akiko

Bottle: MMMM, coffee. And Bailey's. Yum. No musty book smell, though. Wet: COFFEE! Dry: COFFEE! Now if only it were caffeinated. I smell like coffee. That makes me really happy.

Going from the description, I had no idea what this could smell like, so I put it on my list of 'things to sniff at Will Call.' I did, and bought a bottle. Bottle: astringent, spices, very light floral. I can't discern any particulars, except that they remind me of Morocco. Wet: Complex of spices with an astringent tone. A hint of floral, perhaps. Dry: Mainly dry spices (cinnamon? cassia?) and a light floral (carnation?). Maybe some musk? Normally, florals don't work on me (rose turns into nasty fake rose hand lotion, for example), but whatever is in this works on me. Probably because floral isn't the primary here, but the spices are. Edit, 4 pm: Sandalwood makes an appearance late in the game. Nice.

I picked up a bottle of the 07 at Will Call in November. When I sniffed the bottle, it was sort of 'meh,' piney with some spices, but once I put it on, my opinion changed entirely. Wet: I swear there's some honey in here, though it's not on the list. It could be in the mullein, I suppose? Dry: Honey and spices, with a hint of pine. It's a very autumn scent, or even Christmasy, as it recalls mulled wine.

I picked up a decant of this through the forum. Imp: resiny, kind of like a lighter version of Pit & Pendulum. (Much lighter.) Wet: Incense, resin, and musk, with a too-brief stage that involved cinnamon. Dry: Musky resinous incense. I can't discern any particular notes (not that I know what half of them smell like anyway) to elaborate further, but I like it. It blends well, and it's still reminiscent of P&P, except much friendlier. Why do you have to be a limited edition? I may have to track you down.

I sniffed this at Will Call, and bought a bottle. Bottle: Vanilla tea, plus something dark. Wet: This is extremely complex! I can't discern any particular notes, but I like it a lot. Dry: Vanilla musk. Very nice. Edited to note: When I woke up the following morning, I could still smell Dorian on my wrist. Excellent staying-power -- the longest I've had so far, I think.

I had no idea what that would smell like, so I had to test it at will call last month. I liked it so much I bought a bottle. Bottle: Fruity and spice, probably the mulled wine. This is what I wish red wine tasted like. Wet: Changes a lot. Goes through a phase of smelling like cinnamon bubblegum (like Big Red chewed with Dubble Bubble, or Big Red soda, which is not-bubblegum.) Dry: Something sweet and something spicy, which I can't quite define. Could be the mulled wine, could be the dragon's blood resin.

This was on my list of things to test at will call. I bought a bottle. Bottle: Very light, vaguely cologney, greenish. Wet: More green (sage, probably). Dry: There are the berries I remember, and a hint of musk. Still pleasantly fruity without smelling like a basket of fruit.

Imp: Bitter orange (which is how kumquats smell to me.) Wet: still bitter orange, with a vague floral, and some pepper coming out Dry: Not as bitter, still orange/kumquat, and a dash of pepper. I'm not sure I smell the tea, but I don't know quite what it should smell like, either.

When I first got this a week or two ago, I sniffed it straight out of the mailbox. I didn't much care for it. Now, it's much nicer. Imp: incensey Wet: changes a lot - goes from incensey to vaguely floral to vanilla with some incense. Dry: Definitely vanilla, with something else under it. Lightly musky or incensey. I like it.

Imp: lemony fresh, very clean Wet: lemony, lightly floral, sort of sweet (honeysuckle?) Dry: musky lemon? maybe that's the green tea. It's definitely like Phobos and/or Embalming Fluid's cousin.

Imp: cherries. Wet: cherries, a little anise, and maybe sandalwood. Dry: Oddly, smells like musky cherry. I like it, though.

A frimp in my first lab order. Imp: This smells like cherry coke. I don't know where it comes from, either. Wet: This smells fizzy. I don't know how perfume can smell fizzy, but this does. Dry: It's starting to grow on me, I suppose. It reminds me of War, except fruitier and without the kick. I like it well enough not to trade it away, but not enough to buy a bottle.

