cranberry

filigree_shadow #4: Ace of Swords - reviewed The Chariot - reviewed The Devil - reviewed The Emperor - reviewed The Empress - reviewed The Magician- reviewed The Tower - reviewed Euterpe - reviewed picked this up 11-8-06. I've sniffed most of the tarots already so I should be able to turn this right around. 11-12: yay, all done - this is ready to send on to the next person!

the Ace of Swords - Tarot Notes: none listed This smells of lavender and white sandalwood. It’s a beautiful, airy scent that is slightly spicy and has a bit of heat to it (despite being airy). I love lavender and this blend is no exception, it’s beautiful and I’m so glad that I have a decant. I find it extremely soothing and calming. Wonderful.

In the imp, this smells of cherries and a touch of spice. Wow, on the skin it smells strongly of spice with a touch of cherries, or that could be almond. In the background there’s a touch of something mineral – yes, that’s tonka all right. It smells like there could be a touch of anise in here; that could be contributing to the spice. It’s an intoxicating and heady scent. It’s very light feeling and airy. As it wears, the tonka really comes out, compliments by spice. This is a beautiful scent.

This smells of lavender and white sandalwood. It’s a beautiful, airy scent that is slightly spicy and has a bit of heat to it (despite being airy). I love lavender and this blend is no exception, it’s beautiful and I’m so glad that I have a decant. I find it extremely soothing and calming. Wonderful.

The Devil - Tarot Notes: none listed Wow, I am having a really hard time placing the notes in this one. It’s musky, warm…. Hmmm, yeah, I think there’s civet in here – but I can’t say for sure. It could be just a very strong musk. Nope, it’s civet. It’s slightly sweet and the civet is getting stronger. There’s a slightly astringent scent here. Animalistic. It's a bit too strong for me to wear comfortably - I like some civet scents but not this one.

Wow, I am having a really hard time placing the notes in this one. It’s musky, warm…. Hmmm, yeah, I think there’s civet in here – but I can’t say for sure. It could be just a very strong musk. Nope, it’s civet. It’s slightly sweet and the civet is getting stronger. There’s a slightly astringent scent here. Animalistic. It's a bit too strong for me to wear comfortably - I like some civet scents but not this one.

The Chariot - Tarot Notes: none listed In the imp: juicy, sweet fruit with a touch of anise. Some lotus too. On the skin: ah yes, anise, sweet fruit, specifically a touch of pear, and the bubblegum sweetness of lotus. Oh - the anise is getting strong and taking over the sweet fruit. As it wears, the anise/fennel continues to dominate the scent and it reminds me of the digestives you see sometimes in Indian restaurants (fennel seeds with little licorice candies). Overall: the anise is so strong in here. I don’t care to smell like a licorice candy so while it was good to try, I won’t be getting a bottle of this.

In the imp: juicy, sweet fruit with a touch of anise. Some lotus too. On the skin: ah yes, anise, sweet fruit, specifically a touch of pear, and the bubblegum sweetness of lotus. Oh - the anise is getting strong and taking over the sweet fruit. As it wears, the anise/fennel continues to dominate the scent and it reminds me of the digestives you see sometimes in Indian restaurants (fennel seeds with little licorice candies). Overall: the anise is so strong in here. I don’t care to smell like a licorice candy so while it was good to try, I won’t be getting a bottle of this.

the Emperor- Tarot Notes: none listed In the imp: woody & green smelling. On the skin: this smells really fresh & green. This is really pretty. There’s a touch of flowers in here – roses and other flowers I can’t identify. There’s got be dragon’s blood in here but I’m not getting the typical dragon’s blood smell. It smells like there could be lily in here. Yes, this is a fresh green garden with blooming flowers. Overall: I was expecting dragon blood’s galore, instead I got fresh greens, soft florals and a lovely green garden. This oil is quite beautiful.

In the imp: woody & green smelling. On the skin: this smells really fresh & green. This is really pretty. There’s a touch of flowers in here – roses and other flowers I can’t identify. There’s got be dragon’s blood in here but I’m not getting the typical dragon’s blood smell. It smells like there could be lily in here. Yes, this is a fresh green garden with blooming flowers. Overall: I was expecting dragon blood’s galore, instead I got fresh greens, soft florals and a lovely green garden. This oil is quite beautiful. ETA 6-13-07: tried this oil again, and it's drying to the most beautiful lily. This is simply gorgeous.

