MeiLin

I've been putting off trying Clemence. Her first note, after all, is patchouli, and that has not worked out well for me among the Grindhouse ladies. And now that I've gone to write the review, the imp has gone missing! Not five minutes after retrieving it from the box for a refresher! I'll have to rely on memory and the scent remaining on my wrist, which is still strong. In the imp: A bright, not unpleasant patchouli, reminiscent of my days in Eugene long ago when patchouli was fresh and new. Wet: Peppery carnation! Clove and cardamom and patchouli, but peppery carnation foremost. Dry: The peppery edge has subsided, but is still present. I smell more of the cardamom, clove and tea over the top of the patchouli, softening it and making it more sophisticated. I like it, a lot. Someone remind me that I want to buy this when the time comes. Dang, I hope I find that imp before the dog eats it...

In the imp: Hm. Smells like a men's perfume I used to wear in the '80s. I can see the flask-like, frosted bottle but can't remember the name. Not very floral at all. Wet: Patchouli. sigh. Dry: Ah, here comes the sandalwood, very very dry and dusty. Oh! here we go! Bourbon vanilla! The orris root is coming out, too. Wow, this is interesting. I get an elegant gypsy librarian--there's something sophisticated, bohemian and bookish about it all at the same time. Especially if the elegant gypsy librarian was very androgynous. This is light, not a lot of throw. Sir says it's rather masculine, and that was my first impression as well; on the right guy it would be awesome sauce, and I have put this in Sir's box just to see what it smells like on him.

The Grindhouse ladies and me, we don't get along so well. They just seem to dislike my skin chemistry on contact, for some reason. Which is weird, considering how many sex scenes I write. You'd think professionals would have respect for that. But no. So far of all of them, only Eisheth Zenunim has graduated to potential bottle status. And yet I perservere, and so today I turn with apprehension and a strange sense of hope to Daiyu. Perhaps my hope springs from the tea and musk, or the acai berry, all of which do well on me. Perhaps it's because I hope Daiyu will overlook my very obvious Eurotrash origins, look kindly on my nom de plume and work with me. In the imp: Acai berry, then something a little like fennel--I'm thinking this is the chrysanthemum. Wet: Acai and chrysanthemum. Where's the jasmine? Dry: The musk comes up, and there's the jasmine, but the acai keeps things bright. Ooh, and there's the tea at the very back, adding a softer green. This is really nice, and the more time goes by the more everything blends. Sophisticated but not stuck up, and altogether happy. I don't know whether I'm happy or not! That makes nine potential CD bottles!

In the imp: No1 Daughter says it smells like marmalade. She's right; I smell the orange and then the amber right off the top. Wet: Lilac to the fore. Lilac doesn't always work on me, which is sad because they are one of my favorite flowers and I wait every spring for the neighborhood to burst out in them. This is a tricky stage for this scent. Dry: Amber, ambergris, orange and frankincense with a teeny whiff off the lilac, but so well-blended. The longer it sits on my skin the better it gets.

Oh, Marguerite. I had such hopes for you. After all, you are rose! Ylang ylang! Tuberose! Red sandalwood! You've got to be awesome, right? Sadly, no. First on, all I get is rose geranium and myrrh, which has killed more than one BPAL for me (Bilquis, I'm looking at you). Over time, you fade to rose headshop incense. And while that scent vividly conjures up a certain period in my youth in its entirety, that period sucked and makes me glad I'm an old lady now.

In the imp: A fruit merchant chased by a hippie. Wet: Really awful patchouli. Dry: Ah, more like it. The fruits come out and the patchouli lies down and makes a nice bed for the resins and woods. The raspberry is definitely the top note. This is all right, but it goes in the "keep" box, not the "buy" box.

In the imp: At first, a rich, sweet tropical floral and then a sharp patchouli. Wet: Wow, this is way different than I expected. Dry patchouli, almost bone-dry, with a whiff of Chinese restaurant--that's the only words I have for it. Dry: Soap. No1 and No2 like it but Sir has pronounced it soap and I rather concur. I think it's the orchid. Into the trade box.

In the imp: Overpoweringly sweet violet, to the point of melon. Wet: Did I mention this was sweet? A hint of herbal green peeks out. Dry: Almost disappears like its namesake, leaving behind a wisp of green violet. I smell no earthy or aquatic notes from the swamp mists and mushroom gases. This isn't bad, but it's not really me. Into the swap box.

