coulrophobe

My skin loves roses - unfortunately, I don't, unless they're being handed to me by some cute boy (and sadly, they never are). I was hoping that the musk and amber would make this the rose blend I've been looking for - i.e., one that's subtle and realistic, mixed with other notes I like. But on my skin this is pure, screaming artificial rose - I can't even catch the slightest whiff of any other notes. Many of the rose blends have reacted this way with my chemistry, so I was kind of expecting it... this one's not to be, but I'll keep searching for a rose scent I can wear.

I first tried Perversion months ago, as it was in my very first order of two imp packs back in February. I mean, how could I not love something named "Perversion?" But it just wasn't very distinctive to my nose, and it's sat in my imp box ever since. I retried it today (mainly because I was intrigued by the occasional comparisons to f54 that pop up, I admit it!), and the Great Pervy One has definitely grown on me! It could be a matter of aging my imp, but more likely, it's just that my nose has grown more sophisticated. The tobacco is the predominate note at first - warm, flavored pipe tobacco. There's a sharpness in the background - the chardonnay peeking through. As it dries, the rum emerges and sweetens it up - a lot. My skin tends to amplify sweetness, and it's almost to cloying levels, but pulls back just in time. There's a vanilla-coconutty smell mingling with all the smoke and booze. If Perversion is a night on the town, it's not my usual club, but rather what I wish that club was. It's strong cocktails, sumptuous couches and cushions to lounge on, clove smoke curling through the air, and for some reason, they're providing us with dessert, too. This is why I don't get rid of imps. They change, I change... it could always work someday.

Will the real Unseelie please stand up? I have a 5 ML and two imps of Unseelie, and I'm getting two distinctly different scents. The imps are what I expected - a dark yet ethereal floral, light and not too sweet. There's a musky/powdery note that reminds me of Noir (doesn't smell like it, but there's a similar "feel"). The 5 ML is an earthy scent with a bit of floral - sweet, but loamy. As "dirt" scents go, it's not bad - but I'm pretty averse to smelling like soil. I'm wondering if it's associated with aging. I'm not sure how old my 5 ML is, as I got it off ebay, but getting rid of the old reducer cap has toned down the sour earthy smell I got when sniffing the bottle. That, or there was just considerable difference between batches. Or perhaps what I won off of ebay wasn't Unseelie at all. Sadly, I'm leaning towards that last answer, which really irks me.

My bottle of Skadi showed up as a bit of a surprise - I'd totally forgotten about buying it. I'm a bit wary of anything with evergreen notes - trees are great, but I don't really fancy smelling like one. So I was hoping the snow and berries would save Skadi for me. In the bottle and wet on my skin, it's far too piney. I smell like an air-freshener. But a hint of sweetness starts to come forth as it dries, and it starts to smell more like *real* evergreens. When completely dry, the berries come to the forefront, while the evergreen needles provide a cool tartness in the background. Unlike others, I got no warmth out of this one whatsoever - this is one cold scent! But very fresh and pretty. As a warm-weather loving person, I'm more likely to wear this on a hot day, rather than in the dead of winter when I have months of nasty cold weather to endure before summer comes. But on a 90 degree day? Fabulous.

Most of the people I know who've tried O get the play-doh effect to some degree... on me it's slight, on one of my friends, it's "play-doh and happy little ferrets." There have been a few others (Hollywood Babylon was "play-doh and bandaids, and Spooky was minty play-doh on me), but O has been the universal play-doh in my group of friends. As for almonds being the culprit - nope, not on my skin. The almond-based scents smell nauseatingly... well, *almond* on me, then thankfully morph to baby powder (which ain't great, but to me, it's better than reeking of cyanide!). To the original poster, you might also try making a spray with perfumer's alcohol, since you've been able to wear commercial sprays. Also, whether in a spray or oil form, perhaps try a smidge in your hair, where your skin chemistry won't muck about with it.

On me (and many other people, judging from the reviews I've read), they're nothing alike. GoG is much more woodsy - on me, it smells almost patchouli-ish at first. It reminds me of Loviatar more than anything else, though it lacks the leather.

Veil was one of those scents that I kept meaning to try, but something always came up and I kept forgetting to order an imp. But I've got it at last! I tested this without looking at the notes, just to see how my nose is progressing. In imp: Lavender... hmm, I'm not the biggest fan of that. On: Lavender - but there's something else in there that's toning down the herbally harshness. This smells like babies. Well, clean babies, that have been bathed with lavender soap, and doused in baby powder. Drydown: The lavender has left the building! I smell violets, iris, and maybe a soft musk. It's a lovely purple floral scent - it just smells like how pale purple should smell! Checking the notes, it's obvious the florals get amped up on me; I didn't get much sandalwood at all. I'm a huge fan of iris, so this might go on the bigger bottle list.

