto it.

In the imp: Wow, I'm already getting soap and it's not even on my skin yet! A breath of fresh florals hangs around on the edges, but in general, hello Soaptown. Wet: Unlike usual, when a scent is fascinating and complex ITI but turns to soap once it hits my skin, this one actually gains a little depth. The soap is still there, no doubt, but more definite aquatics are also present, I think I'm getting some actual seaside salt, and the florals are a little more... reliable? Overall, this is a less screechy, more relaxed version of ITI. Dry: Straight-up soap (without even the florals) trades places with, but eventually gives way to, of all things, a light, pleasant cologne. Where TF did this come from??? It's almost resinous or woody by the end, but it's a soft, comfortable, masculine scent. Very much not what I'd expected from the imp - I hope some serious aging will bring this stage forward and diminish, even if it can't completely eradicate, the Actual Soap stage.

In the imp: A smooth, cozy, well-worn scent, too well-blended for me to pick out any definite notes beyond what I'm pretty sure is the beeswax, half-melted resins of some sort, and a particularly soft, lived-in leather. Wet: A resinous, leathery hug in a bottle. Styrax (which, according to my research, = benzoin), beeswax, and hints of the same well-worn leather are the most prominent, with ineffable resins feeling almost sticky at the base. Occasionally I get a whiff of dried roses (and yes, they are definitely dried, not fresh) around the edges, but mainly I'm getting a candlelit library full of occult and very well-used books. Dry: It seems to settle into a pleasant but slightly disappointing roses-and-beeswax scent, but this proves to be just a phase before really settling into almost exactly the old paper scent I was looking for! Still some hints of leather and resins (almost woody by now), but yes this is a library scent indeed.

In the imp: Well, huh. I get a lovely, brisk, outdoorsy scent accented by crisp, not-too-sweet apples...buried under something thick, heavy, and musty. It reminds me of the "warm tortillas/corn chips" salt note in Callisto. Something warm and almost foody that contrasts jarringly with the cool, smooth notes underneath. Where TF did this come from??? Wet: Now that's more like it! A cool, serene scent, elegant and understated and almost achingly beautiful. The apple blossom is a touch of sweetness carried on the wind, and the water is trickling and fresh. I get occasional whiffs of distinct grass, but mostly it melds with the mint and pine for something ineffably green and lovely. The "watery cerulean musk" provides a base of subtle strength so the rest of the notes won't drift away into nothing, but it still contributes to the light, cool impression overall. It wears close to the skin, like a secret only for you. A unicorn's scent indeed! Dry: Unsurprisingly, the water burns off the fastest, leaving the apple blossom as the dominant note. This is fairly linear, as soft and sweet as it ever was. The greens, too, fade into the background - I get an occasional whiff of pine, but mostly just a general greenness to support the apple blossom. I'm getting something almost white musk-like, hiding way deep down at the base; maybe it and cerulean musk are cousins?

Oddly enough, Autumn Overlooked My Knitting! I have no idea why, but it was a dead ringer for Daisy both on me and on a couple of friends I tried it on. Ah, how interesting! Did it smell like that straight from the bottle? I'm really hoping something exists without relying entirely on my skin chemistry to amp/drink certain notes. You're so lucky to have gotten that out of the scent though! Colour me envious! Just gave it a whiff, and I think so? It's been a while since I smelled Daisy in situ, but I think in the bottle it's a little more floral and less fruity. Still damn close, though.

Oddly enough, Autumn Overlooked My Knitting! I have no idea why, but it was a dead ringer for Daisy both on me and on a couple of friends I tried it on.

In the imp: Dragon's blood front to back. There may be some spices lurking under the "spicy floral" scent of dragon's blood (cinnamon especially - I'm getting whiffs of it a good foot and a half away from the uncorked imp), but they're secondary at best. Wet: The "floral" part of "spicy floral" resolves itself into jasmine, but it's quickly over taken by the cinnamon-heavy spiciness. Yup, Red Hots is what I'm getting, too. The Red Hots flip-flop with the more balanced, spicy jasmine scent. Dry: Surprisingly, the jasmine comes out on top. There's still a lingering bit of spiciness, but it's not immediately readable as cinnamon. In fact, if I didn't know better, I would say carnation.

In the imp: Yep, that's some sharp, dark, biting greenery right there. Primarily I'm getting something sharp and probably coniferous - maybe yew? And there's something almost woody growling around the base; I'm going to guess vetiver or one of the darker woods. It's rounded out by some ineffable spices and/or herbs - I might say basil is in there somewhere, among others. Wet: Almost definitely vetiver at the base, but it plays well with the other notes. The coniferous scent fades to a background sharpness, just providing an edge for the sweet, spicy herbs that come to dominate. Huh, I was not expecting this! I almost get a pomander-like scent - sweet and spicy, but with an herbal, green edge. Dry: A sweeter, almost fruity scent. The spiciness resolves itself into almost definitely cinnamon, but the whole scent never leans quite gourmand.

