angelamaria

In bottle: sweet amber vanilla! This is almost foody, but not quite. Wet on skin: patchouli and sandalwood rise to the fore with the sweet vanilla amber scent receding a bit, but still present to sweeten and feminize this scent. This might be the copy text and inspiration coloring my perception, but it does feel like a "bookish" scent--it's quite lovely. While it dries out, it does become more unisex, with the woody notes becoming more prominent. Dry: skin scent. Definitely a skin scent. Dry, this is an almost-foody sandalwood, almost delicious, but never veering directly into foody territory (which is perfect). Picture Edith writing in a library: this scent evokes that. This is also like the unisex version of The Girl, of Lyonesse, and I just love it. Verdict: do I really need yet another The Girl dupe? No. But it's not a straight dupe, it's a unisex dupe, so that's fine, right? Right? Right?

In bottle: well, definitely spiced tea. It smells anise-y to me, which brings the Chinese medicine shop to mind. Not quite something I would like to smell like. I'm trying to get the other notes, but the anise gets in the way for me. Am I going to regret skin-testing this? Wet on skin: At first the anise went away, but it came back. I can smell cinnamon now, too, which helps balance out the anise a bit. I wish I could get the leather or labdanum notes, but I can't. Dry: this has morphed into an anise and friends scent dry on my skin. It's not quite as bad as medicine-shop-anise, thankfully; the rest of the spices come into play, and perhaps I'm getting a bit more of the lavender and labdanum -- there is an almost creamy undertone to it now. Verdict this blend is certainly something that comes out of the Phoenix Steamworks line, and super interesting to smell, but alas, not for me to wear. Surprisingly better than what I expected based on the anise, though!

In bottle: I really like the bottle scent. It's a delicate, sweet white floral, very well blended. Soft, comforting, if a bit cool. And dare I say it, also the barest hint of menace? Those "black" notes, along with the labdanum, are providing that hint of teeth. I am already heartbroken. While white rose is one of the better roses for my skin chemistry, I think I only have like a 30% chance of this working on my skin. Wet on skin: UNFFF. This is so pretty. So very pretty. Stays true to the bottle scent. As it dries, I am starting to get the powder, a bit restrained, but we will see. Please don't ruin this for me. In the meantime, testing this alongside Phasmophobia and Victoria, which feel like similar blends based on my hazy memory. Dry: oh my lord. While dry on my skin, the scent is fairly dusty and doesn't have the almost-tartness of the bottle scent, nevertheless it dries down to this gorgeous white floral that is very wearable. The rest of the scent stays fairly true, with a little more creaminess thanks to the tonka. (And if anyone's curious, Phasmophobia is colder and "greener" because of the calla lilies, and Victoria is more delicate and...also dustier on my skin.) Verdict: holy cow, why did I wait so long to test this? Keeper.

In bottle: green citrus blend. It's a bright, cheerful scent: I'm getting the citruses in equal measure, followed by the stems, all wrapped up in the lavender and narcissus. The lavender in particular isn't the sharp herbal lavender, so it plays really well with the rest of the notes. Wet on skin: the citruses and narcissus kind of amp up on my skin, almost fighting for dominance. The result is a bit of a heady cacophony, and makes it difficult to keep sniffing...a little more of this and I'd probably get a headache. And it reminds me of the reasons why I don't particularly like mainstream commercial perfume. Dry: all the citruses have run off, and it's actually a very pleasant cold yellow floral sort of scent. I like this final stage very much--low throw, stays close to skin, but very clean, very fresh, very cheering sort of blend. The benzoin and musk definitely come in and cream and soften the scent up a fair amount, but that pleasing brightness is still there, mostly lavender that is yellow-tinged. About an hour on, what's left is a pleasant clean floral. Verdict: I am quite in love with the final stage of this scent, but I do have a few similar-feel blends and the wet stage just almost scared me off. I can envision myself thinking "why in the world did I keep this" every time I put it on. While I don't mind it staying around, I can afford to let this one go.

