fairnymph

Extremely pale nearly colourless yellow-gold oil. Strong and sharp - a little solventy (the paint, etc?) but mostly this is GREEN - like lots of crushed green stems, grass, leaves and vines - there's definitely a strong ivy note, a bit of grass, and some lighter/softer more dewy aquatic greenery, some clover and cucumber, maybe? Also something a little spicy (phlox? nasturtium?), and some daisy and maybe some other wildflowers. It's in the same vein of Passionate Shepherd and Garden Path With Chickens, especially. Apparently 'musty and dilapidated' means gorgeous greenery, bc the description/smell mismatch reminds me of my experience with Julia Stone (which I adore).

Softer, gentler, more aquatic (in a dewy, rain-on-leaves, very green way - not soapy, not a classic rain note and definitely not oceanic). I do get a bit of a murkiness that reminds me of Faeu Boulanger - the swamp gas note, presumably - which mars the blend a bit for me, but barely. This is still intensely stemmy, but it's a little sweeter - more cucumber - and while the spicy green-floral note and the wildflowers have held, the ivy which was so strong and bitter and practically leaping down my throat in the imp is much faded here. It's a far more blended scent now, very evocative of damp spring greenery, fresh and outdoorsy. The sweetness and the grass note here remind me of the Nameless City Drive-In Theatre, too. I am absolutely loving this, and it's blossomed on my skin gorgeously.

Now it's turned sharper again - or maybe woody?And it's become a lot more musty, really actually smelling like an old abandoned rotting house - well, not rotting, but close. It's still not an unpleasant scent, but I am not entirely enthused by this change. The ivy is really strong again and I get some soil, and a bit of that mustiness from Erik but much more strongly (and thus possibly unwearably) here. I also feel like I get a lot of the crushed stone note that I get from Sarah and Julia Stone, both of which this scent has a very similar vibe to, though this is more masculine. It has the greenery of Julia Stone and the sharpness of Sarah and the stoniness of both.

Final drydown is a bit softer again - this does faded considerably, but there's still a good bit of throw - it's much more about the stone and a dry, yet rounded sort of worn wood note (oak?) and the velvet curtains - really, it reminds me VERY much of how Erik smells in its earlier stages - with a lot of the crushed stone and muskiness of Sarah's drydown, though this trends towards masculine, it's reasonably unisex. I think some of the powder/dusty velvet could be due to violet, which is a slightly sweet, gentle Victorian note in this blend. A lot of the greenery and especially the fresher notes don't survive long, but ivy, cucumber, grass and what's probably some type of moss do - it's still an outdoorsy sent but more like - dried grass and withered ivy over crumbling, lichen-covered stone. I want a bottle for my future dream man. Great throw that fades to good throw and holds.

A very pleasant surprise though I should have guessed from Erik and Julia Stone not to be so dismissive. A sleeper hit, for sure!

Light amber/deep goldenrod oil. Sweet, light honey with a bit of musky depth below - this is 90% honey and 10% snake oil to my nose, what a wonderful surprise (as I dislike SO)! Sniffing more closely I can pick out the different types of honey - delicate white honey, syrupy-rich SN-style honey, and the boozy, fermented mead-like honey from Mead Moon. I get a bit of musky, spicy, warm vanilla depth - but not SO distinctly.

Much the same, although the Mead Moon-type honey jumps to the fore and is by far the strongest note here - this blend reminds me A LOT of Mead Moon. But now I do get a bit more Snake Oil, and I'm one of those crazy folks who thinks it's nicer (but still not my thing) fresh - it is a little powdery and band-aid-y, but it's more mentholic, almost medicinal. There is an almost herbal edge to this blend, which I think is a big part of why it reminds me of MM so much, and it also makes this feel a bit medicinal - like honey-sweetened herbal cough syrup, but nicer than that. The red musk presence here is extremely faint - I'm not sure I'd pick it out blind.

