mistressfizz

Sniff: Honey and vanilla sweetness. Almost cloying. Wet: OK, this is really hard for me to describe. It's quite beautiful and reminds me of a regency sitting room. It matures and morphs over time. It retains a soft sweetness, but there's a dry, warm resin which emerges. And also a slightly high pitched, tart and woodsy citrus. And I also get hints of spice. And hints of powder. And hints of leather. It's a complex incense, not overpowering but definitely a strong presence. Dry: Creamy incense, with a bitter undertone. Maybe just a tad of powder. This lasts quite a long time on me and is really lovely.

This is for the 2016 version. It starts off mostly rose, of the juicy, fresh red variety. A soft white musk creeps in. The rose gets powdery, the musk intensifies to a higher pitch. And then it's ROSE MUSK all the way. I was hoping it would be more rose than musk, or that the musk would be warmer. I think it's not quite for me.

Sniff: Rich and sweet, without being too cloying. It's got a honey base and earthy tea notes on top, warm and thick and delicious Wet: All the notes here are well balanced. I agree with previous reviewers that this is a very cozy scent. It's an abstract oil painting with warm, comforting brown tones and gentle sweet golden trim. It's quite pleasant and agreeable, like an old friend paying a social call. Dry: This doesn't last very long on me. About an hour later, I can detect a slight musky honey tea lingering on my skin, and it's actually really lovely.

This is a blast of ginger and clove, high pitched and strong. I can't really detect much orange or cinnamon. It's a bit too sharp for me, I think it needs something warm to balance out the extreme spice. I was hoping the citrus note would be stronger, as I love the smell of cloves and orange, but all I'm getting is overwhelming gingerbread spice. It's very seasonal, though, and if you want your room to smell like spice, this will get the job done!

Sniff: Oh, this is heavenly and so filled with my notes of love! I get warm spicy sandalwood and leather, beautiful wisps of incense, it's soft and warm and full of resiny goodness Wet: Gorgeous. It's beautifully blended, with sandalwood being the most evocative, followed by a dreamy swirl of warmth and softness and golden hazy veil. This is a temple visited by desert riders in well worn leather saddles, covered in sand and dust and sacred incense, with the spice and amber of their offerings carefully laid out under the quiet gaze of ancient deities. Dry: All the goodness lingers on my skin - sandalwood incense leather spice amber - all combine into an awesome warm and epic scent that is making me continually huff my wrist and arm. This is so wonderful and amazing on me, I'm so glad to have a bottle and will be treasuring this one for sure!

Sniff: Soft tea, snow, and florals Wet: This one is really well blended and hard to pin down specific notes. Overall, it's a pinkish white scent, snowy, light, airy, pretty, feminine, and graceful. The florals are gentle and sweet, mixed well with a chilly minty overtone. More than any of the other Yules I tested this year, this one really feels like "winter" to me - a peaceful, lovely winter of newly fallen snow and delicate blooms. Dry: This is all floral green tea when dry, slightly musky. It's still very graceful and lovely, and even though it's faint, it has long staying power on me.

Sniff: Icy, chilly, most definitely a "cold" perfume, with a citrus sharpness Wet: This has definitely got the typical Beth "snow" note features: chilly, slightly minty, wet and bright. I also detect an iron tang and whisper of sweetness. I like the metallic note here, it's distinct but not overwhelming and makes for an interesting blend. I don't really detect any clove or sandalwood. Dry: Ah, now this settles and I think the word "chalky" is really spot-on. At this stage, it's softer and a bit woodsy, the sandalwood comes out, making this lean towards powdery. There's just a tiny hint of spice, the clove making a muted appearance. I like the wet phase better, with the iron and cold notes being stronger.

Sniff: A light tea note, faintly sweet and dusty Wet: The sandalwood is coming out now, it is muted and not very sharp, it plays nicely with the tea. Overall, this is rather fresh and slightly woodsy. I think the orris is contributing a dusty, woodsy feel and there's a little creamy note, which I assume is the vanilla. It's very pleasant, light and airy without being too sharp, unassuming and gentle and peaceful. Dry: Mainly sandalwood, dusty with just a hint of sweet. It's quite pretty at this stage, although very faint and a tad generic sandalwood.

Sniff: Whoa, this is a spice bomb - the clove really stands out Wet: Definitely spices, with clove still being the dominant note. The vetiver lends more texture than scent, giving this a thick, dusky feel. It's not harsh or scratchy, and the darker base plays well with the warm spice. It's very atmospheric and sophisticated, a grown-up gingerbread, refined and subdued, not really too foodie Dry: Mmmm, smells like clove cigarettes and hot spiced cider. It doesn't have much throw, but hours later, I catch hints of it, wafting in a most pleasant way. This is delicious and should age quite well, and also would make a great holiday room scent.

Sniff: Spicy gingersnaps, undercurrent of leather Wet: This moves into cologne territory, the spices mellow and overall the scent lightens. It gets a bit more woodsy. Dry: Softens into a gentle, dusty tone. Hints of herbs, dry woods, much warmer than the wet phase. I really like this dry phase, it's definitely 'innkeeper' Kvothe, settled into a nice comforting dusk.