In bottle: wow, juicy, yummy peach. I suddenly have this almost intense craving for a peach! The amber, myrrh, and ho wood is a beautiful backdrop against this super juicy peach note, but this almost is like peach single note. Wet on skin: stays fairly true to bottle, so much that at one point, I felt that the peach is way too overpowering for my tastes. However, it does seem to be taking a few steps back as it dries, letting the resins move up more and grounding the scent out. I don't usually like fruity scents, but this is rather promising as something I could wear. Dry: dry, this is a pleasant peach incense kind of blend, the peach and the incense and resins in fairly equal measure. It's definitely a fruity-sweet blend: the peach doesn't lose its juicy tone, but the incense and woods do provide a pleasing backdrop and balancing the scent out. Verdict: I so wanted to love this, but alas, I'm not really ever going to be wearing this. If you do like peach and incense, though, this is the perfect blend.

In bottle: green, like cut grass, and one of the mosses, I think. Oakmoss? Spanish moss? There is a very pleasant sort of full-bodied green-ness to this; the first hit is sharp cut-grass, but while I'm getting more and more nostrilfuls of this scent, it's almost gone full aquatic. Wet on skin: there's definitely a moss in there somewhere. The cut-grass note is gone on my skin, leaving behind a pleasantly creamy green note, with a delicate aquatic floral feel. There is some powder also making its entrance, on a faintly resinous background. I'm racking my brains where the powder could be coming from. White musk, are you there? Dry: this scent stays fairly true throughout its drydown phase. The powder isn't overwhelming, so it's very wearable on me; I know some reviews have mentioned green musk, but I don't know for sure if my skin has the same reaction to the lab's green musk note as with white musk. Stays quite close to skin, low throw, but with that beautiful green-ness brightening it up somewhat, supported by the moss. Verdict: to be honest, if I was actually smelling/testing this when I actually got it from my fairy, I would probably give this a pass. I have quite a few mossy blends (six! at the moment) and I shouldn't need more, but this is so lovely that I can't give this up without some kind of deathmatch with the rest of my mossy keepers.

In bottle: white, cold floral. it's fairly faint, very well-blended, ethereal. Wet on skin: oooh, this is so nice! Those lilies are just amazing. It's a cool, ethereal scent. However, it's turning very quickly powdery on me, and I am staring at you, snow rose. Please don't ruin this scent for me. It's definitely a very icy scent, without going full-on snow. I think this is something that can pass for a Yule scent. Dry: the cold white florals are still around! Hurrah. I still need to wait for a while though, as the rose note HAS turned to powder, and there's a danger it will just completely overwhelm the scent. But regardless, the beautiful delicate flowers are just so damn lovely and pleasing, that yes, even the powderiness that has come on to the scent just adds to the charm. After about an hour, the powder has retreated, and the beautiful florals are still around: win! Stays close to skin, but absolutely beautiful. Verdict: oh yes. Yes to all of this. Do I need yet another wintry scent? No, but this is ghosts, not snow so into my collection it goes.

In bottle: creamy lemon. Not quite foody, but there is a hint of that. So lovely! Wet on skin: the musk comes out very nicely, kind of easing out and softening the bergamot a bit more, and making it less foody-lemon in feel. The white musk is the powdery sort, without the oily note that some of the lab's white musks give me. This is such a lovely, bright but comfortable scent. Dry: huh, where has it gone? It's not yet 20 minutes, but it's almost all gone on my skin. I get a teensy bit of sandalwood--perhaps. About an hour on, even that seems gone, but I have a sort of generic soapy scent left. Verdict: I was dreading this turning into a keeper, because the bottle and wet scent is just amazing. Alas, my skin chemistry seems to be friends with my wallet, so I can let this one go.