Here comes the Snake Oil! Quite a change, but one that occurred smoothly despite its speed - SO is definitely a major player now, just 10 minutes or so later - but it's not dominating - the honeys are just as present (with the mead-like note still strongest), and overall this is very well balanced. It's smoother and well-blended, and the sharper medicinal, slightly plastic and powdery aspects have mostly dissipated, though there is still a mentholic,characteristic SO quality. But I like this much more than I like any other blend I've tested with Snake Oil in it - with the possible exception of Boomslang - and I've tested them all.

Gahhh apparently I amp Snake Oil - but also honey, though not as much - in the final drydown the Snake Oil definitely dominates and has become more plastic and mentholic and all the unpleasantness that I generally associate with SO - I take back my earlier comments. I also agree with other reviewers that one of the honey notes here is from O, a blend I REALLY abor - and that honey note seems to have amped the most, so it's sickly sweet and also plastic/fake. So basically this blend is mostly cloyingly sweet plastic honey and medicinal SO - epic fail as I expected. INTENSE throw, too.

This does make me a bit furious...furiously scrubbing to get it off my skin!

Pale gold oil. I get a lot of fresh, invigorating ginger and super creamy yet delicate and not at all buttery cream right off the bat - yay! - with not really any leather, only a bit of orris root (and it's definitely 'rooty'), something sort of citrusy-woody (the asuhi?), and unfortunately I do get the frankincense which muddles and darkens the blend, but it's not THAT strong.

Delicious, glorious ginger cream is still ruling - I love this mix of ginger and cream, it's genius - with the cream even stronger and more creamy on my skin, in fact, I think it's the best cream note I've ever smelled in a BPAL blend. The citrusy wood note is a bit stronger, and it reminds me of oude and bamboo - it's a rather light, refreshing, green sort of wood note but with a drier edge. I get a bit of powder now from the orris and it's still unpleasantly rooty, but that aspect is light enough to be tolerable. I actually like how the powder aspect blends with the cream, though. The frankincense is less distinct with the ginger, cream, wood, and orris amped - no leather at all.

This dries almost instantly on my skin, and I quickly start to get a little leather, but it's not the type I fear and loathe - the De Sade chemical-powder-sharp sort - but a rougher, more textural, suedey, and drier sort - it reminds me of the type in Western Diamondback, Sacrifice, and Ü - this is a leather note that DOES work on me, not as lovely as Dead Man's Hand 'worn' leather note, but still nice. This blend feels a lot more masculine now that the leather's emerged, and the ginger has really amped even further and without any sweetness in this blend, it has a fairly masculine tone to it as well. The wood is also stronger and still bright and fresh - which describes this blend overall - I am pleasantly surprised!

More and more leathery (with a bit of the harsh De Sade style edge), and more and more woody - this just gets all the more masculine. The cream and orris have nearly completely vanished, while the frankincense has amped a bit, though it smells almost more like myrrh here - musty and dusty and dark, but not as smoky, woody, or sweet as I typically find it. Plenty of ginger still, but I find it's turned sort of sharp and harsh. Actually, sniffing closely I can still find the cream clearly, but it's very close to the skin, hiding - the orris I don't feel I can clearly pick out anymore but the blend does have its powdery edge still.

This has faded a lot. It never had strong throw, but it was clear enough when I brought my arm to my face - now I have to almost put my nose to my skin.The final drydown is slightly sharp ginger, slightly dry and citrusy-turned-sour wood with dusty incense and dry, rough, manly leather. The cream is lovely but extremely faint, and the orris completely evaporates. I think this could be lovely on the right skin chemistry, but it doesn't quite work for me; I've yet to find any blend with frankincense that does, alas. Low throw and poor longevity.

Sadness! But I'm not that disappointed because I expected as much, and the leather was in fact NOT bad as I feared. Those who fear cream and leather - don't! They are not overpowering notes here, nor are they the typical BPAL cream and leather notes.

