thekittenkat

In the imp: A fruity sweetness w/ some evergreen boughs, freshly cut. Wet: The sweet fruit note is turning candyish, and the evergreen is pine, fresh pine. The dry-down: Well, this is disappointing! It's become some sort of sweet and piney cleaning product. Exactly that. Must wash off, stat. Nasty. Not at all like the yew trees in an old cemetery, which is what I was hoping for.

In the imp: Lilies in water, dried leaves near-by. Wet: Sweet water, bitter lilies, or bitter oak, or bitter cypress. The dry-down: The bitterness is fading away, leaving a slightly sweet aquatic note, with the white lilies now out of the water, but still near-by. It's a Poe scent, but would I wear it enough? I don't know, and time is running out.

In the imp: Slightly salted rain, ozone, and something woodsy. Wet: Now the vetiver comes screamin' through! The dry-down: Other than a faint sweetness from the rain and ozone, on my skin this is close to SN Vetiver.

In the imp: Incensed woods, thistle, and lavender. Wet: The juicy pear is just that. The dry-down: The woods and frank return, in a mild fashion, with hints of gardenia and fainter hints of the pear. I like this and shall keep the imp.

THE TWILIGHT WHERE VIRTUES ARE VICES In a twilight where virtues are vices, In thy chapels, unknown of the sun, To a tune that enthralls and entices, They were wed, and the twain were as one. For the tune from thine altar hath sounded Since God bade the world’s work begin, And the fume of thine incense abounded, To sweeten the sin. Honeysuckle, Moroccan jasmine, and opium smoke. I've had this candle sitting next to my seat on the sofa for a few days now, and let me tell you, it's a marvelous scent even w/o being burnt. The honeysuckle, Moroccan jasmine, and opium smoke just mingle and meld together in the most amazing fashion. So I burnt it for a while last night, and the living room's air had a lovely and delicate scent about it that wasn't too floral, but wasn't too "dirty" (that's the only word that can apply) either from the opium smoke. Just a wonderful blend. If this was a perfume oil, I'd happily wear it, but only when would be just me and the SO, maybe out dancing. It really evokes twilight time in some silken boudoir, before the lamps are lit, and when one has lazed about in bed all day.

Apple blossoms, blackthorn, pansies, alyssum, daphne, poppy, and thyme blossoms assaulting a mossy, clove-touched fuzzy musk. Many thanks to my wonderful fairy for picking this up for me. When first sprayed on a white and unscented Kleenex tissue, this is very fruity in nature, with a spicy-woodsy undernote, which is probably the clove-touched fuzzy musk. I wish that it would have stayed at this stage, but it slowly morphed into flowers (lovely to be sure!) growing near some moss. The label is one of those Victorian illos of tiny fairies indeed trying to shoot things at a long-eared bat that has flown near their bower.

In the bottle: Ozone, sandalwood, clary sage, and some sweetness, probably from the Gum Arabic. Wet: Ozone, with the citrus rind and the powder of the amber becoming apparent. The dry-down: This has dried down to a delicate, almost spring-like scent. The coolness of the ozone keeps it grounded n that transitional state between winter and spring. All the other notes are blending together, w/ the exception of the amber, which goes always powdery on my skin. Those other notes are a pretty herbal mix kept in check by the Gum Arabic. The verbena and citrus seem to be behaving themselves, so far. I like this and will be wearing it a lot in March.

This is for the 2013 version. In the bottle: Sweet snow. Wet: Brighter and sharper. That's the ozone and florals. The dry-down: A light version this year, more abt the wind and the flowers, and less abt that coconut note that I've found in some past years' versions. Still sweet, though.

In the bottle: A blast of mint, and a hint of sugar. Wet: Still minty-fresh, but the almond note from the marzipan is trying to fight its way through. The dry-down: Mint-flavored marzipan, if you like that sort of thing.

In the bottle: Cranberry cider, oh boy! Wet: Even more cidery! (Is that a word? Well, it is now. *grins*) The dry-down: If this was a real cranberry cider, I'd be drinking it! Good job, Beth!

This for the 2013 version. In the bottle: Pines in the snow. Wet: It's the minty snow note, lingering in the pine trees. The dry-down: Skadi dries to a soft pine note, w/ hints of the snow, and just a little sweetness from the berries, which I wish I got more of. I've hoarded my old partial like forever, so will do a death-match at some point. I must admit that I never dreamt that this would return!

