catatonic1242

In the bottle: Kind of like a light men's cologne scent. Is that the tonka? Maybe. On, wet: Oak and sandalwood. This is a lot more masculine than I'd anticipated, but not in a bad way. On, dry: I wish I was getting more of the apricot, but instead I'm amping the lilies (will florals *ever* give me a break?). Then it goes to powder on me. It was nice while it was wet, but my skin makes this into men's baby powder. Stupid skin!!

In the bottle: Deep and smoky. I'm certainly detecting the myrrhs, although I don't think that my nose is refined enough to distinguish between the three different kinds. On, wet: Smoke! This is all a very dominant smoke smell on me, with the myrrh just behind it. I get absolutely no cinnamon at all, though that could be what's keeping this from smelling too much like incense. On, dry: Still really smokey, but with almost a sweet tinge. No cinnamon. It's almost the smell of just-extinguished candles in a church. Odd, but I think I could like it.

In the bottle: Super sweet cupcake frosting. On, wet: Sweet, sweet, sweet, cheesecake with a nice, non-buttery graham cracker crust. On, dry: This stays fairly true, though as it sits, I'm also picking up a bit of strawberry. It's like really rich cheesecake with a thin swirl of strawberry. It smells so heavenly, although I'm not sure that this would be an everyday kind of scent -- it could do real damage to my diet!

In the bottle: Apple cider with a side of roasted nuts. On, wet: Heavy and cloying, mostly the smell of nutmeat with very little apple, if any. On, dry: Fades very fast (like, 20 minutes fast), but during the time it was on, I didn't get any apple at all. It was smoky and almost overpowering on my skin. I could see wearing this in a scent locket if that would keep it from morphing away from what it was in the bottle.

In the imp: Red fruits and amber, the amber being stronger. I almost want to say that this is sort of medicinal smelling, because I feel like I get a slight touch of perfume alcohol. On, wet: Gorgeous, mellow fruits -- this is fruity, not foody. On, dry: A little bit more of the amber, which is probably what's keeping the fruits in check. It's a nice, spicy fruit smell, but there's an edge of sexiness to it. I'm not sure I like it enough to buy a bottle, but I'll certainly be using my imp.

In the imp: Incense with a hint of cedar. On, wet: There's something kind of... "minty" isn't the right word, but almost like menthol or eucalyptus or something that I'm detecting in this. It's not the cedar, because that's apparent, too. Something about this is very light and airy and enjoyable. On, dry: Incense, with a vague touch of cedar in the background. Fairly musky, but with light, powdery characteristics. I can't see myself wearing this, but it could be lovely on the right person.

In the imp: This smells oddly (and ironically) fresh to me, kind of like green in overdrive. On, wet: Heavy on the musk, but not overbearingly so. On, dry: I'm getting floral from the davana, which I looked into, and Wikipedia says that "Davana oil is emotionally balancing and calming, aids in calming down anxiety." Whether or not it's psychosomatic, I'm certainly feeling much less anxious than I was feeling yesterday, so that's a nice effect. I'm not really sure that I like this, though, as the floral is turning a little powdery on me (one day, I swear, I will find a floral that doesn't do that to me). If not for that, I think I'd like this, because it's a nice, unisex blend. 10 hours later, this has mellowed down into something really, really pleasant: Soft and warm, clinging really closely to my skin. If it smelled like this the whole time, I would *adore* this.

In the imp: Lightly floral/herby. This smells very green to me. On, wet: Still really, really floral -- I'm not getting plum or cream, just bunches and bunches of wildflowers. On, dry: Dusty flowers. I was hoping that I'd be able to wear a floral if it was mixed with fruit and cream, but I am honestly only getting flowersflowersflowers out of this, and dusty ones, at that. The throw isn't very powerful, though -- this one sticks close to the skin. My application faded away after about an hour.

