Lethran

Thanks! I had no idea that almond would burn - maybe there's hope for me and cinnamon after all! No promises. A lot of people react to cinnamon. It could be both together are too much. It could be you react to one or both. I suggest trying imps with them separated to see if you are reacting to one or both. Aging tends to concentrate allergens, so fresh is less likely to cause problems than aged. Don't give up though. You could be like me chemistry wise.

@ RachelElizabeth: I have no trouble with cinnamon, but almond burns as it ages, getting worse, the older the sample.

In bottle: Rich, wet, dramatic, the balsam is strongest, but the incense isn’t kidding. It does smell rather like one expects a Radcliff or hammer heroine to smell like. Wet: Mostly incense, with an almost fruity edge, much more feminine than one would expect. Think women in gauzy nightgowns walking barefoot on battlements and cliffs. Dry: A little like high end shampoo. The incense gives it a hint of the exotic. It reminds me vaguely of the Sapphics, though I think this is richer.

In bottle: Given the rose and citrus combination, there is no point in skin testing this. The rose is dominant, but blends beautifully with the myrrh. The mandarin and bergamot do a lovely job of grabbing attention and adding interest to the effect. The over all effect is sensual and womanly, in keeping with the concept.

In bottle: Ah juniper, note of death. The juniper nearly overwhelms everything, though the lilac and bergamot try to fight back. Wet: The turpentinelike juniper is dominant, though the other 4elwements are all discernible and the incense smoothes things out a bit. Dry: Not bad, actually. The orchid leads a floral counter charge and the effect is a smooth womanly floral/incense blend.

In bottle: unusual in the extreme. It is sweet and sharp all at once, dusty and dry, with an almost chocolatelike cognac bite. Wet: It smells of pine and mahogany wood and lacquer. The cognac is understated with a touch of decadence. It does make me think of houses, of woodword. The insence edge is a little startling, but the effect is both menacing and seductive, strongly masculine, but in a vaguely brillatine and stiff collar Lovecraftian way. This scent oozes and insinuates, it slowly materializes like an Edwardian ghost It’s whqat a Gorey illustration might smell like. Dry: OMG! It wears into a rich woody aftershave full of nuance and vaguely disturbing sensuality. It pounces out of the shadows, hungry for… something. The menacing undertow actually enhances the sexiness of this.

In bottle: So rich and wet and spicy. This is really striking. I love the wet plants and cedar. Wet: Wetness and rich mud with a soft, woody and herbal overlay. It’s subtle, but not lost on my skin. Dry: Not as startling, but still excellent. It retains the same balance as individual elements devolve.

In bottle: Strawberry marshmallow. Yummy. Wet: A little more chemical on me, but still marshmallowy. It evens out nicely after a bit. It’s less sweet than Marshmallow poof, which is just fine. Dry: Soft pink marshmallow heaven,

In bottle: Sweet and creamy current. The vannilla cream spiciness of it is fascinating. Wet: On me, it’s less so, being mostly patchouli and current with less nuance. The result is… hippy Christians rather than spicy, creamy goodness. Dry: Patchouli with a hint of current.

In bottle: This is unusual. I like what the agave is doing here. It is rich, herbal, summery and oddly refreshing. Wet: Rather softer than I’d like, but well blended. It smells very pail green and wet and herbal. It’s likely to delicate for my skin. Dry: Faded to almost nothing in half an hour, alas, alas.

In bottle: Pear dominant, but the florals blends wonderfully with it. Wet: The lily really comes out on the sin. The florals start rather swamping the pear. Dry: Rose, rose, rose.

In bottle: Much as discribed. Smells of ivy and wood and the sap of green branches. It is sharp and intense and dark green. Wet: OMG. This smells like crouching in a thicket in the summers of childhood. There is an interesting herbal undertone as it wears. Dry: goes gentler, but retains it’s underlying complexity and impression of summer greenery. I love it.

In bottle: Sexy rich opium, a femme fatale sort of flower. Wet: opium on top. Dry: Smells like opium impregnated sandlewood, rich, sexy, and faintly exotic.

In bottle: Honey and lotus warring for dominance. Wet: It’s really nice in a delicate honey floral sort of way. It’s a touch more floral than I was hoping, but pleasant enough Dry: Weirdly compelling when mixed with my natural musk. The honey is fascinating with the lotus. It’s working beautifully, subtly sexy and tasty all at once.

