Phaedra

This review is for the 2005 version. Wet this is simiar to Samhain- spicy fruits and flowers. When first on this is lightly sweet with maybe cactus pear or cactus blossom. After about ten minutes this develops into a lovely floral blend, warm and rich. I can't really pick out the chocolate or tobacco notes but I really love this! It dries down to a soft fruity blend. Wonderful!

This was a freebie from the Lab included in one of my recent orders. Wet this is butter and maple syrup- reminds me of pancakes- yum! When first on this is syrup and sweet brown sugar but also a bit sharp like burnt sugar or yeast? After 10 minutes it develops a spicy cinnamon undertone. After about 30-40 minutes, it has a musty smell- strange. This ends up being very similar to Miskatonic Univ. on me- sweet Irish coffee. This is an interesting blend but I don't get any chocolate or nutty notes. It's too cloyingly sweet on me. Oh well.

Wet this is sweet, warm, exotic. I smell a mixture of vanilla, amber and musk. When first on this is faintly warm and sensual. After a few minutes the coconut comes out. There's also a resinous element to the blend and the plum is coming out now too. This is a gorgeous blend!! It is complex and sensual and is another one of my favorites from the series- thank you Beth!!

Wet this is strong bubblegum and jasmine. When first on this is jasmine and a weird plastic note which fades quickly. This is mainly jasmine on me, a bit sharp and bitter too. Something in this makes me wrinkle my nose and almost stings my eyes. I’ve never had a reaction like that before. There is some fruit note in here too- apricot? This one is definately not for me.

Wet this is warm and almost a vanilla note, a bit powdery. When first on this is a very faint vanilla and smells a bit like frosting! Yum! It’s hard to pick out notes but it’s very soft and pretty. A bit foody which isn’t what I expected. After about 20 minutes it develops a lovely floral note- pansy? This is quite lovely but fades after about two hours. I’ll enjoy using the imp though.

Wet this is a very clean smelling citrus. When first on it smells like freesia, sweet pea or maybe lily of the valley. Reminds me of bathroom air freshener. After a couple of minutes it smells like grapefruit and becomes very soft with hardly any scent! This is a light, aquatic scent. Seems almost “business like” to me. This is not really my type of scent but would be a good everyday scent for people who like aquatics.

Wet this is floral and herbal. When first on this is lemony roses, wet and full. This becomes like a dusty potpourri. This is very faint and starts fading after a couple of hours. Reminds me of Lucy’s Kiss a little. This is nice but don’t need to keep it.

Wet this is sweet fruit and florals. When first on this is a soft rose with something warm underneath. Has a misty, dewy quality like Moon Rose. After 30 minutes a pear note develops too. This is a pretty, feminine. Nice but only lasts a couple of hours on me.

Wet this is coconut and sugar. When first on this is butter, cream and sugar After a couple of minutes it smells like hay- musty and dusty, like the sawdust on a midway of course! After about 30 minutes the sawdust note is gone and it is a lovely sweet blend. This softens into a wonderful sugar and vanilla. Delicious!! This one lives up to all the hype and is a must have for anyone who likes sweet foody blends.

Wet this is floral and earthy. When first on it’s a bit fruity and floral with some musk too. After a couple of minutes a honey note comes out- yum! There is a smokey note too. This develops into a lovely floral blend, rich and sensual. On the drydown it’s a soft honey/vanilla. Another winner from the series!!

Wet this is a blend of warm floral notes and possibly vanilla. When first on this is a well blended floral with a hint of red fruit or berry- red currant? This is sophisticated, feminine, upscale. This dries down to a nice vanilla. I’m not sure about this one because it has a generic perfume smell on me. I’ll have to try again and decide if I need to keep it or not.

Wet this is an earthy floral and maybe some patchouli. When first on it has a sharp floral tang and is a bit spicey. After a couple of mintues an almost coconut or nutty undertone develops. This note gets stronger and warmer and I think it’s tonka. This dries down to a lovely soft floral- really nice!

Wet this is sweet and sour, citrus and like men’s cologne. A rain or ozone scent. When first on it’s light and clean citrus mixed with rain. After a couple of minutes it becomes slightly powdery and warm and smells like a commercial perfume. This softens to a nice floral blend. I’m not sure if I’ll keep this one. It’s more aquatic than I thought it would be. I expected it to be more warm and ambery.

