Aredhel

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Woodsy cinnamon. In the imp/bottle: Cold, needle-sharp pine, grass, and very warm cinnamon! A very confusing mixture, but absolutely fantastic. On skin, wet: Cinnamon! Foresty cinnamon, with just a touch of patchouli. On skin, dry: The cinnamon in this is gorgeous. It dominates every other note, but does so without crushing them into oblivion. The leather and cedar make brief appearances an hour after testing, beneath the blanket of cinnamon and pine. Conclusion: I definitely need a bottle of this. It is, as sheepzeit mentioned, a rich, spicy, smoky, earthy scent, and is something I am in love with. ETA: Unfortunately, this scent just doesn't last on me; it's gone-gone-gone in less than an hour. I'm not sure whether or not I like it enough to buy as much as I'd need to make it last a reasonable amount of time. :\

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Green. In the imp/bottle: Raspberry leaf and strong cedarwood. On skin, wet: Strong, sharp leaves and dark, heavy cedarwood. On skin, dry: Very tart, and very green. There's also something here that strikes me as medicinal for some reason! A faint mint, or a sharp grass -- I can't tell. Conclusion: Not bad, but not something I'd wear as a perfume. I might love to use this in an oil-burner, though.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Spiced, fruity amber! In the imp: Apple! Sweet, juicy apple. On skin, wet: Warm, herbal apple and a bit of golden amber. This is absolutely lovely so far, and if it stays this way, I'll have to order a 5ml, post haste. On skin, dry: Peach? Where the hell did peach come from? Herbal, golden peach, but peach still. That isn't to say I don't still love what I'm smelling, but I wasn't expecting that. That said, it's still lovely. It's gotten a bit weaker, but it's still divine. As it continues to dry, it becomes slightly floral, but not so that I really mind. Conclusion/Notes: I've tried this before, and didn't really care for it. Testing it again a few months later, I'm terribly fond of it. I'll definitely be getting a 5ml of this, though I may wait a few months — this would be perfect for late fall.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Rating (efficacy): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Almond! In the imp/bottle: Strong, cloying almond (or is that cherry? I get so confused!). On skin, wet: Almond, almond, almond. Sweet, golden almonds. Also, is there honey in this? Strikes me as honeyed almonds, really. On skin, dry: Still nothing but almonds. If there's anything else in this, the almonds have crushed them into oblivion. Conclusion: I like almonds well enough, but this is strong. So strong, in fact, that I would not be able to test its Voodoo properties.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Floral. In the imp/bottle: Bright ylang-ylang, lily and sandalwood. On skin, wet: Lush, sweet currant beneath a strong ylang-ylang. On skin, dry: The jasmine appears after twenty minutes and shoves the currant out of the way. The ylang-ylang and jasmine agree to play together, constantly changing places between primary and secondary. Conclusion: Pretty, but too floral and bright for me to wear as a scent.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Rating (efficacy): N/A Summarised in a word or two: Gorgeous. In the imp/bottle: Dragon's blood (resin) and warm cinnamon. On skin, wet: Warm, sexy vanilla, dragon's blood and cinnamon. On skin, dry: This is absolutely lovely. The vanilla, dragon's blood and cinnamon blend together perfectly, to form a very sexy, strangely-cold scent. Conclusion: Lovely! Three of my very favourite notes -- vanilla, cinnamon and dragon's blood -- in a single blend is a good thing indeed. I have no desire to try out its Voodoo properties (as I am quite happily single), so I'm hoping the blend *doesn't* do anything.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Chalky. In the imp/bottle: Soft, dark cocoa, sweet honey and warm vanilla. On skin, wet: Chalky, dusty cocoa. Cocoa almost always overpowers and turns chalky, and Freak Show seems to be no exception. On skin, dry: Very faint after a while. After twenty or so minutes, the lemon and pomegranate emerge, dueling with the cocoa for dominance. In the end, cocoa and lemon team up and crush the pomegranate, leaving a chalky, dusty, oddly sweet lemon-cocoa. Conclusion: Disappointing, but not surprising. Cocoa just hates me.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Girly. In the imp/bottle: A juicy, fruity floral, heavy on the rose. On skin, wet: Lotus and rose over a soft base of lily and water blossom ivy. This is a very watery scent. Flowery water. On skin, dry: This becomes very faint. What I do catch is a soft, powdery rose water. Conclusion: Very girly -- this is probably how I'd imagine Alice if I'd not sniffed it before, and didn't know any of the notes. Very innocent.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Bubblegum! In the imp/bottle: Bright, almost frozen moonflower, and beautiful, equally-beautiful peach and pear. On skin, wet: Bubble-gum! This turns into bubble-gum instantly. Everything that I caught in the imp is gone -- or, perhaps, everything blended together to form the bubble-gum. Either way, it's nothing like the imp. On skin, dry: Sweet, almost chalky bubble-gum. Not much else to say about that. Conclusion: Since Aeval also turned bubble-gummy after a while, I'm guessing it's the sweet pea. It might be great in an oil-burner, though, where my skin chemistry holds no sway.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Burnt pine. In the imp/bottle: Very green -- almost herbal, slightly aquatic -- with a bit of... anise? On skin, wet: Slightly burnt pine or anise (I can't figure out which). It's still very green, but it's become a dark green. Also, beneath everything, I can almost pick out something floral. On skin, dry: Burnt pine/anise and something floral, but something bitter. This is a very complex, strange, changing scent. It does seem to bring The Magician to mind, even if the smell isn't particularly pleasant. Conclusion: I'll definitely be keeping this imp -- it will come in quite handy for various things -- but I'm not sure about a 10ml. Perhaps eventually, if I end up using the imp quickly.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Apple cinnamon. In the imp/bottle: Warm apple and strong, earthy cinnamon. On skin, wet: Cinnamon, fresh apple and almonds. Rich and spicy and gorgeous. On skin, dry: Warm, cinnamony apple. I don't always care for apple in blends, but this is lovely. Conclusion: Figures that this -- something so hard to find -- would be both the pefect cinnamon-apple scent for me. If this ever came back around, I'd buy at least two bottles.