In bottle: myrrh and ambergris, I think. It's lovely: white, but warm with that delicious resinous undertone. Wet on skin: ...where did it go? It almost completely disappears on my skin. The only thing left is the immortelle, for some reason. As it dries, it starts to get a bit resinous--but it has very, very low throw on me. The very little I can actually smell is lovely. Dry: Weirdly, the throw improves in the dry period. It's definitely warm, comforting resins, not a white scent anymore but a very snuggly and comfortable brown. Verdict: love the scent, and I don't think I have a specifically resinous blend in my keepers, but I'm not quite sure how often I'd be using this (not really a resins person), plus I will be in so much danger of over-applying due to the nonexistent throw in its wet phase. Pass.

A celestial hymn, singing to Earth from fifty light years away: ten billion-trillion-trillion-carats of glittering white musk, with cognac, tagetes, white champaca, Gum Arabic, and davana. In bottle: this is a super white blend for me -- one sniff without looking up the notes (it's been a while) and I knew there was white musk. I can get the cognac feel, and davana. I'm hopeful, but I wouldn't be surprised if this turns a bit on me...it has a bit of an old-timey, oily scent. We'll see. Wet on skin: Lightens up considerably, I think this would be the tagetes I'm smelling. It's definitely celestial, white, starry. It's getting slightly powdery as it dries down, but it remains fairly celestial and bright. I am liking this very much, but wary about that powder. I'm also trying to figure out where it fits in my bottles... Dry: dry, that oily white musk drydown is just nagging at me, behind the beautiful sweet white floral notes and starriness of the whole blend, though it's more subdued and soft in this stage. The powder remains in check, and does give that soft tone which is fairly pleasing and almost snuggly. Verdict: I think, if I didn't have enough white florals in my collection, and I was new at this whole thing, I might go for this blend. I do love how both soft and starry it is, but it doesn't make as much sense to keep it with the rest of my collection.

In decant: the first thing that went into my head when I sniffed this is the word "confusing". It's tamarind, but instead of feeling tropical, it's more of a "cool" tamarind. There are hints of the creamy tonka as well. Wet on skin: there's still the somewhat sour tamarind, but then something very sweet comes out, almost foody-sweet. No, rather, juicy-sweet, giving this a definitely fruity vibe, with the creamy tonka underpinning it all. There are hints of patchouli coming out at this phase as well. Dry: tamarind and fig, with creamy, very creamy tonka and amber. There's a hint of dirtiness from the patchouli now to spice it up, and as it stays longer on my skin the patchouli gets this earthier, dirt-ier quality to it. Well blended and lovely. Verdict: though it's a lovely blend, I've never really worn fruity blends, so this is a pass for me.

In the bottle: cedar and honey. It's dark, yes, but with a sharp edge to it. Wet on skin: it's softer, a bit cuddlier, but still dark and...I'm not sure, almost comforting> The topmost notes are still cedar and honey, and there is an almost foody benzoin coming up at this phase. Dry: mostly sweet cedar, with a soft, cuddly musk. The benzoin, recedes--not that it was very apparent in the first place, to give this an almost brittle feel, somewhat powdery but not quite. If I look for the benzoin, I can get to it, but it's really more of a background scent to hold up the rest. At some points it feels incensey as well. Verdict: I really wanted to like this, and tested a few times as the bottle ages, but ultimately not for me. It's a very lovely cedar scent but I'm not a cedar girl and the brittleness/lack of benzoin was the nail in the coffin.

In the bottle: lovely vanilla and hazelnut scent, with the patchouli and leather to ground it out. It's interesting how they are all well blended together but still definable to my nose. The patchouli here is earthy, but not dirty or overwhelming. Wet on skin: very warm, almost creamy, and somewhat foody on first whiff. It's almost chocolatey, that vanilla and hazelnut combo, and makes me think of Nutella though it's been a long time since I've had Nutella, so probably not. As it dries, the patchouli starts to come up and edges this scent towards the not-foody spectrum, giving this a kind of resinous quality instead of foody. I'm really liking this. Dry: amazing, it's creamy and vanilla-ey and resinous and patchouli-ey and they all come together into an amazing sensual scent. This is right in the sexytimes category for me, along with Underpants, Glowing Vulva, and Blossoms in Springtime. Makes me wonder exactly what kind of goblin sack we are talking about here...ahem. Verdict: I'm not entirely sure if this has a definable slot in my keeper list, since I already have a lot of sensual blends (as above) that don't really see a lot of showtime. But it makes me all grabby anyway. But I'm definitely keen to see how this ages and how it might differentiate itself from the rest when aged.

