Ghost of a Rose

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is a bright orangey amber. The scent is sweet, with spices and copal. On me, wet: On me, it's even sweeter. The strongest note is an acidic tang that seems almost fruity, like some kind of citrus - but not anything I recognize. I can pick out a breath of florals that isn't specifically rose. The tobacco and resin are there, but just as the faintest of undertones to warm up the scent. I don't notice any wood so far. After 10 minutes: The rose is now a definite and stronger presence, running a close second to the fruity note. That's puzzling me, since no fruits are listed in the description. (Agave nectar doesn't count, since it doesn't smell fruity - I don't even know if it comes from the fruit of the plant. I use it in place of sugar as a sweetener for cold drinks because it dissolves easily, but like sugar, it adds no flavor or scent of its own.) And there's almost a jasmine-type note to the florals. But it's gentle, without the sharpness or soapiness usually associated with jasmine. After 20 minutes: Both the tangy-ness and most of the spices are gone. Now it's mostly florals (again, not identifiably rose but closer to jasmine. The actual rose note only lasted for about 10 minutes and even then was rather subtle.) There's still some of that mysterious fruitiness which has now turned rather artificial and plastic-y. I can barely smell a bit of the resiny copal in the background. After 30 minutes: Same as above. I do notice that when sniffed from a few inches away instead of right up close, I can still smell the spices and the floral note is a bit rosier. But there, too, it has an aspect reminiscent of super-sweet Strawberry-Shortcake-doll. After 45 minutes: The fruitiness is fading, and taking the artificial/plastic-y note with it. That allows the rose and spices to come out more, and I'm liking the scent better. After 1 hour: Much the same as above - mostly spices, with a bit of rose. A subtle backdrop of tobacco is supporting them and warming up the overall scent. Clearly there are other notes present, adding interest and nuance; but my nose isn't sophisticated enough to specifically identify them. After 2 1/2 hours: The scent is pretty faint, and is mostly spice, with something sweet and unidentifiable in the background. After 3 1/2 hours: There is still some fragrance left, now primarily tobacco with some clove, warmer and more beautiful than ever. After 12 hours: Wow, I can still smell this. It is soft, but still clearly tobacco and spice. Verdict: This might not be perfect, but it's still a 5-star fragrance in my book. And very long-lasting, as well. I must have a full bottle!

In the imp: Oil is clear, and is an unusual pinkish-beige color. I notice the spices first, then the patchouli, then wood and fir needles. It's rather sweet, and gentler than I would expect (with all those balsam and spice notes.) In looking at the description just now I noticed that it also uses a form of the word "gentle." Yep, the lab obviously got that one right! On me, wet: At first, it's all wood. Then the balsamy fir needles come in. I don't notice anything else at this point. On me, just dried: The spices take over as the main note, so that now it smells like it did in the imp. It's sharper, spicier, hotter on me, yet still not aggressively so. A great scent for energizing and warming oneself on a cool autumn night. After 10 minutes: The balsam of the fir needles is equal to the spice now, with wood running at a close third. It is quite sweet, which is part of the reason this is gentler than these notes usually are. I'm starting to pick up some apple, too, which further sweetens and gentles this. There's also a hint of a medicinal mentholic note, but it too is mild. It's probably the camphoraceous aspect of the fir needles. After 20 minutes: It just keeps on getting better and sweeter! Now the apple is strong enough to balance the clove and fir; and they are a gorgeous combination. I suspect that the mullein is there, but blending in seamlessly with the spices. I can detect the