Ravenclaw79

In the imp: Ooh, I know this smell ... amaretto? I think that's it. Yeah, amaretto liqueur. It smells like drunk. (I like amaretto sours ). Wet: Gosh, I can even smell the cherry floating in that amaretto sour, that back-of-the-throat sweetness. This would be a good going-out-to-the-bar scent, except that I pretty much never do that. But now, it's starting to calm down and soften, and the alcohol component is fading, the part that made me think of sour mix. Unfortunately, it's starting to smell a little powdery. Drying: Drat. Baby powder. I thought this one was gonna be awesome, too, or at least awesomely distinctive.

A regal, commanding scent, but poignant. White cedarwood, blue sage and bay leaf. In the imp: Bleh ... it reminds of Death of Autumn a little, in a bad way. On the skin: The "bleh" went away quickly, thank goodness. What I'm left with is ... wood, I guess. Maybe wood and a bit of sage. I cook a lot, though, and I'm not getting a clear "sage" or "bay" out of this one. I'm not getting "cedar," either, but I think that's 'cause I'm used to red cedar, cedar closet cedar. It smells like if cedar and pine had a baby and it mated with oak, if that makes any sense at all. But yeah, pretty much all I get is wood. I like wood, but this one smells a little too manly for me to want to wear.

Come, little statue-shifting Mario... In the bottle: Holy crap, what IS this??? It's one of those smells that triggers that little *ping* in the back of your brain, "hey, I've smelled this before, but I don't know where." Upon overenthusiastic oversniffing, I can pick out orange, yuzu and maybe plum blossom. Grrr, it's so familiar, and I can't place it.... On the skin: Mango? Yeah, I think that's what it was! It wasn't all that familiar to me 'cause I hate mango (not necessarily the smell ... I just won't eat them). Oddly, something about it makes me think "Chinese buffet," like this is what I'd smell at the cash register when I walk in or what might waft past me when a waitress walks by (or maybe what I'd smell over at the dessert bar, by the cut fruit). Drying: I'm starting to get some of the drier, less fruity components now. Bamboo, for one. Maybe some wisteria. I don't really smell the pine, but there's a hint of sharpness that could be it. There's a quality about it that's almost soapy -- not the scent itself, but that sort of back-of-the-throat part of the scent. Overall, it's not a bad scent, but I'm not sure I'll keep it.

Ooh, tasty! In the bottle, this smelled like honey layered over burnt sugar, like someone was making caramel and left it on the stove too long. On the skin, that burnt sugar has subsided a bit, and I can smell the almond and a hint of carnation peeking out, sort of like a honey-almond cake sitting on a table, freshly baked and cooling, with a small floral centerpiece on the other side of the table. ETA: Hey, here's a nice bonus -- I wore it to work, all day long, and I can still smell it now. A lot of scents I've tried would have faded to nothing by now. And I did eventually start picking up on the fig, but it's mostly honey and almond still.

In the imp: Clean leafy-ness, like a fresh, green leaf off a tree. Wet: Ooh, tantalizing. A little like soap, a little almost like citrus, like a faint orange-ness ... and a hint of wood in there, too. It's the kind of smell that should be soaking wet-feeling, like if being in a T-shirt and getting shot with a hose was a smell, but it's actually very warm instead, like a blanket. I can pick up the green tea in there, too, subtle and sweet. Drying: It really is very soapy, but not in a bad way, and sort of powdery, too. It's really bright, with hints of green tea and warming wood. I may have to try this one again -- it's pleasant, but I'm sort of on the fence about it. Then again, there's something about it that reminds me of Ivanushka, and that was another one where I liked it just alright, then it grew on me.

This smells tasty. And perfumey. It's like the antifreeze scent -- you know it's not food, but it smells sweet. First off, I got a red-orange scent, like oranges and berries. As it has dried, a vanilla-like note has emerged, though I know it can't be vanilla -- I'm guessing it's the interplay of orange and plumeria (though what is "sweet orange," anyway? Maybe it IS vanilla?). Overall, it's a pleasant, warm-sweet-orange sort of smell. I don't get a whole lot of floral, and I haven't gotten any of the smoke/wood smell that some others have gotten.

The first thing I noticed about this was a dryness to it, sort of a hollow, brittle smell that must be the pepper's influence. I thought from the description that this might end up flowery, but I think I'm getting the pepper, laurel and wood more than anything, with just a hint of sweetness laid over the top. Oddly enough, though, as it dries, it's taking on a new scent that I'm not sure is a great one to have wafting around me (total tmi) -- . I might have to give this another wearing to decide whether it's pleasant and maybe a little seductive or just a little too weird on me.

It's hard to describe this one, except to say that it's green, emerald green -- it smells like deep, dark, wet, green, like the inside of a cave in the jungle or, yes, a snake den. I'm not smelling any of the sweet and foody things in it, just dense, wet and green.

On first whiff, this one made me nervous, 'cause I instantly picked up the same note that's in Death of Autumn and Devil's Claw, the nasty one that makes me want to gag. But somehow, whatever it is mixes well with cinnamon, 'cause the cinnamon jumped out quickly and tamed this one on my skin, so it's actually interestingly spicy and not gross at all. Kudos for a complex, intriguing sort of blend. I don't know if I'll wear it often, but I'll definitely keep the imp around.

Leather? *sniffs arm again* Hey, maybe, yeah! Funny how sometimes, I don't really notice a scent until I read that I'm supposed to be looking for it. To me, this smells like tea, but not strongly, like a weak cup of tea with a little lemon juice in it -- not a candy-sweet lemongrass lemon, just a trace of it (which is awesome, 'cause every other scent with lemon I've tried so far has been overpoweringly lemony). It's a tea you might drink if you had a cold, a soothing tea without any honey in it. And yeah, now that I know to look for it, there is something slightly leathery about it, too. This is the first everyday sort of scent that I really, really like. I may need a bottle, 'cause I only have a half-imp right now.

