Lyrical

In vial: a heavy, resinous floral. Wet on skin: mmmmm I like opium! Orchid too. It's very dark - "heavy and oppressive" describes it well. But it's beautiful! Dry on skin: as it dries it develops a very realistic smoke note. It's very sexy, spicy and exotic! I still get a lot of orchid (cf Queen Mab) and opium. I think the smoke might be a bit too much for me, though, even though the rest of the scent is beautiful.

In vial: lavender and leather are a really unusual combination! It smells like a leather jacket that's had lavender flowers rubbed into it - with some bergamot and tonka. Wet on skin: lavender and leather with other good things. Masculine but pleasant. I could enjoy this on a man. Dry on skin: surprisingly good. I would never have ordered this, but I rather like it. A bit too masculine for me to wear much, but the leather balances the lavender perfectly, with lemon, bergamot and tonka playing along. It is sweet, creamy and fresh and perfectly blended, and thankfully I get no patchouli or anise.

In vial: woody, dry, herbal, and not as bad as you'd think! Like something from the health food shop. Wet on skin: mostly cedar, but quite round and smooth. Dry on skin: the same.

In the vial: quite strong and sharp but nice. Rum, vanilla, herbs. Wet on skin: sweet yet masculine. Within seconds of hitting my skin a strong, herbal note emerges. I also get something bitter and smoky - tobacco and brimstone? I can see why this is sought after, but I don't think it's for me. *waits for drydown* Dry on skin: ugh - this really doesn't work on me. The rum and vanilla have vanished, leaving bitter smoke and herbs. Not much throw.

In vial: I'm guessing Yuzu is a citrus fruit. This is odd in a tropical fruity kind of way. Wet on skin: very fruity - oriental fruit. Dry on skin: no change - straight up oriental fruit. Extremely short wear length - no more than a couple of hours.

In vial: hard to pick out notes, but it's kind of dry and spicy, a little sweet in a very dry way, herbal ... Wet on skin: dry, spicy ... then a sudden burst of Vicks! Then the Vicks recedes a little and it becomes more golden and rich. Dry on skin: OW! Stinging and a rash. Test aborted! People with sensitive skin beware!

In vial: like Snake Oil, only better. People tell me SO is sweet and vanilla-y, but I don't get that at all. Snake Charmer is sweet and vanilla-y, with a freshness in the bottle that I don't get on the skin. Wet on skin: sweet and resinous. I can detect the plum and coconut amidst a lot of musk, amber and vanilla. I like the wet stage. Dry on skin: as it dries it becomes much more like Snake Oil, although still sweeter. I'm not sure I like it, because it feels a little ... well ... unwashed! It's well out of my normal comfort range. I'll will keep it for further testing and to see if it ages well (which it ought to). I like it better now than I did when I ripped open the box and did a quick skin test while occupied with other things this afternoon. This has potential. In fact I'd say it's growing on me!

In vial: cheesecake and cupcakes, no less! Wet on skin: just what it says - plain cheesecake and cupcakes. Dry on skin: The cheesecake part vanishes, but it's a very yummy cake scent. I swear I got a hint of strawberry too. It's strawberry-flavoured buttercream icing! I put this on before bedtime and woke a couple of times to the most delicious smell ever! I was determined to order several back up bottles before this goes down. By morning I was getting a little tired of it, though. Buttercream icing is one of my favourite foods ever ... for the first three mouthfuls! So this hovers between BEST FOODY SCENT EVER and a cupcake that started out well but now the icing is too sickly sweet! Definitely a keeper, but I won't need more!

In imp: very cherry with something a little bitter and hollow lurking in the background. Wet on skin: very red cherries (not almond) and dark, dusty wood. Dry on skin: now it's more dark wood than cherries. Rich and brown and dusty. I like the cherry note, but the rosewood is too dusty and old-smelling - like antique wooden furniture.

