JenM

Not one on my wiosh list, but I was frimped it and was initially very excited! A soapy smell faded almost immediately to a beautiful, delicate aquatic with a light floral effect. NO metallic, therefore completely different from Festival of Anuket. And then, horror of horrors, the itching started, and I was forced to wash it off. I'm not allergic to any resins, so there must be a hint of patchouli or nicotiana in there somewhere.

10/10!! Three Witches is sweet cinnamon and fiery clove on me. I was worried about the pepper, but there's no smell of hint--just a warmth, like a sirocco. I am so glad to have got some of this at last!

This was a freebie from the lab. In the imp: a lovely citrus-y berry, with a hint of the slightly cloying scent that neroli strikes me as. On the wrist: I've only done one wrist; this might prove the scent's downfall. THe initial throw is grand, and although I know neroli is neither sandalwood nor myrrh, but it's got elements of both in this scent. It dries down quickly, and the neroli mixes with the citrus to form an unfortunate air freshener-type smell. Plus, the throw is negligible within minutes. Swaps, then. 4/10

In the imp: smells darker than milk chocolate, but without the partially burnt kind of overtone that things like Gluttony have. On the wrist: Oh. Oh my. This is decadence and a foody's delight. It smells, on drydown almost exactly like your favourite brownie mix. Slightly chirpier and lighter than Candy Butcher. The throw is fading quickly, but I think this is a keeper. If I can keep from eating my wrist whilst it lasts, I shall consider myself to have willpower indeed. 8/10, marked down only for weak throw.

The first note is, of course, aquatic. But it's a warm aquatic, with a touch of exoticism to it. on the wrist: I can smell what must the the gold note, though as I'm not in the habit of sniffing my jewellery, I'll have to take it as granted. There's a spicy herb (not green) scent as well. I can see why other reviewrs complained about a "cologne-y" smell--it could go that way. But it's not on me, at least not yet. a few minutes: Why? Why is everything turning to grass on me these days? I have to put something that has nothing plant-oriented to avoid a grass phase in almost anything! 45 minutes: morphtastic. Now it's a warm, warm floral, with a river running through it. Not in the same way as Pool of Tears--that's a hint of floral with, as it says, tears--a cool scent, rather than warm. This is like an embrace. 90 minutes: It went through a metallic phase and then faded. ONe to try again, I think, and see if it lasts better with slathering, or morphs less.

in the bottle: perfume. As in department store perfume. There are a bunch of flowers in there, but I can't differentiate any of them. on the wrist: oh, that's better. I get the herbs and a little bit of zest, though it smells to me more like lime than orange or lemon. Also just the slightest aquatic touch, mingled with a green that isn't *quite* grass. Thr throw is completely floral, though I don't get *any* flowers close up. half an hour: this has gone metallic, with floral. The citrus and to a lesser extent the aquatic have bvanished. IT now smells a bit like the poor cousin of a cross between Pool of Tears and Kataniya. Nope. It doesn't get rid of the metallic overkill. How disappointing. Into the swaps.

in the imp: sweet, sweet, sweet. I get green floral with a very slight hint of tang of honey aftershock. on the wrist: much darker. I'm getting dark nights, possibly storms, though no ozone. On the right wrist, mint and possibly a hint of sage. On the left, I think clary sage more than actual sage. On drydown the mint is a cross between a really sharp mint and a sweet eucalyptus. I can't think of any other way to describe the cross between tang and eat-your-sinuses. After a few minutes, that vanishes utterly, to a soft, pliant sort of smell. On the right this has gone completely non-decsript. On the left, the smoothness of honey. It's hard to describe, but it smells like the texture of warm honey. I don't think my skin can pull this off. It's morphed dark again, and I don't think it's s'posed to be so inconsistent. After 1 1/4 hours: Yes. My skin can't make this work. See-sawing scents; morphtastic.

in the imp: delightfully foody. Sweet, sweet, with a touch of buttery pastry. Warm buttery pastry. on the wrist: smells like candied hearts to start with, though the throw is more that of the imps. It's a very vague scent, though--don't know if this will last at all. on drydown, the roses come through. They're old, overblown roses. A slight tang to them which I hope in time will gel with the slight tartness of blackcurrant. Not sure idf that will differentiate, either. After 45 minutes: This is lovely, and not at all soapy like most roses go on my skin, but it's so very subtle I have to inhale my wrist to get a whiff. Alas. I shall keep it on and see about last, but I'm thinking really this is a scent for intimacy rather than general use. Nope. That's my final verdict.

