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Another lovely gift from the ever geneous jewelbug I've never been one for the moons. Most of the time, they don't really appeal to me. The only one I really want to try is the ever elusive Blue Moon and I might as well give up on that. Also, most of the wintery scents like Skadi and Snow White have not worked on me. In the imp: Pine Galore. I don't mind the smell of pine. One of the things that I loved about my sojourn in the US was getting a real pine tree. The smell, which my brain doesn't automatically associate with Christmas, does remind me to intense bitter cold. At least, for a person who grew up in the tropics, it was intense bitter cold. On Skin: Smells like pine and a wood. I think its fir. There's an underlying smell of light florals (I do get the image of white flowers) and a certain chilliness to it all. Every time I sniff, I smell the pines and the woodsy smell... and oddly enough, it seems to clear my sinuses. After 15 minutes, either I've gotten to the pine smell or its fallen into the background, and now I just get a slightly chilly/minty impression, light florals but it still is pretty woodsy. Twenty five minutes in, the entire scent just sort of "fades" into my skin (admittedly, I only dabbed a teeny bit on). I get whisps of clean, slightly piney on my skin. Verdict: Maybe its just me and I'm a bit of a weirdo but I like Christmas smells more when it's not the season --- maybe because during the season everything smells the same, be it in a store, in a mall, or visiting people's houses. I don't think I'd ever really wear this as a regular perfume because its not my type of thing. But I am extremely fond of the smell despite that. This does remind me of winter, walking in the woods, the smell of pine and the chilliness you get on your skin from the temperature drops when you walk outside. I have to applaud Beth for such a complex smelling scent.

Granddaughter of Helios, Hecate's chosen: Medea was one of the greatest sorceresses of the ancient world. She is the embodiment of ruthless power, indomitable will and furious vengeance. Night-blooming cereus, black orchid, black currant and myrtle leaf enshrouded in the incense of Hecate's cypress and myrrh, and the dark rage of magickal labdanum and intoxicating poppy. From jewelbug! Thanks love! In the imp: Smells green and herby and slightly sharp. Another whiff, and I get the undertone of spices. On Skin: Herby, I can't pick out any of the notes. Unfortunately, something about this goes typical old lady perfumey on my skin. Twenty minutes later, I have a mild headache. I don't know if its me or this perfume. I will have to try it again some other day. Verdict: I like the initial green but I don't know if I like the perfume. Perhaps Medea is simply too strong for me?

Thanks to jewelbug for this. In the imp: fruity apricot soda. On Skin: Full on peach smell. Actually, I can't tell the difference between peach and apricots. Maybe I'm not talented like that. After about twenty minutes, I get a hint of citrus. However, it still smells very reminiscent to Fae. I like Fae... but this is slightly different. A tad more floral and less spicy and heavy. I would say Aglaea is also close in the light floral + peach smell but Aglaea has a more "bubbly champagne" vibe to it. I'm glad I got to try it but it really does smell to me like a peared-down version of Fae. I have to say it does last quite a while. Like over six - seven hours... and I only DABBED a tiny bit on.

From resurrected 2005! I'm very excited to try this scent! In the imp: I can smell the chamomile. It smells sharp and herby. Very green... although the perfume oil is clear... On Skin: On application, I get lavender all in my face like when she's part of one the Somnium blends. I love Oneiroi so this is vaguely comforting... despite the name. After about half an hour it gets very floral, the rose is starting to peek out although the lavender and chamomile remain. Verdict: The name is a total misnomer. This is a pretty, quiet and comforting scent. Perhaps a tad melancholic but nothing worthy of inducing a massive suicidal watch.

Jewelbug let me have the last drops of her decant of the Imp of the Perverse. There's just smidgeon in the imp... enough to smell and perhaps a light dab on the wrist... In the imp: Roses and booze. Can you imagine a booze made out of roses? That's what it smells like, like someone went ahead and made a liquer out of roses. Potent. On Skin: Alcohol. I get the cognac straight up. Like sniffing it from the decanter. There is something funky about it, which is the rose smell. Other than that, it smells very alcoholy. After a while, the two blend more or less. It's a smell that is oddly reminiscent to my grandmother. She used to buy some odd spanish soap... I think it was called "Maja" because it smelled of roses. So yes, now it smells of roses, soap and alcohol. Verdict: Definitely not my thing. I'm glad I got to try it but the smell of roses is utterly overwhelming.