In the imp: I get a big whiff of alcohol-y perfume from this one. It really smells like department store perfume in the imp. On, wet: Flowers. Lilies, yes. Lots and lots of lilies. Still a smidge of alcohol, and what might be... dust? On, dry: Minimal throw for me. It's turning into powder, as so many of the florals do. I wish my skin liked this, as lilies are my favorite flower, but instead this is making me sneeze.

In the bottle: A sweet incense smell that reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on... It's light, but kind of nondescript -- I'm not sure I could pick this one out in a crowd. On, wet: Instantly powdery on my skin, and weirdly floral. It tickles my nose in an unpleasant way. On, dry: My mother's nightgowns! That's what this reminds me of. My mother has all of her old nightgowns stashed away in a dresser, and the drawer smells just like this. Wow, that's a creepy connotation, self! It's still powdery and nondescript. Two hours later: Gone. No trace left, even if I hold my arm up to my nose and inhale deeply. I suppose it's just as well, because I wasn't a big fan of this one. Into the swap pile!

In the bottle: Teak and tobacco, first and foremost. This smells fairly masculine to me, but not unpleasantly so. It's lighter than I anticipated. On, wet: Still powerfully teak, but the oak certainly sneaks in. If I had to summarize this scent in one word, it would be "wood." This is freshly cut wood in a lumberyard, not trees in a forest. On, dry: This doesn't change much from wet to dry. It's still a woody smell, and if the vanilla is there, it's hiding in the background. I like this one for neutral occasions, when I'm not entirely certain what I'm going to be doing, but I know I want to smell nice. This feels very all-purpose to me.

In the bottle: Tea and musk. Kind of a watery smell, in the best kind of way. On, wet: I get the tobacco and the lilac, and although I'm not usually a lover of florals, I like this here. This is very nicely blended, with all of the notes playing equal parts -- no one stands out, but I can pick them all out. On, dry: Musk and frankincense are the dominant notes, but there's a sweetness in the background that has to be the lilac. It gets a little powdery at the end, which I don't love, but it's not a dominant oil at all -- you'd have to get up close to me to smell this. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing...

In the imp: Starbucks' Caramel Macchiato. On, wet: The sweetness that was apparent in the imp doesn't present as much on my skin. I get a light incense and the sweetness of the caramel, plus a nice layer of the amber. On, dry: This doesn't change much from wet to dry -- I still get a lot of caramel without much else. I was hoping to get more smokiness from the tobacco, but it never appeared.

In the imp: Men's cologne. I really can't pick out single notes from sniffing this, but to me it smells like walking down the men's fragrance aisle at Sephora. Nice, but generic. On, wet: Leather, yay! Leather is one of my favorite notes, and I love the leather in this. The red berries and the honey are apparent, but I don't get much floral out of this. On, dry: Leather and wood with a really sweet, non-floral background. I really like this one, and could see wearing it in a lot of different situations. I also feel like it's fairly unisex, but that's just because the florals never emerged for me.

In the imp: Very strong, lots of vetiver. It's a very masculine smell, but not as intimidating as, say, The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork. On, wet: Still lots of vetiver, but the leather is apparent. I'm not smelling the jasmine, rose or cinnamon at all. On, dry: This turns into baby powder on me. I think it's probably the rose, which I never smelled in the imp or while it was drying, but now that it's been on for a while, there's nothing left but powder. Kind of disappointing for me.

Apple blossom, fig, white peach, honey absolute, red sandalwood, and wild thyme. In the imp: Sweet and fruity. The peach is prominent. On, wet: I'm getting a weird vibe from this, almost a potpourri or air freshener scent. It's not unpleasant, it's just not really what I was expecting based on the smell in the imp. On, dry: Kind of powdery, with a bit of apple and peach. I don't really smell the fig or the honey at all. It's still a little weird, like I sprayed myself with room freshener. I think I'd like this best in an oil burner.

In the imp: I was kind of scared to try this one on, because it's all metal and vetiver to my nose. On, wet: When I put my nose up to my arm, I get metal and vetiver, but when I just sit and let the smell waft towards me, I get a hint of smoke. There's a very industrial feeling going on here. On, dry: I feel like I'm hallucinating a hint of musk in here, just under the metal. This is a dark, slightly masculine smell, not for everyday wear, but just right for when I'm feeling somber.