In the imp: My immediate thought was "hmm, how do all these notes combine to read as Dr. Pepper???", while my boyfriend took one sniff and immediately said "wet fur, like when the cats come in out of the rain!" (This is without him knowing the name or description.) Here's hoping for more of the latter than the former. Wet: After an initial blast of worrying cola, it settles into, yes, a cuddly, fuzzy, brown scent. It gives me an oddly precise scent memory: I used to have a massive brown faux fur blanket on my bed that was incredibly warm and cozy in winter, and my cats used to sleep on top of it, giving it a certain...realistic fur odor, shall we say. Unfortunately it was stolen from the laundromat many a year ago, but this is basically it in scent form. Amber provides cozy, warm sweetness, the musk reminds me of my kitties, and the woods, leather, and grasses lurk at the base, not distinguishable as themselves but giving an overall impression of gentle outdoorsiness. Dry: An absolutely gorgeous, musky amber, actually quite similar to Haunted. But unlike Haunted, Coyote is complicated by herbal, leathery overtones that round the scent out wonderfully.

In the imp: Musky, almost musty herbs, and very well-loved leather. This is a very masculine smell - a sort of manly your-skin-but-better. (I credit the ambergris for the skin-like qualities.) Wet: Opens with a big ol' blast of basil. Maybe complicated by sage, and maybe with a touch of ambergris rounding out the base, but mostly just a mouthwatering burst of basil, making me long for popcorn chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, and olive oil. However, this phase doesn't last long, and eventually fades into a lovely herbal-ambergris blend. I was afraid of it leaning soapy, but it's more like freshly-washed, sun-warmed skin - I honestly can't tell whether this note is the ambergris or the leather; it's that well blended. Dry: A powdery, soft, herbal, mellow scent - mostly ambergris and/or leather with the faintest breath of herbs, and frankincense proving unexpectedly tenacious. Frankincense tends to go a bit sour on me, and here is no exception, but it's nothing more than a vague edge to the scent. I've never been the biggest fan of Mark Antony the historical figure or literary character (I don't *dis*like him, he just leaves me a bit meh), but this scent is wonderfully, deliciously masculine.

I straddle the divide between Cancer and Leo - I was born during the first days (well, nights) of Leo, but my personality leans strongly Cancer. However, as much as I love water, aquatic scents don't play well with my skin, so I skipped the Cancer Starstruck in favor of the Leo. And, yup, looks like it's got a lot of my favorite notes in it! Here's hoping for my old friend amber to take the florals, herbs, and hint of incense, and turn it all to gold on my skin. In the imp: A soft, almost candy-like, sweetly floral scent. I think I'm getting primarily the chamomile at this point, since I'm strongly reminded of Lenus Mars. Some determined sniffing reveals a hint of spice (probably the carnation) and a broad, warm base that could be the saffron, could be the amber, or could be both. Wet: Ohhhhhh dear. I had hoped that Lenus Mars was a fluke, but apparently chamomile does the same Bubble Tape routine as lotus on my skin - a powdery, synthetic, too-sweet scent. After about 5-10 minutes, the Bubble Tape calms the hell down, leaving an... interesting divide. From afar, I get whiffs of the most fascinating, regal frankincense-amber-saffron-carnation blend, but when I huff my wrist, I get a toned-down version of the above - an herbal-floral scent that errs just this side of too sweet. Better than it was, but still not ideal. Here's hoping that it improves over time... Dry: Goes through a beautiful herbal-amber scent, somewhat similar to Philostratus' Phoenix, but eventually the frankincense veers sour (as it tends to do on my skin). The faintest sweet edge from the chamomile hangs around for an unexpectedly long time. This would provide a nice addition to the amber, but it mingles unpleasantly with the sour frankincense. Maybe like me, this Leo will get better with age?

In the imp: There are some lovely cool herbs and spicy incense hiding way down at the bottom, and every so often I get a fleeting whiff of them, but mostly it's just SALT SALT SALT all the time. I very much agree with Lycanthrope - this is a foody, tortilla chip-y salt. Man, I hope this one morphs on the skin... Wet: Kicks off with EXACTLY the smell you get when you first open the little container of warmed tortillas at a nice Mexican restaurant. It slowly starts to mellow in the direction of an herbal, cologne-y scent after that, but the "warm tortillas" note remains jarringly present for much longer than I'd like. Eventually, it settles into a fresh, aquatic scent with a touch of what I'm pretty sure is sage. Which is actually a bit odd, since aquatics *never* work on my skin. They almost universally turn to soap, but whatever is creating the impression of fresh, running water here is working! Dry: A soft, musky, herbal scent - the kind of cuddly that's appropriate for warm days like this. Warm without stifling. Looks like my wish for a morpher was granted! Now, if only there was something I could do about the warm tortilla opening note...

