Witch's Dagger

Haunted Disclaimer: this is based on what I smelled, not what the actual notes are. I don't look at notes when reviewing. Preconceived notions: I thought this would make a good sensual scent. In the vial: a smooth, dark, citrus. On me: First whiff: Yes, very smooth, very citrus, close to my skin. Around me, I can smell a musk/vanilla (?) combination - the musk adds smoke, and the vanilla is smooth and warm. This doesn't change much over time. The main difference is up close (orange) and wafting (the smoky vanilla) Final impressions: This to me is a mysterious, yet comforting scent, probably due to the vanilla/smokiness part. It is sensual, but in a quiet lounging around kind of way - a good scent for a Sunday morning when you feel like being sensual and luxurious without any effort.

Decadence Preconceived notions: I thought it would smell good . In the vial: Ooh! Almonds and spice - yay! On me: At first: Yes, almonds and spice - a brighter, bolder, sunnier Hecate. And now there’s something warm, vanilla, maybe? It’s deeper and sweeter than originally, and while I miss the spice, I still like this. In a few minutes: This is a luxurious, sensual, and yes, decadent scent. The spice has returned, to join with the sweetness and the almonds. Oh, oh my is this nice. 45 minutes after putting it on: Still spicy almonds. Lovely. Final impressions: I really, really like this. I wish it lasted longer. The second time I tried it, I got orange at first, and it had faded within an hour.

Storm Preconceived notions: I like lemon - sounds like a lovely aquatic, citrus scent. To be honest, after reading the reviews, I didn’t think it would actually smell stormy, mainly because I don’t think of floral and citrus notes as being stormy. In the vial: pungent, spicy mint - wow, this is definitely stormy - I get the electricity, and the sharp winds. Still, it’s a light grey storm, mid-afternoon. Dangerous, but not dark. On me: At first, I get citrus - there’s definitely citrus in there, and it’s still fresh and airy. The citrus is the rind - it’s got a bitterness to it, and I’m no longer getting any of the spice I smelled in the vial. I feel like I could taste it though - this is lovely. Wow, I really like it. This is a late afternoon summer storm - it’s almost as if the storm came in, and the children ran inside to hide, leaving their lemonade stand out in the street. The winds have blown it over, so a twang of lemon is in the winds as they wreak their havoc. In about half an hour, it’s still citrusy, and a little sweet - this is the lemonade spilled all over the hot, wet asphalt. Twenty minutes after that, already, I can barely smell it. It didn’t last even an hour. Final impressions: This fades really quickly, but it’s a very intriguing scent. Definitely stormy, and definitely a ‘daytime’ storm. This isn’t at all dark (at least, not what I consider dark), but it’s good all the same. (hmm, can you tell I tend to like dark scents?) I’ll keep the imp .

Physical: Obeah. If I have to walk alone at night, I imagine a large cloak of darkness, and if I think someone is going to attack me, which has never happened, I imagine what all the denizens of my cloak would do to them - it makes me smile in a very predatory way, thus removing any fear I might have. Obeah would work really well in tandem with that, since it evokes feelings of ancient rituals of power.

Obeah Preconceived notions: Due to reviews that said it was dark, mysterious, and occult-shop smelling, I thought it might make a good circle blend, particularly considering what it means. In the vial: strong ylang ylang and spice. Wow - very complex, and definitely dark and mysterious This smells like magic. On me: At first, it’s smoky and mysterious, and on the right, a touch of citrus. This is the magic of small bones used for divination rattling on a stone floor, with dark candles illuminating the space. Very dusty and ancient smelling, with a lot of power. In a couple of minutes it starts to sweeten up a bit, and get a little warmer... I can’t see wearing this as perfume solely to smell good, because it’s a little too dusty and smoky, but it would make a wonderful power blend to use in circle. After a few minutes I find myself disagreeing with that last sentence. I like this. I could wear this as perfume. I’m sure I’d get some strange glances, but it’s what I like, and that’s what’s important anyway. And it wafts well... A little digression after reading the other reviews of this one: It’s settled - I like scents that other people call ‘masculine’. I like some ‘feminine’ ones, too. As I suspected, I think I just need to ignore the ‘gender’ comments, since they don’t seem to apply to me. Within half an hour, I pick out a scent I’ve been noticing all along - jasmine. I’m getting some jasmine with the ylang ylang - they blend so well together I missed it at first. And there are still the deeper incense-type scents in there. After an hour, I begin to smell amber. I definitely get amber. And it’s the pointy amber of Loviatar and Spellbound, but in this blend, it works because of the deeper scents. The amber lasted until I went to bed. Final impressions: I love this. I probably will use it in circle more than as perfume, if only because I have things like the Queen of Spades which appeal to me more aesthetically, but it’s definitely a me kind of scent. Wonderful.

