jewelbug

Torture King is very similar to Voodoo, to my nose. Though TK is definitely a smokier, more leathery blend, so I wouldn't call it Coke "ice". Still, might be worth grabbing before the CNs come down May 1.

Imp: Woodsiness and pine. The moss and dry grasses really stand out, too. Its oh-so masculine sexy. So, I tried it on my husband, first. Him: Wet: Super leather, slightly soapy. On him, I can't smell the woods or spice, really. Dry, its smoky and leathery. This is not as fun on him as it was on me, unfortunately. And I much prefer the smokey sweet leather of Torture King when it comes to his wear. TK is more complex on him, and oh-so-sexy, so no need to get Geek. Of course, I wouldn't be happy til I tried Geek on me, too: Me: Wet: A very evergreeny blend. Incredibly different than on my husband! He got all super leather and smoke, and I am getting pine-pine-pine--similar to the pine in jabberwocky. The pine mellows, and its much more smokey leather now, though the evergreen notes are still very apparent. Leather tanning on a pine branch? Early Dry: The evergreen has fallen into the background, and now I'm getting oodles of leather. This leather, like others, goes sweet on me. Though this is definitely in-your-face leather, there is a sweet warm creaminess to this blend. I have no idea where its coming from--maybe opoponax, though I don't actually know what that is. Hhehe. But yes, this is a warm, slightly sweet leather blend now. Late Dry: Creamy sweet opoponax (or so I assume), a hint of pencil shaving cedar, and sweet smoky leather. How this manages to smell sweet and rich and creamy while smelling of leather, I'm not quite sure, but its really pretty, and not too masculine for me anymore Overall: A really wonderful complex blend. . This is really nice on me, but I know I wouldn't wear it. If it smelled like this on my hubby, I'd jump his bones. I'm glad I tried this, and I now understand why its such a hit!

This is the first Garden scent that has had me jumping for joy with its description. It was all I hoped... Imp: Green, fresh, and slightly sweet earthy fig. It's woodsy, and just so natural. I love this. In the imp, its very like Eden, but without the more buttery almond notes. That, my dears, is PERFECT, since the buttery almond was the thing about Eden that kept it from perfection (at least, on my skin). I'm SO excited for this blend. Wet: On, this is immediately VERY green with this sweet figgy earthen note. A bit of gritty forest, but this manages to be smooth and velvety. Consider me wowed. Dry: Smooth earthy fig. The woods are there, sort of like a creamy cedar in the background. Its sticky sweet, almost honeylike, but its kept from being too sweet/foody by the earthy green/wood scents. Pure and Perfect. It speaks to my inner Taurus. Overall: I adore fig. This is pure, beautiful fig. I need a bottle. As soon as possible. This is everything I loved about Eden (the FIG!) without the bits that didn't work so well on me (coconut/buttery almond). It lasts 5-6 hrs, fading to a faint sweetness. Its got good throw, though I do wish it had more staying power on my skin--but i'd happily reapply this midday. This will join Gomorrah in my FIGGY ARSENAL!

Imp: Lemon and white musk. This is SO similar to Dorian. Dorian without the super cake-y vanilla part. Wet: Same as in the imp, mostly. The lemon is a little less pronounced, though, and I get more white musk and the tea-like scent of bergamot. Dry: Very fresh, slightly powdery. Sadly (because I love Dorian), this becomes less like Dorian as it dries. It's starting to go powdery AND soapy on me. It's less sweet dry than wet. Even though I'm exaggerating the powder/soap, it's musky, clean and sophisticated. Under the powder soap, I can smell that lemony white musk that I loved from Dorian--especially towards the end. Lasts about 10+ hrs and has good throw. Overall: I could see some guys pulling this off well. I wish that it wasn't going powdery/soapy on me, cuz I can smell how nice it would be otherwise--hints of slightly creamy lemon and pale pretty musks. I tend to be unexcited about thing when they go the way of powder/soap. Final verdict, on my skin Zephyr = Dorian-sweet vanilla + soapy sandalwood + powdery florals. If Dorian was too foody/sweet for you, this is a great option, but I'll be sticking with D. edited to add: I tried this more than a year later (June 2007), with the following result: Still reminds me of a less sweet/vanilla Dorian. What was interesting this time round what that I got a lot of a non-white musk (in addition to the white musk, though). Must've been the China Musk making a stand. And I'm thinking that maybe china musk was one of the many in Smut, because this last try of Zephyr smelled like Smut musks plus a less sweet Dorian. That is all....

