akiko

Imp: Dark. Probably the patchouli and/or vetiver. Wet: Patchouli, but not like the pot-smoker in the next dorm room. Dry: I'm getting more cedar, which is good. Not detecting much on the cinnamon end, unfortunately. All in all, I like it. I should try it on my SO.

I don't know which year this is. I got it in a swap, and the decanter didn't note on the label. Imp: Very subtle, nice incensey resiny blend. I got this one because it reminded me of Pit & the Pendulum, except very much less so, and I wanted to smell it on my husband. Wet: Still a nice blend of resins. This must share a note with Heavenly Love & Earthly Love, because there's the same note that makes me gag a bit. In this it fades off as it dries, which is good. Dry: Goes kind of powder/wax on me. On SO: Smells nice, and it doesn't get that gag note.

I like citrus. I like this Imp: Hello, grapefruit. And some bitter orangey stuff. Wet: Grapefruit & orange/tangerine Dry: Still identifiably grapefruit & citrus, but like someone above, I'm getting a bit more of the cherry blossom or something now. It's much softer and less aggressive. (About 45 minutes after application.)

This was the only frimp in my most recent order that I had any desire to try. (All the rest were floral and rose. Bleah.) Imp: I hardly smelled anything. Very faint something. Wet: Still very faint; I had to put a ton on before I could smell anything. Dry: This smells like B&BW mango mandarin body butter. After a while, more of the amber comes out, but it's still very mango-mandarin. It's pleasant, and I don't dislike it, but I don't really like it, either.

I'll second Bengal. I got Wrath because it sounded like a kicked-up Bengal, but to me it smells like fruity Big Red gum.

Yay, nice red musk. Red musk is my friend. Imp: Red musk and spices. Wet: Same, with a lot of the spice coming out Dry: Red musk. I can also get the spices if I hold my arm the right way.

Not too keen on this one, sadly. Imp: Nice, sweet almonds ... which I've learned means it won't work on me. Sadly, because I love that smell. Wet: Eugh. There's this sharp acrid smell, though it goes away as it dries. Dry: soft spices, but it doesn't last very long.

Imp: Cocoa. Smells good. Wet: Cocoa. Smells like Bliss. Please don't be just like Bliss, I don't need 2 cocoa SNs. Dry: Sandalwood and chocolate. I'm not sure whether to keep it filed in chocolates or move it to woody. It reminds me a lot of Tombstone, but I like it better than that.

Imp: I also got a hint of cherry out of this one, sort of a cherry-chocolate. Which was odd, because I didn't remember either of those on the list. Wet: HONEY! HONEY! HONEY! and maybe a little something else. Dry: The honey is mellowed out a bit, and it's got more vanilla to it. I can imagine amber in it, as well. Oddly, I amp amber like mad, but honey seems to beat it out here.

I've always liked Persephone's story, so I had to try this one. Imp: Very resinous, with a hint of red sweetness. Wet: Initially, there's a cloying sweetness, but that disappears within a minute, and it goes to a pomegranate-resin scent. Dry: I think I'm mostly getting amber, but there's a definite note of pomegranate to it. It blends well. This is about halfway between Fruit of Paradise and Mme Moriarty: the former is all fruit, the latter is mostly resin.

I tossed an imp of this into my last order, because of the amber. Glad I did Imp: incensey, ambery Wet: Goes through a mossy, citrusy/clean stage, then becomes incensey-clean Dry: softly resinous. I like it. I also attacked my husband with this, because I like the Pit & the Pendulum on him. On him, it doesn't get the citrus stage, and it goes to a sexy, soft resin or incense. It's a great unisex scent for resin lovers, much softer than P&P.

Mmmmm. Imp: Spices & chai Wet: Spices and some odd soft note that reminds me of Morocco. Please don't go all funky on me! Dry: All nice and chai. The note that was sticking out faded down or blended in, and it's all lovely.

This is what I wanted Wrath to smell like. Imp: cinnamon and something sweet Wet: cinnamon fruity Dry: Mostly cinnamon. I rather like it.

