zankoku_zen

Flowery blueberry, hint of bergamot and iris. On wet, there's an almost sharp cologne edge to it, but it dries to a slightly softer, kinda powdery blend. Sweet, and a little sad. It's not the type of blend that I'm usually attracted to, but I find it oddly compelling. I might have mr. zee_zee throw the deciding vote on this one, because I can't stop sniffing my own wrist. It isn't instant love... but I'm not sure that I wouldn't mind having a bottle. Ah, decisions, decisions.

Sharp woods, patchouli and sandalwood. I get whiffs of vanilla and tonka here and there... but not enough to sweeten the blend for me. It has a very Asian vibe to it, in my mind. Not my type of blend.

OMG - this may be the strawberry blend for me. BPAL's strawberry note tends to go plastic on my skin. Not this blend. It smells like strawberries, hint of vanilla and honey, with a whiff of green. Not too sweet, and just ripe and summery. HOT DAMN.

Chocolate oranges indeed. At the beginning, it's bitter coffee, dark chocolate and a giant orange citrus blast. I think the orange is also having a side affair with ebony, because there's a woodsy undertone to this. Fun, but not for me. I amp up the wood note in this, so it ends up more woody than foodie.

OOOOOOOOOOOOH. I have to say I find this very evocative. Hint of dark lavender, black currant, orchid and some oakmoss and myrrh. It's a dark, seductive, blend. This SLITHERS on your skin. I quite, quite like this. I think I need a bottle.

JASMINE attack! Hints of tuberose and hyacinth. It's like being mugged by Jasmine. PASS.

Anise, woods and a hint of smoke. Oddly, very comforting, slightly masculine and kinda cuddly. Very cozy.

This smells... dirty. It's patchouli, cumin, vetiver and a hint of sandalwood. With dirt, rubbed all over. PASS.

Sweet almond musk with a hint of cinnamon. This is a soft, comforting, skin scent. If nuts did comforting. Don't read too much into the last sentence. Just accept the comfort.

Light plum, roses, hint of tulip and a swirl of chocolate. This is a fruity floral, delicate, light. I am considering a partial.

Chocolate with a hint of pepper and tomato. It's oddly foodie, and not that sweet. It's an herbal sort of chocolate and puts me in mind to some of the older 13 out there.

Chocolate, coconut bark, hint of marshmallow. This one is pretty tasty for a chocolate blend - if you like coconut and marshmallow that is.

This is black leather tempered by the metal and bay rum. It smells like a traditional men's cologne - dark, sophisticated, gleaming. Sexy. I am totally trying this on mr. zee_zee.

Hint of pumpkin, coffee, caramel with brown leather and tobacco. This is a warm, fall, manly blend. I have to say to me that the leather and tobacco are the strongest notes, followed by the coffee. This is dark, brooding guy on a cool autumn morning with a well worn leather jacket and a steaming cup of BLACK coffee. And sometimes, you don't need sugar or cream in your coffee.

Very ethereal! I get lavender, hints of honeysuckle and orchid, with the white peppermint giving it a cool feel to it. I get whiffs of raspberry on the drydown. Not into ethereal blends, but this one is definitely GORGEOUS! Definitely one of the prettiest scents I've smelled in a while, and I would think would be great for a wedding.

For me, this one is slightly soapier than 2007 version... but on the other hand, I can smell some of the other notes more prominently: iris, lily and tulip. With a dollop of honey. I find this to be a very springy, very delicate floral blend. It has very low throw and staying power on me, but if it did, I would be very tempted to find a bottle. I think these notes work better as a lotion. It's got a very 'clean' light floral appeal that would work very well as a scented lotion.

Zucchini and leather. On the drydown it becomes smoky leather. But yes, green zucchinis and leather. Weird.

This is definitely FLOWERS with a hint of white chocolate. I get mums, peony, and more flowers all gilded with white chocolate. Sweet, floral blend. The honey shows up in the drydown. Very sweet. Too foodie for me, but it is a lovely bouquet of flowers.

Stone (which to me smells a little like black leather, which is a note I amp the HELL out), hints of ivy and moss. Okay, so to me, 13 Hours is actually is like a scaled down version of DeSade. I get the stone/black leather as the prominent note, and its a dark, masculine sexy blend. There's a slight whiff of rosehips now and then, just enough to soften it. If DeSade was a whip, this blend is more like the leather glove. Based on the reviews, everyone seems to be having a bit of a different experience. Which just adds to 13 Hours's oddity.

Red currant, apple pulp and tomato leaf. Oh, this smells like a garden. My only problem with this blend is that it has very low throw, and almost no staying power. My skin is greedier than my nose and eats this one right up. Twenty minutes after application and this Tanuki has gone into hiding.

Sweet honeydew. It gets muskier as it dries down, but this a perfumey melon scent. For those of you that love sweet, juicy fruit scents, cuddle up to this Tanuki.

I have to say, I am quite surprised with this version of Dragon Moon. It's sweetly resinous, touch of grassiness with hints of lavender and something that has a strong soft powderiness, without actually being powdery. Very wearable.

Previously reviewed here #15 Extra honey, golden cream note, and hint of saffron. There's something that smells kinda 'plasticky' to me, which is definitely BPAL's cream note. Light amber on the drydown. Nice, but not my type at all.

Grapefruit, and a hint of verbena and white flowers. It's very light and crisp. It does remind me to 51.

Minty pom, hint of rose, and florals. Definitely more floral than I expected. Also the sweetness+ pom note does not smell particularly well to me, but I have problems with the BPAL pom note.