Shollin

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Finny included this as a generous swap-freebie to round out my Ars Draconis collection. First sniff: I doubt I’ll be able to wear this, but it’s truly fascinating. Thick, rough leather and the redness of dragon’s blood. Wearing: The dragon’s blood is far more prominent than I expected – my skin generally makes leather take over, but here it’s staying in the background. At least until it dries, and then it goes just a bit too cowboy... I'm afraid I can't wear leather even when it's combined with my worshipped-and-adored dragon's blood. But what a cool concept.

First sniff: Rosey-pink, big and lush and soft. And just a tiny bit powdery. Wearing: Very much a powdery floral – but it’s a big soft powdery floral, not the shy, wimpy scent I often associate with powdery florals. Nevertheless, powdery florals are not my thing.

First sniff: Sort of floral, and sort of lemony? I’m not sure what to make of this one. Wearing: Well, apparently my skin did know what to make of it… soap. Instant lemon soap. Stupid skin.

Thanks to latzoni for the decant of Chaos Theory XXXVII. First sniff: Whoa. Good chaos. It’s very warm but also very green, and those two things don’t often combine. I think I smell oakmoss, and also… well, my first impression was dragon’s blood, but this oil is absolutely clear, so I’m guessing not. Oakmoss and a light musk, maybe? It’s really nice, in a swoonworthy sort of way. Wearing: A very soft, green white-musk scent. It’s lighter and almost sweet on my skin. Very, very pretty. Last reviewed by Gin.

First sniff: How shall I call thee green? Let me count the ways. Twenty-seven, isn’t it? Wow, this is green. Green and woody. Wearing: Have I said green enough yet? It’s more herbal and less woody on my skin, but still very, very green. It’s pretty nice, but not really me.

First sniff: I was expecting this one to be candy-sweet, but it’s very dark and musky, with just a hint of cherry sweetness brushed over the top. Wearing: It’s gone pure strawberry… the musk has vanished pretty much completely. Awww. I like red musk.

First sniff: Warm, dark, ripe fruit. Rich and enveloping. Wearing: There’s a sweetness and a spiciness to this very complicated scent. There’s so much going on I really can’t pick it all apart… but it’s warm and lush and dark, walking through the Gardens on a summer night.

First sniff: Toasted coconut! Wearing: Toasted coconut perfection. I was afraid of the rum and tobacco – rum often goes way-too-boozey on me and I hate cigarettes – but on me, this is just pure gorgeous toasted coconut. With maybe a teensy hint of mint.

First sniff: Er? This is just… unsettling. The one note I can identify is cocoa, but it’s… evil cocoa. At a closer sniff, I can smell the wine sneaking around in the background – a wine more reminiscent of Formula 54’s bleary staggering cognac than any of the true wine scents I’ve tried. These rabbits’ parties aren’t about getting drunk and having a good time… they’re about getting drunk and having a good time by smashing things and wreaking havoc. Wearing: Seriously boozey on my skin. I don’t think The Bunnies and I are going to get along. And it’s doing something weird now that it’s dried – it smells quite a bit like frankincense often does on me, very sharp. I had high hopes for this one, but I think I’ll stick to Kali for my cocoa/wine fix.

First sniff: Cinnamon candy. Maybe more like sticky buns – I swear I smell icing and dough. Wearing: Still smells like sticky buns. I’m getting hungry, not horny. It’s a nice scent by itself, but cinnamon candy and sticky buns aren’t really things I want to smell like.

First sniff: It’s hard to pin Anubis down. There’s a hint of resin, bright rather than dark. Wearing: Oh, wow. This is warm and resinous and gorgeous. I sniffed Anubis long ago at the Atlanta meet, and based on that first sniff I ordered an imp of my own, but I didn’t try it on my skin there. If I had, I might have gotten a bottle.

