Little Bird

In the vial and on my skin, this smells exactly like orange flavored gummis. I expected freshly peeled orange rather than squishy, gummi candy orange, but here it is. Smell an orange flavored gummi and you have Orange single note. The artificial sweet smell isn't very good on me. Over time, it starts to smell more like orange drink powder or orange flavored vitamins, and I hate it. This one lasts about an hour on my skin, but doesn't have much throw. All in all, this is something that I'd never wear again.

I expected Egle to be a soapy floral mess on me, but it actually doesn't go soapy. The floral in this is way too much for me, though. On me, this smells like off, rotten flowers (hello jasmine) covered up with a spritz of sharp, white floral perfume. It's very sharp and perfumey. I can't pick out the fir and aquatic exactly, but there's a chill to this in the drydown that I'm assuming is coming from the fir, and a smooth sweetness that might be the aquatic. Mostly this is a generic, sharp floral perfume smell on my skin, though. After an hour, I'm glad this has faded so fast, and it leaves just a hint of clean skin and bad women's perfume in its wake. Egle is not for me, but jasmine scents rarely are.

I'm surprised at how much I actually like this scent. I'm usually not happy with coffee scents and I hate whiskey, but I don't smell any whiskey in this. In the bottle, this smells like coffee the way my father always liked it - coffee overloaded with milk and sugar. It brings me right back to being younger and making him cups of coffee. At first on my skin, this isn't so great. It starts off with a bitter, burnt, black coffee sort of smell, with hints of foodie sweetness. In the drydown, this starts to smell really creamy and wonderful on me, though. It reminds me of mocha truffles that I had once. The staying power is really great, and I love that this is mostly creamy chocolate on me My boy hates this, but he dislikes coffee and sweet scents. He didn't pick up the coffee too much in this but thought that it smelled like sickly sweet caramel in the bottle and burnt white chocolate on me. My nose thankfully likes this a lot more than my boy's nose does, lol. I'll definitely keep my bottle, and just wear this when my boy isn't home. I like that it reminds me of my dad, and then morphs into a comforting chocolate fragrance...

In the bottle, I smell a sharp orange, musky floral, amber, and sweetness. On my skin, the citrus in this is so sharp and bitter, like orange rind, and that's all that I can smell. This doesn't smell like blood orange usually smells on me either; this is a much sharper orange. In the drydown, it's still mostly orange, but there's also some musk and an odd, ashy sort of note. After about an hour, this is still mostly bitter orange on me, but the other notes are going to soft baby powder. All in all, this is too sharp for me, and I don't care for the powder. I expected a lot more from The Piper

I love and hoard the original Lick It, but all of the later versions have been a disappointment on me. Lick It Again was sharp peppermint and menthol on me and Lick It One More Time was peppermint listerine and dirty ash tray. Lick It Like You Mean It still isn't as good as the original Lick It, but it's thankfully not as bad as the other two versions. This starts off kind of sharp on me, like candy canes and peppermint mouth wash. The drydown is lovely, though. It's mostly vanilla on me, but a frosty, hard candy sort of vanilla. This only lasts about two hours on my skin, but it's a nice scent. I'd say it's the closest to the original Lick It when first applied, and then the very vanilla drydown is unique and quite pretty. I have a partial bottle of this one, and that's probably enough for me.

Gluhwein is my surprise favorite of this inquisition round. I don't usually care for wine notes or spice, so I was expecting to hate this. This has none of the rotten fruit smell that I associate with wine, though, and while it is very spicy, it's not sharp and doesn't give me a headache. In the bottle, this smells like fruity wine coolers, bubblegum sweetness, and cider spice lingering in the background. On my skin, this scent reminds me a lot of LUSH's Temptation soap (one of my favorite smells in the world), but more spicy than the soap is to my nose. It's spice and smooth fruitiness. I can't really pick out any of the listed notes on their own, but they all blend together to make a smooth, gorgeous fragrance. Gluhwein just smells so nice, warm, and cozy on me. It's like an unusual fruit cider. My boy said it smells like spicy potpourri and the soap that I like, lol. I wish I'd gotten two or more bottles of this, but I'll cherish the one that I do have.