In the bottle: Mostly treacle. Wet: Treacle w/ something nutty underneath, deep in the mix, but I wouldn't say it's pecan. For part of my growing-up years, once we moved from the West back home, my parents loved to buy houses with pecan trees in the yard--easy if you live in the right parts of the Deep South. We would pick up the pecans, my dad would shell them, and my mother would bake the best pecan pies ever. The dry-down: The pale treacle is also known as golden syrup. The scent is pretty much that golden syrup, with just a hint of something like a pie crust, and the aforementioned nut note, which is not pecan. This is pleasant enough, but I'll let it age awhile. Just not my mother's pecan pie. Oh, yes, I forgot: not a jot of pumpkin to be found any where.

In the bottle: Lots of that salled air that you get at the beach when it's low tide, there's tidal pools, and the wind's blowing inland. Wet: Still the salty air, but blowing along w/ it something nutty, like I'm near a bakery. The dry-down: This is more like the sea salt caramels (but w/o chocolate) than like cookies. Keeping my bottle for the scent locket, as I love that blast of salt air.

In the bottle: A white tea w/ eucalyptus and ambergris. Wet: More like the lemony tea note in Dorian. The dry-down: That lemon note is blending back into what I 1st sniffed. This is a cousin to Dorian and will be a perfect spring and summer scent, whether at a garden party or at work--times and places that you want to have a delicate scent.

In the decant: Lots of that powerful ozone mint combo. Maybe a hint of moth balls? Wet: Much as on cold sniff. The dry-down: Perhaps a crunch of stone -- a wall w/ icicles hanging from its sides. This reminds of Moon of Ice, and like that elegant ozone and mint scent, this lovely doesn't hang around long, either. I'll keep the decant, but MoI covers this niche very well, already. If you like MoI and your bottle is used up, or you always wanted to try it, give this a whirl. Still not sure what the fire note was. ETA: abt 1/2 hr after the early dry-down, the crook of my elbow where I was testing this became very red and sensitive, so I had to wash it off. I do wish that I knew exactly what notes were in this, so I could avoid it in the future.

This is for the 2013 version. In the decant: A boozey cream beverage in one of those plastic to-go cups. Wet: Same as on cold sniff. *wrinkles nose* The dry-down: Just not like the various brands of egg nog that we get at the store. And that plastic note is a really turn-off.

This is for the 2013 version. In the decant: Very strongly resinous, lots of frank only mildly tempered by myrrh. Wet: Now a little bit more myrrh amongst the frank. The dry-down: Frank and myrrh--very nice as always. If you keep skipping over Midnight Mass, do try it this year.

In the decant: The celery seed is very strong! Wet: That celery seed calms down, and the lime rind is front-and-center. The dry-down: A fresh green scent emerges, sort of like a cucumber or a green unripe melon. There might be a hint of the frank keeping this from being too veggie. This would be perfect for early spring.

In the decant: Some mint, but mostly that butter note from Jack that dislikes me so. Wet : Buttery mint, dusted w/ the powder sugar. I'm being brave to try this, since I had to wash off Jack. The dry-down: Mint cookie, drizzled w/ butter and the sugar. The Pom cream was never obvious. Okay, but not my bag.

In the decant: The mahogany wood softened by sweet and resinous goodies. Wet: A touch more woody, a tad bit less sweet. The dry-down: A lovely woody scent that's tempered by most all the other notes: the currants and tonka are floating in the Muscat and it's being poured all over the wood, to soak in and just make the mahogany even more resinous.

In the decant: Buttery rum with some spices. Wet: Warm butter cookies, fresh from the oven. The dry-down: Turning a bit dusty (the almond) as it dries, with chunks of orange rind in the mix. A yummy morpher that goes full circle back to the spicy butter rum. Nice!

In the decant: Gingerbread next to an open bottle of aged Snake Oil. Wet: Now the fumes of the gingerbread and Snake Oil start to co-mingle. The dry-down: A nice gingerbread and Snake Oil combo--this is like aged Snake Oil, only better.

In the decant: It's like camping in the winter-time, and the fire's just gone out. Wet: The frozen river and a gentle but chilly wind. The dry-down: The cold woods and the ashy and cold remains of a campfire. It's a gray day, with the promise of more snow on the way, so time to hike out back home. Mellifluous, thanks for the testable bit.

In the decant: Myrrh and frank: sweet resins. Wet: Just like the cold sniff. The dry-down: This doesn't morph. If you like these two resins, this is it.

In the decant: Vick's Vapor rub and moth balls. What the heck? Sinus-clearing, to be sure! Wet: An incredibly mint-soaked apple, buried in some dusty ole burlap sacks. The dry-down: Someone ate the apple, and then shut the cellar doors, so I'm left holding the bag. A dusty ole burlap sack. *drops it* I was hoping for a funky version of SGA, but this? This is the Mighty Morphing Bpal Power Ranger. Seriously, don't D&D rangers wear this stuff? And here I was worried about a steel broom.