I've been craving to try this ever since I read about the discontinued scents and jewelbug was generous enough to toss her imp my way.. On imp: Clean floral, I can smell a biting violet there. Otherwise, the impressions are cool, fresh and aquatic. On Skin: I don't get the violets so much, but a sweet and soft floral. Almost too soft, it seems to fade right into my skin. I can see this being a very comforting scent when one is feeling introspective. After a while, I smell the lilies. It's still very much in the soft aquatic blend. After 30 minutes, I get the violets peeking out and the rose is coming to play. If I sniff long enough, I get a hint of sandalwood. It stays on for a couple hours, between 4 and 6. I was a bit busy that day and didn't go sniffing my wrist as often as I normally do. Verdict: This is a very violet sort of scent - but yes, it does evoke feelings of innocence and careless summer days and just sort of hanging out by a river, collecting flowers. The intermingling with sandalwood just makes the innocence a facade that you indulge in to try to get away from bitter reality.

Originally, I am a tad leery since it does have my nemesis - gardenia; however jewelbug was kind enough to gift me with an imp so I am going to give it a whirl... In imp: Smells like sweet cherry syrup. On skin: I get this rather overwhelming sweet floral and heady fruit combination. I'm having a bit of a problem identifying any of the particular notes. It's rather like being hit by something really sweet and good to eat. It still has that strong sweet cherry note. After an hour it calms down and I can basically smell the fig and the plum, which are really nice on a bed of soft florals. Two hours later, it barely lingers on me. My skin ate it all up! Verdict: I'm not so fond of the strong, overwhelming, presence of the scent at the beginning, it does make my head swim a bit. The drydown is much better but it barely lasts. Alas, it simply was not meant to be.

Again, another generous gift from jewelbug. In the imp: smells like spices, and I think I detect cardamom. On Skin: I get a weird mix of floral and pepper. It's not entirely unpleasant but it's very sharp and fierce. After a few hours, the pepper calms down but it last for a good two hours at least. It gets softer and slightly more floral but I get no violets or grapefruit. I really would have liked that grapefruit... Verdict: It was interesting. The one day I wore it I felt very powerful. It has a very strict, don't mess with me vibe. I'm not sure I would wear it for any other reason aside from "I need a boost to my invinciblility meter". I'll revisit it another day and maybe I'll feel differently.

I would be jewelbug's desperate friend she was talking about in her review. In the imp: light and breezy, smells of the sea and soap and oranges. It's very clean, despite the odd mix of smells I get from it. On Skin: Lily explosion! It's the same lily note that I get from Tempest and Sea of Glass and I think its the calla lily note, since it reminds me to Juliet. It's a very soft floral, very clean. Verdict: I like this, because I like Tempest, SoG and Juliet. But to me, it smells too similar to the other three scents. I don't want to say I was disappointed but I sort of expected a more amber, and a more golden vibe from it. The throw on this is long and calla lily likes to monopolize the entire scent on my skin. It's a good thing I don't mind her smell, the dominatrix that she is.

Bliss and Vice never got along with my skin. Centzon Totochin gave me that dusky winey cocoa note which I adore... but I wanted something that spelled chocolate. This is it. I smelled like the richest, gooiest, fudgiest chocolate brownie ever made. I smelled like chocolate. It was most appreciated by the boy. I do have to admit that it may be a bit much. It had incredible throw on my skin (7+ hours). I love it but I wouldn't want to wear it too often because... after 7 hours of chocolate scents, you really do start craving chocolate. I did try to nibble my own skin after I put it on though. It was THAT good.

Another imp from the generous lj kamyra! In the imp: Clean, white floral. On Skin: Clean, pretty floral. It's very light and subtle. Very feminine. On Drydown: Floral. Light. Pretty. Very ethereal. It makes me inhale deeply and just... enjoy. There is a slight herby note that I can't distinguish that prevents this from becoming too cloying. Verdict: There is a very light and pretty floral. Very feminine without being overly sexual. It makes me feel pretty!

