oakmoss

Reading all these reviews, I kept thinking, "But WHY would you want to smell like a hot funnel cake?" or a big pile of sugar or whatever it was that people were smelling. Now that I've got my own little sample here to try, the answer is clear. Because Midway just makes you smile. And sometimes that's exactly what you need from your perfume.

The Marquise is a scent I've been longing to try for some time now, and meeting her at last is not a disappointment! I was expecting something sharper, more harsh and perfumey, but as others have said, this is a gorgeous dark floral drizzled with peach -- not syrupy peach, but that slightly bitter taste near the peach skin when you first bite through, and then the sweetness. To me, this is not the Glenn Close version of the Marquise from Dangerous Liaisons, but rather, the Marquise as portrayed by Annette Bening in Valmont... lying naked in her tangled bedclothes, reaching out her arms to her lover and asking for more... toying flirtatiously with a piece of fruit on a gleaming silver fork as she asks her dinner companions with whom they would prefer to spend the night... and through it all, laughing as she spins her webs. This Marquise is the subtle femininity of peach combined with the more worldly florals and amber of love and intrigue. My only regret is that the scent seems to fade quickly, but then... that's probably true of the Marquise's beauty and seductiveness as well!

On me (and even in the bottle) this is exactly as the description promised -- rich and warm, spicy-sweet, sensual. I'm not getting anything like citrus or green, and usually those are notes that really do NOT work for me, so I'd be sensitive to them. I love this one and it's exactly as I hoped it would be. Don't be discouraged if you're looking for amber-vanilla-coconut magic -- apparently this snakey blend has many different aspects for many different skins!

I'm getting something completely different from what others are describing here. I would LOVE to have amber-creamy-warmth, but what I'm getting instead is sharp and ozone-aquatic, very much "glassy" like Sea of Glass -- I'm wondering if my mirrors are missing their amber frame? I don't dislike it, really, I just don't love it, and I really, really wanted to love it. I'll try again later and hopefully it will magically change as carnival mirrors sometimes do!

I keep trying the aquatics in the hope that ONE of them will work on me, but alas, I have to add Danube to the pile of failures. In the imp and on application, strong grapefruit, and it was delightful to observe the stages of drydown morphing through that intense citrus sharpness into the pleasant sweet florals. But I don't get anything that feels watery to me, none of the cool blue goodness that others are writing of. I'll keep searching......

This was light roses with a touch of orange blossom at first application, very nice, very feminine, but with some power underneath giving it character. Unfortunately, some part of the blend -- honey? -- turned it to that dead flowers, old-vase-water scent I occasionally get when some blends meet my skin. It's like Woody Allen's line about going from mellow to "ripen and then rot." Skin chemistry is a mysterious thing!

Let me put it this way..... I just had the impulse to bite my own wrist. Just imagine how much I'd want to bite this on someone else's wrist. That's how good this is. You want some. Trust me.

My first impression of this blend was the coconut, with a delicate soft sweetness that I assume must be the fig, although it doesn't scream with figginess or fruitiness. I applied it last night before going to bed, and hadn't read the lab description, so I was surprised this morning not to find apple among its notes, as I was sure I could smell a bit of tart ripe apple in the paradisical coconut notes. This is a lovely scent, calming and comforting.... and as a side bonus, it gave me a dream in which I was walking by George Clooney and he commented that he liked my perfume! In the dream, I stopped and applied more Eden from the imp I had with me, and offered him my wrist to smell, and he said again how much he liked it. Now, I can't guarantee that you'll attract George Clooney in your dreams -- or in waking life -- but the possibility alone seems worth trying this perfume, doesn't it?

Oh tiny vial of precious moon elixir, how can I bear to use you up? Anointing my temples with Blue Moon last night in the hush of the rising full moon, the delicate scent deepened the hush, added magical intent, sweetened my dreams... This is one I will treasure, drop by drop. (And if any kind soul wants to trade with me for more, well.... please don't hesitate for a moment to message me!)

It's funny that two other reviewers mentioned a wooden box of some sort, as that was my first mental image upon applying this scent -- one of those rather battered Middle Eastern multi-drawer boxes, and the various treasures that might be revealed within... amber, spices, jewels, rose petals, mysterious amulets carved from fragrant woods... This is a softly veiled scent, thanks to the sandalwood, most likely, and the rose stays discreetly in the background, with the spices and resins on top. This is going right to the top of my big-bottle list.

In the bottle there was a more artificial strawberryesque scent to it, with a whiff of something sharper adding to the chemical feeling. But once applied, it all melts into strawberry deliciousness, not artificial at all, and not lollipop-strawberry sweet. There's just enough floral scent in this blend to keep it from being foody. If there were a kind of flower with a strawberry scent, this is what it would smell like, if that makes any sense at all, which I doubt. It's a creamy red scent, perfect for summer. Edited to add that I think this blend would be a good one to experiment with layering. Layering with fruity blends to go more fruity, or with florals (such as rose) to go more floral.... it seems like it would lend itself well to that sort of play. Edited again, a couple of years later, as a caution to those who are tempted to buy a bottle for mega-bucks on eBay, etc.: Strawberry Moon does not tend to age well. Apparently there are some exceptions to this, but quite a few forumites have had theirs turn to nail-polish remover (acetone) smell or burnt plastic or something else. These earlier reviews are for fresh Strawberry Moon, not aged. Caveat emptor!

