Tess
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Everything posted by Tess
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This reminds me of my experiments with Shill. I don't know how I feel about smelling like a food, but at least the mint should work with my skin if the sugar calms down. In the bottle - Holy mint! Don't get me wrong, I'm loving it, but boy is that strong! With the vanilla sugar smoothing it out, it smells less like a peppermint stick and more like an afterdinner mint to me. Wet - *does the mint marching song* Drying - The peppermint immediately backed down and now the whole thing is much lighter and fainter. Still smells like an afterdinner mint to me, though. Just not a very minty one, one that's more vanilla. This is so faded so quickly! It does give a little throw, though, and with a scent as distinctive as this, a little goes a long way. Dry (2 hours) - This fades really fast. There's barely a clinging of vanilla to me. Overall - It fades faster than I'd like but it's so nice when it's here! I don't know, I just don't know...
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This sounds like EXACTLY what I look for in an amber scent. A light amber with benzoin and tonka does indeed sound like heaven to me. In the bottle - There's a perfumey sharpness to this and the benzoin is the strongest note right now, sharp and pungent. The amber and tonka are in the background and, despite how strong this is now, you can just FEEL that it will calm when on. Wet - Sharp and sweet. Still with the benzoin sharpness, but the amber is so sweet behind it. I even love it in this phase, just like this! Drying - The sharpness is fading fast and something almost floral is coming out. A light floral almost... bergamont! That's really what I'm smelling here. A very light amber/tonka/lightlight benzoin/bergamont scent. I REALLY love this. Dry (1 hour 15 minutes) - This has powdered out slightly, but not much. That lovely bergamont feeling I had is gone, but it's still sweet and light. My skin is giving it a hint of musk, which is lovely, too. It's a really light scent, but it doesn't cling to my skin the way other scents do. It has a soft small halo of throw. Overall - I really do like this. Will I wear it? Who knows. I am willing to stick it out and see how it ages, though.
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I love these notes, especially the idea of orange/clove/nutmeg/musk! In the bottle - Hellooooo smokey cypress balsam. This is really strong and medicinal. Wet - This is screaming cypress at me! Yikes! Drying - At least some spice notes are coming out, but this is HEAVY on the evergreen notes. It's hard to stand, truth be told, the balsam and cypress are so in my face. I can sense some myrrh and maybe a little musk, but it's just so freaking tree. Dry (1 hour) - Welcome to the Rosewood and Myrrh Show! That's all it is now. Okay, I'm happy that the trees calmed down, but now they're gone. Everything is gone but that powdery rosewood with a little myrrh! Overall - It goes from overpowering to completely boring. This just doesn't work on my skin, sadly.
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I didn't think I'd like this much, but then I opened the bottle. And died. In the bottle - Deep frankincense with bitter myrrh and sweet, sweet fruity cakes. This is love in a bottle. Wet - Smokey Fig Newtons. I never thought I'd LIKE smelling like them, but I really do. Drying - The incense notes come out stronger as it dries, but it's seriously Fig Newtons on an alter. The combination is both fun and serious, like something I would have on the offering plate during the harvest season. Dry (1 hour) - This is all I wanted All Souls to be! The cakes are very faded behind the incense, but it's still there. It's not as sweet as wet, more smokey, but lovely. Overall - Gorgeous! This is perfect for me! Yum!
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Both pine and almonds get amped by my skin and my skin hates apples, but it just sounded yummy, so I had to have it. In the bottle - Sweet, sweet, sweet! Apple juice with large amounts of almond extract. Wet - Just the teeniest bit of pine is coming out... Drying - Ooo! Soft pine with the chilly feeling of snow is working it's way underneath the sweetness. The apple is becoming more "generic fruit" smelling and the almond has really vanished. But the scent of a pine tree decorated with fruit for yule is just lovely. Dry (2 hours) - This is so faint now, but it went through a glorious dry phase where it was like Et Lux Fuit with an added pine and snow notes. Overall - The More Than Friend loved it on me and I love it on myself. It is very close to the fruit notes in Et Lux Fuit on my skin, which is nothing but love. The pine even is a calm, lovely pine. This is a keeper like mad.