In bottle: old fashioned vintage musk. There is a floral note in here, but I cant really pinpoint what kind--and a prominent note for me is a kind of oatmeally note, or at least that's what the scent smells like for me. Wet on skin: musk, a deep and low floral note, and oatmeal. It's really weird, I keep trying to think of what other notes this has for me, but I always just keep going back to oatmeal. It melts into my skin, gets faint as it dries. It's nice, if simple; I'd probably want to test this against the RPG line's Neutral and see where that goes. Dry: this really melds with one's scent, I think, and reminds me of how Buck Moon felt like on me. I suppose, given that the primary note here is musk, that should be expected--to really interact with your own skin chemstry. On me, this is very understated, but not "faint". Instead of the oatmeal note, I'm getting a hint of coffee instead. Go figure--just be prepared for a foodie note of some sort, I suppose? Verdict: this is something that I think everyone needs to try out on their skin first. It's not drastically different on my skin versus the bottle scent, but it's different enough; when I sniffed the bottle quite a few days after, I wondered why I even thought of retesting, it is quite far from what I like to wear. Now that I'm rewriting this review, I think I should go and do another skin test, and decide from there.

In bottle: soapy-clean skin with a good dusting of powder, a hint of green and a hint of juicy berry. The powder-on-skin is definitely the first thing that comes to my mind here. Wet on skin: soapy, powdery, pleasant. What I wasn't expecting: a definite floral feeling. It's a kind of generic soapy-floral scent, I can't quite pinpoint what it is. I'm getting sweet greens and a hint of berry, overlaid with a good dusting of baby powder. Dry: soapy, powdery skin, after rolling about in sweet floral grass (sans the obligatory baby sweat and dirt). This is very pleasant and inoffensive, a scent that you'd love to smell on a baby, makes you want to nuzzle and cuddle and read stories aloud. It's not a particular babyish scent for me though, or a childlike one; I can see a grown-up wearing this as a kind of everyday scent. Verdict: it is definitely pleasant and I like how it smells, but something this powdery isn't my cup of tea, even if it does smell like amazing amazing powder.

In bottle: herbs and pickles! Definitely masculine, even if it's a "kitchen" smell. Maybe it's the slightly astringent tone this has. This is actually kind of nice, but I don't know if I'd expect this as a perfume on anyone. Wet on skin: it's a very comfortable scent, but yes, I don't think id expect this as perfume on anyone, though it smells quite pleasant. This is like coming into the kitchen and then hugging the cook and smelling this comforting cloud of amazing, yummy scents after they've been cooking for a while. It's not foody, but it's...that way. (It softens a tiny bit.) Dry: the pickles die down a bit and lets the herbs come out more. I don't really know how the mouse fur would smell like, and I can convince myself I get a furry feeling from this, but that's only because I'm looking for it. I wouldn't call this scent particularly fuzzy. Maybe fuzzy in a cuddly, comforting kind of way, not in a brown musk way. Verdict: like all of Beth's blends this is an amazing experience, but you'll probably either LOVE it or scratch your head and wonder if anyone would wear this on purpose. I'm leaning towards the latter.