The Magician - Tower Notes: none listed This is a slightly sweet, herbal scent. It smells like there could be a touch of anise in here. As it wears the anise gets stronger. After it’s been on a while, the herbal scent recedes and it becomes a bit spicy and slightly resinous. It’s familiar but I can’t place it at the moment. This scent really changes a lot.

This is a slightly sweet, herbal scent. It smells like there could be a touch of anise in here. As it wears the anise gets stronger. After it’s been on a while, the herbal scent recedes and it becomes a bit spicy and slightly resinous. It’s familiar but I can’t place it at the moment. This scent really changes a lot.

The Empress - Tower Notes: none listed In the imp: roses. On the skin: soft roses (i.e. not strong assertive roses such as in Rose Red). There’s a slightly powdery aspect to this scent. And it has a sweetness similar to that in Bearded Lady (which also has roses). It’s pretty but not a “knock-your-socks-off” type of rose scent. But it is a clear, sweet, soft rose. After it’s been on a while, I’m getting something underneath that I can’t identify, but it smells almost succulent to me. Overall: this is really pretty, I more like it the longer it wears. However, I really feel that Rose Red is the ultimate rose scent and I don’t think this tops it. It’s quite lovely though.

The Tower - Tarot Notes: none listed In the imp: dragon’s blood, something herbal – lavender? Sage? I can’t say for sure. On the skin: still dragon’s blood and herbs. Maybe it’s eucalyptus. Yeah, I think so. Ah, after it’s been on a few minutes, it’s getting a bit spicy and hot – so I’m thinking ginger or pepper. A touch of smoke. Wow – this scent is quite evocative and completely fits with it’s intent. As it wears, it become more spicy, and even hotter. Yep, ginger, pepper and dragon’s blood. I’m liking this one quite a lot.

In the imp: dragon’s blood, something herbal – lavender? Sage? I can’t say for sure. On the skin: still dragon’s blood and herbs. Maybe it’s eucalyptus. Yeah, I think so. Ah, after it’s been on a few minutes, it’s getting a bit spicy and hot – so I’m thinking ginger or pepper. A touch of smoke. Wow – this scent is quite evocative and completely fits with it’s intent. As it wears, it become more spicy, and even hotter. Yep, ginger, pepper and dragon’s blood. I’m liking this one quite a lot.

In the imp: roses. On the skin: soft roses (i.e. not strong, assertive roses such as in Rose Red). There’s a slightly powdery aspect to this scent. And it has a sweetness similar to that in Bearded Lady (which also has roses). It’s pretty but not a “knock-your-socks-off” type of rose scent. But it is a clear, sweet, soft rose. After it’s been on a while, I’m getting something underneath that I can’t identify, but it smells almost succulent to me. Overall: this is really pretty, I more like it the longer it wears. However, I really feel that Rose Red is the ultimate rose scent and I don’t think this tops it. It’s quite lovely though.

if you like 13 (oct 2006) then you'll like Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb

Euterpe Notes: carnation and white poppy, honeysuckle, lemon, iris and white musk Oh, I've been wanting to try this one for a long time. So I'm thrilled to finally be able to. In the imp: Smells like carnation with a touch of sage to me (why sage I don't know). On the skin: Oh, this is lovely. Flowers, slightly spicy, a touch of poppy and musk. This is a wonderful floral blend. But not super floral, not super sweet. It's a bit on the dry side, and for some reason reminds of the spiciness in Youth Dew. Yes, this is all poppy, musk and carnation. This is great. It’s not particularly longlasting but I only put a smidge on – perhaps it would last longer with heavier application. As it dried, it stayed true as it dried, poppy, musk and carnation. Lovely. It reminds me of a scent that would be especially suitable to wear to work; it’s rather low-key but lovely just the same. Slightly sexy but not overtly so, and somewhat comforting. I could see this would be a scent that would inspire the spilling of secrets.

Oh, I've been wanting to try this one for a long time. So I'm thrilled to finally be able to. In the imp: Smells like carnation with a touch of sage to me (why sage I don't know). On the skin: Oh, this is lovely. Flowers, slightly spicy, a touch of poppy and musk. This is a wonderful floral blend. But not super floral, not super sweet. It's a bit on the dry side, and for some reason reminds of the spiciness in Youth Dew. Yes, this is all poppy, musk and carnation. This is great. It’s not particularly longlasting but I only put a smidge on – perhaps it would last longer with heavier application. As it dried, it stayed true as it dried, poppy, musk and carnation. Lovely. It reminds me of a scent that would be especially suitable to wear to work; it’s rather low-key but lovely just the same. Slightly sexy but not overtly so, and somewhat comforting. I could see this would be a scent that would inspire the spilling of secrets.

