Penance

Ahh a fellow rambler, welcome to the club! You know, on the thing about Nine Mysteries...I don't know what's in it, but it reminds me a lot of Ultraviolet. There's that same sort of mint/floral thing going on, but there's some citrus, too. It's really confusing to my nose and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

I actually have noticed the almond/cherry thing when it comes to amaretto. It smells fruity to me, although it still makes me sick. I never really gave it much thought, though, so that's pretty interesting to be reminded of it like that. Maybe that's why I can't stand the smell of maraschino cherries. Now if we could just figure out why my brother is so averse to the smell of lettuce, we'd be all set. And, on a side note, it appears my almond aversion must be genetic because my mom is apparently the same way, only she gets a splitting headache on top of the nausea. Odd how these things happen sometimes. ~ Penance

Wouldn't that be great? I'd love to be unique like that. I wonder how one goes about figuring out if they're capable of that sort of thing... ~ Penance

Okay, Kabuki's already on my list because I don't care for the smell of anise, either. ~ Penance

Well, that's one way of doing it! It's actually fairly odd that I like March Hare, really, since I can't stand foody scents or fruit as perfume. I guess it's just one of those flukes. ~ Penance

Heh, it's weird you should mention March Hare, diabolique. I love March Hare for some inexplicable reason. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'm making a list as we speak of ones not to even think about sniffing. ~ Penance

Thank you! I'll mark it down on my don't sniff list. ~ Penance

Okay, I've given up trying to wear anything with almonds in it. It makes me nauseous. I tried Baron Samedi this morning and I still feel sick (not a good thing as I have a midterm to study for). So...I know the following have almond in them because the Lab says so: Voodoo Old Port-Au-Prince Hecate Seraglio Salome Queen of Sheba Hellcat Inferno Eclipse Calliope And I can smell almonds in #20 Love Oil and Baron Samedi, but are there any other scents I should be avoiding? I'd really rather not have to go through this again if at all possible. If anything smells even remotely like almonds, there's a pretty good chance it'll make me sick, so any suggestions would be very helpful. ~ Penance

Voodoo is another example of an oil I wanted to love but which ended up having its very existence cursed. Almonds are not my friend. They make me nauseous and give me a horrible headache. Voodoo has almond in it. Voodoo is not my friend. First sniff: Oh, geez...I can smell the almond. It's not all I can smell, in fact there are some other lovely, dark woodsy sort of scents in here that I really like, but the almond is there, lurking like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. I wanted to try this, though, so try it I will. Wet on skin: The almond isn't too strong, which is good. I'm getting a very distinct picture of a midnight ceremony here and it's lovely, but I'm being distracted by the almond and the faint queasiness it's causing. I can't quite ignore it, no matter how much I may want to. Dry down: It's settled into something fairly nice, kind of woodsy and incensey at the same time, but the almonds are still there, exerting their evil influence on my stomach. As much as I hate to do it, I'm going to have to wash this off. Curse you, almonds! Curse you! The bottom line: Once again, almond has ruined a perfectly lovely scent for me. Off to the swap pile it goes.

Got this in a swap from NorthernMinx . I've been wanting to try this for a long, long time and I wanted to love it, but it was pure almonds on me. Almonds make me physically ill, sad to say. I love the smell of rum and spices and that's what I was hoping for, but somehow I got screaming, in your face almonds. First Sniff: Almonds...dear God, no. Why did it have to be almonds? I wanted to try this, though, so I'm going to give it a shot and hope that they die down like they do in Snake Oil. Please, please, let them go away.... Wet on skin: Holding my breath, I don't want to smell it for fear of the almondy evil lurking on my wrist. Here goes...ack, almonds! Okay, I can wait this out, it's got to go away sometime. Everyone else is getting lovely rum and spices. I love the smell of Captain Morgan's...just have to be patient. Dry down: Maybe there's a hint of rum and spice hiding behind the almonds, but I'm getting nauseous and I can't wait to find out if it'll amplify later. I'm going to have to wash this off, or I'll be cleaning the carpet here in a minute. The bottom line: I wanted to love this. It sounds fantastic and everyone else seems to be getting what I'd hoped for, but on me it's almonds. Cloying, nauseating almonds. I know there are people out there who love that sort of smell, but I am not one of them. Sadly, this is going to have to be swapped because I'm going to feel queasy every time I even look at it.

