hkhm

the traveller is a fairly understated label. it's soft sage green with a very light grey celtic knot and the words "the traveller" in green across the middle. (unless there are multiple versions of the label. i have two more bottles on order so i guess i'll see...)

machu piccu & manila were the first two i thought of.

amsterdam was the first scent i thought of. then prague (which i have only recently fallen in love with!), shattered, water of notre dame, the unicorn...

imp: what the...? this smells like yellow mustard. very vinegary. wet: this is the most odd assortment of florals i have ever smelled. whatever that odd, sharp, vinegary scent is, it's still around though not as strong. dry: once dry this smells very softly floral, no more odd sharp vinegar scent. i really wish i knew which of the notes that was, it really ruined this whole scent for me.l

imp: sweet, flowery musk. wet: beautiful! the plum is juicy sweet whilethe carnation is creamy sweet. the musk ties it all together. i already think i need a bottle! dry: this is very lovely, the plum is dominant but not overly sweet. the carnation and musk really tie this scent together well.

imp: spicy sweet booze. wet: this smells like a buttery cinnamon pastry at first, though my skin is not burning so it must not be cinnamon at all. after a few minutes i start to smell more almond and clove. dry: this dries to a relatively dusty clove and bay scent. nicely masculine.

imp: rich, sweet greenery. wet: imagine the scent of a florist's shop with the sweetness amped up. that is exactly what this smells like to me. i don't know what ash manna smells like exactly but if this is it, i like ti a great deal. very pretty! dry: this softens a bit as it dries, it gets a bit less bright. it is so pretty, i wasn't expecting to like this as much as i do, it's unusual yet very feminine.

bottle: well-worn dusty leather. wet: this is a very dry, dusty scent. it has a warm feel to it. it's like wearing well-worn leather boots with a patina of dry sand. dry: there are the herbs, though they are dried... dry leather, dust, sand, herbs. a very evocative blend!

imp: sweet cake! wet: this is a very sweet blend, the sugar has a toasted scent to it, not quite caramel but warm and rich. dry: this dried to a creamy toasted sugar scent. i will be needing a bottle.

HEATHEN. How do you live with yourself?? i am a shameless rubber. the best part of applying my oils is when i rub the oil in (not hard but enough so that it's no longer a dot of oil) and then wipe my fingertips off in my hair.

imp: sweet dark amber and musk. wet: on the one hand, this is very dark amber and black musk but on the other hand i'm getting a hit of bright lemon. very unusual. dry: unfortunately, the lemon scent never leaves and instead turn this whole blend strange. darn.

imp: bright, slightly spicy berries. wet: very bright berries, sort of smells like the pomegranate scent from the fruit of paradise mixed with the something sweeter and fruitier. dry: this reminds me a great deal of the fruit of paradise, but where the fruit of paradise has a strong tartness to it, this is all smooth and sweet. i will be buying a bottle with my next order.

imp: spicy and effervescent. wet: this is a bubbly nutmeg scent. hard to describe but it has a very antique drug store kind of feel. dry: nutmeg and sassafras, very dry. almost peppery.

imp: sweet, creamy vetiver. wet: this is a very even mix of tonka and vetiver. the vetiver is very sweet while the tonka is creamy. dry: once dry, this is a light mix of tonka and orris with a beautiful backnote of vetiver. i never once got carnation from this blend but perhaps it's what's keeping the overall sweetness of this blend.

imp: rosewood with a bit of musk and amber. wet: very pungent, almost sharp, rosewood. i always feel rosewood should be rich and smooth but this smells more "fresh" somehow. dry: the doesn't smell as rosewood-ish as i was expecting but may smooth with age. it's a fresh wood scent over musk and amber which is beautiful in it's own right. i will hang on to my imp to see if it becomes a bottle-worthy purchase in the future.

imp: spicy, almost incense-y red musk. wet: very strong incense, very similar to nag champa with an undertone of red musk. dry: the incense fades quite a bit but the red musk is still going strong. this is very heady/sexy, a definite hot date scent.

bottle: vibrant florals. wet: this almost smells like it has vanilla in it! it's so creamy and sweet, the florals are tame, nothing cloying here. perhaps it's the snowball giving it such a watery "clean" scent, something puts me in mind of softly glistening blooms and boughs. dry: i can smell the bergamot a bit as this dries, very faint but distinctive. it's a soft, creamy wet floral that makes me understand how people can love floral scents.

bottle: honeyed, peppered sandalwood. i'm already thinking i will need another bottle of this! wet: the oakmoss appears alongside the sandalwood in this peppered honey masterpiece. this is intensely beautiful and i can see it working equally well on a man or a woman. dry: the honey and the pepper are dominant but so well balanced, the sandalwood and oakmoss are in the backgrouns but certainly present. i will need another bottle of this!

bottle: creamy pink floral frosting. wet: this is almost entirely cherry blossoms on me. the star anise and vanilla are in the background and everything else is so faint i can barely detect them. dry: as this dries, it gets sweeter and sweeter until i'm reminded of nothing so much as a large dollop of lightly spiced frosting covered in sakura petals.

bottle: creamy frankincense and orris. wet: very beautiful orris and spicy cream with a wonderful background of frankincense. dry: this dries to a soft, lightly creamy orris and frankincense. a definite love.

i think that this year both prague and amsterdam will be my springtime scents. perhaps some kitsune-tsuki as well.

i love himerus, not on myself but on my husband. whatever his skin chemistry does to it, it smells incredible.

imp: sort of flowery but sort of fruity as well. wet: what a beautiful, effervescent floral scent! it's soft and sparkly and perfect for spring! dry: i may need a bottle of this. it's so soft and feminine, perfect for springtime outings.

imp: very rich florals. magnolia, honeysuckle perhaps? wet: this went a touch soapy/powdery as i applied it. the florals are beautiful though, rich and strong with a fresh aquatic feel. dry: the soapiness fades and what remains is a deeply beautiful scent, full of rich heady floarls. this is not the sort of perfume i would have normally selected for myself so i am very impressed by how much i like it.

imp: rich, spicy florals. wet: this has a very christmasy floral scent. it's part pine, part spice, part dazzling floral. further, the cinnamon is not burning me at all! dry: this has more of a wet, lush greenery scent as it dries, but still with pine and cinnamon and florals. whoever said "tropical christmas" said it perfectly.