Come to Me - voodoo oils

Hmmm. This one is interesting. It’s a very light scent, maybe a bit herbal, maybe a bit lemony. After it’s been on a bit, it reminds me of lily of the valley. This is a light floral with a hint of herbs underneath. After it’s been on a bit, it smells like mineral oil. Clean, oily, clear. It’s an interesting scent, I’d be curious to know how it works for its intended purpose but for scent alone it’s not my thing.

Fire of Love - voodoo oils

Initial impression: this smells like pepper, maybe a bit of anise, and a dark musk or civet. Or maybe both. This is a hot smelling blend, with all sorts of fiery components. There’s an element of cedar or some other dry wood.

After it’s been on a while, it remains dry wood, musk, and civet. It’s really strong smelling, and just the tiniest amount is hanging on ferociously! I have other cedar blends that I like more than this, yet there is something compelling about this blend. I won’t get a bottle but I will keep my imp.

Delphi - Wanderlust

Notes: incense, laurel branches, bay, and honey wine.

Initially, this is all sharp herbs and grapes. The herbs are astringent and the grapes are juicy and deep purple. After its been on a bit, I’m getting traces of honey and incense. It’s slightly sweet and a bit smoky. The incense note reminds me a bit of the note in Gypsy Queen (which to my nose also has a bit of a grape scent to it). The longer its on, the more I like it. Gypsy Queen is a lot sweeter and highly floral, but for reason this reminds me of it. There are clear differences but there is something similar, but for the life of me I can’t nail it down if its more than the incense note. Maybe it’s just that. Regardless, I like it.

Saturnalia - Love Potions

Notes: violet, vetivert

In the imp, this smells strongly of violets. Once applied, the scent of violets remain, a soft purple sort of scent. After its been on a minutes or two, it deepens and there’s an underlying grounding force. Vetivert yes, but it feels like more too, a touch of wood of some kind. This is really nice. I would have never guessed that I’d enjoy a scent like this. There’s an interplay between the sweet violet and the smoky vetivert, moving back and forth. At is wears the vetivert get stronger and almost overpowers the violet. Overall, I’ve enjoyed trying this. I’ll keep the imp.

Eclipse - Bewitching Brews

Notes: bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense, heliotrope, cinnamon

Motivated to try my imp by the GC Swap.

In the imp: mainly almond with a bit of spice far in the background.

On the skin, wet: whoa! Almond! Overpowering almond. Cherry-type almond.

On the skin, dry: after it’s been on a bit, the almond tempers and other scents come out. I think that’s heliotrope, plus a bit of spice. This stage of the scent is wonderful. Its slightly sweet, creamy with a bit of spice. My skin has turned a bit red where I applied this. It could be because I just did the dishes and the heat has my pores open.

Overall: I really like this scent, or as it dries that is. The beginning is strong, but the drydown is glorious. Warm and creamy, It does have a similarity with Morocco but I wouldn't have noticed it had it not been pointed out. I don't know about a bottle but I'll definitely keep all the imps that come my way.

Van Sans Retour - Unreleased (reviewed 2-18-06)

Part of the Unreleased sniffing circle...

In the Imp: light, clean, fresh, lemony

On the Skin, Initial impression: On the skin, it's as in the imp - lovely, lemony fresh, light smelling. Very clean smelling and crisp. When I first put it on, I thought that I got whiffs of something wild and grassy, but that could have been suggestion...

Dry: As it dries, a piney, juniper scent emerges. It also changes into more of an herbal, green scent instead of citrusy, as would be expected by the emergence of evergreen.

Overall: It's a nice scent, but not really what I would ever reach for and it has no lasting power on me at all. After about a ½ hr, it’s gone. But, I'm glad that I got an opportunity to try it.