melrose

Aeval: In imp: This is what Fairyland must smell like! I see a very old garden hedge at night full of twinkling lights - this is Beth's genius - I didn't even know Fairyland had a smell until I opened this imp. Unfortunately, my skin ate up the magic, leaving only household cleaning products and soap. I so envy those of you who wear these oils and have them stay true to the scent in the imp.

In imp: Dark, sweet cherries. Wet, on skin: Sweet fruit and metal - sounds strange, but smells yummy. 15 minutes later: All gone, and I put on A LOT. I hope this isn't a trend because I ordered all the ``Blood'' scents in imps.

In imp: dead ringer for brownies. On, wet: Instantly changes to roasted nuts and hot fudge sauce. Drydown: Equal parts chocolate, nuts, and sugar cookies. I'll use up the imp by layering this with other things. It's too one-note otherwise - I don't want to smell exactly like brownies.

Wet, on skin: Pepper and something acrid slaps me in the face. Near drydown: Pepper, ashes and earth from under where a fire has been built. Yummy. Middle drydown: Ashes and earth come to the fore, pepper steps back a bit. Still lovely. Far drydown: Uh-oh. It seems the fire has been built in an unfortunate part of a cow pasture. Strong smell of urine. This nails the lid in the coffin: My co-worker walked in and said ``What is that horrible smell? Did someone spray for bugs in here? My God, that's strong.'' No more Brimstone for me.

In imp: It smacked me in the face with strong, dark fruitiness. Wet, on skin: Dark, musky, sweet fruit - yummy. Near drydown: Smoky, sweet, peppery - fantastic, but fills me with the opposite of rage. Middle and far drydown: Soft, sweet, musk and smoke. No sillage. Very faint. Won't re-purchase, because no staying power on my skin, but quite lovely while it lasts. Also, this is the first time I didn't get what Beth was trying to say with this blend.

I'm apprehensive about this, as tea notes and sweet fruit notes don't get along with my skin's chemistry. In imp: Cherry cough drops. Wet, on skin: Dark, heavy sweet cherries. This smells pretty good. Near drydown: Very astringent, almost makes my nose burn - is this the sage? Middle drydown: Musk, soft, sweet berries, and hay - this is lovely. Far drydown: Well, poop, here are the cherry cough drops again in all their mentholated glory. I guess Bewitched and I can't get along.

In imp: Salty, sweet, spicy, heavy - yum. Wet - Metal, sweet, smoke, woods, herbs - I'm overwhelmed, confused, but intrigued. Near drydown - Moldy, oily incense - yuck. Middle drydown - Mold and oil disappeared - slightly sweet, spicy - yummy, but I wish the salt and wood would come back. Far drydown - Here's that soft, spicy woodsy fragrance I was looking for. Anne Bonny goes through lots of changes during her journey. Don't know about a bottle - near drydown is pretty bad.

In imp: Sweet and green - hard to describe. Wet, on skin: The juniper and cedar really pop out, but there's also a soft woodsy scent and some sweet spices. Near drydown: So wonderful - it's terrible this is DC. Woods, spices, like the inside of an old church. Middle drydown: Even better. It's as if I'm walking in an old-growth forest - clean woods, with a hint of sweetness from wildflowers in bloom when I kick leaves over. Far drydown: Just a hint of sweet cleanliness. After reading the description, I never identified the orange or civet, but had no problem with the juniper and cedar.

This is first time to dip my toe into dragon's blood, so that must be what I'm smelling . . . In the imp: HELLO - whatever this is, it will not be ignored. Wet, on skin: Dark, warm, sweet cherries and metal - I love the smell of metal in scents - if this is dragon's blood, I'm in love. Near drydown: Still sweet cherries and metal, but the metal is not as strong. Middle drydown: Sweet, spicy and ozone - this is fantastic. 2 hours later - Gone, all gone - waaah! My skin ate it. I was totally not expecting this from something that started out so strong.

