pinkpepper

I got this from shackjj. Thanks again! In the bottle: Sweet red berries from a distance, cherry cough syrup up close. Hmmm . . . Wet on skin: Blech. Cough syrup. Dry on skin: Now there's something else coming in, something a little metallic and a little amber-y and very magical. Or maybe it's a few somethings. I think maybe I like it. . . . I can't decide! Conclusion: I'm surprised this works on me, since both dragon's blood and leather hate me so. Not bad, but I'm undecided as to whether I'll be keeping it or not. One thing's for sure - it does smell like its description. ETA: This has really developed into something comfortable and cinnamony. A spice for spice haters. I know I like it now.

In the bottle: Ooh, slightly spicy. Hardly what I was expecting. I'm so excited about this one . . . Wet on skin: Oh, HOLY YUMMY. This is so fresh and beautiful, a garden in spring by a stream. I can smell each individual note, clear and sharp, yet wonderfully blended. Dry on skin: This is staying true, happily. Conclusion: There's something ridiculously unique about this, though I can't articulate what. I can't say I know where that spicy note I smelled in the bottle went either. Oh well. I'm in LOVE. My wrist is stuck to my nose. Superglued. Won't budge.

In the bottle: Sweet berries. Wet on skin: Still sweet berries. A very lilac and yellow scent . . . Dry on skin: It's gone a little powdery, but less like baby powder and more like first snowfall. It's gone cold to match. It reminds me of spring flowers in the snow by a stream, maybe with a house in the distance because there's this faint warm, buttery scent like someone's baking. Conclusion: It's a little generic when wet, but it dries into something very complex. I like it a lot but it's turning sort of sweaty/dirty so I'll have to try it again next week.

In bottle: Very, very strong men's cologne. Yikes. Wet on skin: Slightly softer than it was in the bottle. It's definitely a "lilac" scent. Clean, bright, sharp . . . and slightly soapy (but not bad). Reminds me a lot of taking a bath. Dry on skin: Pretty much the same as it was wet, but mintier. Is that . . . eucalyptus? Conclusion: This is so sharp, cold and warm at the same time. I like it quite a lot, and I certainly do smell the "romantic longing of jasmine and thyme." I think it would be better on a man, but it's pretty gender-neutral.

Wet, this is an ever-changing blend of red and green fruits but when it dries it becomes something that smells like a warmer, sweeter, less Playdough-y version of my Bath and Body Works Rice Flower & Shea body lotion. It's a great scent, I can't complain, but it's not at all what I expected and I don't think I'll be getting any more.

I got this in a swap with AmandaKay. Thanks a bunch! In the bottle: Eee! It smells just like a My Little Pony (a very good thing in my book)! Wet on skin: Clean and bright with a wee dose of (the good kind of) powder. Dry on skin: It really does remind me of a midnight garden under a huge full moon, even without the description's help. It kind of sparkles, that's the only way I can think of to describe it. Maybe that's the dew? Beautiful. Conclusion: This is a gorgeous, shimmering "white" scent, very clean, yet warm and close. I can't pick out any individual notes except maybe a smidgen of pear (!). This would make a great after-shower or bedtime scent. Very comforting. I want to add that, though this is a very sweet and innocent scent, it's not delicate. It's quite tough, in fact. Strong and feminine. And the throw is incredible on me as well.

Hi, sorry, I don't know how to help. I just want to say I have the exact same problem. Even if I go to bed at 10 I don't fall asleep until midnight!

I agree with Rouge that it does move very quickly through stages. The Lion started out very sour and hot (blech) on me and then quickly changed to something very dry and cinnamon-y. It really does smell like a lion . . . a lion hanging very close to me. It's gentle, but disconcerting nonetheless. It's true to description, though there's still a little sour note hanging around that makes me feel sick. This isn't playing well so it's off to swaps.

Wet on skin: Irish Spring all the way. . . . Wait. There's some Very Warm, almost sour note coming in. . . . And then fading again as fast as it came! Huh. Weird. Dry on skin: I smell earth and grass and . . . man. There's a little basil in the background. It smells like going on a walk or for a picnic with a very manly man. It's a weensy bit 'sweet cola' ish, but it doesn't bother me. It hasn't got bad throw either. Conclusion: I love it! The imp's a keeper, but there will be no bottle.

Wet on skin: Ooh, yummy. Flowers and, er, bananas? Dry on skin: There's something very familiar about this, but I can't figure out what. It smells like when I accidentally put too much sugar in my tea . . . but only the oversweet part, not the tea, if that makes any sense. At the same time, it smells like My Little Ponies, and banana Runt candies, and the rose jelly bit of Turkish Delight, and baby powder too. . . God, I just made it sound really gross, didn't I? No, it's really beautiful! Oh, I know, I know! It smells like being a five year old girl! Conclusion: This is really yummy, but not foody at all (despite the above description!). It's gorgeous, actually. Definitely a keeper. Weird thing is, it's meant to smell like this mature, regal woman and it smells like a child on me! I might get another imp someday, but I don't see any bottles in Queen Gertrude's future.