(Note: I'm reviewing the blend here as a scent) Rating (on skin): 4/5 Summarised in a word or two: Mint! In the imp/bottle: Mint! Creamy, smooth mint. On skin, wet: Lotus and mint! The mint seems to be to be along the lines of spearmint, but I can't be sure. The lotus is very sweet and soft, and blends perfectly with the mint. On skin, dry: A soft, foral mint! I usually don't care for mint, but this is actually quite nice! The mint isn't as strong as it is with other blends, and is balanced quite nicely by the (what strikes me as) lotus. Conclusion: This is, so far, the only blend I've tried with a predominant mint note that I care for. If this is eventually released, I can certainly see myself buying a bottle.

Sudha Segara: Rich, creamy, and just a tad sweet. Lifts my mood immediately.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Rose. In the imp/bottle: Strong, heavy red wine, rose, and patchouli. On skin, wet: Lush dark rose, red wine, heavy patchouli and myrrh. On skin, dry: Rose. Deep, dark rose, and nothing else. Rose usually overpowers a scent on my skin, so I'm not surprised. Conclusion: A very dark, heavy, feminine rose scent. I'm not a rose fan, so this isn't something I care for. Quite heart-breaking, too: I was nearly positive I'd fall in love with this.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Weird! In the imp/bottle: Sharp, bitter almond and dark vetiver. On skin, wet: A strange combination of lime, vanilla, pine and almond. Very interesting,, but not especially pleasant. On skin, dry: Mostly lime and pine, and very sweet. Very much like an air freshener, or cough syrup. Conclusion: Unique and probably amazing to someone else, but not to me.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Sad! In the imp/bottle: Green and herbal, just this side of medicinal. On skin, wet: Lush and green, and a bit floral. It smells just a bit astringent. On skin, dry: Damp mosses and light, faint flowers. It really seems kind of sad. Conclusion: This is very... strange. It's dry, but damp, and lush, but astringent. Weird, but lovely. A bit too floral for me to wear often, but I could definitely see keeping the imp for funerals (it seems terribly appropriate).

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Chalky In the imp: Dusty, dry, chalky (caused by sandalwood, I'm guessing) dragon's blood. On skin, wet: Thin, almost woodsy dragon's blood resin. On skin, dry: No change from wet, really. It smells almost exactly as I imagined: like a dragon's, well, bone. Conclusion: Not bad -- it might be great in an oil burner, but a bit too dry for me to want to wear as a scent.