Hmm. This reminds me of cheap teen perfumes, like designer knock-offs you'd buy at Hot Topic or this other store that I used to sometimes go into that sold like $5 trendy skirts made of cheap material.

Same, a little sweeter, a little cleaner (more cologney?) - overall more complex and pleasant, less 'cheap' smelling. Kind of reminds me of CK One, but way more musky. I don't know that I would have pegged this as a SN tesing blind, but this is indeed extremely musky. I get an almost metallic tang too, sort of on the 'finish' as one would say, that reminds me of Torture Queen.

This has amped quite a bit on me. It has strong throw to begin with, but I definitely feel like it has amped even more. It's gone almost a little sickly-sweet, and the cheap feeling has returned in full - it reminds me of Isaac the Living Skeleton, like the female version. It's lost some complexity, or else that cheap sweet musk aspect is just overwhelming the other nuances.

It doesn't morph beyond in the initial wet stage, but as I rather suspected - this is not really a scent for me. I've always been a bit iffy about it as a note in blends, though I can usually tolerate it or even enjoy it if it's not a major player. But as a SN I find it rather fetid, and frankly a little nauseating. I amp musks in general and this one is no exception. Strong throw and insane longevity.

Dark, heady and heavy florals with a incense and spice. Resinous, deep purple-black, a little sweet. A sophisticated and mature womanly scent.

Instantly more spice and resin - much less fruit/sweetness (plum almost gone), and little less floral. Although the florals I get are more powdery now - more lily of the valley and a bit of soapiness from the jasmine and rose. A bit bitter from the myrrh, but the opponox is really ruling this with clove just behind, deep and spicy.

Hella strong throw and amping like crazy on my skin. This is not the cat-pee sort of jasmine - star jasmine tends to be much better on my skin than other BPAL jasmines, and it's behaving okay, though it's still too heady for my personal tastes. The clove is amping as many clove notes do and in that way that usually ends very badly.

This is a real morpher! The throw has faded back down tremendously, and the notes have merged into a now-seamless blend. It's sweeter now and quite musky, in slightly 'traditional' (high class designer perfume) way. Also, a little dusty - I get the image of old velvet drapes. The clove and opponox still dominate, but not too forcefully, and the clove never turned evil.

Meh. Glad I don't like this one!

Pale yellow oil. A light, clean, cologney sort of scent. I definitely get the musks, the slightly soapy grey amber, the lavender (reminds me a lot of the note in Yvaine), and a touch each of spicy carnation and sweet vanilla.

Not much different, but the roses come out a little - they're subtle roses though, not the I AM ROSE AND I TAKE OVER BLENDS sort. More lavender and vanilla, in an almost TKO-like sort of way, and a bit more carnation - this a velvety, very textural carnation note that adds both depth and that edge of spice. Amped musks, already.

This is melding together so beautifully! Usually grey amber goes soapy, but here it's only lightly so - yes, there is a touch of generic dryer sheet, but everything else is so lovely that I don't mind too much. The musks, lavender, soft roses, carnation and rich vanilla (almost too rich, it's a very heavy and intense vanilla) complement each other so well. I find this to be feminine, because of the sweetness of the vanilla, but men who like sweet could wear this.

Doesn't morph. Relaxing and rich and sort of autumnal yet without being dry or spicy - it's so lovely and definitely nocturnal in feel. My one problem with it is the vanilla bean is very strong and amps heavily on me as most vanillas do, and it's *almost* too sweet and rich for me. Strong throw and longevity. I'm glad to have a bottle.

Pale yellow oil. Lavender! Very strong, a bit sharply herbal/medicinal, but also slightly floral.

Same, but somehow a bit sweeter and rounder, less pointedly sharp and medicinal, more floral, and almost...honeyed? It's quite a beautiful lavender note.

Something distinctly citrusy has emerged - I believe it's sweet orange, because it's going to that Pez powdery candy thing that the lab's orange note does. A shame because the lavender and orange are balancing each other perfectly. I'm reminded of Panacea blends.