I saw a note here on the forums that someone’s bottle of Strawberry Moon wasn’t aging well. I thought to myself, well I better go test my bottle and see if I need to make lotion or body wash with it. I’m glad to say that on me, it’s is still going strong, and it seems that it’s gotten even juicier than when I first got it. Resniffing the bottle, hmmm, maybe I do detect a touch of change from when I first got it. It does smell a bit like acetone as opposed to when I first got it, which, if memory serves, was a lot more like fresh strawberries. Maybe the sage is doing that. In the bottle is not a great smell. But on the skin, wet, this is all juicy strawberries, red, plump, bursting. It’s pretty sweet but still strawberries. Maybe it’s not as fresh berry as it was when it was fresh from the lab, it’s hard for me to say for sure. I do remember more sage than I’m getting now. As it wears, the fresh strawberry scent remains and I smell delicious and edible. It lasted a good while on me. My skin usually eats BPAL for lunch but by mid-day I could smell it, a virtual record. As it wore, the sweet, juicy strawberry scent remained true. Lovely. Now do I take my chances….?

In the imp, this smells like cherries (or almonds), patchouli and spice. On the skin, the is cherries (or almonds), spice and a touch of patchouli to darken and ground the scent. This is really a lovely scent and I never would have thought that I’d like it based on the notes alone, or even at first sniff in the imp. No, this is an oil that needs the skin to fully bloom and develop. As it wears, it becomes a fruity spice – with the spices dominating. This does have the cardamom scent from Alone, which I love, but Alone makes me turn red. I’m not getting that here, which is wonderful. In short, I really like this scent and think it would smell amazing in a burner. Of course I don’t know how volatized Phantom Calliope would be on the lungs. Airborne cassis and cardamom are not something I want to try, but it sure would smell good. But for me, hmm, do I need to get myself a bottle of this? Spice lovers, give this a try. (edited for minor spelling infractions)

In the imp: honey, mint, sugar and lemon On the skin: honey, mint, tea, with a slight tang of lemons. Dry, the honey fades a bit and the mint, tea and lemons are more prominent. But the honey remains there in the background. There’s a slight edge to this; I can’t tell if it’s the honey or the orange blossom. Maybe a combination of both. Now the honey is back and it’s strong. This is sweet, honeyed tea. I think I must amp honey because that’s all I get. Unfortunately, I only like honey in small doses. This smells like honey candy on me. I’m sure that honey lovers would kill for my skin, as that’s all I get when honey is present.

In the imp: this smells very fresh – flowers but light and airy. On the skin: There’s jasmine in here, but it’s not the high pitched jasmine that you run into sometime. This is a much smoother, melodious jasmine. I have to agree w/Bagfish that this is similar to stages of Khajuraho or the Perfumed Garden. As it wears the jasmine dominates and it’s virtually impossible for me to discern other notes. Of course, saying that it does seem to me that there’s a touch of incense in here, totally unexpected. I like this but I have other florals that I like better. So in sum, this was great to try, I totally enjoyed it, I’ll keep my imp but I won’t be seeking out a bottle.

I loved Midway so I was really interested in trying this one. In this imp this smells like jasmine. And flowers. But also something much darker. On the skin, jasmine, other flowers and incense. It reminds me of another oil but I can’t place it right now. I don’t know my florals well yet, and for incense scents, maybe the Cracked Bell? Pit and the Pendulum? This is an evocative oil and bring to mind the night. There is a touch of soap but I think that elements of the incense that are doing it. Or maybe the night blooming flowers. But it’s not bad and somehow fits. I do like this. Not enough for a bottle but certainly to keep the imp.

I didn’t think I’d like this one. I’ve had mixed reactions to Velvet and Bliss, and I was never really drawn to seek out Lump of Coal. In the imp, it smells like chocolate but also like something else that I can’t identify. It smelled really dry and almost a bit dusty. Once applied, the dry dusty smell persisted for a small while, but then it turned into creamy chocolate. As it wears, it remains creamy chocolate. This scent wears forever and it does remind me of a chocolate covered Snow White. I LURVE me Snow White. So chocolate SW - Yum! I need to get me a bottle of this. Or maybe two.