patchouli, but only if I think about it. Ditto for the pumpkin. After 30 minutes: The fir note has faded somewhat, leaving the clove, apple, and wood at center stage. It reminds me a lot of Samhainophobia, but with the apple replacing the smokiness of the vetiver in that scent. This would be better for work for that reason. I love them both and can't decide between them. I might have to get a bottle of each. After 1 hour: Now mostly a sweet wood scent, with some apple and clove. After 2 hours: Apple, clove, and wood; in that order of strength. After 3 hours: Same as above and still going strong. After 4 1/2 hours: It is lighter, but still has a definite presence and a little throw. Now mostly clove and wood. Verdict: A great unisex and/or work fragrance, especially during the fall and winter. All of the notes go together so beautifully. I do want a full bottle. My rating: 4.5 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and amber-colored. I smell the green scents (moss, violet leaf, and sage), then a bit of fruit. On me, wet: A beautiful fresh note of saltwater. Then the green scents, violet, and fruit. I can imagine the specks of bone as well. Very flowery and sweet. After 10 minutes: Pretty much the same. So far, the fruits are just a hint in the background, which is just the way I like them. After 20 miinutes: Ooh, really beautiful now. Violets! After 30 minutes: The violet note has backed down, and the fragrance is less sweet now. There's a bit of saltiness again. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's no longer really flowery, but nothing else stands out either, as a note that characterizes the scent. Maybe it's just a blend of everything in equal balance. It is mild and pleasant - would be a good choice for a woman to wear to work. After 1 hour: Similar to above, but now I can faintly detect the fruits and the tobacco. After 2 hours: Tobacco is now the strongest note, with some faint florals and fruits, and a hint of other things in the background. After 3 hours: Just a gentle breath of tobacco and perfume. Verdict: Since the violet note is strongly present only for a short time, this isn't quite enough of a realistic floral scent to make it into my 5-star category. Nevertheless, it is very pretty, and comes close. My rating: 4.5 stars

In the vial: The scent is cheesecake, honey, and lavender; in that order of strength. Yum! I wish I could eat this! On me, wet: The lavender and cheesecake are fairly equal, with the honey not far behind. On me, just dried: Much of the honey has already floated away, leaving mostly lavender with some cheesecake. It's considerably less sweet than when wet. After 10 minutes: Some of the sweetness has returned as the lavender dries down., and a bit of the honey. But it's not as distinctly honey as it was before. Mostly a general sweetness at first, then honey and cheesecake, then lavender. After 20 minutes: Mostly cheesecake, then honey, and a hint of lavender. After 30 minutes: Cheesecake and honey; and it has gone just a little plastic-y . After 1 hour: Same as above, except that the honey is now equal to or even a little stronger than the cheesecake. After 1 1/2 hours: Same as above. The honey is a beautiful warm, gentle, note that wafts around me like a cloud. The plastic-y note is evident only if I sniff with my nose right up next to my skin. After 2 hours: Now pretty much all honey, and the plastic-y note is completely gone. After 2 3/4 hours: A mild vanilla scent. After 4 hours: A faint vanilla that has gone plastic-y again, but it's too faded to matter anyway. Verdict: I'll wear this in the scent locket to make the top notes last longer - especially the lavender, and the realistic cheesecake scent that this has when fresh. This is very nice, but a little too foody (for my preferences) to be a 5-star fragrance. My rating: 4 stars Later ETA: In the perfume locket, It does retain the lavender note, and the realistic cheesecake, even after 24 hours. It's less foody in the locket, because of the way the lavender sticks around. Wear it on the skin as well, to bring out the honey note.

