Shollin

Danube, from Wanderlust: Rhododendron and bellflower petals swirl through deep, cool, dark aquatic notes. The version I tried is a prototype. First sniff: Ooh, nice. A very deep freshwater blue, cool and breezy on a cloudy day. Wearing: Very fresh, and the blue is so deep it’s almost purple, floating through tree-shadows cast on the river’s surface. A lovely cool wet scent that I suspect will get a lot of use while it's beastly hot.

A crisp ozone-tinged breeze. The scent of the first gentle rain before the storm. First sniff: Utterly gorgeous. A storm rolling in over the Chesapeake when you can watch the lightning come in from miles away across the bay – very fresh and windy with the cool blue-green scent of salt air. Wearing: A whisper of citrus on the breeze. Soft turquoise. Faded quickly – I'll put more on next time and hope it sticks a bit better. Failing that, I might be persuaded to carry a bottle at all times so I could top it up, because it really is gorgeous.

The devil's herb, which he cultivates with skill and pleasure. According to lore, the spirit of this plant may take the form of a breathtaking, achingly beautiful woman, deadly to behold. This scent is a tribute to such a dark and magnificent plant: a rich green and floral blend, earthy and haunting. First sniff: This is another scent that was very familiar but I couldn't pin down specifically what it was making me think of. Dark, green, mysterious. Wearing: A little spicy and a little churchy. Seems to get darker and slightly bitter. Second wearing: I swear this is sharper than before. The sharpness calms quickly though, and fades to a mysterious, slightly spicy dark-green smell. The woods at night, in midsummer – the feel of the scent is muggy rather than fresh.

Seance, from Bewitching Brews: A mysterious, enigmatic blend of dry, mellow rosewood, crushed rose leaf and the slightest touch of warm hazel. First sniff: Dry, dry, dry… but not quite dusty, and there’s something lighter if you give it a moment. An old, abandoned house with a shaft of sunlight falling through a window onto a bare, dark-wood floor. If anyone saw that rather silly four-hour ABC miniseries written by Stephen King, called Rose Red, about the old mysterious house with a dark soul… this is what she’d smell like. Wearing: It’s warmer and the lighter note is more apparent on my skin. Shifts from foreboding to welcoming. Still old houses, but it’s more like poking around in your grandmother’s attic, looking at picture albums and old wedding gowns. At one point during the night I sniffed my wrist and it smelled a bit like Lush’s Butterball (which is primarily vanilla and synthetic musk)! That was bizarre, because the scent-aura around me was still decidedly old houses. I liked this a lot more on me than I expected to and will definitely wear it again.

Jupiter, from Celestials - Planetary Oils. Characteristics listed on the site: Majesty - Expansion - OptimismPolitics - Civic & Religious Leadership - Health Prosperity - Advancement - Justice - Benevolent Power - Responsibility Sagacity - Sworn Oaths First sniff: This smells more like Mercury to me -- sharp-edged and mischievous, in a chaotic rather than playful way. It's not the steady regal scent I'd expect for the king of the gods. (But then, Jupiter wasn't exactly steady and regal when he was off boffing all the mortal women he could get his divine paws on... *quickly dodges the lightning*) Wearing: Definitely sharp and a bit haughty. It's masculine, but not in the typical way -- it's arrogant and withdrawn rather than husky and macho. Much darker on me than in the bottle -- at first touch it's bright green but quickly dulls to something almost sullen. After a few minutes on, it smells exactly like pencil shavings (which to my brain fits perfectly with the "politics" aspect, though I really can't explain why).