In the vial: reminds me of Phantom Calliope without the cherries. I guess that would be the cardamom and patchouli. I can also smell lily of the valley (muguet) and sandalwood. It smells great, but I am convinced it will turn vile on my skin! Wet on skin: pretty at first - spicy, woody and sweet in a non-foody way. The florals brighten it without making it actually floral. Dry on skin: very dry and spicy. The patchouli stays well in the background and smells like patchouli should, rather than the way it normally reeks on my skin (yay!). This is all sweet, spicy cardamom over sandalwood, subtly brightened by mandarin and florals. It itches at first, though! This is much, much nicer than I expected! I would never have ordered it because of the patchouli, even though the other notes all look good, but I'll definitely try it a few more times now! It's Phantom Calliope without the cherries or the welts!

In imp: sweet, rich and golden. Wet on skin: hot, dry, dusty air and golden light! Quite "old fashioned perfumy". Dry on skin: mmmmmmmmmmm this is good stuff! There's a slightly floral edge emerging from underneath a golden, ambery, sandalwoody scent that smells like the sort of thing I might have found on my grandmother's dressing table - only nicer, because it's BPAL! This is what I hoped Jacob's Ladder would smell like!

In the vial: kelp, ambergris, seafoam (how do you make an accord out of seafoam?) ... I didn't expect to like this, but it's very fresh and watery, and just a bit salty, and also a light, pretty floral! Wet on skin: flowers and sea water! No monsters! Quite fresh and pretty, but still unusual. Dry on skin: still the same - fresh, pretty, a touch salty and watery.

In imp: rather nice, oriental jasmine-y floral. Wet on skin: jasmine hits my nose first, blended with plum (it really is white - who'd have thought it!), orchid and lilies. It's floral, but the plum adds depths and a little bitterness. Dry on skin: I like this surprisingly well! Or perhaps not so surprisingly, since it shares some notes with Kitsune Tsuki. The jasmine is there, but the fruity plum and smooth lily of the valley balance it out. Conclusion: although it wasn't as bad as I feared, this remains too jasmine-y for my taste. It's very pretty, though!

In vial: strong peppermint and sugar, but creamier than a candy cane. More like the sort of mint candy that melts in your mouth. Wet on skin: sweet and minty and creamy and much nicer than I expected! I don't normally get the impulse to lick my arm, even though I love foody scents, but this is the exception! Love it! Dry on skin: after 5 minutes there's a cool tingle on my skin, similar to the one I get from Grr! I wonder if this will sooth headaches too? Not much throw. Still very minty - spearmint rather than peppermint. I want more of this! I think it will be a perfect pick-me-up for hot summer days or any time I feel tired and grotty. It's also marvellous layered over Gelt - chocolate cookies with mint cream!

In vial: sweet, fresh, citrussy and pink. Wet on skin: immediately I get a pine note I couldn't detect in the imp. It's still both pink and citrussy, but pine dominates. Dry on skin: Oh wait - I recognise this! There's a note from Singing Moon here! Or perhaps it's the cool minty notes combining with the floral tones that are emerging. Citrus has all but gone. It's slightly odd, but not unpleasant. It's as if the notes clash and it goes muddy - like the water you dip your paintbrush in, where all the pretty colours end up as murky, nondescript mauve! I don't get snow from this at all!

In pipette: wonderfully soft - moonlit and apple-y. Wet on skin: lovely, subdued, fruity, musky floral, although I think there's some jasmine in there. I want more of this to test it better. The scent it's closest to is Kali. Dry on skin: it's just a little bit thin and sour. The apples are (cleverly) in the distance! It's not cold, but it does conjure up a sense of dust and moonlight.

In vial: so soft and gentle - neroli, peach and gardenia over a smooth base of vanilla, amber and cream. Can't wait to try this! Wet on skin: so very soft and sweet and creamy and light! Definitely neroli and peach with cream, amber and honey! The gardenia is faint. Fruity and delicious! Dry on skin: this becomes more complex, almost a little spicy. The orange and cream remind me of Zarita, but this is fresher and creamier and fruitier, with a gorgeous peach note as well as amber and honey. If you love O, Fae or Zarita you should try this. On me it's not floral at all.

