Voleuse

This is both sweet and musty on me--a little bit like fruity gum, a lot like fancy soap. It's a nice floral smell, but generic on me. Off to swaps!

Hmm. I can see how this scent can get mixed reviews. On first application, it's a very strong but light scent. I definitely get a rain note, but there's a boggy, drowned herbal note that almost overpowers the rain. It's perfectly matched to its name--wet and dark and evocative. For me, it's not a comfortable scent to wear, but it's definitely note-perfect in tone.

On first application, this is heady and dark wine, sweet and definitely intoxicating. After a minute, the blend warms, and the musk comes into play, creating an overlying haze that isn't overpowering. Wow! As it dries, the blend doesn't morph at all, but I begin to detect the floral notes in the background. They're not strong, but there is a bit of petal-softness there. Alas, I never smell the leather at all. Aside from that, however, this is an entrancing scent, and definitely a sexy one.

I get sweet pear on first application, and to my nose, it's slightly boozy. Wow! After a minute, the rose kicks in, keeping the pear from turning too cloying. This is lovely, light and sweet, but also very cool. Yum.

This is amazingly beautiful floral on first application, sweet and light and cool. I can smell jasmine, rose, lily, but everything is perfectly intertwined. I love it!

This is very "perfumey" to my nose, a dense floral musk. As it dries, it unravels a little, and I can detect the incense and neroli individually. After a while, the musk becomes...not feral, but something a little too close to the skin, to my nose. It overpowers the other notes, and it isn't pleasant. Off to swaps!

This is what I expected Snake Oil to smell like, halfway between Bengal and Smut, to my nose. The vanilla musk hits me first, but there's heavy dollop of spice around it, sweet and enticing. Wow! As it dries, the scent warms--the effect of the amber--and the sweetness fades. If I concentrate, I can smell the teensiest bit of plum, but it's very faint. Overall, though, it's a gorgeous scent.

This is a really foody scent on first sniff, my first sniff reminding me of a bakery, sweet butter and vanilla-tinted richness. Actually, it reminds me of Sugar Cookie, but without the plastic I inevitably end up with. As it dries, I get a note of cocoa from Storyville, as well as a hint of something boozy. There's also a hint of the musk, a little reminiscent of Smut. It doesn't smell sexy to me, but seductive, definitely. The scent doesn't morph on me over time, it simply fades beautifully, gradually, ending up a bit like Devil's Night, except with less smoke. Yum! If this was a GC scent, I'd buy a bottle. As a rarity, I'm a little relieved this isn't a MUST HAVE OMG scent for me.

Oh, gorgeous. Peppermint and a hint of chocolate, coconut and chilly vanilla chasing it down. After a minute, the warmth of the rum kicks in, but it's quite faint. This is delicious, holiday cookies and snow and laughter. The peppermint is dominant on me, but the rest is happy chaos in the background. I'm going to hoard my imp, I think.

Wow, resin. This is stark and smoky incense on me, full stop. As it dries, I get more of the wood note others have mentioned, something that lists towards pine sap. It smells very masculine to me. After a while, I get a bit of a floral-like note as well, but it's strongly obscured by the smoke. Overall, it ends up being a compelling forest scent. Lovely.

On first sniff, this is a gentle and powdery scent, sweet verging on incense. As it dries, the sweetness becomes earthier--is there patchouli, perhaps? And a cinnamon-like spice, I think. I get a musk note from this as well, but it's not very strong. Overall, this is a sexy and subtle blend, with just the hint of foodiness to it. Gorgeous.

Wow, leather. This isn't the headache-inducing (for me) leather of De Sade, however. This is warm, worn, brown leather, distilled into a scent. It's a comfortable scent, though sadly it fades quickly on me. Otherwise, I really like it.

So many notes! On first application, however, this strikes me as fairly simple: plum and warm spice. As it dries, it mellows to a sweet, warm smell with faint plum overtones. It's nice, but not at all what I would have hoped for, given the description. Darn chemistry.