Imp: A medium weight fruity floral. I can definitely pick out the orange and apricot, but I suck at identifying florals, so I won’t try. Wet: Orange still there, but much less prominent than in the imp. Instead I’m getting something almost buttery from this. Buttery oranges and florals. The florals are a bit more perfumey than I’d like. We'll see how the dry down is…. Dry: The perfumey florals mellow, and the buttery apricot grows. In the early drydown, this has a bit of gritty-ness to it, though I don't know what that is. In the later dry down (1+ hrs), the grittiness gives way to rich smooth tonka, with faint golden apricot. I can also smell a honeyed sweetness once the florals have mellowed later in the wear. Overall: By the end, this is mostly tonka kissed with summertime apricots and honey. Despite the summery fruity sweetness, this really seems a fall appropriate blend, probably due to the rich darkness of the tonka. It's warm and beautiful. Lasted 5ish hours. I'm torn, and can't decide whether to keep this or not. I think I'll hold onto it for a bit longer.

I just noticed that the search engine page doesn't have the rappacini's garden category in the navigation menu. Just an FYI for the next time its updated. It does have maelstrom, though, so I'm guessing the garden was just overlooked. ETA: I admit to having a minor freak-out upon finding the garden missing, since I am LOVING my strangler fig and then thought it missing. I calmed down when i hit the back button and found it was only a search page issue. Hehe.

Ditto. I was searching for fig, and ended up having to do a find on each individual scent category page, rather than just using the engine. Not that i'm unwilling to go to those lenghts for bpal, though, cuz...well, um, i did it.

Origin: A present from Original Wacky! Imp: A very feminine, sweet floral. I get the lily and honeysuckle the most in the imp. Wet: On, the honeysuckle and rose dominate. It’s a very fumy floral at this point, with something gritty to it--I'm guessing the violet or jasmine (jasmine and I don't historically get along, but I'm hoping that STAR jasmine is different!) Drying: Vanilla coming out, and the lily/jasmine combo is a hint spicy, kinda like the smell of the TAL White Light….spicy white floral. This is a sweet floral, but it maintains that "grittiness"--something sharp and attitudinal. Dry: Despite the fact that his is a strong floral (so not really "me"), this is really pretty. The lilies go a little soapy, the amber goes a little powdery, the violet is grounding, the vanilla adds a roundness, and the rose doesn't amp ridiculously as it usually does on my skin. Everything is just so well balanced! The late drydown (about 3 hrs) is a soft amber/vanilla blend, supported by subdued florals. It makes me think of a slightly floral O. Overall: I had severe doubts about this blend. Florals (especially rose) usually amp on me. Jasmine usually turns to cat pee (could it be that I've discovered a jasmine that works?!--I'll need to explore this star jasmine thing!). Violets are usually too bitter for me, lilies often go to soap. But you know, in this blend they all work. Masterfully. This is beautiful and powerful, but not something I would often reach for, so I'm passing it on. Lasts about 5 hrs, has good throw.

Origin: A generous gift from originalwacky. Thank you! Imp: Strong ozone and very clean. I can smell just a hint of wood, but it’s a blonde wood, barely there, adding to the freshness. I don't really get metal "tang" out of this, but then, maybe I'm just not imaginative enough. Wet:: There is a citrus to this, I think, but its mostly ozone and cleanliness. This really strikes me as sort of masculine (you know, that sexy clean man smell), but it definitely works as a gender neutral. Dry: You know….it reminds me a LOT of CK1, big in my high-school days….Ozone/aquatic/clean/slightly citrus tart…dept store CK1 (but better, of course, since it's not alcohol fumy). 30 mins in, and I can finally smell the metallic gleam, and a bit more blonde wood, but this only lasts for an hour or so and then its back to high-school CK1 flashbacks…. Overall: I can't shake the CK1 vibe. The metal/wood phase was brief on my skin, but interesting. This is too much like a dept store perfume for me, and not what I'm looking for from bpal. It does have great throw though, and lasts about 6 hrs.