The woods in this remind me of the woods that I hated in Monster Bait: Ventriloquist Dummy – unbearably dry, bland woods. It’s sort of like pencil shavings that want to turn to dust. The fir seems to try to add a green lift to the blend, but it has a grassy sharpness and a dryness to it as well, like dead fir needles that are slowly turning brown. I don't smell any clove or black patchouli in this at all. This isn’t the fresh, crisp fir and spicy clove blend that I was hoping for. It’s mostly just very dry, unpleasant woods to my nose.

This reminds me of fresh baked snickerdoodles as well, especially the first few minutes after it's sprayed. It's warm sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar . I also can pick out bpal's lovely snow note, but it's sweeter and actually smells like Snow Angel to me (lemon sugary snow). It reminds me very much of Snow Angel in the drydown. Snow Angel, a bit of extra snow, and hints of cinnamon sugar cookies. It's pretty awesome. I wish I'd ordered at least two bottles of this, but I'll cherish my one bottle.

I spritzed Bah Humbug on our guest bathroom shower curtain yesterday (two spritzes), left the bathroom door open, and it scented the entire first floor of our house (and we have a pretty big house, I think). There's crazy throw and staying power with this one. I love the first couple hours of this. I can't pick out most of the listed notes, except for the vanilla, but they all meld together to make a really fantastic winter fragrance. I'm not sure why, but this smells like Christmas trees to me at first. It's woody and slightly pine-y, and that woodsy smell is covered in the most wonderful vanilla. It's like a serious vanilla hard candy or vanilla frosting with grainy sugar. The vanilla and benzoin really blend together to make an awesome vanilla with a golden, amber-like edges. After a half hour or so, an amazing spiciness joins the mix. It's a bit like cinnamon, but not as obnoxious as cinnamon usually smells to me. A woody, dry, sweet, mellow cinnamon-esque spice. Occasionally I catch a hint of something like leather or anise. Oddly, I wouldn't say this smells foodie or edible to me, even with the vanilla. It smells like Christmas trees, spice to warm away winter, sweetly resinous vanilla, wood, and warm, inviting homes. For about six hours I was loving this. Then it died down so that I couldn't really smell it in the rest of the house, but only in the guest bathroom where I'd initially sprayed it. It was overpowering and dry smelling in that room. The next morning, it's still crazy-strong in that room, and it smells like dust, like I drenched the bathroom in a dusty, dry amber. It makes me feel like I need to dust and clean that room, lol. I loved this while it was wafting throughout the house. I don't think that I'll spray this on linens or pillows or anything like that in the future, though, because the staying power is intense and I don't like the dusty drydown after 6 hours. Plus, this a very strong room spray, so I think that one spritz into the air will be wonderful on its own. All in all, I love this. It's one of my favorite room sprays, definitely. I'll just be using this one as one quick spritz into the air rather than several spritzes or as a linen spray.

In the imp, Sassafras single note is like dry root beer bottle cap candies and perhaps a slightly wooden note. On my skin, it's much the same, though it takes on a fizzy, effervescent sort of quality. Sweet root beer candies with a bit of a sharp woody or peppery undertone. This is an interesting SN, and it makes me appreciate the Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener blend even more. SSS really makes the most of the sassafras and smooths it out, sort of completing it. The single note might be a bit too sharp and simple for me on its own.

Sniffing this in the bottle, I immediately wanted to slather it on my boy (and so I did). It's a sexy, masculine fragrance. Warm musk, clean aquatic, and what smells like a warm, spicy bay rum to me. On my boy, the scent instantly goes sharper and smoky. I also smell something like a tart red berry. It actually reminds me a lot of Australian Copperhead. In the drydown, it's not as sharp. This is a really sexy fragrance. The Sea Rat is like a smoky, masculine musk-vanilla-spice combination with hints of a tart berry. It's very manly, but also warm and comforting. There's no aquatic to be found at all. I liked this so much on my boy that I've just given him the bottle.

I was worried that this would be too spicy for me, but I actually get a lot of orange from this and not much spice at all. It's a powdery, orange sweet tarts sort of smell, though, not the true orange that I was hoping for. When I spray this on linens or pillows, I just get the powdery, fake orange and no spice at all. If I spray this into the air, I get mostly orange and hints of light clove swirling about. Yuletide Present is okay, but not a favorite for me. ETA: This has gotten a lot better for me with age. I'm still not a fan of the spice + orange blends, but I do get the spices from this now and it pretty much smells just like a clove studded orange with a hint of cinnamon sugar.