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This could go well or badly. I love booze and white musk, but there sure are alot of florals mixed in here. In the bottle - A powdery floral (tuberose) with a sparkling musk under it when I breath very deeply. Wet - Super powdery and floral and light. Drying - This is staying very true to the bottle. Nothing has changed at all. It still has that powdered tuberose scent with a slight hint of musk and champagne underneath. Dry (2 hours) - This has dried to a generic sweet white musk. Lovely, but not terribly interesting. Overall - It just didn't work out for me, sadly. It wasn't as swanky and boozy as I had hoped. Stupid body chemistry.
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If the woods and the fir keep calm, this could be an awesome scent. Mmm, pumpkin and clove... In the bottle - This smells floral with buttery pumpkin. It's... not fun. Wet - This is... odd. Kinda minty and floral and woody. Drying - Why the heck is this so minty?! There's still that touch of floral, but mostly what I smell, faintly, is mint. It's a really soft scent. I can barely smell it. A bit later while drying - Oh, ugh! Florals, rotting florals and mint. Where the heck did those come from?! Could it be the wet woods? It's giving me the most MASSIVE headache. This needs to come off NOW. Dry - Never made it to this stage, it hurt my nose so much. Overall - Everyone else loves this! What the heck happened with my skin? I'm still suffering the scent headache....
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I've been hoping SOMETHING apple will work on me and I really do think that the zing of the cranberry might make this very workable. In the bottle - Okay, maybe my nose is broken, but this smells like SOUR apple to me with a hint of spice to to. Wet - Sour, sour, sour apple. Drying - I'm not getting any cranberry, but I have the feeling that THAT is what is souring this apple. With the spice it's like a spiked apple cider. I should note that this is incredibly faint on me. No throw whatsoever. Even the spices are so faint behind the apple... Dry (1 hour) - This never picked up much scent, just continuing with the sour apple with a touch of spice. And it's so very, very faint. Overall - WHY do apple scent hate me so much?! This sounded so yummy and then my skin had to go and screw it up...
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The last of the Patch for me and sadly, none of them have worked so far. Will this be the one that saves it all? In the bottle - Warm, rich and woody with a slightly spicey tone to it. NICE. Wet - The pumpkin pops out a bit more, but there's still that rich woody tone with the spice to it. Drying - I really do like this! It's complex without being overpowering. The pumpkin gives it a smooth backdrop while that almost nutty wood hangs about, the spice giving it a sharp edge, almost like a pepper. Dry (45 minutes) - This isn't as smooth as it was earlier and it's VERY strong, but I still do like it. The pumpkin's faded quite a bit, but it's got bite. It's a scent for specific settings, but it's got attitude. Overall - I'm not sure if I'm liable to use an entire bottle of it, but I'll keep it around for awhile.
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This was giving to me by the lovely hologhost to try and help with my post-surgery sleep issues. I simply cannot thank her enough for her caring and thoughtfullness. Thank you! Scent - At first I thought this was a very odd sugar-herbal-floral, but after putting some on the front of my pjs, I've noticed that it's a sweet vanilla lavender. I don't know what it would do on my skin, since I would never try to wear it as a perfume, but the scent isn't overly distracting to me. It doesn't remind me of sleep, per se, but it is a nice scent. Light and sweet. Use - Oddly, this did not immediately put me to sleep after application. In fact, I woke up somewhat! When I did drift off to sleep, I did seem to sleep deeper, waking up only when my alarm rang to take my medication or to go to the bathroom. I do feel much more rested this morning, which is a big improvement. Once the imp of Somnus arrives, I believe I'll try that one out together with this to see if the effects are even more obvious.
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More berries and musk, whoohaa! I loves me them notes. Let's just hope the patchouli doesn't go dirty hippie on me. In the vial - This musk is so familiar... There's blackberries here, patchouli and that musk that I can't quite put my finger on. Wet - The musk reminds me of the one in Satyr. Only, with the berries, not quite so ferrit like. Hrm. Drying - Now I'm getting a woodiness coming out and the berries are VERY faint. It's earthy, extremely earthy. I still can't place my finger on the musk. I almost want to say that it's giving me that all-knowing Coke scent, but I think that's my mind playing tricks. The throw on this is LARGE and much nicer than up close. Sweeter, less animal-like. Dry (1 hour) - Eh. Patchouli and musk and boring and very strong. Overall - It was interesting, but not my thing in the least. I like my musks lighter and my patchouli just a smidge, just a breath, just a thought.
