pickman's model

My partner and I were lucky enough to get two imps of this from winning one of the Lab's ebay auctions. Wet: I'm getting none of the grapefruit. Odd, I usually pick it up if there's any. Mostly patchouli and cedarwood, actually. I was worried about the violet, too, but I can't even find a trace of that either. Dry: Oh my. This is GORGEOUS! A very assertive, but really wearable woody-spicy blend. The pepper comes out and is all warm and gorgeous, and the vetiver, cedarwood and patchouli back it up beautifully. It's actually similar to a less aggressively masculine Umbra, but with pepper. Thank you Lab!

I love foody-sweet smells, and I love cherries, so it stands to reason that this one would be a winner. In the bottle, it smells like some kind of delicious cocktail, rich, cherry-y (real ones, fake cherry flavour and maybe a maraschino in there too). When it's on, it morphs through every cherry dessert in history, with a sugary almost whipped cream (the real kind) note in there. Where The Red Queen is a dignified cherry-red, this is fun, a bit boozy and wet. I love it so!

I got this one as a frimp with my last order. I've been meaning to check it out for a while now, and I'm kicking myself for not doing so earlier! When I put it on, it was really rosy and sweet. Then, as it dried, I got the milk (which stayed nice and fresh and didn't go sour-plasticky like it sometimes does), and then...MMMMMM it turned into chai. Really, really good chai, with honey. Dry, it was sitting in a rose garden, drinking the best chai ever. I am in total, utter complete love. It's delicate, feminine, happy and sweet. I need a bottle of this one. ten out of ten, two thumbs and any other high ratings that can be given.

I was a bit afraid to try this one, from the "floral". I love vanilla, but I've been floral-phobic for so long (and only starting to break fromt hat), that it just stayed on the "nahhh" list. In the imp: Hey, it's my friend Vanilla! Wet: The florals are definitely soft. And quiet. And...fading into the background. Dry: Really, really good vanilla ice cream. Soft and sweet and creamy-rich. My skin loves vanilla, and this is no exception. Verdict: Love. Pure, delicious, vanilla-ey love. This makes me smile. I think a bottle may be necessary.

So I just start on a rose quest, and this falls into my lap. Score. In the imp: This yells "I am rose!" There's a bit of other stuff, but mostly just red roses, in profusion. Wet: Red sandalwood is always a friend of mine, and here, it's no exception. This is like hot sex on a bed of rose petals. Yum! Dry: The rose turns sweeter, which is nice, and the sandalwood is still there, with the rose, just hanging out, being absolutely sexy. The patchouli's at the base, not being overt, just sort of comfy at the base of things, not feeling the need to make a scene. Final verdict: I was looking for a nice, sexy, femmey rose. The only other rose blend I've been keen on was Zombi, but that's sort of quiet and modest. This is exactly what I was looking for. *squee*

I assumed that this one would either be delightful, or OMGnoooo! In the imp: I smell ambery sweetness. That's it. Just a pile of amber with syrup poured onto it. Wet: The vanilla kicks in, as well as the sweet pea, making this smell like distilled cuteness. Dry: The amber and sandalwood take over completely, with the vanilla makng feeble protestations in the back. It's perfumy and powdery in ways that just don't suit me. Edit (shortly after): Okay, the vanilla and sweet pea have rallied together and this is not only distilled cuteness, but very wearable distilled cuteness. Yay for surprises!

I just got a decant of this one in a mystery pack from the swaps. It wasn't something I'd have picked for myself (that being the point of surprise packs. ) but I'm impressed. In the imp: Well, that's certainly evergreens. Uber-evergreens, like standing in a forest. Not unlike Nocnitsa. Wet: Definitely snowy evergreens now, there's a coolness that I'm quite liking. Dry:I'm getting the apple now, with the evergreen. And a tiny, tiny, sweetness that I'm guessing has to be the almond. This one smells like an idealized midwinter, with clean snow and curling up. I think it would work really well on either gender (Which is good, I suppose, as The Mate will likely borrow this, with his lve of piney smells.) Strange, but gorgeous and happy.