Phantom Queen, from Diabolus: An epithet of the Morrigan, crow-winged Celtic goddess of war, strife and fertility. Adoration of this Goddess is expressed both through the ecstasy of battle lust and the ecstasy of sexual regeneration. Black orchid, apple blossom, meadowsweet, and rue over Irish moss, hawthorn and red clover. First sniff: The same berry idea as in Bewitched, but much darker, stronger, warmer and wilder. There’s a hint of something that reminds me of the slinkiness of Ravenous. I cannot wait to smell this on my skin. (And again I’m smelling fruit that isn’t there, because there’s no berry in the description.) Wearing: As strong and heady as this is in the bottle, it just doesn’t want to stick to my skin. I can smell it if I sniff my wrist, but it doesn’t waft up to my nose at all. Drat. Diffuser: Can’t smell it here either. I’ll let it all burn off, because I did put it in water (silliness), but I’m disappointed. I swapped for another imp of this scent after deciding I hadn't given it a fair chance. Trying again: I must not have put much on the first time I tried this many months ago, or my chemistry was out of whack or something, because now it’s sticking to me wonderfully and is just gorgeous. Dark wild berries and deep purple blooms, with just a hint of powder sprinkled over. This is Unseelie’s older and more assertive sister. It behaved on me the same way Jezebel did, in that after several hours I couldn’t smell it on my wrists but I kept getting wafts of the aura, which stayed surprisingly solid throughout the night. I’m so glad I gave the Queen another try – she’s mine this time.

The Hesperides, from Bewitching Brews: The Hesperides are the Nymphs of the Evening who dwell in a verdant garden located in the Arcadian Mountains, guarded by the terrible three-headed dragon, Ladon. Within their garden lives the tree that bears Hera’s sacred Golden Apples. Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple. The version I tried is a prototype. First sniff: Apples of gold, twined with greenery and soft flowers. A quiet night in an orchard in full fruit, sitting in contemplation in a patch of moonlight on the grass. The dragon is sleeping quite soundly. Here’s an obscure reference: If anyone ever played the old Sierra game Hero’s Quest – the really old one, in 16 colors, before they changed the name of the series to Quest for Glory, back when you had to do such mundane things as type in commands! – this scent is what I imagine Erana’s Peace would smell like at night. Wearing: Wonderfully tart, but there’s a hint of sweetness around the core. It’s more straightforwardly appley on my skin – I don’t get the moonlit-orchard thing as much – but it’s still really gorgeous.

HELLCAT A soft, sensual, luxuriant blend with a wicked bite: hazelnut, buttercream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond. First sniff: WOW. Very warm, but more decadent-warm than comforting-warm. A bit alcoholy. Red velvet curtains and raucous laughter. Diffuser: OK, so I haven’t been brave enough to wear this boozey madness yet. It’s gorgeous as a room scent, very warm (and still decadent). The smell reminds me of a hot drink with alcohol – nothing coffeeish, but some sort of heavy heady rum concoction by the fire in the dead of winter. Definitely use it with water – it was way too strong when the water burned off. Wearing: Sweet, heavy, felt like it was just on the verge of giving me a headache right when I put it on. I’m afraid this one is a bit much, as fabulous as it sounded. Sigh. Still boozey even after it dries, and very hyper and hectic. It almost smells burned when I put my nose right up to my wrist. I ended up swapping it to lorajc, and it works on her!

The Star, from Tarot Oils. First sniff: Bright white. There are several scents that are almost here but the second I think I have one pinned down it runs off to smell like something else. Almost coconut, almost powdery-but-not-too-sweet candy, and something that’s almost lemon comes tickling around the fringes of the aftertaste just when you stop inhaling. Star and Luna remind me very much of each other, which is interesting – the same sort of unidentifiable white sharpness. Wearing: This is such a complex, bright and interesting scent! In the first five minutes I had it on it smelled like coconut, lemon and lime by turns. If I sniff my wrist directly it’s a bit too sharp, but the aura is lovely. The coconut is true meaty coconut, not the too-sweet pina-colada smell of suntan lotion. After a few hours’ wear it settled into a gorgeous bakery smell, not overly sweet but warm and homey. I might need a full bottle of this one.