Lavender fades more and more while sweet orange amps - sadly, it also goes more and more powdery. It's still the strongest orange note (that lasts more than 10 minutes) I've ever smelled in any BPAL blend. The throw is strong in the earlier stages and less so in the later dry ones, but still not too bad for a citrus scent, and longevity after initial lavender fading down is good.

Rich golden oil. Herbs, flowers, a little soapy - definitely reminds me of many of the original Tarot blends. Similar herbal, slightly medicinal feel. Woody too.

Drier, much more woody. Sandalwood and CEDAR. The herbs are a little bitter and also feel dried, not wet and green, but brownish and crumbly. Maybe some yarrow? I don't think this is actually floral, it's more that some herbs are giving a vague soapiness I associate with flowers.

Wow, lots of morphing. The bitter and medicinal herbal aspects have burned off, and the sandalwood (red? I think based on the warmth and it reminds me of the note in Morocco) and cedar have melded into a beautiful sauna-esque woodiness. Something sweet and rich, almost honeyed but not quite, has emerge - I think some benzoin, and there's definitely some musk in here, too. A dramatic morphing.

Final drydown is a musky, golden, woodsy scent and a lovely smoke note has appeared, somewhere between high quality incense and a fireplace, or woodsmoke in the Winter. Possibly some frankincense, and definitely some benzoin and/or tonka to sweeten things up. Something about this blend really reminds me of Pinched With Four Aces - it's that same smoky-woodsy quality. Very complex and seamless, unisex to masculine. Low throw but great longevity.

Fresh, green, rosy floral. It reminds me of expensive perfume, generally.

Less green, sweeter (purple fruit?), rosier. Deep sexy musk and maybe something with warmth, a light amber? There is heady floral, quite possibly a touch of jasmine, maybe gardenia? Something white. Definitely regal and velvety as others have said. I'm getting a hint of spice, which I suspect is carnation.

Powdery drydown, violet perhaps. Still some gardenia and a LOT of musk, and perhaps some amber. The rose goes increasingly to soap, but until then this blend isn't bad for a powdery floral.

Light lemon-yellow oil. Foody, buttery-sweet pumpkin with a strong sensation of warmth (probably red sandalwood) and a hint of something lemony-green, probably the tea rose?

Much rosier - tea rose galore! Lovely fresh, sweet-tart, green rosey note, not unlike my beloved Peacock Queen or more aptly, the GC The Rose. This instantly takes over the buttery pumpkin note, thank god. Still, lots of warmth and a sense of odd richness which clashes with the fresh floral-greenery of the rose.

Not really much morphing other than the rose more firmly taking command- the pumpkin is still staying around in its faded, more tolerable form, and the red sandalwood still provides warmth without making itself distinctly known. I will say that it's starting to meld more - it's less convoluted.

WHY HELLO THERE ROSE. Definitely The Rose's rose note, but it's either stronger here or my chemistry at the moment is amping it unusually. I can detect the red sandalwood more now because it's gone a bit dry and it really reminds me greatly of the RS note in Morocco. Most of the pumpkin is now gone.

It's a nice tea rose blend, but I have many rose blends already that I prefer, and this is just too warm, rich, and slightly foody/pumpkiny for me. Fantastic throw and longevity. Feminine.

2009 version

Pale pink oil! The only other oil I've seen this colour was Egg'd Mailbox. Very complex and indeed autumnal. Crisp-sweet apple and lighter pumpkin hit first, then the spices, then the woods and earthy notes. A lot going on, but in a synergistic way.

Much more woods and patchouli and spice on my skin; the apple is immediately much fainter which reveals more of the pumpkin, that is now a little buttery. Patchouli, very earthy but not quite dirty or rooty, lots and lots of fir and other woods and a walloping dose of dark, smoky vetiver (this also give a touch of soapy cologne, paradoxically). Actually spicy now, real heat, without any one spice dominating.

