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Comparison-wise, I find that Nanshe on me smells more similar to Temple of Dreams. However, Temple of Dreams tends to have a warm, chai smell to it. Nanshe is a bit more biting and I do get whiffs of the ginger underneath the lavender. I get occasional whiffs of the lemongrass but as a whole, I have to categorize Nanshe as a warm Somnium scent.

I feel like I should start this review saying that Oneiroi is my favorite Somnium blend, and therefore I am biased. Somnus smells like a sharp herby lavender. I'm not so keen on the lavender smell myself and I do agree with the other reviews on the citrusy note. All in all, its a bit too sharp for me for sleeping. ETA: Maybe because it has aged a bit or perhaps because I've unwittingly slathered this on myself the past few nights thinking it was Oneiroi in my exhaustion... But last night I got a whiff of a GOLDEN PEACH smell. Very warm and inviting. I drifted off to sleep in warm goodness. And yes, I made sure that I wasn't hallucinating and saw that my bottle of Fae is neatly tucked away in the closet. Not in the bedstand... where Somnus was...

I got this imp from jewelbug! In the vial: I can smell something fruity, sweet and kinda citrusy. I smell the floralness of cherry blossoms. On Skin: There's something almost soapy, but its sharp and citrusy and I think its the kaki. It's very clean and invigorating. On Drydown: Here comes the cherry blossom. I get the same sort of smell, but more metallic from Neo-Tokyo. It's a good thing I like the cherry blossom smell. It's floral and pretty and reminds me to the Cherry Blossom festival in DC. Good times. Verdict: I like citrus, clean and floral smells. There's something bright and cheery about Aizen Myoo. And yes, bright is a good qualifier. I find it very likeable

Lavender wallop from the beginning. I don't know if there is anything else I'm smelling since the lavender is so strong its almost briney. But once I applied it, after maybe 10 seconds, the lavender disappears and something spicy. I'm guessing either clove, cardamom or cinnamon since it reminds me to chai tea. It's very soothing and comforting. I was expecting something like Oneiroi since they both had lavender and got completely different scents. Very thrilled. Again, no actual dreams that I can remember. Maybe next time.

Just the description of Neo-Tokyo made me fall in love with it. In the imp: Floral. I get wafts of cherry blossom. On Skin: I mainly get cherry blossoms, but there is a metallic tinge to it at the end. After a while, I get a bit of the fruity splash coming on. On Drydown: Still cherries. In the breeze. Very fresh and energetic. And yet, oddly calm. Sort of the center of the storm. Or when you just stand in the streets as people mill about you. Verdict: Very playful and enjoyable. I'm glad I got gifted with this imp. ETA: 2010 Cherry blossom soap. Sad.

I got an imp as a decant from a friend. In the imp: It smells herby. I can't make out too many of the notes. On Skin: The lavender hits you with a wallop. It kinda even smells briney, like Bluebeard which my skin hated. After 5 minutes: The lavender calms down and now it smells a bit like baby cologne. I sniff something floral. It's very soothing. After 30 minutes: Getting drowsy at this point. There's something warm lurking underneath... like sandalwood. I can't say if I had any dreams or not... since I typically don't remember my dreams. And if I do, they tend to involve particle photon accelerators the size of rice cookers. Yeah... weird. Verdict: After the initial 5 minutes, I like Oneiroi very much. It's comforting and very soothing. It is a light smell and I did sleep like a rock the two nights I used it.

The essence of faith, love and devotion: lilac, lemon, green tea, wisteria, osmanthus, white cedar, and Chinese musk. In the Bottle: The lilac is the most predominant note. It does smell a bit like Old Shanghai. On Skin: Very floral. The lilac is pretty strong. On Drydown: I get a sniff of something very bitter like in Goneril. Its floral but I don't think the Chinese musk works well with my chemistry. Verdict: I think this scent would work better on someone else.

In the Bottle: Minty and earthy On Skin: It has a minty undertone but not overly. Its very bright and refreshing. On Drydown: Kinda powdery. Its a very perfumey smell on me. Verdict: Very pretty, but not me.

In the Bottle: Watery, green and a tinge of floral. Very fresh. On Skin: Strongly watery and green, very clean. I smell the peony. On Drydown: This reminds me of something... I can't remember what though. It's a pretty, floral, aquatic scent. Verdict: I like this. But I'm not entirely too crazy about it. It's a pretty, light and very feminine scent.

In the Bottle: Smells earthy and brown. On Skin: There is patchouli in this. There is something that reminds me to root beer. There is a musky undertone of hands sweating. It really does make me think of money. Coveted money. On Drydown: Root beer and dirty money. Verdict: Interesting. Its a very evocative scent. Definitely not me though.

In the Bottle: Sweet but smells like nail polish remover. On Skin: There is something citrusy to it. It makes me think of fruit cake. Like baked goods and fruit and oranges. Which I suppose is better than bubblegum explosion or nail polish remover. On Drydown: Fruity. Although at first sniff, it smelled like just boiled noodles. Could my nose be wrong today? Verdict: It's a very odd changing scent but very happy. I'm not sure I'll wear it.

