zankoku_zen

In the imp: Crushed green stems indeed! On Skin: Crushed green stems, slightly woody, slightly musky On Drydown: The crushed green stem aspect dies down a bit, I get more of the musk and wood, with a touch of sweetness Verdict: This is a very GREEN scent on me. Not entirely pleased with it, but I think it would be dynamite on a boy. I have no reason to think it is particularly masculine, but I think it would appeal more to a guy's sense of smell. In any case, off to try it on the husband!

In the imp: Florals and incense On Skin: Slightly musty orange blossom and incense On Drydown: Musty orangey leather Verdict: I'm hit or miss with leather scents. Both Whip and Severin are great, but De Sade was horrible. This one for me is just weird. Orange and leather? I feel like I dripped orange juice on my leather pants and they have also been lightly scented with incense. Interesting combination, but not for me.

In the imp: Masculine cologne. On Skin: Slight tinge of vanilla, slight papery tone, slightly musky On Drydown: Very masculine like musk, hints of vanilla and paper. Verdict: Not for me, but I think I might want to try this one on the husband. I think he'd smell QUITE good.

In the imp: Fruity and floral On Skin: Citrusy fruit (um, hallo kumquat!) and incensey like floral. Actually, it kinda reminds me walking into a Lush store. I definitely get a strong orange blossom note from this. On Drydown: Slightly sweeter, but again, I feel like I've got a Lush store, with all the wonderful melds of smells on my skin. Verdict: This was QUITE a surprise. I expected the pepper to dominate, which is why I stayed away from this. I get juicy fruits, clean orange blossoms and just a strange meld of the two which, again, reminds me of the smells that waft out of a LUSH store. Pretty, but just a tad too sweet for me.

In the imp: Lemony verbena On Skin: Lemon verbena explosion! I'm also getting a dreaded 'cleaner/soapy' vibe to it. Drydown: Lemon pledge. Verdict: I do have to say that this is bright AND sunny, just not the way I expected. I sort of expected it to be slightly mistier and not so clean. Ah well. I'm sure there will be someone who will love this more than I will.

In the imp: Watery flowery aquatic On Skin: Slight cherry note overtone, again, this is a watery aquatic. And yes, I do get the impressions of damp foliage. This is very ghostly and ethereal. Very pungent. On Drydown: I get more of the incensey vibe underneath, despite it being a watery aquatic. I'm glad that the cherry didn't ultimately dominate, since it can be very sweet on me. Verdict: This is an awesome scent depiction. And part of it does remind me to my japanese grandmother. I don't know why since she wasn't the kind that wore perfume and had incensey on her. She did, however, once a week go to the Japanese Cultural Center... and that also kinda smelled like this. It might be the green tea which makes me think of her. In a sense, this is a very nostalgic blend for me. Wow, now I miss my grandma...

In the imp: Buttery On Skin: Buttery and berry like. It's like a fruit tart. On Drydown: Berries (not too sweet) and roses. Weird combo on my skin. Verdict: This is an odd line of foody and floral. From a scent interpretation, this really captures the Knave of Hearts. It's just not something I love.

In the imp: Incensey On Skin: Something REALLY smells incensey on me. Slightly musky, slightly vanilla sweet. On Drydown: The amber makes an appearance, it's more of a resiny blend as opposed to an incensey one. Something sweet in the background. After two hours: Pretty, slightly perfumey very close to the skin scent. Verdict: Pretty but not for me. I can see this being a very passionate and sexy scent, and utterly stunning on the right woman. From an artistic standpoint, this is dynamite. From a personal preference, it's not the kind of scent that I'm drawn to and wear. So I'm gonna send this little fella on to a more loving home.

In the imp: Plum and sugar On Skin: Juicy plums and sugary goodness On Drydown: The plum lingers a bit, but it's more of a sugary frosting right now. I get a wee hint of florals. Verdict: Honestly, I didn't think I'd like it because I'm so not a foodie person. But I've come to realise I am a fruity person. This has some sweet sugary plum goodness going on. I'm really glad I got to try this.

This has got to have patchouli in it. Because at the beginning, that's what I can smell the most. After a while, it sort of settles into an amber/resiny scent, the patchouli is still there but not quite as overpowering. Definitely not for me.

In the imp: Buttery vanilla On Skin: Buttery vanilla. The butter backs off and this turns into a vanilla cookie dough on my skin. On Drydown: The vanilla gets this weird plastic edge to it. Not as bad as the vanilla plastic in Tokyo Stomp, but just enough. At this point it does kinda smell a little like vanilla frosting. Verdict: Erm. There has got to be a vanilla oil in TS and Sugar Cookie that just doesn't work with my skin. Sad, but true. On the other hand, I have a friend that will probably love this.

I was DREADING going back to work today, mainly because my boss is just awful to me and until I find a new job, I can't leave. I anointed some of my chakra points this morning and chanted "I will not be afraid". And oddly enough, part of my brain chimed in "Fear is the mind killer. I will let it pass through me." Erm.. Dune much? In any case, after doing this for a few minutes, I felt better. Stronger, less lethargic. I think I even held my head higher. And yes, the world seemed less bleak and unhappy. Very empowering. ETA: I've used Lionheart in 2015 and 2016, and the results have always been positive. It's got some of the same positive vibe that Anthelion does, but much more robust. It's not as directly soothing as White Light, or even Anthelion, but its much more energetic. It also endows you with some fierce courage. Hearts and flowers to this.