Spellbound Preconceived Notions: From the reviews, this sounded like it might be haunting and mysterious, but it has rose in it, which sometimes takes over and doesn’t let anything else out. But, I’ve had some good experiences with other scents with rose, like Harlot and Blood Rose, and it has amber, which was really good in Blood Amber. I’m not sure how I feel about red musk yet. In the vial: rosy and animalistic - it’s reminding me a little of Satyr... On me: Wow - lots of rose. And although I am getting the animals from Satyr, so far, at least, it doesn’t smell like a wet, dirty, peeing animal. However, the amber isn’t helping, here - it’s the very sharp, pointy amber of Loviatar, not the warm, sweet scent I normally think of. This smells very angry and pointy to me - unbalanced and thin, rather than deep and complex. All three of these notes have a ‘deeper’ or ‘warmer’ side to them and a ‘sharper’ or ‘pointier’ side, and together they are causing the sharp, pointy parts to come out, and there’s absolutely no depth that I can discern at this point. There’s not the full roundness of the red rose of Harlot or Blood Rose, just the pointy top note. There’s not the honeyed sweetness of the amber that I get from Blood Amber, just the sharp point. This is a very high, acute scent. It would be the sound ‘ee’. Interesting, the right wrist is getting some softening and warmth... just not the left. I wonder what’s up with that. After half an hour: No - still sharp everywhere. It's very strong, and it wafts. Normally, wafting is a good thing, but not when it's wafting something I don't like. And, I really don’t like this. And I know that with all the scents I do like, I won’t want to go through this whole half-hour long stage to get to something good. Final impressions: This isn’t me. To high, sharp, and pointy. I like darker, warmer, and more complex scents. I know I sounded harsh in my review, but I'm sure it will work better on someone else, and maybe there are others who happen to like this kind of sharpness. That said, I really don't like it for myself.

Blood Amber Preconceived Notions: Dragon’s blood and amber - oh yeah! I find amber to be incredibly sensual, and dragon’s blood smell(to me) like deep, spicy, smoky blood. In the vial: spicy, deep amber On me: Over the course of an hour: Sweet, honeyed amber, with a spike of spice (dragon’s blood?), and a lot of depth. The sharpness of amber that I smelled in Loviatar and other amber blends is there, but the dragon’s blood tones it down, somewhat, making it warmer and deeper, not so superficially pointy. I can see how people think of the dragon’s blood as sweet, but I do get the note that I think of as dragon’s blood - that mysterious sharp and spicy note mixed with a warm depth. The sweetness and sharpness of the amber raises it up and balances it so it doesn’t get bogged down. This is very elegant, balanced, and sensual. Final impressions: Over the course of an hour, the scent remains pretty constant. A lovely, sophisticated, yet sensual scent. Not nearly as sexual or carnal as I expected, but again, very lovely. Likely, this is due to the kind of dragon’s blood we have here - more of the depth and less of the sharp spiciness. Plus, I think the amber was stronger, at least for me, than the dragon’s blood.

King of Spades lasts pretty well, too. In fact, sometimes I think it lasts longer than the Queen. But I haven't timed it. Blood Rose lasts pretty well for me, also.

