Penance

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: Ophelia is the name (and subject) of one of my favorite poems and Hamlet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, but I just don’t see myself liking this. I don’t do florals normally and lotus and rose are two of the biggest offenders, but I’ll try it. First sniff: A light, sweet, innocent smelling floral blend. It reminds me somewhat of Juliet. I don’t get any of the dreaded bubblegum lotus note, which is good, just an ethereal, innocent floral blend. It’s pretty, but not my thing. Wet on skin: Rose really jumps out on my skin. It’s not a powdery, fake rose scent (I always associate powdery rose with artificial), more like the smell of the petals right off the flower. That’s practically all I smell in Ophelia on me, which isn’t terribly surprising given my skin’s love for rose notes. Dry down: Now comes the dreaded rose/sour milk combo I get from a lot of rose blends. It’s not as pungent as the amber/sour milk note I get, but it’s not pleasant, either. Unfortunately, my skin loves to latch onto rose, which is bad enough to begin with, and then to turn it into the scent of spoiled dairy products. The bottom line: Ophelia and I don’t get along, but I didn’t expect any different.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I don’t see Desdemona working for me. Pure floral blends are generally bad on me because I just don’t do florals. They seem to clash with my personality, plus I just don’t like them. The carnation’s especially worrying since it has a tendency to make me a bit nauseous. First sniff: Hmm, interesting. Floral, a little spicy (the carnation, no doubt) and vaguely headshoppy for some inexplicable reason. This makes my nose itch smelling it, so chances are it’s going to make me sneeze once I put it on. Wet on skin: I’m smelling what I’m guessing is sweet pea and I don’t really care for it, even as far as florals go (I don’t like very many florals to begin with, but this is one I like less than most). As predicted, this is making me sneeze like crazy. I’m not sure what I’m allergic to in here. Carnation often makes me nauseous, but it doesn’t make me sneeze, so it’s either the sweet pea or the water lily. Dry down: Powdery, matronly florals. I don’t know why this suddenly went from young to mature smell-wise, but I like it even less now. This is a pretty intense failure for me, even as far as floral blends go. It’s just not for me. Period. The bottom line: Desdemona just plain doesn’t work for me. I’m not sure what it is in here that’s clashing so badly with me, but whatever it is, I’d rather avoid it in the future.

First sniff: None of the notes immediately stand out in The Black Tower, for me. I get a general impression rather than a mental list of notes: dark, masculine, intense, heavy…like a stone-walled room with heavy black velvet curtains that block the moonlight. So far I really like this. Wet on skin: Once I put this on, my skin amps up several of the notes and I can suddenly identify several portions of this scent. On my skin, The Black Tower smells burnt (the burnt grasses) with an electric tang (the ozone) and a background of leather, sandalwood and ambergris. This reminds me of Samhain and Hexennacht for some reason. This is complex and dark and brooding and utterly gorgeous. I’m sure this would smell amazing on a guy. If I weren’t selfishly hoarding this, I’d try it on my husband next. Dry down: This is intense. I can see this being too much for someone with more subdued tastes, but for me this is perfect. The Black Tower, on me, is dark and brooding and, for lack of a better word, destroyed smelling. I get the mental image of a pillaged castle…burnt wood and grass, the metallic bite of the armor of the slaughtered defenders, the leather of the ransacked furniture and the muskiness of hot skin. I love dark, dangerous smelling scents, so this is perfect for me. Masculine without a doubt, but I’m not a girly girl by nature. The bottom line: I was hoping to love this because it combines several notes I like or love (sandalwood, ambergris, ozone, wood notes and grass) in an unusual way, but I was worried about the wine, so I’m thrilled to find that I love this.

