Enferdame

Bewitching, tantalizing and dangerously seductive. A thrilling, exotic blend -- deceptively sweet, but spiked with malice. White ginger, jasmine, and a touch of vanilla and apricot. I tried Siren again yesterday, because I had forgotten that I'd worn it before. This one knocked my socks off the second time around one year later. It's very sexy on me, I think jasmine and I get along pretty well, especially with that vanilla in there. Like almost uncomfortably so, I slept in it, and when I woke up, it smelled like earthy, dirty sex. This is what I like. Love Me tends to do the same thing on me though, so I still won't be getting a bottle of it, at least not until I run out of my bottle of Love Me. Still, I'm pretty glad that the notes have developed into something like what I was hoping for.

A frimp from the lab, I've been mean to try this for a while, and glad that Beth threw it in! Hooray! In the imp: I get a very green ginger smell, with maybe a hint of the cream. I like it, it's pretty sharp. I had thought that it was going to be super creamy and sweet, but it's not. It's got a hell of a bite to it. On me: OMG love. It's light, which is always good (I work very closely with people who have scent allergies). I also love ginger. This has that lovely bite of ginger, but it's sweet and creamy without being cloying. It smells like the honey at the bottom of the mug in my ginger tea, like when it doesn't get dissolved all the way. Whether I get a bottle of this is going to depend on some other factors, but this is exactly what I love, and even better than I expected.

You know, for all that the Illyria scents keep popping up for spring, I'm surprised my favorite hasn't been mentioned! Hermia! Between the sweet honeysuckle, and that bite of peppercorn, it's just so pretty and charming with just a bit of warmth to it. It makes me feel really girly.

In the bottle: Sweet and incensey, it smells a bit like Siren or something of dragon's blood. A bit musky too. I can tell already I'm going to like this one. On me: Gets very sweet, but manages to stay nice and deep and earthy. Very sexy, at least my type of sexy. But the real question... does it work? OH GOOD LORD YES. Little background, first. I'm as single as they come, and have been for quite some time. I work in the theatre and hardly go out. Now for the last two nights circumstances led me to some of the hottest bars in Seattle, not normally my scene, but I'm living dangerously right now. First night, met a couple of guys and gave two of them my phone number. I was wearing Siren that night. Then last night I ran into one of the guys again, wearing this one and holy mother.... It was a fantastic evening.

A frimp from the lab. Interesting choice. In the bottle- Roses and lime for sure. That lime is actually pretty strong in the bottle. I might like this. On me- The lime starts out nice and strong, but the combination tuberose and jasmine take over pretty quickly. And on me, that's not particularly pleasant. It's a lot of the white floral, which is fine when balanced out with something smokier, but right now it's super perfumey, and not in a good way. The lime does find it's way back to the top after a while, but it's pretty sneeze-inducing stuff. There's no way I could wear this one, ever, given the perfume sensitivities I work around all the time. This, definitely going into a swap pile.

In the bottle- Vanilla and roses. On me- I really like the florals in this one. They're quite lovely without being too perfumey. It's the vanilla I'm not quite sure that I buy. At first they're definitely battling each other in a fight to see which comes out on top, both strong, but not really melding. It settles down into something nice and sweet though, while still retaining the lovely rose/gardenia blend that I'm really digging. I couldn't decide whether I liked this scent or not, as I have a love/hate relationship with vanilla. Definitely have to keep sniffing, but I think I like this one a lot. There's some fun and mirth in there.

That sound sometimes crops up in Hebrew, assuming I have any idea what you're talking about. My biggest beef with French is never knowing which letters they've decided to pronounce. Do you think I could get away with regular English rrrs? Or would that sound worse? I've always thought it was more "luhre vairt". You know, super soft t. But I suppose that's a regional thing, and totally based on my french teacher's pronunciation.

A frimp from the lab, oh, Beth has my taste down, to a t. In the bottle- Cinnamon and baby powder. On me- O HAI musk! The musk has it's way with me as it gets dusky and dark and marvelous, all they while that cinnamon is nice and spicy. Definitely a sort of "doing it in the cellar up against the spice rack" smell. Too bad the musk doesn't stay super musky for long, but fades down into the baby powder smell that usually comes with musks on me. Not that I have a problem with that, I do wish it would stay MUSK longer though. Still, this is one is a keeper. A nice change from the fruity ones I've been testing lately. I can't resist a good warm red scent.