I've not tried Fee, but Ogun turned into ubermelon with some interestingly complex notes all around it. Don't be put off by the description, I got it for The Mate, but it ended up being ubermelony, and went to me.

I went on a quest for this one to accompany my Borg costume for this past Halloween. I knew mint never, ever lasts on me, but I was intrigued to try the rest of the notes. I know oakmoss is always good to me. Wet: Minty, aquatic. This was really refreshing, and made me think "mermaid" more than "Borg". Though I'm not at all an aquatic kind of person, this was pretty. Green enough that I didn't just run away going "Eek! Watery!" Dry: This smells like the idealized version of the sea on me. It's what I always imagine the ocean should smell like. Watery, clean, cool, with a bit of driftwoodiness. Verdict: I may be afraid of deep water in real life, but this aquatic was delightful. (Not to mention my very Piscean girlfriend's very positive reaction. )

Nuclear Winter's an LE, but it's so perfectly chilly. Undertow is nice and refreshing, and a lot easier to wear than I thought it would be. And I just discovered Tarot: The Star so perfect for summer. Lime, light, light coconut and mint. Embalming Fluid's another solid bet. Mmm green tea with lemon.

Unsurprisingly, I was scared to try this one. But I got it in a swap as a frimp, and as usual, curiosity overcomes. I know vetiver is usually a Very Bad Idea, moss is a great one, and I've been too frightened to try civet. I sniffed the imp, and I get anise, just straight anise, with a bit of something damp and cold. Thus far, not too scared. So I dabbed a bit on. Holy black licorice, Batman! This was crazy-strong black licorice, sitting on a rock in a cave. Oookay, the civet is out, I think. This is civet, as it's pretty animalistic. I will preface the folowing statment with the note that I can't wear animal scents. Musk (save really light white musk) turns into the nastiest thing ever on me. Why then, does civet work? I don't smell like poo, or unwashed bum, or cat pee. I smell pretty good in civet. Vetiver and I don't play well. It usually goes nasty and sharp, and it's working here. Rather well. There was a point in the drydown where I had this sort of bug-spray thig going, but it lasted like 2 minutes and is gone now. My only complaint is that this is too masculine for me when it's done morphing around. This is quite possibly the strangest scent I've ever smelled, but it just calmed down into this sorta good-cologne thing on me. Makes me a bit dizzy, but it smells okay. I'm really confused. It's not for me, but I think I'd like it on someone.

In the imp: Nothing. Seriously, can't smell anything but maybe a hint of sugary water. *confused face* After a disastrous first try involving redness, burning and "Oh God the cinnamon!", I was determined to try again. This time on the back of my wrists. Wet: Cinnamon hearts and honey. Yummy! Dry: Pretty much unchanged. I've no idea why my skin would have freaked out over this, I wear tons of cinnamon-y BPALs all the time. Try it on somewhere less sensitive if, like me, you think cinnamon hearts and honey seems a brilliant idea but have crazy skin.

I second the Embalming Fluid! Mmmm lemony green tea has kept me awake and alert so many times now. The mint in Nuclear Winter is nice that way too.

Wet: I get a gin martini. I can almost taste it. This is eerily bang-on. Dry: Odd, somehow the drink on my wrist has turned into a gin and tonic. Good gin, sparkly, bubbles climbing up the glass and just enough lemon. This is oddly wearable. Bright, silvery and playful. I think I'll have topair this with the body shop's olive shower gel and make myself into a proper martini. Strange, but I like that. ETA: Now that it's been a bit longer, I detected a frankincense note. Baffled, I stuck my face into my bag of frankincense tears for confimation. Yep. Somehow, smelling like a gin-drinking priest is working for me. it's awesome, I love it but it's so very weird!

Wet: Cactus pears, tulips and odd herbs. Intriguing. Dry:Bright, airy, greenish floral. I get the above things, but with the amber adding a bit of sunniness to it. Verdict: This is gorgeous! Fesh, light and perfect for summer. I'm really getting into the wanderlust stuff.

