mari4212

On wet: Oh, gross. The tobacco note is dominant, with a bit of pine and mint underneath. I really don't do well with tobacco, and right now it smells like nasty cigarettes. Luckily the scent isn't wafting much, I can keep my wrists down and see if the drydown improves anything. Antikytheria Mechanism drys down into something nice and wearable, so there's hope for the tobacco note not completely killing this blend on me. Five minutes into drydown: Well, the tobacco note is gone, at least. Unfortunately, what's left is pine, mint, orange, and a hint of random "perfumey" note. And it's, well, have you ever brushed your teeth with a mint toothpaste and then taken a sip of orange juice too soon afterwards? That utterly foul taste combination that just makes you gag? Yeah, that's what's hitting my nose. Erg. At least it's still not wafting much. I'll scrub it off when I go and do dishes. Swaps box material.

In the imp, and on wet: Lemon-Lime soda, with an extra kick of lime somewhere in this. It's very green and sweet, but there's something unsettling underneath. Initial drydown: The soda edge is dying down, and there's something underneath that's turning this mildly unpleasant. Maybe the light florals or the musk aren't playing nicely with my chemistry, there's just an edge here that I'm not enjoying. ech. This one didn't gel into anything I liked. Swaps.

In the imp: That's the tea note that always goes soapy on me. Erm, we'll see how well this works. Wet and on: Gardenia, with something else underneath. I'm not getting the soapy tea note yet, and that's normally the first note to show if it is going to come up on my skin. I'm not hugely fond of gardenia, but there's something underneath toning it down a bit and softening. Probably the amber, as it's one of my skin's natural allies. Amber makes everything smell better. Dry: It's a soft and spicy gardenia-dominant floral. The rose hasn't made an appearance yet, nor the patchouli, unless they're so soft they're undetectable, and just smoothing out the edges. I like this more than I thought I would, but I'm still debating whether to keep it or not. Gardenia doesn't seem likely to ever be my thing.

Dragon's Milk on me is incredibly strong and long-lasting, so much so that I have to be careful about when and where I put it on. If I get into a car or confined space within the first half-hour or so of having it on, it's strong enough to give me a headache. It also tended to be one people could smell on me from a distance. Chimera doesn't have nearly the same waft, but it will last for forever on me. I can put it on in the morning, and still smell part of it the next morning when I wake up. Rose scents, including Marie and Rose Cross, tend to bloom big with the rose for about, then die back to a very light scent. In general, though, oil based perfumes don't waft as much as the alcohol based ones will. You might try putting some of the perfume on the ends of your hair, it tends to last longer/waft more from there. I've had hetaraie on my wrist and in my hair, and everyone noticed it in my hair, but no one comments on my wrist.

In the imp, and on me wet: Honeysuckle, or maybe a soft lilac? Something sweet and floral. Definitely not what I was expecting, given a dragon's blood mix. Dragon's blood resin tends to go strongly cherry on me. Amber is not strongly present. Drydown: there's still a floral tone to this, but the amber is showing up now, as that warm/dry sweetness I love. This is very light, a definite skin-scent on me. Overall, not at all what I was expecting. I thought going in that the dragon's blood was going to bloom big and bloom cherry on me, and that it would be almost overpoweringly rich and heavy. Instead, the amber softens it all, makes it warm and dry and slightly spicy, and with only a little floral sweetness. What I ended up with is a lot better for me than what I had anticipated.

The coffee and old books automatically makes me think of Miskatonic University. Which, on me is utter hazelnut coffee. It's also a comforting and unobtrusive scent, as most people will just assume that you just finished drinking some coffee, rather than notice it's a perfume, which also fits the introversion and the dark cozy requirements. The outdoors and active lifestyle bit makes me think of Dracul or Slobbering Pine, something with a good evergreen forest feel. Plus, Dracul has a bit of the world travel and old books aspect as well. Now for me... I'm one of those quintessential geeky bookworm girls, to the point where if my mother ever needed to find me, she'd just call the library and ask the librarians there to send me home. I'm fascinated by science and religion in equal measures, and my bachelor's degree was an interdisciplinary field that let me take classes in both biology and religious studies. I read fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction for the main. I'm very centered on family and friends, and tend to be the support network for a lot of the people I know. I'm a very introverted people person. I'm going into massage therapy as a career because I get to help people and make them feel better on a one-on-one basis. I've got long red hair, glasses, and am normally wearing long flowy skirts and knit tops, mostly in lighter shades. My favorite neutral is gray, and I tend to wear a lot of blues, greens, and pinks.

