quikslvr

Very fruity and sweet. High, high notes to my nose--very sweet apricot and blood orange, mostly, at first. Warms with the honey and darker tonka note as it dries, creating a sweet and comforting blend, while still being energetic due to its fruitiness. It's gorgeous and rounded--not really "me," though. I think I'll be passing this one on.

Melon? Ah, yes. Looking back at the description, this must be the honeydew. Super sweet, with just an edge of tart. Very happy, springy idyllic day-evoking, like having a sunshine-washed picnic on the grass on a perfectly-temperatured day. I don't get lemon as such (which I'm thankful for), as I was expecting to because of the tea. I do get a high, soft note of vanilla. Not the Lab's usual vanilla note, I don't think. But that's it. Vanilla. Very sweet, sugary vanilla--delicate unto (but not!) being powdery. An edge of peach blossom comes out, as well. Beautiful. I expected not to like this, between the tea and the fruits and the oakmoss and the carnation (not my favorite notes). But I've been pleasantly surprised, again. The vanilla edge to it is just amazing. And surprisingly, there's enough depth to it that I don't feel I have to save it for spring/summer.

Starts very dark patchouli, which isn't a promising start to me. Turns into dark leather, very fetish-y. It only becomes similar to Blood Moon as it dries--I suspect the cardamom. The spices take over as it dries, and it becomes largely cardamom/leather on me. The patchouli does stick its neck out every once in awhile, though (would that I could just chop that off without unbalancing the blend). Very heady, very sexy, and my one regret is that I can pick the patchouli out by itself in some stages (patchouli isn't my favorite scent). It's strong, but its waft is more subtle. It isn't the smack-you-in-the-face type, it's more like the scent of leather after one's been spanked--the scent alone making people wonder, but it's still your own little secret. No one can see the red welts in public. Well into drydown, near the end of its life (like, the next day, perhaps) it's an amazing, beautiful balance of soft leather and spice--wish I could keep it that way. I am so glad this one morphed so pleasantly on me. I just wish the stages of patchouli weren't so readily identifiable to me.

Oh, wonderful musk here. I don't know why, but it makes me think of chocolate, at first, though I know that's not what I'm smelling. It's the honey/cognac mix, probably, if I were to guess. It's strange, a strange mix, and really hard to pin down. I'm not sure the casual passer-by would be as enamoured of this as I am, though. It's very, very sexual. There's a patchouli base, but not one that's readily identifiable, since it's blended so well. The red gives it a little touch of spice over the honey and cognac. I don't catch this as floral at any point, thankfully (not my thing). But oh, it's gorgeous. Such a keeper.

Oooh. Sandalwood and benzoin first kick. Oh, nice. Finally I can identify benzoin as itself. Ever-so-slightly medicinal, rather like a men's product of some sort, and rather sharp. The myrrh enters pretty quickly. The rose is a subtle undercurrent on me with this one, getting stronger as it dried. The benzoin waxes and wanes, as the other notes come to the forefront and fade again. Fascinating blend, but not really me.

Only because yellowrose requested, I'll review this one first: Upon first whiff, this is very similar to Snake Charmer. It's lighter, to some extent, though. There's also a tangier undercurrent. The medicinal edge to that tang fades fast, and the tonka comes out some. The light amber is simply gorgeous, and very pure-seeming, though I know it's not, given the vanilla-y additions of tonka, and a spice-y touch as well. Because it's so light, it strikes me as "perfumey," but that's not a bad thing. It's a very fragrant, soft waft that's subtle until you get close.

Opens very florally. It's the very essence of the end of summer, just beginning the fall season--but make sure your nose isn't on the source. Its waft is much more "accurate" to me: the direct sniff is a bit too floral. From a distance there's more of the apple and smoke than the florals. The wine even comes through on a whiff taken from afar when close-up it's all sage and ivy, with floral edges.

Light, light, light. Calla lily at the forefront (love that single note!). As it dries, it darkens a little--there's a solid base to it that I assume is the frankincense. Once it's dry, if I put my nose to it, it comes off as soapy--a kind of masculine, spicy soap. What a fascinating combo: we've got a very floral, feminine start, then a masculine base comes in, and the combination leaves you with a very gender-neutral scent (on me, anyway). Amazing! (and true to some myths, for that matter)

2005 version: This is wild. I don't know if the name brought it to mind, but the sense I get is being under the big top, surrounded by sweet things to eat. Then it goes darker, into the dark berries. And dark berries they are, too, especially combined with the musk. I might also be crazy, but I feel like there's some wood or other buried in here. That may be the amber, though. It's strong, overall, and carries pretty well, though it doesn't last more than a few hours on me. Once it's dry, it settles down and smooths out wonderfully.