Queen of Sheba and Bastet are amazingly similar, with the latter a bit more "golden" and rich. Hollywood Babylon upon drydown was identical to Scheherezade on me. This is rather unfortunate, as both turned absolutely awful and needed washing off posthaste. Booooo.

I was a bit nervous while this was on its way, after a bout of nastiness with Scheherezade's saffron. Almond is hit or miss on me, as is musk, but amber and honey are always a good idea. In the imp: Hello in there, almonds! I see you have some spicy friends along. Hope you play nice. Wet: Almondy, but the amber and spices balance it out, with the honey for once not rushing to the forefront, singing at the top of its lungs and being in general and attention whore. There's saffron. It's being perfectly behaved, just gorgeous. Dry: Warm, sweet, spicy and very feline. A cat sitting elegantly in the sun. Balanced really well, with a good throw. Also: Awesome if layered with Bengal.

In the bottle: Spicy, honey goodness. I get honey, cinnamon, ginger, tea (?), and pepper. Intriguing. It smells like warmth, sun and skin. Wet: the honey explodes! I smell like honey with little bits of spice around the edges. My skin amps honey in ways I love, so this is wonderful. The Mate notices a slight beeswaxyness in there, which he likes. Dry: It's a very "close" sweet scent. Warm, luxurious and spicy. I absolutely love it.

In the bottle: I'm tempted to drink it. Smells delicious. I get the cake, and the some dark sugar, coconut and some spice. Wet: Oooh, smells like baking something really nice. The same as wet, but a bit warmer. Dry: This stayed pretty much the same the whole way through, leaving me tempted to eat my wrists. This one's going to be a favourite, I can tell. It's the yummiest foody scent ever. *drools* Out of 5, I gove it a 5!

On my sweetie, I'd say Tezcatlipoca , Rat King (warm, yet masculine) and Thanatopsis. Can't stop nuzzling him when he's got those on.

Nocnitsa is about how I figure rolling around on the floor of an evergreen forest would leave me, minus the pine needles in my panties. It starts madly piney, then the dirt comes out, with a tiny speck of sweetness, that still seems natural. Almost makes me think of sap.

*drool* I was just about to say the same. I looooove Aizen-Myoo in the morning. Also, Embalming Fluid is great. Lemon Green Tea.

I just get apple blossom and coconut. Which I loooooove.

I got this one as a frimp from the awesome Harlequin. It wasn't the sort of thing I'd pick myself, as I'm rather scared of florals. In the imp: Almonds! Almonds and some musk in the back there. Maybe some florals. Not too frightening. I can face that. Wet: The almonds fading fast, with jasmine and musk jumping into the foreground. Yikes? Dry: This is actually working on me. The hell? The almonds settle into a comfy place at the sidelines, keeing the jasmine from acting up and angrily morphing into soap as vengeance for my dislike. The sandalwood amps, going nice and warm and mellowing the musk. I smell like I always thought of sexy grown-up women as smelling. Hmm, This could do nicely for any occasion where I have to dres up, but not be on too perfect a behaviour. The things you learn when you try something new.

Ahh, this was one I was squeeing over for a long time. I was looking for something different form my usual heavy, sweet, spicy-incense stuff. I had to try it. In the bottle: Lemony-mint. With ozone. I also get a bit of something floral, but not the usual florals which fill me with sadness and send me to the sink to wash. These are the lightest, palest florals ever. But more prominently, minty-lemon ozone. Wet: Mint, with the lemon abating and the ozone and florals dominating. Not like anything else I have. It smells liek cold, that's for sure. Dry: The florals have settled into the background, the mint is gone, and the lemon is a vague glow. The ozone and cold have taken over. I adore this. I live in Canada, and it smells like walking on a very, very cold day. The kind where your eyes water in the wind. The scent reminds me of the Lovecraft story The Colour Out of Space, where after the Colour has taken over, everything's eerie, glowing and the plants are gorwing lushly, but twisted, strange. I love it It, along with Emblaming Fluid shall be my constant summer scents.