I have some strawberry-scented nail polish remover. Now, while it smells better than normal nail polish remover, it really doesn't smell anything like strawberries, nor does it smell very pleasant. Out of the bottle, that's what Strawberry Moon smells like - a faint whiff of strawberry, but the predominant note is chemically. Luckily, that changes when it hits my skin. I smell strawberry candy - nothing like real strawberries, but nice. It reminds me of those hard candies with squishy centers, with wrappers printed to look like strawberries. The floral and herbal notes linger in the background, keeping this one from being straight fruit. I like it, but I just wish it wasn't so artificial smelling on me. I'm super jealous of all those on whom it smelled like real strawberries and cream!

Like a number of folks here, I usually don't get on well with honey. For me, wearing honey-based blends is sort of like incorporating honey into your lovelife - much better in theory than in practice. That said, Honey Moon isn't nearly as heavy or cloying as the other honey blends I've tried. During the wet stage, it smells like a subtle, white floral arrangement that's been misted with honey-water. As it dries down, there's more of a powdery-honey scent - soft and sweet, but definitely dry. The lunar herbs and florals definitely make this more wearable for me - not an all time favorite, but damn good!

Iris, iris, iris! My favorite floral note is front and center, just like in Black Pearl. In fact... I'm having a hard time distinguishing this from Black Pearl, and I'll have to try them side by side later. I'm thinking this one is somewhat... dryer. Redder. Spicier. But the predominant scent for me is stil that dusky-musky iris, and I absolutely adore it. It's obvious to me that I need to sit down and have a talk with Black Pearl and Blood Pearl - they're so similar that there may only be room for one of them in my collection! But they're both so lovely, I may not be able to get rid of either of them. *Iris-induced glee coma*

I'll preface this by saying that apricot and peach are usually interchangeable on me. Of course, the key word here is "usually." On me, this doesn't change much between in the imp, wet and dry - it's pure apricot. Maybe there's a little bit of brandy lurking somewhere in the background, but my chemistry is really amping up the apricot. And it's not the same as peach, for once! When I compare the taste of the fruits themselves, I find apricot to be tarter and and more tangy than peach - and that's definitely reflected in this blend. There's an edge to it that's sour - but in a good way. Pure juicy apricots!

So if Air = resins/woods, Earth = rich/earthy, Fire = spicy/exotic, and Water = florals (and aquatics?) - where do fruits fit in? I'm pretty damn fruity. But on to my chart, and how it reflects (or fails to reflect) my scent preferences: 1. You like scents based on your sun sign because that is your basic nature. – I’m a Pisces, but I'm actually quite picky about my florals – I love iris, carnation and honeysuckle, but am either ambivalent about or actively dislike many others (rose... ugh!). I’m also assuming water signs “should” like aquatics, but they generally just smell like shower gel to me. I’m on the cusp of Aries, and I think I’m a fire sign at heart. Spicy and exotic scents? Hell, yes! 2. You like scents based on your moon sign because that is your emotional nature, and the sense of smell, and what is triggers, is connected to the emotional and subconscious realms. – Gemini moon; I like amber, incense (opoponax!) and sandalwood, so resins and dry woods are a good category for me. 3. You like scents based on your Ascendant or the chart ruler because scent is concerned with presentation, much like the ASC. – Gemini rising; See #2. In terms of the "presentation" aspect, I actually tend to like both fire and air signs here - strong, exotic, confident scents - that's how I like to present myself to those around me. 4. You like scents based on your Venus placement, because Venus is concerned with aesthetics. Venus in Aries – woo hoo, spicy goodness! Yes, spicy and exotic scents are very aesthetically pleasing to me! 5. You are drawn to scents that are connected with elements you lack in your chart, following the "we want what we lack" theory. My chart has a complete lack of earth signs (the version I did had 5 things in each of the other categories, so I’m evenly split between fire, water and air). I *hate* actually smelling like dirt, but an occasional “earthy” note like patchouli is OK in small doses. I’m not sure what they mean by “rich” fragrances – if they mean foody, I can’t do anything too sweet or buttery – the spicy fragrances in the fire signs category is probably more accurate for my foody preferences – so this one doesn’t ring true for me. 6. You are drawn to scents that are connected with your Eros, Lilith, Psyche, etc., because...well, I'm not entirely sure. – I couldn’t find Eros and Psyche as an option on the astro.com chart I did, but Lilith was in Pisces… and I’ve already discussed how “not me” my sun sign is. So, kind of hit-or-miss for me. I find the total lack of earth fascinating, for some reason. I think there's a smidge of earth when I take the houses into account - but I'm really not knowledgeable enough re: astrology to know what all the houses mean anyway.

To preface my review - I'm completely ignorant of the meanings behind the Sephiroth scents (besides what's posted in the descriptions), so I am reviewing this as a fragrance oil, rather than as a spiritual/ritual/meditation oil. I just ordered it because the reviews said spice and fruit! In the bottle: Very fruity; berry with a bit of apple. Wet on my skin: Whoa! Cinnamon! I can just smell the tiniest hint of fruit/berry in the background, but it's mainly just a wallop of spicy dryness. A very autumnal scent. Luckily, I'm not sensitive to cinnamon in blends - I've worn straight essential oil with no problems, but evidently it's not recommended. Drydown: The fruits come to the surface again, mingling nicely with the spices. I definitely get a comforting, home-y apple cinnamon scent from this. I'd put this in the same category as Queen of Spades some of the autumn holiday scents - this is beautiful.

In the bottle - um... grass and pickles? Wet: Nutty cinnamon? Where'd that come from? Dry: Faint, sweet warm spices - this reminds me of a quieter version of Silk Road. No hint of greenery whatsoever - but I prefer spice, so that's perfectly fine. But what a morpher. You're weird, Whippoorwill, just plain weird. Nice, but weird.

Kingsport is an odd one - on me, it starts out smelling like the bastard lovechild of Storm Moon and Ice Queen, and ends up smelling like Palmolive. There's a high, sweet-sour dishsoap note in there. As someone who likes a bit of the clean/soapy/dryer sheet feeling once in a while, it's not bad - but I like the wet stage, with the Ice Queeny coolness, so much more than the drydown. As a girl that grew up on the beach, this smells nothing like it - but saltwater/kelp is a scent that's much better when it's faint, wafting on a breeze, rather than on skin, in my humble opinion.

From the bottle, I get straight vetiver - which to my nose is sour, earthy motor oil. On my skin, still lots of vetiver, but I can smell the cedar and I'm hoping the other notes make an appearance. As it dries, it does sweeten and mellow with my chemistry - it's not awful, but the predominant note is still vetiver, pungently sour and earthy. I think it might smell wonderful on a man, but on me, it's just too heavy and acrid.

Wow... I'm one of the few that gets loads of musk and spice from this one... which is quite OK, because musks and spices are notes I absolutely adore! Out of the imp, I smell light florals... but once Zorya hits my skin, it morphs to smokey, spicy musk. This is a very refined, elegant woman's scent - warm, but still aloof. The florals sweeten it a bit, but not to overwhelming levels. There's a hint of something that's almost masculine in the background. I often find musks very clean-smelling, like freshly washed skin, so Zorya has an interesting contrast of smokiness and cleanliness to it. It's also my longest-lasting BPAL ever - most oils don't last more than four hours on my skin, but I tried a bit of Zorya in the crook of my elbow on Friday evening - it's now Sunday mid-morning, and I can still smell it clearly. This is absolutely unheard of for me, to have an oil last 36 hours, through showering and everything! Since it smells amazing and lasts like nothing else has for me - Zorya just shot to the top of my must-have-bottle list.

The first time I sniffed Al-Azif, I was smelling a friend's just-arrived Arkhams and didn't have the descriptions in front of me - and the smell made me think that this simply must be the one that was only described as "air and darkness." That description was actually Yog-Sothoth, but out of the bottle, Al-Azif is dark, sweet and airy; there's something that gives my nose the sensation of cool air. It's like walking into a chilly moonlight room with the lingering scent of smoky-sweet incense. Now that I have my own bottle, and can actually try it on my skin, I get the maple syrup that everyone's been talking about - luckily, it only lasts 5 minutes, because if I really wanted an oil that makes me smell like IHOP, I would have found myself some Hearth by now! Al-Azif dries down into the most beautiful sweet, dark powder scent, with a hint of something almost musky. One of my all time favorites is Morocco, and while this doesn't smell like Morocco per se, I get the same general feel... while Morocco with its warmth and spices is the desert during the day, Al-Azif is the desert at night, cool, silent and empty. This blend is gorgeous, and I love it. (edited because I can't spell those crazy Lovecraftian names)

I'm currently testing this on my left wrist, and the Queen on my right. The King settles down much faster on my skin, rather than the strange morphing the queen does. This is a deep but powerful scent - I can smell earthiness (but not the "just dirt" earthiness the Queen goes through), tempered with something that's almost aquatic to my nose... ah. That's how my sense of smell interprets (mmmm) oakmoss. I can't smell the vetiver and almond at all - and for me, that's a very good thing. Warmed by musk and amber, with the singularly masculine waft of oakmoss... I have a certain man I'm going to be trying this on. And then I shall tackle him. But he ain't getting my bottle no matter how good it smells on him!