Eternal, from Funereal Oils: Though they go mad they shall be sane, Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again; Though lovers be lost love shall not; And death shall have no dominion. Stephanotis, cyclamen, heliotrope, white rose and gardenia. First sniff: I have a very vivid (and odd) visual impression of this one – a blanket of white flowers pulled over a stone sarcophagus in an empty sunlit church. It’s not a wreath, but a long draping blanket like a horse gets when he wins a Triple Crown race. I can’t pick out specific floral notes, but it’s softly sweet and very sad. Wearing: It’s warmer and sweeter on my skin, almost too much – the overwhelming jumble of too many flowers in one room, very white. I preferred the soft sad scent it was before it hit my skin… it was more of a gentle rose then, now it’s more gardenia, which I usually find too bitingly sweet.

Rosalind, from Illyria: Dew-covered berries and fresh green grasses with a faint breath of spring flowers. First sniff: It’s not a very strong scent, but comes across as pale rather than soft… very pale flowers with a whisper of berry in the shadow of a tree by a stream. Wearing: This isn’t nearly as quiet a scent as I first thought – I suspect my nose was just burned out from sniffing so many less-subtle ones. If a little girl ran down a sunny hill carrying a huge armful of flowers for her mother, and a few of them slipped free and floated down to rest on the grass behind her, that would be this scent. Very pretty and greenly floral. It seems to be fading already, and I've only had it on for about half an hour...

Ligeia, from Bewitching Brews: And the will therein lieth, which dieth not. Who knoweth the mysteries of the will, with its vigor? For God is but a great will pervading all things by nature of its intentness. Man doth not yield himself to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will. Jasmine, juniper berry and rose geranium. First sniff: Bright, sweet floral with a dark undertone -- a scattering of white flowers across black velvet. The jasmine is very obvious, but the other notes keep it from being screamingly sweet. Wearing: Seems to be pure jasmine on my skin -- the aura is pretty nice, but it's too sweet if I sniff my wrist directly. After an hour or so I do smell something underneath, greenish and a bit more grounded. Mod note: This scent was briefly resurrected from February to May of 2006 as part of the Limited Edition "Into the Maelstrom" series, with the same notes as the discontinued GC blend.

Magdalene, from Sin and Salvation: A stirring yet gentle perfume. The scent of love and devotion mingled with an undercurrent of heart-rending sorrow. A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid. The version I tried is a prototype. First sniff: A very firm floral with a flowing herbal sweetness around the edges. This lady can take care of herself. Wearing: Sweet and strong and totally feminine. Girl power. I really like it. After a few minutes the rose is much more apparent, dominating the scent without screaming. It might be a bit too girly now that it’s dried down a bit – it’s going powdery and the aura is still quite strong. On second try, the lady and I got along much better. Sweet, deep, purple flowers. Still a very determined, standing-firm scent. I'll keep her.

Luna, from Celestials - Planetary Oils. Characteristics from the site: Cleansing - Purification - Imagination - Dream WorkEmotional Growth & Healing - Mystery - Veiling - Deception - Impulse Capriciousness - Bewitchments - Glamor - Delight - Pleasure First sniff: If anyone actually knows what this one smells like, please help me out. This is driving me crazy. I know this smell and I can't pin it down. (Happens to me way too often). I thought at first it was a fruit, but not an everyday fruit -- something exotic like kiwi or kumquat. The closest I can get is pineapple, but that's not right either. It has the texture of a bright yellow hard candy. Uplifting and sharp-sweet. Wearing: Still haven't managed to define the very specific thing this scent reminds me of. The candy-smell calms down quickly and I'm left with the undefinable yellow fruit. Sweet but not unpleasantly so. I'm not madly in love with it, but it's nice enough.

Venom, from Diabolus: Darkly seductive and lethally compelling: sinuous opponax, galbanum, dark wild berries, a drop of lush jasmine and a sliver of lime. First sniff: Warm and elegant. I smell alcohol in this one too, like an upscale cocktail in a room full of ladies in high high heels and black dresses. Definite sharpness. Wearing: It's nice -- I definitely smell the lime right away on my skin. Elegant but somehow ominous. Though pleasant, it's not exactly pretty... it's more of a haughty scent, like something an ice princess would wear. It's a much cooler scent on my skin than it is in the bottle, and somewhat green -- neon, not woodsy.

