thekittenkat

In the bottle: A sharp high bright alcohol note from the wine. Almost I would think a white wine note, but it's usually a red wine that gets mulled. Wet: And hhhhhhheeeeeerrrrrreeeee'sssss almond! The dry-down: As this dries down, it become sweeter, but the wine note is still very strong, and the almond note has faded a bit. This really isn't anything like the scent I tested at WC or the half-bottle I got from a decanter. Very strange. The other bottle was not so strong on the alcohol note, and was nice on me (acidic skin) and sweet on the bf (normal skin). Bit disappointed in this bottle, but hopefully it will age nicely. In the meantime, he likes it. More that I think about it, this scent is very much yes and no.

In the decant: Figgy dessert indeed, but the holly note is also present, though deep in the mix. Wet: Did I mention that I figs? And that this smells very much like a figgy pudding that I once got at the local British grocery and gift shop? There is a hint of green and perhaps some sap from the broken off holly stem, but these serve to keep the fig note from being rather overly sweet. The dry-down: It's a little sweeter as it dries down, but not too sweet. I've been wearing this a lot during Christmastide, so I'm going to have to spring for a bottle.

In the bottle: Mostly the dark beer, but underneath are all the other notes. Wet: Now I'm getting more of the wood and resin, with the pie lurking in the background. The dry-down: And the beer has made a comeback, but it is nicely combining with all the other notes to make something lovely that's greater than the sum of its parts. This is what I could imagine an old English pub, you know, the local, to smell like during Christmastide. Between the pie and the resin, it's sweet but in a lovely deep and dark fashion because of the wood and the beer giving it depth and complexity. Pity that this had to be discontinued; perhaps it can return for another Yule.

Washed with Snow White soap, then used the bath oil as lotion. Of course, I had to put on Snow White '10 after all that!

A lovely soap! It's slate blue at the top, shading into a darker slate blue in the upper middle, and the lower two-thirds is a pearly gray in colouring. It smells faintly of the Snow White scent when unwrapped. In the bath, it foams well with my bath puff and the soft water in my area. The scent when wet is more strongly Snow White. On my skin, the minty aspects (the snow and ozone) are the strongest notes. A pretty soap that smells good and washes well. ETA: In the hard water at the bf's, it doesn't lather as well, but the vanilla scent is more noticeable.

Please note that I do not use the bath oils in the bath. Instead, I use them as after-shower "lotions". The distinctive Snow White scent is obvious when I pop the cap. The oil is a bit thinner in texture than the Polar Bear Plunge. The oil sinks into my skin rather quickly and leaves it feeling very soft. The scent on my skin is more of the coconut and vanilla aspects of Snow White, and less of the florals and the ozone. Nevertheless, I am pleased to have SW as a bath oil. ETA: The scent, though faint, lasts for hours on my skin. Where I dabbed some of the perfume oil, it's of course stronger, and lasting longer.

Frost-crusted winter flowers, white pine, eucalyptus, and traditional lunar oils. In the bottle: Icy eucalyptus. Wet: There's a hint now of the pine and the florals. The dry-down: And in the end, everything has blended together in a lovely icy scent that is certainly one of my fav ice scents by Beth.

This is for the 2004 version. In the bottle: A cold floral. Wet: There's a sweetness now that is not sugary or foodie, but just a lovely floral note. The dry-down: Now the ferns, albeit somewhat frozen, have arrived in a gentle fashion. There is ozone present, but not overwhelming so. A very soft and gentle scent. I'm looking forward to testing this side-by-side with the 2010 version.

In the bottle: Apples and candy corn, oh my! Wet: The apples must be Granny Smiths, because they are tart. Also, the bourbon vanilla is playing around. The dry-down: In the end, this is exactly what it's titled, candy corn coated candy apples, with the faint touch of cinnamon, to keep the scent from being too cloying sweet. Yummy.

In the bottle: Ginger, sugar, and those fruits. Wet: Zowie! The ginger is amping to high heaven! Did not expect this. The dry-down: The ginger has backed off, but the fruit has come forward. It's okay, but it doesn't seem as though the ginger candy and these fruits mix well on my skin. This may have to be a scent locket scent. I don't know what it is, but BPAL's ginger note doesn't work on my skin that well. Quince, by the way, is a fruit related to apples and pears, and the Asian pear is a pear that is shaped like an apple. Even regular grocery stores will have Asian pears in stock (I do like the crunch and the taste), but quince is a bit more rare and thus exotic.

In the bottle: This does remind me of Pumpkin Pie Bath Oil, but with some sweetness and creaminess, obviously added by the marshmallow. Wet: Rather much the same as sniffed from the bottle. The dry-down: Just amazing how this scent is the same throughout. It's also a skin scent, so it's not overpowering. I like it, but I feel as though I could re-create something like this by layering Pumpkin Pie Bath Oil and Boo or Marshmallow Poof. It would not be exact, of course, but similar.

A yellow smell. Old foul, bad yellow things. Honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, balsam, hydrangea, and helichrysum. In the imp: Almost sweet and buttery! That's interesting. Must be the balsam and the honeysuckle. Wet: Huh? Lots of the florals. A bit sharp, from the mum, as mums tend to go sharp on me. The dry-down: Oh, that's much better. The sweetness and the flowers have now combined. Think I'll have to get a bottle of this, afterall. For me, this will be a lovely summer-time scent. And like Julia Stone was last year, the description is mis-leading. Old, foul things, indeed.