Rating (on skin): 5/5 Summarised in a word or two: Amber! In the bottle: Sexy, sweet, slightly spicy amber. On skin, wet: Snake Oil, heavy on the amber and light on the... something. I'm not exactly sure what. There was something I picked up here that I couldn't identify at first, but I know realise it's coconut and plum! On skin, dry: Warm, spiced amber and coconut. The plum isn't nearly as strong as it was while wet, but that's really a good thing, as it might ruin the scent if it were any stronger. This is... wonderful. Definitely a cousin of Snake Oil, but not so close to it that I'd be able to part with this and be satisfied with Snake Oil, because obviously, Snake Oil lacks the wonderful coconut and plum notes of Charmer. I love SO, don't get me wrong, but this is gorgeous in a different, plummy, coconutty, amber-heavy way. Conclusion: Absolutely divine, and I shall hoard this. I whole-heartedly agree with kmasden, and everyone else: If you like Snake Oil, and/or like amber, buy this. Buy many bottles of it.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Citrusy. In the imp/bottle: As someone said, perfumey soap. On skin, wet: This reminds me of Storm Moon in its dryer-sheet--esque overtone. On skin, dry: This stays a very light, crisp, almost citrusy soap. It lasts for quite a few hours before gradually fading away. Conclusion: Not a bad scent, but not my thing.

Rating (on skin): 1/5 Summarised in a word or two: Mad! In the imp/bottle: Cold, frosty, minty lavender. On skin, wet: The pennyroyal reminds me of Spooky, and not in a pleasant way. On skin, dry: This quickly becomes a dark, cold, musky pennyroyal with fleeting hints of lavender. Conclusion: I love mint, but pennyroyal is a strange mint. In BPAL blends, it's almost always a strange, warm scent. That, plus musk and lavender, equals one weird, mad scent.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Boozy. In the imp: Pure, fresh apricot. No sign of brandy. On skin, wet: Yes, apricot brandy. Boozy, juicy apricot. I've never been crazy about apricots (their smell or taste), but this is nice. A little boozy for my tastes, but nice. On skin, dry: Mostly brandy, with a bit of apricot. Definitely too boozy for me. Conclusion: Nice, but nothing I'd wear as a perfume.

Rating (on skin): 0/5 Summarised in a word or two: Vetivert. In the imp/bottle: Bitter water, oddly. Something beneath it reminds me of moss, or earth, or soggy wood. On skin, wet: Watery vetivert! Soggy, damn and decaying vetivert. On skin, dry: A very heavy, musky wood. How weird. I don't care for this at all. Conclusion: Definitely not my thing. I have yet to come across vetiver(t) that doesn't turn my stomach.

Rating (on skin): 3/5 Summarised in a word or two: Pomegranate. In the imp/bottle: Soft, powdery rose and juicy pomegranate. On skin, wet: Juicy, fresh, ripe pomegranate covered by a wispy, dark rose. On skin, dry: One of the very few rose scents that lets another note peek out! The pomegranate in this is very sweet, but the rose keeps it from being cloying. It doesn't seem to have much staying power, though. Conclusion: I'm still not a big fan of rose, but when it's not a prominentnote, it's not always bad. As it is, this fades too quickly to be very useful as a perfume oil, but it would be great as a spray, or with an unscented lotion.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Bitter-sweet peach. In the imp/bottle: Peach with vetiver lurking quietly beneath. On skin, wet: Floral, powdery peach with that wicked vetiver in the background. On skin, dry: Powdery, sweet peach. It's not a fresh peach, but almost like a peach juice. The vetiver still makes generic threats in the background, so that it's a kind of bitter-sweet scent. Conclusion: Another 'good for the burner, not for the skin' scent.

Rating (on skin): 2/5 Summarised in a word or two: Lemony. In the imp/bottle: Jasmine and lemon peel thrown over a mixture of lily, sage and sandalwood. On skin, wet: Warm lemon peel and jasmine; everything else has faded away. On skin, dry: Lemon and jasmine -- nothing more, nothing less. Not a bad combination; a fresh, relaxed kind of scent. Conclusion: This would be very nice in an oil burner, or in a shampoo/conditioner, but nothing I'd wear on my skin.