in the imp: fig and peach, and touch of flowers. on the wrist: Wow. Throw. the sandalwood, of course, comes through, and the honey, which is turning a bit to beeswax candles, as Tiger Lily did. The flowers ghost through like a memory. The thyme is elusive, although there's just a hint of tang that is, I think, it. On drydown, the left wrust becomes sandalwood and green, with little distinction. The right wrist remains a melange of various notes. after a few minutes: suddenly, apple blossoms! With, alas, the honey turning to wax. The sandalwood has anti-amped. (What is the right term for that? Just plain old vanished?) That a couple of sandalwood sthat haev done that, when they used to amp like nobody's business. Strange. Throw is still lovely. This would all be very lovely, if it weren't for the honey-wax. There's even some swet fig and peach starting to come through after 45 minutes.

In the imp: quite heady--the swet pea and carnation mix smell to me like a rose garden (not a specific rose--a melange). Hence, very nostalgic.There's also something quite sharp which I think is the carnation, which often smell quite like green wood to me. On the wrist: something entirely different up close. Not sure what. THe throw is completely different, and more like the imp-smell. It's much more piquant up close, which, again, I think is the carnation. Argh. No. This is straying somewhere between "stale smell in shop that sells Penhaligon's et al" to "B&B soap." Too sharp, not floral enough. And it's giving me a headache. Time to wash.

In the imp: smells like cinnamon red-hots with an after-effect of myrrh. on the wrist: exactly the same. Something the same on the wrist as it is in the imp? Can this be? I have found a replacement for Hierophant when my supply runs out. Marked down just because is doesn't last as it might. A whopping 9/10

In the imp: vanilla and cocoa. Yes, nothing says cocoa in the ingredients list. But it smells like cocoa. In fact, almost exactly like Boots' vanilla and chocolate body butter On the wrist: vanilla, hazelnut (which may be the hazelwood) and sandalwood. And, of course, cocoa. I get the vaguest hint of orchid on my right wrist. THe left is much foodier. I like this scent (much time has elapsed--I am at work). It goes from foody to spicy and rather reminiscent of Sacred Whore of Babylon. It's a very nice morph. High marks!

in the imp: the sweet tang of the resin and lilac, one of my favourite flowers. In fact, both flowers are two of my favourite scents--I'm almost afraid to try this. On the wrist: the lily of the valley comes through, made almost sour by the galbanum. (At least, I assume it'sthe galbanum--it's the only note I don't recognise.) Oh, the throw on this is lovely--both flowers and the sweetness of the resin not being damped by the galbanum, which had worried me. Can it last? 50 minutes in and the galbanum muscles in, souring the beauty. I shall keep it on to see if it morphs again--the throw is still nice, but close to the wrist it's gone a bit sour. AFter a little over an hour, there is just a hint of lily and lilac, but the galbanum had conwuered. It's not unpleasant, but it's not the heady joy of the early scent. If it had stayed as beautiful as the first 45 minutes this would hve been a 9, as it is, I'm putting it at 8.

in the imp: sweetness, almost unbearable sweetness, and musk. Possibly myrrh. Then afterwards an olfactory that makes my nostrils sting. on the wrist: woody and musky, and a hint of something that is definitely not aniseed but reminds my nose of it. Also--that sharpness? is it mint? It's something olfactorily similar. After an hour, the strength of those notes is even stronger, but at nearly two hours it's mostly gone. I don't think this is my scent, even though it's got plenty of personality. a 6.

in the imp: oh, so very musky. Not unplesasantly so, but I'm not used to musky scents, so it's hard to get past that. I can just get a hint of the citrus and neroli notes, and maybe the vaguest suggestion of green. on the wrist: very green. And yet exotiox at the same time. Odd. I don't usually think of the two adjectives in the same context. This morphs into a surprisingly delicate scent. A green floral. It has little to no throw, and the musk has faded almost completely. An hour and a half later, this subtle scent has quite the staying power (on the left wrist, anyway). I've put it as low as 6/10 just because there isn't anything to make it stand out from the dozens of other delicate florals I've got--not the water of Pool of Tears, nor the sizzling metal of Kataniya.

