Xiabelle

I haven't had a taste that I've noticed, but I HAVE had itching where the oil was not applied. Most notably, with Catherine. I dunno what caused it, but when I put it on, I got a big red mark on the back of my hand, where I'd applied it, and both palms started itching uncontrollably. Needless to say, I scrubbed it off pretty quickly.....

I'm so glad that I got this imp, ages ago, before I figured out that wine generally doesn't work on me. In fact, this is the only scent I've found so far where the wine doesn't take over and turn into fake-grape on my skin. I suspect it's the spices that help. Fresh on, I'm hit by the sweetness of dragon's blood and bayberry, and a kick of cinnamon. It's just gorgeous. Like others have said, this really reminds me of Christmas, and I feel very festive wearing it at work. It mellows out to soft sweetness and woods. Really do like this one, even if I don't wear it too much. But it's such a nice, cozy scent.

My boy is fond of me just smelling like me, and says so a lot. He's not a huge perfume fan, and refuses to wear any, although I try. Of course, he's also admitted he's amused by my perfume hobby, so he puts up with it. And if I want to get his attention: anything with vanilla in it. And cinnamon. He tells me he'll nibble on me if I wear chocolate, too, since he's a huge chocoholic, but it's vanilla that gets his attention. I think the last one I wore that got a 'Hey, wow, that's nice!' when I wore it was Snake Charmer. My brother, I just found out, loves the nice smelling things too, so I can make him try things on when I see him.

2005 version I was a bit worried when I first smelled this. So many florals! Lovely florals, to be sure, but florals and I don't always get along. I like them, but they don't usually like me. I think I'm catching the cactus florals at first. Not totally positive, as I don't know what they smell like, but it sort of reminds me of that. It's lough and bright and a bit harsh when first on my skin. But it starts settling down, and the florals mute. A couple of hours in, I get some candy and whiffs of chocolate, and it grows very very incensy. Lovely! Now, several hours after I've put it on, I still get some incense, but also a bit of sweet, some distant florals, some leaves... Maybe some tobacco? I'm not positive. I really do like this a lot. It's not as me as some other scents, but I'll certainly use it!

I was quite apprehensive about this one. I'm not a big fan of fruit, and I've never much liked apple-scented things. They always seemed so country and annoying, and it was one of the pumpkin patch scents I thought I'd like the least. Of course, this is clearly because I had only experienced BAD apple scents, not the gorgeousness of this one! In the imp, this is evenly balanced between rich, buttery pumpkin and bright apple with a hint of spice. Once it hits my skin, the apple just blooms. Very bright, and mouth-watering, really. It quickly settles into a warm cider smell, with just a hint of pumpkin to ground it. Very lovely, and cozy. This is a fabulous holiday scent, and would make a good room scent. As it dries down, the spices round the apples out, and the pumpkin comes back a bit more. Like someone else said, this is apple cider and pumpkin pie, with a fire. I really like this. It's very seasonal, but I could find good uses for it.

This is one of the patches I was most looking forward to, since I adore sandalwood and orris. Mmm. In the imp, it's sweet pumpkin, darkened by the orris and sandalwood. So lovely. It has a soft, spicy kick. When I first put it on, it immediately blooms into sweet, buttery pumpkin. Almost too sweet, and buttery, really. Fortunately, this stage doesn't last too long and it settles down some into sandalwood-smeared pumpkin (or is it the other way around?) Sometimes it will drift towards too sharp, but this it comes back softer again... It's a really nice blend, very understated and elegant, I think. It does have a lot of throw, too, amazingly (most things don't throw on me) and I keep getting hints of it as I sit at my desk. It's really come into its own after being on my skin for 4-5 hours. It's also absolutely gorgeous where it's on the collar of my shirt, with the orris more prominent. I always associate a slightly... open... scent with orris, and I get that a lot where it's on my clothes, but not as much on my skin. I was so afraid these weren't going to be versatile, and this is really amazingly versatile, and could be worn year-round. Yum. ETA: I wore this today, at a different time in my cycle, and... OMG! Started out very woody, then faded into what I wrote above... but now, NOW... the drydown is reminding me of chocolate pumpkin bread. Why, I don't know, but this is so freakin' gorgeous. It's absolutely unfair. I must find a bottle of this.

