taramarie

I wasn't sure how much of the L'Autunno Spray to use, so I tried four or five squirts in the air. My apartment is small, so that much was plenty. The note that stood out the most to me was the bonfire smoke, but the other three, especially the tea and patchouli, were definitely present. I tried it about 4 PM last night, and even close to 10 PM, I was still getting whiffs. I love the scent, but I think I'll save the rest of the bottle for Autumn.

Wet on my skin, The Antikythera Mechanism has a top note of tobacco, middle notes of wood, and a base note of vanilla. Dry, it's just the tobacco and vanilla. This is a gorgeous blend, and on me it seems to be on the masculine side of neutral. Definitely a keeper.

Wet on my skin, Violet Ray is violet, lilac, and ylang ylang over musk. It's absolutely gorgeous, even though the violet is on the powdery side. Dry, it's just violet and musk, but still good. I'm hoping age will make the notes present in the wet stage last longer.

On me, The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed With the Sun is floral, a hint of vanilla, and a hint of woods. I can't pick out any individual floral notes, but I'm not complaining -- this scent is gorgeous.

On me, Dragon's Hide is dragon's blood (plumeria on me) and a little bit of leather, no smoke at all. I think aging might help, so I'll hold on to this.

Wet on my skin, Loralei is neroli and ylang ylang, no sandalwood at all. As it dries, the ylang ylang vanishes. Still, this is a very pretty scent, perfect for summer.

On me, Dragon's Heart is just dragon's blood resin (plumeria on me) and musk. I like it, don't get me wrong, but it's like a weaker version of Dragon's Musk. I hope age will bring out the other notes or I'll have to pass it on.

Wet on my skin, Dragon's Claw is just dragon's blood resin (which turns to plumeria on me). As it dries, a hint of sandalwood starts to show. While I love DBR, not enough sandalwood shows to make it distinctive, so I'll pass this on.

I think I'll wear Dragon's Hide for July 4th, something smoky.

Anyone else wearing Privilege on July 14th?

On me, Bruised Violet Compound is mostly Spanish moss and patchouli root, with a violet base. This is nice, though I was expecting more violets. It's a cousin to Crypt Queen. I'll definitely keep it around.

In the bottle, this 13 is all chocolate. Wet on my skin, it's chocolate, apple, and spices. Basically, chocolate and spiced apple cider. As it dries, the apple slowly pushes the chocolate into the background. This is very nice, though not what I was expecting.

On me, Utrennyaya is rose and mint with a hint of violet. It's a little light for my taste, but still very nice.

Wet on my skin, Seraphim is soapy rose. Dry, it's rose, lily, and wisteria. This is very pretty and feminine. I'd say it's a keeper.

In the imp, Slobbering Pine is pine and something else I can't identify. Wet on my skin, it starts off being pine with an aquatic men's cologne, then quickly turns to Irish Spring. I should've expected that, really. Dry, it calms down to a muted aquatic pine. It's a little too masculine on me, but except for the soapy stage, I like it. It's just not something I'd wear every day.

Wet on my skin, Caliban is a salty aquatic note over the ferns and palm. It's neutral, but leaning close to masculine. Dry, the wine comes through, and it's more sweet than bitter, so it seems a little more feminine. I love this. It's a perfect summer scent.

Wet on my skin, Aizen-Myoo is very fruity, with the mikan standing out the most. Dry, the cherry blossom is peeking out from behind the fruits. The black tea doesn't show at all. This is nice, but not something I'd wear all the time.

I'm wearing Robin Goodfellow to celebrate Midsummer.

Is it too early to start thinking about what scent I'll wear for Halloween and a costume to go with it?

On me, Ave Maria Gratia Plena is mostly lemon with lily and jasmine over musk. It's nice but it's not what I'm looking for.

Wet on my skin, Envy is a lot of lavender and a little bit of the green herbs, none of which I can identify. Dry, the herbs show more and they seem to be stronger than the lavender, which is really medicinal on me. Some of the mint is present as well. I don't get any lime at all. This is nice but it's not really me.

On me, Silk Road is cinnamon, tea, herbs, maybe a little musk, and what I think is patchouli. It's interesting but not me. Unfortunately, the cinnamon started to burn so I had to wash it off. Someone else can enjoy this.

On me, Baobhan Sith is, in order, white tea, grapefruit, ginger, and a hint of apple blossom. If I loved grapefruit, this would be great, but I don't, so I'll pass this on.

For me, some blends that include juniper berries turn to Irish Spring -- The Ragged Wood and Omen. Oberon didn't, though.

Penthus doesn't have juniper berries listed, but it smelled like Irish Spring during the wet phase.

On me, I Died for Beauty seems to be frankincense, hyssop, and ylang ylang over a little bit of violet, no grave loam anywhere. It doesn't have much throw, but up close, it's almost like a darker, more sophisticated version of Exclamation. Granted, I haven't worn Exclamation in years, so my memory of it is probably fuzzy. Still, this is a very nice scent.

On me, Lady MacBeth is currant and berries, very juicy. I don't seem to get the wine or thyme, but this is still a great summer scent.

As I'm applying Golden Priapus, I can smell pine and rosewood. But once it's on, it's a lot of pine and a little juniper over vanilla. (I'm starting to think I amp pine.) Golden Priapus reminds me a lot of Mistletoe '07. I think it's neutral enough for women to wear, and I definitely want a bottle.