Imp: Nutella, with a touch of something else I can't identify. Wet: NUTELLA! with praline undertones Dry: Pralines. I wish it kept smelling like Nutella, but pralines are good too.

Imp: Sharply lavender, with definite green Wet: floral (lavender, probably), with still green. can't really differentiate particulars. Dry: light lavender, something green. Mostly lavender, though.

Imp: citrusy with a weird perfume smell behind it Wet: clean, fresh, and light, definitely citrusy. Dry: citrus-musk-clean. It's kind of like Phobos' friendlier cousin.

I got this as a freebie from the forum - thanks! Imp: Whoa, this is strong. Dark, musky, incensey. Wet (tried on my SO): Mmm, musk. Dry: I like it on him. It's a very masculine scent, with insane throw.

Another recommendation for my first order. Imp: Perfume? Maybe that's the clean linen. Something a touch sweet. Wet: Floral? What on earth? There's no jasmine in this. Dry: I think I still smell the clean linen mostly, with a hint of the spices there. When I sniffed it at Will Call, the (presumably) aged bottle smelled different - more spicy I think - so maybe I just need to let this one age a bit.

I got this in my first order, on the recommendation of a friend. Imp: Cake. Definitely cake. Wet: Vanilla, sweet, cake, yum. Dry: There are the currants, peeking out from the vanilla. Verdict: Edible.

Lab-fresh imp. Imp: When I first got it, it smelled like chocolate-covered cherries. Today it smelled more like cherry syrup. Wet: Chocolate-covered cherries, with a stage that was cherry blossom. Dry: Subtle chocolate-covered cherries, with a hint of orange blossom. I like it.

A shot of pure, self-indulgent euphoria! A scent that is very, very wicked in its own way: the serotonin-slathered scent of pure milk chocolate. Frimp from the lab in my first order (in which I bought imps of Gluttony and Vice. The lab is smart, I tell you.) Imp: Holy cocoa, Batman! Wet: Cocoa! Dry: If you said, "cocoa," you'd be right. My SO kept finding excuses to sniff my wrist. Mmmm. Cocoa.

Another imp fresh from the lab. Imp: This smells so good. If Morocco is Silk Road minus the desert, this is Silk Road plus honey. Wet: Nice and spicy, but definitely a honey to it. (I'd forgotten it was there until I stuck my arm under my SO's nose and he said "Is this the one you had yesterday with the honey?" [Athens]) Dry: Very soft, light scent. Still spicy, lost the honey. I rather like this one as well.

This is from my first order, fresh imp from the lab. Imp: Wow, this reminds me of Silk Road, but softer, or something. Spicy and warm. Wet: Floral? Where do you come from? Please go away. Dry: It's still similar to SR, but not at all. It's got a darker note to it, and more musk I think. Definitely a winner.

I got this as a frimp in my first order. Imp: cake. Sweet, vanilla, white cake. Wet: vanilla, something dark, and flowers coming up. I'm nervous, because I don't like florals, and my skin amps them like mad. Dry: Ooh, nice. It blends well, and the flowers aren't screaming at me. It smells like vanilla, amber, and musk, with just the hint of flowers. No sea moss, which is OK because I don't like aquatics, either.

I got a frimp labeled Delphi from the lab. All I can smell in it is roses. There's no rose listed in the description, but a few other reviewers smelled a mystery rose. Could it be mislabeled?

A frimp from the lab in my first order. I'd been afraid of it, because of the "sweet flowers" in the description, but it's surprisingly not headache-inducing. Imp: Honey with a hint of incense Wet: Same, but there's something that smells like cars. Weird, but it makes me think of modern Athens, choked with cars. Dry: Ooh, nice. Mainly incense, but there's a touch of honey sweetness. I like this one, and it may be vying for the "get a bottle" list.