In the imp: Incensey On Skin: Incensey with a touch of powder On Skin on Him: Vick's! I'm beginning to wonder what smells like Vick's to him. He's given that answer a couple of times. My guess is the frankincense, although I'm not basing this on anything concrete. Just a very poorly educated guess. On Drydown: The violet is very predominant and very powdery. There is definitely a strong masculine base in the form of an incensey sandalwoody smell, slightly spicy On Skin on Him: Incensey, spicier than on me. Verdict: On me, this is the male cologne version of talcum powder. Sort of clean, sort of old fashioned, sort of perfumey. The husband also has this on and he's not so impressed with this. Although when I did apply it on him, he held out the other wrist afterwards and looked mildly disappointed when I told him I only had Faustus to try. Sadly, Faustus is for neither of us.

In the imp: Maraschino cherries. On Skin: Sweet cherries. And yes, I do think of maraschino cherries. It's the cherry in Kabuki and Queen of Hearts Verdict: This is a thick, syrupy sweet scent, foody without being overtly, not too fruity and feminine in the Jailbait sort of way. I've had the black cherry SN before... and if I recollect correctly that one was perhaps heavier and juicier... The scent is very different. It's like comparing Queen of Hearts to Hollywood Babylon. ETA: So the Cherry SN does smell like maraschino cherries, but also like some of the commercial cherry cough syrups. It's rich, thick, and has a ton of throw.

Thanks to the lovely girlindenial for a sniffie of this. In the imp: Floral, yellow and sophisticated vibe On wet: Wow. I get a honey, and the visual is the thick, viscousness of honey. On Drydown: Sophisticated, slightly aquatic floral. I can't pick out any individual notes. This is very well blended. Verdict: Not what I was expecting at all. I'm really glad I got to try it. I can see why people go rabid over exclusive 'other' event scents. Wow.

In the imp: Lavender On Skin: Soapy floral. Booo... On Drydown: I get the lavender and more of the wisteria coming through, but it has a mild soapy edge to it. Nothing like wet though. Verdict: Something goes soapy on me and I don't like it. At the beginning it smelled like some really expensive soap, lush and creamy, but still soap. Now it's a lightly soapy lavender/wisteria.

In the imp: Men's cologne On Skin: Wowza. Very pungent. I get hints of lavender and leather. The vanilla is there but only slightly. On Drydown: This scent just exploded on my skin. Very masculine cologne, between the white musk and the leather. Did I mention the leather? Verdict: I want to take my skin chemistry and give it to my husband. This is a very sexy masculine blend... on me. On him, it's not quite like this. Which is very disappointing. Wow, I'd totally hump my wrist right now... Sexy!

In the imp: Musky, amber and sandalwood. Smells slightly incensey. On Skin: Is there wine in this? I get something that smells slightly boozy and the sandalwood is very prominent On Drydown: Powdery musky sandalwood Verdict: Very older gentleman on me, but I think that's because the amber is very powdery on me in this blend. Definitely makes me think of Anthony Hopkins in Titus. Strong, old, regal.

In the imp: Snake Oil and some other spices On Skin: Very light Snake Oil, vanilla very prominent. But really close to the skin. For a couple minutes after I applied it, I could barely smell it On Drydown: I really think this is a scent that develops. Warm, vanilla Snake Oilish - muskier and spicier. Very smooth and rounded. Verdict: This is like sexed up Snake Oil. I can see why so many people are crazy about it. Neither a fan of vanilla or Snake Oil, I'm still glad I got to try this fabulous scent!

In the imp: Chocolate covered cherries! On Skin: Cocoa, cherries, musk and something slightly plasticky. And a hint of olive juice? On Drydown: Musky, slight cherry smell, the slightest hint of olive juice, mild pepper and something else. Verdict: Not for me. Sad. Because in the imp it smelled SO lovely.

Unquenchable desire, seething lust, malevolent sexuality, and voracious hunger lurking beneath a shimmering veil of unearthly beauty: gleaming skin musk, honey and white amber, plum blossom, osmanthus, sandalwood, calla lily, and a light, sensual blend of Eastern spices. This one is interesting, it's like a sweet, shy floral musk. In the imp: Floral On Skin: Delicate floral, with a hint of amber and hint of honey On Drydown: Skin musk Verdict: This stays very close to the skin. Pretty but indistinct to me. I smell like I just washed with some really really nice soap. It would probably act as a good layering base for me. ETA: to add description

In the imp: Sharp citrusy flowers On Skin: Very sharp bright citrusy floral. Lemon verbena! On Drydown: I get more of the sage, the bright sharpness of the floral drifts out a little. Verdict: I like it, but not as much as the other bat scents out there. Perhaps too bright and sharp for me? It's not that I dislike it, I simply don't like it as much as Bat or Bat-Woman.

In the imp: Sharp jasmine and something else On Skin: Very musky and dark, the jasmine and other florals are at the edge of this. On Drydown: Very warm, and I can definitely smell the opium poppy. Verdict: The drydown of this is very similar to RG's Opium Poppy, and I think that note tends to dominate the blend for me. Sad, this is the first Poe scent that my skin hasn't played well with.

In the imp: Lilies On Skin: Honeyed lilies, slightly less floral than I expected On Drydown: Muted honeyed lilies Verdict: This is like Tiger Lily's shyer and sweeter sister. Definitely brought Tiger Lily to mind, but the honey is less prominent and aggressive. This is definitely a more delicate. I really enjoy it.

In the imp: Strawberries! On Skin: Sweet strawberries... it actually smells like the fake strawberries you would smell from toys, like Barbie. Very nostalgic. On Drydown: The fake plastic note fades away (or at least it isn't as noticeable). It is less sweet and more floral, but very much strawberries. Verdict: Very surprised and pleased. I thought this would be too sweet (like Bon Vivant was) but I'm pleasantly surprised and very happy. I love strawberries and while I get some of that from Hollywood Babylon, this is juicier and fresher.