Forbidden Desire
Category: American Gothic
Quantity: sample
Description:
FORBIDDEN DESIRE
Desire is a powerful creature, shape-shifting yet solid as the imp who visits you during the night. The urge grabs a hold of you. Your every impulse demands action. Consequences be damned, as damned as the doer of the deed. Lust takes control. Your thirst must be quenched. How sweet the taste of forbidden desire on your lips. Right or wrong, desire has won. White chocolate, vanilla bean, sugared musk
Review:
In the bottle: Chocolate, and maybe a little bit of spiced vanilla.
Wet: It’s a lot of chocolate… It smells like cake, probably because of the little note of vanilla.
Dry: Chocolate and sugar overload!
Verdict: I’ve tried to wear this one a few times, and every time I did, I found myself with an uncontrollable need to eat a chocolate bar, or a piece of chocolate cake. This can’t be good for my health! I understand why it’s called “forbidden desire”… This foody scent is just too foody for me, but I can imagine very easily why someone else would love it.
Maiden
Category: Ars Amatoria
Quantity: sample
Description:
MAIDEN
A gentle vision of purity, goodness and virtue: white tea, carnation and Damask Rose.
Review:
In the bottle: This certainly smells soft and feminine! So far, it’s mostly a blend of flowers, but the white tea is a sweet touch.
Wet: Carnation, carnation, and more carnation, with a little bit of rose, and a tiny little bit of white tea.
Dry: It does stabilize during dry down, but it’s still a lot of carnation! There’s still a little bit of rose, and what I believe is a trace of white tea, but it’s very subtle.
Verdict: Overall, Maiden is a nice spring/summer scent, but you really have to love carnation to fully appreciate this one; therefore, it’s just not for me. I know white tea tends to be tasteless, but I expected more of it. But still, it’s a nice floral scent.
More reviews: Ars Amatoria: Maiden
Cursed Cameo
Category: Curio Shop
Quantity: sample
Description:
CURSED CAMEO
Don’t be fooled by its beauty, by its seemingly delicate nature! Well over one hundred years old, this cameo is a splendid piece of jewelry marred by a fearsome curse. Given to a scorned wife as pacification from her flagrantly cheating husband, the wife was rumored to have dispatched of each of her husband’s affairs with a chilling and cold-blooded fervor, all while wearing the cameo. Now the cameo is cursed to bring torment and discord to its wearer, keeping them forever miserable and alone. Well, yes, I don’t see why you can’t hold it. Only please refrain from putting it around your neck. We are not sure how swift-acting the curse is. Come to think of it, maybe it’s best if you didn’t hold it at all. One can never be too careful! White lily, iris, jasmine, magnolia, grapefruit, peach
Review:
In the bottle: It’s soft and feminine, in a graceful way. I can identify the notes of lily and magnolia.
Wet: Without any surprise, the flowers came out first.
Dry: As it dried, I started to notice something juicy and sweet, which I assume is the peach and grapefruit. It’s funny, because it leaves a little bit of an aftertaste, but maybe that’s the curse?
Verdict: I find it hard to write a review on this one because I’m completely addicted. If you like blends of flowers and fruits, you should try this one.
Chocolate Chai Muffin
Category: Mary Jo's Bakery
Quantity: sample
Description:
CHOCOLATE CHAI MUFFIN
A cakey, not-too-sweet, muffin flavored with chocolate powder and chai spices. This muffin is scrumptious!
Review:
In the bottle: Oh my! Spicy chocolate! Those warm, exotic spices seem delightful when mixed with the cocoa.
Wet: As soon as it touched my skin, it turned into bitter spices, with an subtle note of musk. There’s a little bit of chocolate behind, but it’s not as strong as in the bottle.
Dry: After a few minutes, it turned herbal; that’s weird. If you are familiar with the (fake) chocolate essence sold for soap-making, mix it with spicy herbs, and that’s what you get.
Verdict: Honestly, I feared that it would be the cousin of Forbidden Desire; but fortunately, it’s not as sweet, and its spiciness gives it a very sexy aspect.
Ostara
Category: Limited Edition (March 2009)
Quantity: 5ml bottle
Description:
OSTARA
Ostara, or Eostre, is the Goddess of Renewal, from which the name
Easter evolved. In celebration of the movement toward the rising sun (East),
Ostara embodies renewal, rebirth, and fertility. Wild strawberry,
honeysuckle, rice flower, spring rain
Review:
In the bottle: Sweet, honeyed strawberry, with a floral touch underneath.
