leahcat

Desire in the bottle: a warm sweetish smell, almost a cooking/food scent. I can't ID anything specific except perhaps vanilla wet: warm yumminess. Okay, so that's not helpful. Reading the description... well dangit. None of those are at the front of the pack screaming 'mememememe!' but rather combining to be an almost lusty group of .... dangit. I'm just not getting any specifics in this. But they combine SO nicely! drying/5 minutes: still sweet, and warm (not bright nor dark), there's a definite sensuality in the combination of notes. And not a one is standing at the front for me yet. Still happy harmony/orgy of smells. dry/ minutes: There's such a *balance* in this.. it's much the same if a bit lighter and no note is taking off over the rest. SO nice.

Glasgow The rich scent of wild blackberry breezing over gentle rosy heather. in the bottle: warm, lush, tangy. fruity with herbs - ayup, that's blackberry and heather wet: blackberry yum, but not overly fruity - essence of blackberry, not blackberry jam or pie. The heather combines very nicely with this, making the scent lighter drying/5 minutes: more heather now than blackberry/sweet/fruit, but still very nice. They've melded together so it's less distinct dry/30 minutes: mmm, it's mellowed a bit, becoming a warmer scent. The heather isn't as prominant and the berry loveliness is pulling its weight.

Kumiho in bottle: crisp! awake! tangy! wet: gingery tea without being warm, it's almost cool - crisp then if you read the description. very nice! drying/5 minutes: softer, less of a dryer sheet in my nose feeling, still bright and tangy. I like this! Both white tea and ginger are light scents, but this isn't fading yet. dry/25 minutes: still crisp and delightful! I'll keep testing this to see how much lasting power it has, but looks good so far. Definitely a keeper for those hard to wake up early mornings

Fae in the bottle: Oo! peach! wet: warm peaches and ... not much else. something, but nothing distinct. Very yum. drying/5 minutes: peachy but less so now, the others aren't overly strong but are there. soft musk, some faint spices... yum! dry/ minutes: more white musk, still peach, and happiness all around. Keeper!

Bathsheba in the bottle: Ooo.. warm barely musky scent with hint of sweetness. wet: sweet oddness. I supposed that's the carnation, but it does not scream 'FLORAL!' at me like most other flowers. Less plum/sweetness now. drying/5 minutes: about the same but my nose is telling me it's only carnation now. hrm. but it IS sweeter than normal dry/30 minutes: a warm sweet mellow barely floral scent. neat!

in the bottle: sweet apple rose wet: first rose, then sweetness which I can ID as apple, a touch of honey and something else that is floral but not rose, which I suspect is the ylang ylang drying/5 minutes: sweet foral. the apple is harder to distinguish now, alas! dry/25 minutes: yum, just getting sweetish rose now. Nice for what it is, not as much apple.

Blood Kiss in the bottle: barely sweet, something heavy – that must be the vetiver wet: mildly warm sweetness (honey/vanilla/clove? Yes) but with several different dimensions to the scent – I get a hint of vetiver, but then it’s gone again and I get something (wine?). Each sniff is a bit different! Let’s see what it does with my skin and drying drying/5 minutes: a bit more musky now (or more vetiver, likely both), this is a barely-sweet scent. It’s there, but comes and goes. I suspect mainly from the cherry, as it’s a fruit sweet, not sugar sweet. Although I can convince my nose it’s a honey dipped cherry too. dry/30 minutes: it’s fading a bit on me, but a musky sweetness is how I’d best summarize it. I cannot make out any specific note, but reading the scent description I can nod my head and say ‘yup’ and it seems like I can smell the vanilla, honey, cloves, cherries, vetiver, wine and musk in there. No clue on the poppy scent (poppy flowers? Poppy seeds?)