In the imp: Benzoin, incense and something sweet, the dragon's blood resin one assumes (that's daemonorops). Wet: The same. Dry: Benzoin, dragon's blood, musk, incense. This is a dragon's blood I can wear. I tend to amp it so much that I can't wear it; it's overpowering. But with the musk and benzoin, and the smokiness from the incense, it's just at the level it should be. Sir says, "eh, it's okay." So we keep the imp but no bottle. Saved again.

Can't speak to scents but to stave off morning sickness in general, make sure you keep a little something on your stomach all the time. I kept crackers by my bed so that immediately on wakening I could eat a couple. It really helped. Ginger beer helps too; make sure it's REAL ginger beer or ale, not the commercial stuff. I recommend Reed's Jamaican, or Ginger People. Ginger People also makes a ginger candy that is helpful. Good luck and congrats!

I am hoping for apples and honey (oh gods, can someone please make me a tangy apple honey scent? I would BATHE in it). In the imp: Cream, and a scent that reminds me of something...it's elusive, and it's going to drive me nuts until I remember what it is, this little sharp "hook" of smell at the very top that I know I have smelled before in a very specific instance, and yet I can't quite grasp it...it was very long ago, early childhood, I think... Wet: Cream, honey, amber, caramel. Dry: Amber, cream, musk, here comes the teak. No apple blossom. Honey at the base. It's beautiful, but it reminds me of Glowing Vulva at Ryogoku Bridge, which I already have. The perfume, not the glowing vulva. And judging by Sir's reaction, this is one more imp to keep but not a bottle to buy. phew.

In the imp: A hit of Fig Newton, right off the top, followed by the orange and then the musk. Wet: The fig first, overshadowed by the myrrh, which I was afraid of; usually myrrh is too bitter on me. It's what ruined Bilquis for me. I can't smell anything over the fig and myrrh. Dry: Now I'm picking up a bitter herbal scent, the tarragon, I think. It's morphing a little sweeter as time goes by. It's so blended I can't tell what I'm smelling now, but overall the effect is not exciting. Hm. This isn't a "do not want," but I won't be putting it on the bottle list. If this had stayed as it was in the imp, fruity and dark, I would've loved it. Ah well. Later: In time the myrrh and tarragon faded and the fig, musk and orange came back, but faintly. It's nicer than the initial drydown, nice enough to keep the imp, but not nice enough for a bottle. It's a lovely perfume, and on the right person would be devastating.

In the imp: Cardamom and balsam. Wet: owie! My skin doesn't like something in this. Dry: Spicy woods, heavy on the balsam, sweetened by the hay and cardamom. This would go well on either a man or a woman. Sir doesn't like it, so that settles it.

OK, promising. I love all the notes. In the imp: Patchouli and caramel, a dirty, round, spicy scent. Wet: Tobacco, a lovely pipe tobacco. I love that smell. It reminds me of my grandpa, and I used to smoke a pipe myself way back when (can't anymore). Smells of Cavendish tobacco, lush and dark. Dry: Stays remarkably the same. Sir doesn't care for it because he doesn't like pipe tobacco. I LOVE pipe tobacco, but I can live with just the imp of this. So yay! a CD I don't have to buy! (Now watch, I'll change my mind once this is impossible to find. ah well.)

In the imp: Gah! Not at all what I expected. At first I couldn't pick out the individual notes; it was a big swamp o' spicy dirt. OK that makes no sense, but that's what it was. When I re-sniffed it after looking at the notes, I can smell the cassia and ginger, especially the ginger, right off the top. Wet: No Snake Oil at all--strictly cassia and ginger, then cinnamon. Too much! Do not like! Dry: Here comes the vanilla of the Snake Oil, finally. In the early stages of drydown, I had Sir sniff. "Oh, god, that's great! Cinnamon vanilla! Wow! I really like that!" sigh. I was hoping we wouldn't like this one. Into the purchase box, and then there were seven. I'm gonna hafta knock over a bank or sumpin.

In the imp: Sweet pea and vanilla. Wet: Amber initially, but the vanilla catches up since I amp it. Dry: Here comes the sandalwood. I get all the notes except the sweet pea, which is being swallowed by the vanilla, amber and sandalwood thanks to my chemistry. The sweet pea is still there; it's just far in the background. Into the purchase box.

