cranberry

Yggdrasil - original review (6-27-05) at first, this was a very herbal, airy, fresh scent - really very interesting and nice. it smells totally open and airy and wafty to me. then pretty quickly it changes. no sandalwood or cedar (too bad as I love them) but instead this very strong musk with maybe some wood mixed in that turns into this very odd moldy disgusting chocolate smell. not good at all. the opening is great but it ends very funky on me - it seems no matter what time of the month it is (I was thinking there might be a link there so I gave it another run). overall, I don't see it in my future for long. Recent review - 6-15-06 I thought that I'd try this scent again as it's been almost a year since my original review. Once on, it does remind me a lot of Buck Moon - wow, this is fabulous! As it wears, the similarity remains. After it's been on for an hr or so, the scent deepens and sweetens a bit. This is where my original impression of moldy chocolate comes from. I don't necessarily get that now but I can see how I did. It's a deeper musk that is slightly sweet but it's not a good musk on me. It does not smell good - so I'm thankful that I have Buck Moon, that Ochosi and one of my Devil's Night bottles remind me a lot of Buck Moon if I ever run out. I guess that my original impression still rings true.

Mata Hari At first sniff I smell jasmine underlain with notes that I can’t identify. It’s warm, rich, and sensual smelling. It reminds me a lot of some of the Lupercalia blends. Nothing in particular – no spot on equivalent, but something about the attitude and tone of this scent that brings out the association for me. There’s something vaguely edible about this scent. I remember when I first tried it I noticed coffee right away but this time I can’t smell it in the least. Maybe it's age? Maybe it's my nose? Regardless it smells different now than how I remember it smelling. I remember thinking this was an odd scent and one I wasn’t too taken with. Now, I’m really enjoying it and glad that I hung onto my imp. (Thanks GC swap for getting me to pull it out again!)

At first sniff I smell jasmine underlain with notes that I can’t identify. It’s warm, rich, and sensual smelling. It reminds me a lot of some of the Lupercalia blends. Nothing in particular – no spot on equivalent, but something about the attitude and tone of this scent that brings out the association for me. There’s something vaguely edible about this scent. I remember when I first tried it I noticed coffee right away but this time I can’t smell it in the least. Maybe it's age? Maybe it's my nose? Regardless it smells different now than how I remember it smelling. I remember thinking this was an odd scent and one I wasn’t too taken with. Now, I’m really enjoying it and glad that I hung onto my imp. ETA: Thanks GC swap for getting me to pull it out again!

Wolf's Heart This is a bright red oil along the lines of any of the Ars Draconis oils, Love Me or Fiery Wall of Protection. Once applied, the first thing I smell is dragon’s blood. This reminds me a lot of Love Me, which I adore, and Fiery Wall of Protection, which I like very much (and find to be quite effective). The properties of this oil call for it to grant courage and strengthen fortitude, which is definitely related to the properties of Fiery Wall of Protection. At this point, I need some fortitude in business so this is a good oil for me to test. I could probably use some Road Opener too or Block Buster but that’s a different discussion. After this has been on a bit, it remains a pretty straight dragon’s blood scent. It’s a bit floral – I can’t tell if it’s actually an addition of jasmine or just the jasmine-like qualities of dragon’s blood. There’s something a bit spicy in the background, again similar to Fiery Wall. Overall impression – it doesn’t last too long, so frequent reapplication would be necessary, but I like the scent and like it’s intentions, so that wouldn’t be a problem. I’m very glad that I got to try this – thanks GC swap!

Grants courage under extreme conditions, helps overcome fear of death, and strengthens the fortitude of artists and businessmen, enabling them to further their goals. This is a bright red oil along the lines of any of the Ars Draconis oils, Love Me or Fiery Wall of Protection. Once applied, the first thing I smell is dragon’s blood. This reminds me a lot of Love Me, which I adore, and Fiery Wall of Protection, which I like very much (and find to be quite effective). The properties of this oil call for it to grant courage and strengthen fortitude, which is definitely related to the properties of Fiery Wall of Protection. At this point, I need some fortitude in business so this is a good oil for me to test. I could probably use some Road Opener too or Block Buster but that’s a different discussion. After this has been on a bit, it remains a pretty straight dragon’s blood scent. It’s a bit floral – I can’t tell if it’s actually an addition of jasmine or just the jasmine-like qualities of dragon’s blood. There’s something a bit spicy in the background, again similar to Fiery Wall. Overall impression – it doesn’t last too long, so frequent reapplication would be necessary, but I like the scent and like it’s intentions, so that wouldn’t be a problem. I’m very glad that I got to try this – thanks GC swap!