I haven't given this a really good go, but gah... this is terrible on me. The other patches are lovely, but pomegranate hates me. In the imp, my first impression was: Ooooh! *sniff sniff* EWWWWW! Sharp medicine. Cough syrup! This smells like Vicks cough syrup, with that sharp, alcoholic note that kind of burns. Someone else mentioned the bubblegum medicine, the creamy pink stuff. I get that too. Yuck. It makes me a little nauseous. If I sniff carefully (but I don't like to) I get a whiff of pumpkin, but it's all pomegranate, all the time. I can't even sniff it, it smells so terrible to me. I fell asleep, so I'm not sure how it mellowed, but now, a few hours later, it's mostly gone. I knew there was a reason I wasn't really interested in this one.... Maybe I'll let my little imp age a bit, but if this acts anything like wine notes on me, unfortunately it will never work.

I can definitely understand the evil grapefruit comments people have made about this one! When I put it on, it's citrus, although I wouldn't recognize it as grapefruit if people hadn't ID'd it for me, darkened by something undefinable. Sort of dark and pithy and sharp, with that unsettling background. It stays true for a while, then gradually darkens its way down, becoming murkier. It really is like sinking into the water. It has that aquatic tang that unfortunately doesn't really work on me, even when I like it. Final drydown is very much an underwater scent. Like someone else said, I can see the blue-green swamp, because that's the definite image I get: still, blue-green water with drifts of algae and seaweed. It has a slightly dirty smell, in a way, but mostly it's just dark. Like you'd go underwater and not be able to see, but there's still a tiny bit of sweetness there, lurking and beconing, Not for me, really, although it's quite fascinating.

Another one that didn't quite work on me.... In the imp this is bourbon and flowers. Greenery over a glass. Not bad, although I'm a bit apprehensive. Fresh on... oh, yuck. It smells like weeds! It's that dirty, humid hanging in the air scent, like I've stepped too close to a ditch after a rain as the summer sun starts to burn off the water. This is very humid, and if I were out somewhere that I smelled this, I'd expect to be eaten alive by mosquitoes. We get this smell in Houston sometimes, and I can see why it's evocative of New Orleans; the climate is much the same. I don't like this, and it makes my nose itch and I keep thinking I want to sneeze. If it smelled a bit more like fresh loam I would like it better. The first stage calms a bit, but I still get weeds for about an hour, and it's almost but not quite enough for me to scrub it off. It dries and settles down to flowers, but still with the dirt in it. But they're not quite flowers like I want... definitely somber flowers, and the dirt is getting to be too much. Final drydown is booze and a hint of green. It's like greenery again, but with more booze in it. The downside is this is totally faint on me now, by the time it gets to this stage, and while it's much more pleasant, I'm not sure that the last two stages overpower the first for me.

I pretty much knew this wouldn't work when I ordered it, but I had to try, just because, well.... It's Athens! I had to try it for the pure historical construct. In the imp: Honey and wine. Specifically, super-sweet grapejuice with an alcohol tang. On me: Pure grape juice. Wine always turns to grape juice on me, and this was super-sweet with the honey. I like grapes, but I hate grape juice and most grape flavored things, and this just hits me like nasty fake grape. Eventually, it starts to temper, but the myrrh comes out. I thought I liked myrrh, but now it smells like something burning with wine. Fires while drunk? It's just... not good for me. I definitely get the pagan temple thing, and it has a very old scent. Nifty, but not a perfume for me. The final dry down gets sweeter and the burning smell goes away, but then it settles into a very fruity honey. My skin amps honey and makes it sharp if there's more than just a touch of it, so this is just a no go all around. Pity, because I love the concept.