Mabon Preconceived notions: Wine, apples, and wood - sounds like the perfect Mabon scent, and one I’d like to wear as well. Must get! In the bottle: wine, and it smells a lot like Blood Rose does in the bottle (and for me, Blood Rose doesn’t really smell like rose at all in the bottle), though the wine seems a little lighter like the wine in Tintagel. On me: The same, except now the leaves are coming out, and almost a scent of burning woods (although I know that’s supposed to be Wildfire, which I’ll be trying later), and now there’s something smoky and mysterious, there in the background, making itself known. It also wafts well. 15 minutes later: still fruity wine, the leaves have receded again. So far, it’s a pretty straightforward scent, but I do love it. 15 minutes after that: Oh, the leaves are back - or rather - I’ve got the sweet (not too sweet) wine on my left wrist, which I sniff more frequently, and the right one is much more complex - leaves and smoke, and stuff. The wine is there as well, too. An hour and a half after first trying it, it is still strong. This is lovely. Final impressions: I really like it. Edited because I didn't read the notes before writing the review and thus got my "preconceived notions" wrong. Whoops!

Nine Mysteries Preconceived notions: from the name, it sounded like something I would love, but then I read some reviews and saw that it was really minty. I thought that would make it too light and happy smelling, and not deep and mysterious enough, so it didn't go on my wishlist. Trying it: In the vial: mint and spice (ginger?) - this is a deep, dark scent, something I would not have expected with mint. On me: Right away, it's "Wow, mint!" Yet it's still got that dark undercurrent, and after a few minutes, I notice some orange in there. But that's not the dark thing either. Very mysterious indeed, and it tends to waft well, though it began fading within half an hour. Final impressions: After reading the BPAL Chatter thread about lotus, I think the depth in this that I keep smelling is the lotus, and I do get the ginger, though it’s very hard to catch. This is a very intriguing, light (in the sense of weight), and elegant scent. I’d wear it again, but I’d want to be in the right kind of mood, and I think it would be an excellent edition to a purification bath.

Kabuki (disclaimer - I do my reviews based on what it smells like to me, not what the actual notes are. In fact, I try to avoid the reviews for scents I have until AFTER I've reviewed it, so that they don't influence my thoughts - this time, I smelled a lot of things that aren't actually in it.) Preconceived notions: I liked the idea that it might smell like black ink, thanks to Splendid Molerat's review, but otherwise, it sounded like a wonderful sensual scent. Trying it: In the vial: Anise and ginger, I think, very sweet, yet dark and spicy. It reminds me vaguely of Absinthe On me: At first the same as in the vial, somewhat greenish, but in a few minutes, that greenish-ness is gone. In ten minutes, it's sweeter and softer, but still basically the same. Much, much later, I get something warm and sweet - vanilla? Final impressions: It reminds me a lot of Absinthe. I like Absinthe more. I may keep the imp of this, but I probably won't wear it much.

Arcana Preconceived notions: I thought this might be good as a ritual, general Circle blend. In the vial: I get mostly a green and herby note, perhaps a little mint or rosemary, with some nice strong woods holding up the center. Very nice. On me: 11:36: Oh, almost a pungent herbiness (which for me is a good thing) - this smells like a homemade poultice to put on a burn or something... Hmm... getting a burning sensation - does this have cinnamon in it? It’s not overly painful, but I’m noticing something. 11:39 Orange! Definitely orange peel - the rind, somewhat bitter, though layered with something sweeter. I wonder if the bitter orange is neroli. 11:43 Very sweet orange - like those sugary orange peel candies... I think this might be too sweet for me. It stays the same, and eventually fades. Final impressions: Sweet orange. Too sweet, too citrusy. But very well done. I think I'll be passing this one on... And it's definitely not a circle blend, at least not for me.