Wet this is chocolate, orange and sour fruits. When first on it smells like hazelnut, chocolate and orange. It’s also a bit misty. This turns powdery and sweet, similar to Kuntskammer. Then a floral note develops, rose maybe. This dries down to a soft floral. This is really nice! A bit foody, a bit sweet, and a bit floral all at once. Quite an interesting mix!

Wet this is very sweet orange, bubblegum and cotton candy. When first on it smells like sweet orange baby aspirin. After about five minutes a bitter note develops balancing the sweetness- a juicy blood red orange. This develops into a lovely floral! On the drydown it smells like orange creamsicles! This is a very happy, uplifting blend and one of my favorites of the series.

Wet this is spicey apples, cranberries and maybe currants with a hint of floral notes. When first on it’s light and spicey fruits. It feels like a deep red color and I think there is plum in here too. After a couple of minutes it is very spicey like Yankee Candle potpourri- very sweet. After 30 minutes the sweetness fades and it becomes a dusty floral. This fades after about three hours. This one was too spicey and sweet for me and I ended up selling it.

Wet this is a very strong, sweet white floral. When first on it’s citrus- lemon and lime together. This evaporates almost immediately leaving hardly any scent- strange. Smells like a green tea body oil spray I have. It makes me think of the colors green and white. This is okay but not really my type of scent.

Wet this is a mossy sweet floral with berry and cucumber maybe. When first on it’s floral with a hint of nuttiness- hazelnut maybe. This becomes a soft green floral blend similar to Beltane. This is pretty but is very light and only lasts a couple of hours on me. Would probably be good to wear in springtime.

Wet this smells like almond, coconut and fig- yum! When first on it smells the same but is sharper and crisper. Quickly an herbal/fresh leaf undertone develops. Smells alot like fresh cilantro and fresh figs (rather than dried figs). After 30 minutes it becomes a lovely floral mixed with a bit of pepper I think. This is gorgeous!! This is a warm, round, full bodied blend. I love the combination of the green herbal note in the beginning mixed with the earthy warm notes in the drydown. I definately need a bottle of this! Amazing job Beth.

Wet this is spicey, fruity and nutty. When first on it’s spicey cinnamon and fruits, very similar to Harvest Moon 2005. The sweetness fades after about two hours and it becomes dusty/powdery. This is okay but I thought it would be more exotic and less sweet.

Wet this is pure baby powder. When first on it’s a mix of baby powder and baby’s breath. After a couple of minutes violets start to come out. This stays pure violets on me. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep this one or not since my favorite violet blend right now is Ultraviolet. I’ll try this a couple more times and see if I really need to keep it.

Wet this is bitter orange and cherry, sharp. It smells the same when first on. This an aquatic springtime scent. The bitterness fades very quickly and there’s almost no scent left!? After a few minutes it starts to sweeten a bit and there’s a hint of pale green grapes in the background. After a few more minutes it becomes all grapes and is also powdery. Interesting but not really my type of scent.

Wet this is orange, honey and musk. When first on a bright orange note maybe even tangerine. There’s a slight powder underneath like baby aspirin. There’s also a hint of something green and herbal like pine or rosemary. This reminds me of O a bit because of the honey. After about ten minutes a strong floral note develops- jasmine maybe. This is really nice! Like a sophisticated perfume mixed with the sexiness and earthiness of O. There’s a really sexy honey/musk note in the background that adds warmth and depth to the blend. Gorgeous!! This would be a great nighttime scent. On the drydown it’s similar to Snake Charmer. Love it!

Wet this smells sharp, green, soapy, pine, woods. When first on it smells like Irish Spring soap!!?? Clean, green, herbal and a bit masculine. After a couple of minutes it sweetens a bit- clover? After about 30 minutes it smells like men’s soap or Zest- bleck! This is definately not for me. I thought it would be more dark, mysterious and incensey. Oh well.

Wet this is a wet, mossy floral with hints of violet. When first on it smells like violets with something else in the background- citrus? mint? powder? After about ten minutes this note fades and it’s pure violet! Really lovely. I think some men like this blend. Very nice blend for anyone who likes violets.