Wanda

[sedona]

Along with Loviatar, she has become something of a Patron Goddess of all Dominatrixes, Wanda is the breathtakingly beautiful sable-wrapped marble queen of Sacher-Masoch's fantasies. Her scent is a deep red merlot with a faint hint of leather, sexual musk and body heat over crushed roses, violets and myrtle.

This one was a frimpie that I was excited to try as I wanted to test out the lab's leather note.

In the imp - Sweet cherry or plum with an edge of something potent that I can't put a name to.

Wet - There's a woodiness surfacing to drown the fruit and the note I couldn't pin down is battering everything else into submission! Definitely musty, is that the musk or the leather or maybe the grape?

Drydown - The dominant note continues to thrive and top. I'm not sure if it is the leather. I need to try another blend with this in to find out.

It was good to try but Wanda is destined to the swap pile!

Edited to add Lab description. Edited December 18, 2007 by Shollin

[LadyCrow]

Ah, skin chemistry! Thank goodness for imps, because had I bought this as a 5ml, I'd be really annoyed.

 

Wet: Whoa, my God, I'm drunker than Fortunato! I've been to a wine-tasting without eating first. No, maybe it was a wine-eating without tasting first. Whoo boy.

 

It takes ages for the drunk phase to wear off and the leather to emerge. By that time, I had a headache. Wanda did turn into a nice, robust (you have to use the word "robust" when you're talking about wine; it's the law) skin scent with a lot of leather after maybe an hour, with the pleasant scent of myrtle overlaying things (I got only a smidge of violet and essentially no rose), but it wasn't worth the wait. I felt like a drunk sitting around a leather bar waiting for some action, which is really kind of pathetic. This is evidently great on others, though. Sigh -- off to swaps!

[Ghost_Light]

I have to admit, I didn't know the notes when I first tried this one. I put it in my imp box before heading to the theatre and I had it utterly confused with Whip. I was expecting a huge burst of thick black leather and wet red rose when I sniffed the imp. Imagine my surprise when it was light and very slightly floral...

 

Wet I got a bit of rose, but mostly a sexy sweetness.

 

Long-wear it faded down to a warm, spicy, sexy musk. Geolinguist swears I smell a bit like a bayberry candle, but I just swear at him for that. This is one my very favorites!

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Sweet wine & florals, it smells like a blackberry port.

 

First on: Is that chocolate? It smells like a candle. I can easily pick up the violets, other than that I can't tell, but it has a buttery chocolate scent to it.

 

Drydown: Definitely smells like a candle. That buttery scent has only increased, it reminds me of Gluttony.

 

Overall: Not bad, I kind of like it, but not enough to keep.

[theGreatMissJJ]

I never really had any intention of trying Wanda but one never turns down frimps!

 

In the imp: A boozy, lush floral, very reminiscent of Blood Rose. Not a huge fan of the wine note in most scents; it's just not me.

 

Wet: Hmmm, the leather peeks out. Unlike the leather interior note in Calico Jack, this is the same sexy, yummy, buttery rawhide note that's in De Sade. The florals are coming on pretty strongly now. I smell rose and every once in a while a whiff of the sweetly flirtatious violet. Violet can be a little overpowering on me but we shall see how she behaves. The booze has almost completely disappeared.

 

Dry: I like this better than I thought. The florals are quite predominant, which wasn't what I expected, but the sweetness is grounded by the leather and wine. I smell no specific musk, but that could be what's keeping this nicely "warm" and smelling like flushed skin.

 

It has pretty impressive throw. Close on my skin, it smells like a hot woman surrounded by crushed flowers, but further away from my body the alcohol note lingers. It's actually making me feel a little bit drunk.

 

I certainly did not expect to like this! I'm usually a wearer of fruity-floral white or pink (in other words, very little-girly) scents, but this is a great blend to wear on a night out. Definitely keeping the imp and contemplating buying a bottle for the cooler months.

[Styx]

Wanda

light yellow oil

 

Imp: Fruity, Robust, and cloyingly sweet.

 

Skin: The wine and leather are the notes I notice most. At first the scents smell jumbled up, but they meld together very quickly, making a warm, sweet scent.