La Dame des Piques/Пиковая Дама/Queen of Spades Preconceived notions: Queen of Spades, oh favorite of my cards! Mysterious evil old woman of Pushkin’s mind! And those notes: " Moroccan myrrh and black amber, with muguet, opoponax, deep black plum, cyclamen, galbanum, and wild blackberry softened by pear blossom and a swirl of exotic wood notes." I like ALL of them (well the ones I recognize, anyway)... The bottle: Oh, look at the card! It has a ‘D’ for Dame - that’s a French Queen of Spades! I’m excited already! In the bottle: a heady mélange of pine, and, -wait, no, that’s mistletoe! Or at least it smells just like the mistletoe oil I have, and it’s blended with so many wonderful things! I’m getting white flowers, rain, dewdrops, vanilla, and – oh, this is just elegant, sacred, and woody. I’m in bliss. I could just sit here and stick my nose in it all day and be perfectly happy. This is a mysterious, elegant, sensual, and intoxicating blend. I can’t wait to try it on. On me: The vanilla peeks out into the mix a little more than in the opening whiff, but this remains as wonderful as it was in the bottle. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled this good in my life. Heck, I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything this good in my life. I keep having to resist reapplying, since I only have one bottle. Dear me, I want, no I need a lifetime supply! Help, please! Over time: This wafts, and it smells wonderfully over a long period of time, gradually fading into a slight powdery smell, still reminiscent of the earlier glory. Final Impressions: Absolutely Amazing. So far, nothing beats it, though the King of Spades has that same lovely mistletoe thing going on, so he might give her a run for the money. But oh, this is so me! I just have to be careful not to use it all up in one day.

I haven't tried Dana O'Shee, but if I were to pick a "rainy day scent", I'd probably pick Hecate, for the smoky almonds. I've heard people say that Dana O'Shee has a similar almondy-flavor even if there isn't any almond in it. It depends, though, somewhat, on what *kind* of rainy day it was. If it was a drizzly day - Hecate for sure, but if it was more of a downpour, something a little less smoky and lighter would be better, maybe even something very cleansing or purifying like Cathedral. And a thunderstorm would warrant something really strong, like Tintagel or Kweku Anansi...

Moon Rose I got this as a gift from renaissancerouge. Thank you so much! Preconceived notions: I associate rose with the Full Moon, and this was called Moon Rose, so I thought it would be perfect for the Full Moon. In the vial: Rose, and something soft and light. On me: Rose, a very pale rose, but it’s definitely overshadowing that other light smell I first got. It has good wafting power, too, and it’s a very elegant rose. Within the first ten minutes, I notice something sharp and sour biting at me when I sniff my wrist. Hmm... not sure what I think about that. Luckily, it’s gone quickly, but that leaves it smelling just like rose. After an hour: Still rose. Final impression: Have I mentioned “rose”? It’s a nice rose, but nothing really amazing, and really, I don’t want to smell like just rose. I think I'm going to hang onto my other Full Moon oil blend for now, though if Beth decides to make up some Moon Phase blends, I'd definitely try that.

Seraglio I got this in a swap with diabolique. Thanks! Notes listed: sweet almond, sandalwood, Bulgarian rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove, orange peel. (And as this review will prove, my nose is getting better!) Preconceived notions: I thought this would make a nice spicy, almond, seductive scent In the vial: Ooh, almond! Yay! (I've had good experiences with Hecate). And spices... And is that orange in there? Intriguing. On me: First whiff: Yes, definitely something citrusy in with the almond there, as well as something soft and powdery that manages to add an effect of sultriness. 10 minutes later: Rose? Is there rose in this? Luckily it's not taking over. I can still smell the almonds. 30 minutes later: Complete dry down, and hard to smell, but it's a nice powdery, almondy, spicy, scent, with a little citrus and rose in the background. Final impressions: This is nice. I'll keep the imp. But it's nothing spectacular, for me. I like the unusual combination, though. All in all, a nice blend. It also fades *extremely* fast.

