The_Merf

In the imp: Nothing is jumping out at me--I just smell a bit of frankincense, and what I'm going to assume is a hint of violet. Wet: Yes, the frankincense remains, but my goodness, there come the violets! They are very dusty, much like the roses in Rose Cross. Drydown and wear: The dusty violets are the strongest part of this blend, though the frankincense does not disappear like it does with RC. This is an extremely unusual fragrance, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It could become one of my favorites, or I might just use the imp and not reorder. I will have to try it one or two more times to form a real opinion. I do know that when I woke up this morning, I smelled something very nice, and I think it was the remains of Faustus. It has staying power, and it makes a statement, which are two things that I like.

In the imp: I had twelve scents to try on, and on my first sniff of all this imps, this was one of my favorites. However, when I smelled it again, it was very sharp, almost soapy. Wet: Rose. All rose. Frankincense does not amp up on my skin like myrrh does, and it is absent from this blend when it is wet on my skin. Drydown and wear: It remains all rose--I couldn't detect the frankincense at all. I waited the minimum amount of time I will wear a scent to wash it off, and I don't think this is for me at all, but there is something quite beautiful about it. It is a dusty, long-lasting rose that is quite "true" (this does not smell at all artificial). It is old--without being "old lady"--and I do wish that the rose didn't come out so sharply (almost soapy) on my skin. If your skin works well with roses, I can't recommend this particular blend highly enough.

In the imp: I don't get much of anything--a little whiff of tea (or maybe some bergamot?) Wet: I really get something that smells like bergamot. Is this perhaps the vanilla? (I should not have had a cup of Earl Grey before trying this on!) It is quite weak on me. Drydown and wear: The musks come out very strong for awhile, but as the wear increases, it balances out with the tea scents. This still remains quite weak on me, and I don't think I'd wear it as a fragrance, but it would be lovely mixed in with some lotion or hair shampoo.

In the bottle: Extremely complex. I get something different from the bottle each time I sniff it. The first time I sniffed it, the patchouli was the dominant note. The next time I sniffed it, I smelled the leather. When I investigated the bottle a third time, the tree notes were most dominant. None of the other notes really came out. Wet: The cedar and patchouli are strongest at first. I can't wait to let my patchouli-hating friends smell this. I keep on telling them that there's quality patchouli and then there's cheap patchouli...perhaps they will believe me now. None of the other notes are really asserting themselves. Drydown and wear: The patchouli fades away, and the leather comes out in its place. I smell something that vaguely reminds me of myrrh, which is probably the opoponax. The scent retains its complexity, although I wish (as many others have said) that it was stronger. It's not quite as feral and naughty as I had hoped it would be, but there is an eccentricity in the composition of the scent that catches one's attention nonetheless. I'm glad I picked up two bottles.

In the imp: Sweet, misty...quite difficult to describe. Wet: Very nice and soft--I smell some sort of floral, but I can't quite identify it. Drydown and wear: This was quite gentle and cool. This type of scent does not usually appeal to me at all, but I quite like this one. I think it is the aider leaf, as I'm not really a fan of most rose notes. I'm not sure if I'll get more of this, but I suppose I need to keep something on hand for those days when I'm just not in the mood for leather, myrrh or jasmine!

In the imp: Whoever said "acrid" was right--this is acrid, aging smoke. I do not necessarily consider this a bad thing; I'm very interested to see what this will be like on my skin. Wet: Uh-oh...instead of toning down, the acrid smell becomes stronger. This smells a bit like stale smoke. Drydown and wear: The acrid smell does become less prominent, but it never really goes away. The scent does not warm up at all--I thought it might smell like warm embers, or the dying moments of a burn pile in the country. I'm very sad that it doesn't warm up on my skin; I was very excited about this scent, but it does not appear that it is for me.

In the imp: Sandalwood. Wet: More sandalwood. Sandalwood, along with myrrh and jasmine, amps up on my skin. This is smelling a lot like Nerfertiti did on me. Drydown and wear: Wow, this scent changes! The sandalwood goes down, and there are these smoky, almost spicy herbs that emerge. Very exciting--this is what I wish Djinn had smelled like. There's a real warmth and complexity here that I was not expecting. This scent had been towards the bottom of "scents I want" on my wish-list, but I'm so glad that I tried it out. It's a real pleasant surprise. ETA: I fear that my initial impression of this scent may have been influenced by the fact that I tried Djinn on before. When I wore the scent the next day, it smelled like pure sandalwood. I will have to try layering again.

In the imp: All frankincense. However, the fact that I have about 10 frankincense scents to try out may have affected my nose--it seems that I'm smelling it everywhere! Wet: Still all frankincense. I have no problem with this, but I'm somewhat surprised at the myrrh's reticence. Drydown and wear: Ah, there's the myrrh. This is lovely. I knew I would like this--I'm Catholic, and this scent has a lot of nice associations for me. This makes me want to try Cathedral and order All Saints. I'm quite happy with the way Penitence worked on me, and it's moved up to the "bottle list."