This is a heady, creamy floral blend that smells almost like gardenia to me. I can smell the lily and a touch of rose but these are dominated by another rich, heady floral. Looking at the notes I suppose that’s the wisteria but I don’t know what that smells like. There’s a nice base underneath the florals. Smelling it after I’ve just applied it, it brings to mind Sleepy Moon oh so slightly, which I ADORE. When I first sniffed this in the imp I was rather uncertain and thinking that I wouldn’t mind passing this imp along, but as it wears I find myself sniffing my wrist repeatedly. The frankincense adds a touch of astringency to it and bit of sharpness to the florals. As it wears the base become stronger. Nice, I like it! Thanks GC swap! Edited because I have a crazy nose.

Seraphim This is a heady, creamy floral blend that smells almost like gardenia to me. I can smell the lily and a touch of rose but these are dominated by another rich, heady floral. Looking at the notes I suppose that’s the wisteria but I don’t know what that smells like. There’s a nice base underneath the florals. Smelling it after I’ve just applied it, it brings to mind Sleepy Moon oh so slightly, which I ADORE. When I first sniffed this in the imp I was rather uncertain and thinking that I wouldn’t mind passing this imp along, but as it wears I find myself sniffing my wrist repeatedly. The frankincense adds a touch of astringency to it and bit of sharpness to the florals. As it wears the base become stronger. Nice, I like it! Thanks GC swap! edited slightly because I have a crazy nose but it's all good now (I think)...

Follow Me Boy I’m just trying this for the scent as I’m not in a position right now to try it for it’s intent (currently alone at home gardening and doing laundry) but I’d like to try it for it’s purpose sometime. God, how to describe this…powder. Baby powder. There’s something there too that's a bit sickly and cloying. Man this is strong! The florals in the background are hard to identify, buried beneath the powder or mineral oil scent. I do not like this scent at all. I cannot believe this blend would attract, seduce or enthrall nor that it would bring increased financial gain and profits. This is not good scent on me. After wearing it for a while it didn’t improve – damn chemistry. Maybe it’s a time of month thing. I sure wish I got the creamy vanilla that some have described. Ah well - there's lots of BPAL out there that I adore so it's just as well. It was great to try this just the same.

I’m just trying this for the scent as I’m not in a position right now to try it for it’s intent (currently alone at home gardening and doing laundry) but I’d like to try it for it’s purpose sometime. God, how to describe this…powder. Baby powder. There’s something there too that's a bit sickly and cloying. Man this is strong! The florals in the background are hard to identify, buried beneath the powder or mineral oil scent. I do not like this scent at all. I cannot believe this blend would attract, seduce or enthrall nor that it would bring increased financial gain and profits. This is not good scent on me. After wearing it for a while it didn’t improve – damn chemistry. Maybe it’s a time of month thing. I sure wish I got the creamy vanilla that some have described. Ah well - there's lots of BPAL out there that I adore so it's just as well. It was great to try this just the same.

Hunger Notes: narcissus, orange blossoms, vanilla This smells vaguely medicinal in the imp with traces of vanilla in the background. It’s reminiscent of Snake Oil without all the spices. On the skin wet, it smells a bit like tobacco and flowers that are not overpoweringly sweet. It actually reminds me a lot of an acacia essential oil that I’ve had forever. After it’s been on a couple of minutes, the vanilla comes forward strongly and this is very similar to Snake Oil. Yum! As this wears, it remains predominantly vanilla, tempered a bit by the other notes. The other notes in the blend are hard for me to pick out – I’m not familiar with narcissus and they blend together well adding interest and depth to the vanilla. It’s long-lasting and although I only put a small bit on, it’s pretty strong, making me think that the throw on this oil could be great. Overall, another great vanilla scent! I’m liking this a lot and I see some good possibilities for this one – alone and layered. Thanks GC swap – the orange blossom in this would have kept me far away from this scent and I never would have tried it.