Cathedral I got this in a swap from diabolique. Thanks! Preconceived notions: (taken from my notes after reading reviews): incensy and woodsy - maybe a general circle blend? And someone said there was an earthy/dirty smell - perhaps for Earth? Plus - incense, woods, church - Sounds lovely. In vial: Cedar - true, good cedar with the sweet sokiness of resins there, but way off in the background. On me: Still cedar, and after a few seconds of wear, there's the frankincense rising up in the background. I pause in contemplation. Yes, sweet, sticky resin on cedarwood, almost as sticky as the pine resin I got on me the other day. In fact, it smells a little piney to me now. Oh, this is lovely. This is definitely a good scent for ritual and meditation. As it dries, I get more frankincense and myrrh, and the cedar just blends in perfectly. I now want to make this incense (frankincense, myrrh, and cedar), as it is very peaceful, yet powerful. I love cedar, and it adds such a wonderful bite to the frankincense and myrrh. After an hour: No real change, it’s just gotten quieter and softer. Final impressions: I love it. It will be great as a meditation, purification, or circle blend, as well as for times when I want to smell mystical. Edited to add: Uh, what? I typed this on WordPerfect first, and I admit to having *no* idea what I meant by 'sokiness'. Stickiness, maybe? It was sweet, sticky, and a little spicy, so that's a possibility, or maybe it was spiciness... Hmm. The mystery remains.

Ooh! That's interesting! We've been talking about exactly that sort of problem with perception in one of my linguistics classes. I know that my 'mh' 'bh' idea is just that, a sort of 'hmm, this looks interesting' thing combined with 'what if' and so on. I find it fun to do that sort of speculating, but of course, the draw back is that it's just that, speculation. And I am interested not only in the Gaelic of today, but also the historical roots... Hmm... need more time to pursue language studies... Thanks for the heads up, Morrighana, and if you're up to looking through your notes, I'd at least be interested in what's there!

Yes, I know. Did I call it something else? *goes back to check for vocabulary mistakes* Oh! I see. Yes, I didn't talk about 'v' at all. Whoops. I can see how that would be confusing. My theory is that 'mh' 'bh' 'dh', etc. are bilabial fricatives. So, here's what I was *trying* to say (and many apologies for not being clear, plus future apologies for beating a dead horse, if that is the case - I tend to be good at beating dead horses (Shoot! I forgot to put that in the 'what are you brilliant' at part of the 'Who are you?' thread in randomness!)) When I heard that 'mh', 'bh' and 'dh' could be pronounced 'v' or 'w', I started pronouncing Samhain 'Sah-ven'. Then I learned some of the following linguistic things: 1. 'v' and 'f' are fricatives, and labio-dental (1 lip, 1 set of teeth (you *can* pronounce these with upper teeth and lower lip, but it's usually upper lip and lower teeth)) 2. 'w' is basically 'u' (oo) before another vowel, it is bilabial, but not exactly a consonant, and air isn't really trapped or stopped or hindered in any way. So, when I learned that there's no reason you *can't* have a bilabial fricative (though it's hard for me to do somewhat), I figured that made perfect sense for the Samhain question... especially considering how it's spelled - 'm' and 'b' are also bilabial sounds, and it's very possible (to me, anyway) that the 'h' after it might have been indicating 'Okay, this is a fricative, not a stop', since 'h' is basically just air flowing. So now, I no longer pronounce Samhain 'sah-ven', but rather use a bilabial fricative in the place of the 'v' or 'w'. I'm not sure what letter to represent that with. I apologize again for not being clear, and also for potentially beating a dead horse. I do hope it's more clear now

