taramarie

In the imp, I could smell almonds and something else. Nice but not really my thing. On my skin, Hecate started to burn a little but it definitely turned my skin red, so I had to wash it off without getting a good whiff of it. As far as I know, I'm not sensitive to the three listed notes, so I have no idea where the irritant contact dermatitis came from. In any case, I'm definitely passing Hecate on to someone else.

... A dark, palpably sacred chthonic blend: black narcissus and cypress, stephanotis, opoponax, labdanum, onycha and ambergris. Hades is my favorite Greek god (thank you, Disney), so I would've bought this no matter what was in it. In the imp and on my skin, Hades smells like dark floral and woods. It's like stumbling across a cavern full of flowers and trees that never see the sunlight, but are beautiful in the darkness. As it dries, it turns into a darker, more masculine version of Asphodel. Hades is a good complement to Persephone, naturally, but definitely a gender neutral scent. I love it and I'll put a bottle on my wishlist.

In the bottle, Bilquis is mostly almond and apple. On my skin, it starts off as almond and honey then long after it's dry, floral starts to come through. I like it but it's not really me. I'll keep it for now.

On me, La Belle au Bois Dormant is strong, wet tea rose. Once again, my skin ate everything else. While I love rose scents, I don't need another tea rose single note (I'm looking at you, Helena). I'll age this, but if that doesn't help, I'll pass this on to someone else.

In the imp, La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente smells like peach and something else, maybe the melilot and myrtle. Wet on my skin, I smelled apple and rose. Where the apple came from, I have no idea. Drying, the apple smell was replaced by peach and pomegranate, with the rose as a base. Dry, the aquatics make the fruits juicy and the rose dewy. I like it. It can't top Persephone, but it's a nice alternative.

In the imp, sweet floral and myrrh. Wet on my skin, all I get is bubblegum. Once it's dry, the other notes start to come through, but bubblegum is definitely the strongest. I'll keep this imp for a while to see if it ages well, otherwise I'll pass it on.

On my skin, Meskhenet started out as floral with a hint of green. Drying, there's a definite wood smell. Sandalwood, maybe? I think she's fading, which is a pity since she smells so good. I hope aging will make her stronger.

Wearing King Cobra, I get an image of a cobra slithering on the stone floor of a temple after dark, with burning incense and an offering of flowers on a nearby altar. On me, this Snake Pit denizen has bite, but only slight compared to Boomslang and Coral Snake. If I didn't put on my usual amount (close to slathering), it probably wouldn't burn at all. This one's definitely a keeper.

Nefertiti on me starts off as just iris then the other notes show as it dries. It's lighter than I expected, but I do feel like there's a perfumed mist surrounding me. I like it, though I wish it was a bit stronger.

In the bottle and wet on my skin, Cleopatra Testing Poisons smelled like chocolate and herbs, like a weaker April '07 13. Dry, it smells like slightly bitter flowers. I like it and I'll keep the bottle, but I don't think I'll wear it often.

If anyone's looking for a GC equivalent of Poisson d'Avril, try Love-In-Idleness. On me, they have a nearly identical mixed spring flowers smell. ETA On me, Cleopatra Testing Poisons On Those Condemned To Death smells a lot like the April '07 13. Both chocolate/herbal goodness, which is weird since there are no chocolate or cocoa notes listed for Cleopatra Testing Poisons.

I understand that the name Love-In-Idleness refers to the pansy, but this smells like an assorted bouquet of just-picked flowers. It's a very yellow and green scent. On me, it's almost a dead ringer for Poisson d'Avril, which I love. I'll definitely put a bottle of this on my wishlist.

Croquet is definitely light, sparkly, and pink. The citrus comes through first, then the rose comes out to play as it dries. Then the musk joins the party. I'm not sure if it's me, but I do like it.

Ozymandias is absolutely gorgeous! I can see the comparison to Chanel No. 5 and I get the sense of ruins in the desert. Only Beth could make a blend like this possible. I've just found a new favorite.

On my skin, Cairo started out as sweet, sugary, pink bubblegum and now smells like that and lemon Pledge. I'll give it one more try because I really love the city.

In the imp, Carnal smells like orange with a hint of fig. On my skin, all I can smell is orange candy. I like it, but I was really hoping for the fig to show as well. I'll keep Carnal around and see if the fig appears next time.

I probably never would've bought Dragon's Musk myself, so thank you to the Lab for this frimp. I'm always a little wary of any musk blends other than ones that have only white musk. Dragon's Musk surprised me -- the various musks work well together and with the sweet dragon's blood that's floating just above them. It's strong and heady and I love it.

I have a few that could be HP appropriate: Bewitched Magus The Red Queen Asphodel Yew Trees London I'll probably go with Bewitched.

In the imp and wet on my skin, Lysander is very green and earthy. Dry, he turns into more of a vanilla scent. Lysander's very light, even barely there. I may have to let him age a little before I try him again.

In the imp, Oberon is just juniper. Wet on my skin, the orchid and white musk come through and they play very well with the juniper. Whether or not Oberon is gender neutral or masculine probably depends on a person's taste and body chemistry. To me, it's neutral bordering on feminine. I love this scent! It's so fresh and different. I definitely need a bottle of this.

In the imp: Hello, tea rose! On my skin: It's like tea rose is the desperate, determined side of Helena and has beat all the rival notes back in persuit of my nose, its Demetrius. I'm hoping aging will make the other notes strong enough to fight back (c'mon, lilies!), otherwise Helena will have to go.

Bumped because this is fun. I wore Robin Goodfellow for Midsummer yesterday. For Independence Day, I'm wearing Yemaya because it smells like watermelon Jolly Ranchers on me and I figured that would be appropriate.

In the imp, Titania smells of the three fruits. Wet on my skin, I could smell the fruits and the flowers. They were all blended together, nothing really stood out. If a scent could be called bright and sparkly, Titania's it. As it dried, the fruits warmed up and deepened, especially the grape. Now, an hour after applying, Titania smells like fruit-flavored Pez candy, not that I'm complaining.

In the imp, Robin Goodfellow smells strongly (but pleasantly) of wood and green plants. On my skin, I get the same, but with enough musk to balance out the blend. While Robin's not really my usual kind of scent (I prefer florals and food, mostly), I do like him and I'll put a bottle on my wishlist. This scent is definitely gender neutral.

Hermia's definitely a spicy floral, but on my skin, the spice is cinnamon instead of pink pepper and the floral is just passionflower, no honeysuckle. She started out very light initially (and I slathered), but she's gotten a little stronger now that it's been an hour. I really like the combination of cinnamon and passionflower, but I wish the passionflower was stronger. If Hermia weren't a MND scent, I pass her on but since she is, I'm willing to keep her around and see if she gets stronger with age.