On wet: green, very green. This smells like tomato vine, when I rub my fingers over the vine to get to one of the ripe tomatoes, very fresh and green. Drydown: More of the same. This is just utterly green stems of plants. While I enjoy smelling them, I don't think I want to smell like them. Off to my swap box.

What, you mean I'm not the only one for whom Morocco is an Antique Lace clone? Good to know.

Love beyond reach: sunset tones of amber, red musk, and blood orange with three chains of roses, velvet moss, white lilies, crocuses, violets, poppies, blue musk, neroli, angel's trumpet, frankincense, benzoin, and night-blooming flowers. In the imp, and on wet: This is warm and rich florals, but still somehow soft. I think it's the amber undertone here that's keeping it nice, as amber loves me as much as I love it. Initial drydown: I can pick out the rose, but the other notes are blending so much that I can't pick it apart and say what is playing out. It's just a warm floral that doesn't start yelling at me. Later drydown: Yep, roses with a warm undertone.

Wet, it comes on soapy. Doormouse did this as well, so I think part of it must be the same tea note in both that just goes straight to soap on me. I think there's a hint of citrus behind the soap, but right now all the citrus is doing is turning the original soap into a citrus-scented soap. Drydown, about ten minutes on: The soapiness is gone, and I'm getting a lot of the cherry blossom now, with perhaps a bit of citrus underlying it. It's now sweet and light, a good one for a mid-spring day like today.

Amber, Honey, and Vanilla are all notes of win on me. So it's no surprise that O works marvelously on me. It's strongly honey, but the amber is underneath, grounding it a bit, and making it a little less like I just slathered myself with the clover honey in the kitchen. I don't so much get sex out of this, just something warm, soft, and comforting. Like a warm soft plush blanket you wrap around yourself when you're sitting on the couch and watching a movie like The Princess Bride, one you've seen hundreds of times but still enjoy. O is the smell of that coziness.

Amber, cream accord, white honey, apple blossom, skin musk, caramel, and teak. At first, there was an almost bitter scent to this. After the first ten minutes or so, the bitterness fades away, and I'm left with a rich caramel note. Though, there's something else in here, something that's keeping the caramel from getting overly sweet. This isn't the smell of my mother's caramel sauce recipe boiling on the stove, there's something more smooth and dark behind it. Possibly the teak. I can see why someone might classify this as sexy, but it's more in the comforting end of the spectrum for me. Something you'd enjoy on a crisp fall afternoon, trying to block the chilly breeze with your favorite incredibly soft sweater, the one that fits you perfectly and makes you feel gorgeous.

I got gifted this in an Orphanage package. Wow. I really get why this is so beloved. Like Boomslang, this skips the Snake Oil component straight into the aged aspect on me, which is an instant win. The honey just lingers as a bit of warmth and sweetness. I just want to huff my arm. Love it. I'm going to relish this decant.

In the decant: light, very light floral. Wet: Green and white floral. Not picking up any distinct notes, but nothing bad. I think this is one I need to keep as much for the name as anything else. And it'll be a useful everyday scent during the summer.

In the imp: Light, sweet, a mix of flowers with something underneath. On me: Ugh, Jasmine. I was hoping that the jasmine wouldn't pop underneath the other florals and the musk. Unfortunately, jasmine loves me as much as I hate it, and it takes over completely. I scrubbed this one off. Swaps, definitely.

Gift imp from SophieCedar. On wet: A very straightforward light rose. Sweet and light. Drydown: similar to above, with perhaps a hint of spice. Unfortunately, this does what rose often does on me, and dies down a lot after an hour. I can barely catch it on my wrist. ETA: I tried this on my mother, who had the same bloom-then fade of rose. But her response to the spices part? Was to remember when she was a little girl and she got to go to the penny candy shop. It smells like the inside of that store to her, and it brought back wonderful memories. I gave my sample to her.

Imp decant gifted to me by greylin: I've got a friend who is working on selling various candies. He uses me as a guinea pig a lot, since I live relatively close by and have several people around that I can have help give feedback. One of the recipes that he has down perfectly is a dark chocolate raspberry truffle. This smells exactly like taking a bite from one of Richard's truffles.

