MeiLin

*timidly raising hand* There's also the platform-agnostic Perfoom.com, which could use some helping hands in entering all the scents. We're up to almost 1500 in the database, most BPAL but some other etailers, too.

My bathroom still smells of this. I don't mind. It is as described on tin, more orange blossom than honey, and is lovely. I'm happy to own a bottle.

I am beginning to wonder if cassia works on me, because this didn't and it was the cassia what done it, I'm thinking. It gave a stevia-like edge to the proceedings, rather like that horrid Seattle Market orange spice tea that everyone but me adores. GODS I hate that stuff.

Baby powder. A nice baby powder, but jeebus.

Even putting one or two in now and again is a help, if you can (that goes out to anyone). That's what I do when I have a spare 5 minutes.

Thanks!

The database at Perfoom has been updated to add the Black Helicopters. We still need help getting all of the GC and past LEs in there.

Patchouli is iffy and not one of Sir's faves, and I like vetiver. In the decant: Hey man, it's the 60s in a bottle! Wet: Patchouli, lighter and yet aggressive--a psychedelic purple rather than turgid and dark purple (I always think of patchouli as purple, don't ask me why.) Then vetiver. Teeny bit of white pepper. I never get much pepper. Dry: Vetiver to the forefront, still much patchouli. Teeny bits of both the grapefruit and pepper. I'm betting this settles down into a mainly vetiver on a bed of patchouli. Verdict: Eh. Patchouli. Whatever. Though it does match my outfit; my Inner Stevie is running rampant today.

Vanilla, star anise, cherry blossom, peony, violet leaf, and neroli. Vanilla of course is love. I kinda like star anise, as long as I don't have to eat it. In the decant: Vanilla and violet, cherry blossom. A little star anise coming up, and a sort of honey accord. Wet: Vanilla and star anise, star anise and vanilla, and then pretty much star anise. Dry: The vanilla comes back. Now I'm getting the violet and cherry blossom a little too, some neroli; I'm betting that as it dries, more of the flowers will emerge. Verdict: This settled down into a really interesting sweet anise scent. I rather like it; it reminds me of the wild anise that used to grow all over the peninsula where I grew up. Ooh, now I want to write about that place. What a love-hate relationship.

In the decant: A bitter wood--the myrrh and wenge, I think--softened, the tobacco underneath. Interesting. Wet: Myrrh, boosted by the wenge, and rose geranium. Tobacco base. It's an odd scent; I don't quite know how to describe it, or whether I like it. The rose geranium is integrated into it, at least, rather than amping all out of control. Dry: The drier it gets, the more bitter. It stays close to the skin. Verdict: Nah. Bitter doesn't work on me. I'm more of a sweet scent person (awwww).

In the decant: Sweet wine. Yummy. Wet: Almost a coconut. Warm. The beeswax and wine predominant, which I think is where I'm getting the coconut accord. A great deal of throw. Dry: Mostly beeswax with sweet wine. As it dries, the rose petals come up, but they're not amping like they usually do. Definitely a dried rose. The frankincense is way at the back, but it's there. Verdict: Nice. Maybe a partial; maybe the decant is enough. Not sure.

In the decant: Sharp decay, as opposed to the warm earthiness of Death Cap. Hmmmm. Wet: The herbs are predominant, then a smell of decayed wood. Lemon balmy, perhaps? It's the sweeter sort of decay, not the earthy kind. It reminds me of that Literary Vampire that smells like flesh, without the horrid sweetness of that rot note. Dry: Light, a little lemony, undistinguished. Verdict: If you like Dirty, you'll probably like this. It's not to my taste.

Foodies can go either way. I really want to eat this description more than anything, and that often bodes poorly. In the decant: Yummy dark chocolate, then booze. Really nice chocolate note. Wet: Chocolate and cognac. Suddenly I want some kind of creme de cacao and cognac cocktail. That actually sounds disgusting when I write it out, but it smells good! Dry: Slightly boozy chocolate. Verdict: It's a nice chocolate note, but I've got a bajillion chocolates. It just doesn't stand out enough.

A little nervous about the jasmine and rose. I can amp them both, especially the jasmine, and jasmine's just death on me however much I love to smell it elsewhere. (Jasmine bushes, jasmine tea--both beloved.) In the imp: A sweet initial hit, then a strong green moss with some astringency that I think is the tea. Wet: The moss and vetiver are sharp and immediately at the top, then nectarine and roses. Here comes the jasmine. Uh oh. Yeah, this is not developing well. No 1 Daughter just said it was nice, but I remain unconvinced. Dry: Nah. The oakmoss and sandalwood are not playing nice with the rose and jasmine. It smells just...weird. Verdict: Eh, especially with Unveiled on the other wrist. OMG. Unveiled. Om nom nom.

