moon_lemming

When I opened my imp of Silk Road, a scent hit me that reminded me of my grandma's house. Not the one who smokes -- the one who does crafty things and whose house always smells like some good smelling ... herb? Flower? I've never figured out what it is. I guess the note list for this oil isn't really going to help me, huh? On me, there's a huge whiff of lemon, along with something green and herbal. Sounds like it would smell like lemon cleaner, but it doesn't. There's some sort of wood or resin keeping it from going that route. Also, after about ten minutes, I notice some cinnamon in there. The lemon fades back as the cinnamon moves up. Finally it becomes a mix of cinnamon and herbs and spices, so well blended that I can only pick out the cinnamon, with a teensy drop of lemon in the background. Very warm and sunny. Wow, this smells really good. Not much throw, but it makes a good "skin scent," I think. The cinnamon is making the spot where I applied the oil itch and turn red, but I'm not usually this sensitive to it, so I think I might retry it when my skin's not so dry. Totally worth it.

Hey now, Tamora isn't supposed to like me! But she does! What's up with that, Tamora? In the imp, this blend is peachy floral sweetness. On me, IT ACTUALLY STAYS PEACHY. This deserves caps because it's very rare. The vanilla is there, but not overwhelming, and the amber is light enough that it doesn't turn to powder on me. I think the sandalwood, which usually amps on me but stays calm in Tamora, balances it nicely, keeping the blend from going too sweet. For about five minutes there's an unpleasant Sweet-Tart tinge in the background, but it fades leaving a nice spicy warm peachy scent, almost cobbler but not quite. My only issue is that it's almost too light, but what's a little slathering when you find a blend this tasty?

A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. Szepasszony (I love that name) is a beautiful perfume in the imp: clean and bright and light with a hint of florals. On me, one floral amps a little too much ... it smells a little like gardenia, maybe? Except not as heavy. I'm not sure what it is, but it's not BAD in the least, just stronger than anything else. The clean aquatic scent becomes background to it. I'm not sure if I would wear it enough to buy a bottle, as I'm not a floral girl, but it is very pretty, and I imagine it would be a lovely scent to wear when spring is peeking around the corner. eta: I accidentally tested this again, a few years later, and I have to say it is thisclose to a BPAL version of Clinique Happy.

Well, I don't think there's any doubt that the main note in Somnus is lavender. It's a little sharp on me -- I'm not sure why, as lavender is usually strong and floral on me, but not sharp like this. I'll wait and see if it settles before making a final judgment, though. Nope: sadly, the sharpness doesn't go away. A few people have mentioned jasmine, and they're probably right; Somnus is doing the Jasmine Thang I try so hard to avoid. The sharpness is making my eye twitch. I am starting to get sleepy, strangely; it is true that that's sort of my natural state during the day, but I thought I was pretty well rested today. However, I think I'll try TKO for a good sleep blend, since I usually like my lavender mellowed with a good vanilla, anyway.

Holy ... those are some strong spices. I took a deep whiff of Sheba from the imp, to make sure I got the almonds, and wow, spices. Yeah. The scent description says "a whisper of African and Middle Eastern spices," but this is really more of a hoarse shout. I think maybe the spices include something that amps like crazy on my skin. The almonds are there, yes, but the spices almost form a visible cloud a foot around my wrist. This would all be well and fine, except whatever my skin is amping is making me smell like food. Savory cookies or spiced roasted almonds or something like that. The weird thing is that, after about half an hour or so, Queen of Sheba smells very, very good. Sexy, warm, and smooth, with a little spice. I just don't think I'd be able wait out that strong savory scent on a regular basis to get to this point. Well, this was definitely a learning experience. I'm not sure what I learned, but ... I'm sure there was a lesson in there somewhere.

Ooookay. Now, I love rose and lemon together (Bess is one of my top five GCs), so I thought "PLUS APPLE? Wo0t indeed." And promptly obtained an imp. I saved this one for near the end of my testing, because I thought I would, without fail, love it. Then I put it on my skin. Oh man. You know that really sharp, kind of powdery smell that you get when a floral hates your skin? That's what showed up. At first I thought the imp had been mislabeled, so I went to the imp for a sniff test. Nope, in the imp it's definitely got a lemon bite, and apple goodness, and not-horrible rose. I guess the rose in this blend is just one of those Lab rose notes that doesn't work on me. After it's dry, Delirium is actually okay, although all I can smell is that powdery rose and a tiny bit of lemon. It's no Bess, that's for sure.

