scourgeotheseas

Apple Blossom - from the Single Note swap circle. I've never been in an apple orchard, so have nothing to compare this to... In the bottle: A sweet, fresh floral plus a hint of alcohol - like a white wine. On me: Wow! Strong, sweet, slightly green floral. Kind of a soapy undertone right now. This is one ultrastrong note. Kind of smells like air freshener. Drydown: It's getting greener as it dries, and sharper. I guess I thought apple blossom would have a hint of apple, but nope. Not at all. This is a spring or summer note. I would certainly wear oils that have this note in it, but it would need to be moderated and "toned down" in the blend.

For the Romans - Delphi, Heteraie (or whatever), and Athens. Disney? The Dormouse, of course. But somebody else already said that...

Endymion In the bottle: Pear with a tinge of lily of the valley. On me/wet: Aaaagh! Lily of the valley assault! I begin to smell the pear note underneath, trying to get out. But I associate lily with soap, and I feel kind of soapy. Drydown: Ah, it's starting to fade and the rose is coming out. Getting better... Except, all of a sudden I smell like lemon. Rose and lemon. So after a while, it's mostly rose, the pear disappeared completely, and the lily of the valley is lurking in the background, impatiently scratching at the door. I get no musk at all, though. This one had little staying power on me...

Bathsheba In the bottle: Yup, dept store perfume counter! A hint of plum, but mainly just generic flower. On me/wet: Carnation, first off! Spicy, kind of dry. Then magically, plum starts coming in, and the two of then meld into a sweet, spicy, kind of craft store scent. Almost powdery, but not. Drydown: Although I love Bordello, I didn't really like the plum note in Midwinter's Eve. This smells like ME to me, where I feel like I'm standing inside a Michael's. I like the spicy kick to this one, but the plum is just to cloyingly sweet. I'll stick with my Bordello, thanks.

Milk Moon - acquired in a swap with emzebel. Thanks! In the bottle: Chaste Moon plus sweetened condensed milk. On me/wet: The first hit is definitely sweetened condensed milk, rolling off my skin in a wave of creamy sweetness. When my mom smelled my wrist, she got coconut, but I don't smell that at all - just the creamy milk note. Drydown: The sweet milky note stays very constant and doesn't seem to morph, although it might have gotten even a bit sweeter. Unlike many of the other Moon oils, I barely notice the "traditional lunar oils". So, the scent of sweetened condensed milk. I like it, but don't see myself actually wearing it all. Glad I got an imp, but not unhappy I missed a bottle. Although it is intriguing enough to make me continually sniff my wrist, so I may have to re-evaluate.

Dirty - emzebel passed this on to me, 'cuz she loves me!! In the bottle: I can barely smell anything in the vial, but I get a whiff of laundry detergent, and maybe cucumber. On me/wet: At first it does smell of dryer sheets, or laundry detergent, but it rapidly turns into a sweet aquatic note mixed with cucumber(?) and a soft, wispy floral. Drydown: For such a light feeling to all the notes, this is actually quite a strong scent with some decent throw. As it dries, aquatic and florals combine into a soapy note, which I don't love as much. However, it does smell very fresh and clean. Well, either I'd apply less next time or layer it with another scent, because it is really overpowering on me. However, it is light and summery, and very pretty. Plus, it's got a great name!

Golden Priapus - a gift imp from Black Broom! Well, it just smelled fantastic on my male labmate next door, so my boy will have to try it on, too. But me first. In the bottle: Pine and juniper, with a smoky undertone. I don't really like pine or juniper. On me/wet: Ack! Juniper! I'll hold my nose away and wait for you to dissipate! And it did - replaced by a warm mixture of vanilla and light pine. Kind of like holding a freshly baked cake underneath a pine tree. Wow! the vanilla is really starting to come out now, and it's really enjoyable (and wafting from my elbow to my nose quite nicely). Drydown: It's getting sweeter and a bit powdery - I think the amber is coming more to the forefront. I'm getting serious Christmas associations with this - I think the pine and baking combo is to blame! Overall, this scent is too piney for me to wear on a regular basis, but I'm definitely going to try it on the manthing and see if he digs it.