Nothing new to add, but Old Sybaris is a great choice if that's what you want. ~ Penance

This is my first experience with truly bad body chemistry, sad to say, because I loved the way it smelled in the vial. First Sniff: Beautiful. I can really smell the Dragon's Blood in it, it's sweet and spicy and sensual smelling. Hopefully it won't change once it's on because I really like it. Wet on the skin: Same as in the vial at first, but it's quickly becoming sour. Sadly, it doesn't look like this particular scent works well with my body chemistry, which is a major letdown because it's beautiful...as long as it's not on me, that is. Dry down: Sour, sour, sour...this is not good. I wanted to like this, I really did, and I did like it until it started reacting with my body chemistry and turned into something downright unpleasant. The bottom line: I'm sure on someone else it would be gorgeous, but not on me. Off to the swap pile, I guess. **EDIT** I just realized what it was that it turned into on my skin. Sour milk. I've never had anything react so badly with my chemistry before and I've never had any trouble with either Dragon's Blood or Amber before, either. Stupid wacked out body chemistry.

Okay, I'm in a quandry. I love March Hare. Love. It. But I also don't generally care for fruit as perfume. I'd love to try something similar, but I have no idea what to choose because I don't normally wear this kind of scent. I tend to go for woodsy, incensey and spicy scents, not foody scents. Anyone got any suggestions? I have Tamora coming in a swap already and figured I'd humble myself and ask for advice. ~ Penance Edited to fix a typo...

Mine are Tushnamatay, Old Kathmandu and, strangely enough, March Hare for some inexplicable reason. I find cedar and sandalwood very centering and relaxing...no idea why March Hare is so calming for me. I guess it's just one of those mysteries of life... ~ Penance

I hate florals as a general rule, although there are exceptions, so my favorites are: Cathedral Penitence Anne Bonny Old Kathmandu Tushnamatay March Hare (odd choice, seeing as how I hate the smell of fruit, too, but I love it) Queen of Spades (another odd choice, but it works) That's for right now, I've got a ton more imps coming my way, so I'm sure I'll have more to add later. ~ Penance

Ooh, let's see, for me... Penitence Cathedral (sweeter dry down than Penitence, but very similar to my nose) Anne Bonny (somewhere in between the two, with a hint of salt) Tushnamatay Old Kathmandu (more cedar, but very similar in the beginning stages) Szepasszony (slightly more floral and with more ozone) Bayou (more aquatic and slightly stronger) Ultraviolet (More violetty) Nine Mysteries (More citrusy, but with the same minty top note and vaguely floral undertone) Ulalume (More floral) Tears Burial (More loamy) Loup Garou (More woody) Those are all I've come across so far, but I'm sure there'll be more once I get through all my imps. ~ Penance

First Sniff: This reminds me a lot of Old Kathmandu. It smells like pure cedar to me, although it may be sandalwood. Sometimes my nose confuses the two and I don't know why. My dad said I smelled like "wood" though, once I had it on, so I guess it's not just me. Wet on The Skin: Whee, another linear scent. It smells almost exactly the same as in the bottle, perhaps a little stronger. I'm still smelling cedar although it seems to be turning slowly into a true sandalwood scent. I don't know if it's just a placebo effect or what, but the moment I put this on, I felt so much calmer. I'd been having a bad day and was desperately in need of some inner peace and, lo and behold, this did the trick. Dry Down: Yep, that's sandalwood alright. The cedar smell has gone and has been replaced by a light sandalwood scent that's very calming. It probably helps that I associate sandalwood with meditation, but I feel so much better with this on. My only complaint is that it's fading pretty quickly as opposed to, say, Old Kathmandu which lasted all day and all through the night to the next day on my skin. The Bottom Line: Lovely, just the kind of scent I gravitate towards when I'm feeling overwhelmed and overworked. Very centering, it would make a lovely room scent if I had one of those oil rings, but, alas, I don't. I really love this, I just wish it lasted longer. ~ Penance

You can always tell when I'm sleep deprived because I start saying things that are either incredibly stupid or totally redundant. Speaking of sleep, I should be in bed by now...I need to be up at 6 am tomorrow morning to go to class. There's something wrong with a world where I have to get up that early on a Saturday. ~ Penance

Pretty redundant, but...Lampades is a great choice if you want berry. Unfortunately, berries don't work on me, but it was a lovely berryish scent. I know, I know, it's been said, but I was just concurring...or something...I'm tired. ~ Penance

To me, this is almost indistinguishable from Penitence, the only difference (on me, at any rate) is the dry down, which is much sweeter on Cathedral. First Sniff: This smells exactly like Penitence. Putting them side by side, I couldn't tell the difference between them. They both smell like the inside of a crumbling cathedral, a deep, dry, resiny smell that really appeals to me. Wet on Skin: The same as the bottle, it smells stronger than Penitence now, not by much, but stronger all the same. There's a growing sweetness to it (it must be one of the resins that's not in Penitence that I'm smelling) that's rounding it out and softening the edges. Dry Down: It's still dry and musty but it's become sweeter, reminding me now of Anne Bonny. I really like this, it's softer and sweeter and less harsh. This is what a cathedral should smell like. I feel like I've just been to confession and can still smell the lingering incense smoke on my clothes. I love this! The Bottom Line: Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. It's Penitence with a sweeter dry-down...a sort of feminine version of Penitence. It's a very comforting scent; I feel unburdened wearing it, like I've just been to confession. This is a real feel-good scent for me, and one I'm sure I'll keep returning to time and again. A definite winner!

