zankoku_zen

Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon. One of these days, I will learn... I swear. This is nothing but patchouli and sandalwood. I smell like a headshop. Verdict: Again, this is resinous, gritty, fragrant patchouli and sandalwood. I can see the comparisons to Aureus in this one. Again, not for me. But for you patchouli lovers, I would totally recommend this scent.

I really get honey (tons of it), snatches of red wine and florals. The florals come out much more in the drydown. Verdict: This is a sweet scent, very foody and makes me think of olfactory cakes. If I were a deity, I would find this scent very pleasing. The honey note is almost too much for me in this case... but it's quite lovely.

Athens. I'm wearing it right now and I've got a strong honey note off of this. MMM...

This was spicy plum with a warm musky base and yes, I could get hints of carnation now and again. It was warm and pleasant... if a bit like potpourri. Verdict: If this is what frumious bandersnatchii smell like, I'm going to keep them as pets! It does make me wonder what non-frumious bandersnatchii smell like... Overall, it was a warm, golden sort of scent with snatches of plums and carnation, which made me think that this tricksy fellow has been out in the garden in the sun. Very nice, indeed.

In the imp: Ozoney On Skin: Aquatic, lightly floral, again part of me wants to compare it to Sea of Glass but the vetiver changes the 'aquatic' component in my mind. On Drydown: Ozoney, sporty, aquatic. More of a male aquatic in my mind. Verdict: I was hoping for something more 'snowy' or reminiscent of 'dark nights, driving down obscure roads, watchful'. I didn't get the scent of asphalt from this. It was a pleasant, if rather masculine, aquatic. Damn skin chemistry of mine. Alas, I continue to search for the wintery blend that will appease my fickle heart.

A radiant blend of solar oils: golden amber, saffron, heliotrope, hibiscus, citron, frangipani, frankincense, tangerine, mock orange, and orange blossom. I was hoping for a very citrusy-orange sort of smell. Very much like Et Lux Fuit. In the imp: Slightly herbal. On Skin: Very herbal. Almost green. No citrus. On Drydown: I get more of the amber/powdery smell now. It's very warm. But again, no citrus and still slightly herbal. Verdict: My skin chemistry makes me so sad. I was hoping for some of the lovely fruity citrus that everyone else was getting. Ah well, it was not meant to be. ELF has no competition then. ETA: edited to add description

In the imp: aquatic and floral On Skin: Lilies! This definitely has lilies in it. On Drydown: Smells very much like Sea of Glass because of the lilies. Verdict: Most lab aquatics must have lilies as a component because the smell of lilies is very predominant on my skin. This is a very pretty, girlie scent. I'd recommend this for small children because it's very innocuous and I can imagine elementary school girls wearing this as they dash about in the playground.

Again, this was tried on the husband. On me: Smoke! On him: Smoky... but you can smell eucalyptus and a hint of menthol on his. On drydown: I do get more of the eucalyptus and menthol hints that he did at the beginning... and mine dries down to a pleasant incensey sort of smell, smoldering ashes and whatnot. On his drydown: He inhaled deeply and wondered if there was valerian in it. On him, it smelled like Vick's vaporub and a head shop. Verdict: Again, skin chemistry is non-cooperative in both of our cases. I don't like smelling like smoke and he wasn't keen on the 'vaporub' stage of the drydown. On the other hand, we had tons of fun smelling it wet... and wet it's pretty phenomenal for a scent.

I am beginning to think that vetivert doesn't like me. On me: dark, feral, a bit dank. I do smell a bit of the violets but there is something lurking the in background. I had to try this on the husband since it is such a 'masculine' scent in my mind. And here is the transcript of his opinion because it was so funny when it happened: Him: "*sniff* I smell like a combination of old man and old woman. *sniff* It's like walking into a nursing home. Only a nursing home of rich people. Where they all buy fragrances. Not like a poor people nursing home... which just smells like formaldehyde." Verdict: A no-win in both cases. Too dark and feral on me... and 'too nursing home' on him. I think it really disturbed him to smell like old man & old woman at the same time -- I really think he thinks old woman smells like violets.

Strong floral... and again, the gardenia dominates with her wet wool scent. It's rosey and very very gardenia like, with an herbal touch. Nuts... I want a money blend to work out for me. Sadly, this is not it. *sigh*

I was hoping for honey, blood orange and tonka to win out on this one. Undisputed winner: gardenia. I get this warm, floral fruity smell with GARDENIA, which smells a bit like wet wool on me. Not enough to be throughly off-putting... but enough for me to sniff and think 'there's something not quite right'. GYAH! Verdict: This is a lovely scent... if gardenia plays well on your skin. On me it doesn't... and this blend is almost, so close, to being a wearable-gardenia that it's almost heart breaking.

I get a rosey-herbal powdery sort of smell from Black Cat. It's pretty powerful since I layered it with Dorian the second time around and I can't smell Dorian at all. The rosey-smell backs off a little on drydown, but remains powdery throughout. I do feel mildly feline when I wear this - sort of inquisitive, sort of standoffish, sort of playful, sort of contented. I haven't had much luck with the Voodoo scents... but so far, this one is the one that I like the most! ETA: I bought a bottle of Black Cat off a forumite because I was really drawn "to bringing back the joy one needs to have in life in order for living to feel worthwhile. Brings back a sense of delight in simple pleasures, and creates a surge of childlike curiosity and a youthful sense of fun." It's been a rough couple of years and I feel like this can help kickstart/maintain some of the more positive aspects I've been trying to encourage. In a lot of ways, it feels like a more playful, less potent version of White Light. As for smell, its pretty rosey powdery on wet, but as it dries down, it sort of melts into my skin. So, yes, I think I'll be keeping this kitty around.