Its like wine candy sitting on a leather wrapper.

Second stage: The florals come out and mix with the wine, as the merlot goes weaker. The scent gets musky too.

Last stage: The leather fades, but never leaves entirely like the wine, so I'm left with a musky floral scent that has a certain thickness to it.

Wanda stayed sweet and warm throughout, but it is definitely a dominatrix scent, not hard-core but tastefully kinky.

 

I'm not fond of leather, or being musky, so I can't say I want a 5ml.

But overall its an interesting blend, and I'm glad I tried it.

[modillian]

Ugh. This does not work at all on me. There's a nice floral base I can detect, but it's spoiled by what smells like rotten red fruit in the forefront. Ewww. I'll wait to see if it gets better. I had such high hopes for it too, since there's some raves on here. There's some sweetness there I can work with, but there's something else just disgusting in there.

 

Huh, okay, so looking at the scent mix I'm thinking it's the duo of merlot and leather that comes off as disgusting rot on me. I don't think I want to smell like wine in any case. Leather is a workable scent on me (I like De Sade), but difficult to get in the right mix. I don't think I can work with fruit and leather together, pewee. I like the florals, though, so I guess I'm a floral person. I'm going to wash this off now at ten minutes, eww.

[303marlena]

At first, wanda smells sweet and a little boozey, not unlike the way Lady MacBeth or Bordello begins. As it warms up on my skin, I can detect a faint hint of floral, just enough to sweeten the wine note, not enough to overpower. I sniffed before I read, which is good, because I would not have had the courage to try if I had known both violets and roses are present, which can turn wacky on me . Luckily, that never happened, they stay in the background as a light floral backdrop if you will. Like you are sitting and smelling the cork of a lovely red wine with maybe blackberry notes and there is a bouquet of roses and violets in the background. The myrtle note is a little stronger, and blends well with the wine scent. A little later, the leather warms up and adds to the symphony of notes, but again, it is blended well and does not, well, dominate the mix!

 

The sexual skin aspects blends in well and adds a tone of seduction to the whole thing. Individual notes are hard to distinguish, but it blends well into a very seductive, slightly sweet, slightly drunken, a little bit of leather (whip cracking noises in the background) impression. Very sexy, a little naughty, and somewhat tipsy as well. On the drydown, more of the same, minus the drunken sensation.

 

Overall, VERY VERY good. I expect this will be a favorite.

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

Cherry cough syrup. I almost didn't want to try it after I sniffed it.

 

Wet:

Morphed quickly from cherry cough syrup to... cookies? Not quite, but something cookielike, I think. After 5 or 10 minutes, I definitely smell the leather. This is my first time trying anything with a leather note in it, and I think I like it. As it's drying, it seems to be blending really well, fruits and florals with that undertone of leather. I'm actually getting sort of excited sniffing it, it's really sexy.

 

Dry:

Sort of smells like candied plums and leather. Yummy!

[LunaClaire]

Name: Wanda.

 

Bottle: Burning rubber and salt.

 

Wet: Same; the image of laying asphalt comes to mind too.

 

Dry: Same; unfortunately with a pretty good throw...must wash off Now.

 

Furthermore: Wow. The differences people get from scents - chemistry is everything! I get no florals, no wine; only naseous. And I've tried this one a few times with similar results. Disappointed because I really wanted to like this one, & wear it when feeling particularly sadistic - but I don't want to torture myself!!

[modernsaints]

Very little leather - a strong wine note, with a sour rose undertone. The wine goes a bit sour after awhile too. If these are your notes, though, I'd imagine you'd love this as it is really nice in the imp.

[Phantasmagoria]

My favorite so far!

Wanda reminds me of Plum wine (and I LURVE Plum wine!). I do smell the leather, faintly. But I don't pick up anything else.

5ml on the way!

[maribouquet]

Kicked in the face with Merlot!

 

This is super strong & consuming. I am very impressed with Wanda, but she's not for me. (Most wine-heavy scents aren't, sadly.)

[underline2]

In the imp:

Pure red wine, not too dry and very fruity with a hint of leather.