Not much morping at all! Patchouli and vetiver and woods dominate with the spices just behind, but I do get a little of the mullein now and the pumpkin is holding, adding a rich buttery warmth but not much sweetness - this is only very delicately and softly sweet, and I would definitely consider this a masculine scent. Strong throw & longevity.

Earthier, darker, more masculine than earlier blends I've tried.

2009 version

Colourless oil. Sweet and foody and candy - this is candy corn, but it has more cakey and honeyed overtones - it's a more complex bunch of candies and goodies than the previous version which was straight candy corn.

Honey and butter and cake! It reminds of a very rich decant yellow cake soaked in honey-sugar syrup. But now there's a hint of something else, something darker and a little spicy, either a spice or an incense note or a wood or all of those, off in the distance.

The sweetness is quickly fading down, though this is still definitely candy, it's turning darker, more caramelised - I feel like I get a bit of the brown sugar/molasses note from Sugar Skull. There is a woody sort of clove note that's not too overwhelming - it's there but it's not dominating this blend.

Smoky! It's sort of like...toasted woody clove or like some woodsmoke on top of the bitter clove with the brown sugar note and some honey-buttered corn. Really interesting morphing and substantially different and more complex from the prior version. It's only lightly sweet on later drydown - a man could wear this. Strong throw & longevity.

Light golden oil. Green, herbal, spicy! A little dark and a little grassy, too. Reminds me a bit of Garden Path with Chickens - similar type of nasturtium-spiciness. The anise and sage are faint and the thistle and heather are what stand out to me - I'm not familiar with the other notes.

Spicier, grassier, more vibrant. Very fresh and garden-y and outdoorsy. Still a little herbal/medicinal but less so than it was in the bottle. Maybe a touch of a soapy sort of floral, I'm guessing the snapdragon? The heather note here is really lovely, just like the one in Glasgow. Definitely a unisex blend at this point.

Actually...now this is reminding me sort of the Host of the Air. Still very spicy-green, grassy and fresh with that slightly soapy (but pleasantly) floral note, a little bitter and darker from the ivy that's emerged. Overall faded a bit, alas, but that fading seems to have taken away the slight harshness of the wet stage.

Not a morpher after initial drying, other than going a bit musky and woody - it's a deeper, rounder scent after a couple hours, and more cologney, more masculine. Well balanced fresh, green, grassy scent with those floral and spicy hints holding - clean and classic, if somewhat generic. I like it, but it's a tad too masculine and maybe a wee bit too soapy. Lower throw but great longevity.

Beigey-golden oil. Sweet, rich, a tad floral. Heavy, slightly sharp orange blossom and piney cypress, a bit of creamy sweet coconut and sugar, and some of that myrtle with an incense base below.

Sweet, softer. More coconut and sugar and a little pomegranate peeks out. Much less cypress, and while the orange blossom is still sharp, it's more bearable. The honey myrtle is coming out quite quickly in force - it's lovely and green.

Wow...this has become quite nice! By far the best coconut blend I've tried. It's very light and soft and creamy, not nutty or too richly foody, and the sugar note here is similarly light and realistic without being too sweet or heavy. Muskier now, and faded orange blossom. Also, the cypress and myrtle have completely vanished.

Roommate says it smells like 'surf wax', and it does remind me (in a really nice way) of suntan lotion a bit. The coconut and how creamy it is definitely imparts a beachy feel. Orange blossom completely gone after an hour or so - YAY - and the pomegranate and sugar notes are holding nicely. Only faint cypress and myrtle at this point.

Deep reddish brown, root-beer coloured but with a winier tint. Dark, intense, HEAVY. Lots of incensy/resiny notes and strong woods - not like forest pine, but like evil piney woods. A bit sour/sharp and astringent from the oude and cubeb. Definitely some red musk - not getting any florals.