I just opened an imp of Thanatopsis and my first thought was, Whoa! this would really clear your sinuses! So that's my input du jour, for those of you with colds or sinus headaches. Get yourself some Thanatopsis!

In the vial, on first sniff, I didn't think I would like this scent. I like woodsy blends as a rule, but this was woodsy with a sharp perfume-counter edge that made me doubt it would work on me. But on drydown, it turned into a blend of somber blooms, indeed, with the woodsy note in the background. This scent feels like New Orleans to me, Anne Rice's New Orleans -- beautiful but full of memories, haunted and mysterious. I wore it to bed and had vivid dreams full of details -- people I know wearing animal and bird masks at a tea party, things like that. This blend deserves more exploration ... it's quite special.

I'm not getting any of the notes that others are getting, nothing earthy, particularly. I'm actually having a hard time getting anything from this scent on my skin, though I've applied it twice now. It's strong in the imp, but disappears for the most part as soon as I put it on, leaving a faint peppery trace with something sharply unpleasant, maybe ginger blending with something (I like ginger, but it's connected to something else here too that makes it rather bug-sprayish). I'm afraid this is going to the swap box for someone with better chemistry. Too bad -- I love the idea of this scent! Edited to add: A couple of hours after application, I'm getting the sandalwood/baby powder scent, and the sharpness has gone. It might be a matter of just waiting this one out! But fortunately, there are so many others that provide instant gratification for me.

This has the same feel as temple incense, light warm spiciness with just a touch of smoke. I was doubtful about the cedar, which tends to read as too masculine for me, but there's none of that sharpness, just golden sandalwood blending beautifully with the other notes and softened by the myrrh. I could see this being used as ritual anointing oil, or when you need to feel calmed and purified.

First sniff out of the bottle (having forgotten what's in this blend) it was heavy-duty chocolate, with a bit of orange somewhere in there. Nice, but do I really want to smell like a chocolate orange? On the skin, of course, it begins to do its magic, and the chocolate morphs into an underlayer of richness that isn't identifiable as anything edible, which is perfect for me, though I can see how it might disappoint those who do indeed want to smell like a chocolate orange. The individual notes don't pop out for me -- it's a little bit floral, a little bit spicy, more dark than bright, more warm than cool, more serious than frivolous, and just all-around yummy. So glad I got this... I'm adding it to my ever-growing stash of great scents for autumn. P.S. There's no such thing as "white" chocolate.

...looking down at my wrist where I just applied Dorian for the first time... Uh-oh. Sure smells good, though!

A dreamy forest scent, very fae and soft, not overwhelmingly piney. I can't wear a lot of the lighter, greener scents, as they are too sharp for me, but this one is lovely. It's rather Brigadoony, like a wooded land that might vanish back into the mists or is just emerging from the mists. I like this scent very much and hope it's released soon!

Myrrh, dark musk, attar of rose and ylang ylang. I had to quote from this review, because I had the exact opposite thing happen! I couldn't smell anything at all in the bottle -- I mean, NOTHING -- it could have been water. But as soon as I put it on my skin, it bloomed into warmth and spice and velvet-black roses. I'd say this Phantom does indeed fade and reappear at her own will, true to her name. But so beautiful when she does materialize....

This perfume is like a cello playing by candlelight… slow and rich and moving the heart with an aching tender music. There is sweetness and a bit of sharpness... a dark blue scent and very evocative of some memory I can't quite grasp, but it has something to do with lost love. An appropriate scent for the angel of death as the blessed release of life's cares....

I believe, I believe! And there isn't a scent here I wanted to love more than Water of Notre Dame, truly. But it just goes so foul on me, though I like it in the bottle. This might be one for a scent locket at some point.

Well, I'm in northern California, where the forest always smells piney! It's the woodsmoke in Hexennacht that makes me think of autumn, when people start to use their fireplaces and woodstoves again. And, you know, the witchy thing.

Yggdrasil and Black Forest are good bets, and if you have a little Hexennacht or Hearth to layer with them, there's your autumn woods....

In the first moment of application, this is Goofy Grape -- don't panic! This phase lasts mere seconds, and then the patchouli surrounds and embraces the purple, so it's not really fruity anymore, but smoky with just enough sweetness. It feels very opulent and jewel-like to me, a mature scent (no, not "old lady" ) -- just grounded and wise, as Fate should indeed be. I also liked it as a dream oil, and had vivid and memorable dreams. My only problem with this blend is that it seems to disappear very quickly, even when I slather. It's on my big bottle list, but maybe I should get a couple....

There are so many possibilities, but off the top of my head, I'd say: Air: Mi-Go Brain Canister or Tempest Fire: Dragon's Hide or Masabakes Water: Prague or Bayou Earth: Black Forest or Yggdrasil