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I wanted this one without even knowing any of the notes, but I hear that it's sticky sweet berries with musk. So long as it steers clear of cherry, we'll be good. In the vial - Black cherry and dark, dark musk. This isn't the cherry of Blood Kiss, this is black and sensual. Wet - Musky and slightly boozy cherries. Yum. Drying - You know those cordial cherries? That's these with deep musk lingering behind it. It's like a piece of the witch's house as she tempts Hanzel and Gretel. Dark, sinister and too, too sweet to deny. Dry (1 hour) - It went through an almond stage and now it's dried to a dry, dry musk and incense scent. Very dry. To the point of making my throat dry, it's so dry. Overall - I'm not the biggest fan of the dry stages; I really wish it would have stayed wet on me. I think this frimp might single-handedly cause me to get a scent locket. Huh.
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Mmm, sandalwood. There have been some great things said about this one and seeing as I've struck out with the first three Pumpkin Patch oils, I'm crossing my fingers with this one. In the bottle - I've come to realize that I really have no idea what orris smells like and I feel like a complete schmuck for it. I'm catching the pumpkin's smoothness and the sandalwood's smoke, but there's something a little bitter here with a bite. Is that orris? Wet - Ooo, this is a spicey incense with a smooth pumpking base. It's lovely! Drying - The sandalwood is so nice, a little spicey and smokey! There is something almost bitter to it, but it just helps add depth, as it's very much in the background. The pumpkin is seriously smoothing this out and giving it just a touch of buttery sweetness. I'm REALLY liking this one! Dry (1.5 hours) - Something has turned in this scent and I can only assume it's the mysterious orris note. This has gone absolutely sour on me. Overall - It could be skin chemistry problems, it really could. I'll hold onto this one and see if it improves at all over time.
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I love both of these notes, so I'm really hope the combination of the two works on me. And better yet, doesn't fade. In the bottle - There's something sweet but tart about this mixture. I reminds me of gum, actually, that sour Trident gum. Wet - This is very tart and not at all buttery from the pumpkin. Drying - Oh dear, I knew it. This is fading fast on me. My skin is eating the tart 'granate goodness! While it's still around, there is a very smooth texture from the pumpkin that is going extremely well with the slightly sweet tartness. This is really lovely, even as it's fading away. Dry (30 minutes) - I hate my skin chemistry sometimes... Sure, this was fading fast, which I can understand, but then my skin morphed it into something that doesn't EXACTLY smell like poo. Reminds me of it, though. Overall - This is heartbreak for me. I haven't had a single one of the Patch work for me and this one I was so sure would work out...
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I know I'll love this. I know I will. In the bottle - Rich vanilla chocolate with the smoothness of the amber behind it, a hint of spice and of citrus. LOVE. Wet - The fig leaf and sandalwood immediately darken this down, giving it a woody undertone, making it not nearly as foody as in the bottle. Drying - I'm losing the chocolate here and fast, along with the vanilla. The fig leaf is taking this by force, although I can barely say that as the whole thing is fading like mad. Fading away, except for a little throw. I actually rather like it as light as it is. Dry (3 hours) - Well, it's faded to just a tiny touch of chocolate now, but that's to be expected this far in. My skin eats oil, afterall. However, there was a point about an hour in where I was getting the most wonderful throw, all chocolate and vanilla with a little citrus. Overall - I really do love this, even if it isn't very strong and even if it's not my usual scent. It's lovely for those times when I want to smell sweet and chocolatey. The More Than Friend really likes this one, too.
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('06 version) I love booze scents, so I'm hoping it'll bring out the smokey, sugary, boozey goodness on me. Okay, so I'm being risky with the sugar. Heck, for a booze scent, it's worth it. In the bottle - The booze hits hard, as does the smoke, although it's a little on the stale smoke side to my nose. There's something very acrid here, as if it's trying to be sweet, but failing. Wet - The booze is immediately sweetened and the acrid is a sort of pine smoke, I think. Drying - I can't shake the pine feeling of this. The booze is at the forefront and it's wet and sugary and just wonderful. The smoke is hanging around, mixing with that slightly acrid scent. Luckily that feeling is just barely hanging there. If it weren't for that slightly evergreen note, this would be glorious. As it is, I'll have to see what it does as it dries. Dry (30 minutes) - Um, helloooo? Where did you go? There's a lingering of very spiced musk, which is still lovely by itself if faint, but all the booze and smoke is gone. Poo. Overall - This may need to be slathered to really appreciate it. About 15 minutes in, it became the most perfect scent, all sugary booze and spiced smoke over dark musk. I just don't get that "outdoor" scent other people do. To me, it's much more about a raunchy party with a sweet rum drink and people smoking cigars, wearing a spicey musk on your pulsepoints. Ah, well, I'll keep trying it. It's far too yummy to give up on completely.