Wet: So far, the strawberry and florals mix well. The rice flower and spring rain are very subtle, of course, but I did not expect anything else.
Dry: Well, I have to admit this is lovely. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. Because it’s fruity, it might work fine on a young girl.
Verdict: If it was only the strawberry, this perfume would be way too sweet, but the flowers offer just the right balance between serious and playful. It’s a youthful, yummy scent, but it won’t turn you diabetic.
Pop
Category: Punk
Quantity: sample
Description:
POP
Break out the Dickies and the studded belts! Faux-hawks. Thin ties. Skinny jeans. Chuck Taylors. Eyeliner. Cotton candy flavored cherry-red lipstick. Pink and black. Trucker hats and skull jewelry.
Review:
In the bottle: I smell cherry, something sweet (like sugar maybe?), and a bitter under-note.
Wet: It has turned darker, with a spicy bitterness like clove or pepper. The cherry is almost absent.
Dry: The cherry came back, and I still smell clove… Why am I thinking “cherry cola”?
Verdict: Frankly, this isn’t my thing. I love cherry, and I love spicy scents; but I’m not sure I like the two together. This one just doesn’t work for me.
Hanami
Category: Limited Edition (Spring 2009)
Quantity: 5ml bottle
Description:
HANAMI
Hanami is the Japanese tradition of viewing the flowering trees. When the Sakura (cherry) and Ume (plum) Trees blossom, spectators arrive in throngs to view the ephemeral and beautiful flowers and picnic on foods and sake. The Hanami tradition is as anticipated and celebrated as Leaf Season in America.
Sakura blossom, ume blossom, sake
Review:
In the bottle: This smells like spring to me, and walking through the apple and cherry trees in bloom. Although, in this case, it’s cherry and plum…
Wet: The flowers are exploding under my nose. The plum came first, and then the cherry.
Dry: I’m still getting a lot of the flowers, but with a little bit of sake as well. It’s strange, but it smells a bit like spray net…
Verdict: Hanami has a serious, mature feeling. I don’t doubt this could be an elegant Japanese woman’s favourite perfume.
Diamond
Category: Limited Edition (April 2009)
Quantity: 5ml bottle
Description:
DIAMOND
April's birthstone, Diamond is known as the stone of innocence and purity, and inspires matters of the heart. Diamond is said to encourage self-confidence and independence and counteract jealousy. Diamonds are energy amplifiers so be cautious: it amplifies negative as well as positive. Diamond purifies and detoxifies all of the body’s systems, rebalancing the metabolism, and building up stamina, strength and treating allergies and chronic conditions. White peach, champagne, white hibiscus, white amber
Review:
In the bottle: It smells white and clear. It reminds me of my mother’s garden, with fruit trees and hibiscus plants around every corner.
Wet: Mostly hibiscus and peach, with a little bit of champagne and amber.
Dry: Slightly less peach, and more champagne and amber.
Verdict: What a clear and fancy scent! I think I just found my new “special occasion” perfume.
Honey Patch
Category: Resinate
Quantity: sample
Description:
HONEY PATCH
In the wild, unadulterated lands of the free, grows the honey patchouli tree. Earthy, warm, and golden. Patchouli and two sweet golden honeys.
Review:
In the bottle: Honeyed, sweetened patchouli; yet, the patchouli is quite strong.
Wet: What a sweet honey! I can’t decide if it’s herbal or floral (maybe both?), but I can smell the honey very well, and I can almost imagine its texture. Yum.
Dry: The patchouli comes out as it dries, but it keeps a good balance with the honey.
Verdict: This perfume has a little bit of a borderline personality, always on the edge between honey and patchouli. Honestly, patchouli isn’t my thing, so my enthusiasm was limited from the start. However, I have to admit that this blend is interesting.
Pickled Punk
Category: Curio Shop
Quantity: sample
Description:
PICKLED PUNK
When two become one, what once was is now forever...only never to be. Ghastly to some. Fascinating to others. A medical marvel to all. This bicephalic form floats, peaceful, in a man-made womb with a view…perfectly preserved for your curiosity and pleasure. Tangerine, pink pepper, talc
Review:
In the bottle: A lovely, spicy tangerine. I doesn’t smell too fruity or too sweet, but not too spicy either; it’s well balanced.
Wet: It’s orange on my skin! I should have thought about it, it was orange in the bottle. The tangerine is juicy and fruity, but it’s mixed with a spice, and I’m not even sure it’s pepper. In fact, it smells like clove on me. It reminds me of those Christmas ornaments made of whole oranges picked with clove.