In bottle: this isn't as over the top as I was expecting; to me this feels a lot more stately, full of old-fashioned grandeur. I'm not sure which floral note is strongest, but my initial impression was gardenia. Wet on skin: a lot more floral once on my skin--yes, I can see where "over the top" is coming from. There's also a slight powderiness to round things out, which is in keeping with the old-fashioned feel of this perfume. I've seen reviews that call for smoke, but this is really more like powder than smoke for me. Dry: once dry, in addition to that stately, old-fashioned, expensive powder, there's an additional soapy tinge to this, although it may just be scent association for a lot of floral notes. It's generally the same as the wet phase, if a little softer, a little soapier. Verdict: nope, this isn't for me. It's an interesting scent and thankfully it isn't beating those notes incessantly into my nostrils, but I wouldn't wear something this floral.

In decant: patchouli, sharp; vanilla, sweet. In that order. The vanilla is lovely, the sort of vanilla that reminds me of Celeste. If it wasn't for the amazing reviews on this blend, I might pass on skin testing this one, to be honest, because the patchouli is quite prominent. Wet on skin: this is Celeste with patchouli. The vanilla really is quite lovely. At this stage, I almost want to get this one, just because of that vanilla--it's that amazing. But yes, like all other reviews before me, this is predominantly a patch blend. A peppery, dirty patchouli. It IS very lovely-smelling but not something I would wear. Dry: patchouli, sweetened slightly by the honey and vanilla amber. The "dirt" feel to the patchouli is still there. It's very lovely, and it's not for me, although as time goes on the patchouli is growing on me...and thirty minutes on, I CAN'T SING ENOUGH PRAISES OF THIS BLEND. This is one of the most beautiful vanilla ambers I have ever smelled, and the patchouli is soft (while still retaining a "dirty" tinge to it) while giving this blend a definitive "kick" out of the too-smooth vanilla amber range. Its soft and sweet and absolutely fabulous. Verdict: this was a bit of a surprise. After some discussion with a bunch of forumites I decided that if I couldn't test the Lupers before they go down, I wasn't going to turn this into a bottle buy, because patchouli and me don't usually go together. But I've been won over, completely. This is an amazing, amazing blend; and it's testament to Beth's skill to make something so not-me on paper turn out to be something I just have to have.

In the decant: ooh! Lovely, cool, juicy floral. This is very light and almost playful, I am loving this right from the decant. Wet on skin: this is a really lovely floral: is that a mix of mimosa and jasmine? It's light-feeling, almost white; a very gentle floral but with a bit of presence. I can't really pinpoint the amber or the benzoin, but I am assuming it's adding to that presence and supporting the floral notes which would otherwise be lost. Dry: oh drat. That orris root ruined it for me--I'm definitely getting that grandmothery orris now that it's dry, and then that lovely, beautiful airy floral. If orris plays nice with you this shouldn't be a problem. Verdict: I was quite disappointed with the orris in this blend; I really liked it and was hoping for a win here, right from the get-go.

In decant: I'm getting lavender and balsam, a bit sharp and "perfumey". Wet on skin: lavender, balsam, and that paperwhite narcissus. I think the violet is giving this a softer tone, almost an orris-y feel. The lavender is pretty sharp to my nose, although it does soften as it dries. I think the narcissus is turning a touch powdery as well, as I'm getting it more and more the longer it stays on my skin. Dry: this one dries into an orris-y violet and lots of powder. Well, okay, there's a sliver of lavender, but other than that...where has everything gone? Verdict: well, definitely not for me.

In the vial: lavender, opium, and orchid. Color impression is a mix of deep and bright oranges, blended but distinct. Wet on skin: the lavender softens immediately, and the black orchid shines through better. The patchouli and opium are subdued, gentle, really a support for the other two notes. There's a green feeling to this...probably contributed to by the combination of lavender and patchouli. This is a unique kind of lavender...a full bodied but gentle lavender. Soothing. Dry: lavender, smoky orchid, and languorous opium tar. This is...sultry, like that previous review said. It feels a bit odd to have a sultry, languorous lavender scent, but this is it, in spades. The patchouli is present, and noticeable (there are times there's a dirt note coming through) but it's just a hint of a note, an undercurrent of character in this scent Verdict: a clean, sultry and fabulous deep lavender scent. I AM SO THERE.

