Category: Limited Editions
Sort of funny...I got an imp of this in a swap from one person, and then a bottle in another swap, and for a while I thought I might have been lucky enough to have both versions of Libra, since they smelled so different!
In the bottle, it's a very sweet scent...fruit scents dominate, with florals sitting very humbly in the background. For a while I thought it was very sweet apple I might be smelling, but research revealed that the bottle is the 2007 version. So, I get to smell the sweet cherry and currant and plum, and it's suuuuuper nice there.
On my skin (and in the imp), however, things switch places. The fruit quickly retreats, and rose shoulders its way forward, with carnation acting as its adoring sidekick.
Thankfully, this version of rose isn't the kind that turns into MUA HA HA DIE on me, but it's still Rose Liek Whoa. It comes juuuust short of getting crazy a lot of the time...which, come to think of it, describes me rather well, too.
While not the sweet light fruity blend that I think I would have adored, this is still a pretty scent...not one for every day wear, but definitely one worth hanging onto and breaking out when I feel like basking in the wonderfulness that is Libra. (And we are quite wonderful, yes. *preen*)
Limited Edition -- Anniversary Scents
I actually do get straight up lettuce leaf from this! It's so weird. It does do well in evoking lead, as it has a dull gray, soft, almost smokey sort of aura to it. Unfortunately, like almost all the phoenixes, it quickly turns to generic cologne and then fades away.
Upon first application, it smelled like what I fancy an old-fashioned licorice candy would smell like: vaguely bitter, but with enough sweetness in its scent to lure one in for a tooth-achingly good time. I actually envision a licorice-flavored 'coal' candy with this one.
It is decent staying power and throw, and is pleasantly-sweet throughout; I can definitely pick out the licorice and leather notes. The coal dust makes it just a tad dry or powdery around the edges, without the whole thing crumbling into powderiness. It's very interesting, but an imp is most likely enough for me.
Limited Editions -- Halloween 2009
I can see why this one was so popular! Delicious, warm, spicy apple cider...if I detect the milk note, it's as a creamy/buttery sort of edge to the scent. Super-nice. It's not an overpowering scent, but it will last much of the day on me and give me pleasant little wafts throughout. I think I like this one better than Fearful Pleasure. I of course bought a bottle!
Category -- Bewitching Brews
A sweet, almost cloying mix if rose and other florals. Not really my thing. It has decent longevity and some moderate throw, especially if, like me, you tend to amp this certain kind of rose. (Now if only I knew just what *kind* of rose it is...)
Category -- Excolo
This is a very pretty, and well-balanced, blend of lotus and rose. Neither becomes too overpowering; it just blends to create a nice, sweet, light floral. Not quite to my own personal tastes, but still a very pleasant experience overall. If you don't *quite* like either lotus or rose, you may still want to try this, because they really do balance each other well in this blend.
Category: Ars Amatoria
Initially, I got lots of syrupy cherry with a hint of cinnamon; subsequent uses brought out the licorice. Now, it's blended (in that very mysterious way that a lot of scents seem to have gotten their shit together a month after I originally tested them) into a nice mix of cherry and anise, with the licorice smell diabolically present and tempting. I was on the fence about getting rid of it, but now that I've read the reviews again, I think I'll hang onto it. :love!: It stays and throws decently.
Limited Edition -- Yule 2009
When I first tried this, I got a spiced plum smell mixed with something like oats...like a warm fruit/oat bread. It wasn't bad, but wasn't great, either. And now, I'm getting boozy spiced prune wine. And wish I could drink it.
I don't recall it having much throw or staying power, though, so it's probably for the best that I didn't get more than this decant.
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008
Admittedly, this is less-than-pleasant upon first application; you get all of the beery, boozy qualities of it, that stale, sour leftover-whiskey smell that lingers on your breath the morning after. Not nice.
However! It calms down and behaves itself really quickly. It is like a burly, scruffy man with booze on his breath, who completely surprises you by reciting a lovely poem from memory. The harsh booziness goes away, and you are left with a sweet, malty sort of aroma, like you're leaning over a freshly-drained cask of whiskey and inhaling that slightly-toasted, caramely smell that's still soaked into the wood. Once it's morphed to that stage, it stays there. I really liked this one.
If it weren't for the unpleasantness at the beginning, I would spring for a full-priced bottle. (If I had unlimted funds, I still would.) I managed to wrangle a partial bottle, and I certainly wouldn't mind buying up other people's unloved imps and adding them to it from time to time. It's inspiring borderline hoarding behavior.
Category: Wanderlust -- The Phantom Isles
Hmm, this is interesting. It smells like hot, smooth, black stones, with a hint of smokey charcoal (like that found in Brimstone)...and yet there's also an aquatic side to it as well, as if those stones make up the beach on a lonely island, or perhaps they're part of some natural jungle hot-springs spa. Some nice imagery there, if not as vivid as many others enjoy through this scent. This scent sticks close to the skin, and wears off after a few hours.