Dry: I finally get some of the talc, which separates the ingredients a little bit. Therefore, I can smell the pink pepper better, or at least for what it really is. However, there’s not enough tangerine left (at least in my opinion, and I love tangerine).
Verdict: I can see there’s an interesting concept behind this one, and the smell of it is also very interesting; but unfortunately, it’s not enough to convince me. It works fine as a gender-neutral blend, but it doesn’t suit my skin type very well, and it doesn’t last very long. Too bad.
Gravy
Category: Signature Scents
Quantity: sample
Description:
GRAVY
Gravy is Good Judy's signature scent! This is some awesome sauce!
Two warm, buttery vanillas folded into creamy cocoa butter and poured over spicy warm resins. Soft and glowing. Warm and comforting. Nice and sweet, with something a little mysterious and dark underneath.
Review:
In the bottle: I smell a mix of spiced vanilla and cocoa butter. It’s very yummy, like warm cookies or cake.
Wet: A warm and very buttery vanilla, with a note of chocolate, and some resins underneath.
Dry: It still smells like warm cake, with a resin under-note. It seems worthy of Mary Jo’s bakery.
Verdict: Gravy is very decadent, and it opens my appetite. However, it’s not as decadent as Atomic Cheesecake, but it has an interesting (or even sexy) spicy aspect.
Atomic Cheesecake
Category: Starlite Oasis
Quantity: sample
Description:
ATOMIC CHEESECAKE
It’s all about the pinup. With their peek-a-boo poses and pouty lips, these blonde bombshells, buxom brunettes, and randy redheads are the ultimate art of seduction.
Pure, unadulterated cheesecake, vanilla bean, vanilla musk
Review:
In the bottle: It does smell like cheesecake! I smell cream cheese and vanilla.
Wet: It’s pretty much the same as in the bottle. It’s very creamy, rich, warm, and decadent. If it’s based on a real cheesecake, I want the recipe.
Dry: I smell the vanilla musk a little better, but it’s still a lot of cream cheese. Overall, it stays true from beginning to end.
Verdict: It smells delicious! It’s like a real cheesecake, served fresh and tender; it’s only missing the berry sauce.
Woobie
Category: In The Mood
Quantity: sample
Description:
WOOBIE
Every little one (and many of us larger ones) knows the comfort and security (as well as juju) a well-worn woobie can evoke. A woobie can be anything from a favorite blanket to a favorite pair of socks. Good Judy’s Woobie evokes the comfort and security (and the juju) of your favorite woobie. Warm, comforting, and soothing, Woobie surrounds you in a peaceful, secure aroma. Benzoin, vanilla 10x, styrax, labdamnum
Review:
In the bottle: Benzoin, vanilla, and spices.
Wet: The perfume is dark brown, and when I first applied it, it actually left a brown mark on my skin. Fortunately, I rubbed the area with my finger, and the mark disappeared; but still, this is one dark perfume! I smell the vanilla even more than before; but overall, it’s very soft and sweet (well, I guess that’s the point). Appart, from the warm vanilla feeling, it doesn’t smell that much, no matter how much I put on.
Dry: It’s still raw vanilla and benzoin for me. In fact, it makes me think of a vanilla cake on sleeping pills... weird image...
Verdict: Hey Sigg, have you ever thought of turning this one into a soap? I’m sure it could work for bath & relaxation products.
Hairy Toad Lily
Category: Rappaccini's Garden
Quantity: sample
Description:
HAIRY TOAD LILY
Spotty, hairy, purple, sweet!
Review:
In the bottle: At first, it's as sweet as candy, yet a bit lemony in the background.
Wet: Still sweet and cute, but definitively more floral and herbal.
Dry: It turned so subtle that I can't review it. I'm left with a powdered deodorant smell.
Verdict: Overall, this is a very light, delicate perfume... So light, in fact, that it disappears! Oops.
More reviews: Rappaccini's Garden: Hairy Toad Lily
Bread Pudding
Category: Mary Jo's Bakery
Quantity: sample
Description:
BREAD PUDDING
Warm bread soaked in milk and eggs and spices. Baked golden bubbly and served drenched in an ooey-gooey vanilla rum sauce. Delightfully rich and satisfying!
Review:
In the bottle: I smell a mix of bread, eggs, spices (especially cinnamon, yum!), vanilla, and a bit of rum.
Wet: This really smells like french toast (or “pain doré/pain perdu”; as usual, please forgive my french) with spices, and some sort of a rich vanilla sauce, with a strong sugar undernote.
Dry: Yeah, old bread or old cake soaked in a preparation of milk and eggs to remove dryness. It took some time, but I finally got some of the rum back. And as usual, the perfume turned sugary-sweet on me.