Always a sensible choice with LE's. I figure they'll be easy enough to sell if they crash and burn, so I ordered some of all of them. ~ Penance

Got a 5mL bottle of this from the lovely cuervosueno and I love it! First Sniff: Very incensey, very dry...it reminds me of the inside of a crumbling cathedral. I've never smelled either frankincense or myrrh on their own, but the combination is beautiful. I love very dry, earthy incense-type scents, this looks very promising! Wet on Skin: The same as in the bottle, but stronger and slightly more earthy. It's an oddly comforting scent for me...maybe it reminds me of absolution, even though I'm not Catholic. There's something very peaceful about it. Dry Down: Nothing's changed, although the myrrh and frankincense seem to be merging together more, rather than standing out on their own. It's not quite as strong as it was before, but that's okay. I think this scent might be a little too overpowering if it was stronger. This would be a great scent for a man or a woman. I love it! The Bottom Line: Beautiful, dry and musty and incensey...like being in a cathedral hours after mass when it's abandoned and empty. It's sad and peaceful and calming all at once. Definitely a keeper.

Got this from the lovely Mandarin...this bottle's really making the rounds, eh? God only knows what convinced me that I had to have this scent. I hate foody scents with the exception of clove, but I did. I had to have it and I don't think I've ever been happier with an impulse buy in my life. First Sniff: A tart...the description is right! I smell apricot a little bit of clove and something that smells like buttery crust. It's not the sort of thing I normally gravitate towards, but this is lovely and very comforting. Wet on Skin: The same as straight out of the bottle, which is good. I'd rather not be surprised by this one because I love the way it smells in the bottle. This is very nice, thick and comforting and somehow both innocent and sophisticated at the same time. I feel like a little girl dressing up in mommy's clothes in this scent and it's not an unwelcome association. Dry Down: Again, the same as in the bottle. It actually reminds me more of the raspberry bars that I love so much that have the raspberry jam filling and the butter streusel crust than it does apricots, now that I think about it, but it's lovely and very comforting to me. Food scents usually have a lot of memories attached to them for me and this is no exception. I love it! The Bottom Line: Beautiful, sweet without being cloying, sophisticated and innocent at the same time. A definite winner. It looks like this bottle's finally found a permanent home. ~ Penance

First Sniff: Mint with a slight hint of violets. It reminds me of something, but I can’t put my finger on it. I can’t smell any eucalyptus which is a shame, because I love the smell of it…and the feel of it (I’m one of those weird people who loves menthol and camphor and eucalyptus in all their tingly goodness ). Wet on Skin: I can feel the eucalyptus, which is lovely, but I still can’t smell it. I still smell mint sweetened by violets...now I know what it was that it reminded me of, the violet breath mints I used to love when I was little; the ones that came in the silver and purple tin and smelled so pretty! It’s bringing back some really great memories. This is like the opposite of the Bon Vivant memory thing; it’s making me very happy. Dry Down: Pretty much the same as it was wet. It’s sweetened a little bit, but it’s stayed pretty true to the smell of it straight out of the bottle. It’s light, but I can still catch a whiff of myself when I walk. The bottom line: Nice, unusual and it feels good, both physically and emotionally. I like it because it’s different and because of the tingly feeling it gives me where I’ve applied it and the happy memories it brings. That being said, I probably won’t be buying a big bottle, but I probably will be getting another imp when this one is empty. My only complaint is that I wish it lasted longer and that I could smell the eucalyptus in it.

First Sniff: The woods…but there’s cinnamon here, too. It’s a confusing sort of combination for my nose, but not an unpleasant one. I love cinnamon and I love woodsy scents, so this is actually very nice. I’m getting a sort of mental picture of Little Red Riding Hood bringing a basket of snickerdoodles to her grandma’s house, which is wholly unlike me, strangely enough. I don’t normally get mental images from scents, unless it’s a memory that’s been dredged up through the association. Wet on Skin: The woodsy scent is getting stronger, overwhelming Little Red Riding Hood and her basket of cookies. It’s almost primal smelling, but oddly comforting at the same time. I love the woodsy scent of this, but I can tell it’s trying to change on me again already. Dry Down: The cinnamon scent has returned, but the woods have stayed strong, too. The result is spicy and earthy and woodsy all in one and I love it! I think maybe it reminds me of something because I keep getting a sense of déjà vu when I catch a whiff of it…I don’t know what, or who, it is that it reminds me of, though. The bottom line: A lovely, unexpected scent. I never would have thought that deep woods and cinnamon would go so beautifully together, but they do. I feel warm and contented wearing this, even though I can’t shake the feeling that I know this scent from somewhere. This is definitely a keeper, might even have to get myself a big bottle.