Amber always turns to powder on me. Which would be good except powdery scents don't really work for me. Why, then, would I try a blend with not one amber note, but FIVE AMBERS? Good question. I guess I thought the carnation, which I love, would balance it out. Unfortunately, I can't even find the carnation amidst the powdery fog surrounding my wrist. The florals probably don't help much. Oh well, it was an interesting experiment.

HA. Wet: Wait, there's something in here aside from cherries? Er ... wait, that's almond, right? I know some people get a cherry feel from almond blends, even though I haven't until now. Dry: Wait, there's something in here aside from cloves? *shakes fist* CLOOOOOOVES! Stupid cloves. I LOVE using cloves when cooking and making pomanders, but can't wear blends that contain it, because it amps to a degree that it covers up everything else. The clove note in Port-Au-Prince is no exception.

Yum. Juicy black cherries in the imp. Very juicy, very sweet. It's the same wet--at first--but then the currant sweetens it up too much on me, making this oil smell a little like cough syrup. About three minutes in, the woods arrive. Luckily, they don't come on too strong, as is their wont. On my skin, dry, Her Majesty smells like cedar with a faintly fruity backdrop. Interesting. Not really my thing, but interesting (in a good way) nonetheless.

I sort of dreaded reviewing Bearded Lily because of the star jasmine. Turns out, it's not so bad. As a matter of fact, it's not so ANYTHING. I can barely smell it after it hits my skin. If I concentrate, I can make out a teensy bit of honeysuckle and something detergenty that I think is the lily. Oh, wait, there we go. It's strengthening as it's drying. Yep, powdered detergent. Oh florals.

House of Mirrors is pretty! It's a feminine perfume-y "white" floral -- though really it leans more toward aquatic than floral -- that reminds me a little bit of a drugstore perfume I used to wear when I was a teenager. In a good way! I don't know that it's something I'd reach for crazy often, as I don't normally gravitate to the more perfume-y BPAL oils, but it's definitely bottle-worthy.

This will be short and sweet (ha!): wet, Creepy is a juicy apple dripping with homemade caramel. Dry on me, it's butterscotch pudding. Sometimes the butter pops a little more than anything else, but most of the time it's just yummy butterscotch pudding. I really wish I'd gotten a bottle. It's perfect for foody days.

In the imp, The Death of Sardanapal was so super sweet that I almost didn't put it on. I wrote it off pretty fast. On me, the lemongrass and honey are just about the only things I can smell. It's like a honey straw has been flavored with lemon. Normally this would be a good thing -- I love honey, I love lemon -- but there's something lurking underneath that makes me wrinkle my nose a bit. Maybe the myrrh, maybe the cassia. I'm not sure. It's something that smells a little bit scratchy and sour and just ruins the blend for me.

Aye. This was the scent I expected to love the most out of the first Salon exhibit, and it does not disappoint. First, let me admit: I have no idea what half of the notes listed in Satan and Death smell like. Thanks to wikipedia, I now know that "King Solomon allegedly regarded the opoponax as the noblest of incense gums," though. So there's that. All I can do is say what I smell in general terms, since I'm not familiar with the specifics here. In the imp and wet, Satan and Death struck me as a sweet white tea-based scent, refreshing without being nose-piercing. On me, dry, there's still the white tea base, perked up by the orange blossom -- which turns to something resembling a soft lemon on me -- and something that reminds me of cinnamon. I love it. It's definitely the hit of Exhibit I for me (so far).

Oh noes, pepper! I must have ordered this before I realized that I hate pepper in bath and body products. The woods are . . . very woody. In the imp, Carceri d'Invenzione smells almost fruity, but feral. On me, whatever I thought was fruity is gone, and the woods come on strong. The frankincense keeps up its end of the scent chain, and the pepper unfortunately shows up as well. I'm not exactly sure why I ordered this, honestly -- this blend is so not me. It fades quickly during wear, but is still way too agressive of a scent for me. Plus, you know, pepper.

In the imp, Lucretia smells like a soft, feminine, powdery perfume. Like an expensive perfume. It smells the same wet. I honestly cannot pick out any notes aside from a general "amber" scent. Dry, the vanilla pops a little, and I can smell the familiar soapy scent of the violet; I think I smell the wood, too, but it's not an overpowering note like most woods are on me. Something -- I think it's the iris -- is doing that floral/detergent thing, which puts Lucretia just over the edge of being too sharp for me. If it wasn't for that, this would be the perfect "feminine" perfume. It's lovely underneath the hint of detergent. eta: Yes, that's definitely the Kashmir wood peeking through. Wow, the wood mixed with the vanilla musk is gorgeous. If only it weren't for that darn meddling iris! *shakes fist*

In the bottle, this is a pretty, bright, clean-smelling herbal scent with a touch of floral goodness. I love it. On me, one of the flowers -- who knows which one, they pretty much all keel me ded -- amps up a little bit, but not so much that I want to hose myself down. As it dries, Orpheous stays sweet and bright; there's a touch of astrigency, but it's not bad. This is what F5 would smell like if we didn't already have an F5.