Anything with vanilla or amber is usually a "go" for me, so here's hopin'. In the imp: Getting a scent memory. There's something ylang-ylang-ish. I think it's the peach, lotus and vanilla making an accord. Wet: Ylang ylang, which is not a listed note. I think the peach is faking me out, as the longer it sits, the more peach I smell. In fact, all I'm getting is peach with a little amber and vanilla. No mandarin, no redbush (rooibos), no myrrh. Oh wait, here comes some mandarin. Brightens the whole thing up, takes it out of too-sweet territory, where it was hovering. Dry: OH WOW. The redbush has kicked in and adds a bright clover honey-ish note. Oh, I'm in love! Lively but not busy, sweet but not cloying. Verdict: First winner. Partial for sure.

In the decant: They used Comet Cleanser in classical Japan?! Wet: The bleachy smell disappears. Now I'm getting the citrus, a little blackberry...no, the Comet is still there. Dry: The musks are coming out, but this still has an unpleasant cleaner-ish tinge that I don't think I'm going to get over. Verdict: I'm going to let it sit for a little while and try later. I did just get this packet and everything needs time to settle, perhaps. Of course, my not liking it means Sir likes it...

In the imp: WHOA LIKE MANLY. Manly men! Manly men in raw leather! Just this close to Tom of Finland manly men! Wet: Oh I want the man this smell belongs to. New leather, wood, tobacco. No cognac has appeared. So far this reminds me of a more butch Brom Bones. And I bet you thought that wasn't possible. Dry: As it dries, the cognac starts to emerge and it mellows. I would say "softens," but this is a MANLY MAN! No softening! There's more tobacco, and something almost bookish--I think it's the tobacco, wood and leather combining to smell like a well-bound book. Verdict: This might need a little sweet to work well on me, but I'm not sure. I definitely want it on Sir for a sniff test.

GELT GELT GELT!!! One of my all time faves.

In the decant: Very sharp floral, the plumeria, lily of the valley and gardenia predominant, coming out rather aquatic. Oh dear. Aquatic = no. Wet: Flat 7-Up. No, srsly. Sickly sweet aquatic. Double oh dear. Dry: Aquatic with a faint gardenia and fainter sandalwood afternote. Fail to the point that I'll wash it off.

Yikes, the poem that goes with this is creepy enough that I don't like it already! In the decant: Oh dear. It's a tropical. I like tropicals. Lovely tuberose and pikaki, lightened with grapefruit. Someone else said it was reminiscent of the Tikis, and I agree, until... Wet: Nope. This is a very sinister smell. Pink, lank and warm indeed. Something about it sets my teeth on edge. It reminds me of Sarah from the Literary Vampire series--just a bit too loyal to its theme. *shudder* Dry: Tikis + Literary Vampires = this. Just--no.

I grew up in SoCal, so I thankfully do not know this feeling. In the decant: Agh, that cologny "snow" note that does not play nice with my chemistry. Wet: Moss and the snow note. Do not like. Dry: Freshly dry-cleaned clothes, and something else--something edible--that I almost get and then slips away from me. Ah, the vagaries of scent memory. Edit: Fried chicken! I swear, KFC. A brief hit of KFC.

In the decant: Orris and very sweet pear. Wet: The juniper comes out but it's still mostly orris and pear. No, make that mostly pear. Dry: The pear fades. I'm smelling the mugwort, and I don't really care for mugwort. It is shimmery, silvery, luminescent--very good interpretation of the theme--but on me, a little too old.

In the decant: Carnation STEMS. Not the flowers, the stems. Weird. We went through a thing my freshman year in high school where a common gift among my set was a small bouquet of carnations. Which we would then EAT. They were actually unexpectedly delicious. Anyway, I know what carnation stems smell like, and this is them. Wet: The stems are joined by the spicy petals, but it's still very green stemmy. Dry: The green is fading. This is a "dark" carnation, not the bright, sprightly carnation you may be used to. There's the spice, but then there's a musk, possbly a little sandalwood--something that darkens the usual carnation "sparkle." It's very pretty, and I understand why it's sought after, but I'm not sure I want a bottle.

Well crippety. If I'd known this existed I wouldn't have made my own. ah well...

The only note in this that causes serious concern is the heliotrope, which goes very soapy on me. In the decant: Very sunny. The citruses and frangipani. Smells like early summer to me. Wet: This reminds me of last year's Weenie Huesos de Santo without the cream. Mixed citrus, tart hibiscus, orange blossom and frangipani. I have to get right up on it. Dry: Hibiscus first, then tangerine, then the flowers. This reminds me of the Atomic Tikis from 2008, I think from the hibiscus and frangipani. It has a very faint throw; I have to seriously huff. But the scent is indeed the sun triumphant. Its scent says, "never fear, winter always ends." I just wish it were stronger. Not a bottle.