rien

And...that about sums it up for me. Kubla Khan fits in the 'good things' category. I'll ditto the above since it's impossible for me to pick out particular notes in this one. It's lovely and eeenteresting! The only downside I can report over here is that it disappears on me after about ten minutes. Why, why, whyyy? But that's easily remedied and worth the effort for this one! Yay!

Erm, I wore this when I woke up one morning knowing it was going to be a trying day at work ... and a couple hours after application, it made me puke. I don't know why, it doesn't smell horrible, it just triggered something bad in my brain. Maybe I'll try it again another time - kind of like getting sick off a particular drink, though, it'll be awhile before I can separate that initial experience from the oil enough to give it another chance. =/

I don't know if it's the power of persuasion (knowing the name and background of the oil) or what, but when I wear this, I just want to swing my hips a little when I walk, or lean over just that tad bit too much to show a little cleavage. It makes me want to put on my RenFest wench garb and go try my luck with a man in tights. All this tartiness would be set to Poe's "Hey Pretty," of course. Hated this at first, but when I gave it a real chance to settle in, it definitely grew on me. Must remember not to judge an oil by first sniff of the imp. It's sexy and dark and 'ooh, what's that?' and - again, power of persuasion - conjures images of a silk-stockinged, satin-clad prostitute sashaying down the street leaving men drooling in her wake.

Sex in a bottle. I would let Crowley do nasty, twisted, debaucherous things to me. And I'd let him think it was all his idea.

I've been lusting after War for months and got a bottle from my Enabler, who couldn't sing its praises enough. V v excited and SO wanted to be one of the luckies War fancied, but I seem to be among those for whom she doesn't work. Even my sister, who usually jumps for joy when oils don't work on me - because ALL the 'not right' ones on me seem to work on her (Velvet, Mad Sweeney, even Enraged Groundhog Musk lol) - couldn't vibe with this oil. For both of us - in the bottle, wet, dry-down and dry - ALL we could smell was Tony Chachere's (non-Cajuns, google it ). le sigh. Forget not being able to wash it off quickly enough, as another poster mentioned - I couldn't wash it off, period, so at least can't say I didn't stick with it 'til the bitter end (about an hour later). Keeping it anyway for the zexxxy label ... maybe I'll give her another shot some other time, or for my next crawfish boil.

In imp: weird, but pleasant. Very almond-y. Wet, on skin: all I smell is almond - oh, mmm, it smells like a toasted almond drink. Drydown: thank god it mellows out, otherwise I'd become a raging alcoholic every time I put it on. The fig notes and coconut are starting to peek through, and I think it's the sandalwood keeping it grounded. If this was Eden, then I'd kick out the unworthy, too, just to keep my little sacred garden to myself. Dry: everything's blending into each other, still with almond upfront but nicely allowing the others to push through here and there. Guh

In imp: as sexual as Loviatar, but more feminine and sensual as opposed to in-your-face-and-on-your-knees. Wet, on skin: this is taking off the spiked heels and rubbing ointment into the whip marks. Drydown: it's bringing him close after punishing him, promising to be nicer next time though each of you knows she won't. it's the tender woman under the charade. Dry: it's soft and feminine and - this sounds crazy - it's a hopeful Tart who dreams of romance under the smutty exterior. this is Penny Lane on quaaludes.

In imp: super-duper floral, v strong jasmine with rose in a close second; I think it's the myrrh that pulls them together. Not sure how something so overtly floral will work on me psychologically (it's STILL in my nose). Wet, on skin: it's like a perfume I've worn before, but junkie I am, hell if I know which one. Drydown: augh! what is this? very flowery, anyway. maybe it's the flowers that I'm confusing with another fragrance. I do like it, but it's almost overwhelmingly floral. something I'd wear to church or to visit my stodgy Aunt Brenda to make her jealous because she would love it. Dry: I no longer smell like a 5'3" night-blooming jasmine, but a pretty little shadow lurking outside your window after dusk. Much better given time to set in.

In imp: can't describe. I smell the apple on second sniff, maybe if I knew what ylang ylang smelled like on its own this would be easier to describe? Wet: oh, it's sweet and pretty and there's a curious apple underneath it all. Drydown: oh, love. The rose is coming through - I smell rose and apples, rose and apples, I'm in heaven. Eve, you silly girl. I would've gone for the forbidden fruit, too. Dry: I thought maybe more of the other two components would have overtaken the apples and roses, but they only seem to have made them better, somehow. How? I don't know, but it is. Apples and roses. This is divine.

