Shollin

CDLXII: I got this in a swap with Forspecial Plate approximately twelve million years ago, and I'm very much yay that I got to try it, because it's delicious. First sniff: Boozey berry cupcakes. Dude. Wearing: It's definitely that buttery-sweet cake base, and fruit, and a little mint? and something that makes me think of alcohol. Like trifle or fool, one of those fruity-cakey-creamy desserts with a little splash of liquor. YUM. Last reviewed by Midnight Aeval.

First sniff: Whoo, vetiver! Very serious swampiness. Wearing: I did the crook-of-the-elbow thing because vetiver always hates me and I didn’t want to be bathing in it. And sure enough, despite all the other fascinating notes listed, the vetiver just completely takes over.

First sniff: It seems like all the Salon scents feel incensey to me even when they shouldn’t. This one is sort of a figgy, plummy, ambery incense. Wearing: Hello, rose! It’s poofy-powdery at first, but the other notes quickly rein it into a lovely deep spicy floral.

First sniff: Soft, quiet, deep, powdery, and very very blue. Very evocative… and it reminds me of something I can’t place. It’s beautiful in the vial, but I’m afraid of what my skin will do to something that already smells powdery. Wearing: I have the Sarah MacLachlan song of the same name in my head, and it seems to fit the mood. The painting and the scent both hold a sense of hushed expectancy… it’s the same sense I’ve occasionally gotten flashes of during midnight services on Christmas Eve.

First sniff: Hazel-green and herbal, not quite sweet but hinting at it. The orange blossom is quite prominent. Wearing: Ooh. I haven’t discovered a new orange blossom scent in a while, and I’d forgotten how much that note likes me. Almost-sweet orange blossom and green herbs. Sadly, all the affections of the winsome orange blossom cannot dispel the swampy curse of vetiver, which takes over entirely within the hour.

First sniff: It smells a bit appley to me. Incense and apples. Wearing: Nope, no apples. Just deep dark resins and churchiness.

With the help of the lovely shriekingviolet, I finally figured out how to get my "hard-to-find scents" list into a more visible location. Check out any of the review subforums, and it'll be right at the top. Hope y'all find it useful. Any questions, additions or other fixes, please feel free to PM me!

First sniff: Cherry blossom tea. There’s a hint of soapiness that I really hope will behave because the rest of the scent is quiet and lovely. Wearing: Pink-white blossoms draping softly across my shoulders as I walk slowly through the trees beside the reflecting pool. Exquisite and understated. I adore it.

First sniff: Sweet incense backed by something watery. Wearing: It’s very delicate – sweet, soft, maybe a little soapy, with the gentle watery background.

First sniff: Deep resiny-fruity. Soft round purple fruit, dark resins and a wispy aquatic overtone. Wearing: There’s more wood in it now, soft evergreen backed by resinous warmth, and the aquatics seem to have disappeared immediately. It’s really interesting and different. And I love the painting – the scent is the same golden-brown of the rocks in the foreground.

First sniff: In the vial, this smells quite a bit like Scotch. A very sharp-edged, peaty, burn all the way down and not necessarily in a good way Scotch. Wearing: It starts out very boozey and very spicy and ends up more like fruity spiced wine. Not quite me. Plus, I tried it in the crook of my elbow and it left a big red mark.

I’ll admit it – Lucretia freaks me right the hell out, and I’m actually hoping I don’t like her. First sniff: Simultaneously sharp-edged and powdery; I’m trying to figure out how that works. Powdery flowers, sharp resins and a weird high note that reminds me of chlorine. Wearing: It’s all just powder. I suppose with iris and violet it had no chance at all on my skin. At least I got my wish?

First sniff: There’s a similarity between the two graveyard scents in the first Salon exhibit… they both have the same sort of cold, stark outdoors-in-winter feel. Grave Digger seems to have a piney tinge, and it’s a little more substantial than Cloister Graveyard. Wearing: Based on the listed notes, this should be airy and resinous, but all I’m getting is evergreen. Cold snowy evergreen.

First sniff: This is completely brilliant, and matches the art absolutely. Cold air, bare trees, stark beauty. Wearing: Unsurprisingly, it feels a little strange to be wearing this scent when it’s in the 70s outside. But it’s chilly and beautiful and quite deep despite its airiness.

First sniff: Endlessly deep, dark-fruity with a little bit of a spicy kick. Wearing: In the first few minutes on my skin, it goes from deep and dark to light and bouncey? There’s still quite a bit of presence here, but it seems playfully mysterious now, rather than wisely mysterious. But then when it dries, the depth returns and it develops a lovely fruity smokiness.

First sniff: This scent seems to have a big personality. It’s rich, warm and enveloping – sweet fruity resins. Wearing: Warm and deep and spicy.

First sniff: Powdery floral with a bit of lavender. Wearing: Sweet and soft, but still powdery enough to make my nose itch.

First sniff: Thickly resinous, and a little pungent. I figured out long ago that frankincense hates me, so I don’t expect this to work. Wearing: The edges soften on my skin, and it’s weirdly quite a bit nicer on me than it is in the vial. Still decidedly resiny, but with a bit of soft sweetness to back it.

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First sniff: Sad cherry bubblegum. Wearing: I completely understand the early “cherry blowpop” reviews from Will Call. And I’m trying to figure out where the hell it’s coming from. There’s no cherry in here. There’s not even a sneaky almond note that always makes me think it’s cherry. And yet.

First sniff: Oh, very much yum. This is decidedly Dorianesque, with a bit more citrus. Wearing: Tea, Earl Grey, hot. With a drizzle of rich vanilla syrup. Puddin me dear, both your incarnations smell truly delicious.

First sniff: This one gives me the same “hollow” impression as Golachab. I wonder if they share ingredients. It’s a bit powdery, too. Wearing: Definitely powdery. Dang.

First sniff: Pale mint, pale musk, pale green. All very very pale. Wearing: Very soft and pretty, mostly mint with a bit of green.

First sniff: This smells not so much smoky as smoked. Like dragon’s blood run through a hickory smoker. There’s something lighter around the edges, but the core of the scent is that smoked dragon’s blood. Wearing: Dragon’s blood at the core, with fruits and flowers on top. The smoked impression vanishes almost immediately on my skin. It’s prettier and less harsh than I expected.

First sniff: For someone who bears the title of “the Poison of God,” Samael smells pretty darn nice. It’s a soft, pale tea scent, very gentle and soothing. Wearing: Tea and white musk, and maybe a little bit of honey? Understated and gorgeous.