Hollywood Babylon in the bottle: Oo! I call this a ‘bright’ scent as it makes me open my eyes but not in a lemon-in-the-face sort of way. It’s.... goodness. There is a LOT in there and nothing I dislike, however I can’t quite ID it yet. wet: Vanilla, deep something, cherry... yup, black cherry makes sense (this is NO cough syrup cherry!). A touch of spices, but barely there right now. Amber I like and can ID, not sure what heliotrope is like. drying/5 minutes: sweetness, I can ID the cherry and soft vanilla. They both meld with the amber/spices very well. Reading the description it says a ‘lusty red musk’... which *might* be what gives it the semi heavy feel. I can’t really say. Too much in here to tell, but overall it’s a medium-heavy not overly sweet scent. dry/25 minutes: the same. A lovely scent I shall have to play more with to see if it’s a keeper.

Bliss in the bottle: cocoa butter! Not much else wet: chocolaty cocoa butter dry (dried fast! 6 minutes): chocolaty cocoa butter A very direct scent! It’s not super sweet chocolate but rather like melted chocolate – warm and dark and heavy. It reminds me of Velvet a bit and I wish I had that imp on hand to compare and contrast.

Aizen-Myoo (no clue on what those first three things are! Cherry and tea I know at least) in the bottle: Ooo. Something. Fruity something. Almost reminds me of a shampoo, but MUCH nicer. wet: Sweetness, which is the cherry blossoms. I’m drinking tea as we sit here, so not sure if I can smell tea in this or if it’s my mug (opps). There’s definitely something more (likely those first three), but I wouldn’t label it spices nor incense – at least not the types I’m used it. It’s a subtle version of what I consider to be normal incenses/spices. drying/8 minutes: About the same with a touch less sweet cherry and just cherry and these unknown spices. They blend well. Any tea gets mixed in with the spices – I cannot differentiate them. Cherry and the ‘other’ stuff to my nose. dry/25 minutes: Mmmm. More cherry, still blending with the ‘other’. Quite nice! EDIT: btw, the only reason I could ID the 'cherry' is that it's a lot like the newer cherry blossom lotions that Bath & Body Works released this year. It's not cough syrup cherry but rather a sweet almost maraschino cherry.

March Hare in the bottle: Ooo! Apricot! Since I own an apricot SN, that’s easy to ID. I do get a wiff of spices. I’m interesting to see how it mellows out once on... wet: Mmm... spicy apricot. A bit like if someone made apricot gingernaps (except with cloves instead of ginger). drying/10 minutes: Mmm... clove! Much less fruit now and much much more spice, but it is definitely a sweet spice, not spicy spice. On makes my nose itch, the other does not. It’s not itching. dry/35 minutes: Sweet apricoty cloves, but it’s definitely the cloves taking the front seat here, but without being too dominant.

Dragon’s Milk in the bottle: Oooo! Sweet yum! I can’t ID anything but has potential wet: sweet happiness. Not overly sugared, but quite nice. Almost a fruit, but I cannot say which one. A bit reminds me of Bon Vivant, so perhaps it’s strawberries? drying/5 minutes: Ayup. My nose tells me strawberry (vanilla?) sweetness combined with bpal’s Blood. Not bad but definitely up there in the sweet category (which on an empty stomach is a bit much for me) dry/25 minutes: The sweetness has toned down a tad but is still very much there. This is a not-as-sweet Bon Vivant for me, with a softer melody.

Imp in the bottle: oh nasty... I think patchouli does NOT agree with me! I love the idea of the first three notes listed but can’t sniff them at all. wet: Okay, there we go now! Peachy patchouli. Either that or ‘golden musk’ is MUCH heavier than I expected. I do light/white musks very well but heavier ones I don’t. I’m picking up a hint of amber, but aside from the peach, the other three are very heavy scents right now. A bit like snorting up incense dust. drying/5 minutes: oh! much sweeter now, I rather like this. The peach is coming to the front without being fruity. It mixes very nicely with (I think it is) the amber. Much much nicer now, thank goodness! dry/20 minutes: a good peachy spicy incense smell.

Leanan Sidhe in the bottle: oh dear, it’s reminding me of some badly scented floral soaps. The supermarket types that I avoid like the plague wet: okay, more herbs now, with other scents that kinda remind me of those ‘fresh rain’ drier sheets. That must be the mist and dew. drying/5 minutes: Ah! Much nicer and softer now, likely from interacting with my skin and warmth. This is much more a pleasant herb and mist combination, the sort of thing I’d find in a dream. dry/25 minutes: Hmm. I’m getting more floral soap but perhaps it’s my nose changing, not the scent. It’s rather nice... but I don’t do florals! Ah well.

Katharina 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: ...ack! this smells JUST like my apricot single note. Would have been nice to know there was a cheap (and not discontinued) substitute! Let’s see what it does.... wet: apricot, check. Something else is in there though ... musk, yes I can get that now. White musk is definitely lighter and easier to tolerate. A few more sniffs and it’s smelling more blossom like and not just straight dried apricots. Still, very similar to the SN. *mutters* drying/5 minutes: I’m getting more musk as this dries and/or interacts with my skin chemistry. Rather nice, actually. dry: Now it’s musky and orange without quite the apricot over-kill. This is one I’ll do more all-day testing on later.

Crossroads in the bottle: earthy scent with rose? herbs? Something there, no note overwhelming it all wet: Mm, definitely more herbs now, slowly getting sweeter with each sniff. Reading the description, I can see this being moss and other nighttime garden smells. drying/5 minutes: herby sweetness. Not as much dirt but still there. Rather like napping in the middle of my herb garden. dry/30 minutes: yup, herbs

Juke Joint in the bottle: Mint and something... likely bourbon (which I don’t drink so not as familiar with) wet: that mint (or bpals’ odd idea of it... doesn’t smell like the mint in my garden, that’s all I know) is about all I’m getting, with an undertone of spices which I think is the bourbon. I’m not getting any sugar, although I might think there’s a sweetness to it, but it’s definitely not sugar laden. drying/8 minutes: minty spice. Not bad, but sugar? Nothing my nose can find, alas! I’m not sure if it would be better if sweeter, but this isn’t what I’d call a ‘sweet’ scent. Perhaps it’s more bitter without the sugar? dry/25 minutes: spicy mint. Not much else.

New Orleans in the bottle: BAM! Honeysuckle without a doubt. wet: Honeysuckle with a faint touch of lemon. Nothing else in there yet. Okay, 5th sniff or so I’m picking up jasmine, actually stronger than the honeysuckle....ooo I like this. (jasmine being my favorite flower!) drying/10 minutes: rather faint now but no single note that is taking over. I can’t even really make out each part. I get a wiff of lemon over jasmine and honeysuckle (which I can only ID because they were so distinct when wet). Whatever spices in there are very subtle – I can convince my nose that they exist, but I could not tell you what they are. dry/45 minutes: a soft floral is all that’s left. A touch of spice, I’m not sure I can get any lemon in it. Rather nice, actually. I’m just not a floral person.

Bewitched in the bottle: pine! Not pine-sol pine but fresh tree pine.. with a sage slant. My nose says pine first though. There is a semi sweet undertone... let’s try this wet: pine/sage (must talk to my nose about this later) is about all I get. If I keep sniffing, I pick up a *hint* of musk but it is definitely not overwhelming (I avoid heavy musks). Hmm. Where are those berries? drying/4 minutes: Ooo! More like berry sage tea now. Rather nice, although it reminds me of some soap I once had (not soapy just association here). dry/30 minutes: The sage is really taking a backseat here (and my nose is no longer insisting about calling it ‘pine’), with the musky berry tea scent more in the front. However, no one note is screaming at me. The blend is quite nice! I can see wearing this all day quite happily.

Grog Arrr! Avast ye, matey! This be the scent of pirate rum! pre-testing: pirate rum? Hmm. This could be bad or good. I like my rum in the bottle: Oo.. sweet! This is promising. Hellcat had rum but went all nasty icky on me. Of course that was nice in the bottle too... let’s see how this goes. wet: still the sweet note, as if it were sugar cane dipped in rum. No other notes that I can ID. Not overly sweet (for me at least) but definitely up there on the ‘sweet’ scale. Are pirates sugar-crazy? drying/5 minutes: Fading a bit in sweetness as well as strength. I didn’t slather this on but it’s not one of those POW in your face scents. A nice rum scent now, not boozy nor too sweet now. Quite nice! dry/15 minutes: still about the same. Not as overly sweet and a soft rummy scent. (how do we NOT have a pirate smiley??)

There is absolutely *nothing* in the description of this scent that I dislike, so I have high high hopes. And I am utterly addicted to the ‘bite’ in sugar skull, so look forward to seeing what sort of ‘bite’ this cat has. In the bottle: Sweet! Yum! Bite! Can it get better? Wet: I actually smell the ‘bite’ before anything else. Is that the mead and rum? Perhaps it is. The rest is a lovely mix of sweet happiness without being straight sugar-sweet. I can do this, most definitely Drying/5 minutes later: It’s definitely what I would call a warmer scent now. Less bite, more buttercream and rum and soft almond. Probably some hazelnut but I always find that hard to pick up. This mellows out VERY nicely. Ooooo. Dry/30 minutes later: Hrm. I’m getting a very meady/rum sour bit here, like I’ve been out drinking all night. I’m sad! I miss the sweetness. Must do more testing to see if this keeps happening.

Black Pearl In the bottle: I get the impression of ‘wet’ but that’s certainly not very descriptive! It is sweet but not saccharine sweet. I don’t get a musk impression (tend to hate the heavier ones) so this might work.... Wet: Ooo, a bit sweet now, my stomach wants breakfast first. I do smell the iris, and this IS a floral I can stand. It is soft and not at all overwhelming. I can handle this. Not the sort of floral that makes my nose itch and cause me to search for antihistamines. The sweetness is surprising, but I’ll see how it dries down. Drying/5 minutes in: I’m definitely getting more floral/iris now than anything else. The musk is so faint it’s not there as a distinct note but rather as a harmonic to the iris itself. They do blend quite well together. The hazelnut IS there I suppose but only because the description tells me it is, I can convince my nose I smell it. Is there coconut in here? I'm not sure I can find it. Dry/30 minutes later: About the same, perhaps a bit less floral. It really is a nice combination of scents, although whether it’s one for me I’ll have to decide after a test or two more.

Horn of Plenty In the bottle: sharp and almost acidic, but lots of scents to that to my nose Wet: Definitely sweeter now, I’m picking up a melody of scents but no one note in specific. A bit of it reminds me of almond; a soft mellow flavor. I almost get a faint floral, such as a lily, but it’s not strong enough to ID. Drying: it’s getting a faint powdery scent and I no longer get almond from it 5 minutes in: I’m getting more and more floral now, in an almost soapy way. Not soap, but a soft lovely floral soap. I can’t identify the bouquet, but I dislike nearly all florals and this is rather nice. That says a lot! an hour later: this is rather nice, actually. I’m getting a faint powdery yummy semi-sweet floral with a touch of almond. No specific note overwhelms and they blend together rather nicely

From this, I get a sharp scent, of what I think is almond. There’s almost an acidic undertone to it. This, like the other Tarot oils I’ve tested, is a very strong scent and one I’d knock myself out with if I even did a minor slathering job. A dab does quiet well and lasts for a few hours. A smear from the imp stick will last half the day. I like the almond, but in the end I’ve other scents I like more, such as Bastet. There’s also something else in there I cannot quite ID and it’s not something my nose is 100% happy with. Ah well! EDIT: that something else is likely a pine/mint. I haven't done well with BPAL's idea of mint, sadly

Since my first order was just placed this past week -- can those of you w/ recent orders received confirm or deny the reducer cap status? I have 1cc syringes and imp bottles that I move my existing 5mls into so I can take with and apply safely, so I'm anti-reducer cap (and my desk agrees, as it's very Samhain-scented right now). So I'd love to find out what the current status is -- and then see about emailing if I need to (whom? no clue) to see if my recent order can be tagged for 'no reducer cap'. thanks