Category -- Bewitching Brews
There's a strong whiff of pine, and then it quickly becomes tempered by the smell of cranberries, which helps make it sweet and tart as well as robust. Not me, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.
It smells slightly like generic perfume or cologne, but there is enough amber present to keep it interesting. Unfortunately, it turns very powdery fairly quickly...and while that's not necessarily bad, it's not really what I was looking for from this scent. Not for me.
Limited Edition -- Anniversary Scents
To me, this is a smokey scent -- like smokey musk. There is a bit of herbalness...the sweet basil lurking just beneath -- but for the most part I seem to get black pepper, smoke, and dust, and if the dragon's blood is there it's acting like incense for once, instead of being ultra-sweet as it usually manifests for me. This is a manly scent, but one that I don't mind wearing...I think I can decently rock it. Smoke, stone, and iron -- very fitting for this phoenix!
Limited Edition -- Yule 2009
This is a really gorgeous, creamy, fruity scent. Utterly laden with pink and orange goodness; I get a lot of images of a sunlit room redolent with the smell of flowers and a freshly-ordered fruit basket. So very yummy! It has a little bit of throw, and lasts quite a while even under the rigors of things like washing one's hands during cooking and such. Now I'm wishing that finances had allowed a bottle of this.
Category -- Wanderlust
I don't get any darkness from this at all -- nope, this is a bright, sunny, lush jungle scent. It's extremely evocative of someone sitting by a waterfall, sipping a rum-based drink, and inhaling the rain-kissed scent of jungle blooms. And, later on, I really do get the scent of stone -- as if our intrepid hero sauntered into the limestone cave behind the waterfall to check on his chest of treasure and sleep the afternoon away.
Alas, it dissipates pretty quickly on me, but it's a very fun little mind-trip while it's there!
It's a really great scent for summertime!
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008 -- Sleepy Hollow
The prevailing note here is beeswax...it's a very warm, homey scent. It is complemented nicely by the tea, cream, and, yes, wool. Over time, it fades into a golden, perfumey amalgam that is classy and very, very pleasant. I really like this, and need to remember to get me a bottle.
Category: Limited Edition -- Halloween 2008
As many others have said: OMG YUMMY. Admittedly, it did take me a day or so to warm up to it, but once the full brunt of orange custardy cake goodness seeped into my system, I was hard-pressed not to just sit in a corner and lick myself for hours. I had been afraid of the floral notes, but I never really detected them at all. It just smells like moist, delicious, orange-glazed cake, and that is definitely good enough for me. Foodie fans must procure themselves a bottle of this.
Category: Ars Moriendi
At first sniff, it's very green and a bit herbal; I definitely get the funeral boughs, as well as the dried stems of leftover, long-dead bouquets.
As it warms up, it does get a little bit sweeter, and more floral, in a very subtle way.
It has very little throw, and average staying power. If you enjoy piney scents, I'd say to give this a try.
Limited Edition -- Anniversary Scents
I get lots of spicy carnation. In fact, it alternates between spicy and creamy, to the point where I'd be pretty convinced that there is honey in this blend -- and a nice, sweet honey at that. For some reason, I wasn't liking this very much at all when I was testing it...there was a weird edge to it that I found off-putting. Now that it has had time to settle, it smells much nicer. Alas that I should discover this after it has been taken back to the graveyard of discontinued scents! I guess I will just hold onto my decant, then, and see how it ages...
Category: Excolo
This is lovely.
The juniper adds a very nice, grounding effect for the other woods, because for some reason sandalwood seems to do odd things on me that are not always pleasant. Together, the woods form a nice base, and there is a bit of spiciness from the juniper, I think, that creeps up every now and then, as well as bergamot. The florals lurk in the background; I can detect just a hint of lilac, just enough to make it especially sweet and pretty.
A very pleasant, romantic scent, in my opinion.
Category -- Bewitching Brews -- The Conjure Bag
This is a bright, intriguing blend that, yes, is full of courage and hope. Like many of my favorite plant scents, this one seems to come from the roots and stems and leaves of plants, rather than all the pretty frou-frou petaled parts. It's like sunlight and glowing sap. Really nice.
Category -- Ars Amatoria
As a rose scent, it's very nice and pretty. It actually reminds me of what a little girl's room would smell like -- very light and floral and feminine. Not very harloty AT ALL.
It faded very quickly on me, and didn't have much throw while it was there. Pretty, but fleeting.
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008 -- Sleepy Hollow
I get a LOT of maple and oats out of this, with little side-hints of carrot. It's a delicious, pleasant, warm, comforting scent, but unfortunately the throw is minimal -- if there's musk, I really can't detect any -- and staying power is so-so. I will treasure what's left of my imp, but I don't feel that I need any more than that.
At first Grandmother and I didn't get along; she smelled like baby powder with a very unpleasant biological crotch-sweat edge to it. Eww! Over time, however, she mellowed out, did a 180, and smelled like a bouquet of dried flowers that had been saved over the years in a wooden drawer, age and dust giving them a peppery sort of aura.
Not really my thing, but I'm relieve that it had a happy ending, at least.