Sharper, more sour, more piney with a very dirty and rooty sort of patchouli note dominating along with the woods. And then a bit of powder - must be the florals combined with the amber. But really this is almost sort of masculine. Really not that much red musk, or it's just overwhelmed at this stage.

More and more sour/sharp with now an old lady floral soap presenting strongly, and then dirty patchouli and sickly heavy red musk - god, could more things be wrong with this blend? Cubeb and yew are so, so strong here. More red musk now than wet, not surprisingly given my tendency to amp musks.

Cola-coloured deep brownish oil. Sharp, dark, intense. Slick-plasticky-chemically-harsh leather, piercing chrome (the one note I like here), and bitter, heavy, slightly sour resins. This one smacks you in the face!

Very earthy, there has got to be a rooty sort of pathchouli in here , and the myrrh is SO strong, perhaps the strongest I've ever smelled it in any blend. The leather is a bit more complex now, both plastic-De-Sade like/powdery but there is also a rawer, more 'old' leather, suedey note. Reminds me kind of like the note in Sacrifice, actually - though not exactly.

Dusty, musty, powdery, harsh, evil. The leather note in this has become utterly disgusting. I dislike myrrh when it's light, but here with this bad leather note I'm overwhelmed by nastiness. Definitely an utterly masculine scent.

Golden oil.Very fresh and cologney in an almost sparkling way, with a beautiful astringent-green bay note. Slighty soapy and smoky/incensey - but distantly, faintly.

Same, perhaps a little more bay? There is a really lovely sort of aquatic-green sweetness, maybe cucumber? The bay is almost piney, in a GOOD way, woodsy, like cypress at its best, or maybe spruce. Incense is no stronger, still only on deep sniffing, and I'm not getting anything booklike.

More and more bay and cypress as it dries - my roommate notes that it smells almost citrusy - and I also get a slightly sharp dry note, which I wouldn't peg as books or paper, but is probably representing those. Sadly, a bit more incensey, in a rather generic way. It's definitely turned from unisex to masculine.

Light yellow oil, slightly beigeish or maybe greenish? Very dry and woody. Definitely dry leaves and the harshly dry sort of sandalwood, along with CEDAR. I get the sour rose note that I don't associate with rose, from The Miller's Daughter. Dry and sour, ugh.

Very similar, with perhaps the rose a bit stronger and more floral, less just sour. Definitely some cypress now, clearly, which I realise was melding with the rose before - it's a sour woody/piney note now. A hint of dusty earthineess, I'd guess from the moss which reminds me a little of Spanish moss. Still extremely dry and extremely sour - I don't know who could wear this, but I certainly can't imagine a woman doing so.

Much of the sourness dies, thankfully, and this sweetens a little, becoming almost a tad musky, from the sandalwood. Still, it and the ceadr and leaves are too harshly dry for me. The roses smell more like actual roses, and now more like they are dried, but are still a bit sour and still not the type of rose note I like.

CEDAR, dry woods and musty moss with faint sour rose and cypress. Low throw but good longevity. Not my thing at all.

Brownish-amber coloured oil. Rainy aquatic against a backdrop of faint dry leaves and earthy/woody notes.

Sweeter, earthier, more resinous. I get the patchouli and other resins clearly now and the slightly sharp greenness of the agarwood. The leaves too have a slightly sharp quality. Oakmoss is pretty faint.

Sweeter and sweeter! I guess the sweetness if from the resins - I'm not super familiar with the ones here - it's a little heavy and cloying. This is more bitter now, and something is giving this a mentholic quality. Much more woody, with nearly all of the lovely light aquatic-rainy note gone.

Finally the oakmoss comes out, but it's not enough to combat the now sort of dirty patchouli, sharp/sour agarwood and labdanum, and way too sickly sweet resins.

Sweet earthy leaves, with a bit of resin. Well-blended, unisex to feminine. Fortunately not at all my thing though it softens into something tolerable. Moderate throw and longevity.