In the bottle- Berry fruitness and a tartness that could only be pomegrante. On me- Boozy goodness. Lots of the citrus element, with the tart pomegrante taking a backseat. It sparkles like Twenty-one does. A hint of juniper is also in there, a little surprising given that I associate vodka with pom martinis. Super yummy and totally wearable. As it dries down the berry pomegrante comes back into play, which is still lovely, but not my favorite. I like this a lot better than most of the fruity scents that I've tried I've decided that most berry scents remind me of junior high. They can be the most beautiful scents evers, and I still have an innate bias against them. While Swank is very nice and a fun summer scent, I think I'd rather be wearing Twenty-one. Keeping the imp though, one never knows when I decide to love berry/fruit scents again.

I ordered this thinking I would love all of the notes in it. When I tried it, I totally forgot what all of the notes were. In the bottle- phew.... It smells like a litterbox to me. I'm so not happy about that. On me- Like I said, totally forgot what any of the notes were. I was sure that sandalwood was in there, since on me it got very woody. In fact, it was sort of musky and woody, which made sense to me why I would order it then. Goes to show that my nose can't pick out a lot of scents yet, though it does make me happy to see that other people said sandalwood as well. In subsequent tries, when it's wet I can pick out the apricot, it's really light, which I like, I can't stand super fruity scents, I've decided. Dry, I'm pretty sure it's the combination of the jasmine and the ginger that I'm interpreting as sandalwood, and I'm not picking out the vanilla at all, I'm okay with that as well. After much internal debate and wrist-sniffing, and after getting my best friend to smell, I'm pretty sure I like this one. It's not love at first sniff like I had been hoping it would be, but I feel like I could fall in love with this one. Maybe just by keeping it around longer it may be my favorite. The Siren, frightening, but beautiful.

A frimp from the lab. I can see why, it’s close to others that I ordered, not to mention that there’s a lot of the Illyria collection. In the bottle- Vanilla and something else. I can’t quite put my finger on it, it could be the orchid or the stephanotis. It’s like a musky flower, a bit dragon’s blood, but more acrid. Interesting. On me, the orchid (at least I think it’s the orchid) comes out pretty strong, and the vanilla almost immediately takes a backseat. The vanilla adds sweetness to the mix. There’s an a strangeness underneath all of it though, like a sort of acid rottenness. I hate to say it, but it’s almost a Honey Bucket sort of smell. It’s probably just me though. I can see how it smells great on a lot of people but this one isn’t my taste. Which, I can’t say that I mind all that much. King Lear is one of my favorite Shakespearian plays, and I have strong feelings about all the sisters. Goneril is my favorite. Cordelia is WAY too “perfect princess” for my liking. Regan…well, Regan is the middle child. She’s sneaky and two-faced. She follows Goneril’s lead and she follows her husband’s lead, until she’s sure that she can come out ahead of everyone else, and only then does she make an effort to grab control. I saw a production once that turned me around to Regan’s possibilities on stage, and how her scenes are probably more interesting than Goneril’s, but I can’t help but prefer Goneril. The point is, this scent reminds me of how I think of Regan. Which means, it’s a no.

In the bottle- A cherry candy smell. Like Lady Macbeth, but a darker. On me- It starts out pure candy, but as it fades it morphs. There’s a strong current of wine mixed with a dusty floral smell. Further on, the dusty floral takes over, and while the wine is still there, it’s only enough to lend a bit of bite and fruitiness. I like this one a lot, better than Lady Macbeth, which stays too fruity for my taste. It seemed to fade pretty quickly, but then it came back, more of the dusty floral with a bite. Interesting that there's actually no florals. It almost reminds me of how dragon’s blood settles on me. About an hour in it's back to the dark fruit smell, with a hint of cream and dust. I like this a lot, not enough for a bottle, but definitely keeping the imp.

In the bottle- A cherry/raspberry candy smell. Very sweet. On me- Stays really fruity with a nice little tang to it. Just enough wine note to feel a little more dangerous than the cherry candy smell leads me to believe. The fruit notes themselves stay pretty consistent. I’m not going to go into how this is like the Lady Macbeth I know, since this very very red scent is perfect. It’s not really my taste though. I’m really sad that I don’t like the Illyria women more. I want to, given that I’m a Shakespeare buff, but most of the ones that I’ve tried are just too fruity for me to want to wear them on a regular basis. I like Bordello better.

Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean. In the imp it smells like that pink antibiotic liquid they give you as kid. Weird. The second it hits my skin I get a big whiff of the sandalwood. How appropriate. She's sickly sweet and then hits you with the dryness. As it calms down, it's pretty much all amber and sandalwood, which I like a lot. The vanilla gives it a nice creaminess, but doesn't add much more than that. If I put on more, it starts to smell a little like dill, which I've discovered is the sandalwood. Go figure. I though I loved sandalwood, but after playing with different BPAL scents, I realize in large quantities it smells like dill on me. Luckily, this blend is softer so if I'm careful it doesn't go there. For those unfamiliar with Titus Andronicus, I'll tell you right now, if ever one of Shakespeare's plays was written for the masses, this is it. Blood, Guts, Gore and Lust. The Goth Queen is a piece of work, as well, she's captured by Titus, marries the Roman leader, then carries on an affair with Aaron the Moor. Her sons who were captured with her are true despots, and maim Titus daughter, and the whole thing ends Sweeney Todd style with everyone dead. And Tamora is the one to blame. The movie, directed by Julie Taymor is quite excellent, and Jessica Lange plays a mean Tamora. So does this scent evoke her? I think so, at least on me, she's sweet, almost too sweet to begin with, but once on me she shows her true colors, dusty and dry, but soft (which is the part of her that loves still). Whether this one is destined for a bottle or not remains to be seen, but I'd definitely wear this again.

A strong, willful blend with a soft, utterly lovely soul: white musk with a trickle of bright, sharp apricot and orange blossom. In the bottle it's all apricot/peach to me. Makes me crave a fresh peach right now. On me, the apricot is still pretty strong but the musk comes out now, and gives it some depth. It fades really quickly, which hasn't happened with any of the scents I've tried yet. that's disappointing. As a Shakespeare buff, I love Katharina, but I've always found her to be a less well-written version of Beatrice, who is my favorite female character of all. If the musk were stronger I could definitely see this scent fitting the feisty Kate the Curst. As is, it's almost too girly, too soft. The really fruity scents I like, but I don't love them. It's a lovely scent though, and I have friends who would love it.

A nocturnal bounty of fae dew-kissed petals and pale fruits: white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon. In the bottle- Light fruits, very juicy with an icy kick. Pear and grape juice, a hint of soft roses, all white. On me- the florals and the fruits intermingle nicely at first being both at the same time. It’s a nighttime summer smell. The light florals end up taking over, especially the rose. The fruits, though they fade away keep it sweet on me. “I am a spirit of no common rate/ The summer still doth tend upon my state” That was the first line I thought of when I smelled this. This is the fairy queen in love, alright. For some reason the rose brings out the power in the scent, Titania’s no flitting fairy, she’s the queen. This is a lovely yummy scent, and I’d kill to play the Fairy Queen onstage, but it's not really my personal taste in scents. I'm hanging on to it though, for those every once in a while days when I feel like smelling like romantic nightime picnic.

I can’t pick out individual notes worth anything, but in the bottle it smells like something my mom would wear, definitely perfumey, warm and lemony. On me it gets spicy and musky with the lemon. Lemony pinesol, sort of, but that seems to be just a hint underneath the warmth. definitely something I would define as sexy, though I question whether it’s my kind of sexy. This is a dangerous maneater scent, and I’m definitely not that right now. For those interested, it didn't seem to do a lot as far as attracting men are concerned, but I'd like to make an attempt when my pheremones aren't so off-putting

As I'm playing Hermia in a local production I just had to try this, and I'm so glad I did! In the bottle- She’s all honeysuckle and fruit, with the richness I associate with amber. She’s sweet, but in a fresh way. Super yummy. On me- I’ve worn this twice now, and it’s acted differently, but that’s more my hormones than anything. The first time the honeysuckle and amber stayed pretty dominant, keeping it sweet but not cloying. The peppercorn gave it a kick that made it feisty. I loved this, although apparently the mosquitoes did as well. This time around it went through an unpleasant soapy nose-tickling stage that it didn't do the first time. Again, feel like my hormones are doing different things than they did the first time. I'm going to give this another try to decide whether or not I want a full bottle, since apparently my chemistry is playing tricks with me.

A fun sniffie. In the bottle: first whiff... hew boy, is that strong. Pretty perfumey to my nose. Further whiffs and I can distinguish the rosemary and the white floral and the bite of ozone. The drydown smells like tea on me which must be the petitgrain? Dry the narcissus comes back and slaps the rest of the scents around a bit, before something fruity settles in. This is a nice clean scent and it's very pretty and sophisticated. It's not really my kind of scent though, especially since it makes my nose tickle quite a bit. If that happens, it's a definite no-no, because I have friends who are quite sensitive to fragrances. I can think of places to wear this, like tea at the Four Seasons, but even then I'd probably reach for something else. This is nice to have around just in case.