In the imp: Uh-oh, I smell soap--will this be a redux of #20 Love Oil? Wet: It does not turn sharp soap on me like 20 did, but it also vanishes into my skin almost immediately. I get lemons--lots of lemons. I smell like lemon house cleaner, but just a little softer. Drydown and wear: I did not leave this on for long, as I'm just not into the "fresh" scents. I could barely smell it when I went to scrub it off, but I've seen others say that the throw on this one lasts longer, so perhaps it was still working when I cleaned it off. As far as fresh scents go, there is a softness to this one that is appealing, but even though I have tried to "get into" the green and fresh scents (as an entire shelf of unused perfumes will indicate), I just can't do it.

In the imp: This smelled tart and fruity to me. I didn't pick up the almond at all. I really had a hard time putting my finger on the smell--it was tart, but definitely not citrusy fruit. Wet: Fruit, and then it turned immediately to soap. I was unable to wear it for more than 20 minutes, because the soapy scent was quite strong. Luckily I have a friend who is getting married, so I think I might slip this into her bachelorette gift bag and she can see if it works for her.

In the imp: I get the tobacco, but the most overpowering notes are floral. I don't dislike it, but I don't love it either. Wet: Much the same as in the imp, although the tobacco note is starting to strengthen. Dry-down and wear: This is wonderful! It smells like "essence of cigar" (and I love me some cigars), but the floral notes prevent the smoke from ever feeling stale. I don't smell the rum much at all, but despite that, I'm a big fan of this scent. The tobacco almost makes this a "power scent"--I could see myself wearing this while I'm working the room at a conference.

In the bottle: This smelled like cherry cough syrup to me. Very, very sweet. Wet: I felt a slight tingle on my skin when I applied this, which I was not expecting at all (there was no visible reaction). It remained quite sweet on me, staying very true to the way it smelled in the bottle. Dry-down and wear: This actually mellowed out quite a bit. The sweetness faded and gave way to a two-layered scent: the base layer of spicy licorice covered by fruity cherries. I purchased this bottle for a friend--but I had to try it out on myself. I did not expect to like it at all, so I was surprised by the complexity of the dry-down. I don't think I'll purchase a bottle for myself, but even if this scares you a bit in the bottle or imp, give it a try. This has the most change from wet to dry of any of the scents I tried in this "batch" of nine from my order.

In the imp: At first, I thought I smelled amber, but I figure this is the myrrh warming up the other two notes. I liked it a lot. In the imp, it struck me as a warmer and more ambigious version of Nefertiti. Wet: Again, the amber-like smell is dominant. I like this, but I wish it would distinguish itself a little bit. Dry-down and wear: The scent complied. The jasmine made its appearance. Jasmine is the note that dominates my favorite commercial perfume (Chanel No. 5)--my skin amplifies the note, and Nyx honestly smelled like a slightly different variation on No. 5. I'm assuming the distinction came from the myrrh. The rose was crowded out, but that is not surprising, as jasmine and myrrh are two of my skin's favorite notes. I'm probably going to get a bottle of this.

In the bottle: Mmmm...opium and myrrh. Very deep scent, though it doesn't actually strike me as very "dark" in the bottle. Wet: Myrrh, and almost nothing else. I loff it. Dry-down and wear: The opium comes out as very smoky on my skin, and blends perfectly with the myrrh. I can barely, barely detect the narcissus. It is a very heady scent, and even though I was in my pajamas, I felt quite alluring. For me, Darkness is love. I bought this bottle for my sister as a birthday present, and I'm going to have to lock it away so that it is still there for me to give to her!

In the imp: Fr00t! Lots and lots of fruit! Very wet, juicy fruit. The fruits have the heaviness of summer, and yet the entire scent is still fresh. I'm usually not into fruits at all, but I like the way this smells. Wet: I was hoping that the amber would come out, as I love amber, but the fruity smell from the imp is all that I got when I put this on at first. Dry-down and wear: All I can smell is the fruit. Darn my fruit prejudices--this one just isn't for me (though it's lovely as far as a fruit scent goes). It did have one odd side-effect--I fell asleep about two hours after application. I had to fight to stay awake, when I should have been wide awake. I'll have to try it again, and if it helps me get to sleep on a consistent basis, then I'll have to re-evaluate. If not, I'll have to swap or gift this one.

In the imp: I had it ranked as my 8th-favorite of the group of nine scents I smelled. What I am guessing were the herbs were sharp and medicinal, and they seemed to almost clash with the iris and myrrh. Wet: Hmmm--the herbs seem to be working well with my skin. I like this now; instead of fighting the other notes, the herbs are now in harmony. Ah, there's the myrrh, working well with me, as it almost always does. Dry-down and Wear: Ah, I love it! The iris has now shown up, and stands strong with the myrrh. The herbs are becoming less prominent as the scent wears, but it remains beautiful. This is the type of perfume I would wear at work. It "feels" warm and competent, which is the image I like to project while I'm teaching. I'll probably get a bottle of this.