Light yellow oil. Slightly medicinal, mentholic, artificial red cherry, smoky tobacco, and a nice wallop of fresh and slightly bitter hops. Sweet, but not cloyingly so.

Sweeter and less medicinal on my skin, though still mentholic cherry. More tobacco, almost an earthiness to it as well as the smoky quality.The hops is still going strong and is very fresh, almost grassy, and almost sort of fizzy. Gosh I love hops in perfume! More tonka too, but it's not too much. I'd love this without the cough syrup cherry.

Not much morphing, though it's fading a bit - this is a slatherer -and the cherry is dying down relative to the other notes, so this might be promising. The hops and tobacco are totally delicous and the tonka remains bearable. I wouldn't mind a bit less tonka-sweetness/richness, though.

It's nice, but not quite amazing. The hops eventually fades, leaving mostly tobacco (a little too 'stale cigarette smokey' for my tastes) and tonka with a hint of fake cherry behind. Low throw but poor longevity.

Deep, slightly beigish/tan golden oil. Deep, earthy, spicy and a little bitter. Definitely very dark in feel. Less sweet than I expected - I don't get much of the benzoin or vanilla or musk. Patchouli, spices, and myrrh dominate.

Pathouli even stronger - it's the rooty, soily type - or else there is also a dirt note, but I think it's just the mega patchouli of that type. Myrrh a bit more smoky and less simply bitter, nutmeg more distinct, while the red chili is just heat, not a recognisable chili note. This is very dark indeed and rather masculine.

Sweeter - now I get the vanilla and benzoin. Also smokier, and muskier - it is not a musk note I am familiar with, and I find it rather masculine. The patchouli has faded a bit and gone somewhat dusty. The myrrh is really strong and smoky and bitter. Overall this has a very resinous feel. Spices holding as in wet stage.

Sweet in a sickly sort of way - the vanilla/nutmeg/soil combo is making me feel nauseated. The bitter myrrh and smokiness don't help either, and I'm not liking the musk note at all - it reminds me of wet dog, very dank. This is really not my sort of thing at all, and fortunately it has lower throw - but potent longevity.

Yellow oil. Grass and wildflowers. A bit soapy. I have always disliked 'California wildflowers' as a note in BPAL and I can tell this is going to be the same way.

Same, maybe a bit more - astringent/sappy. I do like the grass note very much. Not getting the puppy fur. Flowers still a tad soapy and just overall generic and boring, and as usual, making my rosacea flare.

Fading a lot and quite quickly. It's a bit sweeter now, almost honeyed - it reminds me a bit of Dog Days of Summer, but a lighter, more floral version. I do believe there is a bit of golden amber in this, not powdery, but lightly warm, and I am getting a bit of musk - maybe vanilla musk? It would explain the sweetness. Not going soapier, either!

Sweeter, warmer, muskier with hints of floral soap and grass. It's definitely vanilla musk and golden amber - this shares similarities with DDoS and also L'Estate. There is a hint of powder, but it's faint. The florals never amped or turned to pure soap as I expected.

After a few hours it has faded to almost nothing - faint vanilla musk, slightly powdery amber and grass are all that remain. Low throw and dismal longevity. It was almost good, but not quite.

Deep slightly greenish-brownish golden oil. Red musk first and foremost, followed by some delicious blood orange, sharp neroli, rose, perfumey amber, and some soft springlike florals...and some spicy poppy, cat pee ish soapy jasmine, other soapy florals - there's a LOT going on, too much.

Better on on my skin - brighter and juicier with much less red musk and a lot of more blood orange, lily and crocus - the violets are very true, and the roses are pink and gentle - the neroli's softened but still too chemically for me, and while lighter, I really can't handle red musk or this jasmine note, or the amber which isn't any softer and is going a bit more powdery - it reminds me of one of the ambers from the dreaded O. The soapiness as least is bearable, so far.