A gift from original wacky. Thank you! Imp: Surprisingly citrusy--the ginger, no doubt. Citrus with a kiss of woodsy balsam. Wet: None of the freshness from the imp--Rose soap. Sigh….rosewood/roses, they all go nuts on me. I do get a bit of opium out of this, on top of the rose, but opium doesn't historically agree with me--just not a scent I dig. This isn't at all what I was hoping for (woods/spice/tobacco), but that's cuz my skin chem hates me. Dry: Okay, to be fair, this is more interesting than just straight up rose soap. There is a bit of spice, but still mostly rose. This reminds me of chagrin valley's shea rose clay facial soap, actually. It’s a pretty smell, but not something I personally go for. About an hour in, this gains some incensey tobacco, and gets a bit of a smoky leather smell, along with the overpowering rose. I can smell the promise, but alas, the rose soap will not back down. It keeps getting better further into the dry down, but the rose soap is never quite beaten. Overall: Good throw, still detectable 10 hrs later. Sadly, this was so promising in the imp with the citrusy ginger goodness. But my skin chemistry tends to go nuts with anything "rosey", and this is no exception.

Imp: Buttered popcorn. But sweet, like buttery kettle corn, maybe? Hubby says butterscotch. Wet: This makes me hungry! Perfect sweet buttery popcorn. Or….buttered popcorn jelly bellies! Dry: This gets less sweet, and more purely butter. Now its actually smelling SALTY! It goes from sweet kettle corn to pure, unadulterated buttery salty popcorn. Overall: This is a really cool scent to smell, but I know I wouldn't wear it. For the CN foodies, I prefer (okay, drool over) midway. SO I'll be sticking with that one for this round! Lasts for about two hours, accompanied by severe popcorn cravings.

Imp: Cough medicine? This smells more like cherry cough medicine than anything I was expecting. Maybe blood oranges are berryish? Wet: Yes, absolutely cherry cough medicine. SUCRETS! Do you remember those? Little red cough drops in a little tin? This smells almost *exactly* like that to me. Drying: The medicinal note calms down a bit, though it's still quite sucret-ful. Dry, its still mega cherry, but I can get the black pepper a bit more. It ends up as a syrupy cherry that is slightly numbing from the spice (like, if I could taste it, that's what it would be like….) . Peppered sucrets Overall: No, peppered sucrets are not for me. In its defense, about 4 hours in (during the fade), it started to smell more like Montressor, which I love. But for the majority of the time, this was very cherrycherrycherry. Seeing as the smell of red lollipops and cough syrup make me feel a bit ill, this just isn't for me. This lasts about 5 hrs. ETA: I dunno why i never got orange from this, only cherry.....

On my skin, elegba and RL were pretty similar, so you may wanna try that, too.

Imp: Sweet earthy woodsy smell. Very pretty. Wet: Fresh on, this is like a fresh cedar, which isn't what I expected. It's very earthy and pretty, and kinds of creamy and sweet. There is a vanilla-like sweetness to this--perhaps from the heliotrope. It strikes me as more masculine, but its still right at home on my wrist. Actually, it sorta reminds me of an un-honeyed luperci. Great throw. Dry: It lands on a golden vanilla powdery resin, creamy and yes, glittery like gold. Yet there is a grounding woodsiness/earthiness to it (patchouli?) that seams to grow a bit stronger with time, but never overpowering the golden woods. Imagine a recnetly-unearthed wooden chest full of golden doubloons! With the doubloons taking center stage, and perhaps a few strands of pearls thrown in. Overall: Wow. I couldn't stop greedily (heh) huffing this when I was wearing it. This seems like I'd probably wear it more in the fall, but it’s a beautiful resinous wood blend, sweet and utterly wearable. It has spectacular throw and lasts about 8 hrs. I love this, and will revisit it in the fall, since I think it's too strong to wear for summer. I'll probably be slathering some on the hubby, too, since I think it'd be just as sexy on him.

Imp: Smooth, sweet, and I catch quite a bit of spice in this, though I'm unsure if its saffron or cardamom. Either way, it’s not a sharp spice, it's golden. Wet: Creamy and powdery--I think I'm getting the myrrh, amber and almond the most. But there is definitely the sweet (as always, slightly bubble-gummy) lotus floating in the back. The lotus is not at all overbearing, though, and adds just a perfect touch to this. The musks and spices take the creamy sweet and SEX it up. Really a lovely blend. Dry: A soft golden powdery almond with warms strong musks. You know, this really reminds me of Devil's Night. I wonder if they share a musk note? Bastet is deep and musky like my DN, but is creamier and sweeter while DN has a smoky chocolate vibe to it. So, this is a lighter more golden devil's night, but I can't shake the similarity. The middle dry down is a non-smoky Devil's night mixed with a kiss of lotus, and the late drydown is a slightly powdery sweet amber with lotus and almond smooches. Overall: Every stage of this blend was beautiful. Because it reminds me so strongly of devil's night for a few hours of its wear, I just can't resist characterizing this as a fall scent. Since spring is coming, I think that I'll have to try this again when the seasons change. Moderate to strong throw, lasts about 5 hrs.