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Rough on the edges, but possessing the true essence of valor and nobility of spirit: tobacco, vanilla, white pear, cedar, rugged musk and saddle leather. This is really such a rugged scent, I couldn't say no. The idea of the sweet notes mingling with the rough musk and leather just makes me excited. I certainly hope it lives up to it! In the bottle - LEATHER, some musk and quite a bit of clarifying tobacco. It's got a strong tang of colonge. So far, I love it! Wet - Holy clarifying power, Batman! 0_o Yiiiikes. Drying - Oh holy gods, this is good stuff. The darker notes are there (tobaccy, leather, musk, ceder) but the pear is just cutting through it all, giving it some class. Traditionally I despise pear, but this is actually working for me. This very much is a sophisticated cowboy, one who's showered. I can get some vanilla there, too. In fact, I think it's softening the pear around the edges so that it doesn't kill me. Whoohoo! Dry (45 minutes) - I don't know if anyone else's skin does this, but mine has the tendency to break down bouquettes. In this case, the leather. My skin has zoomed in and is systematically breaking it down, making it smell almost herbal. It's really pretty sad, since that's the only thing that's coming through now. Overall - I'm not giving up on this one. It might just be chemistry making things strange and it had such a wonderful smell at the beginning...
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Yum, yum, yum. That's all I can say to that list of notes. In the bottle - Nutty cocoa, not overly sweet, but with a smooth buttery underpinning from the pumpkin. Yum! Wet - Wow, this is so faint. The nut pretty much hits the road immediately. Drying - Gah, chocolately pumpkinness! There's something lingering at the back of my nostrils that isn't a note so much as a sensation. The nuts, maybe, MIA as they are? This certainly isn't sweet nor is it strong. It floats off my skin very faintly. Dry (45 minutes) - This went the way cocoa usually does on me. It's overly dry and powdery, with the creaminess of the pumpkin going rancid underneath. Overall - This simply ran into the problem of personal chemistry. It really is too bad, too. It had such a wonderful scent before it dried. Stupid body...
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Part of my pumpkin frenzy. In the bottle - There's that smooth buttery pumpkin, only with some sort of very strongly alcoholic apple cider. An interesting combination. Wet - That alcoholic cider doesn't mesh too well with the pumpkin to my nose... Drying - Something about the apple doesn't sit well with my skin. They're overly tart, almost vinagery, making the pumpkin spoil. The spices aren't able to keep it from going rancid on my skin, either. Dry (1 hour) - The pumpkin is far too soft, but lovely and buttery. However, the apple just is too fake. The spices are almost gone. The whole thing is very soft. Overall - Something about the apple just sours on my skin. I know my skin does odd things, but I wasn't aware that was one of them. Poo.
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Dracula was one of my favorite books when I was in middle school, loving the dark mystery of the story. Of course, the notes here sound fab, if somewhat dark for my personality. In the bottle - The cinnamon, clove and ginger are just firey like mad here. There is a dark woodiness in the back ground, as well as a nice basis of musk. Yum. Wet - Fire fire fire! Spicey fire! Drying - I never thought of Dracula as this... cinnamon. And it's a STRONG cinnamon. It's a smooth scent, though, sexy and tempting. The musk and the neroli work together the best in this, the spice giving it a kick. I really do like it, even if it isn't how I imagined. Dry (45 minutes) - The throw on this is quite sweet; neroli, tonka and musk float around me with a touch of clove and cinnamon. Closer to the skin the patchouli just barely peeks out, but there's just no wood. Overall - This is just sweeter and more feminine than I thought it would be, but it's still lovely. It's got great throw from just a little dab, so I can see this being a keeper for me. Of course, I'm going to be trying it out on the More than Friend, just to see what it's like on a man.