FLORAL FLORAL FLORAL - the flowers have totally exploded on my skin, heady and heavy and bright and sharp and soapy - some are nice, like the crocus, lily and violet and at least one of the roses - others are really not working, like the poppies, angel's trumpet (HELLO SOAP), some of the roses (HELLO POWDER) and the jasmine (HELLO FAIL). Also, the amber has gone to really perfumey powder. I don't know how amber can be floral, but it often is to my nose. And always the BAD kind of floral. The blue musk is kind of dusty, and I get the heavy frankincense, and these two along with the amber and benzoin make for a dark, cloying sweet powder - blech. Blood orange has gone to faint Pez candy.

This fades a lot and the florals, all 30 bajillion of them, do actually coalesce into something that's not too bad. Yes, there's powder and soap but it's not that strong - then again, this scent has faded dramatically overall. I think somehow the good florals have cancelled out the bad florals making this a 'neutral' floral blend for me. The blood orange here holds better than it ever has on my skin before, and has lovely raspberry overtones - alas, it is a bit powdery Pez like. The benzoin has amped into disctinction and adds honeyed depth. Frankincense and amber are light, but there if I seek them out, and the red musk remains constant throughout on my skin as the final dealbreaker.

Interesting and quite a morpher, but not for me at all. Good throw initially but fades rapidly. Meh. Not for me but not dreadful, as I rather expected.

Extremely pale yellow nearly colourless oil. Soft, sweet, creamy and cool. The narcissus is less sharp and obnoxious than usual, the vanilla is delicate but not weak and very creamy, the orris is a lovely softly powdery violety note. And then I get a bunch of lilac, blue lilac, which is giving the cool feel combined with the light herbal edge of violet leaf.

LILAC! Alllll about the lilac. And unfortunately I think lately Beth has been using a lilac note that goes rotten on my skin, because as in Penis Admiration, the lilac here is doing that. The narcissus is sharper and stronger, but the vanilla is too - sweeter, richer, heavier. A tad more violet leaf, which is reminding me a bit of sage - sort of a dry, almost masculine herbal note. The orris remains soft and lovely, no amping but no fading either. I think I would like this quite a bit without the lilac and narcissus...

LILAC LILAC LILAC LILAC . Soapy, heady, slightly rotten, revolting foul. It's so strongly floral it reminds me of an evil gardenia and it amps the same crazy way on my skin - INSANE THROW. The violet leaf is a bit dry and crumbly, not so great but bearable, and the narcissus is a bit sharp and plastic, but beaten into submission a great deal by the lilac of doom. A light and lovely base - what I WISH this scent were - of rich, syrupy vanilla and soft, violety orris that's only faintly powdery and one of the loveliest orris notes I've ever encountered - very similar or identical to the one in Silver Phoenix.

Epic fail.

Also, this oil never dries. Not even after HOURS!

Bright golden oil. Sharp, harsh, biting, did I mention SHARP? Very acerbic. And very spicy. Lots of saffron, some oddly savoury caraway, loads and loads of neroli (which like the saffron has a chemical/plastic tinge)...with nary any amber or bergamot.

Okay, better - it required effort to convince myself to apply this -the bergamot comes out in a major way, unusual for me with the lab's note, and I swear I get another sort of citrus note, mandarin, is that you? The neroli is also softer and more citrusy. The amber is the perfumey type and already has an edge of powder. Saffron still sharp and medicinal and caraway still rye-bread-evocative, but this is less spicy and harsh on my skin, thank god.

It has become super spicy and sharp again and it has VERY STRONG THROW. I can't concentrate on typing...let alone test multiple perfumes with this stuff on. The saffron and caraway have amped like crazy and the saffron has that slightly mentholic-wintegreen aspect that it usually does, while the neroli is a sharp chemical nose-stab. I can still detect the bergamot and mandarin, but they're totally overwhelmed. I am washing this off NOW, ugh. The worst of the Lupers so far.

:ack: