Aredhel

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Berry/herbal soap. In the imp: A very fresh, green berry. Very nice! On skin, wet: Very green and herbal, with a bit of berry beneath it. Lovely, but it smells kind of... soapy. On skin, dry: After a while, the berry -- a tart, underipe berry, which I like! -- becomes much stronger, and while it's absolutely lovely, it still has that soapy quality on me skin. Conclusion: A high-end berry-scented soap. I'm really not surprised: berry-heavy scents and herbal scents tend to turn to soap on me, so why wouldn't a berry/herbal scent? I'll probably keep the imp around for a while, in the hopes that maybe after a bit of ageing, the soapy quality'll go away.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Rating (efficacy): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Herbal! In the imp: A warm, citrusy herbal. On skin, wet: Spicy, earthy, citrusy herbs. I get no vetiver as others did, but something earthy that might (or might not) be patchouli. On skin, dry: A second-skin kind of scent, meaning it mellows out quickly (unsurprisingly, since its intended purpose is not as perfume). I absolutely love it -- it almost strikes me as a mixture of Tarot: Strength (herbal, earthy) and Sol (citrus, spice); as I love Sol and Strength, I love this. Conclusion: I've added Seven African Powers to the list of "Things to buy when the TAL site opens" list. When I do, I'll then give its magickal properties a whirl.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Smoky spices. In the imp: Cedar smoothed out by vanilla, sage and musk. On skin, wet: I'm already in love with this. Smooth, woodsy, spicy and herbal all at once. Confusing, but divinely so. On skin, dry: Smoky. Much sharper and muskier, but still gorgeous. It is fairly masculine, though; I'm not sure if I'd like to smell like this. Conclusion: Yes indeed, this one is a winner. No sign of lavender, which surprises me, as my skin loves to amp lavender. All the same, it might be too heavy for me to want to wear myself... I may have to save this imp in my "to try on a boything when I next find one" pile.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Orange spice tea! In the imp: Er... ew. Rotting citrus. On skin, wet: Much better! A spicy citrus -- orange, perhaps? Very nice. On skin, dry: Warm, spiced citrus. The spice and citrus seem fairly equal, so that neither aspect is stronger or weaker than the other. As inbigtrouble said, it reminds me greatly of orange spice tea! Conclusion: I quite like this! I wish I had gone ahead and gotten a bottle when it came back around. I might need to hunt down a bottle.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Orangey rose. In the imp: Amber, juicy orange, gardenia and a wee bit of rose. On skin, wet: Oy; rose. Orangey rose, but most definitely rose. My skin amps up rose something awful, so I've not got high hopes for this just yet. On skin, dry: Orange-tipped, faintly spiced rose, but rose all the same. Not over-powering, but by far the dominant note -- beyond that, I get nothing but a bit of spice and orange. It reminds me of a craft store, minus the strong cinnamon. Conclusion: I had hoped for a lovely, musky, vanilla-laced orange amber, and that the rose would behave itself. No such luck; it just turns into a general craft-mall kind of scent.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Heavy. In the imp/bottle: Woodsy, green and dry, but with a wee bit of smoothness. On skin, wet: Wow. Just... wow. Woodsy and earthy and smooth and beautiful. I try not to lump scents into gender-type categories, but this is a very "masculine" scent. On skin, dry: Musky, smokey/incensey and woodsy. The tonka keeps it from straying too far into "sharp" territory. Earthy, without being dirty. Conclusion: Lovely, but way too heavy/dark/incensey for me. Another "Must try on a boy, when I snag a boy worth snagging" scent -- in the meantime, though, I'll keep the imp to try on a male friend that'll be visiting me in March.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Classy! In the bottle: A bright, sunny amber powder. This has promise! On skin, wet: This has a definite high-class perfume aspect to it. Soft and lightly spicy, and still very bright. It's only slightly powdery. On skin, dry: This definitely strikes me as high-end and classy -- as olympia301 said, it's a "big perfume house"-esque blend. I can't pick out any note(s) beyond amber. Conclusion: The more I wear this, the more I've come to notice the warm, very lightly spiced amber, rather than the ritzy, classy high-end perfume aspect. I'm definitely learning to love it.

Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Herbal! In the imp: Green! Fresh and green without being an air freshener or Pine Sol. Woodsy and clean. On skin, wet: Rich and herbaly and very, very green. Less woodsy, more herbal. It's earthy without reeking of dirt. This is the very sort of herbal/green scent I adore. On skin, dry: A bit warmer. The woods come out more strongly, and it becomes more woodsy than green. It starts to remind me of fresh pine needles. Conclusion: I absolutely adore this while wet, and it's nice after it dries, but not the same. While wet, it's a "10ml. Now!" Dry, it's "Nice, but..." I may get a 5ml, and apply to my hair.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Musky. In the imp: Chocolate, tobacco and a very strong mandarin. On skin, wet: Mandarin, chocolate, tobacco, musk and a bit of tonka. Amazingly, the chocolate isn't becoming chalky yet -- which chocolate tends to do ASAP. On skin, dry: Very musky. I do eventually get a bit of black tea, and one or more herbs. It reminds me of 13, with black tea and tobacco. Conclusion: I'm not sure what I was expecting from this, but it's actually quite nice. Nice, but probably not something I'd wear very often.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Rose! In the imp/bottle: Musky rose with just a hint of something spicy. On skin, wet: This does a strange tingly thing to my nose. Perfumey and very rosy. I get faint spices, but nothing remarkable. This seems a so-so blend, but it's very... bland. On skin, dry: Rose. Musky roses of two distinct varieties, but rose all the same. I'm not a fan of rose, so this isn't impressing me. Conclusion: I didn't have much hope for thise one, with its promises of rose, and I wasn't surprised by the result. The imp will find a new home, I'm sure.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Rose. In the imp: Rose, gardenia, plum, and I think pear. The rose is most prominent, which does not bode well. On skin, wet: Lovely gardenia and... rose. Rose usually overpowers a scent, but this seems to be playing nice for the moment. Nothing beyond gardenia and rose, though. On skin, dry: Ah, yes; rose. I still catch gardenia -- which, thanks to The Lady of Shalott, I am quite fond of -- but this is mostly rose. A very dry rose indeed. Conclusion: Rose and I have such issues. I remember having tried this scent before (I was sure I had reviewed it!), but I didn't care for gardenia then. The Lab popped an imp into my latest order, and seeing gardenia in the description, I thought I may love it! Sadly, it's not meant to be, thanks to the evils of rose.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Incense! In the imp/bottle: Sandalwood and patchouli. On skin, wet: Much softer and sweeter than I was expecting! It has an interesting earthy quality to it, grounded by sweet incense and sandalwood. On skin, dry: While wet, I liked it. Dry? Not so much. Dry, heady, thick incense. Conclusion: In a scent locket -- where I could avoid the incensey result of the drydown -- this might be wonderful. I doubt I'd ever wear this on my skin, for the aforementioned reason.

Note: Mine is a "Resurrected" bottle. Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Spices! In the bottle: Warm cinnamon stick and pepper. On skin, wet: If ever there was a red scent, this is it. If this were straight cinnamon, I'd go with the Red Hot description, but I think that Red-Hot thing is the clove -- spicy, sweet clove. Peppery and almost unbearably warm -- I say 'unbearably' in a very good way. On skin, dry: Still cinnamon, clove and pepper, and now something woodsy. Earthy. Darker than I'd have expected. Conclusion: Lovely! I love cinnamon and clove, and the pepper in this, so really, it's no big shock that I love this blend. I'd not tried Three Witches before this, so I've no idea if there's any difference between "Original" and "Resurrected."

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Spicy. In the bottle: Hmm. As others have said, this reminds me quite a bit of Blood Moon, with tobacco. On skin, wet: Musk, cassia, tobacco and patchouli. I'm not much of a patchouli or tobacco fan, but in Red Phoenix, they're beautiful. The patchouli is earthy, but without the "dirty" quality it usually has on my skin. On skin, dry: The tonka and benzoin appear, and this becomes slightly perfumey. It doesn't last very long, though, and it becomes warmer (the benzoin). The musk isn't very strong now, but doesn't disappear entirely. Conclusion: I never noticed any mandarin or plum in this, but it doesn't matter -- this is absolutely gorgeous; easily in my Top 10. I wish I would've gotten more than one bottle.

(I can't believe I never reviewed this, since I've had a decant since August!) Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Strange! In the imp/bottle: Freshly cut lemon and herbs. A bit medicinal. On skin, wet: How very odd. I've encountered lemon and herbs together before, but there's something about this one that's so... strange. Not in a bad way, but definitely unique. Almost... astringent. On skin, dry: A bit heavier on the lemon/citrus. There's some spice -- clove or cinnamon, and maybe anise? -- hanging about, but that isn't what makes it so odd. Conclusion: I'd never wear this as a fragrance, but I tested it as one anyway. As for an effect, I haven't used it in ritual use so far, mostly because I fear that I'll find it terribly useful, and be unable to find more. Once/if the TAL site launches, I'll use it then, knowing I'll be able to purchase a bottle of it.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Pine air freshener. In the imp/bottle: Green! It smells as green as the colour of the oil. On skin, wet: Very foresty and green, with an almost wood-like quality. I don't notice any mint, but this does smell like window cleaner. Herbal window cleaner (heh). On skin, dry: Dark, woodsy herbs and pine needles. Warm and almost smoky. It seems fairly "masculine." I do start to catch something like mint -- spearmint, specifically. Conclusion: I tried to like this, and if it weren't so heavy and dark, I may have succeeded. As it is, it smells to me like one of those "original scent" pine tree-shaped air fresheners. Pity.

(Don't have a need to rid myself of/need help with nightmares, so I'm testing this as a perfume scent.) Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in one word: Anise. In the imp: Some kind(s) of herb(s) and lavender -- mostly lavender. Lavender and I have been getting a bit friendlier with lavender lately, which is why I wanted to try this one. Getting kind of wary of Baku, though. On skin, wet: Ah, hello anise! Anise and I, we're not great friends. On skin, dry: The roles seem to have been reversed; this is now mostly anise, with a bit of lavender beneath. I'm not sure which I like better. This actually isn't bad -- the anise is kind of... creamy -- but I don't think I'd wear it. Throw/strength: This has a strong throw, and lasts about five hours. Conclusion: Not bad, but not something I could see myself wearing as a fragrance. As I said, I don't dislike it, so I'll keep it around and see if it grows on me.

2005 Version Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in one word: Doughy. In the bottle: Wow, frosting. Sugary, creamy frosting and... booze? Kind of reminds me of rum, but it could be something else, but this smells boozy! On skin, wet: Yep, a sugar cookie, dough and all. It still has that sorta-boozy note, like a cookie that's been spiked before being baked. Unlike last year's, I get no vanilla, or cinnamon, but get lots of dough. On skin, dry: Creamy frosting, a teeny bit of spice, and dough. I have a candle called Sugar Cookie that smells very much like this. After an hour, it smells like a baked cookie, almost burnt, but not quite. Throw/strength: This has a weak-to-average throw, and lasts about three hours. Conclusion: I definitely have to agree with slave1, that this is not as spicy as last year's. Last year's turned into a wonderful cinnamon-vanilla, but this one just turns into a nearly-burnt cookie. I think I like the '04 version better.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Waxy. In the bottle: Ooh. Red velvet cake, cupcake batter and cream cheese frosting. Teeth-rottingly sweet, sugary, but with a bit of a vinegar-sour tang. Interesting. On skin, wet: Cream cheese frosting and cupcake batter... candles. It has that faint soy wax smell on my skin, which is a very strange thing. Not digging this much. On skin, dry: Spice? There's a slight spicy something beneath the creaminess here, just barely peeking through after an hour. If didn't have such a waxy quality on my skin, I'd really dig a cream cheese frosting/cinnamony scent like this. Conclusion: This has great potential, but my skin just doesn't like it. It'll be finding a new home.

2005 Version Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in one word: Gingerbread! In the bottle: Mmm, gingerbread! An entire gingerbread cookie, no less, dough and all. Yum! On skin, wet: Nutmeg, cinnamon and creamy, almost buttery ginger. This is a lovely scent, but it's intensely foody. It reminds me of strong, well-made gingerbread candles. On skin, dry: Spicy-sweet heaven. I don't smell the dough anymore, so it's more like a mixture of all the ingredients before baking, not the actual cookie. After an hour or so, the clove begins to appear, and the ginger becomes much stronger, but neither of these things are bad. I can't pretend that I don't love this, but it's so foody and sweet... I'm not sure I could ever see myself wearing this. Throw/strength: Gingerbread Poppet has an average-to-strong throw. I can smell it normally for about four hours, and can smell it against my skin for almost five. Conclusion: Yes, I love it. Would I like to have my apartment smell this way? Yes! Would I like to smell like this myself? Not so much. It's a bit too foody to wear as a perfume. I can't comment on how it differs from GP 04 (or 03?), because I haven't tried/smelled them.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word/few words: Incensey-sweet. In the imp: This is a bit confusing, as others have said. It's slightly woody, but sweet, and floral! I can't pin this one down, and can't pick out any specific notes. On skin, wet: I can definitely pick out frankincense, but beyond that, I'm fairly lost. Maybe amber? Sandalwood? On skin, dry: I'm getting the same oddly-sweet-but-incensey experience that a few others have had. Frankincese tempered by something sweet. It's a lovely scent, but I'm not sure if I'd wear it as a perfume. Throw/strength: Ra has a average-to-strong throw, and lasts fairly long. I can smell it normally for six hours, and against my wrist for seven. Conclusion: I think this might be another 'acquired-taste' scent, in the same way that Black Opal was. I find myself liking this more and more as I continue to sniff my wrist. Still, not sure I'd wear it as a personal perfume -- it might be a wonderful room scent, though.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in one word: Rose. In the imp: Sweet, juicy apricot! I'm not a big apricot fan, but this is actually very nice. On skin, wet: Strong, lovely apricot and... uh oh. Rose! I also smell plum and orchid, but the rose is already beginning to take over. On skin, dry: Damn it all. Rose! The rose is completely taking over, as it almost always does on my skin. I was actually really digging this until the rose showed up to ruin everything. Throw/strength: It has a weak-to-average throw. I was able to smell it normally for three hours, and while sniffing my wrist for four. Conclusion: Rose and I, we don't get along very well, though my skin seems to absolutely love it, for all it amps up that damned note.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in one word: Soapy. In the imp: Citrusy, green and herbal. Very nice, but this could turn out very soapy. On skin, wet: Yes, herbal/lemon soap. Damn it. On skin, dry: Soapy lemon and nothing but. I didn't wash it off, holding out hope that it would turn back into the lovely citrus-herbal it was in the imp, but no dice. Throw/strength: It has an average throw. I could smell it normally for about four hours, and could smell it when sniffing my wrist for about six hours after applying. Conclusion: I had such high hopes for this one, but it hates me skin. I might try it out in a scent locket eventually, or try it in my hair come spring -- it'd be another perfect spring scent!

The ones I got today do! Gingerbread Poppet has a gingerbread man with half of his head missing (bitten off, I gather! ), Nuclear Winter has a mushroom cloud, and Lick It has a candy-cane and a red lipstick print. If my camera weren't MIA (figures; I just bought it last week!), I'd take pictures of them.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in one word: Tears! In the imp: Strikes me as Dragon's Tears, sans dragon's blood. Clean, but a tad soapy. On skin, wet: A salty green herbal. If I didn't know the name, I'd think of this as a clean herbal scent; knowing its name as I do, it does remind me of Tears, but, again, wouldn't if I didn't know it was supposed to... if that makes any sense. On skin, dry: A salty green floral. It's not soapy, as it seemed to be in the imp. Strikes me as tears on lightly-perfumed skin (a soft green/floral perfume, specifically). Conclusion: Surprisingly, I like this. If it were still a catalogue scent -- or if it were brought back, either like Antique Lace or Three Witches -- I'd seriously consider a 5ml. As it is, however, I wouldn't spend the exorbitant amount I've seen 5mls of this go for on Ebay.