awesomeoverlord

Imp: Wow -- not what I was expecting -- I'm getting a touch of musky sweetness but, overall, this is really fresh...almost citrusy. Wet: Holy LEMON! Or is it grapefruit...in either case, there's something weirdly citrusy going on here and I don't really know where it's coming from. I'm inclined to say that maybe it's the sugar cane? No vanilla flower...unless you count that slightly floral sharpness in the background, no beeswax, and certainly no honey, which is surprising given that honey is usually beastly on me. Dry: I feel like I should be writing a Vagina Monologue...my vulva is a fresh spring meadow...Still no beeswax or honey or anything resembling vanilla of any sort. I'm getting sharpish citrus grounded in the lightest musk with something almost green wafting around. Very springy. I have to say this is totally NOT what I was expecting. The first time I tried it, I was kind of disappointed -- I'm not easily skeeved out by genitalia and bodily fluids and the like...hell, I'm doing my Ph.D. work on a religious tradition that tries to achieve immortality via the mixing of semen and menstrual blood. Actually, I was really hoping this one would work just because the name is so ridiculously appropriate right now. So, I was expecting something sweet and musky and warm...which, I suppose, this kind of is. Except totally not in the way I was anticipating. I was thinking soft and secretive whereas this is bright and fresh and totally out there. I can't say this conjures up images of a vulva for me, which might be a plus for some people but, like I said, I was kind of into the concept. I did like it a lot more the second time around when I let go of my expectations, slathered it on and hoped for the best...we'll see it it grows on me... ETA: So I ended up buying two bottles anyway, because...hello...the name? And it has indeed grown on me. The lemony thing I was getting initially has mellowed out a bit. Actually, I've found that this blend is at its best when worn in sticky 80+ degree temperatures. I was in Texas visiting UT Austin the other week so I had the occasion to wear this in an environment other than the typically frigid NJ spring temperatures. Holy vulva! You know that icky feeling you get when you've been walking around in the sun on a hot day for a while? That sticky, sort of sweaty uncomfortableness? Well, this perfume takes that feeling of hot yuck and turns it into something ridiculously sexy and naughty and arguably not quite appropriate for public nostrils. The skin musk really comes through (it's a hot sweaty day, after all)...but that weird citrusy edge? It's this blend's saving grace! It takes the whole thing from "I feel gross and sweaty and beaten down" to "hell yeah, it's hot, but I'm cool and collected and totally basking in the sexiness of it all." Enough said.

So, I've never had much interaction with the actual inspiration of this scent and I can't say that I'm able to compare one way or the other. That being said, this is more like a chocolate shortbread cookie to my nose, rather than a chocolate coin. Maybe it's the amber...who knows... Overall, I'm not astounded, but I'll probably keep the bottle for those times when I really just want to smell like warm fuzzy chocolatey goodness.

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. This is THE rose. It's what I've loved about the drydown of Zombi and Seance once all the other notes fade out (which inevitably tends to happen as far as rose blends and I are concerned) except all the time, no waiting, and no interruptions. I don't really get sharpness or greenery, just beautiful fresh rose. This is what roses *should* smell like. Gah!

Before I say anything else, I should mention that this is the one blend I'm now hoarding like a madwoman since I missed it when it was actually available, because... IT'S FRIGGIN' AMAZING! Srsly. If I didn't know it was comprised of Snake Oil and Dorian, I don't know that it would ever have occurred to me because all the notes just blend together so beautifully. I definitely get a variant of lavender here, but not the herbaceous beast I've been trying so hard to find a good perfume version of. This lavender is reserved, dry, and beautifully spicy. The florals are in there somewhere, but they tend to fade into the general cloud of amazing. Once this starts to dry down, it develops an almost honey-like sweetness on me. In conclusion, this is absolutely gorgeous. The end.