Got a sniffie of this one, so these impressions are pretty fleeting. In the bottle it's super fruity to my nose, but after a bit that rosemary comes on really strong as well. I like it. On me, it's all rose. The fruity notes keep it the rose from getting too musty, but to my nose it's still mostly rose. This is the first blend with roses I've ever worn, so it's interesting to know that my skin will amp the rose up so much. I don't know that I'd ever want a full bottle of this, but I definitely want an imp so I can play around with it more. Doesn't hurt that she's a fellow redhead

In the bottle, I smell leather and dragon's blood. It smells masculine to me, but I'm interested to see what happens on. At first it's the perfect balance of dragon's blood, leather and smoke. This is exactly what it's supposed to smell like, I can see sitting next to a warm live dragon. It's totally spot on. Oh cry. My skin love to amp the dragon's blood into something lilacy, and this is no exception. Even worse, the leather goes away completely. It's still pretty smoky, for now, but the dragon itself is gone. Stupid skin. For a brief fleeting moment I smelled exactly like a dragon. I want to keep this though, for the day that I have a boyfriend. He has no choice but to wear this scent, especially if he can hold on to the leather notes, because in that stage it's a sexy masculine scent. I'm almost debating trying this on every guy I know and the one who can keep that initial smell wins the boyfriend title. Oh, if only...

Smooth, polished and lethally sharp: dragon’s blood resin and three sandalwoods. Dragon's blood and sandalwood are some of my favorite scents, so I was excited to try this. In the bottle it's smoky and dry, not as sweet as some of the other blends. On me, I tend to turn DB a bit powdery, and the sandalwood didn't really help that at first. Pure baby powder, with a hint of a spicy woody scent. Hmm... the sandalwood isn't as balancing as I'd hoped. About five minutes in I smell like I rubbed dill all over myself. Further in I can tell that it's definitely a combination of wood and lilac (which is what the dragon's bloods settles into on me). However, wood and lilac put together in equally strong doses is dill. It's not even a pickle, it's just dill. I have a pure sandalwood scent that I'm going to have to try again, just to see if I really like it, but now I know that my two favorites are a big no together. Well, I'll always have Dragon's Musk and Dragon's Heart.

I have to admit here, Goneril is one of my favorite Shakespearean character, second only to Beatrice. She's so honest and open about her quest for power, and all of her machinations and loyalties are right there in the open. She's also the one who wears the pants in her relationships. Regan seems to have the middle child syndrome, she's sneaky and plays both sides until she's pretty sure that she can win. And she follows both her sister and her husband, again, until she's positive that she can win. So given all of that, how could I at least not try a scent that was named after my favorite villian? In the bottle- To me it smells like an herby licorice. Seriously. Interesting, though I don't know how I feel about that. Definitely a really sharp floral at first. Kind of an interesting scent on me. The florals turn to baby powder really quickly, but something really sharp. Appropriate, this is Goneril concerned for her father, who pretends to be after his well being, but there's something sinister there. Then all of a sudden, the cedar comes out, overpowering everything else. I smell like the wood carving booths at festivals. Actually, I think I like that. This is the Goneril who cheats on her husband with Edmund, kicks her father out of the house, and then declares war on her sisters. It starts to get a little sweeter again, the cedar is still the strongest note, but it's mellower. This is the Goneril who geniunely loves Edmund, and is less of a bitch than Regan. Ah, the tale of Goneril, in a scent. Now let's hope that she last longer than her namesake. Final thought- Not something I'd wear often, but it's kind of fun to have around.

This is gin! The bubbly quality makes me think that it's a gin and tonic, but as it drys down, it becomes the gin martini. Which is great, because I LOVE gin martinis and gin and tonics. Int the bottle it's a very green scent. I get a lot of lemon when it's wet, along with a bubbly fizz that is really interesting. Dry, it's still mostly citrusy, but the green juniper comes back pretty well. Normally, I'm not a fan of smelling like a lemon, but given the bubbly quality, I think I'll make an exception. This is a great summer scent, light and refreshing. For the record, I'm more of a dirty martini girl, but I don't think I'd like to smell like one.

A scent pulsing with vitality, warmth and insurmountable strength: dragon's blood resin, red and black musks, a throb of fig and a sliver of black currant. In my Dragon's Blood blend experiments, I'm finding that my skin loves to amp up the warmth of the dragon's blood and the floral notes. In the bottle, smells a little too incensey for me, but not as bad as I thought the first time around. It starts out really floral, like most of the dragon's blood scents on me, but luckily it's a scent I love. The musks are there as well, which I think help to tone down the florals and keep them from getting too headachey for me. Oh hi fig! Where did you come from? It's taken a bit to come out, but it's there. Oh I hope it sticks around for a while. It adds a earthy fruitness to the scent. I can't decide whether I like this one better than Dragon's Musk or not. I'm going to have to test them closer to each other later, after I get through the rest of this. I'm really digging the fig in this though. Definitely prefering it to Dragon's Milk at the moment.