In the imp, this is syrupy sweet. I can definitely see the Dr Pepper comparisons, as it's got that sweet, fruity tang to it. When I put it on... I consideed scrubbing it off. It just starting throwing syrupy sweet cherries and almonds all around. In fact, it smells like a very old bottle of amaretto, when it's started to get thick. Positively cloying, and rather overpowering. It fades after a while, but eventually picks up again... On me, it's a musky vanilla spicy thing with almond and cherry undertones. In... reminds me of the vanilla in snake oil, I think. Or something. It's familiar, but I can't place it. This seems too close to other things, and I don't much like the initial stages... I'll probably test again, but this might be swapped.

A maddeningly festive blend of warm, buttery rum, cocoa, coconut, vanilla and a jolt of peppermint. It’s a sweet, decadent, slightly silly scent, reminiscent of rum-laced holiday cookies. Man oh man.... When I first got this imp, I opened it up and the smell just HIT me and made me somewhat nauseous. But then, my insides were already messed up, so I set it aside and tried it again the next day. So the next day: In the imp, it's STILL sweet and strong, and smells like minty suntan lotion or pina coladas. I'm a little scared of it, but I do like mint. On, it just blooms, all creamy and minty and it smells exactly like I stuck my face into a bag of those butter mints -- you know, the creamy non pariels that come in pastel colors and melt in your mouth in creamy mintiness? It makes me hungry, because I love those things. I'm just not sure I want to smell like them. The dog likes it too, since he tried to lick it off of me (of course, he tries to lick off most of my sweet scents.) After an hour, it starts turning on me. I get the dreaded diaper smell, much to my chagrin. It just smells dirty. But I persevere.... And eventually it goes back to the creamy mint. I dunno what was up with the dirty smell. It went back adter a bit, and overall the scent stayed about 8 hours. Nice, but... not for me. I'll probably test it again, but I suspect it's going back on the swap block. I like the way foody scents smell, I just don't like to WEAR them.

I love me some Bengal. I want to layer it with everything.

This was one of those things I so wanted to work wonderfully... In the imp, it's rich and beautiful. So many berries, heady wine.... I could sit and smell it all day long. It blooms when it hits my skin, and the wine really comes out. I think the current is sweetening it a bit, too; they're rather distinctive. But then, then... as it dries down, it's grape koolaid. Grape bomb pops. Grape candy. Why, wine, must you be grape on me? I do not like grape. I do not like any grape but REAL grapes, to eat. I don't even like grape juice. Very pretty, but too candy-like and GRAPE on me. Swapped!

In the imp, this smells like a very expensive perfume. Fresh on... boy, does this have a lot of throw! It almost knocked me over when I swabbed it on my cleavage. It's very very very perfumy to me; it's probably all the florals. This is definitely, as others have said, a very visual scent. It's enormously courtly to me, like the name; definitely elegant and somewhat formal and very red and gold. It's really almost too much for me, because I'm not into very formal perfumes except on rare occasions. It also caused me to run to the bathroom for tissue because my nose tried to run off my face immediately. We're talking running, since it was instant hydrant face. Once it dries down, it's rich and ambery, with lovely citrus and hints of florals. Really quite pretty. Every once in a while I get a waft of it. But it has to dry down before I like it enough to really wear it. Can we skip the first half hour to hour of this one? Unfortunately, I can't smell it too well, as I'm still blowing my nose. Sneeze and runny nose central. I didn't realize this the first time I tested it, as I had about 6 others on at the time. I'll probably use up my imp, since I like it enough for that, but the allergies will prevent this from ever becoming a bottle. ETA: OK, this allergy attack just won't stop. It's off to swaps. I think I get to take a shower at lunch or something.

For me, this is all about the lilacs. In the imp, it's very fresh and light. Definitely smells like a men's cologne, and I admit, I got this originally to try on the boy, who puts up with my swabbing him with smellies with a sort of resignation. But once it touches my skin, the lilac just blooms. God it's gorgeous: soft, powdery lilacs! Nothing else! It's very clean and sweet and soft. This morning, it was throwing all over the place as I got dressed. After a bit, the musk starts to come out, so it's lilacs drenched in white musk. So pretty. I really like white musk! Now, about 5 hours after I put it on, I'm finally getting some citron and lime, but they're just playing complement to the lilac. I can see how this has a men's edge to it, but really, given how much the flowers come out on me, this is quite feminine. It's clean in the way I like, without watery or ozone notes. Hoarding my imp. Glad I tried this one again to remember why I liked it!