Usually I go more in depth for my reviews but this one was fairly straight through. Another lovely imp from the generous lj kamyra. I popped it opened and it smelled like champagne and peach. Sort of like a Bellini, which are a mix of peach juice and champagne. Lovely. On my skin, I got the crispness of the peach wine. Other than that, it's strongly reminiscent of Fae. Throughout the entire day I thought I was smelling Fae. Although on a close comparison, Aglaea is a lighter version of Fae. I do like since I like Fae. It's great to wear in the summer, because Fae is a much riper peach in comparison.

I got this imp as a gift from the lovely lj kamyra! In the Imp: Spicy cinnamon, cloves and a wee hint of honey On Skin: I get whiffs of peppers. It does smell like chai. So yummy. On Drydown: Still smelling like chai. I get more of the honey note though. Three hours later: This has turned into honey and musk. It's very similar to O. Verdict: At the end, it smells like a spicier version of O. It last about 4 or 5 hours on my skin. I like it alot but I've figured out that my skin amps up the honey note in both blends. It's a good thing I like honey....

I got this as a gift from the lovely lj user kamyra. Thanks doll! I've been wanting to try this one for ages. In the imp: Spicy pumpkin and apple and something that smells woodsy. On skin: I get something smokey and spicy, which I think is the clove but I can't be sure. It makes me think of a bonfire... with apples and other yummy things being roasted in them. On Drydown: I get florals. Something a bit powdery, woodsy and even kinda ashy. After two hours: I get something almost chocolatey. Like cocoa powder. Its sugary and yummy. Verdict: This one morphs. Alot. It's not quite what I expected but it is a very autumn scent. I love the after two hours smell even if I'm not supposed to smell like chocolate! ETA: This was Samhain 2005.

Thanks to the lovely lj user kamyra for the imp! In the imp: Intense brooding florals On Skin: Floral overload. I get rose and a hint of gardenia. I hope gardenia behaves because she and I don't get along at all. There is a touch of sweetness to it, which could either be from the vanilla or the heliotrope. On Drydown: The florals tone down quite a bit. Now its like a deeper version of Spellbound (the combination rose/red musk). Four hours later: I can finally smell the orange! It smells like orange tea! Verdict: The four hours later is beautiful. I love the orange smell. However, at the beginning I'm vastly overwhelmed by the floral notes. The drydown is too similar to Spellbound and Lust (granted, Lust has a bit more of an edge). I guess my skin loves red musk too much to let it play well with the others. Again, I'm in love with the four hours later part but its not a scent I would wear constantly.

Thanks to the lovely ljuser kamyra for the imp. I've been looking forward to a minty extravaganza In the imp: Smells minty sweet On Skin: WATERMELON?!?!?! Yes ladies and gents, upon contact with my skin, this smells just like a watermelon. I had this problem with Snow White. No snowy goodness for me. Instead, pina colada on the beach sort of smell. On Drydown: Very crisp, slightly minty watermelon. There is something almost floral peeking out. There is still that note of sweetness. Three hours later: Light floral. Slightly sugary. Verdict: So much for minty and chilly annihilation! This is still very chilly and cool, but in a 'ooh! ripe watermelon on a scorching hot day!' sort of refreshing. It's a good thing this is summer because it's a very summery scent. I have to say I do like it... but not because it's a winter scent. Rats. Damn wonky skin chemistry! ETA: I swapped for another imp, in my desperate search for something more like IQ. This does share some commonalities with it --- and I think its because it has peppermint. I think NW has more than IQ does. It's also missing the berries --- not to say that it doesn't have a fruity kinda tone to it. But it is more pepperminty and sweeter than IQ.

Thanks to jewelbug for sending this! In the imp: Musky floral. I don't identify it as any floral I've smelt before. Possibly the magnolia? On Skin: Very floral, but with this smoky undertone. It has a spicy note to it that took me a little getting used to. On Drydown: The floral note has faded and now I have this slight floral, highly musky and very ... it's hard to describe. It's sexy but almost tauntingly sexy. Like "neener neener look but don't touch even though you'd cut your left arm to do so". Verdict: It's got alot of throw. I put some on this morning, just a dab to try it out and its still going on strong. Admittedly, I had a bit of a headache this morning so it might not have led to a favorable review because of that. I think I'll give it another whirl since I haven't made up my mind.