In the vial: rose otto, spicy canation, and sharp lavender. A rather classic-feeling floral. Wet on skin: the first whiff is sharp lavender, followed quickly by powder. Hello rose, I'm sorry to see you go so quickly. The lavender does soften immediately, and through the overwhelming powder I can also get some gentle, lovely jasmine scent. Under all of that is a beautiful base of white must and an almost creamy golden amber. Dry: powder and lavender, in that order, and an odd sour note that comes and goes, but is almost always around. I'm not entirely sure what's causing it, as I haven't gotten this scent from jasmine in the past, nor from carnation. It's a bit off-putting. Verdict: unfortunately, the rose otto just ruins this scent for me, what with its reaction to my skin chemistry. Not to mention that sour note that developed when dry.

In the vial: a light, slightly powdery floral; a powdery lilac, dainty white flowers, and a pleasant sharpness from the ozone. This is quite pretty. Wet on skin: ooh, this is very lovely. It's a cool white floral, "luminous" is just apt. This is in the same family as Enchanted Wood Florist and The Unicorn--the same light ethereal scent with a pleasant sweetness. Dry: this doesn't change too much from the wet scent. It's a very, very lovely luminous scent, gentle soft flowers with a dusting of musk. The lilac is giving it that powdery feel which isn't altogether unpleasant here. Verdict: when I bought the current decant, I had forgotten that I had the earlier version in my untested imp boxes. I tested that after this, since due to the notes being the same, the earlier version would be a clue to how this blend ages. I loved this newer one very much, while the earlier one is stronger on the lilac...which means a lot more powder on my skin, when dry. It had a slightly soapy feel to it as well. Because of this, I decided it would be a pass on me. Too bad.

In bottle: this is almost cologney at first--the flowers are sweet and sharp, rather heady. I can't pinpoint specific notes. Wet on skin: this becomes a slightly sweet-spicy floral, cool and almost minty, definitely cooler than in the bottle. It's very beautiful and elegant, ladylike with a touch of sensuous woman. The ambers and sandalwood ground the high florals very beautifully, and give it a softness that wasn't apparent when sniffing from the bottle. Dry: once dry, it's developed a powdery quality that is rather pleasant--expensive, luxurious powder scent. It sticks fairly close to the skin, and after a while even that powdery quality recedes and this remains a beautiful, resinous womanly scent, soft florals and gentle amber. Verdict: I tested this about three times--I keep trying to resist this blend but I can't. stop. sniffing. my. wrist. when I have this on. So I've given in to the inevitable.

In the tester: dusty, musky, and brown with a bit of sweetness. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what I'm smelling here, it's very well blended. Pleasant, comforting. (Note that this looks like a faily aged tester.) Wet on skin: wow, that disappeared quickly on my skin. I'm needing to pull hard to get anything newly applies, but it seems to bloom as it dries. It's very soft and faint newly on, but I can definitely get some leather. It's somewhat "dusty" or incensey, and sticks to the "brown" feeling--a brown, woodsy leather. I don't know if it's a matter of this being fairly aged but it's taking a while to dry on my skin. Dry: ...and as it dries, it gets stronger and lovelier, in my opinion. A sweetness that wasn't there in the earlier stages has come out, plus a kind of coolness that I am attributing to the pine--that pine coolness is probably supporting the sweetness I'm getting a lot better than when it wasn't around. I don't have my bottle of Buck Moon to compare against now, but this kind of reminded me of that, and if memory serves, this is sweeter and more complex than Buck Moon, though it has the same "brown" comforting feel to it. It's still a masculine-leaning blend because of the woodsy leather, but that sweetness and coolness slide it closer to unisex territory. Verdict: this is amazing. I really, really like it, just like I really liked Buck Moon, and I think I have more chances of wearing this than Buck Moon. However, it's crazy rare and I do have some leather blends I like fairly well without having to go hunting for this one.