I had my boy smell this without telling him what was in it, and he said, "Oh God. That's disgusting. It smells like alcohol. It smells like a drunk. I wish you hadn't tested this out on our throw pillows." That kind of sums up my feelings about it too, lol. Saloon #10 smells so weird to me. It's like cloying sweet, rotten bananas. And I don't know what I'm getting that impression from. I don't smell any tobacco or leather, just that really off putting sweetness. I can't imagine scenting my house in this. After several hours, I think I can pick out a dry wood or tobacco underneath the rotten banana, but it's still not very good. This room spray won't be a keeper for me.

I sprayed Okiya on some throw pillows and my boy isn't too crazy about it. He says that it smells like pink, sweet flowers to him. I agree with him; I get lots of girly cherry blossom. It's a sweet, pink, clean smelling floral. I also think that it has an undertone of something effervescent, like a citrus champagne (like LUSH's Champagne Snow Showers). After an hour or two, the blend dries down to a creamy, sweeter floral that's also a touch perfumey. I think that Okiya is a pretty scent. It might be a little too perfumey for me, but I think I'll keep my sample around for when I want a room scent that's very feminine.

I can't smell any licorice/black licorice/anise in this blend at all, in the bottle or on my skin. I also don't adore the vanilla note that I get, though it is interesting. At first, it's as though the vanilla in this wants to go plastic-y on me, and it does go slightly powdery on me in the drydown. After a while, it's like a hint of the buttery vanilla-cola smell from Snowblind pops up. It also has a creamy, slightly green coconut smell that reminds me of Snow White. Humbug is like a mixture of the vanilla bits from Love's Philosophy, Snowblind, and Snow White on me. It's a clean, creamy, slightly powdery vanilla with the slightest hints of cool greenery, butter, and cola. It's kind of strange on me. Le Père Fouettard is my ultimate vanilla licorice scent. Le Père is a strong black licorice, foodie vanilla sugar, and a touch of sexiness from the leather. Humbug is soft, clean, creamy, slightly powdery vanilla on me, and an almost green coconut sort of smell that keeps wanting to go plasticy on me. I seem to be the only one who doesn't really get licorice from this, though, just lots of strange vanilla.

I love the atmosphere sprays, and this one is a new favorite for me I really love the clove in this. It adds a spiciness that seems to lift up the whole blend. The resins are smooth, a touch sweet, and exotic smelling, and the oakmoss adds a dry, papery sort of woodiness that's gorgeous. On my linens, this reminds me of LUSH's Tramp & Blue Skies fragrances. My boy said it smells like, "Potpourri, cedar, wood, and maybe patchouli. Definitely wood." The clove's touch of sweetness and spiciness really keeps this from being too dark for me. I think that I'm going to be using this scent quite often.

In the bottle, this smells like smooth, dark, resinous, incensey goodness. Also, I can smell a hint of something like peppery woods. It reminds me a bit of On Darkness and A'Arab Zaraq in the bottle. On me, this is one of those scents that doesn't have much throw. It's really clings close to my skin, so that I can only smell it on my wrist if my nose is about an inch away from it. It's a smooth, sweet, non-smoky, incense scent on me. In the drydown, it smells slightly purple and fruity. I can't really pick out any of the listed notes. This just goes to a very light, very sweet incense smell on me. It ventures close to being cloying. I'm not so sure about Scattered Gloom. It's sweet rather than gloomy on me. I think that I like On Darkness a lot more, for a similar type of scent.

I was super-excited about this inquisition blend, because I love bpal's Mistletoe. In the bottle, this smells dark green, piney, and crisp. I also might smell a bit of sweet spice in there. On my skin, this smells very much like a Christmas fragrance. It's like Christmas trees dusted lightly with cinnamon spice. I don't smell anything that reminds me of berries, though there's a nice chill to this blend (not snow or mint or anything, but the pine-y note to it smells cold). It's a lot like Mistletoe with a soft cinnamon added in. I usually amp up cinnamon until it gives me a headache, but the spice is staying calm and gentle here. I had worried that this would be too spicy or too much like a candle fragrance, but I'm finding it surprisingly wearable and cozy. I'm glad to have a bottle of this, and I'd buy a second bottle if I could

When I first got my bottle of Wood Phoenix in the mail, it smelled awful, sort of like molasses and menthol-y cough syrup. Horribly medicinal. Giving it some time to settle, it smells a bit better... sort of like spiced booze and dry wood mixed with cough syrup. On my skin, I can't really pick out any of the listed notes. It smells like warm musk, sharp woodsmoke, perfumey floral, and a hint of dry tobacco/woods on me. It's a lot more perfumey and sharper than I'd normally go for. My boy said that it smells like burnt potpourri and I can see why he gets that impression. I'm not crazy about this blend... I'm hoping this'll get better with age.