Preconceived notions: This could go either way. I love clove, patchouli and incense and I generally like peach and cinnamon, but the orange has me a bit worried. First sniff: Very spicy with a background of incense. I smell a bit of peach, but the orange seems to be reduced to a general sweetness. God help me, but Al-Shairan smells like crumb cakes. Evil, satanic crumb cakes, but crumb cakes nonetheless. Wet on skin: Now the fruit is coming out more, with the orange (predictably and regrettably) leading. “Evil, satanic crumb cakes with a hint of the orange marmalade of eternal damnation,” my brain is saying, but I still can’t quite square this with the name/inspiration for some reason. Dry down: Al-Shairan on the dry down becomes a mix of evil, demonic crumb cake, orange marmalade of eternal damnation and Lucifer’s Arts & Crafts Store on me. I’m learning that orange almost never likes my skin and that cinnamon can turn ugly for reasons unknown, so Al-Shairan’s response to me isn’t terribly unexpected, but it does make me sad since I wanted to love it. The bottom line: Alas, I do believe Al-Shairan and I weren’t meant for each other. Too foody/potpourri-like on my skin for my tastes.

Origin: Imp from Joseybird. Preconceived notions: I passed on a bottle of White Cedarwood and got Redwood instead (which I adore) when the single notes were being discontinued, so I’m hoping I don’t love this more than Redwood or else I’ll be kicking myself. Impressions: Mmm, this smells wonderful! It’s note rotted smelling (sorry, there’s just no better word for it) the way a lot of cedar oils seem to smell. Very dry and simple. Honestly, it smells like hamster bedding (yes, laugh all you want, darklorelei, it’s true), but that’s a good thing in my book. The verdict: I think I made the right decision in getting Redwood because this is a little less wearable as a single note - cedar seems to remind everyone I know of hamster bedding - not because I like it better, necessarily, but because I rarely wear scents that really don’t go over well with the people I care about.

Preconceived notions: Thanatos immediately appealed to me, both for the name (psychology geek that I am and because of my obsession with death) and because of the notes. I love sandalwood, myrrh, moss and incense and I’m fairly fond of mastic, but the rose worries me a bit since I normally avoid rose if possible. I’ve never smelled benzoin aside from in Snake Charmer (which I adore), so I’m not sure how I feel about it just yet. I’m really hoping to love this. First sniff: Mmm, incense! I seem to smell all the incense and resin notes in here when I open the bottle. I don’t get any rose (thank God), but I smell what might be the slightest hint of moss in here. Right now, this seems to fall into the same category as Penitence and Cathedral, a sort of cathedral after mass kind of scent, but with a touch of graveyard thrown in. Beautiful! Wet on skin: I love this! Dry, incensy with just the right amount of earthiness. The moss gives this some depth and keeps it from being too much like Penitence and Cathedral (not that that would be a bad thing). The mastic is making a strong appearance, too, giving this a sort of spicy green wood kind of scent that I really like in this. Dry down: Dry incense and the barest touch of dried moss. This is beautiful in a dark, almost forlorn smelling way. I had a hard time seeing the inspiration for this in the scent at first, but now it’s obvious. This isn’t dangerously dark smelling, more mournful smelling somehow. I really like this. The bottom line: Thanatos definitely lived up to my expectations. It won’t push Cathedral and Penitence out of the places of honor in my perfume collection, but I love it!