In the imp: If there's any patchouli evident at this stage, I'm not smelling it. All I'm getting is orange blossom - a crisp white floral with a heady, almost creamy edge, cut by the zing of citrus. Wet: A touch of patchouli, providing some grounding, spice, and (not entirely necessary) additional sweetness to what is otherwise an orange blossom SN. Understand, this isn't a bad thing at all. The orange blossom I'm getting is lush without being cloying, fresh without being aggressively citrusy. It eventually swings a little more "orange" and a little less "blossom," though. Dry: Primarily soft, sweet patchouli, but the orange blossom does prove to be pretty tenacious. After about four or five hours, the orange blossom swings back towards the "blossom" end of the scale, and winds up as basically an accent for the patchouli, but discernible as itself for a remarkably long time.

In the imp: A light, white floral (I believe I recognize the angel's trumpet from Rapunzel) over a sour, paint-thinner sort of smell - probably the "grave dirt, decay... and moldering scraps of shroud." Wet: Wow, is this a dirt note that *doesn't* go all compost heap on me? This is good, living earth, dark and rich, with hints of the flowers and plants growing from it. Not my usual, but lovely all the same! Dry: Dry, woodsy, resinous florals, like pressed flowers kept in an old wooden armoire. Again, not my usual, but the BPAL psychics have proven accurate once again - this isn't something I'll reach for every day, but this scratches a very particular itch, and it scratches it well.

In the imp: My family used to keep chickens, and this is the smell of the coop in summer. Dead-on. They hay (going a little moldy in some places where they won't let us change it) and dirt of the chicken run, the dried grasses and thirsty trees surrounding it, and even a touch of the warm, living, slightly musty smell of the birds themselves. The only thing that's missing is the ever-present and strangely pervasive smell of chicken shit, which, believe me, I'm glad isn't here. Wet: Very true to ITI - sun-warmed hay and chickens with some extra herbage. I can't tell whether I'm drawn in by the warm, comforting scent of the hay, put off by the smell of chickens, or both. Dry: It settles down into a scent more reminiscent of a barn full of hay - soft, warm woods, a breath of herbs, and yep, still the hay, although nowhere near as strong as it was. When I first opened this frimp, I was so knocked over by the "CHICKEN COOP!!!" scent, I was actually afraid to put it on. But the BPAL psychics once again prove accurate - this is the sweet, warm hay scent I didn't know I needed, grounded by woods and rounded out by herbs.

In the imp: I assume this frimp has been aging for several years. Right off the bat, I get lush florals, almost fruity in their intensity. I'm guessing this is the black rose, but wow, that's rose like I've never smelled it before! It's kept from growing cloying, however, by soft, subtle, rather omnidirectional green notes. And perhaps there's a touch of ambergris in there somewhere? (I hope that's not just wishful thinking on my part - my skin loves ambergris but turns a lot of other aquatic ingredients to soap, alas.) Wet: Oooooooh. Oooooh. I'm getting dark, lush greenery, bursting with life! I was afraid of so many conifers going sharp or Christmas-y on my skin, but instead, I've got a lovely, resinous, and very, very alive forest - the benzoin and labdanum (and sandalwood?) provide a nice strong base, so I'm getting the entire forest instead of just the leaves. There's still a lingering sweetness from the rose, and the lily provides brightness, like small flowers beneath the dark branches or a trickle of clear water. Man, I'm going to have to test this against Druid - both such wonderful forest scents! Dry: After a few hours, everything burns away but but a soft, resinous floral (I'm thinking the labdanum, with maybe a bit of help from the black rose) and a gentle sort of woodsy feeling. Mellow, warm, and lovely!

In the imp: A light, springy, very green scent. I definitely get the Embalming Fluid comparison above! However, Embalming Fluid has always felt so faint and anemic on me, whereas this one is definitely grounded by the moss and herbs, and rounded out by just the faintest hint of sweet fig. Normally I can't stand fig, but here it provides the perfect finishing touch, anchoring the light, airy tea and grasses and giving the whole thing some body. Wet: A zingy, lemon-ginger scent with some herbs for roughage. However, the tea and general greenery instantly faded to almost nothing, as did the fig. Immediately after application it's a very soft, barely skin-level, lemon-ginger candy. But after barely a minute, a distinctly soapy note emerges. WTF, skin? This is the second promising green blend I've had turn to soap on me in as many days - blech. Yesterday's was Envy, and I'm inclined to think that lavender may be the culprit there, since fougeres go soapy on my skin every. single. time, and lavender is also an ingredient there. But there's no lavender listed here, and I didn't smell any ITI... maybe it's one of the "medley of herbal notes?" Dry: And again like Envy, a quick fade from herbal soap, to soapy soap, then nothing, all within a few hours. And I really slathered this one on, too! Hints of sweet, slightly fruity ginger hang around on one wrist, but not the other, but fade about as quickly as the soap does.