I was excited about all of the notes listed for Fire Phoenix, but all I'm really getting from this blend is lemon. It's like lemon verbena and maybe a warm bakery type note in the bottle, and then it's all lemon balm on me. I don't get any spice - just soft lemon that disappears after an hour and leaves a hint of a clean scent on my skin. I'm disappointed that I don't get any spice from this. It's just soft lemon that fades quickly on me

In the bottle, this smells like it's in the same family as Sticky Pillowcase and Treat #1, but better. It's an almost-musky, spun sugar smell with lots of candied fruitiness. It definitely smells like red fruit candies to me in the bottle. My boy normally hates candy type scents, but he gave this one a 9 out of 10. He actually said that it smelled very clean and blue to him, when I wore it around him. I kind of get that. It smells like clean musk and blue raspberry candy to me at first. I'm really happy that this isn't cloying or sickly sweet on me. It has a bit of a sharpness to it that's keeping the blend in check rather than being off putting. I normally hate pomegranate, but I can't pick out the pomegranate here at all. In the drydown, I can pick out a bit of bpal's lovely currant, but the whole thing really melds together in a lovely, unique blend. It doesn't just smell like I smushed candy on my skin, it has a really appealing perfuminess about it, like a candied skin musk. I might need another bottle of Candy Phoenix I really like how it works with my skin chemistry.

In the bottle, this smells like potting soil and a resinous sweetness. On my skin, it's mainly black cherry and tobacco. Earth Phoenix doesn't have much throw. It's strong on a sour, dry cherry note and the dry tobacco. It's not as sweet on my skin as it is in the bottle, and I don't smell much of a soil note on my skin. It's pretty simple, and I'm not crazy about the soured cherry note here. All in all, this smells better in the bottle than it does on my skin.

In the imp, this smells like a soft, green smell with a bit of fruity citrus. It isn't sharp at all, just smooth and lightly sweet. It makes me think of fruity, green scented shampoo - clean without being soapy. On my skin, the citrus sharpens and comes to the front, and this starts to go a bit soapy on me. After letting this settle on my skin for five minutes, I don't really care for it at all. It goes all perfumey, sharp, and suffocating on me. It's like cheap musk and a bit of lemon with a chemical undertone that makes me think of cheap hairspray. I had to wash this off after a half hour, as it was giving me a headache.

In the bottle, this smells like a mixture of lemon dish soap and sharp, chemical hairspray (which is the impression I usually get from bpal's opium notes). It reminds me of Stardust, but with lemon soap added in. It's a very sharp, fresh smell. On my skin, it stays pretty much the same at first. It smells like opium smoke and lemon soap. In the drydown, it smells like smoky, sweet, sharp white opium, perfumey white musk, and clean lemon. It's headache central for me. Overall, this is a bright, sharp, clean sort of fragrance. It smells like a very white scent with a bit of lemon cleanser added in. It's like the opposite of Toad for me (which I love). I don't really care for Toad Hall. It's just too sharp & clean and gives me a headache

I love No. 93 Engine . It's a complex mix of gorgeous notes that just melt together in the most wonderful, smooth, seamless sort of way. In the vial, this smells soft, golden, smooth, and a bit sweet, like lemon cream. On my skin, it's much the same, but starts to take on a yummy, cola smell, and the saffron joins the mix. The lemon fades away on my skin. I smell this scent and just feel happy. It's spicy, woodsy, herbal, sweet, golden, resinous, and perfect... a mix of so many things, but nothing is overpowering or too much. It reminds me a little bit of Priala. I asked my boy what he would rate this one and he said he gave it a rating of "woo!" lol. I asked him to give it a number rating and he gave it a 9 out of 10, which is a very high honor coming from him. He said it smells woodsy to him. All in all, I love it, and will need many bottles. I'm so glad that this isn't a limited edition blend.