aedes

Jasmine and I have such a dysfunctional relationship. Just when I think she loves me, she turns around and goes all haughty and stinky on me. I desperately wanted to try this because I love myrrh, I love rose, and I usually can get along with jasmine. But noooo. Jasmine just had to go and be overpowering on me this time. So sorry, Wicked! To the swaps with ye!

I've loved rosewood in other blends, but I could barely smell anything from this imp. Maybe I got an old (or young) imp. But I got the faintest, tiniest hint of roses and then nothing. Odd, Ouija did the same thing for me. I'd try it again to make sure, but sadly I don't think this one will work on me.

Wow, civet is like musk times ten, isn't it? This has a seriously heady perfume smell as well as a very animalistic one. Way too gritty and "stinky" for me, but I can imagine it would work well on a woman with a lot of... chutzpah.

Whoo! Honey and vanilla! Like boatloads of it. For all you ladies gaga for vanilla, this is one to try. Just too sweet for me, though.

Yup! Dirt and roses! It's interesting, and I think I'll hang onto it despite it being outside my normal scent sphere... thing. It's like a more wearable, more feminine Burial. I almost didn't let my guy smell it on me because he hated Burial, but he loved Zombi. Told me specifically to keep it. So there you go! Would probably be better in spring or fall. I think.

Like other reviewers, I loved the concept for the scent and had high hopes for it, but it just smelled too candy-sweet and light in the end. It wasn't P.U. but just sort of an innocuous, girly floral. Hopefully someone else will love it more!

If I'm in a hurry to try scents in bottles to find out if I want to keep them, I always use coffee stirrers or de-cottoned q-tips... well... always, unless I don't have either of those handy. Then I tip the bottle upside down (with the cap on) and then take a little bit off the top of the rim. Still a narrow chance some of my skin oils get on the perfume if/when the bottle is tipped again. But, eh, it's close enough for jazz. If I determine that I'm going to keep it, I'll decant an imp for myself to carry around in one of my little pouchies and I save the rest. Or sometimes I'll dump the rest into a 1 oz. cobalt bottle, fill the rest up with Perfumer's Alcohol, and slap a spray cap on it. I love the sprays I make, though sadly that kind of means I can't swap them if I find I'm not using them a lot.

Sadly, this is all playdoh on me. Strangely, it doesn't just smell like playdoh on my skin, but in the imp, too. I think it's the linen, because Herr Drosselmeyer did the same thing, only not as strongly.

Oh, Ra, what do I do with you? Starts off very green, with odors that are unfamiliar to me in perfumes. Smells like the sun rising over a meadow. I think I smell grass and hay, something very vegetal. I didn't like it at first and put it in the swap pile. Now, after about 10-15 minutes: Clove! Oh my goodness! *sniff sniff* oh this is beautiful! *sniffy sniffy sniff* a well-accompanied clove smell. So now the question is: is the clove worth the 15 minutes of smelling like Farmer Brown's backyard? I do have 3 Witches on order. Maybe I'll hold on to it until then.

This is a very pretty, subtle, and serious scent. I think it perfectly captures a shy, sweet, nerdy girl who really should speak up more because she has a lot of good things to say. There are lots of girls I've known in my life that I wish I could give this scent to. Starts off lavender, definitely, which kind of turned my nose. Smelled slightly medicinal and unattractive. I nearly chucked it into the swap pile when I smelled it again and these beautifully sweet, spicy, and feminine notes wafted up. I actually smell something like honey with light spices. I don't smell the rose or jasmine individually, which is good for the concept of the scent, I think. There's no prima donna here other than the initial lavender rush. Just goes to show that first impressions can be deceiving.

Very, very nice. When I first read the description and saw "girly perfume" I thought something awful like Malibu Musk or Sweet Honesty from back when I was little. But I should know better from the lab! Starts off, like so many florals do for me, like a whole pile of smarties or sweet tarts and pine. But I waited for it to tone down and the fruity floral is still there, but right along side a wonderful, outdoorsy smell of pine and cold aquatics. The fruity florals smell very familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it for a few minutes. Cranberry? Lingonberry? Grapefruit? Then I realize it smells just like the Tazo Passion tea I had a few days ago, a red tea with passionfruit and hibiscus. One or both of those just has to be in here. Tart and sweet, piney and chilly. Whee!

Home run for the lab with this one. I've tried nearly all this year's "snowy" scents, but none of them had really struck a chord with me. That is, until Snow Moon. This is so beautiful. Very well blended, I get warm, slightly sweet florals (*sniff* is that hibiscus?) and woods under a chilly, ozone-like top note. Like a warm, beating pulse under the snow. I think I should have bought more than one bottle...

For me, linen = playdoh, and only linen. I would wear my precious Herr Drosselmeyer in my hair, but then I can't smell it! And that's no fun for me. So I found him a more loving home. But I can't wait to see the scent lockets! Those promise to be interesting. I'll have to test my scents on me and off me, because I'm sure it's my skin that's making some of my favorite scents smell the way they do.

