taramarie

In the imp, Queen Alice smells like a spicy floral. I guess that's the carnation. On my skin, I smell that and the cider. I like her but I don't think I'll get a bottle just yet.

In the imp and on my skin, I smelled cherries and wood. Kyoto smells a lot like The Red Queen. Unfortunately, it started to burn so I had to wash it off. I'll stick with The Red Queen.

In the imp and wet on my skin, Centzon Totochtin is pure chocolate! Oh, why can't Bliss smell this good on me? It's rich and smooth and I really, really want to lick my wrist. Drying, the rum and wine start to come through. I think the blood might be in the back somewhere. I love this and I really, really want a bottle.

In the imp and wet on my skin, Nyx had a pretty floral smell. I think I was getting more jasmine than rose. Unfortunately, it started to burn. As far as I know, I'm not sensitive to any of the listed ingredients, so I don't know what caused the reaction. I think I'll use Nyx as a room scent.

In the imp and wet on my skin, The Knave of Hearts smells like a pastry. As it dries, a rose starts to come through as well. Dry, the pastry scent is gone and tart fruit has joined the rose. Unfortunately for me, something in this irritates my skin a bit, but not really enough to make me wash it off. The scent is pleasant enough, but not really what I'm looking for.

In the bottle and wet on my skin, Zarita smelled like a spiced orange. Unfortunately, she started to burn so I had to wash her off, but I think she'll make a good room scent.

I was lucky with April's 13, but this time my luck ran out. In the bottle and wet on my skin, this 13 is chocolate and fruit, just heavenly. But before it was even dry, the clove bit me, so I had to wash it off. I don't think aging will help, so it looks like I finally have a scent worth buying a locket for.

In the bottle, Midnight on the Midway smells like a lot of sugar, some incense, and a little bit of flowers. Wet on my skin, there's no incense at all. It's sugar and flowers, sweet and heady. Drying, it smells like sugared Poisson d'Avril. There's the same Spring flowers, only now they're sugar-dusted. I can't complain, really. If I'm out of Poisson d'Avril when the Carnaval's about to leave, I'll stock up on this.

Wet on my skin, Burial smells like a bit of dirt and a lot of Lemon Pledge. Dry, the Lemon Pledge seems to have calmed down a lot -- the two scents are blending together. It's pleasant enough now, but not really me. I'll try this scent again sometime to see if the Lemon Pledge is still there. If it is, I'll have to bid Burial goodbye.

Huckleberry and red currant with the incisive bite of neroli.

 

I put Jester on without remembering what the notes were. In the imp and wet on my skin, I got fruit salad. I'm not familiar at all with huckleberry and only a little familiar with red currant. What I think I'm smelling is neroli and huckleberry together with a red currant base. All I know is that it's good, strong, and a bright and happy scent. This jester is all smiles.

On my skin, Magus smells like cedar, sandalwood, and a little bit of frankincense. It's nice but fades fast on my skin. I'll give this another try sometime but right now, it's not me.

Wet on my skin, Yew Trees smelled like wood with a little bit of evergreen beneath it. Once it dried, it somehow morphed into plumeria. I'll give this one another try sometime, but if I get the same result, off it goes.

I couldn't remember what Incantation's notes were when I put it on, but I knew immediately that I knew the scent but couldn't place it. Now that I can see the notes, I know I'm getting vetiver, woods, and a little bit of lemon. It is absolutely gorgeous, definitely a new favorite, and a bottle buy as soon as humanly possible.

I'm not getting any florals from Allison Gross, but on me she's very green, herbal, and musky. I get the sense of a dragon in the deep forest. She's not a typical me scent but I like her. Allison's a little too strong to wear often, so I think I'll save her for special occasions.

The best way I can describe The Gibbous Moon is "moonlit garden." It's light and floral, and there's a hint of cucumber. The Gibbous Moon and The Sportive Sun are the opposite sides of the same coin. They're very different, yet they both embody summer. It does compare to this year's Blue Moon -- it's definitely less complex, but just as lovely.

I can't pick out individual notes in Sportive Sun, but on me it smells like floral, incense, and musk. This is very much the early summer sun -- warm and relaxed, but not overwhelming. It's not a typical me scent, but I like it and I think I'll use it often before summer's gone.

I don't think there's much I can say about Privilege that hasn't already been said. In the bottle and wet on my skin, it does smell like a debutante rubbed all of the fashion magazine perfume samples she could find all over her vast amount of exposed skin. Then, she kept doing it every five minutes. Dry on my skin, it does smell like she decided to add the samples of men's cologne.

 

In short, Privilege is heady and over-the-top florals, citrus, and aquatics. It's definitely not me, but I'll keep it and wear it when the occasion arises.

Wet on my skin, I got a whiff of incense smoke. Dry, I smell myrrh and herbs. Really, this must be what a temple to Anubis smelled like. It's not really me, but I do like it and I may get a bottle.

Wet on my skin, Blood Lotus wavers between bubblegum and a sweet floral. Surprisingly, I like that -- I'd definitely eat something that tastes like wet Blood Lotus smells. Dry, it's light and powdery. I'll age this and see if it improves.

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.

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.