Preconceived notions: I was excited when this came out - envisioning something akin to Villianess' Novocaine smooch - but then the reviews came out and I'm positive this won't work on me. I hate powdery perfumes almost as much as I hate almond scents and violets aren't my thing either. First sniff: If baby powder were exposed to nuclear radiation and grew to a hundred times its normal size, then went on a rampage through some unexpecting metropolis somewhere, it might smell like Numb. This is powder in the extreme, pure and simple. I don't smell any florals, just pure baby powder, which, sadly, is not my thing. Wet on skin: The powder is a little less intense now and I get something faintly violetty now. While I still don't care for Numb, I like it better than I did in the bottle. Dry down: Soft powder with a faint hint of violets. I can see why someone might like this, but it's just not for me. I really don't like powdery scents. At all. The bottom line: My three bottles of Numb are off to a new home where they'll be appreciated.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: If it weren’t for the almonds of doom, I might very well like Eden, but I just don’t see this working for me because of the presence of my arch-nemesis. My impressions: Warm and almondy with a honey sweetness and a background of coconut and sandalwood. I don’t get any of the fig in here, just a warm cream/beige kind of scent. I can see this being comforting smelling for someone else, but for me it’s, unfortunately, stomach-turning because of the almond. The bottom line: I can see the appeal of Eden, but the almonds kill it for me, just like I’d expected.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: Inferno is the only Dark Elements blend I haven’t tried yet, mainly because of the almonds. I know in advance that I won’t like Inferno because of the dreaded almonds of doom and the neroli, but in the interests of reviewing I’m going to at least sniff it. My impressions: Cinnamony almonds. If I weren’t allergic to almond oil, I could see why someone might like this. It reminds me of those cinnamon frosted almonds and pecans they sell from those little carts on street corners and at Six Flags. Makes me sick, but I can see the appeal to someone else. The bottom line: Attractive in its own gourmand way, but I just can’t wear it and probably wouldn’t anyway even if I could because I’m not a foody scent kind of girl.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I’m not a floral fan, generally speaking, so I highly doubt I’ll like Tiger Lily, but I’ve been proven wrong before. First sniff: Sweet flowers. This reminds me vaguely of La Petit Mort only with another floral substituted for the ylang-ylang. Something about the combination of honey and florals makes me a bit queasy, so this isn’t quite working for me. Wet on skin: Sweet, heady florals. This is almost honeysuckle-like, but not quite. We grew tiger lilies in front of the house I grew up in, but I don’t remember them having a particular scent…if they do, I can easily see this being it. It’s feminine and graceful, even if it’s not me. Dry down: Tiger Lily, on me, dries down into a light, sweet floral. It’s subdued and not too heavy, but it’s just not me. It’s not a bad scent, I just don’t do florals. The bottom line: Tiger Lily’s not for me, but I didn’t expect it to be. Off to a more loving home with it.

Origin: Lagniappe from the Lab. Preconceived notions: I don’t care for florals and roses are one of the biggest offenders, but I found that I really like Rose Red, so I’ve been curious about Two, Five and Seven. I like Rose Red because of the greenness, so I’m hoping the grass note in this gives it a similar feel. First sniff: Whoa, roses! I’m sure that sounds stupid given the inspiration and description for this, but this is rose in the most overwhelming way. I’m normally terrible at identifying most floral notes, but I can actually pick out the different layers of rose in here. Some are heady, some are powdery, some have that green rosebud scent that I like…this is like being buried alive in roses. Wet on skin: Phooey, now Two, Five and Seven is doing the infamous “sour milk maneuver.” Every now and then certain rose notes do the same thing that amber often does to me: make me smell like an unplugged fridge. I don’t see this being “me” anyway, but it’s still frustrating. Dry down: The sour milk is gone and Two, Five and Seven is pure rose…every kind of rose you could possibly think of. But, like I said, I’m not a floral fan and roses are one of the biggest offenders. Two, Five and Seven has some similarities to Rose Red, but not enough for me to really like this. Where Rose Red is almost entirely green instead of being “rosy” (by my definition, anyway), Two, Five and Seven is overwhelmingly rosy with only a hint of green. The bottom line: Not the nightmare scent I had feared (rose hater that I am), but not the Rose Red replacement I’d had minor hopes for, either. I’ll see if my mom wants it (she loves rose).