Verdict: Not bad; but maybe a little bit too “french toast”, the ressemblance is just too obvious for me. Other than that, it’s lovely, and so yummy that it makes me want to bake.
Oblivion
Category: Sin & Salvation
Quantity: sample
Description:
OBLIVION
Salvation found in darkness beyond darkness, the blessed sleep of nothingness. Dark musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron.
Review:
In the bottle: I know I’m not the only one who mentions the colour of this sample, but... It’s green! It’s spicy, musky; and yet, I smell a mix of wet wood and patchouli.
Wet: It’s still warm, spicy and woody, but with an herbal quality, from the patchouli and labdanum, with a note of saffron.
Dry: Suddenly, as it dried, it turned into peroxide (I’m not kidding), to come back to spicy patchouli. Of all the skin chemical reactions I’ve experienced so far, this is the most unusual...
Verdict: Well, at first, it reminded me of my father’s cologne when I was a kid; then, it turned into something medical, to finish as a spicy man’s cologne. Since it has such a strange reaction on my skin, I think I’ll leave the final verdict to men...
More reviews: Sin & Salvation: Oblivion
Mephitic Vapors
Category: Curio Shop
Quantity: sample
Description:
MEPHITIC VAPORS
Careful with that! The contents can be quite dangerous. That bottle has been passed around for generations and nobody is quite sure of how much is left inside. You see, it looks empty. That’s the danger. Bottled hundreds of years ago by an infamous resurrectionist, one whiff of the Mephitic Vapors captured in that bottle would surely bring instant death. You’ll want to make sure you purchase the Good Judy souvenir version. The real one can’t be opened anyway. The lid’s glued on. Accidents do happen though. Authentic Mephitic Vapors: A miasma of graveyard putrescence. Not for sale! Souvenir Version: Black oak, peat moss, graveyard loam, headstones, and damp air. Plenty for everyone!
Review:
In the bottle: It’s very masculine... I do smell the oak and moss very well.
Wet: Yeah, that’s the old-fashioned graveyard caretaker’s favourite cologne. It’s a bit strong, and just so strange on me.
Dry: Ok, I had to wash it off. It was just so absurd on me, even the dog started crying after she smelled me. Enough said.
Verdict: I guess I’ll have to give this one... I don’t doubt this would smell good on a man, and preferably someone fairly older than me, because there really is something old-fashioned about it. It has also a dark/gothic feeling, like taking a walk in a graveyard in late fall, with a coroner passionately telling you all about his most fascinating cases... Well, you get the picture.
Femme
Category: LGBT & More
Quantity: sample
Description:
FEMME
N/A
Review:
Ok, I’m going to look stupid, but I didn’t know the meaning of “femme”. In French, a femme is a woman, but I thought that was too broad. I searched for an expression with femme in it, and I found “femme fatale”, which was an interesting theme, of course, until I searched “femme” in Wikipedia and found out what it means. Well, at least I’ve learned something... On the other hand, a femme could also be a femme fatale, right? Anyway, let’s move on... The scent has no description, so this is going to be a challenge for my nose. I’m sure I’m going to be completely off the track with this one.
In the bottle: The first thing I think about is grape punch. It’s sweet and delicate, with a little something floral.
Wet: Now I have images of flower trees in bloom (maybe lilac?), and a fruit (peach?). Whatever it is, I still get delicate florals with something fruity and juicy.
Dry: This review is about to get worse... It reminds me of wine a little bit, but mostly of a fruit punch I used to drink when I was younger, which was made of grape, cassia, berries, and some other fruits I forgot. It’s not as floral as before, but it’s still sweet.
Verdict: I’m getting a retro pin-up feeling out of this one. It’s feminine, seductive, and very sexy!
Shameful Secret
Category: American Gothic
Quantity: sample
Description:
SHAMEFUL SECRET
We all come with a past. Certainly, some have more to hide than others. What we do with our lives is of no concern to them. Nobody need know your secret. Hide your shame. Stand tall and proud as it turns your stomach sour. Sweet milk, raspberry cream, absinthe, cassia
Review:
In the bottle: I smell cream, cassia, raspberry, and absinthe, in that order. It’s an interesting mix.
Wet: It’s a little bit bitter, but very herbal, from the absinthe; yet very sweet from the milk and cassia. So far, the raspberry is still very far in the background.
Dry: It turned sweeter, more fruity and juicy, but still with a tiny bit of bitterness/sourness underneath, but it’s really whispered like a secret.