Wet on skin: Very, very deep and smoky. Black. Dry on skin: Still deep and dark. It brings to mind a scene of a man in a big, soft armchair sitting in a dark room in front of a fireplace. His legs are crossed, his chin rests on one hand. There is an open book on his lap, but he sits staring into the fire, lost in thought, rather than reading. Conclusion: I want to say, if you don't like smoke, don't get this, but I hate smoky scents and I'm loving this. . . . I also don't usually get along with leather (though I do love the actual scent) and it's doing fine! Yippee! It's definitely a manly scent (and I am not a man ), and there aren't many places I can think of that it would be suitable for me to wear it to, but I think I'll keep it for sniffing and wearing on stay-at-home days. It's tense and cozy at the same time. Warm. I think it would make a good scent for just curling up and reading a good book. That's it, it's the perfect reading scent! "Who says librarians can't be sexy?" perfectly defines this one. Love it, love it, love it!

In the bottle: Blech! Stomach-turning cherry syrup medicine. Wet on skin: Still cherry medicine. Very sharp. Dry on skin: The cherry medicine scent has settled down into something more like cherry candy drops and now there are some florals over it. It's faded a lot, too, and very quickly. Conclusion: It's tolerable dry but still a bit unpleasant, certainly nothing I'm ever going to wear out. Off to swaps.

In the bottle: Erlack. Sour rootbeer left in the sun with cherry cough drops dropped in. Wet on skin: Oh, eww. Same as in the bottle. Though there is some cinnamon coming out, some really nice cinnamon. Maybe it can be saved . . . ? Very, very warm. If I put my nose a few inches away from my wrist, I can feel warmth radiating onto it. Dry on skin: No, no, it can't. There's a very sharp, metallic overcoat now that's making me cough when I put my nose too close to my wrist. Still smells oddly rootbeer-y. And there's definitely a vanilla note that's steadily growing. Conclusion: This is, indeed, very angry. Stewing inside, thinking of a way to get the best payback possible angry. It smells really weird and it makes me cough, but it's strangely beautiful in its own way. I can't articulate why. I can't stand it, but I can't stop sniffing it! It's fascinating. This would be gorgeous on someone else. I might keep this a little while, or I might go ahead and swap it. Haven't decided yet. Let me sniff a few more times . . .

I've had this a while - about a year, I think. The first few times I tried it, it smelled precisely (and very strongly) like wet dog. Evil Wet Dog. And it would. not. come. off. No matter how much soap I slathered over it, no matter how hard I scrubbed. But it smelled amazing in the bottle! Errrgh. So, I tried one more time today in the vain hopes it would be better (yes, and no), so here's that. In the bottle: Oh, gorgeous. Florals and tea with milk. Mmmmmm. Wet on skin: Just like in the bottle! Yay! Dry on skin: Some smoky, twisted version of what it was when wet. But that makes sense doesn't it? This is Dorian, after all. Still a little wet dog-y, but admittedly, it has matured. A lot. In a good way. There are more florals now, and I can actually pick out the milky tea. But it still can't overtake that evil dog. Conclusion: Awww. It's really time I give up. Off to swaps. This will be beautiful on someone else. Oh, but it really, really does break my heart . . . I feel like maybe I got a bad batch? Then again, it smelled fine in the bottle so that's probably just me making up excuses. Sigh.

My sister had a bottle of Sudha Segara I smelled which I recall as being very rice puddingy. Judging by the reviews, a lot of the other forumites agree. By the way, nice question. I adore rice pudding.

This came to me as a frimp. I put off trying it for a month because I was scared of it! After all, it is loup garou . . . Bottle: Overpoweringly minty. Cold. Wet on skin: Vicks! It smells just like Vicks! Oh, wait. A bit of that cypress is starting to creep in. Drydown: It reminds me of a winter forest. Like being lost in the forest a week before Christmas. There are crunchy pine needles on the ground. It's late evening, the sun is going down and everything is pale and blue. There's definitely something else lurking behind the trees. A wolf, of course. It's wild, but calm. Just watching. Conclusion: I love this. I'm glad I finally tried it. I'm definitely going to be wearing this come Christmastime . . . but I can't imagine wearing it at any other time of the year. It's actually a strangely comforting scent, probably just because Christmas is my favorite holiday and it reminds me of that. Not at all what I expected, but all the better for it. My dad said it smelled like pure vanilla! But I don't smell any vanilla at all . . . Odd.