Ooh! More linguistics rambling! Warning: this is a weird ramble going from fantasy writing, to my weird linguistic theory, to an explanation of what a bilabial fricative is in probably way too much detail, to how I pronounce the word Samhain. There's a Mercedes Lackey song from her Last Herald-Mage trilogy entitled Shadow Stalker that has as it's opening "It was just a week 'til Savven, when the nights were turning chill..." and I thought, "Hmmm, 'sah-ven'. I like that." And then, somewhere I read that mh and bh and can be pronounced either as 'w' or as 'v'. Thus Queen Madb is Queen Maeve, and Samhain is Sow-wen (or probably more accurately Sah-wen, but because of ah-w, we get 'ow'). I've learned more since then, and my theory is that actually mh and bh and the like were actually voiced bilabial fricatives. The voiced part means that even though it's a consonant, your vocal chords are involved. The only difference between 'f' and 'v', for example, is that 'v' is voiced and 'f' is voiceless. Other pairs include 't' and 'd', 'p' and 'b', 'k' and 'g', 's' and 'z', and so on. The bilabial part means you use two lips, as in p, b, or m. Fricative is a little harder to describe, but basically it means that the air is only partially restricted, rather than completely blocked, and it continues to flow. Good examples of fricatives are 'f', 'v', and 's'. I have no idea if this is actually correct, but it makes sense as to why some people would say it now as 'w' and others as 'v', since this sound has the bilabial, roundedness of the 'w', but the friction and voiced-ness of the 'v'. On the other hand, it could simply be the already close relationship between 'v' and 'w' (English words beginning with 'w' are often transcribed with a 'V' in Russian, as in Vashington) Basically, this whole post is designed to explain why I now pronounce the word Samhain with a bilabial fricative, which is somewhere between a 'v' and a 'w'. But I'm a nut, and I don't think it's necessary for anyone else to do this, unless they want to, and I consider both the 'v' version and the 'w' version interesting. As for "r'lyeh", no idea. Anyone?

Blood Rose I got this in a swap with Mandarin. Thank you very much Preconceived notions: I love dragon’s blood and wine, and though I wasn’t sure about the rose, the comment Shollin made of sangoire put it immediately into my wishlist. I had to at least try it, right? So, when it was on Mandarin’s list of 5 ml bottles for $5.00, I couldn’t resist. On the bottle: I cannot describe this scent: it is warm, it definitely has dragon’s blood, but the dragon’s blood is resting in very sweet burgundy wine. And I get roses, too, faintly. But really, that’s not how it is. It’s simply Blood Rose. One scent, excellently blended. In the bottle: Wow. Sweet cherries. Now I know why people associate cherry with dragon’s blood. The sweetness is not the sweetness of candy, but cherries in a thick syrup. On me: The cherries immediately give way to rose and huh? (pause to collect myself, my body is being strange) NORMALLY, the cherries immediately give way to the smell on the bottle - a very deep, smoky, dragon’s blood with sweet red wine, and roses in the background. When I’m testing it now, finally, for the review, I’m getting roses. Hmm... Later: Ah, there it is, that scent I so adore. I’m glad the rose has moved back to the background again. Final impressions: This tends to be a pretty stable scent on me, which I've found to be true about the oils in general. I'm not sure if I just have stable body chemistry, or if I've gotten particularly stable scents, but once something has started drying down, it generally doesn't change. So, basically once it stops being cherry (which happens in a couple of seconds at most), it remains the way it is on the bottle for a long time. I love it. It is elegant and carnal, as Shollin said, and the notes stay very well blended. It is mysterious, it is dark, it is sensual, and it is lovely. I’m so glad I have a bottle of it, because I think it may very well end up being my signature scent, even though I wasn't looking for one. This is just... wow.

I've only tried two rose scents so far, Harlot and Blood Rose, and I discounted them both for different reasons. This thread shows why it's good to have a variety of views! Harlot is too bright, I think, more a bright, exotic rose than a deep, dark, purplish rose... Blood Rose, to me, however, doesn't meet your criteria of smelling like a rose. I love Blood Rose, but I get mostly dragon's blood and sweet red wine from it, with the rose as more in the background and in a 'supporting' role, rather than the main scent. It looks like that's not true for others though, so it might be a good choice. Oh, and I have Moon Rose, but I haven't really tried it yet. If it's dark, I'll let you know!