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and light brown with a sort of pinkish tinge. The scent is patchouli and clove with the smokiness of vetiver. It's an inspired combination. On me, wet: A strong and pleasant woodiness dominates everything, but the patchouli/clove/vetiver are all vying for the starring role. This is a beautiful unisex scent. On me, just dried: The balsams come out more as it dries, and they too are an excellent match with the other notes. Otherwise it is much the same. After 15 minutes: The clove is now strongest, with wood and balsam right behind it; and then the patchouli and vetiver. I do get a bit of a dry leaves note as well. I'm surprised by how much I really, really like this. I'm usually a florals kind of person. But all of these notes just go so amazingly well together to make this a very special blend. I'm thinking I'm gonna "need" a whole bottle. After 30 minutes: The wood and clove are about equal, and the wood is the lovely, comforting, fresh-cut lumber kind. The overall fragrance has sweetened up just a little, probably from the patchouli, although it is rather subtle in this blend. And now I can smell an undertone of geranium as well, which is probably contributing to the freshness of the lumber note. After 3 hours: Clove, wood, and geranium. Still beautiful, and still going strong. Although the clove remains a distinct presence, it is gentler and sweeter than it was in the imp. After 8 1/2 hours: Lighter, but still as strong as some scents are when freshly applied! My rating: 4 1/2 stars

In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright sunny yellow. I smell a mild rose just at first, then it is quickly overwhelmed by ylang ylang, jasmine, and black currant. On me, wet: Strong jasmine is all I can smell at first. After a moment, an ozone note comes in nearly as strongly. I have no idea where that comes from. The combination of two such aggressive notes is a little much for me. I prefer the gentler scent of realistic flowers. But of course this is still wet and at its strongest. I'll see what happens. On me, just dried: It did calm down, but I'm still not sure if I like the jasmine/ozone pairing - both are such sharp notes. After 15 minutes: The ylang ylang has come in, which helps some. But the ozone is the strongest note. After 30 minutes: Ozone, ylang ylang, and jasmine. After 45 minutes: Although ozone is still the star of this show, some of the sharpness is dying down, and more sweetness is coming out together with a hint of the rose. After 1 hour: Ozone, ylang ylang, jasmine, a little rose, and now I'm getting some of the black currant, more strongly than the rose (but not as strongly as the ozone/ylang ylang/jasmine.) After 1 1/2 hours: The sharpness of the ozone note is mostly gone, and a little vanilla is peeking through. Everything else is the same. After 2 hours: Mostly black currant, which has gone a bit plastic-y, as many red fruits tend to do on my skin eventually. After 3 hours: Same as above, but pretty faded. After 3 1/2 hours, it is almost completely gone. The first time I wore this, I hadn't looked up what oils were in it. After a few hours, I noticed a mild cloud of vanilla wafting from my wrist. Interestingly, I barely noticed the vanilla at all when I was paying close attention for this review. In any case, the vanilla is mild enough and balanced enough with other notes that I like it in this blend. (I don't like strong vanilla fragrances.) I never did notice the opium tar, but then I wouldn't know it even if I did smell it. Verdict: Although I'm ambivalent about the jasmine/ozone combo, it isn't necessarily unpleasant and the ozone is mostly gone after the first 45 minutes. Plus, this is so unique and intriguing that it gets some extra bonus points. So I'm giving it 4 stars. (Edited to correct a typing error.)