In the imp: Buttery. Intensely foody. Wet: Darkly sweet. Sir said, "What's that smell? It smells like brown sugar in here." A slight nutty scent; in fact, a big hit of nut came at me and almost went almond on me. (Almond Is The Death Note.) It reminds me of some of the dark honeys, like buckwheat honey; that stuff is almost black, and tastes and smells just like it looks. Dry: A little spice, perhaps nutmeg? comes out, but it's still overwhelmingly brown sugar/honey with a little butter. I definitely get the milk, honey and cakes, but not much of the wine. I don't think this is bottleworthy (yet--I may change my mind), but it's a truly great foodie. I'm not sure if it's going in my box or into one of the little girl boxes (they each have their own now).

In the imp: Sassafras and oak leaf. Wet: Root beer barrels! Dry: This must be what Harry Potter's butterbeer smells like. It's a creamy, vanilla sassafras that would work on men and women. I absolutely love it and will insist on slathering Sir in some of it to see how it goes with him. See? The General Catalog holds wonders.

XXVI (26) in the imp: Something sweet but sharp, floral and a little berry. I get the dryer sheet thing #27 reported, a little--I know what she's talking about. Wet: Sweeter and tangier, rose perhaps, and something astringent--slight whiff of mint?! Definite mint. I smell teaberry gum! Dry: Still that teaberry gum smell--the rose is mostly gone, but a mint lingers, and something tangy and spicy. I can't decipher the notes. It's weird and I like it!

In the bottle: Chocolate! Light, bright chocolate, very sweet. I think the sweet is the honeysuckle and apple blossom. Wet: Chocolate! Really sexy chocolate! Dry: The chocolate evaporates over time, leaving a sweet, spicy scent. I smell the allspice especially, and the sandalwood (I amp sandalwood), the black tea, the tonka. I'm so glad I gambled on a bottle!

In the imp: Pine pitch and patchouli, maybe the resins. Wet: Patchouli and tobacco. Very resiny and there was a weird, sickening whiff of floor soap--I think the pine. Dry: Musk, vanilla, honey and tobacco. The resins and pine are gone and the patchouli has faded into the background. Sir likes it. The drydown is splendid, four of my favorite notes together. This could also be a man's scent, again, on the right guy.

In the imp: Tea, amber, musk, ambergris. Masculine but for the faint whiff of gardenia, and on the right guy that's not an issue. Wet: "That smells masculine," said Sir. The musk and amber are at the forefront, with a strong chrome tang. Dry: The gardenia, the tea, and the metallic tang of the chrome to the front, the musk and amber to the back. This is haunting and rather formal. I love it. I'll see what it's like in a few hours; I suspect it doesn't have much stay, though the gardenia guarantees throw, at least on me. I'm all about tea scents, and this is a lovely one, with the chrome sharpening the sweetness of the gardenia in a wicked way. The right guy could really kill with this one. This may join the "must have bottles" row.

In the imp: I'm not entirely sure what absinthe smells like, but I think that's what I'm smelling. It's herby, sharp, tangy. I smell the sugar and opium and the florals, but that tangy smell is predominant. Wet: An almost apple-like tang. Very pleasant. Dry: Sweet, very soft lilac and rose. The herbal tang is sadly gone. I like this, but I'm not going to get a bottle of it. If the tangy smell had stayed, I think I would have.

Juke Joint. It smells like a '40s juke joint. First you smell the mint, then there's this whiff of cigarettes--that first drag, when a cig is first lit and someone takes a drag, it smells SO GOOD and then of course it goes to hell, but you only get that first drag in Juke Joint. And then it goes to bourbon, and then it goes sweet and a little sweaty. It's amazing. And then Death Cap, my all-time weird BPAL. It is the forest floor, loamy, mushroomy and incredibly sexy. With my body chemistry it smells like raw sex to my husband, and I have to be careful when I wear it--seriously. It's a straight shot to his lizard brain, and I find myself in very compromising positions if I'm not careful.

In the imp: Bamboo, really sharp and sweet, almost sugar cane. Wet: Omigod, says Sir, smells like those fruit candycanes, the ones you bite into thinking they're peppermint and they're not? You're totally right, says me, I love those! Really? he says. I was always disappointed. A faint whiff of banana hits the nose. (wtf?) Dry: Woods over musk and vanilla. Bamboo almost gone. Possible bottle. I bet this is AWESOME aged.