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Hmm, I can't even begin to identify this. I'm not even really sure how to describe this...sort of...herbal? Minty, maybe? Could be some fennel, maybe? Whatever is in here, it's unusual and not really something I care for. Wet on skin: I'm still not sure what's in here, but it smells better on me than it did in the imp. It's almost floral with an herbal/minty/fennel-like background. I'd love to know what's in here because it's very unusual. Dry down: Almost like wintergreen and some sort of floral (could be pennyroyal since it's simultaneously minty and floral, but I'm not sure). The bottom line: The Fool is definitely unusual but, unfortunately, it's not for me.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Ylang-ylang, maybe? I'm not very good with florals. It's heady and slighty sweet and (unfortunately) headache inducing. Wet on skin: This is definitely not for me. For a floral hater, this is all wrong. I know other people love florals and that's wonderful, but I'm not a floral girl. The Lovers is all heady, sweet florals and it is strong. Dry down: No real change from when it was wet. I think this is ylang-ylang, but I could definitely be wrong. Whatever it is, I really don't like it. Period. Something in here is just grating on me in the worst possible way. The bottom line: Far too floral for my tastes. The Tarot Oils just seem not to like me for some reason.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Soapy, somewhat astringent florals. I'm terrible at identifying the majority of floral notes, so that's really all I can say about what I'm smelling in here right now. Wet on skin: Definitely a floral. I keep thinking I recognize this, but I can't place it. It's heady and intense and it's turning a bit...off with my skin chemistry. Could be rose of some sort since it does that sometimes. Dry down: I don't know what kind of floral this is (I'm leaning toward rose at the moment), but whatever it is, it doesn't agree with my skin chemistry. It's not a huge loss since I don't particularly care for floral notes to begin with, but I wish I knew what was in here so I could be sure of what's fighting my skin chemistry. The bottom line: Another Tarot failure for me. Alas, florals do not like me.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: To me, The Moon smells like a spicy, somewhat soapy floral. Carnation, maybe? I'm not terribly good at identifying florals, unfortunately. Wet on skin: Very floral. Somewhat heady, with a spicy, almost almondy background. I'm not very fond of florals and I don't really want to wear anything that reminds me of almonds. Dry down: Pure almondy evil for some reason. I'm not sure it is almond, but it smells like almond to me and I don't like wearing anything that reminds me even vaguely of almonds. The bottom line: I'm not having very good luck with the Tarot Oils and The Moon is another failure for me.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Wow, that's...different. The Devil smells (to me) like a combination of some sort of florals and civet or a heavy musk of some sort. I'm not sure if I like this or not, but it's definitely...interesting. Wet on skin: Musky, but not so civety (is that even a word?) as before. It's almost herbal now, but with a moderately strong background of animalistic musk. Dry down: I smell like cat pee now. That would be the civet/musk reacting to my skin chemistry. Unfortunately, I can't wear civet or strong musks without smelling like I've been sprayed by an over-amorous tomcat, so this isn't working for me. The bottom line: The Devil is too musky for me, but I'm not particularly surprised by that.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. Impressions: Uh-oh, I smell almonds. That effectively ends this experiment since I can't wear anything with almond in it. I'll give it a quick sniff, though, since a requirement of the Circle is reviewing the oils. All I really smell here is almonds, but there may be something else I'm not picking up on. If there's almond in a blend, it generally overwhelms everything else to the point where it's all I can smell. The bottom line: Definitely not for me. Almonds are my worst enemy, unfortunately.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: I like this! Judgement (why is it spelled wrong, anyway?) smells like musk of some sort (red, I think) and a background of what smells like patchouli. It reminds me of Malediction, somewhat. This could be too musky for me, but right now I really like this. It’s dark and intense, both of which appeal to me. Wet on skin: Musky (I’m almost positive it’s red musk) with a background of patchouli (it’s hard to tell with the musk being so prominent). This is muskier than what I’d normally wear, but I like it. This would probably smell great on a guy. Dry down: Mmm, is that incense I smell? I do believe it is! Dry, Judgement smells like red musk, patchouli and some sort of incense. I really like this, although I’m not sure I’d ever use a whole 10mL (I don’t normally wear strong musky scents). The bottom line: A rare winner in the Tarot collection. I may very well get a bottle of this.