As with Queen of Spades, this ends up being a milder blend than I would have guessed. There's a hint of vetiver in the background, enough to signal this as a masculine scent. For the most part, however, I get plum and vanilla and coconut. The plum is the dominant note, with the vanilla and coconut lending a rounder sweetness to the blend. There's a bit of musk as well, and I think it softens the vetiver. Overall, I like the scent, but given the description, I did want more from it. Ah, well.

2005 Version On first application, this is a greenish floral, but after a second, I get a strong jasminey floral note. It's pretty and sweet and fresh. It's a little sneeze-inducing, but that just adds to the spring feel of the blend. Everything is blooming and alive, sunshine raining down. I feel happier wearing it. 2006 Version Oh, pretty! But in an entirely different manner than the previous incarnation of Beltane. On first application, I get fruit instead of floral notes, sweet and round. As it dries, I get a bit of pollen-floral at the edges, but the fruit stays predominant on me. I also get a milky note in the background, which is surprising, but works very well. To my nose, this is still spring, but spring in twilight. The clouds are larger, the sun is dimming, but it's still balmy and warm. I like 2006 better than 2005, though both are lovely.

On first sniff, this is white musk and citrus, subtle but compelling. After a minute, I can smell the lilac. The scent is a halo, dim light in the evening and hooves against cobblestone. Lovely. I'd describe as gender-neutral, but I think it could be a gentleman's scent quite easily.

On first application, this is a cool aquatic floral, refreshing and sweet. Though I'm not familiar with the floral notes, it does evoke the exact image in the description--a flutter of petals, floating down the river in the evening light. It's a clean, very fresh blend. Definitely something to wear during the summer.

The honey in this blend is very strong, but it's not super-sweet. Instead, it's a golden floral, with a pop of sweet wine behind it. Lovely! I'm not the biggest honey fan, but something about this blend is very appealing and comforting to me. To compare, I like Honey Moon a little better, but Athens is almost as good, and GC to boot!

This is sweet lemon on first application, tart and overlaid by florals. As it dries, the wood and greenery blooms over the lemon, wrapping around it, but never overwhelming it. As it dries, the blend sweetens, but there's a musty aspect to it, like it's swathed in velvet. It's still fresh, however, and the florals are beautifully complex. Definitely a keeper.

On first application, this is bright and sweet. There's a creamy note that somehow edges towards metallic, and I can just barely smell the fruits. As it dries, the ozone in the blend stands out sharply, though it's tempered by the cherry. This is a fascinating scent, because it never quite settles on me. Instead, it flips between ozone and floral, cream and metal. Neat!

I was expecting to have yet another grinding day of work, so I dabbed my wrists and throat with Lionheart. Scent-wise, this is a warm, outdoorsy scent. There's a lot of green in it, and a floral that reminds of lavender, but it isn't. Is it heliotrope? Like others have mentioned, it is reminiscent of a sunlit day, and there's a round amber-ish note that lends a cleansing aspect to the scent. It could easily turn to soap on some, but luckily my chemistry didn't turn on me here. In terms of effect, this blend helped me focus tremendously. The paperwork didn't get better, but I was able to dispatch it quickly enough, and with minimal grumpiness. Yay!

This is fascinating. On first sniff, it's char and moss and the moon seeping through branches overhead. There's dirt underneath it, and bugs scuttling nearby. This is a gorgeous forest scent, but unlike any of the other forest scents I've tried so far. This is ancient and cool and sleeping. Beautiful.

The lime pops out first with this scent, the tart coolness of lime sherbet. It's quickly washed by sweet lotus, but never overpowered by it. As it dries, I catch hints of the jasmine, but I don't think I get any tuberose. This is a fascinating blend--it never quite balances on me, but instead teeters back and forth between the lime and the white florals.

Oh, this is pretty. A sweet and feminine floral, fresh and soft. The lilies are lush and dripping sunlight, and the honey lends everything a lovely glow. Definitely a must-have for lily lovers.

On first sniff, this strikes me as an old-fashioned sort of floral. The rose is strong and green, and actually quite dignified. There's a bit of resin (or something like that) rounding the scent, but the scent is a very womanly one. As the scent dries, the orchid starts to sneak in and out, lending a sharper note to the mix. On the whole, however, this stays a solemn rose on me.