Light, soft, white gardenia and violet. This belongs on a bride. Lovely and light, but unfortunately not me (I'm not much of a floral fan).

Immediate sneeze, though I can hope it's not from Khephra (hope!). Heavy resins at first, and a bit of spice. As it settles, I definitely get cinnamon from it. Dark, exotic. I'd guess there's some frankincense in here. It's gorgeous, warm, and rounded.

Light, sweet floral. Fresh, tending toward herbal, but mostly just floral. And a gorgeous floral this is: the calla lily is what I'm blaming for the gorgeousness of it. Clean, clean, sweet, and fresh. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. But not me: I don't really wear florals. But if I did, this would be one of them, easy.

Pure jasmine at first--a very syrupy floral, white but tending towards yellow. It develops depth as it dries, becoming the sort of floral that you might want to drown in. And believe me, that's weird coming from me (not a floral kind of gal). It's close to the skin, rich, and very second skin, despite it being emphatically floral. It's also got just a tinge of spice that I wonder if I'm not imagining. It's gorgeous, but probably not something I'd end up wearing.

A reformulation and modernization of a true Classical Greek perfume, myrrhine: voluptuous myrrh, golden honey, red wine, and sweet flowers. Honey! Its beginning pop reminds me of Bastet. The honey/red wine/myrrh combo is a bit weird at first--sweet, but with an undertone that's a little dark, a little disturbing. The honey eventually calms down and reveals the myrrh. Reedy, classical incense smoke, it emerges as a dry, spare note. I like that note, thus me nabbing single note light myrrh when I got a chance. Athens as a whole is very, very evocative--mystic, mythic and classic. I'm definitely going to hang onto it.

Fresh, strange lavender and cinnamon at first. Thankfully (for me) it strays away from the lavender swiftly. The cinnamon takes over quickly, and each whiff of it wakes me up further. It's a very energizing blend. I feel like my namesake: quicksilver. I'm so glad I scored an imp of this. Thanks for the opportunity, Original Wacky! I'll definitely pick up a bottle if it gets re-released.

What an amazing label! I'm really liking the multi-coloredness of it.

Very high, candylike raspberry. When it dries, it settles into a more "true" interpretation. Not the whole fruit, but more the juice inside. If you could smell them the moment you crush them with your tongue, before you hit the somewhat bitter little seeds. Wonderful and soft. Not much throw on me, and I'll bet it'll fade fast. But it's beautiful while it lasts.

High, pure rose. Sweet, gorgeous, and strong. Confident but romantic. It's simply lovely. I don't know how, but you can tell that this isn't a red rose. Softens as it dries, but remains pretty strong on me for its lifetime.

Neroli first. Soft neroli, though. The scent as a whole isn't very powerful. It's sweet, but not overly floral. I'm really impressed by this balance. It's lovely. The sandalwood comes out as it dries and rather spoils the balance for me. I liked it more when the sandalwood wasn't quite as loud. But then, my skin likes to amp sandalwood, so I'd blame that. It's a pity, this one.

Neroli/patchouli start. Not too impressed so far. As it dries, it's growing on me: the counterpoint of vanilla/apple comes out. Enchanting. A vanilla/musk results. Oh, I like! That's magic. It's a matter of toughing out the beginning for me (patchouli's not my favorite). Turns darker, more sultry, as it dries further: mostly neroli/vanilla.

Dry, dry, dry, mostly bay and cedarwood at first. Almost all cedarwood as it dries. Quiet, cool. Might as well be single note white cedarwood, though, for all I can identify the other notes after the first whiff.

Whoa! Way commercial men's cologne/aftershave, upmarket. All citrus and white musk at first. Sharp. Snobby. Very masculine. Aquatic. I feel like I recognize it, but don't know where from. Once it settles down, it's a bit less sharp and more acceptable, though that's when the mints come forward. At turns, I think I'd like this on a man, and at other times, I think I'd consider it too haughty. Hard to say.

Dragon's blood and oh-so-lilac. A bit too floral for me, I think. Love the dragon's blood, though. Pity the lilac spoiled it for me (but I'm not a floral person, really).

Wow. Interesting. Really hard to put my finger on, though. It's light, yet sharply and greenly floral, but not traditionally so. Tea, perhaps? But doesn't have the lemon tang that so many BPAL tea scents do. Breezy. Fresh. Surprisingly strong. Huh. Reminds me of some other product. A hair spray, perhaps? Unfortunately, none of these are qualities common to a scent I'd normally wear. I appreciate the sniff, but I think I'll be passing on this one.

Dark dragon's blood. The musks aren't too heavy, which is good. Well-balanced. Definite musk, though. Pretty simple, not too complex, but well-blended.