Ajila

In the bottle - the deodorant my brother used over enthusiastically in his teenage years. Wet on me - as above, but the orange blossom and mint are present in the background Dry on me - soft powdery florals, backed by the cleaness of the mint, not what I expected at all.

The deepest, darkest point in a shadow; the area contained within the shadow of an eclipse. East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon. In the bottle - patchouli, very dark patchouli Wet on me - the patchouli is still prominant, but I can smell the cedarwood in the background Dry on me - lovely warm and spicy the individual notes are indistinct but they go to make a wonderful whole.

In the bottle - Lemon and spices Wet on me - the lemon has become more pronounced, but sweeter - very foody in feel as well as smell Dry on me - it fades very quickly, but there are occassional gusts of floral.

For use only by women. An extremely potent passion blend, used to great effect when you're converting feminine sexual energy into power. In the bottle - Lavender, honey and something else sweet (possibly cloves) Wet on me - Lemon and slightly peppery lavender Dry on me - Geraniums, clean and crisp, but definitely geraniums, how very odd.

Earth sorceress and mother of Mordred, she is, in essence, the harbinger of King Arthur's doom and the downfall of Camelot. She is a sister, or sister-self, to Morgan Le Fay. A bouquet of five night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses. In the bottle - fruit and jasmine Wet on me - soft and fruity - very round and smooth Dry on me - a soft powdery floral, the violet is evident, but the incense isn't. On the whole it's a bit too girly for me.

In the bottle - sweet patchouli Wet on me - clove and a sweetness that reminds me of the honey single note, which I don't think it is. Dry on me - sweet, spicy and very smooth. I'm impressed that the ylang-ylang doesn't go heywire on me the way it's prone to do. On the whole I like this, but it's not a favourite.

In the bottle - soft slightly sweet sandalwood Wet on me - Sandalwood and something slightly sour smelling, sharp. Dry on me - much the same as when wet - this is not for me.

In the bottle - warm and spicy amber Wet on me - something sharp that I can't place, citrus and honey Dry on me - pure golden amber, very warm and comforting, but with a slightly musty background that just sits on the skin.

In the bottle - earthy, spicy and a little green Wet on me - greeness, like freshly cut or crushed mint, and sandalwood, slightly aftershavy, very masculine. Dry on me - very clean and masculine, too hard for me.

In the bottle - amber (similar to the amber in O) and berries Wet on me - the berries come to the fore, with the amber and spices playing nicely, but the iris makes the whole thing smell a little perfumy. Dry on me - this becomes a very sweet and spicy amber blend, with the iris sitting in the background to add depth.

In the bottle - soft green lavender Wet on me - very faint slightly soapy lavender, with some smokiness in the background Dry on me - again very soft lavender, very soothing, but it didn't last long.

In the bottle - lush wet flowers. Wet on me - much the same but sweeter and with something harsh in the background Dry on me - it's very green and dry, herbal almost, but always with that slightly rotting wet bloom scent in the background. Definitely more my mother than me.

In the bottle - sugar, doughnuts and something slightly sharp in the background. Wet on me - very sweet coconut 1 hour later - it switches between the sweet coconut smell of sun tan lotion and ashes, fortunately the ashes don't settle in long enough to spoil the blend. 3 hours later - sweet creamy custard of the sort used in pastries

In the bottle - Dark, earthy vetiver and fruit - my nose says blackberries still on the bush, but my brain says cherries. Wet on me - still fruity, but in a way that reminds me of the dentistssurgery. It reminds me in a way of Lushs Avobath ballistic, but with leather in the background. Dry on me - leather with a layer of sweet citrus over the top. It sits very close to the skin and is light but sexy - my favourite Carnaval Noir so far.

In the bottle - Eucalyptus and something woody - very masculine Wet on me - Wood shavings, eucalyptus and peppercorns. 3 hours later - Sharp and aftershave like, but with something metallic in the background that makes it smell cold 5 hours later - it actually becomes a quite comforting manly smell, more my brother than me.

In the bottle - fruit pastilles Wet on me - spicy, jellied fruits Dry on me - strawberry and red currant jam, very sweet and slightly spicy.

In the bottle - spices, possibly cinnamon and nutmeg Wet on me - exactly the same as in the bottle Dry on me - Sweeter and creamier, but still spicy, this lasts and lasts and lasts

In the bottle - very sickly sweet, fruity, with something harsh and peppery in the background. Wet on me - very sweet, like strawberry ice cream, but with something woody in the background, cedar/sandalwood possibly? Also something slightly medicinal and smokey. There also appaears to be coconut in the background. 3 hours later - Pepper with thick double cream, it's sweet and gorgeous, but tempered from being sickly by the pepper

In the bottle - butter, salt and popcorn in that order Wet on me - the butter fades to leave the popcorn in the foreground 2 hours later - the whole thing has become very faint with just the corn and the occassional waft of butter.

In the bottle - medicinal, surprisingly enough, a mixture of menthol and herbs. Wet on me - sweet, soapy tobacco. The soapiness may be down to lavender. The tobacco note is similar to that in Perversion on me. 2 hours later - Peppery tobacco 4 hours later - Very soft tobacco backed with green lavender.

In the bottle - pure roses Wet on me - soapy roses and dirt 3 hours later - soft rose, slightly sweetened 5 hours later - sweet, creamy, but musty tonka, with rose in the background. Definitely my favourite rose blend.

CDXCIV In the bottle this is peppery green lavender. Wet on me it smells true to the scent in the bottle. After 15 minutes the lavender has become softer and less peppery. When it's been on for an hour it has become sweeter and juicier, heather has become evident in the background, but the main focus of the blend is still the lavender.

CDXXXVIII In the bottle this was sweet caramelly peach. Wet on me it was very faint peach, as it dried it became a stronger peach, flanked by white musk, in fact it became very similar to Fae on me. About 2 hours after application the peach and white musk had faded and the blend had become predominantly lotus.

Wet on me this is green and herbal, it reminds me of fir trees without actually smelling of them, if that makes sense. Dry on me it smells drier, harsher, the cedar becomes more prominate with those little patches of greeness in the background. It's too rough a scent for me to wear.

Wet on me this is very strong cinnamon, with a background of bubblegum, it's quite a sour cinnamon rather than the sweet scent I normally associate with cinnamon. Dry on me it's pure clove and whilst I like clove I think I need something to calm it down.