Chesed - from a swap with Muppetk. In the bottle: Light wood with a touch of sweet fruit. On me/wet: The first dominant note is wood, although I'm not so familiar that I can positively identify it. However, there is a sweet, fruity tang beneath the wood, (hopefully) waiting to jump out. Drydown: This would be fantastic for someone who really likes a strong light or red wood note. It's very pretty, and on me there is an underlying sweetness, maybe that of a fruitwood. A lovely blend, however, I'm not a woodsy kind of girl.

Succor - from a swap with Muppetk. In the bottle: Green olives and resin. On me/wet: I'm surprised to admit that this does smell like green olives, but it does! This is also a strong hit of resins behind it - dry and woodsy. This is a hillside in the Italian countryside. The green olive fades almost immediately on me. Drydown: The sharp olive note fades, but does remain in the background. It is replaced by a warm woodsy note, a heavy resinous wood. I can also smell the olive oil someone else mentioned. Well, it does seem to have a calming effect, although I wasn't particularly anxious to begin with. This isn't one I'd wear as a perfume (kind smells like "church" to me now), but may use as a relaxation aid.

Moxie - from a trade with the fabulous Muppetk! In the bottle: Whoa citrus! It reminds me of an Origins body lotion, grapefruit or some such like that, that was "energizing" or something. On me/wet: It smells exactly like the sugar-coated orange slices I eat at Passover! Then it gets a little spicy, like ginger and clove. Wow - this one is fantastic so far! Drydown: As this one dries, the fresh orange/grapefruit notes hide away behind the ginger, but it still blends in a way that makes me happy. Dry, yet sweet. This is a real winner in the energy dept - it's bright and zingy and gorgeous! I feel like this would make an excellent bath oil. (And it's very long lasting on me).

Neptune - from the Celestials swap circle. In the bottle: Waxy, green florals. On me: One of the lush white florals - it made me think of summer nights where the air is still and almost liquid. A faint hint of bubblegum - lotus? Drydown: Neptune continued to morph on me. It turned into a sweeter, more full bodied floral. A little much, actually.

Venus - From the Celestials swap. In the bottle: Light, bright, mint?, floral? Hmmm..... On me: Smells like expensive soap - like lily of the valley or something. I didn't get rose, even though everybody else seems to. It's a very light and pretty scent. Drydown: Turning minty, which is also really nice. However, as it wears it turns back to soap. I'd still wear this one, though.

Sol - From the Celestials swap circle... In the bottle: It's hard to describe, but it smells "bright". On me: Still bright! No idea what's in it, but it smells like Leo's cousin in scent. Drydown: Turns kind of powdery. I was never really able to identify what I smelled in this scent.

Lady Macbeth - how did I miss this one for so long? In the bottle: Wine and berries. Far less sweet than I imagined it to be. On me: Funy, but the thyme is the first thing making an appearance. then the berries, which smell like those in Midwinter's Eve. Ah, the wine note appears. Drydown: Whoa! This one is making my eyes water! The wine is so very strong, and I keep getting whiffs of thyme mixed with bright fruit. Well, this doesn't beat out my beloved Bordello.

Undertow In the bottle: Mint and lotus, with a hint of juniper. Not particularly pleasant. On me: The lotus comes out first, and doesn't seem to agree with my skin. Underneath that, though, is a really lovely mint. Drydown: As the lotus fades, so does the unpleasantness. The mint comes out very strongly, but weirdly I don't smell any juniper at all. This is "warmer" mint scent than I expected, and I wonder if that is due to the underpinning of lotus. Upon further drydown: Ah, there's the juniper. Now it's minty woods, instead of minty bubblegum. While I really like the mint notes, the rest of this one is not for me.

Juke Joint In the bottle: Whoo, alcohol! On me: Mint julep, certainly. However, it smelled overwhelmingly of alcohol on me (and not in a good way ), and kept reminding of men's aftershave. Mint never really came out as a dominant note. This really saddened me, because I thought I'd love the bourbon/mint combo.