In bottle: This smells like something I’d enjoy drinking warm on Winter evening. The gingered fruit smells spicy yummy and the rum blends well. Wet: The ginger strengthens but to my mind this is all for the good. Seriously, this is stunning in it’s own way. Dry: Blends back out to spiced fruit as in te bottle, though slightly less rich. It’s still lovely though.

In bottle: Fir is strongest, over an interesting Indian temple incense blend. There is something rather nasty underneath. Wet: It was at this point, I half remembered I had a strong reaction to massoia last time. At least I think it was massoia. I’ve taken extra anti-histamine, but the itching means it’s coming right off. It’s very not okay on my skin. I seem to be amping massoia instead of just musk I’m guessing it’s the massoia I don’t like. I was quite complex in an interesting way, but really, really doesn’t work on me.

In bottle: The chamomile and hissop give it a wholesome herbal affect. It is warm and summery in an outdoors sort of way. It’s definitely feminine. Wet: Really nice shampoo. Dry: Mostly honey.

How about Penny Dreadful?

I just discovered R.M. Renfield is rather like Coyote. not identical, but close cousins.

I think I'm starting to react to Snake Oil.

We must have similar skin chemistry. I can wear the WC/Strawberry a little longer, but it does go plastic on my, while the new strawberry moon has been stunning on me. For the record, I had no luck with sticky pillow case, which was too sweet on me.

In bottle: My first impression was circus peanuts, but it quickly resolved into banana cream pie. It’s a little too artificial for my tastes. Wet: More complex, but still flipping back and forth between circus peanuts and banana cream pie. I swear it smells like caramel corn too. My roommate was horrified on smelling it. Given time, the whipped cream and blood settle to the forefront and I find it more pleasing. My roommate had fled the room at this point, so I couldn’t get his opinion. The banana calms down to smell more natural not long after this point and the result is… peculiar, but oddly fascinating. I’m finding the pie crust effect interesting. And the iron/grease/blood effect is working out. It’s cream dominant, which pleases. It’s just a horrifying first ten minutes or so. Dry: Okay, that’s genuinely lovely, the delicacy of the banana blending into whipped cream with that tasty hint of blood. The grease is present, but not overwhelming. It’s very much a foody odor. My roomate, once induced to resniff admitted he’d be tempted to eat this if it were in a bakery, but he found it off putting on skin. He’s a bit of a traditionalist. I’ve been won over though. He says the scent is pervasive. My small skin test could be smelled in the kitchen from my office.

In bottle: Oddly sweet, mostly blood, tobacco, musk, and bergamot. More androgynous than masculine. The medicinal edge, is interesting without being overwhelming. Wet: There’s the juniper. The medicinal/hrerbal elements strengthen. The musk is strong, but given my musk amping tendencies, not too strong so it will likely be light on most people. It all butches up on my skin, rather. It does smell faintly of sweat, but not in a bad way. It also smells faintly industrial. The mint is not strong enough to cause a skin reaction and is only noticeable as a sense of coolness to it, rather than as an independent note. This is all very well blended. Dry: Settles into a solid men’s cologne with a sharp edge to it. This and Jekyll are the only juniper scents, I’ve really taken to, so this could be considered a juniper for non-juniper lovers as well as a mint for non-mint lovers. It really is faintly wicked and faintly herbal all at once while maintaining a Victorian gentleman profile.

In bottle: I love the sweet pipe tobacco and cherrywood combo. It blends pleasantly with the leather. I’m surprised there are no roasted nuts in this, but I’m guessing it’s an artifact of the tobacco/wood combo. Wet: Lots of cherry. The wood is rich and fascinating. I’m liking what the smoke and leather are doing, but the cherry is unbalancing it on my skin. Dry: This is rich and glorious despite the amping issue. It calms down given time. It ends up evoking a warm study, eating something sticky by the hearth. It manages to be both foody and masculine all at once, which is a pretty tough thing to do. I really do like the sweet pipe tobacco with the wood. The leather note is present, but understated. It really is a lovely blend.

The number of this one is unknown as it’s a swap frimp. In bottle: Somehow, this smells of rain and cake. I’m guessing there’s a lot of grapefruit in there too, and musk. Wet: Rich wet loam and grapefruit. I’m imagining breakfast on a covered patio with tea and grapefruit, the rain soaking into a late spring garden. It’s oddly sexy. Dry: Mostly Dorian, with a cream/grapefruit edge and maybe cake.