Loviatar I got this in a one-way swap from bigeyedgirl, who sent it without asking for anything in return since it was 50% full. Thanks, bigeyedgirl! Preconceived notions: I’m intrigued by the leather scents, and this one has amber in it. I like amber the incense, and am curious as to how the oil will work out. In the vial: Wow, pungent herbs and a slight peppery note. Very dark, bitter green. I’m not getting any leather or amber...yet. On me: Ah, there’s the leather... I’m still getting the herbal note, but it’s gradually transforming into leather... The nice, new suede coat kind of leather. Mmm... A few minutes later: I’m definitely getting the amber. And, wow, it *is* spicy. When I was reading the Blood Amber reviews, and people kept saying that the amber was spicy, which balanced out the sweet dragon’s blood, I thought they had it backwards. For me, amber’s always been sweet, and dragon’s blood is usually (well, when I like it ) spicy. But I am getting amber now, with the leather, and it is spicy. It’s still sweet, but spicy too. Very nice. I’ll wear this one more often I really like the way the amber sweetens the leather, too, making it a more elegant scent, not quite as harsh. A harsh leather would be good, too, though, so I’m not giving up on De Sade just yet More time: It’s balancing even more - the spicy/sweet amber and the harsh leather - the leather keeps softening, and the amber keeps coming out more and more. After an hour and more: Nothing has really changed, except that I don’t like it as much. It needs something warm and soft, because this combination is headache-inducing if you keep it on for too long. I can’t think of what it is, but it’s too sweet and too sharp at the same time, maybe like a leather-amber version of a Jolly Rancher. I like the leather and I like the amber, and at first when they blend, it’s really nice, but over time, I just can’t do it - they are bringing the worst out in each other, sadly. I *can* however think of good uses for it in certain occasions. Like sex. It would smell good then. So, I’ll be keeping it.

Harlot I got this in a swap with diabolique. Thanks! Preconceived notions: Rose... and cinnamon? You mean, a rich, saucy floral with spice? That sounds perfect for a scent to honor the Maiden (who I traditionally associate with red flowers and spice, esp. cinnamon). Testing it: In the vial: Yep - that's a cinnamon-dusted rose. On me: First impressions: Wow, that's a rose. Or rather, -roses-, as in, a whole bouquet of roses. Within a few minutes: Ah, there's the cinnamon. Oh, mmm... mmm... Either I'm overly sensitive to names or this is -good-. I definitely feel like a wanton harlot. (*considers ordering some Wanton just to see how it would layer with this, but I don't even remember what notes are in Wanton or if it's even on my wishlist*) Later: Heady and erotic. This just gets better and better. It even wafts! (one of the only scents to actually do so on me) I feel like an exotic dancer carrying a bouquet of roses through the spice area of a bazaar, hips swaying, eyes giving bold glances to all who dare meet my gaze. I didn't think rose could *be* this sexy (yes, even *after* reading all the previous reviews). Final impressions: To honor the Maiden? Sure. To wear and bring out my inner sexy Maiden? Definitely. And strangely, or perhaps not so strangely, it makes the song "Spanish Harlem" run through my head. Big bottle? Very likely sometime in the distant future. Or near future...

I have two different answers: For actual staying power, in a very literal sense, Kweku Anansi and Tintagel lasted longest. For staying power in the sense of stong enough to waft and be smelled by others, I'd have to say Kweku Anansi and Harlot. This is what normally happens with me - at some point during the drydown, there will be a sudden change, and I cannot notice the scent unless I smell my wrist. I know this is actual scent-fading, because it happens very suddenly. One minute, I'll be smelling it, and the next, it's gone. This happened with Tintagel, but many, many hours later (something like 15 hours, I think) AND after a shower, I could still smell it on my wrist. Neither Kweku Anansi, nor Harlot lasted that long. On the other hand, Harlot keeps the nice wafting scent for at least two hours, then fades completely. Kweku Anansi doesn't do that as long, but it does stay in the faded form a lot longer than Harlot (but not as long as Tintagel). The rest of my oils tend to go to the faded note within an hour, sometimes even less. I'm assuming that's normal, but I wish it wasn't. I don't like rushing out the door, so I never put it on *right* before going out, and then there's transportation time, so I don't think anyone has actually smelled me smelling good .