zankoku_zen

Bone, smoke, ash, ocean. Okay, let's break it down, shall we? On wet, its definitely more of the smoke/ash component and it smells like FIRE SMOKE. After it dries, you see that the fire has burnt out a little, and that's when the bone comes out. And you notice the salty ocean spray is making its way through the smoke. WHY HELLO VIKING APOCALYPSE. YOU SMELL LIKE DEATH AND DISASTER. So yes, this smells a little disturbing, in the same way that Clive Barker's The Day Burned White is. This isn't really a perfume as more of a scent experience. Or if you prefer, this is totally an RPG blend to wear if your character has decided it needs to wipe the slate clean and start with creation anew, you know like the Flood is happening. And by the Flood, I mean its raining SMOKE FIRE LAVA FROM THE SKY. ... Wait, I think this is the blend that Loki would wear when he's trying to unleash evil forces upon the Earth. Slap a mental picture Tom Hiddleston as Loki laughing maniacally as fireballs descend upon earth (or as he calmly reads a book while the prisoners revolt and take over during Thor 2) and you get where this scent is coming from.

Stone, blood and musk. This smells... powerful. It's raw, smoky, and very masculine in the way a smoky, volcano landscape is masculine. So if you want to smell like a volcano, there you go.

Grape, woods, pine and snow. This one is sweeter than I expected (I think its the slushy snow note) combined with the woods and pine makes it reminiscent to the Yule blends, but its a much warmer blend and I think that's the amber pulling through. It's rich, dark, and woody. With enough of a hint of the North to let you know that its come from a frozen North. I find this oddly compelling, and so far, the best Ragnarok of all.

Red musk, pimento, clove and amber. It's red, slightly smoky, definitely I can smell the pimento which adds both heat and redness to this blend, when its already red and full of heat. Dark clove overlay. It's not the type of blend that appeals to me, and I think I am amping up the pimento. Dry, spicy and warm.

I actually get a fair amount of honey from this blend - It's honey, smoky sandalwood, hint of musky patchouli. It's flirty and mysterious. Stays pretty close to the skin, low throw. In a lot of ways, she remind me to a type of girl we all know. The one that is fun, but hard to pin down, that seems unable to give you a straight answer but its because she has "stuff that she can't talk about" (at least she's honest about that), and she gives you a wave of her hand, but her smile is so infectious that you can't seem to mind the fact that you almost no nothing about her. So if you fancy this girl, or fancy yourself this type of girl, then give this a whirl.

Aquatic roses and a touch of brown leaves. This reminds me to the autumn blends the Lab puts out because of the fallen leaves bit, and the aquatic overlay accentuates that melancholy/pensive time. The roses are a sweet touch, like memories you like to reminisce about. Soft, roses, muted.

Vetiver, opium and red rose. On wet, the entire blend smells a little sour and 'off', but that burns off after about 90 seconds as the vetiver and rose notes calm down. And then it just goes haughty. Think of the Peacock Queen's voluptous red rose note merged with opium and smoke. And its mad at you because its your fault for making it smell unpleasant. Obviously you're just a common peasant fool that cannot handle the unending grandeur of this blend. And thus, you must be rejected, into the corner. Because HOW DARE YOU. (It's all obviously YOUR fault). I'm not sure I need a blend that gives me an inferiority complex.

Champaca, oudh, and something that smells like chocolate? I was hoping for vanilla orchid and some coffee. And ended up amping everything else in this blend. Sad puppy face.

Smoky champaca, vanilla and tobacco. It's a very golden and smoky blend. Tobacco and vanilla lovers, take note. I think I prefer something with a little more sweetness. I like the idea of tobacco but in general it never seems to work for me.

Green musk, patchouli, mistletoe and a touch of basil on wet. It smells like a green patch, with more touches of green from the other elements. If you were looking for a different take on a patch blend, give this puppy a whirl. Green, patchouli, tricky.

Dark amber, oudh, trace of oppoponax and myrrh. This smells dark, with a light touch of ocean and smokiness. In other words, this smells like a dark night by the ocean with the emphasis that you are smelling THE DARK KNIGHT NIGHT, and the ocean is the background. So yes, manly. Dark, mysterious, night.