Burial On me: Well, this one smells of dirt and pine. Mostly pine. This is good if you like them, but honestly I don't ever want to smell like dirt, and pine always makes me think of Pine-Sol. However, it is truly reminiscent of the outdoors, and that is pretty cool.

Glitter - yay, freebies! On me: Bubblegum at first sniff, and stays that way. After a while, it turns into lemony fresh bubblegum - where did that come from? Anyway, it's kinda fun! I don't think it will replace my beloved Jailbait, though.

Titus Andronicus - one of my lost reviews! In the bottle: Amber, frankincense, and neroli, I think. On me: Spicy! Heavily incensey. The musk or amber almost immediately turns powdery, and the frankincense is standing out right now. Not getting any hint of bergamot. Drydown: Too masculine and heavy for me. For somebody really into the musky, asmber scents, this is probably quite good.

Dragon's Bone - another review I lost that recently turned up! In the bottle: Delicate floral, but a bite of dry bone. Good so far... On me: Starts off as a very light floral, dry and slightly woody. The dragon's blood blends gorgeously with the orris and the woods. Still delicate. Drydown: Still a lovely, light floral, but my skin chemistry causes the sandalwood to come straight to the forefront and stay there. Unfortunately, I just can't wear this without smelling like straight sandalwood. Which sucks.

Blood Countess - one of a series of reviews I did and then lost. Ooops! In the bottle: Ripe berries - tart and sharp. On me: Very heavy fruity notes, almost cloying. I can smell the plum, which I adore, but the smoky opium and the florals actually make this one too heavy for me to wear. I tried this several times, never wanting to believe that Blood Countess might be a little too much for me. But she was, she was...

Blue Moon - finally got an imp during a swap with chopchica. yay! In the bottle: I'm not getting any straight notes, but it reminds me of Frost Moon, a lunacy oil I love. Watery, lightly floral, a tiny bit of sweet fruit. On me/wet: This is fabulous. I think I smell cucumber, and I'm getting a distinct aquatic note. The flowers are hiding in the background right now, but there is a sweet, slightly herbal feel to this one. Drydown: This is the sweetest of all the lunar oils I've tried. Now I get fleeting glimpses of berries, a tiny tang of something minty, unidentifiable (but lovely) florals, and the watery, cucumbery note. This is a really gorgeous blend, and I'll treasure my imp.

Lughnasadh - received in a swap with chopchica. Thanks! In the bottle: Almonds, darkest cherry, perhaps a whiff of smoke. Good so far. On me/wet: Almonds and cherry are the initial hits, followed by autumnal spices. Cinnamon, clove, maybe apple? Sweet, spicy, kind of potpourri-ish. Drydown: Did I say sweet and spicy? Sweet and spicy it is. Clove, mostly. And soothing, for some reason. I feel calmness emanating from this scent. I still get little wafts of fruit every so often - mainly apple. This is one I've been wanting to try for quite a while, without any particular reason. I'm so glad I got the chance, because it is truly beautiful. I think it'll be a fall scent, though.

Wanton - a lab freebie! I love rose, but not patchouli, so we'll see about this. In the bottle: This one smells entirely of sandalwood to me. That does not bode well. On me: Sandalwood is the dominant note right as I apply, although an undertone of patchouli is quickly evident. Where's my rose? Drydown: The sandalwood completely took over this blend for me, so I never really got to enjoy this one. Damn you, sandalwood! Well, this one's a swappin'...

Seance - a lab freebie! Thanks! In the bottle: Whoa! Delicious roses. I hope this smells as good on as it does in the bottle. On me: I love roses. Why haven't I tried this before? It is gorgeous! A true rose note, reminiscent of Rose Red with less greenery. I'm in love! Drydown: This one has mellowed into a slightly powdery, warm rose scent. Very old-fashioned and completely lovely, I feel quite regal wearing it. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a lot of staying power, fading to nothing in less than an hour. Another gorgeous scent from the Lab!