Incendiare

Cinnamon, cinnamon, dry herbs, cinnamon. There's something sweet underneath, like marshmallow or bubble gum? Hmm, to me, this goes a little flat. It reminds me of a candle or a craft shop.

Oh yeah, that is definitely jasmine. And then with the second sniff comes the honeysuckle. Flying Fox, anyone? When I apply it, something dry and woodsy emerges out of nowhere. Perhaps it's a vague dry spice in the background. Whatever it is, it is taking everything, which is shocking since I usually find jasmine and honeysuckle overbearing. The honeysuckle burns off within the first few minutes. A heavy jasmine is left mingling in the air.

I was expecting this one to be too heavy and dense for my tastes, but it's actually quite pleasant. In the vial, it's sweeter than one would expect, like a sweet juicy incense, but as soon as I put in on, there is a burst of ambergris, then it disappears. I'm surprised I don't get any leather, but I'm sure this imp has aged for a few years now. As this starts to dry, the scent goes drier itself. Like overly dry tobacco. I swear there is spice in there too, like a bit of cinnamon? It's better than I expected but I would never purchase a bottle.

Eclipse is your typical super almond extract-heavy blend, but dusted with frankincense. It's not an obvious frankincense but it lends a dusty, almost woodsy backdrop to the almond extract. No heliotrope, but as this dries, the cinnamon comes out, like cinnamon red hots. Not something I'd really wear.

When I sniffed this out of the bottle, I initially caught vanilla with a touch of gardenia, and the more I smelled it, the more the gardenia came out, but in a good way. But once I put this in my hair, it starts to smell more like Bourbon Vanilla bath oil to me, that root beery vibe many people, including myself, get from it. Not a complaint, it's beautiful too, but for me, it loses its tropical touch once I apply this. I get barely any coconut out of it too. Still a keeper.

This seriously makes me think of the colour pink as soon as I smell it in the bottle. It's sugared strawberries and cream with the most delicate-smelling bouquet of flowers. As soon as I apply this to my skin, the carnation separates itself from the rest of the floral notes. This rest of the florals are so incredibly muted that I can't even make out what they are. They all meld into each other Together, they create the vision of sweet, colourful petals. In general, this is an ultra mild blend. I'm definitely going to have to slather this one. Beautiful, delicate blend. I still prefer '07 but this one is worth keeping, as well.

In the bottle, this is white chocolate blended with peony and tiare. Wet, it's the same, although I find that the tiare is the most prominent floral in here thus far. It's a creamy floral without being too sharp. I was a little worried that this would be too heady. After a couple minutes, I can detect the faint wild orchid in the background. The honey is very faint too. It almost goes unnoticed on me. This is only the third 13 that I've tried but it is definitely my favourite.

Wow, this is really beautiful in the imp. Soft gentle florals, especially pikake. And very airy too. On me, it's the same. No ginger, just soft, innocent florals. Not sharp nor soapy at all. It's quite light though so I'd need to slather this on or else it would probably go unnoticed. After about ten minutes, the florals are still gentle, but leaning towards powdery. I still love it though. It smells humid. I just may need to buy a bottle of this someday.

Right off the bat, I am hit with the lavender and chamomile, after the mint follows soon after. Very botanical and spa-like. Wet, the lavender is rather medicinal and the tingly peppermint is right behind. The herbal thyme is creeping in too but it's very light. Ultra relaxing. I like this way more than I thought I would since lavender can be really tricky for me.

In the imp, this is like a drier Dorian with added leather. Wet, the tonka shows up, which to me gives it more of an ethereal vibe. There is also something sharp about this. I think it's the ti leaf woven into the leather. It's definitely better on me than in the bottle. Although it's a little too masculine for me, there is something about this that I kind of like. It screams confidence and mystery, which is basically David Bowie in a nutshell. It's one of those perfumes that although it isn't me, I know I'll be secretly snatching an application every once in a while, because it is just that intriguing. And about ten minutes into this, I am totally getting oudh, which is making this even better.

In the imp, my nose automatically honed in on the lily, but just a few seconds later, the grapefruit tried to push aside the lily. Wet, the grapefruit is even more pronounced. The fresh lilies are in the background now. The two notes are actually quite harmonious. After five minutes or so, the lily has taken the throne once again, and now the grapefruit is rather muted. No vanilla whatsoever. But on the dry down, I find that the lotus is now palpable and supports the lily. It's a very pretty blend, but bottle-worthy for me.

Wow, the honeydew in this is a lot stronger than I expected. In the imp, I only get extremely sweet candy-like honeydew. It reminds me of a Push Pop. Wet, the musk comes out a little bit, but I don't actually smell honey on its own. If there is any, it must be disappearing into the melon. Ok, perhaps I spoke too soon. After a good five minutes, the honey shows up on my skin, and the musk has calmed down the honeydew, but ultimately, this is a little too sweet for me. I'm not quite sure if this is the musk doing this, but as this further dries down, this is becoming a little dustier. Nice try, but not for me.

In the bottle, this definitely reminds me of blends such as Door and Lady Una. The honey is lighter and a little on the floral side. Once I apply it to my skin, a pollen-y note comes out. The florals blossom, as well. After a few minutes, I can detect a little bit of sparkling amber in here too. Funny how I have two bottles of this and have never really worn this yet. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Perhaps it's a good thing that I waited a couple months before reviewing this because it's telling a different story now. Lab fresh, out of the bottle, Mama Ji strongly reminded me of Inez. The clove in Mama Ji matched up to the carnation in Inez. At the time, the main difference regarding Mama Ji was that it had a more astringent, almost vinegary undertone when wet. Now, although both still smell similar out of the bottle, it doesn't take long for Mama Ji to turn into rose on me. The carnations and spice are still in the background, but the rose is definitely the dominant note. Lab fresh, I couldn't even smell it. I like it and will use my bottle but wouldn't repurchase.

Wow, all the notes really mingle in a harmonious way in the vial. It's a gingered dark chocolate. It actually reminds me of a specific chocolate in a chocolate box, but can't think of it. You more I whiff it out of the vial, the mose dark chocolately this gets. The tulsi shows up on me. It continues to go a little herbal on me. The ginger and dark chocolate weaken but they're still there. I actually like this a lot more than I thought I would. Glad I got a decant.