I'd second the Pink Moon recommendation if you can get a hold of it. I see it on ebay and in the forums with some regularity. Now, granted, I don't think it smells like the perfume Pink Sugar (which smells like burnt marshmallows to me, and I hate it) but it is VERY sugary and VERY pink. I like Pink Moon.

Wow, this is really really floral. Although, what can I expect? In the imp it's brilliantly sweet and flowery. Wow. It's sweet, but I'm not sure I really like it. It's got some odd scents, but it really is damp smelling. Fresh on... melon? I smell melon! Sweet and wet. This is wet florals, not in the watery floral scent but in the dew-drenched floral scent. This is what Demeter's Flower Show wishes it was. I can't pick anything out really, but it's so very very sweet. Quite lovely. It really does live up to the description: a brilliant garden of flowers. Once it starts to dry down, I start getting... phlox, if that's what I get in Pink Moon. Maybe a hint of jasmine, a bit of tulip, but it's not quite that fresh. I can't place it other than 'riot of flowers'. I don't catch any iris, alas, as I love it. Actually... I smell something very familiar that I like, but I can't place it at all. I can see this being a fabulous scent for a garden party or even a wedding in a garden. It blends in with the kind of bouquet I love. Forget roses. Give me more interesting flowers. Very very pretty, very spring-time. Not sure this is my type of floral, although it's really gorgeous and does work well on me. It's not the sort of thing I usually choose to smell like. I'm going to have to think on this imp.

This one is a real morpher on me! In the imp, it's cherries and musk. Really, quite quite strong. Goodness. Fresh on, I get a blooming of the sweet cherry and the musk REALLY comes out. Wow. Maybe a bit of vetiver too. It's quite smoky, and it's not at all what I expected. I'm a little disapointed. About that time, I left to go to work. So I get to work, and sniff at my wrist again and... ooh, spice! There's the clove. Wow, I LIKE this clove, it's so subtle and spicy and it mixes in gorgeously. I still smell the rest of it, but the clove is actually lightening it a bit. But it hardly lasts 15 minutes. Then, for hours, every time I sniffed my wrist I got vetiver. Vetiver smells like dirt to me, so that with the musk was... well, I wasn't sure. Evidently the throw was nice, though, because someone told me unsolicited that it was kind of nice. It was definitely darkly sweet. Still unsure. Now, about seven hours after I put it on, I'm getting vanilla and cherries, with an undercurrent of vetiver and musk. This is more what I expected it to smell like. It reminds me a LOT of Hollywood Babylon, but darker. I expect it will throw a whole lot when my skin heats up, too. I'm going to have to compare them side by side, but I think I prefer Hollywood Babylon. ETA: And now, a few hours after I wrote this, it's still going strong... and it smells like really good dark chocolate. Quite yummy, but still not sure... but quite yummy!

A seductive and flowing exaltation of femininity: Turkish rose, stargazer lily, violet, honeysuckle, amber, star jasmine and vanilla. I was lucky enough to get an imp of this in a trade, and now I definitely know I must order a bottle of this. Mmm. In the bottle, it's a soft soft vanilla floral. I get the impression of flower petals in vanilla cream. It's just lovely. Fresh on: where'd it go? It totally vanished on my arm, where I'd applied it at the crook of my elbow. So I went and scrubbed my arms to get the other stuff off, and slathered myself in lotion. Tried again. NOW I can smell it. It's a bit elusive at first, and the vanilla and flowers are playing hide and seek with me. But eventually, I start getting honeysuckle and roses in vanilla milk. So lovely. This is just gorgeous. Once it settles down, it remains a vanilla scented floral. This is very innocent and light and feminine. Usually, I really like heavier, stronger scents, but this is just so amazing. I could see myself wearing this a lot. And besides, it has my beloved vanilla in it, and is actually a floral I can use. White florals in the past haven't worked, but this is all pastels: pinks and yellows and purples. This is the first bottle I've tried where I absolutely do NOT want to run out and you're going to have to pry it away from me. Definitely ordering a bottle of this one. Or two.

