Lyrical

In imp: the glowing hearth is smoking and sooty! Underneath is something sweet and edible. Wet on skin: I had no idea this would be so smoky and gritty! It makes me think of Mr Nancy, which must be because it's smoky, sweet and boozy. Dry on skin: definitely related to Mr Nancy, and really rather yummy. I don't get stewed prunes or Scandinavian rice pudding, but it's a mix of smoke, sugar and sticky lemonade. Too smoky for me to wear outside the house, I think, but I like it a lot. Yes - if you love Mr Nancy, you must try this! Personally, I would like something exactly like this but with a lot less smoke and ash.

In imp: warm grapefruit, the sort that is pink inside. Complex and a little dusty. Wet on skin: citrus is usually a cool scent, but this is definitely warm. Pink grapefruit and yuzu with tropical flowers over a base of tonka. A hint of bitter pith and a touch of spice. I'm surprised there isn't ginger here. Dry on skin: possibly the nicest citrus-floral blend I've tried. I tend to like citrus perfume more in theory than in practice, but this is very pretty and I'd like to see how it ages. The drydown is smooth and sweet and I think I could really love this! Faded to almost nothing after a couple of hours. Second day slathering: this is very nice. It feels very pink-and-orange, and brighter than I would normally wear, but it's got a soft vanilla-ish base (tonka?) and it's very pretty.

In imp: warm citrus and garden flowers with a faint cool whiff of mint. Wet on skin: beautiful and unusual and very evocative of a garden at the end of summer. Dry on skin: this is actually stunning! Very warm and beautiful, with fresh citrus and real flowers not perfume notes named after flowers. Definitely wearable, although perhaps too unisex for me!

In imp: a soft, sweet, pale musky rosy perfume, perhaps similar in character to Under the Harvest Moon? Wet on skin: mmmm - definitely Oriental perfume, and of the best sort! It's not as rosy as I expected, but the musk is beautiful. Dry on skin: unfortunately, as the rose comes out, this gets a little soapy, but it's very posh soap!

In imp: sweet, earthy, and not quite flowers but vegetation. Wet on skin: poppy, flowers and moss, blending pleasantly together. Dry on skin: I can smell the peat now. It has a GC feel to it - maybe that's the poppy, which is still prominent. This is nice and very wearable, although it doesn't excite me. The far drydown is too masculine for me.

In imp: drinking chocolate, coffee, hazelnut and vanilla, in that order. No pumpkin yet. Wet on skin: a mix of buttery pumpkin and strong black coffee, with hazelnut and cocoa. Dry. There is no milk at all, so it's nothing like a latte to my nose. Dry on skin: dark, bitter coffee and cocoa, with ground hazelnut and vanilla. On the far drydown the vanilla is stronger and creamier and the latte comparison starts to make sense. I like this quite a lot, but probably not enough to wear much, especially since my husband hates the smell of coffee.

Pumpkin, almond, brown musk, and honey. In imp: lovely pumpkin (a la PPV07) with honey and almond over a slightly masculine musk. Wet on skin: a smooth, subtle blend with all the notes complementing each other - light brown and sweet. Cakey without being overly foody. Perfect! Dry on skin: I love pumpkin as a note, but often it's very "loud" and buttery and not the sort of thing I like to draw attention to myself by wearing in public (it's just for enjoying at home). However, this pumpkin is so muted by the honey and the other notes which are no longer identifiable individually - it's just the smoothest, gentlest, least buttery pumpkin scent I've tried. I love it! Short wear length. The downside is that it's slightly bland.

In imp: how odd! BPAL Sugar Cookie (which always smells of golden syrup to me) and puréed sweetcorn! Wet on skin: Sugar Cookie ... slightly burnt Sugar Cookie ... moving towards rancid Sugar Cookie ... Dry on skin: burnt Sugar Cookie. Shame.

In imp: almond essence cherry. Wet on skin: definitely cherry. Sweet and boozy like the inside of a cherry brandy liqueur chocolate (without the chocolate, obviously), ie sweeter than cherry liqueur. Dry on skin: the booze fades quickly and it dries down to a very sweet cherry ... something. I can't think of any candy that smells like this, because it's so juicy. I actually like this a lot. It gets softer and smoother as it fades, until the smell is a sweet pink haze of love! I think the wear length will be short, though. It's almost gone now.