How... odd. All I get from this is coconut. But it's not the usual coconut. This is real coconut, including the husk. Dry dirt and juicy coconut meat. I got this hoping it would be more vaguely "earthy," the way patchouli is, rather than "dirt." I'm just not a dirt person, though this does remind me of getting fresh coconuts and cracking 'em open with a hammer (I'm sure there's an easier way, but I've never figured it out... I digress, though). Eventually, the coconut subsides, and I get a strong dose of vanilla. And the dirt smell starts to fade - hurrah! Now this is more like it - sweet and earthy, rather than smelling like I just rolled around in the dust. Once I get through the initial stages, I think I like this one. Not a scent for every occasion, but quite interesting.

Mmm... to me, Ace of Hearts smells like a rosier version of Empyreal Mist. I'm usually quite anti-rose; most rose blends smell cloyingly overpowering and artificial on me, unless the rose notes are present in relatively small amounts. But this rose is mixed with such interesting other florals, and it stays fresh. Light. Innocent and clean, this is a very pure white scent. Who do I envision wearing this? Princess Buttercup from The Princess Bride.

Er, I posted this in the CT2 discussion thread... and then figured it was detailed enough to be my reviews for my three CT2s. I have to say that the last two both remind me of Queen of Spades a bit, though they are distinctly different... that's a good thing, I love the spicy red/purple scents! --- DCXXI (621) - kind of butter-rummy; unfortunately, my chemistry adds a bit of sweetness to everything, and this one is a bit too much for me (I can barely handle Milk Moon - this is more along the lines of Jack in terms of butteryness). I'll have to find it a new home. DCLIV (654) - in the bottle it smells lotusy, and on my skin, it's like a fruity lotus with a hint of spice. Much more my style! I think of scents in terms of color, and this one is Crayola's red-violet (of course, they've probably come up with a snazzier name for red-violet by now, but I'm a purist, dammit). A good late-summer/early-autumn scent, I think. DCLXXX (680) - oooooh... spice! And I think there's some incense, too - there's a waft of exotic perfuminess to it. It's deep violet with little sparkles, and I'm picturing a belly-dancer. This smells like an exotic and mysterious woman's scent - great for my alter ego, because in reality, I'm about as mysterious as a bag of socks.

A shadowy, unapproachable forest? Nuh-uh! I smell a light, happy woods full of happy little unicorns, or maybe Smurfs. This scent is so cute and girly to me. It's all about pink berries and flowers (I thought of Smurfs, because this must be what smurfberries smell like). Young, innocent, and sweet without being cloying - to me, this is very berryish, even though I don't see any listed. It's reminding me of Jester quite a bit, but with a bit of soft floral on the side. I love all things pink, and this is a very pink scent. I approve!

I only wish this worked as well on me as it seems to on other people, I so wanted to love the Shub. In bottle: Er... that's kind of lemony. On - wet: Er... that's EXTREMELY lemony. I think there's some ginger trying to peek out, but it keeps getting clobbered my the OMG, LEMON!!! scent. Drydown: Oh, there some spice... hey! Bring that back! Where'd it go? *sigh* After 10 minutes, Shub has left the building, leaving behind the vaguest hint of spice. Sadness and woe. ETA: I'd ordered two bottles of this, assuming it would be the SiA I liked best. I swapped the bottle I based this review on, and the second bottle just arrived today. I don't know if it's a matter of my funky chemistry, or whether this bottle is from a different batch... but this one smells like spicy baked goods, rather than super-lemon. It's a dead-ringer for Gingerbread Poppet, actually. Bizarreness abounds!

Authority - Creativity - Courage - Leadership - Abundance - Good Health & Healing - Illumination - Truth - Honesty - Wise Counsel - Prophecy - Pride - Revelation - Equilibrium - Mediation - Nobility - Generosity I don't get the piney note that some get from Sol (thankfully), though I do get the initial sour tanginess (or as cuervosueno said, pickling spices). But the sourness evaporates quickly on my skin, and it's a warm, sweet blend - to me, this smells like amber, orange, and white florals. As it dries, the spice kicks in - warm cinnamon and clove. Beth definitely captured the warmth and white/goldness of the sun in this blend, and I love it.