Saturn, from Celestials - Planetary Oils. Discipline - Crystallization - Control - Constriction - BanishingDestruction - Sowing Discord - Death Reverence - Endurance First sniff: Very masculine. Dark, strong, woody and almost nutty. A scowling magistrate dressed all in black… maybe with a tricorn hat. I actually got a flash of evil priest guy from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame... yikes. Wearing: I really shouldn’t smell this straight out of the bottle – it’s way too strong and dark and GRRRR. It backs off very quickly and warms up a tad… like when you’re visiting the professor in his office and see the photos of his family and suddenly realise he’s a real person who has a life apart from making yours difficult. There’s a lighter note whispering around the edges that smells almost soapy. Very sober and grounding. Can’t see myself wearing it often – it’s just too wooden. Edited to add: I remembered that the planetary oils had several characteristics listed on the site, associated with each planet... and I have to say Beth nailed this one. Discipline, control and reverence, indeed. Guess that's why I was seeing authority figures.

Surround yourself with an aura of lethal allure. An incomparably enticing blend of intoxicating aquatic scents and florals. First sniff: Light and ethereal, but much sweeter than I expected. A hint of sharpness that's almost citrus but not quite--on second sniff it seemed a bit cocktailish. I like that this is named after a dangerous but beautiful woman...it seems appropriate, like the sweetness might lure you in before you get stabbed in the back. Wearing: Still sweet, but not loud or unpleasant. It's a bit honeysucklish. After about half an hour it shifted into yet another of those very specific scents I recognise but can't pin down, maybe a sweet frozen drink.

Florentine Iris, from Single Notes. First sniff: Powdery, watery and pale blue. A very definite scent, if that makes sense – it knows what it smells like and by God it’s sticking to it. Nice and strong in the diffuser - like being swallowed up in a soft blue flower. Wearing: Decidedly powdery and flowery without being old-lady-ish. Pretty, but not me. Stayed true throughout the evening - I can still smell it faintly, nearly twelve hours after application.

Libra, from Celestials - Astrological Oils: apple / white musk / roserose geranium / sandalwood ylang ylang First sniff: A fresh, clean scent, pale green in the bottle and in my nose. Slightly astringent. It strikes me as a bit stiff and formal, which isn't terribly Libra-ish - I expected something a bit more wishy-washy. Wearing: First touch -- lily of the valley or possibly hyacinth. A sweet spring flower.

Frankincense, from Single Notes. First sniff: Heavy and dark incense, more woody than spicy. Wearing: At first touch it reminds me of a campfire on a chilly night in the woods. Within five minutes it’s gone aggressively sharp-sweet, and while it isn’t wafting at all, if I sniff my wrists it makes me sneeze. Incense + my skin = unmixy things. Which is sad.

First sniff: Light and airy (and for me, a little sneezy). I don’t actually smell citrus in this, but it feels like the sort of scent that would be citrusy. If that makes any sense at all. Wearing: It’s very very pale, almost ghostly, which matches the art beautifully. Pale wood, pale flowers, pale musk. Faded completely by noon.

First sniff: Deep golden fruits in a liquid pool of sunset. I can’t pick out any distinct notes—it’s all just deep, warm, golden, fruity, beautiful. Wearing: Stays very true to the first-scent sniff for the whole of its wearing, and it was still going strong as I headed off to a concert that night. Just fantastic.

First sniff: The edges of this scent smell like cherry/almond to me, but nothing like that is listed in the notes. There’s a rich buttery vanilla at the core, surrounded by lots of fruit. Wearing: Very bright fruit and very dark vanilla, a study in contrasts. It’s a little unsettling for some reason; the fruit is rather loud, and there’s a hint of boozey fruitcake-ness to it.

First sniff: In the bottle, all I can smell is patchouli and clove. Wearing: Dirty hippie smoking a clove cigarette…or possibly something herbal. It quickly calms down to a sort of green incense, and the floral part is coming out strongly on my right wrist.

First sniff: Pink and fluffy! Wearing: The pink fluffiness immediately solidifies into a very solid base of warm vanilla tickled by white floral sweetness.