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Something about The Star really doesn’t appeal to my nose, which surprises me. I smell something citrusy, but almost like a citrus that’s gone...off and, in the background, mint and maybe vanilla and coconut. If it weren’t for the citrus, I’d most likely like this, but I just can’t get past the citrus. Wet on skin: The citrus is a little less intense now, so I like it better than in the imp, but it’s still not quite working for me. I like the minty vanilla/coconut part (it reminds me of Spooky), but the citrus is turning my stomach a little. Dry down: The citrus has really receded, but there’s still enough present to ruin The Star for me, unfortunately. I can see why someone else might like this but for me it’s just not working. The bottom line: I wanted to like The Star, but the citrus just isn’t working for me.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Floral and somewhat herbal. I’m terrible at identifying floral notes, so I can’t pin down what’s in here more definitely than that. It’s very slightly sharp and a tiny bit bitter, not heady or sweet at all. Wet on skin: No real change from in the imp: a slightly sharp, slightly bitter floral with a tiny bit of something herbal. I’m really not a floral fan, unfortunately, so Justice isn’t quite something I’d wear. Dry down: The sharpness has really increased as Justice dried. I’m not sure what kind of flowers are in here, but I really don’t care for them. The bottom line: Definitely not for me. Too sharp and floral for my tastes.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: The Hanged Man is yet another Tarot scent that I can’t quite pin down. It’s slightly sweet and maybe a little green. It reminds me vaguely of Demeter’s Sugar Cane, but only in passing. I’m not sure what’s in here, honestly. Wet on skin: Whatever’s in here, it’s pretty. On me, it takes on a scent somewhat similar to a sweeter version of Scarecrow. For the record, though, Pumpkin King turned into Scarecrow’s doppelganger, so my skin chemistry could be the reason for what I’m smelling here. Dry down: Still Scarecrow’s sweeter cousin. I’m fairly sure it’s probably a skin chemistry thing, but since I haven’t read the other reviews, I can’t say for sure. The bottom line: Too similar to Scarecrow on me. I’m curious about whether it’s my skin chemistry latching onto something or if that’s par for the course.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Wow, flowers in a big way. I’m terrible at identifying floral notes, so all I can say is that smelling Temperance is literally like walking into a florist’s shop and taking a deep breath. It’s bright, sunny and beautiful, even to a non-floral lover like me. If I had to wear a floral scent, it would be something like Temperance. Wet on skin: I know I recognize the flower I’m smelling here, but I can’t place it. It’s slightly sweet, a tiny bit heady, but not headache-inducing like a lot of florals. On me, it’s a bit too sweet and heady, unfortunately, but it’s nice enough. Dry down: Subdued, sweet florals, almost honeysuckle-like but not quite. Temperance is feminine and soft and not me at all, but quite pretty in its own way. The bottom line: Temperance isn’t me (I don’t really do florals or girly scents in general), but it’s still a scent I can see the appeal of.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: The Chariot smells like butterscotch to me for some reason. I’m thinking there’s something wrong with my nose today since I wasn’t expecting that. I haven’t read the other reviews for this, so I’m not sure if it’s just me. Wet on skin: There’s still slight butterscotch-type scent to The Chariot, but it’s not quite so bright as in the imp. Now it smells almost like vanilla and maybe some sort of floral on top of the butterscotch. Dry down: No more butterscotch now. At this stage, The Chariot smells almost like an herbal vanilla. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m getting a weird impression of this, although I could be wrong. The bottom line: Unusual and not in a bad way. I’m not sure I’d wear this, but it’s nice.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Ace of Swords falls into the same category as The Magician and The Wheel of Fortune for me: a sort of herbal/licorice/fennel-like scent that I can’t quite pin down. This is almost medicinal smelling, but with a licorice tinge. I keep thinking there’s a common note that I’m confusing with licorice or fennel, but I’m not sure. Wet on skin: I still smell fennel, although it could be something else, but now there’s a strong lavender note backing it up. At this stage, this reminds me strongly of Baku. Dry down: Lavender is almost all I smell now, although I can tell there’s something else in here, too. It’s a sort of calm herbal scent with a slight sweetness to it. The bottom line: This reminds me of the Dream Blends. I’m not too big on lavender, though, so it’s really not quite me.

Origin: The Tarot Series Circle. First sniff: Cherry is the first thing I smell. At first, it’s vaguely almond-like, but then it resolves itself into something akin to The Queen of Hearts, a sort of Luden’s wild cherry coughdrop scent. It’s not bad at all, I just don’t generally care for cherry as a scent. Wet on skin: It’s gone almondy again, which is definitely a bad thing. I doubt there really is almond in here (I don’t feel nauseous yet), but anything that reminds me of almonds is an immediate scent killer for me. Dry down: The almond note is gone again and I’m left with a sort of cherry floral that’s semi-reminiscent of The Queen of Hearts only more subdued. The bottom line: Not my kind of scent, but pretty enough in its own way.