Beckie, I looked through some of your recent reviews. I'd really suggest Snake Oil or Black Lace, as you seem to love both of them, and they're both wonderful smelling and great for when you want to feel a bit sexy. And as a fellow long-red-haired person, do you have any hairsticks that you could pull your hair up with into a bun of some sort? I think that dress would work wonderfully with an updo, plus it keeps your hair off your neck when the dancing makes you sweat. (Plus, people tended to catch my hair a lot when we were dancing if it was down, which was never fun.)

In the imp: Pumpkin, just the flesh of it while you're pulling out the seeds before you can cut out your design. On wet: There's five seconds while it's on where it smells like a buttery pumpkin. Then, wow, the peach takes over. At which point it's all "Hello peach single note, how are you doing? Wow, do you ever waft up to my nose." Initial drydown: Still very much peach, but I'm getting a hint of nutmeg. After a bit: Yes, peach and nutmeg, relatively balanced. This isn't what I'd expected, and I don't think I'd wear it so much in the fall, but it's a great summer fruity scent.

In the imp: a soapy green scent. Herbal, but I can't place anything in specific. On me: That same soapy green herbal. Light and innocuous. I'd have to try it out and see if this works as advertised on guys. It's at least a pleasant light scent.

On wet: Peppery violet is right! I'm getting a violet and gardenia mix at first, which makes for a sharp smelling floral. My mother came through and got a hug while it was still at this stage, and she said it smelled nice. Different noses, I guess, because this is rather sharp for me. Initial drydown: still rather strongly violet/gardenia, but I think the vanilla is starting to surface. After ten minutes or so: Huh. If I keep my wrists away from my nose, the vanilla will waft up and play nicely, turning it into a very pretty scent. If I get too close in to my wrists, I get the gardenia instead, and it makes me want to sneeze. The violet seems to have disappeared, but it's never a strong scent on me anyway. After a few hours: It's died down to a skin scent, vanilla/powdery. The gardenia seems to have finally given up the ghost, and what remains is very nice. This is probably a keeper. I think gardenia is one of the notes I amp, because this is the third perfume with gardenia listed where it has either started off the strongest note, or stayed very dominant throughout. And of course, it seems like you always amp what you're not fond of, because gardenia tends to be too sharp and makes me sneeze. At least in this blend, it's not overpowering.

In the imp, I get a touch of saffron and a light rose. On me: for some reason, this turns into department store perfume, the kind where you smell the alcohol and the chemical undertone before you get any of the real notes. Darn it, I was hoping for the sandalwood, amber, and the rose to be wonderful together. Off to my swaps box, I guess.

I had such high hopes for this one. *sighs* Soap. Instant soap, and it made me sneeze. Off to the swaps box.

In the imp: Sweetly floral, the lily of the valley and the rose playing off of one another. On wet: Lily of the valley for one brief, shining moment. Drydown: Wait, what? Lily, where did you go? Who kidnapped you away from my adoring nose? Instead, I have a light, balanced mix of pear and rose that lasts all day. ...If I hadn't known there was lily of the valley in this perfume, and if it hadn't vanished a moment later, I would be straightforwardly in love with this perfume. The rose and pear are brilliant together, they give each other a balance and sweetness, without being expected or boring. It's a perfect light scent for spring and summer, and I'll happily wear it a lot. I just mourn the beautiful glimpse of lily of the valley. Moreover, I mourn the fact that on my mother, it's almost single note lily of the valley. It's like my mother's skin stole all the lily that was in the perfume, and left me to console the pear and rose. White musk is Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Perfume.

Imp received from a swap, not sure how old. In the imp: Sweet, but with a harsh undertone. On wet: This starts off feeling very harsh to me. It reminds me of nothing so much as Snake Oil in the first month or so, before it starts aging into goodness. Not bad, exactly, but nothing I'd exactly run out to get. Initial drydown: Yes, this is the spice edge to SO, without the vanilla to smooth it out. There's a bit of the sweetness from the imp coming back in, which might help soften this to something I can wear. After an hour: This does settle down, with the sweet aspect helping to temper out the spices. But it's very similar in feeling to SO, and Snake Oil works a lot better on me after it's had a chance to age, so I don't think it's a keeper for me. Toss it in swaps.