This smells vaguely medicinal in the imp with traces of vanilla in the background. It’s reminiscent of Snake Oil without all the spices. On the skin wet, it smells a bit like tobacco and flowers that are not overpoweringly sweet. It actually reminds me a lot of an acacia essential oil that I’ve had forever. After it’s been on a couple of minutes, the vanilla comes forward strongly and this is very similar to Snake Oil. Yum! As this wears, it remains predominantly vanilla, tempered a bit by the other notes. The other notes in the blend are hard for me to pick out – I’m not familiar with narcissus and they blend together well adding interest and depth to the vanilla. It’s long-lasting and although I only put a small bit on, it’s pretty strong, making me think that the throw on this oil could be great. Overall, another great vanilla scent! I’m liking this a lot and I see some good possibilities for this one – alone and layered. Thanks GC swap – the orange blossom in this would have kept me far away from this scent and I never would have tried it.

update 6-7-06 I'm heading out of town for a couple days but I'm bringing all my dupes of the imps I'm testing in the swap so I hope that I can make some progress through some of them anyway. (The originals in the swap will be sitting safely here at home, don't want to take any chances!). I just heard from spacekitty that she dropped another 3 packages in the mail to me yesterday so it's going to be busy once I get back! wahoo! ETA 6-13-06: got into town last night after some great fishing, but now the work begins! didn't get a chance to really test any of the imps I brought with me; I was hesitant to use oils on the boat as the salmon can smell....no shit! so - I've got lots of catching up to do! whee! (plus when I went to the PO this morning I found anther 3 packages! )

When I first apply this I get orange blossom, sweet and slightly bitter. After just a couple minutes the orange blossom recedes and lemons make their appearance, zesty and fresh. After about 10 minutes or so the heliotrope comes out, bringing to mind Ra which just screams heliotrope to me. This is a pretty light scent, and it’s fading pretty quick. After about ½ hr, this sweetens considerably. At this point I can’t smell the orange blossom (yay, I don’t care for that scent), and the lemon is more like lemon smarties. There’s a sweet, yellow floral here. Overall, this fades pretty quick but it’s pretty while it lasts and it's perfect for the warmer months!

Blood Countess Notes: black plum, opium, dead roses, hungarian lilac, white gardenia, wild berry Juicy, luscious dark red fruit, slightly spicy. When I first applied this I got a bit of the opium haze but that receded pretty quick leaving only the rich, jeweled fruits. This is how I imagined Frumious Bandersnatch would smell like. Yum! From my memory of that scent, they are pretty similar. As it wears it stays pretty true, not changing much. It’s all juicy plum with a touch of spice. Wow, this is a delicious scent!

Juicy, luscious dark red fruit, slightly spicy. When I first applied this I got a bit of the opium haze but that receded pretty quick leaving only the rich, jeweled fruits. This is how I imagined Frumious Bandersnatch would smell like. Yum! From my memory of that scent, they are pretty similar. As it wears it stays pretty true, not changing much. It’s all juicy plum with a touch of spice. Wow, this is a delicious scent!

Aizen-Myoo This is a bright scent, slightly tart and astringent. It reminds me of the Asian moons, Holiday Moon, or Budding Moon. I smell sweet grapefruit and a touch of florals. There’s tea in the background. This is a super refreshing scent and perfect for summer. If I come across an imp I’ll hang onto it. Thanks GC swap – I probably would have never tried this scent!

This is a bright scent, slightly tart and astringent. It reminds me of the Asian moons, Holiday Moon, or Budding Moon. I smell sweet grapefruit and a touch of florals. There’s tea in the background. This is a super refreshing scent and perfect for summer. If I come across an imp I’ll hang onto it. Thanks GC swap – I probably would have never tried this scent!

Asphodel This is an elusive scent, it doesn’t have the big name florals that are easy to recognize. There’s something smooth and slightly creamy about this scent. It says subdued floral to me but at the same time it’s rather fresh. After its been on for a couple hrs, I’m getting carnation - I didn’t expect that! Slightly spicy and sweet. This is really pretty, I love carnations. In this phase, it reminds me a bit of Morocco (carnation). I really like this phase of the scent.