In imp: acetone! Followed by ground nuts and sharp fruits. Wet on skin: nuts covered thickly in freshly applied nail polish! After the nail polish has dried (!) it's hazelnuts and apples. I can't detect blackberries, and unfortunately don't know what mulberries smell like and Google has failed to provide an adequate description of azaroles, but I'll assume that these are what I'm smelling behind the hazelnuts and apples. It reminds me a little of Harvest Moon 2006 without the dusty wheat. Dry on skin: not nearly as bad as the wet smell might indicate. It's very hedgerow-y, which is nice, and the fruits are just a little sharp. The nail polish is almost gone. I rather enjoy this!

In imp: very realistic nutmeg, ginger and clove, with beer, sweet warm milk and baked apples! It's very rare for me to be able to pick out each listed note as easily and clearly as that! Wet on skin: mmmmmmmm! So pretty! Baked apples and spice and cream - I can almost smell the raisins and brown sugar the apples are stuffed with, but that might be association! Dry on skin: so very yummy and autumnal and foody. Still baked apples and spice and cream and absolutely gorgeous! Must buy lots of this! With the milk note being so very creamy, it's actually an autumnal version of Agape, with the apples and cream warmed up by lovely spices. It's also one of the few spicy scents that doesn't irritate my skin - hurrah!

In imp: yuck! WTF was that? *tries again* Oh this is foul! A nasty, damp, smoking bonfire and stale booze! Wet on skin: oo-er - do I really want to do this? Slightly rubbery musk and sugar with the same acrid, choking bonfire smoke, which is definitely NOT in the distance! A bit like burning rubber tires soaked in Smut! Perhaps a man could wear this, but he'd probably be a man who didn't wash very often! Dry on skin: I have been curious about this scent for years, so I'm glad I got to try it, but I won't bother to test it a second time! I can see why some people might like it, but I don't.

In imp: Midway (Resurrected), the crunchy sugar from Velvet Unicorn, lovely vanilla and light cream (not the heavy cream from Love's Philosophy). Actually, it might be condensed milk rather than cream! Wet on skin: definitely the vanilla from Midway, with more sugar than cream. Light, sweet, delicate and really quite beautiful! Dry on skin: sugar, condensed milk and vanilla, over the smell of a white cotton pillow case billowing on the washing line on a sunny day. It's a bit too bland and sugary for me to adore, but it lasts a long time and the throw is pure cake!

In imp: roses, or maybe rosewater, and almonds and sweet profiteroles. Wet on skin: almonds and sugar, no wait - it's caramel ... and pastry. Sweet, foody yet also perfumy, and still with a hint of rosewater. Nice! Dry on skin: still an unusual mix of cake and perfume. Kind of caramel and almond flavoured rosewater! Surprisingly wearable! I like it! Oddly enough, on the drydown it's all sweet incense! This scent is nothing if not unexpected!

In the vial: this scent could only belong in the Mad Tea Party section! It's got that warm fruity-musky feeling that Tweedledum has, with all the notes blending together into something slightly absurd but very pleasant! Wet on skin: watermelon! Yay! A delicious mix of warm, juicy fruits over something that is indeed a woody, musky-weird base, although to my nose it has more wood than musk. Yum! Dry on skin: great throw! This is definitely not one that needs slathering! It's still the same warm, sweet fruitiness, with the woody, musky-weird base just grounding it nicely. Definitely in the same family as Tweedledum, but a little less like like bubble bath than Tweedledum was! A keeper!

In the vial: honeysuckle??? Really? Oh wait - it's pollen-dusted honey, and it really does smell like when you sniff a flower and get a dusting of pollen on your nose! I'm not sure about the other notes. Wet on skin: pollen-y flowers and honey. Very yellow and hedgerow-ish. Dry on skin: this has the sweet hedgerow feel of Mead Moon and the intense yellowness of Litha. Pollen is the strongest note, still giving the feel of sticking your nose into a bouquet of yellow flowers and getting pollen on your nose. On the far drydown it softens a little, but remains bright yellow pollen and sweet honey.

In the vial: melon, melon, melon, melon, lime, mint, grape! Very smooth and yummy. Wet on skin: candied melon first, then the other notes peek out. I get tea, and a little mint and lime. I have no idea what toadflax smells of. It remains smooth and sweet. Dry on skin: I like this. It's a very sweet melon and green tea juice drink. The other notes are very much in the background. It's a very comfortable, easy-going scent and it stays sweet on me. Short wear length - unfortunately!

In the vial: cedar and pistachio with mint and chocolate lurking in the background. So far so good, but I suspect it won't be very wearable. Reminds me of Velvet. Wet on skin: dry cedar at first, which soon moves over to make room for chocolate and mint. Like sweet, mint cream chocolate biscuits over a layer of sawdust! Dry on skin: mint, vanilla, sawdust and chocolate. No discernible pistachio or oakmoss. Pleasant.

