zankoku_zen

This smells absolutely delish! It's got that spicy pumpkin with burnt brown sugar smell that is mouthwateringly good. I want to eat this. It's sooo tasty!

Oh man, this one is a dark, woodsy sort of scent. I definitely smelly the oakmoss in the background, and it's bitter, but there's just a nutty hint to it. I also got this 'pine'/juniper feel to it on wet, which dissipates as it dries.

So wait.... some of the labels for this years Yule are white, and others are black? Let me guess.... does it have to do with concepts? Or do all the white labels have a 'snow' component?

Thanks Tramp and stellans!

Sweet gunpowder and nails. It's really kinda weird.

Man, old leathery books. The leather is a pretty dominant scent on me. It feels like an antique bookstore!

I get lemons and ozone. Actually, it smells alot like the lemon-scented dishwashing liquid I've been using this month. .... Probably not the best endorsement for this scent. At all.

This one is a dry, dusty, woody scent with an herbal edge to it. Meh.

I get this soft rosewood and leather scent. It's quite pretty actually. I feel my husband would enjoy this if he hadn't fallen so desperately in love with Hessian of the Hollow. It's a little too masculine for me though.

This one is really interesting to me - it smells like warm cake with some florals in it. This is a warm, slightly vanilla, slightly sweet skin scent. Actually, this smells like I wish Snake Oil did on me. The boy isn't entirely fond of it, or else I'd consider a bottle. Very sexy, very natural, very skin scent. Sensual and warm.

I definitely see the similarity to Spanked. The leather here is subdued and sexy, but whereas Spanked was spicy leather, this is definitely 'dusty'. I also get a mild 'woody' tone to it. Naughty naughty, it seems to say. Definitely more of a masculine scent.

GAH! Dragon's blood resin .... and jasmine and gardenia. Wow. This is like a scent of doom. .... Yeah, so not for me.

Honeyed almonds and spices. This one is a sexy, female scent that screams femme fatale. Not so femme that she's prissy. She's fun, flirty and hellagood in bed. Mmm... almonds.

Lustrous, sanguine, soft and lavish: soft orris, blood musk, and coconut. This one is a floral musky coconut. I would say it's like spicy dragon's blood and coconut. Which really, if I think about it, are two notes I'm not crazy about. I think the orris lends to it a very high, almost piercing, floral edge to it. And yet, not entirely crazy since it does seem like a lush tropical sort of white floral.

A hectic, frenzied pinpoint in desolation: booming, bleak, and dark with the horror of loneliness and reluctant solitude. Patchouli and cardamom with bright mandarin, labdanum, muguet, red sandalwood, angelica and gardenia. Cinnamon, patchouli and .... dust? In any case, this is a dark, lonesome scent. The cinnamon is bitter and the patchouli smells dirty. This is like an old, deserted house (with lots and lots of wood panels and floors). Creepy!

This one is a very intense syrupy peach when on wet. Very sweet. It almost has a 'plastic' tone to it - but thankfully, that goes away and after an hour, it is this soft peach smell. Like smelling a ripe succulent peach. Mmmm.... Tasty.

In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan’s pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel. At the beginning, this was promising with the orange/almond vibe going on. However as it dried, it became a pure unmitigated rose. Where are the spices? Nutmeg? Clove? Hellos? Is this thing on? SAAAD.

Inspired by the tragic, ill-fated love of Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester. This is our modernization of a 17th-century perfume blend favored by British aristocracy: rosemary, orange flower, grape spirit, five rose variants, lemon peel, and mint. This one is a rosey, very grape, perfume. It's feminine without being frilly, sort of regal and kinda playful. I like the grape in this. I was very afraid of the rose but it's just a tinge. On wet, I got more of the citrus/orange, but now it's a rosey grape scent. Interesting.

This one was a musky rose with a light jasmine. Sexy, pretty and very close to the skin.

I have to agree that at the beginning, this is a very lavender/rose soap. It's a very soft and calming blend.

Hmm... this is coconut marshmallow candy on me. It smells a teensy bit waxy and plasticky, and I think that's the buttercream part that doesn't work out for me. But if you like to smell coconut/marshmallow lovely, I would give this a whirl. It's too sweet and foodie for me.

This one I can definitely smell the lily on a base of dry sandalwood. It's like the base sketch, I feel, for Belle Epoque. I really get a lot of sandalwood from this, which is sad, since the lily is quite lovely. I'm definitely glad I got to try this though!

This one was a very aggressive rose/lily blend. I really like lilies but I don't like roses. It's a very white floral, pretty, somber scent. ETA: Rosy carnations, creamy lilies.... wait, is this a more lily version of Morocco? I am very confused by this!

I'm pleasantly surprised by this - it's a very light spicy blend with a hint of floral. And spices, I mean cinnamon and allspice and whatever it is that is in Bengal. It's like a floral Bengal. After two hours however, the spices are gone and I get a sweet rosy blend. I like it on wet, but dry, it kinda gives me a headache. :/

I might wear Torture Queen later today, as I am dressing up as Dr. Watson tonight!