In the imp: Buttered popcorn with a Cherry Coke. This smell reminds me of the movies. On, wet: I think I'm probably interpreting the toffee as popcorn, but to me this smells exactly like a buttered popcorn Jelly Belly. Not being a fan of those, this isn't working for me. I'm not getting any of the other notes. On, dry: No change between wet and dry for me. I really wanted to like this one, but it's coming off a little one-note on me.

In the bottle: Honey and cinnamon, first and foremost. A wee bit of clove and pepper in the background for balance, but overwhelmingly honey. On, wet: Absolutely delicious! A sweet, genuine honey without a hint of fake plastic. The cinnamon is warm and sweet, but understated -- it almost reminds me of cider. I hope the drydown stays true, because this is a scent I could *really* get into. On, dry: So very nice. Warm and musky, with a hint of cinnamon bark. The honey has faded into the background a bit, but it's got a nice balance. There isn't too much of any one note here, just a nice marriage of warmth and musk. I really, really love this one. I'm going to have to get myself a big bottle of this one.

In the bottle: Almost overwhelmingly musky, with just a hint of leather in the background. At this point, I'm not smelling any of the lemon rind or the vanilla. On, wet: Much different than in the bottle, for me. This is kind of a sweet leather, like the smell of old reading chairs rather than leather jackets. The musk blends well, and I get just a hint of the patchouli, no more. It's very nice, and very sexy. On, dry: The leather and the musk are all mingled together, and the hint of citrus is obvious but not obnoxious. It is a masculine smell, as others have noted, but not so much that I'd worry about wearing it.

In the bottle: Kind of a weird, medicinal leathery smell, almost like a new leather chair in a dentist's office. I didn't think I'd like this based on sniffing from the bottle. On, wet: A different kind of leather, like a beat-up old duster that's seen more than a few bar fights. On, dry: I really don't get a lot of musk out of this at all. On me, it's all old leather with a touch of smoke in the background. I really, really like this, and I can see layering it with something like Absinthe to play down the freshness of that oil.

This is for Nuclear Winter '08. In the bottle: Almost an astringent kind of minty quality. It almost reminds me of the Sea Breeze astringents that were popular in the early '90s. The mint here is a nice wintermint, not too spearmint and not peppermint at all. On, wet: Mint and pine. A very cold smell, an ice blue scent if I were to assign it a color. The astringent aroma has calmed down a lot, and it's a pleasant experience. On, dry: Still kind of minty, but the dominant smell that I'm getting now is white florals. It's a nice smell, but not exactly what I was expecting. It's almost like the very end of Nuclear Winter, when life starts to begin again. Overall, I like it. The drydown is a little more floral than I'd hoped, but the mint is nice and non-foody.

Maybe try Fearful Pleasure? It's got some dominant food notes, but it's a little more complex than something like Beaver Versary (which I love, don't get me wrong!). And my current favorite, Miller vs. California, which has a decent throw (on me, at least) and is a similar kind of food-with-other-stuff scent.

In the bottle: Sweet and light, mostly floral with maybe a wee bit of vanilla in the very background. On, wet: Still sweet, though the sandalwood is more prominent and the vanilla has vanished. On, dry: Weird, powdery deodorant. No vanilla at all, which is disappointing -- I honestly feel like I wiped my wrists and neck with a baby wipe. 4-1/2 hours later: The scent is only apparent when I hold my wrist right up to my nose, which is good, because I didn't like the dry-down on this at all. One for the swap pile.

In the bottle: Alcohol/boozy with just a hint of anise. On, wet: Lemon and anise without the boozy smell. On, dry: Airy and sweet, with just a hint of mint underneath a cover of lemon. I like it, but I'm worried that with a few hours wear, it will fade into cleaning solution -- the lemon is very strong. A few hours later: It faded, but not into anything. It's just gone. I liked it while it was around, though.