In the vial: what does daisy smell like? I get carnation and sugar, but the imp doesn't tell me much. I need to try it on my skin. Wet on skin: peppery, pink and sweet - in that order. The sugar seems to be the white sugar lump type from Plastic Pink Flamingo. The daisy note is very realistic and takes me back to long summers of sitting in the school playing field making daisy chains in a gingham dress. As a perfume, though, I don't like it. Dry on skin: daisies and sugar and pepper oh my! An interesting concept but not for me.

In the vial: warm and creamy and fruity and spicy and goooooooooood! Wet on skin: spicy plum, slightly similar to Frumious Bandersnatch, but rounded out with other fruit. Quince is a type of apple, I believe, and this does smell apple-y. And the ginger is indeed black, adding a dark tang of spice to a mixed fruit jam type of scent. Dry on skin: good throw on this one! It smells a lot like the sort of jam I make when we have lots of apples and plums from the garden, and I add some ginger and cinnamon. The fruit is a little sour on my skin, but that's probably chemistry - I make most fruit notes sour. There is even a hint of autumn leaves. This is really nice, but not as good as Samhain for a foody autumn scent, so I won't be getting a bottle.

In the vial: dark, perfumy, exotic, with a salty tang underneath. I get moss and resins and currant and bright gardenia. Wet on skin: salty - oh no, what is that note? Vetiver? NOOOOOOOOOOOO! It's all vetiver! Dry on skin: still mostly vetiver, which is one of my notes of Doom! Underneath there is a soft sweetness which suggests this would be a beautiful scent on someone who doesn't amp vetiver, but also a little slimy saltiness. I'll let it age for a bit and see if that helps.

In the vial: a creamy vanilla (similar to Detestable Putrescence) lightened considerably by fresh chamomile and a definite wisp of smoke. It comes in a cool blue velvet drawstring bag. Wet on skin: a curious mixture of vanilla and chamomile, no longer smoky. Definitely wearable so far. Sensuous! The chamomile is more floral than herbal - perhaps chamomile flowers? Dry on skin: close to the skin indeed! I like that, actually. This is a scent that is just for me, not for sharing! I can't quite place what it reminds me of, but it's definitely a smoky, herbal, very slightly boozy, sensual vanilla. I'm glad I went for a bottle unsniffed! Very short wear length, but that might improve if I apply it more liberally.

In the vial: sweet, pretty and complex. Vanilla, rose and lavender are evident, but so smoothly blended that they hardly seem like separate notes. It reminds me just a little of Symakkhia, but is much less powdery. Wet on skin: *has a scentgasm* It is a deeper, darker, warmer Symmakhia, with a magical extra note that can only be the wild crimson leaves! Why did this take so long to get here - I'd have ordered multiple bottles if I knew it would be this good! The throw is good too! This is so bloody fantastic it just shot straight into my top 5! Dry on skin: the rose becomes a little more prominent, but it's still very smoothly blended with the other notes. I can't get over what a stroke of genius it was to combine sweet florals with crisp autumn leaves! This is unique and beautiful and I'm thrilled to own a bottle! And because of the tremendous throw it has, I can apply it sparingly and the bottle should last a long time!

In vial: mmmmmmmmmmmmm! Warm citrus! Definitely grapefruit, but not sharp or acidic - very soft, warm and enticing. Reminds me of Croquet in Mad Tea Party. Wet on skin: fresh grapefruit and soft powder. Warm, elegant and musky. A little pith underneath, and some gentle floral notes. Dry on skin: a soft, pretty mishmash of floral and citrus notes, including a bitter twist of pith, but not at all sharp - more like candied grapefruit peal in lots of powdered sugar, or perhaps a good marmalade. Very good throw! I want more of this. After a couple more tests: I do like this, but probably not quite enough for a bottle. Short wear length too.

In vial: smooth, rich, sweet and powdery. Violet? Orris root? White musk, I think, and some iris. It reminds me strongly of Black Pearl, Blood Pearl and Florence. Wet on skin: pale, sugary musk. Perhaps a hint of fruit? The pale, sweet, powdery musk is similar to Alien Invasion. Dry on skin: very sweet, powdery, pearlescent musk. Definitely similar to Black Pearl, Blood Pearl and Florence. Pleasant, but it's not wowing me. No throw at all. Short wear length.