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: The artwork is adorable! Oil is clear and nearly colorless, with just the faintest tinge of ivory. The first thought I have when I sniff the imp is, "Butter." I don't know where that comes from! Except for some honey, nothing else is specifically identifiable. One thing for sure, though - this is unabashedly foody. And nothing at all like pumpkin pie. On me, wet: The butter is again the first thing I smell, but now it is more defined: the butter in a graham-cracker pie crust. And pumpkin. Then the tiare, strong enough to restrain the foodiness of the blend. Which makes me like it a lot more than I did in the imp. It also still keeps this from being pumpkin pie in spite of the pie crust. On me, just dried: The tiare is now strongest, but not by much. The butter, honey, and pumpkin are giving it a run for the money. In the background, I notice the currant, and definitely the guava (which I love.) This is really interesting, not just a straightforward foody fragrance. No chocolate or amber so far. Vanilla might be in there, but it behaves itself, blending in seamlessly with the pie crust note. I don't expect to smell meringue, since it doesn't really have much of a smell other than sugary. After 10 minutes: The guava and red currant are the stars now, with the buttery note a strong supporting actor. The tiare is still there, and I'm starting to pick up the vanilla a little. After 20 minutes: The amber is beginning to come in strongly, making this mostly a fruits-and-amber scent, and more perfumey. After 30 miinutes: Save as above. After 1 hour: The fruits have gone plastic-y, as they always tend to do eventually on my skin. But there are the warm amber and vanilla notes to rescue it, at least to some extent. After 2 1/2 hours: The scent is pretty much gone. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is a clear greenish yellow. Nutmeg! Nutmeg and wood. On me, wet: Pine, wood, smoke, Right at first, there's an almost camphoraceous note to it, that must come from the pine. But that quickly settles down as the oil dries. On me, just dried: Now mostly wood and smoke, with some nutmeg. After 15 minutes: Still pretty much the same, although the nutmeg is weaker. After 30 minutes: The same. The nutmeg is subtle but seems to be holding its own for now. And I notice that I smell the nutmeg more from a few inches away than when sniffing right up close to my wrist. After 1 hour: Mostly smoke and wood, but the sandalwood and frankincense are starting to come in more strongly. After 1 1/2 hours: The incenses are starting to creep up on the wood and smoke. After 4 1/2 hours: The spiciness of the frankincense and sandalwood are the main note now, with some lingering wood and smoke. After 8 hours: I can still smell a little wood and smoke. Verdict: A nice unisex-to-masculine blend. I never did notice any herbal note of chamomile. Once the nutmeg note is gone (which happens pretty quickly), this is a pleasant but generic BPAL wood/smoke scent. I'll wear it in a scent locket to retain the more distinctive nutmeg top note. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and colorless. The scent is a beautiful, complex, floral, with a green herbal backdrop to it (the green pepper.) I have no idea what several of the things listed smell like, so this should be very interesting! On me, wet: Florals and wood with a somewhat starchy, foody, sweetness (perhaps the yam and bean?), and an undertone of rich, healthy soil. It's a green, fresh, kind of scent. And there's an almost aquatic note to it, but not the sharp astringent kind. This is sweeter, gentler, more feminine. I'm guessing that's another aspect of the green pepper. This is gorgeous and sophisticated. I'm really loving it. After 15 minutes: Now pretty much all fresh-cut flowers including the herbal greenery of their stems. But if I try really hard, I can still get the subtle nuance of the foody sweetness. It's impossible to describe. The note isn't super foody, not like vanilla or fruits or nuts. It's very subtle. Like cooked yams, before you put all the other stuff on top. It makes sense. After 30 minutes: The florals are strongest, with the foody sweetness coming in second. The herbal green note is much less noticeable. After 1 hour: Same as above, except that now there is an undertone of spiciness (the crysanthemum?) and the whole fragrance is fairly faint. After 2 hours: Mostly florals and earth, but faint. The spiciness is gone. After 3 hours: Almost completely gone. Verdict: Beautiful, but not long lasting. Wear some in a scent locket as well as on the skin. My rating: 5 stars (Later ETA) After 15 hours in the perfume locket: The rich, dark, loam is strongest, and gives the fragrance a feeling of coolness. Then florals, and the sweet starchy foody note. There is a bit of herbal greenness, but it doesn't smell like green peppers now. All of this is backed up by a subtle undertone of cypress. It is a cool, complex, floral. It is somewhat elegant, but the earth note keeps it from being actually formal.