In imp: HOLY wow, this one is HOT. Def one to wear whilst writing girl-on-top smut! Holy wow, zomgz. Could never wear it to work with a straight face, that's how sexually-charged this is! Wet, on skin: oh god, it's leather and dripping sex. It's too good to be allowed. Drydown: the leather and musk keep strength enough to make unworthy boys beg for it. This is divine, in the wickedest way possible. Dry: she's still cracking the whip, I'm her slaaave - hee!

Rhododendron and bellflower petals swirl through deep, cool, dark aquatic notes. In imp: smells like a Christmas tree. By a river. Huh. Wet, on skin: I can't shake the Christmas tree thing! Not a cheap car air freshener, but like stepping onto a tree lot. Drydown: it rained on the tree. lol This all sounds unpleasant, but it's oddly appealing. Would be great fun to wear at Christmastime, but don't know if I could pull it off any other time of year without feeling out of season. Dry: okay, the tree has finally backed off and it's turning rather aquatic. Still not quite sure if I would wear it often, but I do foresee myself coming back to it again and again to try! (ETA BPAL description)

In imp: omg! I want to eat it! Yummy - EXACTLY what you'd expect. Wet, on skin: can I lick the bowl? Jaysus. Er, all I smell is cake, though the other components are probably contributing to making the cake as heavenly as it is. Drydown: I don't know what's coming out strongest, only that it's sinfully sweet. I'd wear this to a biker bar to feel enticingly out of place, or to a child's birthday party to feel like I belong. Could work for or against your projected purity - but mostly, I just want to lick myself. Dry: not so much on the cake anymore, which is probably safest for everyone; want to say it's becoming more milk and honey? whatever it's doing, it's delicious.

In imp: very clean one. Super clean. Unnaturally clean, you might say. Actually, it reminds me of a French parfum I have called "Eau Fantastique" - fantastic (literal, not 'wow' meaning, heh) water. Wet, on skin: it's insane! I just keep huffing my arm and don't want to stop and miss anything to type! Drydown: the honeydew is the first one that grabs my attention, then - oh god, it's so good - um, the mandarin and it actually does remind me of cacti! Thankfully, I smell no freesia; if it's there, this is so perfectly blended that it's gently overshadowed by the more prominent whites and greens. this will be a great morning pick-me-up, or to cool down and clean off after traipsing around the dirty, busy city on my summer lunchbreaks. Dry: the musks are coming through more now, which is actually kind of perfect because the initial OMG clean would make a girl dizzy if it lasted too long; once it mellows out, it's REfreshing rather than in-your-face fresh.

In imp: oh, lovely! Very green, light, summery fragrance. This is gonna get the hell worn out of it - it's like the antithesis of humidity! Wet, on skin: this is so fabulously green and fresh! Like if you mowed your lawn and got a lemon caught under the blades, but not in a room-freshener kind of way. Drydown/Dry: lives up to wet expectations - the perfect answer to a sticky summer day!

Disclaimer: most of my family is from Louisiana, I'm an Anne Rice junkie, and generally overly protective of attempts to capture the essence of one of my favourite places on earth. Also, I HATE to cry, and fight the urge whenever possible. That said... In imp: could smell this through the bottle, and that faint whiff alone screamed Crescent City already. The honeysuckle is blatant, which I was wanting. Deeper whiff and the lemon comes out quite strong, but overall a nice floral, sticky, southern scent. Wet, on skin: this is so nostalgic of every moment ever spent in Louisiana that I want to CRY. CRY. Drydown: holds onto the initial and blatant honeysuckle topnote, with the jasmine and lemon working against and complementing each other wonderfully. The spice is my grandparents' backyard and sleeping with the windows open in your haunted orphanage hotel in Vieux Carre. I kid you not, am on the verge of tears. It's spiced honeysuckle with a bit of jasmine. I'm sitting in a courtyard, waiting for the Vampire Lestat to come sweep me away... Dry: I'm driving home to Texas with the feeling of Louisiana in every fibre of my being. This is so many of my formative years in a teensy vial, I couldn't begin to tell you... (ETA: I wish I'd had this for my grandfather's funeral back in March, it would have been the perfect homage to my roarin' Cajun granddaddy.)