In bottle: bright orange, mango, white musk and pale sandalwood. Wet on skin: tangy fruit (with the pith as well). Something spicy in the background - probably sandalwood. Something that reminds me of Whitechapel - a man could wear this. Dry on skin: soft, sweet, fruity and gently spicy. Very nicely balanced between orange, mango, musk and white sandalwood. The lab's white musk scents tend to be chilly, but this one is warm, creamy and smooth - I guess that's the white sandalwood. I like it! It's quite faint, though.

In imp: At first it's WOAH CEDAR! with balsam, then vanilla and the sassafras note from Stimulating Sassafras Strengther join in. Wet on skin: CEDAR! Almost immediately vanilla comes out to sweeten it, and it's rather nice. Dry on skin: sweet, woody, and a bit nose-tickling. It's nice! Then the sassafras note comes out, and I'm not sure whether I don't like it, or whether I just don't like what it does on my skin, but anyway - I've not yet tried a scent with sassafras that I want to keep! This is by far the best of the sassafras bunch, though! Strong, with lots of throw!

In imp: I sniff and sniff and smell ... smooth, floral darkness? It's kind of neutral, but I get something similar to lily of the valley - only smoother and darker. Wet on skin: reminds me very strongly of ... what? ... ah - Belle Époque! A little darker, but this smooth, woody lily of the valley scent with something slightly bitter behind it is very similar. Dry on skin: still like Belle Époque, but richer and darker. I think this could work well on a man. It also reminds me a little of Debauchery. This makes me pretty certain it has opium in it! Not half bad, although I don't see it becoming a favourite!

In imp: definitely cake, and honey and milk ... no wine. Wet on skin: very, very realistic cake, straight from the oven. Some milk and honey, but still no wine. So far so good! Dry on skin: it doesn't change at all as it dries, except for a currenty note that emerges underneath the cake, and reminds me of Eat Me. Nice!

In imp: fruity rum - although not tropical like the Tiki scents. Wet on skin: similar to Sugar Skull, but more syrupy and fruity, and also a bit buttery. Dry on skin: buttery rum caramel.

In bottle: pale, floral and watery, with a touch of ginger. Wet on skin: quite a sharp, aquatic floral, a little fruity, with a touch of ginger. Dry on skin: a strong floral, with a powerful throw. Perfumy - the sort of perfume that makes you gag if someone has too much on - not because it smells bad - it's actually lovely - but because it's kind of overpowering! After a while the floral elements fade into the background and ginger comes to the fore. It's still pale and pretty, but no longer offensively strong.

The ghostly White Women of the Scottish highlands. They seduce unwary travelers by night with their unearthly beauty and mesmerizing dancing. They engage their victims in a wild, hypnotic dance, and once they reach exhaustion, the demonesses exsanguinate their partners with their vampiric kiss. Talk about a quick courtship. Grapefruit, white tea, apple blossom and ginger. In bottle: I get mostly grapefruit and ginger. Wet on skin: lovely fresh grapefruit, softened by tea and apple, with a sliver of crystallised ginger. Very sharp and crisp - perfect for summer. Dry on skin: apple amps up a little and engages in a hypnotic dance with grapefruit, while tea and ginger watch, enthralled. This is a very white scent, and very fresh. It's faint at first, despite the liberal amount I spilled slathered over my arms - then it amps up nicely, sweet, fresh and grapefruity. I may well buy a bottle of this for next summer! Definitely one of the pleasantest citrus scents I've tried. I'm itching a little, though. Short wear length. 3 hours after application there's just a faint, pale fruity-floral note.

In imp: warm, tropical, creamy, fruity. Wet on skin: all of the above, plus rich and spicy. I'm not sure what persimmon smells like, but I can make out mango, coconut and pumpkin, while the myrrh darkens and grounds it. Dry on skin: this is nice but not amazing. Pumkin and coconut are the main notes, over a background of fruit and myrrh. It's well blended, warm and smooth. Not much throw, but perhaps I need to apply more. There's a note in here that I don't like very much, but I'm not sure what it is. Short wear length.