Sniff: Florals which lean towards soapy, a spike of ozone and hay Wet: Mostly florals, some sort of lily perhaps. It's right on the border of being soapy and powdery, but there's a green and wet note which pulls it back. I don't get a strong aquatic note, but it definitely smells fresh and clean. Dry: OK, this one is a morpher! Over time, the florals and green fade, and a gentle leather note comes out. It's now dusty and powdery, with just a grassy hint. The soapy impression is gone and now it's soft and dusky and actually quite nice. I'm definitely a fan of this dry down, it's much different than the initial wet phase!

Sniff: A hint of citrus and sparkle, smells like white musk, much lighter than expected! Wet: The musk becomes warmer, although it still remains mellow and brisk. It's like a mix between white musk and skin musk, not aggressive at all. It's quite mellow and has a hint of shimmer, as well as a tad of orange sweetness. Dry: This dries musky for sure, and the sweet orange note morphs into a slight spice. When dry, it's still mellow and a bit dusty, rather comforting. I thought it would be overpowering and strong, but instead it has depth and warmth. Very nice!

Sniff: Spice and sugar, sugar and spice. It smells delicious. Wet: Oh, this is so very complex on me! It's bright and warm, with lots of comforting spice. There's also hints of incense and just a touch of florals. The honey provides a nice sweetness without being musky. It smells like a bakery in the middle of a field of wildflowers. Dry: The staying power on this is pretty decent. My wrist smells like cookies and flowers.

Sniff: ALMOND. AND MORE ALMOND. Wet: Nutty, sharp, a bit vanilla sweet, but most definitely dominated by the almond. It's cloying at this stage, I had to shake the scent out of my head a few times. Dry: Gets softer and dusty as it dries. The almond burns off and leaves a lingering waft of leather and amber. I wasn't expecting the almond to overpower this blend so much. It would be nicer for me, if the elements were just a bit more balanced.

Sniff: So very light, but what I can detect is kind of like moldy flowers Wet: Still faint, a hint of flowers and sourness. Dry: This faded so quickly on me, it didn't leave much of an impression.

Sniff: Crisp, fresh, light Wet: A very soft aquatic, with hints of wet stone. It's not sharp or soapy on me at all. It's very misty and clean, without that detergent or pine scent that "clean" sometimes describes. Dry: Soft, a tad dusty. It dries kind of like an incense blend, but lighter. Not my usual taste in scents, but very evocative and unexpectedly pleasant.

I'm a huge jasmine fan, so was very much looking forward to this. In the bottle, the jasmine is quite heady and strong, and I was thinking it would be the musky "stinky" variety. But in the bath, the scent mellows into a soft, sweet jasmine, with hints of creamy vanilla to balance the bright florals. The scent lasts a long time on my skin, and I love it!

Absolutely gorgeous! There's a soft green base note, clean and fresh, without smelling like laundry sheets or any high pitched aquatic notes. The cypress is lovely, like a spring forest with just a hint of dirt. The sandalwood weaves around the greenery beautifully, a gentle tone, exotic and deep, without being overpowering. I feel like I'm sitting on the veranda of a lakeside temple at night, peaceful and serene.

Sweet fig top note, with a powdery floral base. This is very clean and delicate, definitely gives me a "white" vibe. It's very refreshing and light, a beautiful spring scent!

Jasmine lovers, rejoice! This is lush and rich, a heady white floral with sweet undertones. It smells like the Indian jasmine my friend used to grow in her house - I can imagine burying my nose into branches of those little white blooms, heavy in the summer air. It dries very much jasmine, with just a hint of clean soap. Lovely and pure, I'm so glad I have a bottle of this!

Warm, woodsy, spicy, all sorts of goodness in this blend! It starts out an earthy incense, which becomes lighter, more floral and dusty as it dries. The rose is soft and slightly sweet. There's a constant undercurrent of spice which balances the woods and rose well. It dries to a pleasantly dusty sandalwood and rose. I find it's a lighter, more gentle, slightly foodie version of Rakshasa. Not as deep or refined as the GC blend, but with a softer, brighter touch.

This is straight up cocoa powder on me, with hints of pepper and spice. It goes on as dusty cocoa powder and dries dusty cocoa powder. Which is great if you like the smell of cocoa powder, but I'm not a huge fan. I was hoping it would be more complex, but that doesn't seem to happen on my skin.

A more citrusy, sharp version of Peach Champagne. It's fizzy and fruity, but not as sweet or complex as Peach Champagne and has a pronounced aquatic feel. The biggest difference is the dry down. This one dries very light and powdery. It's almost like sniffing a packet of peach lemonade mix.

I would almost swear there's patchouli in here somewhere, but it's probably the tobacco and red musk mixing and giving off a more earthy tone. I definitely get a dirty, ashy, nutty vibe, with almost no peach to be found. As it dries, it does become sweeter and powdery, but not from the peaches - instead, it's more like a honey sweetness. Mainly, it's earth and ash, sweetened with a layer of honey. Interesting, but not something I'd wear often.

This starts off as a bold red wine. It has a strong fermented fruit tone and some woodsy hints. I like that there is no alcohol sharpness or fizz to this one. Not really getting rose as a particular note, but it does have that floral bouquet which wine sometimes exhibits. I'm getting more grapes than peaches. As it dries, it develops a nice sweetness and the wine mellows out, giving in to the softer mimosa and becoming more floral. It still smells more like grapes than peaches to me, but in general it's a pleasant fruity wine scent.