In the imp: sweet lily, as opposde to the sharp lily of Melancholia. On the wrist: again, it comes across as a green smell. With drydown I get a hint of honey, but it's a solid rather than a runny honey. Half an hour: Lilies in a room where beeswax candles are burning. The hint of smoky golden light through a castle chamber. This continues up to an hour an a half later. A scent which is sure of itself--however, I'm not sure I want to smell like candles

in the imp: a sharp lily, with a soft, nostalgic after-whiff. on the wrist: Much greener, with an instant hit of sandalwood. I suspect this is going to amp, as sandalwood usually does. But at the moment it's tempered by green, and the hint of ylang ylang, lilac and lily. After an hour, it's faded to a sharp floral, very much like the smell in the imp, but without the echo. The right wrist has faded completely. There's also a tang of something undefinable that I am going simply to describe as "skin chemistry." Overall, a lovely scent that just isn't quite right for my skin, alas.

in the imp: this is all about the ylang and the geranium, with a slight fuzziness beyond the geranium which is, I think, the frankincense. on the wrist: the frankincense quickly comes through to dominate, which is a bit of a pity, and I rather liked the promise of the imp. My wrists quickly diverge, and the right is more floral than the left. A half-hour on, and it's all about the frankincense and copal, with just a hint of the ylang ylang haunting the major notes on the right wrist. An hour on, and it's morphed into an entire smell, without indistinguishable notes. I get the suggestion of floral, rather than actual flowers (if that makes any sense) and then all the fuzzy warmth in the world. Not unpleasant, but I don't think it's very me.

In the imp: a slightly vile yellowy orange. Not promising. Sniffing, I don't get the hit of alcohol, I get something that is sharply sweet. (Yes, that is possible, honest.) It hits my nose with a physical sensation that reminds me of pine. On the wrist: okay, what I think is implied to be the alcohol in the martini is a soured smell. Sort of cleanser gone wrong. I'm still getting that pine-y (or maybe citrus, now?) sensation in my nose, and when my hands are at the keyboard and mouse it much more pleasant than sniffing it directly, trowing of fa crisp, clean scent. After an hour: the scent lasts well. I can identify the pomegranate, and it's quite pleasant, but still, the scent behind it (this is going to sound silly) makes me uneasy. This is why I'm putting it as low as a 6/10. ETA: Can still get whiffs of it 9 hours later!!!!!

In the imp: a deep, dusky, sensual rose. on the wrist: the myrrh comes through quite quickly, making it sticky and citrus. I'm hardly getting any rose. Sob. On drydown, there's the vaguest note of rose wafting in the background, but I really have to partially inhale my wrist to get it. After an hour: the rose comes through, and so does the musk. This is really a scent that morphs around a common theme. Theme & variations, if you will. Unfortunately, I had to wash my hands, so it's faded. I think it's really lovely. I'm not sure it's me, however. And the slight headache I have may be accentuating that.

Anyhow, in the imp it's a bit plasticky, but with a sharp, slightly sweet note over the top. On the wrist, I'm getting citrus and grass. On drydown, it's still pleasant, but my mind is reminded of anti-perspirant scents. Drat. After 40 minutes, it's soap. Pleasant enough for the half-hour, but not worth keeping.

Jack is divine; peach and a bit of pumpkin, but not much, with cloves and nutmeg. Reasonable last, even. It's what Grand Guignol should have been, and it's March Hare's first cousin. 8.5/10

Okay, I don't get any green, or cocoa, or anything like that. I get Hot. As in the temperature. Hot, hot, hot, much more succesfully hot than Ra was. Ra was hot without anything to back it up, but this has depth, and a hint of spice (I suspect it's resins, as I can't disern frankincesnse or myrrh, both of which tend to amp on me), and WARMTH. I love it. And I only have half an imp *cries*

In the imp: an exotic and heady lily that hits my head like a sledgehammer and gives me instant icecream headache. Hmmmm…on sparingly, I think. On the wrist: There’s a spice to this lily, and it is indeed vicious, stabbing me in the sinuses. I shall try to keep it on a bit to see if I get the lovely sweetness other reviews seem to note. Nope, this gives me a headache. Vicious indeed. Lovely, but vicious.

In the imp: I must have Velvet left on my fingers, coz I get a shot of darkness with the sweet apricot of this. Sweet, dusty apricot. On the wrist: apricot with play-doh. Hope that settles out. After 10 minutes, it sours. That may be the brandy bit of the description, but it’s not nice. Sort of sweet-n-sour-n-clinical. Don’t like it. 45 minutes: back to sweet. No throw. Gone from right wrist. An hour: pretty but faint, still with edge of play-doh. Alas, it is not to be.