This was a maybe for me, as far as whether it would work or not. Half of the notes hate my skin, half of them want to make out with it. In the imp, it's a very complex blend that gives off a bit of an incense vibe -- that's probly the myrrh and sandalwood. As it dries, it seems a little "dryer" to my nose, more powdery than before. I can sort of pick out the sandalwood and something that seems musky, but really it's too well-blended for my nose to pick much out. It's a pretty blend that goes well with the artwork, but it's a little too incense-y for me to pull it off. eta: Weirdly, even though the oil on my skin is "dry," it's tacky to the touch. Not sure what's up with that. If the smell changes drastically later, I'll amend this review.

I'll just update this post when I try new blends, as I've got three or four to try. Note: I suck at identifying notes (not as bad as I used to be, but still not that great), so these will be short. Chaos Theory III: DXXIII (523) In the imp, I find this one to be a cologne-y aquatic. It seems the same on me, at first, but as it warms up it turns into this lovely warm earthy scent with a bit of sharp aquatic in the background. Something in the mix doesn't like me, though, and after about fifteen minutes it starts to smell like the dump I take my trash to. And when I say that, I'm not trying to offend, I promise! It's that same sweet sort of decaying smell. So strange. I blame it all on chemistry. Previously reviewed by mandragora. Chaos Theory III: DXIX (519) Wet, this little CT smells like . . . lettuce! How bizarre. On me, it's still got a lettuce undertone, but there's something perfume-y mixed in. Almost aquatic, but sweet. You know how the people who made Love's Baby Soft had different perfumes they put out? This reminds me of the blue one -- I think it was named Rain something. As it dries, the lettuce scent goes away and it has more of a grassy feel. It's actually pretty nice, just not my style.

Kunstkammer starts out fruity and orangey and sweet, kind of like an orange Creamsaver, on me, but the orange fades quickly and the black pepper is all I can smell after five minutes. To be fair, my skin amps pepper to an insane degree, so it's probly mostly chemistry. Wait, the orange is still kind of there, just waaaay in the background. Sadly, pepper and I do not get along, at least not in perfumes. Smelling pepper on my skin makes me feel like I'm marinating or something. Not for me.

In the imp, Shill smells exactly like movie theater popcorn. Once on my skin, though, it turns a little plastic; luckily, after a few minutes, the plastic goes away and I want to eat my arm. The smell is just a little sweeter than movie theater popcorn, with an extra puddle of orange "butter." Definitely not something I'd wear regularly, but a fun novelty scent that's pretty dead-on. I'm glad I got to try it!

I smell Magi in the bottle. On me, the verbena amps waaaay too much, and the combo of that and . . . I think a hit of evergreen . . . is interesting, but not something I can pull off. Although for some reason it is making me very hungry. That might be the thyme.

Oh, boo. I LOVE the way this smells wet, like a tiny frozen wind-tossed flower. But on me, there's something that turns to soap instantly. Good, quality soap, but it's still soap.

2005 version I can't believe I never reviewed this one last year. Herr 2005 was all woodshop goodness to my nose. Delightful to smell, but not so much my style. 2006 version I was so confused by the sticky maple-y cherry smell. I've never smelled pipe tobacco, so I guess that is probly what I'm smelling. As Herr Drosselmeyer dries on me, it picks up a woody note, like wood shavings, and a sort of smoky background. The too-cherry sweetness is gone, thankfully. It's such a lively portrait; I love smelling it, but it's not really "me."

I'm reviewing an imp that was dropped off by a friend, so I don't have the original Lick It to compare. On me, they're pretty similar. Wet, Lick It Again is one of those round red and white stripey mints. Dry, it's the same mint, but tempered by a smooth vanilla, although the vanilla does seem to have a more cookie-like quality than the vanilla in Lick It did. If I didn't already have a full bottle of the first Lick It, this would definitely fulfill all my pepperminty-vanilla needs. And I have many pepperminty-vanilla needs, so that's saying a lot.