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Incense with foody currants? Mmmm... Hope this one smells as good as it sounds. In the bottle - The incense is very dark to my nose with the buttery note there, but I'm getting nothing sweet nor currant. Wet - There is something sour here... The butter maybe? It's not good. Drying - The incense really is dark and heavy, like patchouli to my nose. The currant is there, kicking itself out from under the cloud, but there still that lingering sourness. It must be the butter note. Dry (45 minutes) - So very sour with so much patchouli. The currant is gone and a powdery note has come out. Overall - I know it's my skin chemistry to blame and it makes me sad. Bah.
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Strange reactions to oils post surgery
Tess posted a blog entry in ...and him, Really Interesting Guy...
I am having a very strong reaction to any oil's scent. I tried out R.M. Renfield today and found that it doesn't work with me at all. This in itself is nothing surprising at least 2/3 of scents (if not more) don't work for me. However my reaction to this oil and it's very faint lingering smell are almost staggering. I feel physically ill! I've never had such a reaction before and I can only atest it to either the drugs I'm taking or my major surgery earlier in the month. Either way, I want this bizarre overreaction on my part of my body to stop immediately. BPAL is one of the few things I can still enjoy with my current disability and I refuse to give up more things that I love. There are times when I feel like my life is gone, never to be returned. The idea of finishing up my work for last semester or actually taking classes in the spring just seems so... unreal. I can't help but feel that my helplessness is permanent. Sometimes, I feel like I'm losing my mind, trapped within these walls and with this fragile body... -
Unhinged: moss, cumin, patchouli, Balsam of Peru, and neroli. I really have no idea what drew me to this scent. Maybe I wanted a break from my normal scents or something. It's truly beyond me. I'm not one for "insane" oils, but let's try it. In the bottle - The balsam is mixing with something really, really badly. It reminds me of dirty floor cleaner, how it smells after a large floor has been mopped. Wet - It's not nearly so strong on my skin and I can tell that it's a combination of the balsam with the neroli and the patchouli that are going south. The cumin isn't present, that I can tell. The moss IS there, making it wetter and darker. Drying - This really is a weird one. The balsam is the strongest note by far, With the other notes darkening the scent. The image I get is from the movie "Seven" where the police find the personification of sloth in the room with all the air fresheners. I'm not sure how I feel about smelling like that..... Dry (45 minutes) - Well, it's calmed down somewhat, but it's still not what I'd describe as "good smelling." It's the same as is during the drying phase, only slightly weaker. Overall - I could see this smelling good on someone else, in particular someone male. With a deeper, muskier body chemistry, this could be fabulous. As it is, though, it's no good on me.
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I'll admit it, I've never tried a scent with pumpkin in it before. But when the Hallow's Eve update came around, I just had to have everything it was in. THIS scent was the number one thing I was looking forward to trying. In the bottle - Other people have mentioned butter, despite the note not being listed, and I'm getting that, too. Heavy buttery pumpkin with just the barest touch of cardamom. Wet - This smells like Shill with some pumpkin and spice tossed in. Hmm... Drying - Mmm, the cardamom and fig are coming out, as is the Egyptian amber! Goodness, I think I might love this whole heartedly. The buttery scent of the pumpkin is being lifted by the citrus notes and spiced up by the other notes. It's oddly enticing. Dry (45 minutes) - I think I've found a type of foody scent that works with my chemistry. The joy! The scent still has that buttery pumpkin scent, with the amber making it sweet and slightly seductive, the cardamom giving it the barest hint of spice. Through it all lingers the musk to make it mix. Lovely! Overall - This is a keeper, for sure. The More Than Friend loves it, too, which is an added bonus.
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Ever so slowly I am making my way through my scent backlog and here is one that I was so excited to get when I ordered it! Citrus is my love and the idea of smelling like mint tea with a dash of honey and a hint of lemon just makes me want to dance. In the vial - This isn't the mint I was hoping for... it's less mint tea and more tea with mint, if you get my meaning. There's an herby quality to it, too, and the lemongrass is tart. Wet - Something in here doesn't sit right with me. It has almost a rosemary scent. Drying - The mint note is coming out catnip on me! How utterly odd. I'm not getting any of the sweet notes, which is sad as it would really help this out. The tea has backed off and the lemon is just lingering a touch. It seriously smells almost exactly like catnip bunched together with some lemongrass. I'm surprised my roommate's cat isn't attacking me. Dry (1 hour) - This is dried to something extremely powdery with just the barest hint of tea and mint. Not catnip anymore, just mint. Ah, well. Overall - I'm disappointed, but I was expecting something more peppermint smelling, so it's my own fault.