In the imp: *sniff* whaa..... peanut butter?!? What, exactly, is it trying to get to love me, anyway? That's just WRONG, man. WRONG. On the skin: Changes to buttered popcorn and something floral, I think. Then mellows to something creamy and brown-smelling with a little bit of florals and some spices. I think there might be a combo of myrrh and vanilla or something in here. It actually reminds me a bit of the meaty or nutty foodiness of Hunger. In all, not a bad smell, though an unusual one. It would take some getting used to. It get a lot better as it dries down. Maybe I won't swap this one right away.

Aaaaayup, patchouli-hatahs (like me) beware. I get the dirty, musty, grimy, unwashed-human in unwashed-clothes (and not even in the hot Continental way) smell of patchouli through and through. Get it offa me! Get it offa me! *scrubs vigorously*

The Tibetan goddess of love and wealth. Her scent is a harmonious, sweet, enchanting blend of three lotus blooms and three roses. Ah ha! Lotus! You're the thing that keeps smelling like smarties on me! Caught you red-handed this time. Well, the sugary, tooth-aching sweetness wore off in minutes, leaving a very heady, aquatic floral. I can't sniff this too close as it really burns my nose. But I can't smell it more than a few inches away, oddly enough. I don't even really know I'm smelling it save for the aldehyde, burning-nostril sensation. So, a great concept, and I really wanted to like it. What's more beautiful than lotus and rose? But sadly my nose just doesn't come equipped for it.

Yup. Pomegranate and rose! It started out candy-sweet on me, then went tart and juicy, then the rose came out. I think the pomegranate compliments the rose very well and gives it this shy, sweet, vulnerable tinge. I can picture a sweet, young demigodess, her eyes pink with tears. However, I think it's a little too whimpering and delicate for me to enjoy wearing, and I have The Lovers for when I want candy-sweet. But I recommend the scent.

Oooh, this is definitely a cruel, heartless rose. Not cackling malevolence, more slick negotiator. It's sexy, clean, and feminine smelling, but also distant and cold, with a soft, dark base. I picture a platinum blonde with an impeccable Cambridge accent, dressed in a dark, designer skirt suit saying "By the way, I've had the diamonds all along. Your wife gave them to me. Never mind, she's dead now. Boys, kill him." But I do have a rather active imagination.

Wow! This scent has a well-deserved popularity. I had put it off for a long time, well, partly because I didn't WANT to like it. Everyone loves vanilla, damn it, I want to be something else. But this stuff is just too beautiful. My boyfriend didn't want to stop smelling my hand. He described it, aptly, as "The best smell ever." I don't get too much in the way of spiciness or incense, but a whole heaping ton of vanilla. It's warmer, more complex, and snugglier than, say, smearing yourself with vanilla extract, but it's clear in this vintage that vanilla is the Diana Ross to the spices' Supremes. Oh lordy. I guess I'll have to buy a big bottle of this, huh? Well, I'll get some Hades, Pele, and Masabakes, too to give me some personality.

Very, very peach. I smell other things in there, but they all work to enhance the peachiness, I think. In fact, I think they really captured the soul of peaches in this blend. It's actually quite warm and snuggly, while being juicy, sweet, and refreshing. But I just can't bring myself to do fruity scents. This would be perfect for someone, though, I just know it.

This scent definitely comes in stages. At first I definitely get a green, herbal smell and mint mint mint, then the anise comes out after with a lot of throw. Sambuca is probably my favorite liquor, however I think this makes me feel like I've been bathing in it. Since my coworkers know how much I love sambuca, I also don't want them to think that I've really hit the bottle. But this is spot-on for the concept! I think I just realized that I shouldn't be smelling like it.

This smells more like a "standard" commercial perfume than most things I try from the lab; very complex, high-pitched and frenetic. It reminds me a bit of Grandmother of Ghosts. Thankfully I don't get too strong a cigarette and hairspray smell. Lots of glitter, dazzle, and shimmer, though. A perfect scent to wear with white, silver, and diamonds. It makes me want to bleach my hair white and make appearances. Very, very neat. Bravo, Beth!

This is my favorite of the Yules I've tried so far. A more-wearable version of Hellfire is exactly how I'd describe it, too. Less cherry and pipesmoke, more woods and warmth. Fades pretty quick on me, though. I think I'll try slathering it on more and wearing it for a day. *sniff* mmm, warmy. edit: I wore it "for real" today and, sadness of sadnesses, it turns to playdoh on me. I think it's the linen note, as White Rabbit did the same to me. Time to find a new favorite Yule...

At first, this was very Pinesol on me. Strong, sappy pine. I'd nearly call it a resinous scent. But it's mellowing very well on my skin. Doesn't smell like a Christmas tree, more like Black Forest. I like it and I think I'd love it on a guy. Perfect for the outdoorsy fella on your list.

Yup, almost entirely warm, soft coconut for me, with a little bit of pineapple. Good insofar as I was worried this would be a cold scent. Bad insofar as this just... doesn't smell like me. My boyfriend smelled it and agreed. "A woman with black hair" I think he described. I agree. This would absolutely be the signature scent for Disney's Snow White. Despite that, I think I want to hang on to her for a little while.