I can't speak of the 'magickal' properties of this blend... simply the scent. It's very herbal and lasts for a while. Sometimes, it makes me think of almond, since I get something almost nutty about it. It's pretty warm and sometimes I think it has amber in it but I really can't pick out any of the notes. I can't smell apple, cinnamon or clove. I had a pretty average day wearing this, but I was also wearing Black Cat on my other wrist. I'll try it alone by itself and see what I get.

I keep trying to find an alcohol scent that works on my skin chemistry. This really does smell like a Cosmopolitan. It's light, fresh, boozy and breezy. However, it shares the same base as Twenty-One does and I think I detect a gin-like note. Perhaps its the alcoholic note... or the gin-like one but there is something that keeps me from loving the Hamptons. I like this much better than Twenty-One which inspires me to keep trying the alcoholic scents in search of the one that will work for me. A girl can dream, right? Verdict: First, hats off to the Lab for creating a perfume that smells like a Cosmopolitan tastes. Apparently however, I should neither wear nor drink Cosmos... or so my body is telling me. It really does smell light, freshy, breezy and wealthy. Like the kind of girl that shops at Barney's, has gone to a finishing school, and whose parents have a summer home in the Hamptons. Effortlessly elegant, well-dressed and very chatty.

I get a heavy caramel sugar note in this, which isn't either pleasant or unpleasant. Underneath, I have the same heavy buttery note that I get in Jack. I do get a whiff of the currants which lend 'acidity' to the mix and prevents it from going into sweet gooey heaven. The currants become more predominant after about a half-hour or so. Verdict: I don't do well with most foodie blends but this one deserves another go. I doubt I will ever buy a bottle of this stuff... but it's pretty yummy!

This is a very delicate fragrance. At the beginning I get cherry blossoms and lilies. Toward the end, the cherry blossom smell has subsided and I get a white sugary mint smell that reminds me to Lick It Again, but a much more floral and delicate version. Verdict: Absolutely awesome. I love it.

Snow White and I didn't get along too well so I was hoping that Snow-flakes would beguile me into playing in the snow. In the imp: Watery aquatic floral On Skin: Powdery. There is a certain freshness, still aquatic. On Drydown: Still very talcum powder and dusting of florals. There is a light mintyness which adds to the crispness underneath the baby powder. Verdict: Nuts. This so didn't work out either.

This is, indeed, a very red scent. Unfortunately on me, patchouli and tobacco pretty much dominate the entire scent. Not unpleasant but certainly not what I was expecting. *sigh* Again, foiled by patchouli.

Normally, amber and I get along. This one however smells like a fruity-floral powder. I can detect a bit of honey but I do get a sentiment of silky and feminine. This is pretty and yet doesn't play too well on my skin chemistry. Nuts.

For me, this is a very heavy and heady sort of sent. It's honeysuckle floating on top of something that smells very masculine, fragrant and a bit like incense, which is either the black opium or the vetivert, neither of which I have a clear idea of what it smells like. I can see this being absolutely smashing on the right guy, the kind of guy that with a sly wink leads you to a life of decadence.

In the imp: Citrus. Yum... On Skin: Upon immediate contact, I get lemon fumes. It's sharp and nose clearing. I thought I smelled grapefruit but it's more lime than grapefruit... which I think may be the lemon verbena. On Drydown: The lemon smell tones down a bit. I get a bit of a ginger smell to it. It's very sharp. It's a very 'clean' sort of smell, crystalline and a tad bitter. Verdict: I'll see what it smells on the boy. On me, it's a bit of a lime-ginger smell, too sharp for me to be comfortable with. I was hoping for more grapefruit... but I guess I should stick to Mania and Baobhan Sith for that.

In the imp: Lavender and something else On Skin: I get warm amber and some sharp herbal note. For some strange reason I think leather arm chairs and velvet. On Drydown: Again, the leathery connotation in my head gets stronger. So far, a very masculine but refined sort of smell. It's spicy, slick and sexy. Verdict: I think the boy will like this. I'm going to try it out on him. This is more 'masculine' in my mind than Wilde with the leathery sort of smell. It doesn't have the playfulness that I associate with Voodoo. This is a deep, thinking man's smell.

This is a very warm floral. I get predominantly notes of jasmine and lily. I can't smell the frankincense or sandalwood but it's there, grounding all the florals (or else, this would have been an overwhelming flower explosion)

Sometimes, I wonder if I got the same scent. On me this pretty much smells like Hollywood Babylon without the sweetness. I get a mix of red musk, something a bit spicy, a bit floral. At the very beginning I had a definite "coconut" smell going on... as well as a slight plasticky kind of smell to it. Interesting, but when it comes to "red" scents, I'm sticking to Hollywood Babylon.

This is something very light about this scent, despite being mostly honey, sugar and what smells almost like orange blossom. There is something almost powdery on my skin about this. I don't get tea or mint from this. I'm not having much luck with the CD scents in general. Sad. It doesn't have much throw either. Not a standout for me. Apparently Gennivre and I don't get along... which is a shame since there are many things about her that I do like.