Snow, lychee and a hint of lavender and white florals. It's mainly a snow blend, which is the slushy white snow note I love in Ice Queen, with a good bit of lychee thrown in. The lavender rounds it out, and you get a slightly Asian feeling lunacy, courtesy of the lychee. It's not as lychee based as previous Moon of the Terrible incarnations, but oddly this particularly mix works better for my skin chemistry. The original MoT smelled too weird to me, and the previous MoT had a weird bitter edge to it that I couldn't shake off. Instead, this is like a soft snowy slushy laced with lychee. I may in fact just talked myself into a bottle with that last line. No lie.

Oh Thirteen, you break my head. So I get the white chocolate and coconut, and almond cookies with a whiff of donuts. You are like a baked goods orgy. But there is a slight overlay of leafy greens, beans and a light touch of rice wine. In other words, someone mixed dinner and dessert together in the plate. At the same time. While the leafy green/beans business keeps this from being a foodie/baked goods orgy extravaganza with too much sweetness and baked goods, it comes out smelling a bit of a mish-mash on me. Apparently, I like my foods NOT TO TOUCH EACH OTHER. STRICTLY NO TOUCHING. And apparently, I have a zero tolerance policy on this. At least in this blend.

Soft musk is accentuated with sharp orris, with a wet wool overlay thanks to the magnolia. It's soft, and almost powdery on me. Pretty, subtle, white floral. And if the magnolia behaves for you, I bet its a stunner in that stealthy ninja sort of way. It's very powerful in the same way that Love Lay Upon Her Eyes is. Simplicity at its best.

Oh man, this so doesn't work for me. It's a sweet cherry blossom/sweet pea blend, with a creamy coconut overlay on me. In alot of ways, it reminds me to BBW Cherry Blossom lotion. So, too sweet and pink and sweet for me.

Vetiver, grass, opium and tobacco flower like a la Belle Epoque without the sandalwood. This is redolent, smoky sophisticated blend. It's slightly gender neutral to me in that it has a smoky floral vibe with a softer edge but its not overtly feminine. The best way I can describe it as opulent. I like Belle Epoque, and I like this by extension. This may require further testing to decide whether or not I need more.

I get mainly a green, woody, hint of vanilla with a touch of lavender. It's soft, woody, and pillowy. Unfortunately, it has low throw and my skin eats this up like mad. So, it's going to have to go on to a new home. SAD PANDA FACE.

Bergamot, tobacco, and honey. This smells like a green cologne, slightly gender neutral. Its honey, tobacco, and very smooth.

Mandarin, rose, and musk. The mandarin is a pretty strong top note, but then you get the rose and musk, particularly in the drydown. It's a warm mandarin-rose blend. Eh, not for me.

Super fresh lavender, rice wine and hint of plum blossom. This is a light asian blend - light and airy in both composition and feel. The lavender is probably the most prominent note on wet, but it dries to a rice wine/plum blossom blend. Elegant, fresh, asian. I am seriously considering more of this.

Mimosa, honey, and a brush of amber. Mimosa to me is a bit of a sharp white floral, and the honey + amber make a soft, powdery base. Soft, amber, honey.

Vanilla, cherries, and red currants. I get alot of things from this blend that I wasn't expecting to. I'm surprised at how much cherry I get (and it reminds me to Gothabilly in a sense), except with vanilla, red currants, and whiff of cream. Lovely, fruity, bright.

Soft creamy fig, with pillowy orchid and ylang ylang. This is the scent of reclining on a super luxurious bed in a super luxurious hotel and not having to worry about a thing. Except perhaps wondering if that is egyptian cotton or silk. In other words, anytime you feel like you need to bring some Marie Antoinette luxury in your life and not give a damn, wear this.

Rosewood, bamboo and a touch of smoky wood. This is lovely. Delicate, serene woods with a hint of rose. Pretty, stays close to the skin, and its a luxury in the same way that silk stockings are.

Patchouli, cedar, vetiver with a dribble of apricot. Oh, Awabi. The apricot is not strong or sweet enough to contain the patch/cedar/vetiver bully which just sort of reigns through this blend like a giant smoky bully. So, not, this doesn't really work on me at all.