Yuurei

Welsh cakes and ale with a smattering of dried lavender. In the bottle: Sweet baked smell with the faintest wafts of a boozy note and lavender. Wet on skin: The lavender pushes its way to the forefront, that baked smell lingering behind it. The ale is there too, but you have to pick it out. Dry down: Toasty baked lavender goodness, kind of like scones almost but not especially sweet ones. With lavender sprinkled on top. Verdict: I liked this a lot. It's a very cozy, comforting sort of scent, a curl up on the couch in a warm blanket with a cup of tea and good book on a rainy day type smell. Calming and homey without being dull, to my mind.

Sugar plum snowballs with a touch of currant and cardamom! In the bottle: Purple fruity sweetness, with just a hint of frosty "snowball". On skin: This is just so much fun, juicy and full of plummy, sugared goodness. The cardamon note wafts out here and there, and the spice aspect really gives Purple Snowballs a unique dimension. What's nice is that element of snow that keeps this from being a purely foodie scent. It's like every time my nose comfortably settles on plum, the snow part peeks its head up and says hey there! Not the easiest thing for your own perfume to keep surprising you, but this pulls it off. It's sweet but certainly not dull-a definite winner and a proud addition to the Snowballs family.

Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream. In the bottle: Pure vanilla buttercream. In the bath: Once I used this in the water, the creamy vanilla note remained prominent. It's a very old school, Americana vanilla, which really compliments the cotton note now popping up. The cotton gives it a fresh, clean not-quite-floral note that keeps this from being pure foody and really makes it unique. Combined with the vanilla it put me in mind of a classic Norman Rockwell-esque housewife in a cotton apron, making a nice big vanilla buttercream cake shaped like a ghost for a Halloween party. Elements that wouldn't first come to mind when thinking of this time of year, yet it totally works. Not to mention I smell glorious right now. Kudos to the lab team for such a great oil!

Szepasszony: In the bottle: Very clean and clear, like a cool breeze before rain. Just a bit of floral there. Wet on wrist: Water notes, with the flowers coming through more strongly. This is definitely a clear water type smell over a more ocean-y water. Dry on wrist: Very refreshing. This reminds me of flower petals being blown about in a spring rain.

Psyche: In the bottle: Rose, lavender, and musk, all fairly balanced here I think. Wet on wrist: Rose and musk stronger notes now, with the lavender moving to the background. It's floral yet spicy Dry on wrist: A nice rose scent overall-very romantic and feminine. Good for a date night, and it definitely lingers.

In the bottle: Deep, mellow citrus with a strong note of neroli. Wet on wrist: REALLY strong neroli...although I can get the notes of raspberry and blood orange in the background. Dry on wrist: Finally, the neroli isn't so in your face anymore. It's still the most distinct note, but the blood orange is mellowing it out, and I'm getting a bit of vibrancy from the raspberry. It's subtle yet bold. Still, fades kind of quickly on my skin.

First review of the first imp I ever tried...ah, nostalgia. Queen of Hearts: In the bottle: Sweetly floral. Probably the note of cherry coming through to blend with the lilies, since it was more of a fruity note I detected. Wet on wrist: A really elegant lily blend. Classy, not overpowering. Dry on wrist: Goes kind of musky on my skin after awhile...one of the reviews I read said it had a bit of a soapy scent to it, and I agree. Like French-milled type soap, but still soapy. I'd recommend it for big lily scent fans, though.