zankoku_zen

In the imp: Hazelnut (or is it walnut?) and pumpkin! On Skin: Buttery pumpkin, hint of hazelnut. No cocoa in sight. On Drydown: Pumpkin and butter! Why, hello there Jack! Verdict: No cocoa. A disappointment. In any case, this is slightly different than Jack with the nuts in it. Nutty Jack! Wow... that sounds like it could be a beer name.

In the imp: Baby spit and baby formula. On Skin: Milky, creamy and with a touch of the plastic note On Drydown: Milky plastic Verdict: OOOOKAY.... this so doesn't work on my skin. I don't know what it is but something definitely smells mildly plastic on me (noticed this in Snowblind and Tokyo Stomp as well). In any case, this definitely isn't as fruity as MM2007, much more of the creamy/milky variety. *SIGH* I bet this is very lovely and comforting on someone that doesn't have my skin chemistry.

Dorian and Golden Priapus come to mind. But all boys need Dorian. Just ask Beth.

In the imp: Peachy, florals and something almost dirty On Skin: I can't describe it other than dirty florals On Drydown: Slightly powdery, dirty florals.

I don't know what it is but this was an entirely icy scent on me --- violets and something extremely limey. From wet to drydown. I think it was the delphinium.

Did I forget to post here? You like Ice Queen? I definitely get a strong similarity from Cloister Graveyard in the Snow (not really GC, but you know...) You like Jacob's Ladder? The Lion from the Mad Tea Party scent line smells very similar. As if the Lion were the previous sketch for JL.

In the imp: Musky rose, slightly sweet On Skin: Musky rose with swirls of hypnotic incense. This is a very mature, sophisticated and sexy rose. On Drydown: This has a slightly purple vibe to it. Again, musky rose and incense and something else Verdict: This is a beautiful, confident, sophisticated and maturely sexy perfume. Hot. I am not a huge rose blend fan but this on the right person would be regal and absolute dynamite.

Thanks to raspberryswirlgirl for the decant! In the imp: Incensey, sweet, florals On Skin: Otherworldly florals, sweet brush of incensey, slightly sugary On Drydown: Pretty much the same thing. Verdict: This is so well blended and yet there are distinct whiffs... as if you were walking through the Fairy Market. A total olfactory experience. Seriously considering a bottle of this. Love it. ETA: Since I now have a bottle and proceeded to wear it yesterday... For me, this is an extremely ethereal and yet wearable scent. It's whimsical in that it is constantly changing - but it's not so overwhelmingly floral, or sweet, or incensey and yet manages to be a bit of all that and more. In this one, I have to say that for me, it's like sprinkling yourself with magic dust. Another plus, is that if you're going to wear a TAL for purposes, Fairy Market works well as a perfume companion - since the herbiness of certain TALs will blend with the rest of the market smells... and if a stranger smells you, they won't be smelling just the TAL.

In the imp: Musky patchouli On Skin: Musky male perfume with a heavy dose of patchouli. I don't find this patchouli obnoxious... but this is a very warm scent. Caliente! On Drydown: Musky male cologne, a hint of creaminess and a whiff of patchouli Verdict: This is definitely a sexy male patchouli scent. The hubby wasn't so enthused about it though. Ah well....

In the imp: Jack? On Skin: The butteryness of Jack, the pumpkin and just a slight citrus edge. Heavier than I expected. On Drydown: Slightly lighter than Jack, not as citrusy as Pumpkin Queen though. Verdict: Not so fond of this formulation. I think PP#1 is my favorite, and that comes second to Pumpkin Queen. I'm glad I got to try it though.

Wulric. I get loads of cocoa from it.

In the imp: Spicy amber On Skin: Spicy amber. Very warm scent. On Drydown: Slightly more powdery amber. Warm and golden. After two hours: I can smell similarities with Jacob's Ladder. While JL is much richer, this is more amber heavy. Slightly masculine. Verdict: Well, once I run out of JL, I know what blend can replace it! At least for me. I feel that the Lion was the base or the sketch for Jacob's Ladder. If the amber doesn't turn powdery on you, this is definitely a newbie recommendation to figure out if you like amber or not.

In the imp: Rose explosion On Wet: Rose soap. On Drydown: Rose soap and some weird plasticky fruity thing going on. After two hours: Milder roses and the hint of grass. Lovely. Verdict: It takes TWO hours on my skin, but the end product is a very lovely and fresh rose scent. If this was the initial smell from the beginning, I would advocate this as one of the best rose scents. Unfortunately, from minute 1 to minute 119, it's not pretty on my skin. *SIGH*. Minute 120 is the start of the gorgeousness though....