 

Wet:

Same as in the imp. It's sexy and heady and oh-my-goodness boozey. The leather provides a warmth behind the sharpness of the wine that makes it less fruity.

 

Dry:

It immediately softens to the point of being in the past tense. A bit of the leathery warmth is still there, but not much. I can hardly smell the wine anymore.

 

Overall:

Wanda is undeniably sexy, but she's also hard, sweet and fast. I wish she'd hung around longer, but apparently she isn't one for cuddling or pillow talk. Sob.

[waternight]

In the imp: The merlot is the strongest note, but it's not uber-boozy. There's something sweet too.

Wet: This is primarily merlot and leather, with a vaguely herbal-floral undertone. After a bit, the musk comes out. It stays close to the skin and is dead sexy.

Dry: Pretty much the same as the late wet stage - merlot, leather, and musk. Rowr.

[aquazoo]

Yep, wine & leather all right. A little too much with the wine, I fear.

[Fishwomon]

Unfortunately, I get nothing but grapey wine - no leather at all - and then she fades away. Not for me.

[Jocelyn]

I get heavy booze from this one at first, which isn't really a great smell on me. After a while it fades into a nice warm floral, but I don't like the booze.

[SarahScent44]

I got Wanda as a frimp, and I was really excited to try it, since I've heard lots about the Lab's leather note, but hadn't gotten to try it yet.

 

In the imp, Wanda's sharp, not immediately pleasant - the wine very present, along with a dusty scent - is that the leather? the crushed roses? (Curse my newbie nose!)

 

Once I put it on, the wine is right up front, with a leather-y undercurrent - I'm not used to the leather scent, so I'm not sure what I think of it.

 

When it dries, it's warm, wine-y leather - definitely sexual. I'm still getting used to the leather note - I'm hanging on to this to try again once my nose is a little more experienced, because I can tell why peopple would like it!

[Sycorax]

The leather is certainly prominent! I'm not sure how I feel about this oil. I could see wearing this to psyche myself up for a night at the pubs, but I'm not sure anyone else would want to smell it on me. The strong, dusty smell of florals and leather is more empowering than appealing.

 

Okay, but not a keeper.

[Apple]

I really wanted to like this, because the description makes it sound divine. I was a little nervous due to the floral components (I don't typically care for florals), but I was completely unprepared for the blast of artificial grape scent that Wanda starts out with! On me, this was grape candy with a hint of perfumey-ness underneath, like a kid who's just eaten a grape popsicle and has it smeared all over her face playing with her mom's perfume. Definitely NOT sexy. So sad.

[hkhm]

imp: boozy violets.

 

wet: sweet wine with violet and some sort of fruit and a very soft leather scent. this sort of reminds me of a less bawdy version of bordello.

 

dry: still like a softer version of bordello, like turning down the volume on bordello and adding a whiff of leather. very, very nice.

[inurbanus]

Wanda smells like grapes layered over "new car smell". It kind of reminds me of a room with a leather sofa that's been doused in air freshener. It could have been a lot worse -- I don't have a good track record with leather. I bet that this one is fabulous on those who do.

 

2/5

[topaz]

Wanda starts out as pure red wine on me. I can't wear this one to work until it fades a bit as I smell like a lush.

 

Dry down: There's the leather. This is the smell that used to have me following my high school crush down the hall in the winter-- a well broken-in leather jacket. I subjected my ex to a sniff test and the huge grin with his "Oh yeah" let me know this one is a winner. I will be ordering a 5 mL of this one (if I don't get it for Christmas).

[vegasblueblood]

I got this as a frimp from the Lab and I'm really glad I did because it's not something I probably would have tried out on my own. I love the Lab's wine and boozy scents and Wanda, in the imp and on initial application, opens up with a thick red wine scent. The wine quickly takes a curtsy and moves into the background allowing the florals and musk to come through, leaving a feminine, deep yet strong boozy floral. It's really beautifully blended so no one floral really sticks out, they just come together in a slightly greenish bouquet that is warmed by the wine and the musk. This is very sensual and very womanly and feminine but in a way that befits a strong woman, it's not girly at all. Very nice.