hkhm

my ladon experiences are mixed. the first bottle i got was very, very appley. just a touch of dragon's blood. so beautiful, i used it up way too quickly. the next bottle was almost pure dragon's blood with a hint of something sweet that might have been apple. i liked it all right, i suppose, but it was not the scent i had grown to love. my current in-use bottle is pretty balanced between the two, though i'd say it's closer to the first bottle i ever had, more appley overall. right now, all my apple love is going toward sugar-slathered candied apple. it's so gorgeous, i can't wear it often enough.

i assume you mean creepy 2009? the 2006 version is not tart at all, more warm and crisp. more red than green.

i thought of one more: shango. it's not all apple on me (there's also banana and coconut and a hint of spice), but the apple is quite noticeable and this one lasts a long, long, long time on me.

sugar-slathered candied apple lasts for a really long time on my skin. poisoned apple and fearful pleasure are right behind it in terms of length. sga's apple is rather fleeting on me but leaves it's impression, rather than it's apply-ness, for a while. i think apply-ness is my new favorite word.

i did. i posted a mere hour after jayne's first post directing her to e-mail the lab with any questions.

dirty is one of my favorite gc summer scents. it's just so light and fresh and clean.

if you are interested in the source of the oils, i would recommend that you contact the lab directly. further, why don't you wait to actually receive your order before allowing these reviews to make you nervous?

very true. i'm this close to buying a bottle of it. i was also thinking kitsune-tsuki or unicorn might be good light florals. i have bottles of both but only seem to wear them in the summertime.

perhaps dirty? it's very light, almost a feel of floral without actually being one.

nocnitsa was what i first thought of. it's a beautiful damp, piney forest with a hint of dirt. i don't get any berry-ness from it (wish i did though). nephilim and loup garou would be my runner-up recommendations.

that was the reason i was attracted to shango in the first place. well, that and the amazing description of the oil. sadly, i don't get banana from this blend, i wish i did.

my two favorites from the orishas are shango and yemaya, with shango being one of my top 3 scents ever. i just love it so so much and it gets me the most compliments of any bpal i've ever worn. i'm considering buying another bottle each just because...

imp: mint, ginger and lotus. sort of reminds me a bit of shattered except there's no grapefruit. wet: mint, eucalyptus and ginger. this is spicy and vibrant. i'm getting a bit of ozone as well but it's not as sharp as usual. dry: the eucalyptus is the most prominent note on my skin, with mint and lotus coming in just behind. interesting, not something i'd wear often, but quite evocative in it's way.

imp: this indeed smells very close to when you crack open a coconut and smell the fresh, sweet milk. wet: a very cloying floral over that sweet fresh coconut. dry: the coconut is dominant and the shea butter is a nice backnote. the floral fades after a bit, but it is unfortunately still there. if not for the floral, i would be buying a bottle.

imp: very cinnamon-y and spicy. wet: this is mostly ginger and cinnamon, not that i don't love that, but i was hoping for more musk and honey. dry: this doesn't really smell like chai to me. perhaps it's because there is no "tea" in the scent or perhaps it's because i'm used to my chai having a more peppery bite, but this is all cinnamon and ginger on me.

wow. house of night is always a screaming chartreuse on me. i wish i got purple from it. on the other hand: the raven is a very dark indigo purple while bordello is a bright magenta purple. yummy, yummy purples.

imp: sharp, salty vetiver. wet: this is almost a bitter vetiver once applied. very strong and very long lasting. dry: now i love vetiver but this is too much for me. it's terribly strong on the salt and dried, dead wood, almost eclipsing the vetiver. too bad.

imp: something sweet and creamy. not exaclty beeswax, but close. wet: very sweet and light, this smells like a vanilla custard baking in the next room, where you just get soft wafts of it every now and again. dry: this gets a little stronger as it dries and does have more of a honey/beeswax scent. but it's soft and very faint, so it gives of a glowing warm scent. very pretty.

imp: mostly juniper with something dark and creamy behind it. wet: juniper and cypress. period. it's nearly a pine single note. where is my beloved black musk? darn. dry: still just pine. and i had such high hopes for the black musk. at least i'm fond of pine scents.

imp: dark, smoky pine. wet: very dark, sticky pine resin and rich, smoky vetiver. so dark and beautiful, probably the best outdoorsy scent i've smelled in a long while. dry: i adore this scent, i may need a bottle though i can't see myself wearing it very often. this is rich, dark pine trees looming all around you with the faint hint of someone in the distance burning pine brush.

bottle: red musk and caramel. yum. wet: wow, this is sexy! deep, dark, slinky musk with a honeyed caramel back. this is going into my "date night" bpal box. rawr! dry: the champaca really warms up on my skin as this dries. a lovely blend of red musk, caramel with hints of honey and vanilla over champaca.

bottle: flowering vegetable shoots. this has a sweet yet herbal scent. clean and refreshing. wet: i thought there would be a dirt note in this, there is no dirt at all. instead, this is all sweet, spicy, fresh roots and leaves, like snapping vegetables in half while you're washing them in the sink and a breeze from over your garden sweeps into the kitchen window. it is so fresh and bright and earthy without a hint of dirt. dry: this is the freshest, cleanest herbal scent i own. soft and delicate while bursting with an understated spicy snap. this will be my go-to scent this spring. total love.

imp: sweet, wet greenery. wet: spicy flowers (i suppose it must be orchid but it doesn't really smell like it to me) of slippery green leaves. i can't emphasize how wet and clean this scent it. very pretty and very feminine. it is strong (and i put on a dab) but it's comforting and nice. dry: this is a cozy floral scent once dry. the greenery is a feel more than a scent and it's perhaps more misty than wet. lovely.

imp: red musk and myrrh. wet: at first, this smells exactly like krampus to me, then, as it warms it gets more sexy. i think it's the black amber giving it this nice sexy edge. dry: back to smelling like krampus, not that i mind at all.

imp: very spicy metallic. wet: very bright metallic, sleek and clean. i get a hint of the leather, but it's a new leather scent, glossy and polished. dry: this dries to perhaps the most sparkling clean metallic scent i've ever sniffed.