Bottle: Sweet with a sharp green edge and a slight fruityness, which I'm guessing is the blackberry leaf. Wet: The sharpness recedes and the berries come out a bit more -- still green though -- definitely blackberry leaves rather than the fruits themselves, for which I'm rather grateful since the lab's berry notes tend to turn into chewable vitamins on my skin. It's all floating on a beautifully soft background of the lightest sweet honey, which, again, is surprising because honey usually turns into cloying clouds of death on me. Maybe there's some magic at work here after all. The green tea peeks its head at this stage but then disappears, never to be heard from again. Dry: The blackberry leaves lose their greenness and mellow out into a very soft berry-like scent that kind of just melts into the general background of beautiful vanilla sweetness. No fae spices, but that's ok. This is honeyed skin smeared with fresh blackberry juice! Overall, I really like it, though I don't know that I'm flabbergasted enough to get a whole bottle -- I'm trying to remain conservative with my bottle purchases and keep it to things I'll actually wear all the time. Then again, this is kind of what I was hoping Bewitched would be and the fact that I seem to have found a berry that will work on me is beyond amazing...

No kidding! One drop from a reducer cap on each wrist is enough?! My skin really absorbs it too.. because I do not have a cloud of scent following me around-- even though I kinda wish I did. During my period especially the scent is gone in like 1 hr. I reapply a few times through the day. Average amount for me to use at one go during morning application is probably 1/2 to 3/4 of an imp. Am I a bad person?? Hehe I get pretty big drops out of those reducer caps, mind you! I also don't tend to go for the light ephemeral scents...I'm big on the Dorian and Snake Oil and the like. I usually feel like if I put on any more initially, I'm drowning everyone around me in a big noxious cloud of BPAL. I'd say they should feel privileged, but I'm afraid not everyone may agree Hence, I choose to re-apply instead of slathering initially.

Imp: Geez...floor cleaner! Wet: Still floor cleaner -- I think it's the lemon verbena blending with the neroli. I don't do particularly well with straight-up citrus scents and neroli tends to smell kind of funky to me...put the two together, and I guess this is what you get. Drydown: The floor cleaner starts to mellow out a bit, and there's some florals peaking through (me thinks I recognize the jasmine) but they're oddly musky, and not in a good way. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was ginger in this. Weird. Overall, not for me, unfortunately. One day I'll find a green tea scent that will actually work on me -- I didn't even get tea in this one

In the imp, I get a nice blend of florals -- wet, DISH SOAP! On drydown, it mellows out to a more perfumey floral (I can detect some of the lily, especially) dishsoap, but it's eau de palmolive, nonetheless

In the imp, this was mostly dark fruits with just a touch of green woodsiness. Once it touches my skin, however, the cedar really comes out to say hello. On drydown, this one ends up being mostly green wood with just a touch of sharp fruit in the background. Thankfully, the vetiver never really made an appearance...I'm sure it's in there somewhere but it seems to be keeping it's barf-inducing character to itself. Overall, nice, but not my thing.

I'm really loving the reducer caps, actually -- I'd been putting on my own until I found out that the lab would kindly send you some if only you asked. I usually put a drop on each wrist and then smear that onto my neck, this way I'm scenting all the required areas and not wasting any on my finger.

Yum. Chocolate and orange and starfruit and just a touch of lavender...I'm sure everything else is in there as well, but those are the notes that pop out at me right away. This is lasting longer on me than most chocolates tend to, as well -- very promising.

Wet -- holy bubblegum!!! As this begins to dry down, I'm having trouble pinning this down. The fruits are still there, whereas the spices are nowhere to be found, and...well...I think it's maybe the mimosa blending with other things, but I'm getting something very odd here I can't really think of a better way to describe this other than sex with fruit-flavored condoms Thankfully, that phase doesn't last very long. Eventually, the fruits mellow out a bit and the florals take this one home. I end up with a sort of nondescript fruity floral.

First note: thank god I'm not getting vetiver!!! I was afraid to even try this, as vetiver usually induces projectile vomiting for me. The peaches initially smell more like apples to me, but soon mellow out into what I've learned to recognize as bpal's peach note. Overall, the Marquise ends up being just that on me -- peaches -- surrounded by a haze of indistinguishable perfumey florals and a dark...something.

Wet, this is mostly lavender with some other nondescript florals floating in the background. Upon drydown -- soap I think I'm learning that I don't really enjoy lavender in combination with other florals. If I really concentrate, I can pick out the rose and orchid, but overall the lavender just makes me think sharp soapy floral.