This is an elusive scent, it doesn’t have the big name florals that are easy to recognize. There’s something smooth and slightly creamy about this scent. It says subdued floral to me but at the same time it’s rather fresh. After its been on for a couple hrs, I’m getting carnation - I didn’t expect that! Slightly spicy and sweet. This is really pretty, I love carnations. In this phase, it reminds me a bit of Morocco (carnation). I really like this phase of the scent.

got filigree_shadow's #3 package from spacekitty today. contents included: Florence - reviewed Jester - reviewed Kostnice - reviewed Magdalene - reviewed Penitence - reviewed Seance - thanks GC swap - this is beautiful! Thaliea - reviewed ohh - I think I've only tried one of these - I can't wait to try these! ETA: dropped off at PO tonight (6-5) to cordia

Magdalene notes: white roses, labdanum, wild orchid Initially Magdalene smells herbal to me, a bit dry and dusty. Then the rose comes out, but it’s a subdued rose, a quiet rose unlike the brash rose in Peacock Queen or the forthright rose of Rose Red. The herbs and rose remain and interplay, I can’t name what that herb is – maybe sage? It’s dry, a bit sharp and sucks all the life out of the roses. As it wears on, it smells like there’s a bit of honey in here. It’s reminding me of the honeyed apricots/oranges of Thaleia. Maybe there’s apricot in here? Wow – this is turning into Thaleia – that is so weird! Not what I expected at all based on the notes. Anyway, this has not been a scent for me.

Initially Magdalene smells herbal to me, a bit dry and dusty. Then the rose comes out, but it’s a subdued rose, a quiet rose unlike the brash rose in Peacock Queen or the forthright rose of Rose Red. The herbs and rose remain and interplay, I can’t name what that herb is – maybe sage? It’s dry, a bit sharp and sucks all the life out of the roses. As it wears on, it smells like there’s a bit of honey in here. It’s reminding me of the honeyed apricots/oranges of Thaleia. Maybe there’s apricot in here? Wow – this is turning into Thaleia – that is so weird! Not what I expected at all based on the notes. Anyway, so far, this has not been a scent for me.

On, this is ripe and juicy berries, dripping with juice. There’s a faint note far in the background that must be the neroli – neroli to me has always had a sharp, bitter quality. There’s something here that forms a point or a pinnacle in the background. It almost smells like there could be jasmine in here but I think it’s the bite of the neroli. This smells like the same berry that’s in Florence. I love those berries. There’s a fair bit of similarity. After the oil has been on a bit, the neroli smoothes out and Jester turns into this very nice berry-floral scent (this is where the similarity to Florence comes in). It makes a good perfume but I think it would be even better in bath gel or bubble bath.

Jester Notes: huckleberry, red currant, neroli On, this is ripe and juicy berries, dripping with juice. There’s a faint note far in the background that must be the neroli – neroli to me has always had a sharp, bitter quality. There’s something here that forms a point or a pinnacle in the background. It almost smells like there could be jasmine in here but I think it’s the bite of the neroli. This smells like the same berry that’s in Florence. I love those berries. There’s a fair bit of similarity. After the oil has been on a bit, the neroli smoothes out and Jester turns into this very nice berry-floral scent (this is where the similarity to Florence comes in). It makes a good perfume but I think it would be even better in bath gel or bubble bath.

Kostnice Notes: frankincense, rosewood, lily, geranium rose Weird, this smells like nuts on me. There’s a slight floral in the background, along with something slightly astringent. I found my frankincense EO, and after sniffing that, then my hand, I can detect frankincense slightly in the background. This is a really odd scent. I think it must be how it’s reacting with me and my chemistry. After it’s been on a while, the weird nutty smell softens and I can smell the rosewood and lily. Soft and woody, slightly herbal. Behind it though remain the nuts. This has been an interesting scent to test, and I’ll hang onto my imp just in case it’s due to a time of the month issue. But, at the same time, I’m in no hurry to repeat this experience.