First sniff: A soft, bland, clean scent. Wearing: It’s a bit of a laundry scent, but it’s very refreshing and comforting. It’s very light – not much of an aura. I put this on again before going to bed – it grew on me that much over the course of the day. It’s easily overlooked, I think; I know I almost did. It’s not a flashy scent, it’s not going to make anyone sniff me and growl, but it’s wonderfully gentle and soothing.

First sniff: Orange blossom, with a heaping helping of darkness underneath. Wearing: Damn. I was hoping the civet would bugger off, as I almost couldn’t smell it in the vial, but it’s right there taunting me. The orange blossom is a really nice overtone, and generally works well on me, but it just isn’t enough to beat the civet beast into submission.

First sniff: WOW, that’s sharp. And cold. I can’t tell if rosemary or pine is the predominant note, but it’s sharp. And cold. Wearing: This is seriously one of the sharpest scents I’ve ever tried. It’s all rough pointy edges. I keep waiting for the drydown to smooth it out a bit, but no dice… prickly pine needles and prickly rosemary needles and prickly lemon. It’s not as cold on me as in the vial, but still haughty and aloof… content to busy himself with other matters while… well, y’all know the story.

First sniff: Wow. Very, very mint. Bright white mint, not green. Wearing: Bright and chilly! The initial burst of cold fades very quickly, leaving a cucumber aftertaste. It’s different; I like.

First sniff: Meh. Powdery floral. Wearing: Doing little to dispel the “meh” impression. There’s a hint of spice in here, but mostly it’s powdery floral.

First sniff: A very interesting and atypical floral. It smells a teensy bit cleaner-esque if I think about it too hard. Wearing: Warm rose, definitely, with something deeper underneath. It’s nice, but didn’t blow me away.

First sniff: OH yeah. Tea scents, almost without exception, make me very very happy, and this one is a gorgeous fresh lemony tea. Wearing: Just beautiful. It might be a little crisp for today – better in warmer weather, I think. But still beautiful.

First sniff: I’m betting now that this is going to go soapy on my skin. It’s a wet, sweet floral that already has a hint of soapiness. Wearing: At first, this is so very lily. Big, bright lily. And then the sweet pea shows up at the party. Sweet pea turned Aeval into soap on me, and it appears to be doing the same to Juliet. Sometimes I hate being right…

First sniff: You know those scents that are just so impossibly wonderful you make that first inhalation last as long as possible, until your lungs are complaining? Yeah. Sun-warmed honeysuckle is about the only thing I can identify, but there’s more going on here, and I can’t concentrate on it because it smells TOO DAMN GOOD. Wearing: Snrfmfgnnn. I’m in love. This is just sweet enough, and very warm. It’s everything that was good about the single-note honeysuckle, with a wonderful sunny warmth.

First sniff: She’s not laughing at us (as I often suspect cats do), she’s laughing because she’s just in a really good mood. This might be the happiest scent I’ve tried yet. It’s bright and airy and citrusy and fresh and fantastic. Wearing: I sniff. I smile. Life is good. I need to buy some candles and use this properly.

First sniff: WOW, is this ever incensey. And I don’t want to jinx myself, but it just might be an incense that will work on me… I think the main note in here is red sandalwood, which is something I can wear by itself. It’s gorgeous and warm and feels like church in a cozy midnight-Mass way. Wearing: I think I’ve found it. A scent that truly smells like incense and doesn’t go funky on my skin. This… this is happy. And yeah, it’s supposed to be all dark and wicked and whatever, but… this is something I’ve been looking for without ever realising it.

First sniff: WHOA lavender! Very sharp lavender, with maybe a touch of lemon. Aquarius reminds me a bit of Nanshe, though I’d have to sniff them side-by-side to be sure. Wearing: Instant Soap. Stupid skin.

First sniff: Ooh. I like this one. Earthy green roses. Wearing: The rose gets softer and sweeter on my skin, and the greenness of the oakmoss keeps it reined in. I always love finding rose scents I can wear, and oakmoss seems to like me. Good all around.