I didn't think I would have the chance to review this scent and I'm really glad I do! In the Bottle: Spicy rum raisins. Odd.... very odd. On Skin: I smell spicy berries. It makes me think of the dried Chinese plum candies you can get. The smell sweetens to sun-ripened berries. It reminds me alot to Glasgow actually. On Drydown: I smell the carnations now. The sweetness now reminds me to Alice. Verdict: Too berry sweet for me personally but its a lovely, sweet light scent. I can understand why so many people love it.

I feel I should preface this with the disclaimer that I have never been attracted to vanillas as a smell. For a few months, Snake Oil, despite its popularity was not a scent I would have considered. In the Bottle: I smell the vanilla and something spicy. On Skin: This is more spicy than vanilla on my skin. Very warm. Its slightly more masculine than I expected. On Drydown: Still warm, still spicy, slightly sweeter. Sensual. Verdict: This is a beautiful scent. Just not me.

In the Bottle: Warm cinnamony apples On Skin: I get more of the tree bark smell, with pungent ripe apples. I want to say this is sweet... but its more juicy than anything. On Drydown: Still juicy. I smell like an apple. But not just ANY apple. Verdict: A very fragrant apple. I don't know how Beth does it. This is such a lovely scent. Apple goodness!

In the Bottle: Very lemony. Very clean On Skin: Smells like lemony tea. It reminds me alot of Shanghai. On Drydown: Still very similar to Shanghai, perhaps a bit sweeter. Verdict: I honestly can't distinguish between this and Shanghai. There might be tonal differences... but I'm not getting them.

In the Bottle: Coffee. Irish coffee. And something else. On Skin: Coffee still. With a shot of whisky. I'm getting more of the dusty book smell at the end now. On Drydown: There is something almost buttery warm underneath the coffee. My skin drinks this right up though. The dusty tomes whiff gets stronger after time. But ah... coffee... After two hours, the dusty note is the first smell and then the underlying beautiful coffee... Verdict: I have Jack on one arm and M.U. on the other... and I alternate between sniffing both. And somehow, I feel like I should be having dessert. It's so tasty. Coffee in one and pumpkin pie in the other. Lord, Beth is a genius.

In the Bottle: I can smell the sweet chocolate and the orange blossom, which seems a bit bitter. On Skin: The chocolate smells bitter. I get the floral note of the orange blossom predominantly. There is a sweetness to the entire fragrance. On Drydown: The scent fades fast from my skin. I can still catch whiffs of the orange blossom though. Verdict: I was hoping more for a chocolate/orange scent. This is pleasant but not me. Off to the swap pile

Man I haven't even uncorked it fully and I can smell the nutmeg and the clove. It smells like a cookie! In the Bottle: Cookie! Warm and delicious and scrumptious. On Skin: The nutmeg and the clove are the most predominant notes. After a bit I can smell the pumpkin. My mouth is watering. I love this. Drydown: I smell like pumpkin pie. Tasty. It softer and more delicate on drydown. It's so warm... and comforting. I can smell hints of the peach now... and it reminds me to Fae. Verdict: Beth is a genius. This is a warm and lovely autum scent. This just screams fall at me... which will be lovely in Peru... since our fall is a paltry month in which summer just gets 'cooler'. None of this lovely changing of leaves. Oh... I think I love you Jack.

In the Bottle: Very piney and berry. On Skin: Smells very Christmassy. Its the pine. And the sugary berries. And there's some menthol to it. There's something very herbal about this. On Drydown: Now I smell some pineapple. Odd. Very odd. The pine scent is still there though. Verdict: It's very Christmassy. It makes me think of a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, I don't fancy smelling like pine. It's a comforting scent. Beth is a genius... for putting Christmas cheer in a bottle. But its not something I can wear.

In the Bottle: A bit incensey. A bit musky. On Skin: Warm. Smells a bit like Pinesol. It's very resin like. On Drydown: Still very resinous. Very masculine though. Verdict: Not me at all. Off to the swap pile.

In the Bottle: Something sweet and flowery On Skin: I think there must be sweet pea in this because it kind of reminds me to Juliet. Very sweet. Maybe some melon? On Drydown: It got less sweet. There's an incense note that comes out afterwards. In this sense, it reminds me to Morgause. I get this odd mixture of floral, melon and incense. Verdict: Not me. Off to swap.

In the Bottle: Lemon and menthol On Skin: Lemon and menthol. It's very clean and refreshing. It makes me think of a lemon drop. On Drydown: Limeish lemonade. Verdict: I like this. I don't know if it works. But it makes me feel cheery.

In the Bottle: Grapefruit... and something herbal. Ew. On Skin: EW. Grapefruit and something herbally bitter. EW EW EW. It basically smells like rotting grapefruits on me... Not even waiting for the drydown on this.... EWness.... Damn my body chemistry.

This was a gift from Finny! In the Bottle: Amberish. Don't get much of a rose note. On Skin: I get more of the amber and musk on contact. There is something somewhat floral lurking. After 5 minutes, I get more of the rose smell. On Drydown: Exquisite in an regal lady sort of way. Very rosy. Verdict: This is a somber scent. It is a rose in mourning. Very likeable but a bit overwhelming.

I have all 3 and the all smell different but on me if you take: Hollywood Babylon - devious cherries; and Centzon Totochin - dusky cocoa Blood Kiss is their love child. I get the cherry wiffle and sniffs of chocolate but slightly creamier and sweeter than in Centzon. That is the strongest scent similarity I've noted. Well... Juliet and Desdemona smell alike on me.