Whitechapel was very lilac on me. All soft sweet lilacs and a hint of musk and citrus. I hardly got the citrus at all, but a lot of other people do. But like judas_kiss said.. it really depends. I haven't tried the others with lilac, though, although I probably am now...

Dang. Had my first reaction to an oil last night. I was in an oil-trying frenzy and decided to test out Catherine. Yow. My palms started itching... and I'd put it on the back of my hand! Plus, the back of my hand starts turning red. Twenty minutes was all I could take, then I had to scrub it off. Another 20 minutes for the itching to go away. I really do hope I'm not allergic to roses, because I'm trying to find a rose I actually like.

I am so glad that I ordered this. Yummy! In the imp, it's candy sweet. So very peach and vanilla. Wow. It's almost like ice cream. Fresh on, it's such a golden and juicy scent. It's so sweet, it's like peach jelly. I was really worried about this one; I've had bad luck with apricot and I was afraid that peach would do the same thing and it would just go icky. Plus, ultra-foody scents aren't what I want in perfume, and this was definitely peach. Fortunately, it started mellowing quickly. The peach is still prominent, but tempered by the florals and amber, a bit of vanilla. I'm not picking up any sandalwood, but that might be what's keeping it from being so sticky sweet. I really do like it. This is very young, very summery: not really a winter scent, but certainly gorgeous. I'll get some use out of the imp, then let it sit for a bit, I think. Mmm. I'm not familiar with the Shakespearean Tamora, but this is probably because we managed to avoid reading Titus Andronicus in my Shakespeare class, assuming I remember properly, and it's not to my taste in my for-fun Shakespeare reading. Definitely one to keep, and one to covet for a while. It makes me want summertime picnics and peach cobbler, oh yes.

Ooooh, nice stuff. I slathered this on before I went to work this morning. In the imp, it smelled exactly like Thin Mints to me. Not sure where I got it from, but it was gorgeous and yummy and it made me hungry. Fresh on, more loveliness. It wafted chocolate at me, and the mint mostly went away. It's not dry cocoa like some other chocolately blends, but it's warm and soft. As it started the dry down, I got a much fuller scent -- the chocolate went away. This isn't bone dry cocoa, oh no. Even the sandalwood and -- is that myrrh, that warm fullness? -- myrrh, I guess, make it almost.. fruity to me. Or something. It's a similar note to what I get in Intrigue and I quite like it. Very yummy. When I went to lunch, just the walk across the street to the mall heated it up and brought it to life again. Mmm. I really do like this. I think I still prefer my bottle of 13 for chocolatey goodness, but I'll certainly use this imp up. It's warm and sophisticated, and really quite gorgeous. Not sure how long it lasted, but I could still smell it a bit when I got home after being at work all day, but then I washed it off so I could try some other scents.

I was really looking forward to trying this one when I ordered it. I have a fascination with perfumers/poisoners and the Medici. So why not try Catherine? Little did I know.... In the imp: Screaming rosemary herbal! Wow, that's sharp and really bites. It makes my eyes water. Fresh on, it's more screaming rosemary. Very very astringent. My eyes are watering every time I take a whiff of it, and it is so very green. Not something I'd really wear given a choice. But I'm pushing on.... As it starts the drydown, the orange blossom starts to come out. Not my favorite scent; I was really hoping for more rose or a softer orange. It's very soapy, and still has that astringent quality to it. And.. ack. ITCH. This is making my palms itch, and I didn't even put it on there. It's on the back of one hand! My eyes water every time I sniff it too. I just couldn't take it. I really did try, but evidently I'm allergic to this one. The back of my hand was starting to get a red patch where I applied it too, so I scrubbed it off with soap. Spot went away.... My palms still itch, though. Definitely off to swaps.