In the imp: woods and herbs. Wet, on skin: Sweet cinnamon. Completely morphs almost instantly. Drydown: OMG, I love this - woody, slightly sweet, oriental - very warm - definitely evokes a sense of the noon sun. Smells a lot like Opium, one of my top-5 non-BPAL fragrances, only warmer and less overpowering. The best part - I can still smell it the next morning. HG, I'm thinking.

In imp: Warm herbs. Wet, on skin: Sweet herbs. I'm intrigued. Near drydown: Is this rosewood? Where have you been all my life? I think I'm in love. Middle drydown: Roses and nothing but. I like roses, but this isn't as nice as it was a while ago. Far drydown: My rosewood came back. The roses are there, but are behaving nicely in the background. The musk and sandalwood are there as well. Could be HG worthy.

In imp: Holy Kali - this sucker means business! Wet, on skin: I'm flummoxed. I can't identify what I'm smelling. The only thing I can say with certainty is that it's not a cool scent, definitely warm. Near drydown: I mostly get the wine and honey - can't detect the chocolate, tobacco, or any of the other notes. My skin chemistry doesn't like this very much - I'm surprised, because I've done well with honey and/or wine in other scents. Middle drydown - Wow, this goes through lots of stages. I've never before experienced the B.O. note others have mentioned, but I just did with Kali - yuck city. Thankfully, the B.O. stage didn't last long. Now it's spicy, somewhat powdery, I get a few florals, a whiff of the chocolate - but the pronounced smell that's been present from the beginning pretty much overpowers everything else - it doesn't scream honey or wine, but they're definitely in there. Far drydown: Way-too-sweet cotton candy. I won't re-purchase, but don't go by me. There are so many notes in here, it probably smells quite different on everyone.

Wet: Hellooooooo, pine! Near drydown: OMG, wonderful. Smells like a wonderful antique store filled with old wood furniture, in the middle of a forest with all the windows open - HG if this sticks around. Far drydown: Gone, all gone in 2 hours. If I stick my nose in my elbow, I smell a yummy woody, powdery, spicy scent. Too bad the staying power sucks, because it's lovely.

Wet - LEMON! Hello, lemon! This is fine with me, since I love citrus scents. Near drydown - Where did my lemon go? This is herbs, no, sparkling herbs - very nice. Definitely gender-neutral. Far drydown - Have to stick my nose into my skin to smell anything, but it's pleasant - herbs, with just a hint of lemon. I'm not thrilled enough to re-purchase.

Oneiroi: Wet: Strong, sharp herbs - green, but not bright green, more of an olive green, but very clean. Nice. First drydown: Still herbs, but something underneath, by turns smoky and sweet. Far drydown: Herby, sweet, and oily, emphasis on the oily. It's pleasant, but won't re-purchase.

Wet, it's grape and nothing but. Near drydown: Still grape, but something mysterious is going on underneath - I'm intrigued. Far drydown - yum. Old church, incense, a little bit of sweet fruit. I'll re-purchase.

I didn't get lavender or jasmine - on me, it's soft roses and a little lemon - wonderful. Very relaxing, and I keep thinking of a soft buttercup yellow color.

Application: Eucalyptus mostly, but a background of other herbs and greenery - it's a little overpowering, but interesting. 15 minutes later: Whoa - licorice, and nothing but. Licorice and my skin dislike each other. Drydown: Yum, eucalyptus and licorice are muted in the background. Mostly smells like wind blowing in a herb garden - very nice. Far drydown: Powder, licorice, and eucalyptus. Not for me, but if you're a licorice lover . . .

I am in love. I am surrounded by a soft, deep red cloud - there are lights outside the cloud, so sometimes the red is lit from behind with tones of deep orange, warm brown, and gold. Okay, jumping off the cloud - this constantly morphs just a bit - it's sweet, then fruity, then woodsy, then spicy, then smells like stones - but always with that glorious cloud base. A big bottle will be a must-have.