In the imp: Reminds me to Les Bijoux, floral slightly powdery, a little rosey On Skin: Simple, nice, perfume. Clean without the scent of soap. Subtle floral. I can smell the lilies On Drydown: Clean, slightly perfumed skin. Verdict: It's like I've taken a shower with some really nice, really expensive French perfume. It smells like I would smell... except not. Very light throw and drydown. My skin just ate it all up!

In the imp: Chocolate and vanilla! On Skin: Sort of like Thin Mints. I definitely get hints of the teak though. Also a semi-weird plastic like smell. On Drydown: Cocoa dusted Snake Oil Four hours later: Snake Oil with a hint of cocoa Verdict: I'm not a fan of Snake Oil... and the cocoa definitely makes me think of Wulric. I have to try it again before I make up my mind which of the two is the best cocoa CD scent.

In the imp: Heady floral On Skin: Lilies, and lilac and something else that is slightly woody On Drydown: Still a very heady floral, definitely smelling the lilac Verdict: This combination is a very heady floral. Oddly enough, it smells like the little Vick's tablets my parents would burn during summer nights to keep the mosquitos away. It's got that same narcotic, heady sort of fume smell to it. I always secretly liked the scent but I'm not sure I could actually wear it as a perfume. ETA: Tried it again, and I amp the lilies more than the lilac. I smell tinges of the narcissus, particularly on the drydown and it is MUCH more of a narcissus/wood blend as it dries down. SAD. I was hoping for more lilac love.

In the imp: Musky and sandalwoody On Skin: Sandalwood explosion. I smell like a dirty hippie. On Drydown: The sandalwood backs off enough for everything else to play. I get hints of the rose, with the sweet powderyness of amber. It kinda smells like a masculine version of Spellbound, muskier and dirtier. Verdict: The sandalwood is too much for me to cope with. I tried this on the husband, and it's a sweet, slightly musky barely there scent. Off to swaps for this one.

I find similarities between Ice Queen and Cloister Graveyard in the Snow. Ice Queen is a bit fruitier and more regal, but the vibe is very much the same.

In the imp: Slightly floral, whiff of vanilla and woods On Skin: Much warmer, slightly muskier male cologne. The vanilla is not overpoweringly sweet. On Drydown: Warm, musky male. Verdict: I put this on the husband. He is actually intrigued by it and said that he'd test it again (usually, he goes 'interesting' and tells me to swap it because he wouldn't wear it). This one he seems to enjoy. I like the scent of it on him it's complex, at the beginning it smelled like cookies and a tree (which made him go Christmas!) but it dried to something slightly musky, slightly floral but very delicious. I'm glad he's willing to give it a shot. Perhaps Wilde has found competition for bottle love from him?

This is such a weird scent experience. It started off as a spicy blend (definitely has cinnamon in it) but now it has turned into this musky almost green scent. I don't know what I'm smelling. Possibly the vetivert? This in my mind is a very masculine scent. And by very, I mean this is like the scent equivalent of a manly man.

In the imp: Icy fruits and snow covered pines, and dare I say a hint of mint? On Skin: The pine is there, but unlike other snowy blends, it does not threaten to take over my skin (my problem with Skadi). This is one of the few blends that makes me think actual 'snow' (Snow Bunny makes me think of someone that has just come off the slopes). It's icy and minty with a hint of pine, fruits and florals. On Drydown: Still chilly, but there is a sweetness to it. Again, slightly floral and fruity. Slightly haughty, slightly aloof. Verdict: At the beginning, I wasn't feeling the love. I am now. This is very much the scent of someone who loves the snow, and can be as remote and chilly as a snow covered mountain. Beautiful.

This is such a sweet (without being sweet), soft, pretty floral. I think this would be a great scent for a beginner BPAL or a young girl. This is a fresh wildflower sort of floral, innocent but at the same time, on the verge of something else. This smells like the first time you fell in love, or thought you were in love. The quiet, secret dreaming you do within yourself, spinning these glorious and light daydreams about your future possible happiness. It's not giddy but it isn't serious either. Very lovely.

In the imp: Boozy wine and berries. On Skin: Boozy sweet wine with a touch of berries. I smell like a drunken raisin. On Drydown: Actually, I think I smell more like a craisin. After an hour: It calms down to a softer, milder red wine with berries swirled into it. Much more sophisticated. Verdict: This blends starts ultra sweet on me and ends up as a sophisticated wine drinker. Perhaps it was too ambitious at the beginning?

In the imp: Masculine cologne On Skin: Lilac and masculine cologne. On Drydown: Less masculine, softer, slightly powdery. Verdict: This is very masculine. I'm going to try this on the husband!

A lovely lovely surprise from the fabulous brumbjorn. In the imp: Cinnamon? On the Skin: CALIENTE. Cinnamon and dragon's blood and something else. Smells musky On Drydown: Musky. Less spicy and slightly more floral. Very warm Verdict: Yowza. I dunno what this is. I'm not so fond of the spicy wet stage. But the drydown is quite pretty.