Imp: Clean, slightly sweet floral. This is very green (like mown grass). I can definitely smell the citrus, but to me, this smells more of lemon than orange. Wet: Ah, there's the discernable orange. It's still very green too. This sort of reminds me of a "cool citrus basil" scent I had from BBW not too long ago. It's herbal, like a citrus tea. No smoke that I can smell, and the copal is faint, if detectable at all. Dry: Orange, cream, and green herbs. This is really light and pretty. A very nice spring scent, I think. I belief that the creamy sweetness is copal, but wow, I'm amazed at how different it is from the copal in Greed. In the later drydown, there is much more copal and the citrusy/herb notes become distance. It becomes a wonderful skin scent, almost vanillic, and very cozy. Overall: The throw is low to moderate, and this stays for about 6.5 hours. I loved all stages of it, wet, early and late dry. I am not sure if I would reach for this often or not, but I think it's worth keeping the imp around to find out.

Imp: This smells gorgeous in the imp. Its green and leafy, but it has dry cedar mixed with a hint of berry sweetness. Almost foody, but not. A very good thing. Wet: Sweet berry cedar. Usually berry blends are too sweet or smell like air freshner on me, but the wood in this really tempers it and makes it beautiful! I think it helps that its raspberry leaf instead of straight up raspberries. This is like walking through a forest complete with woods, leaves, and wild fruits. Dry: The fruit has faded quite a bit. The cedar is a little bit pencil shavings on me. I love cedar (and pencil shavings, actually), but I'm unsure on this blend. Still a bit of berry and leafy greenness, but I liked this better wet and sweet. Overall: Like a forest int eh summer when the berries are ripe, but still a distance off. This cedar is much more sweet and creamy than others. More understated than some of its brothers. I like this, but think that I would like it better in another season--with all the woods, I'm thinking fall. With spring impending, this isn't getting its fair shot. I will try to revisit it when it gets cooler. This has moderate throw, but lasts only about 3 hrs on me. Him: This was a good woodsy blend, so I thought I'd try it on hubby: Wet its fruity trees, but almost too fruity for a masculine blend. Its smooth, round, sweet and delicious, though. Drying, its lighter than expected (and than it was on me). As on me, the berries fade, and this smells really nice on him. Unfortunately, his skin sucks it dry in about and hour, and he's not the re-application type….

This was a get-well gift from the generous pranashakti . Thank you! Scent: This is such an unexpected scent! Its sweet and sugary, but also medicinal in a clove/camphorous sense. Oddly, it manages to be herbal and creamy on top of all that. Astounding! Utility: I annointed myself in this during my post-op two weeks of bedrest. And while those weeks were obviously not much fun, this really helped to uplift my sprits. It gives a brighter outlook, and at the same time manages to wrap you in a warm, healing hug. Edited to add: I think I figured out what the medicinal/clove/camphorous component was! I just got some St. Johns Wort for my herb garden, and the crushed leaves smell JUST like that bit in anthelion! It would make sense, too, as St. Johns Wort is used for ailments...

Imp: This is swoon-worthy woodsiness. I get mostly balsam, and its indescribably lovely. Wet: Honeyed woods. This actually reminds me of the renaissance festival for some reason. I think its that our local festival puts woodchips down, and when they’re still fresh and blonde, the scent is something like this. These are bright woods, a hint cedary, and just a tad sweet. FUnny, but wet, there is almost a minty note to this... Dry: Sweet sandalwood (yes, I know there isn't sandalwood listed here)! I can see how people get pencil-shavings from this, but I actually love it. I keep huffing my wrist. It's fresh and woodsy. It does strike me as a more masculine blend, but I think it works as gender neutral because of the honeyed smell. Towards the later drydown, a bit of spicy incense emerges. Overall: This is beautiful. Its got a fresh sawdust component to it, so it strikes a chord of sentiment in me--evocative of my grandad's carpenter shop. I don't know how much I'll wear this, but I enjoy huffing it, and my guess is that in the fall I will want to slather this all over. Great throw, but unfortunately I forgot to pay attention to how long it lasted--I was too busy huffing! On him: I couldn't resist putting this on him, afterall….Wet it goes quite balsam-y, dry it is sweet woods--like tombstone without the vanilla. In 2 hrs it gets much stronger on the incense/patchouli notes. Its dead sexy on him--he gets a lot more balsam, and I seem to get something that smells more like cedar. Interesting….