Verdict: Oh, I love this one! It fits me so perfectly, how could I give it a bad review?
The Corruption of Having Lived
Category: American Gothic
Quantity: sample
Description:
THE CORRUPTION OF HAVING LIVED
Surviving isn’t necessarily living. You fight for purpose, surrounded by the walls of the Old Manse, its endless rooms, trapped and all alone. Nobody left but the voices in your head. Talking to you. Trying to understand. Rationalizing. How did this happen? Why? You have the rest of your life to ponder. The answer is already yours. You’ve chosen your path. You must live with your choice. Fig, black currant, calla lily, vanilla sandalwood
Review:
In the bottle: It’s a moderately strong smell of fig, currant, and sandalwood.
Wet: It’s much softer on my skin, and much more floral (probably the calla lily), with a touch of vanilla, and something sweet and fruity in the background.
Dry: Not bad, it’s floral, yet fruity as soon as the fig comes back, with a little bit of bitterness and darkness.
Verdict: I love this one too! So far, except Forbidden Desire, the American Gothic collection suits me well, and I think I still have 2 samples to try... I'm impatient to see if they're as good as the ones I have tried so far!
Key Lime Pie
Category: Mary Jo's Bakery
Quantity: sample
Description:
KEY LIME PIE
A southern Florida treat loved by all. Fresh, tart key limes blended with sugar, egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk, all poured into a lightly baked graham cracker crust. This one will make your teeth ache!
Review:
In the bottle: An intense smell of sugary graham crust.
Wet: Sugar, cream (or milk), egg, and graham. The lime is very subtle.
Dry: Overall, it doesn’t have much throw, and the lime note quickly fades away.
Verdict: It’s sweet and creamy, but not for me. Another one in the “future soap” box...
First Creation
Category: Unreleased Blends
Quantity: sample
Description:
FIRST CREATION
N/A
Review:
In the bottle: It’s very soft, a little bit floral, with something sweet, such as vanilla or honey.
Wet: It’s already more herbal, lemony, maybe even with a spicy background note, but I can’t find what it is.
Dry: Still soft, creamy, lemony, and floral. It’s a bit old-lady-ish, but it smells clean and soft.
Verdict: Yes, it’s a bit old-fashioned, but it smells good; and the ingredients are very mysterious!
Smooth & Neat
Category: Resinate
Quantity: sample
Description:
SMOOTH & NEAT
The aromatic flavoring of a fine liqueur, extremely sensual and smooth with a wonderful warming finish. Served neat. Patchouli leaves, bright orange citrus, smooth vanilla, and a splash of hazelnut liqueur.
Review:
In the bottle: Patchouli, orange and hazelnut liqueur.
Wet: Warm orange and sweet vanilla, for the most part; everything else is in the background.
Dry: The patchouli and liqueur come back, but it’s still smooth. It’s not the aggressive patchouli some old ladies are so fond of…
Verdict: It’s well balanced, smooth and clean, with a sweet dose of vanilla and orange. However, patchouli smells old on me, so the sample will probably become lovely soap material.
Gothic
Category: Punk
Quantity: sample
Description:
GOTHIC
Dramatic and romantic. Moody, mysterious and morbid. Pale skin. Black and jewel-toned velvets mixed with lace and leather. Influenced by the supernatural and the creative. Black roses planted in graveyard dirt. Blood-red lips inhaling a sweet-clove cigarette. A crushed velvet choker cutting into smooth pale flesh. Beautifully dark and sweet.
Review:
In the bottle: I do smell a rose, and something herbal, mixed with clover. It’s almost lemony.
Wet: Yeah, I definitively smell clove, but it’s sweet and soft, with a background note of cigarette.
Dry: A mix of (black?) rose and clove. It’s dark, bitter, and mysterious.
Verdict: It’s too bad this one is not available anymore; it’s gender-neutral, not too feminine. However, I suppose it competed with the American Gothic collection. Thanks for the remaining sample, Gary!
Yules: Snow White 2010
Category: Limited Edition
Quantity: bottle
Description:
SNOW WHITE 2010
A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.
Review:
In the bottle: So soft and delicate... I smell a bit of vanilla and sugar, but I’m not quite sure what else.
Wet: It smells sweet and floral, almost foody. It reminds me of Dana O’shee, only colder and crisper.
Dry: It turned into vanilla, coconut, mint, and almond, with a floral background.
Verdict: Overall, it’s lovely; however, I really got into it when I went outside. The cold winter air improves it somehow; it becomes even crisper afterwards.
More reviews: Limited Edition: Yules: Snow White 2010