In the imp: It smelled like candied cinnamon. I imagine that the dragon's blood amplified the sweetness of the cinnamon. Wet: The sweetness of the dragon's blood was actually more prominent than the cinnamon when I put this on wet. However, I knew the cinnamon was there because I felt my skin tingle a little bit. Despite the tingle, there was no negative reaction with my skin. Dry-down and Wear: The cinnamon started to come out as the oil dried down. It was the sweet cinnamon that I had smelled in the bottle, and unfortunately, it turned to "Big Red chewing gum" on my arm. It did not seem wrathful at all--the pepper never made its appearance, either in the imp or on my skin. A shame that this was not for me, but I have a feeling my sister will like it.

In the bottle: On the first sniff, I got mostly dragon's blood...not a lot of leather at all, and only a little smoke. Oddly enough, when I smelled Darkness in its bottle 10 minutes later, I thought that it smelled a little like Dragon's Hide. However, I resmelled the two of them many times before I tried DH on, and the smoke was stronger with each sniff. Wet: Dragon's blood was the strongest note, but it was modified by something. However, it didn't seem like leather or smoke to me (or what I expected leather and smoke to smell like). I got the slightest smell of well-aged paper. Dry-down and wear: The smoke and leather started to come out, though the leather remained subtle. Someone else said that there was an incense-y quality to the smoke, and I would agree with that assessment. I smelled as though I had been working with old books in a room where incense was burning, and the residue of the room had blended into my skin. That's all fine with me. I'm happy I bought a 5mL of this.

[hijack]At least in the Crowley deck, The Hermit is the card that corresponds with Virgo (and The Magus with Mercury). There are also corresponding Court Cards and Minors, but I don't want to take this too far afield![/hijack] Here's a tarot/astrology recommendations question: how do Crowley readers feel about the Tarot Oils? With a prominent Saturn and Moon in Libra, Adjustment and The Universe are cards that I feel connected to astrologically, but I'm unsure about ordering the corresponding Tarot Oils. Crowley readers who have tried Justice, Temperance, The World and Strength, what is your opinion of those oils?

I have always though that the "we want what we lack" theory had a lot to it. My chart is way unbalanced--one outer planet in fire, only my ASC and an outer planet in water, a Taurus sun and Mars, and just about everything else in Gemini or Libra. I had applied the "we want what we lack" theory to my friends and the people I love--all water, baby, all water (Cancer, more often than not)...however, when I went to astro.com and added in some celestial bodies often associated with love and sexuality (Lilith, Psyche, Eros, the vertex, etc.) guess what--they were all in water signs! This is a tricky question, because there are so many possibilities that could make sense: 1. You like scents based on your sun sign because that is your basic nature. 2. You like scents based on your moon sign because that is your emotional nature, and the sense of smell, and what is triggers, is connected to the emotional and subconscious realms. 3. You like scents based on your Ascendant or the chart ruler because scent is concerned with presentation, much like the ASC. 4. You like scents based on your Venus placement, because Venus is concerned with aesthetics. 5. You are drawn to scents that are connected with elements you lack in your chart, following the "we want what we lack" theory. 6. You are drawn to scents that are connected with your Eros, Lilith, Psyche, etc., because...well, I'm not entirely sure. Myself 1. Taurus sun--I should be drawn to earthy scents like vanilla, rosemary, patchouli, lavender...well, I do adore vanilla scents (one of my favorite commercial perfumes is tonka bean and vanilla bean based). I'm assuming that my love for leathery scents could be pegged here as well. 2. Libra moon--I should be drawn to resins and woody fragrances...the link provided by TygherRayn lists frankincense, myrrh, pine, cedar and sandalwood as scents that appeal to the Air element, and wouldn't you know, my wishlist has enough myrrh and frankincense on it to make the Wise Men go . 3. Scorpio ASC, so Pluto and Mars have co-rulership in my chart...now some of my favorite commercial perfumes feature orange blossom, rose and jasmine, combined with vanilla (there's the Earth again). Then there's my favorite commerical perfume, Chanel No. 5, which has florals, patchouli (earth) and amber (fire element scent). 4. Gemini venus--see Moon, I guess. 5. "what we lack"--this means I should be drawn to fire and water, so see #3. 6. These bodies, for me, are all in water signs, so I guess see #3 again. This is very funny, because intuitively, I thought that it was the Scorpio in me that was drawn to the myrrh and the frankincense, and all that, but apparently that's the Air in me. I'm also somewhat amused by the fact that I am all out of balance in favor of air, but the notes that compose the three commericial perfumes that I use regularly belong in the Earth, Fire and Water categories. I guess this means that up until now, I have been drawn to scents that fit 1, 3,5 & 6. However, my "I want to buy THAT" sense goes up everytime I read about a BPAL scent with myrrh and frankincense, so that fits with categories 4 & 6. So, I can justify all categories? This seems to indicate that the theory needs some refining... It also makes the theory less than helpful for recs, doesn't it? Perhaps more specificity is in order...which floral notes appeal to which types of water signs? I like deep, dark florals, but I don't like light floral perfumes at all. I have two planets in Gemini and four in Libra, but on the linked Air list, only frankincense and myrrh appeal to me; I despise both pine and cedar. Man, this is going to involve a spreadsheet, isn't it?