Imp: it's got that dark fruity tingly smell I associate with dragon's blood, and maybe also the cherry. Wet: Wow. This smells good. Still lightly fruity and spicy, and it's got good throw. I get whiffs of it as I move my arm. Dry: Light resiny smell with fruity in the background. I'm not sure if I can smell the cloves or not.

Imp: Fruity. At first sniff, plum, then something vaguely cherry (the amaretto). Wet: Wow, this is super fruity. Dry: Hmm, at one point, it goes through a fake-y candle-y smell, but mostly it winds up being a nice mixture of plum and amaretto. Probably currants, too. I can't find the wine in here.

Yay, other D*Cers! I've only been twice so far, but I'm going this year - got my room, but I haven't gotten around to getting my badge yet. I hear that there was a Meet n Sniff at the con last year... any thoughts for this year?

This is the first bottle I've bought unsniffed and unreviewed. I'm glad I did Bottle: French vanilla and something spicy, maybe. There's something not-sweet in the background. Wet: The not-sweet comes forward a bit more, and the creamy vanilla goes all yummy. Dry: French vanilla, like my current shower gel (ShiKai), but with an added something not-sweet. I'm guessing that's the saffron, since I have no idea what that smells like. I also predict this will be wildly popular. Edit, 2/6: Whoa, I got the mint other people talked about. It lasted about 30 seconds, then disappeared. Don't know if it's a hormonal variance in skin chemistry thing or what.

This is nice. I'd hesitated to try it because of the flowers part, but it's surprisingly not floral. Imp: perfumey linens and a touch of vanilla Wet: something stingy and acrid, with vanilla in the background Dry: Nice vanilla with a hint of flowers in the background. It reminds me of Dorian a little bit, except without the heavier elements.

I also got coconut from this. But my arch-nemesis, rose, doesn't make an appearance. Extremely unusual. Imp: Coconut? Wet: Acrid Coppertone. Dry: Vanilla and maybe musk. Very light and powdery. Not at all what I expected from the horrid acrid stage. And, surprisingly, NO ROSE. For me, this is a good thing, as I dislike florals.

Uh, OK... this smells like rose. Seriously. Imp: An unusual smell I can't place. Wet: Rose soap. No idea where that came from. Dry: Still rose soap. There must be some shared ingredients with Delphi, since that turns into rose on me, too.

I can't really describe what this smells like. Orchid, obviously, but that doesn't help, really. Imp: Floral but fruity-sweet Wet: same Dry: Very soft, sweet floral. Not FLORAL!!!! like jasmine or rose, but very subtle and nice. Definitely a floral for someone who hates florals (me.)

Rose is my nemesis, and I amp it like mad. And I turn it into fake-smelling soapy stuff. The result of this is not surprising. Imp: Pleasant. Reading the note list, I think I smelled some of the florals, softened by the lychee. Wet: Lemony. I rather like lemon, and it likes me. Then the rose starts to take over, unfortunately. Dry: Rose soap. Very expensive, all-natural, French-milled soap, but still rose. A nicer rose than Bess turned on me (that was my grandma's Rose Milk hand lotion), but still rose. I'll be passing this along.

Like so many others, this reminds me of Snake Oil. It's the lighter, younger cousin. Imp: dark & incensey. I'm guessing patchouli, since that's the note I can't quite identify that everyone else says is there. Wet: It's viscous and yellow-orange, like SO but not as dark. It definitely smells like Snake Oil. I'm not getting the orange blossom (which is weird; I amp florals like mad.) Dry: I agree with someone above; there's red musk in here. It's got this candy-fruit smell like in the other red musks I like, but it's got a background of incense. And, thankfully, not in a dirty hippie way.

I'm not sure what I think of this. Imp: Nice, musky, dark scent. Wet: WTF, rose? I don't think that's on the list. Definitely something floral. Bleh. Dry: Reading the note list while I sniff, I can get the honey a bit, and something powdery. There's still a floral note, but it's not overpowering. This could be a good "floral for people who hate florals."

Tweedledee! It's just so orangey and perky.