Imp: Mostly sage. Wet: The sage from the imp is much more understated, and this goes a bit powdery as soon as it hits my skin. In the imp, this was sharp, but on, that's not the case at all. Actually, I rather agree with those that say it smells like babies--to me, this is baby shampoo. Very clean and cozy, like a soft warm baby. Drying: The orris comes out much more, sharp and a bit powdery/earthy. The sage is a soft fuzzy note in the background. Incidentally, this is less like baby shampoo now. It's got a bit of earthy spice to it. I dunno what that is, but it adds intrigue. I'm contradicting myself, because this doesn't smell like shampoo anymore, but all combined, it still smells of warm fuzzy baby head. Dry: ORRIS. Lots of lovely orris. Now this is far less like baby shampoo, and actually closer to LUSH's Big shampoo (minus the citrus). Its got a very similar strong orris note. Mmmmmm. Sadly, this lasts only about 2 hrs on me. Overall: I like the scent, but I don't usually try to smell like shampoo---baby or otherwise. It’s a nice cozy clean scent, but not one I'll really wear. Count me among those that are pleased the civet is barely there. I think I'll hold onto my imp, but won't need a bottle.

Wet: Really spicy lavender. Not spicy as in cinnamon or clove, but lavender with BITE, if you know what I mean. Fresh and peppery and pungent. Drying: Goes greener, very herbaceous. I think that's the bamboo pulp, actually. It's very fresh and green, along with the peppery lavender. Dry: Smooth, kinda creamy, and green lavendar. Pretty, but subtle. This smells like an herb garden in bloom. After about 20 mins, this unfortunately goes a little soapy on me, though not as badly as most. It has really good throw, but I'm not sure about its staying power, since I fell asleep! Perfect, huh? Overall: This is like time spent in my herb garden--I wish it didn't do the soap thing. The first time I tried this out, I was ill, and it gave me a nauseous feeling. Now that I've tried it while well, I like the scent much better. But sometimes those associations just stick in our brains, and this is one of em. I won't be keeping this, but luckily I've found it a loving home!

Two come to mind right off the bat: Moxie!!! Super citrus orangey pick me up, and Envy--lime and mint, and very refreshing!

Kabuki has cherry and anise, so it definitley has exotic spice and cherry, though its not exactly cloves. Might be worth a shot, anyway!

A decant from Brienze's perverse circle!!! Thank you! Imp: A soft, clean, sparkling white floral. It has a subtle creamy sweetness, and is absolutely beautiful. Wet: Wow. This is like the perfect summer day. Laundry hung out to dry, fresh green lawns, white garden flowers in full bloom. Slightly sweet and breathtakingly gorgeous. It remains this wonderful clean natural smell for the duration of 5 hours. Overall: A barefooted flounce outside while your mom's hanging the sheets up to dry. The musk in this is practically not there. It just lends a subtle glimmer to the scent. I think I get mostly aloe and lily, cuz its this fresh, green floral--sweet and pretty. I LOVE this, and I'm not typically a floral/clean scent kind of gal. I like 'em, I just don't usually gravitate toward them. Nevertheless, I think this will be a bottle investment. Thank you Beth!

Bottle: Mustiness with a sweet fruitiness under. I can definitely pick out the patchouli. Wet: The smell of fermentation and berries with just a tint of orange. Drying: The orange departs, and the berry takes precedence in this blend. The patchouli transforms the berry to a dirty gritty scent. This really does manage to smell like wandering around a damp stone wine cellar. The musty stone smell wears off after about 2 hours, afterwhich this is a dark earthy berry. It only lasts about 3 hours. Overall: This is much sweeter and berrilicious than I expected, but it very well blended and beautiful. I would like to compare this directly to montressor, but of the two boozy fruit blends in maelstrom, I think that I prefer montressor.