Wet, this is dark lavender. Upon drydown, however, the black sandalwood ad tobacco make their presence known. Overall, this ended up being a bit too sharp for me -- I think there's something about the lavender/sandalwood combo that's just not rubbing me the right way.

For some unknown reason the spices never quite show themselves in this one once it hits my skin -- I get the almond note for the first couple of minutes, to the point where it overpowers everything else. The must and amber are demurely hanging around in the background and the lotus is beginning to rear its head. I should say that lotus tends to thrive on my skin, so it was no surprise when it started emerging in earnest about 20 minutes into drydown. Overall, this ends up being a golden honey-sweet skin scent -- very very luxurious and pretty -- the light floral of the lotus makes me think of spring. I wish my skin hadn't eaten up the spices, though

Imp: wow...floral soap! Wet: sharp florals -- thankfully the soapiness is receding and some of the individual notes are starting to emerge. Drydown: this appears to mellow out to mostly lilac and gardenia. The sandalwood is hanging around in the background, but gardenia seems to stick to me like glue and this is definitely what's happening here. Where, oh where are my violets? Oh well. Overall, and lovely floral.

This is all sweet florals on me -- mostly rose, I'd say -- while the tonka, coconut, sage & co are nowhere to be seen. It's lovely and complex, but definitely not what I was expecting. I little too much on the side of generic floral perfume for my tastes.

In the imp, I'm getting sweet leather. I'm kind of impressed actually -- I actually like leather? WHAT? -- me being an ardent vegetarian and all... Once it dries down, the sweetness fades a bit and I get lovely spicy leather with a touch of something that reminds me of cologne. I don't think it's really my thing, but this had definitely encouraged me to try all those blends I'd been eyeing but avoiding because f the leather note.

Bittersweet is really the right word for this one. It's tough for me to pick individual notes here, but off the top my head, I'd sum it up as a herbal violet. It's nice, but not really what I was looking for. I wish the violets had been the main attraction here, but they sort of just demurely blend into the rest of the herbary. Nice, though. Very well rounded.

A profound, complex scent that encapsulates the joy one finds in another’s pain. Ylang ylang, clove, Indonesian red patchouli, and dark myrrh. Wet, this is primarily ylang ylang to my nose. As it starts to dry down, the myrrh and patchouli make their presence known and it turns into a nicely rounded spicy floral. I'm not a huge fan of ylang ylang, so it's hard for me to get past that element of it, but it's nice.

This is nice. Wet, it's rose petals tossed with fresh dirt. I was afraid, initially, that it might be way too gritty and earthy for me, but the dirt mellows out nicely to produce a lovely, slightly mossy dusky rose on drydown. It reminds of Seance before that one has a chance to dry too much. I'm not sure it's my favorite rose, but I can see myself wearing this when I want something a bit pensive and melancholy.

This one smacked me in the face and yelled "I HOPE YOU LIKE VETIVER!!!" ...unfortunately, I despise vetiver with a fiery passion and this smells exactly like vetiver essential oil. I'm sure the patchouli is on there somewhere, but it's lost on my nose. I have to qualify that I wouldn't have gotten this for myself since I pretty much knew it had to be doomed from the start, still I'm glad I got this as a frimp and no longer have to wonder whether I can suck it up and stomach the lab's vetiver note. Clearly, I cannot.

My search for the perfect violet continues...I have to say, I was weary of this one from the start. Vetiver is possibly my most ardently despised note ever. I was really hoping the vetiver would behave and let the violets reign in this one, but no such luck. I get a teensy bit of sweet violet if I really concentrate, but it never really asserts itself -- not in the imp, not wet, and not on drydown. Icky vetiver all the way. Oh well.

I had such high hopes for this one -- I've been looking for my perfect violet scent and I was totally expecting this to be it. Wet on my skin, it was exactly what I wanted...lovely sweet violets with just the right amount of spice. Unfortunately, my skin ate this like a three course dinner. The violets went first and all I could smell was clove, an hour later my wrist gobbled up the clove as well and I was left with some sort of weird powdery smell...half an hour later that was gone too. This would be lovely on someone who isn't me