I find Alice very calming and soothing. For a pick me up energizer, I like Lustration or Baobhan Sith. Hmmm... I don't think I have a "cheery" BPAL scent. Must fix that.

The only scent that truly screams at me from the top of my head is October: Jack. I pretty much agree with Finny on this one. My list will probably a bit whacky since I'm currently in the Southern Hemisphere and the seasons are inverted. I'll come back to the thread after I've sniffed for a bit.

I figured that this would be a good place to look for recommendations... and I wasn't too sure if I should start a new thread or not. I guess I'll let a mod decide because I'm not sure since my question is a bit of a tangent... I'll be attending a wedding in April with my family and my boyfriend. I want to wear something appropriate, feminine but demure, and more importantly something that is relatively calming (since there will be the everpresent question - "When are YOU getting married?") Any suggestions? I'm asking in advance just in case I need to make a lab order I apologize again if I should start a new thread. I suppose the mod spanking will come later if I did make a mistake...

High hopes for the highly seductive category... In the imp: Floral and fresh On skin: Hmmm. Very light and citrusy. I think its the bergamot, which happens to be one of my favorite clean smells. Over time, the entire blend just ends up smelling light, floral and fresh. Very innocent. Rats. I so wanted this to be highly seductive. Unless you think knee-socks and pleated skirts on a budding young woman who hasn't been kissed yet is seductive. Its feminine and approachable and light and fun. I'll give it another try but I get pretty instead of sexy from this. ETA: So I've been using Succubus these past few days. I've been reaching for something light, feminine and floral. On the third day, I got a whiff of something, for the lack of a better term, darker out of the scent. I've been sniffing at the drydown and its very subtly seductive. I think I've fallen in love. Again.

I have to say I'm a floral girl myself. And this is continuing into my incursion of "warmer, spicier" scents. In the imp: Something floral and vanilla-ish. On Skin: I can't help the comparison's to "O", which what I have dubbed the vanilla sex scent. This is less aggressive than O, more mellow and instead of in your face sexy, the floral tints make it more coy and flirty. However, the musk makes it all the more present in a latently sexual way. I like how this smells. Enough to get a 5ml. Whereas I can't see myself wearing "O" all that often, I can see myself wearing Peitho more regularly because it's subtly sexy.

I third the opinion on Blood Kiss. If you're a vanilla type of girl, I would give O a shot. Just read the descriptions. Nothing like a scent that screams sexual slavery to another person to get the message across. I also recommend a full blown out make out session in front of said person. But then again, I'm the type to go horribly violent on someone's ass if they prove that they can't play nice or can't listen to directions.

A soft, sensual, luxuriant blend with a wicked bite: hazelnut, buttercream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond. I got this imp from jewelbug. Mad love babes. In the imp: it smells like honey and something sweet. On Skin Mighty Morphing BPAL Rangers! This... turns into something smokey and lascivious. Definitely smokey. Like "I have just come out of hell and I'm gonna give you a grand old time but I'm so getting your soul for this!" Maybe I'm partial to O in this scandalously seductive category but for me, Hellcat is the perfume equivalent of dressing up in latex... and only latex... and then going out on a prowl. Maneater style. Oh yeah. After several hours, I still had the smokey hint of it on my skin... and the distinctive impression that I should be out doing... something naughty.... ETA: I finally got a better sniff of this the other day. I mainly smell the rum and something almost tobacco-y about it. There is something sweet to it... but it's like whisky sweetness as opposed to sugary sweetness. I wonder what it will be like layered with Jack.

O smells on me like vanilla and sex. And it lasts forever. At the beginning I get more of the honey tone to it. It's sweeter. But after a few hours, its the perfect union of vanilla and amber, which is what I assume makes it smell like I've dipped myself in vanilla and have proceeded to have sex for hours. It also lasts forever. I put it on at like 4PM, went to work, slept and at 10 AM the next day after teaching I was STILL smelling like O. I'm not a slatherer but a little of O goes a loooong way on me. I wouldn't wear this scent too often. This is strictly a "I'm frisky and you're gonna get so lucky you wouldn't believe it" kinda scent. In other words, highly dangerous to have on.