In the bottle: The black musk and tobacco are dominating. Wet: Rather much the same as when I sniffed it. The dry-down: Got this for the bf, as he's such a fan of Poe. (I am also, but this sounded like such a masculine scent.) Finally I'm getting hints of the woods and the oakmoss. I think he will like this.

In the imp: Pom and carnation, but there's something dark rising up. Wet: Dark and smokey pom and carnation--I like it! The dry-down: Not so dark and smokey as when wet, but still lovely and deep and dark. The neroli and opium and pepper are not letting the vetiver take over, and there's only a hint of the powder that amber sometimes turns into.

In the imp: A dried-up bridal bouquet, indeed, but still with a hint of sweetness about it. Wet: And the sandalwood is late to the wedding, but decided to come after all. The dry-down: And at the end, as the scent fades away, the linen (I think that is what the cloth note is) makes a brief appearance. Another light and airy scent on me that would work best in the springtime.

In the imp: Carnation tea, but with something, perhaps the yew, lying underneath, dark and moody. Wet: Yup, that's the yew==sharp and somewhat bitter. The carnation tea is still there, but struggling to get through the yew thicket. The Dry-down: There's a hint of the patch and the fougere and the khus, but this hasn't changed much since I put it on. It's a unisex scent. I think my decant will be more than enough, and I'll just put this in the scent locket.

In the imp: A dark spicy rose with currant under it. Wet: A darkish oil. Certainly getting the spices. Worried about this because the GC Black Rose is just too much on my skin, sad to say. The dry-down: Poof! This just seems to have disappeared. Faint hint of the black rose. Very surprised. Will have to re-test. I expected this to be a dark and sultry, spicy rose. Very strange.

In the imp: Light floral sweetness. Wet: Eek! Something powdery comes forward, probably the orris root. The dry-down: There are notes here that I knew would not work, like the powdery orris root, and the lotus, which tends to head in the direction of pink bubblegum. And then there's loved notes, like white ginger, linden flower, and petitgrain. So I had to take a chance. So the loved notes in the end help keep the unloved notes in check. It's an interesting blend, and I may look for a partial, as I think it will be a lovely springtime scent.

In the imp: Pretty much SN Red Musk. Wet: Now the honey comes out some. This is a very dark oil, btw. The dry-down: The honey and the red musk blend well together. The creaminess is for my nose what's helping the two to blend. I suspect that I would like a bottle of TIL that had more honey in it. I'm thinking that red musk may be something that my skin amps. The blend does have a powerful throw and lasts a long time.

In the imp: Earthy, bitter, and strong violet leaf. Wet: The tea is starting to come forward. The dry-down: This is now mostly the white tea with the violet leaf giving it a touch of earthiness and depth, and no bitterness at all. If you like white tea scents, this is probably a must.

A scent evocative of a forest at midnight, with animalic brown musk, wild sage, Terebinth pine, black oak, and a chilly shock of terror personified by kunzea, cistus labdanum, verbena, juniper, metallic ozone, and white mint. In the imp: A sweet pine. Wet: The pine becomes loud, bitter, and sharp. But just as quickly, it backs down, returns to the sweetness that I sniffed before. The dry-down: The brown musk didn't wear its stompy boots to this forest party, thank goodness! I know that this scent is just not pine, but it's one of those where everything blends well together, so much so that I can't pick out individual notes.

In the imp: I'm getting sweet plants with only a hint of smoke. Wet: Sweet incense, hint of those plants, but the fire and smoke are rolling up from under-neath. The dry-down: Sweet smokey incense poured over those plants. I'm very surprised by how good this is, and am thinking of getting a bottle, or at least a partial.

This is for the 2010 version. In the bottle: A very light incense that's had currant cakes dipped in it. Wet: The incense really comes forward, and the sweet currant cakes back way, way off. The dry-down: This has turned into a sweet incense blend, but very light. I'm glad that the currant note faded. There's a lot of currant in this year's Halloweenies. I like currant, but it can amp on my skin and become too rich, too dark, too fruity. At any rate, this is a nice scent to wear when you would like to wear scent, but just want a nice skin scent.

In the bottle: There's pines, cherry wood, those lovely little tart crab apples, and some florals. Wet: The moment this hit my skin, it became all pine, all the time. The dry-down: Thank goodness! The pine has calmed down, and now, with the dogwood, the cherry wood (or is it blossoms), and the camellia, it's evocative of a Georgia forest in the spring time. I don't know from Brooklyn, but we have all the plants that are listed as scent notes right here in Georgia. I'm going to put this away and then break it out next spring, when it should be just perfect.

October twilight. Falling leaves breaking the stillness of cool water, with sweet autumn clematis, feather-soft orris root, luminous white chypre, and muguet. In the imp: Light florals floating in fresh water in the autumn. Wet: The dusty orris root raises it head. The water is still fresh and calm. The dry-down: The aquatic note now seems to be smothered by all the plants. I'm still waiting for the muguet to turn into that brown sharp note that it often does. The chypre has come forward, making this into what I would consider a masculine scent, but not overpoweringly so. This was another scent outside my comfort zone, but Yeats is one of my favourite poets of his era, so I had to see how Beth would interpret this poem. Lovely job, but just not my thing, alas.