In the imp: Frozen lemongrass, like a lemon Italian ice. Wet: Lemon Pledge. There's a fine line between "ooh, lemons!" and "oh, furniture polish." Drying: Still lemony. I wonder if I amp lemon? Maybe.

In the imp: Flowery in an old-lady's-bathroom sort of way. Wet: Geez, this really does smell like bathroom. It smells like toilet. It smells pretty awful. Bleargh. I gotta wash this off.

In the imp: Fruity, but in a bubble-gum sort of a way -- there's a sugary sweetness to it. Wet: It smells just like a gumball, oddly enough. Drying: Oh, hey, flowers? Flowery gumballs? I think it's the plumeria, trying to peek out around whatever odd reaction is making it smell like gumballs. I guess maybe my skin doesn't like this one so much. It's funny how spot-on it was in its impression of gumballs, though.

In the imp: Whoa, that's a waker-upper -- cold, very cold and minty. Wet: Tasty and gross at the same time -- minty, but eucalyptus-y, both candy and cold medicine. There's something herbal going on, too, sorta like an herbal tea. This'll wake you up, that's for sure. Drying: Very minty, but some of the yucky medicineyness (yeah, I made up a word) is gone. I kinda smell like a candy cane. I imagine that Lick It and its kin might smell kinda like this. I'm tempted to hang onto this one just in case I get a sinus cold.

In the imp: Grapefruit Wet: Very, very grapefruit (yuzu, I suppose), very citrusy and bright. Drying: Still nothing but grapefruit, which isn't bad, but it's not really my thing.

In the imp: Flowery, but in a cold sort of way, with a hint of honeysuckle peeking out. Wet: A cold, soapy sort of floral, reminiscent of shampoo. Drying: Eesh, this does seem soapy. It really smells an awful lot like shampoo or a bar of soap. I don't think this one likes me.

In the imp: Wine -- huge surprise there Wet: Hm, this is way less liquor-y than the last wine-y scent I tried. The last one I tried was all "ALCOHOL!", and this one's way more subtle and sweet. I can catch a whiff of the dandelion trying to poke through, too. Drying: Boy, this is really nice. It seems to be staying pretty true, too -- grapey wine, but sweet and tasty-smelling without the overpowering alcohol smell of actual wine, and with just a hint of dandelion.

In the imp: Banana -- not real bananas, but the fake-banana smell of banana-flavored candy. Wet: Geez, this makes me want to lick my arm. Sweet, fruity in a tropical way, but not like a mango (eew) kind of way. There's an odd sweetness in the background, too ... maybe the sugar cane. Seriously, this smells delicious. It's almost like fruit punch. Drying: It's gone to a more ... perfumy smell, is the best way I can put it. It's nice, though, still a pleasant, sweet smell, slightly fruity. I have a feeling that fruity smells are gonna be my thing.

In the imp: Palmolive -- totally dishsoap. Wet: Still very soapy, with a hint of rose. I'm starting to think that I amp rose; it seems like even in a jumble of stronger stuff, that's what I pick out the most. It's still just the barest hint, though; mostly, it's dishsoap. Drying: Bleargh. If I want to smell like dishsoap, I'll go wash dishes.

In the imp: Dark and slightly woody Wet: Cherrywood? It really does smell like a sweet wood. I expected this to be awful, really, but it isn't, not so far. It's intriguing and not bad. Drying: Wow, this one's an eye-opener -- I was positive I would hate it, but instead, I'm just fascinated. I don't think I love it, but I'm not sure. I definitely don't hate it. It's really opium-y, and I swear there's still a trace of fruit wood in there. It reminds me of Belle Epoque, but less sweet and with a cherry-like tone instead of orange-like.

In the imp: Fruity-sweet Wet: Weird. Sweet plus Play Doh? Mmm, nah, not quite Play Doh. Something floral that's not familiar to my nose, I think. It's not bad, but it's not great, either, whatever it is. Drying: A strengthening floral, the kind that insists upon itself, like "hey, notice me, I'm flowers!!" Meh.

In the imp: Sweet cherries, yum! Wet: Cherry and oddly intoxicating, with an undertone that's almost floral and a little Dr Pepper-y Drying: Geez, where'd it go? This one has mellowed out fast, and yeah, I am getting an almond-y tone. I don't smell the cherry at all anymore. Aw, drat ... next stop, Soapville. Darn.

This one's pretty nice and fairly constant. It started as baby powder, then powder with an interesting sweetness to it. For a little while, it sorta smelled like bathroom, like a scented toilet paper or a room spray you might use in the bathroom. Overall, it's a very soft, powdery smell, with a hint of almost vanilla-y sweetness in the background. There's no temptation to find another bottle, but it's a nice scent (and I probably won't trade the bottle away, 'cause it's too darn pretty).

My first impression: Holy crap, this is NASTY! I sniffed the bottle, and it was an overwhelming bitterness that actually climbed into the back of my throat and made it hard to breathe for a moment. Once I put it on, it continued to be overpoweringly bitter and harsh and just generally awful for almost two hours before it started to settle down. Now, it's finally calmed down and turned into something that yeah, it does kinda smell like old, wet leaves a bit, and there's even a hint of sweetness behind it. It's a lot better with wearing, but I don't know if it's worth putting up with that initial stench for two hours first.

This was one of those rarities that smelled the same, in the imp or dried on my skin. I've never actually smelled a martini, but this is what I imagine they might smell like -- to me, it smells sorta like a flat 7-Up. Not awful, but not great, either.