In the imp: A scent that's both herbal and herbaceous, if that makes sense. The lavender is herbal and woody, like a real lavender plant just out of the ground, and the mint adds some nice zing without being too sharp or menthol-y. If there is any lime, it's hiding behind the mint. The whole thing is rounded out by ineffable green herbs - I can't distinguish any in particular, but the overall effect is brisk, outdoorsy, and invigorating! Wet: Interesting - a woody, almost camphor-like lavender, with the lime and mint fading until they're just enough to give the lavender an edge. But worse than that, a distinct soapy note is developing. Blech! And I had such high hopes for a nice herbal lavender, too... Dry: Well, that was... disappointing. It leans soapier and soapier, losing that herbal edge, until it's pure soap. And then, after only like three hours, nothing. Even shoving my wrist into my nose and huffing gets me nothing but the actual soap I washed my hands with. A resounding meh.

In the imp: WYSIWYG - herbal, mossy mint rounded out by the soft, mellow salty-sweetness of ambergris. A brisk, zingy, energetic scent, but not as sharp or astringent as mint would be on its own. I'm really loving how each note is distinct here, each one building off of the best aspects of the others and reining in the bad aspects. Wet: This scent is green, green, green! Not, like, punch-you-in-the-face-with-a-fistful-of-grass-clippings green. It's just...pure green. But that's not to say it's simple: I'm getting zingy, herbal, and cooling aspects of "green-ness" all at once, and I love it! The throw is fairly low, but I can definitely get whiffs of it when I turn my head. I can still distinctly smell all of the listed notes, but they're melding into something wonderful. Moss has a tendency to go dry and/or rotten on my skin, and mint often smells synthetic and too sweet, but they're all definitely putting their best feet forward here. Dry: Unsurprisingly, the mint burns off after a few hours. I'm left with mostly a "your skin but better" ambergris, with an herbal edge from the moss. Throw is even lower now (after ~6 hours), basically skin-level only. I was expecting something more ozonic/sharp/mad science-y, but what I ended up with, I LOVED! This one is definitely going to be in heavy rotation this summer...and probably the rest of the year, tbh.

In the imp: Not as Snake Oil-y as I was expecting. Yeah, the SO is definitely there, but the sweetness is cut by leather and...sandalwood, I think? And maybe sage, but for me sage is more often an accent than a main player, so I'm not awesome at distinguishing it. But there's a brisk sort of freshness here that I hope will carry over to my skin - something that will make thick, sultry SO wearable for summer. Wet: Oooooh, now that's interesting! Hardly any SO at all - leather and sage and dry sandalwood, with some soft tonka for sweetness. The Snake Oil is only a subtle accent, making what would otherwise be a very dry blend just a little bit juicy and androgynous-leaning, instead of straight-up masculine. Dry: As expected, it becomes softer and sweeter, but stays largely itself. The leather is still dominant, but the tonka puts in more of an appearance, as does the Snake Oil (although it still plays a secondary-at-best role). The sandalwood is also much softer and less...woody. It blends with the sage wonderfully to provide a soft, herbal, resinous edge that helps to temper the sweetness of the tonka and SO as well as the leather.

In the imp: A surprisingly light, well-blended scent! I have a lot of trouble picking out individual notes - the closest I can get is soft, fresh citrus (with maaaaybe just the faintest sliver of ginger?) and some airy white florals. But unlike a lot of lighter scents, this one has some real grip to it. I can't smell the sandalwood, oakmoss, amber, etc. on their own, but they anchor the scent and keep it from drifting away. Wet: Still primarily a zingy citrus scent with some floral accents, but... WTF is that? There's something lurking at the base that I can feel as a physical presence in my mouth - something smoky, almost nutty? It could be the oakmoss, the "blackened" and "husk" parts of "blackened vanilla husk" (although I've had a few other scents with this ingredient, and it's never done this before), or maybe the cardamom... yeah, probably the cardamom. There's initially quite a divide between the airy top notes and the earthier base notes, but after only a few minutes, they meld into something I can only describe as voluptuous. It's sensual and a little unsettling - very Faiza! Dry: A light musky citrus with some very faint floral overtones, somewhat similar to Philostratus' Phoenix, albeit fainter and a little more anemic. It's still too well-blended to pick out individual notes, but the white honey, tea, bergamot, and black musk and/or amber seem like likely candidates. Muskier and more mysterious from further away, and a little sharper up close (the sandalwood, perhaps?). I don't know if it's just because they're both CDs, but this reminds me strongly of Iulia, L'Artiste du Diable - light, summery citrus scents with a surprising amount of depth. This one is less sweet and more musky-herbal, but at least cousins if not sisters.