I love this, both the scent and the hair gloss formula! Thank you biocarolyn, for hosting the decant circle! Gloss: This does add shine to my hair without making it look greasy. And the gloss helped to detangle it, too, when combing. My hair is very long (9" past my waist) and somewhat curly, so it is very tangle-prone and I need all the help I can get with that. I always use a spray-on, leave-in detangler, but this worked even where the detangler didn't. Fragrance: OK, now I'm getting why Snake Oil is so popular. I'm a florals person, and I don't like vanilla-based scents, so I expected to be pretty "meh" about it. But I was pleasantly surprised. The incensey-smelling oils balance out the vanilla so that it isn't too foody; and the incense/vanilla is a gorgeous combination. I'll really be in heaven with a flower-scented hair gloss, but until then, I do like this one very much indeed! And the fragrance lasts a loooong time on my hair - 7 hours now and still going strong. I really like that. My detangler spray is scented with lavender and it smells lovely when I first put it on, but the scent vanishes quickly. I'm delighted to find a scent for my hair that sticks around. Later ETA: The fragrance lasts until I wash my hair again, but after a day, it is 100% vanilla. Like others, I've also noticed that if I put it on dry hair, I should use much less to avoid a greasy look. One spritz into my hand for the right side of my hair, and one for the left side is enough, even with my long hair. My rating: 5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and a somewhat dark, orangey, amber color. The first thing I smell is a beautiful magnolia with honey. Within seconds, the patchouli and musk come in and take over. On me, wet: On me the musks and patchouli dominate, with a strong woody note that I am guessing comes from the kurundu (a type of cinnamon tree; also called the allspice tree.) I can just barely detect the ylang ylang; and as for the magnolia and honey that I smelled in the imp - not at all. After 10 minutes: Mostly patchouli and wood, but the florals are there in the background, now including the magnolia. After 20 minutes: From about an inch away, I get the beautiful magnolia-and-honey fragrance. Up close, I smell the patchouli and wood, along with a suggestion of cinnamon. After 30 minutes: The wood-patchouli-spice notes have now overtaken the florals again, even from a few inches away. But the florals still have some presence as supporting players. I was a little concerned about the feral musk, but there hasn't been any skankiness at all. After 1 hour: Wood, incense, cinnamon, musk, and patchouli: in that order of strength. After 2 1/2 hours: The wood, incense, and spice notes have softened enough to let the honey and musk shine again, and with them, a hint of vanilla. The overall scent is now rather faint. I want to try this in my perfume locket to see if the magnolia and honey will last longer. (Later ETA): Yes, it does. In the locket- At first: magnolia, honey, ylang ylang, a bit of patchouli and musk, and a tiny whiff of cinnamon; in that order of strength. After a few minutes, the ylang ylang takes over as the strongest note, but just barely. There's no wood note so far. After 1 1/2 hours: Mostly ylang ylang and magnolia, with some honey. After 3 hours: Still the same notes as above, plus now I'm starting to get a little patchouli and cinnamon; and maybe a bit of musk. But the ylang ylang/magnolia/honey still dominates. After 17 1/2 hours: Same as above. My rating: 4.5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and an orangey-amber color. I smell florals first (the violet leaf?), then tea. Then a strong incensey scent takes over and overpowers everything else. On me, wet: Tea and violet (I love this part!), but with a cloyingly sweet backdrop of the incense/resin/musk. After 10 minutes: I like it more now. The overly sweet incense notes have faded more into the background. But I'd like this better if they weren't there at all. I do like those notes, it's just that they don't blend well with the tea and violet leaf. Too much sweetness. I chose this blend mainly for the tea and violets, so I'd rather do without the incenses than them. There is also a bit of peppery saffron, but it's very subtle. After 30 minutes: It is now much less sweet, but it has also lost most of the tea and violet notes that I liked. It's all incense/resin/musk. Now there's a hint of skankiness about it - perhaps from the musk? After 1 hour: Same as above, but somewhat faded. After 2 hours: Same as above, and more faded. After 3 hours: Pretty much gone. All that's left now is a pleasant but faint spicy incense note. All of the skankiness and cloyingness is gone. Verdict: I never did notice the dust note, or the wormwood (although I'm not sure what that smells like.) Maybe it's just my skin chemistry, but I don't care for the cloying notes or the hint of skankiness. Yet I did love the tea and violet leaf top notes. I'll try this in my scent locket, which tends to preserve top notes, so I might like it much better that way. And that would also eliminate any effects from my skin chemistry. Until then, my rating is 2 stars. Later: I tried this in the scent locket and loved it! The unpleasant notes I noticed on my skin were completely absent in the locket, so they were indeed due to my skin chemistry and not the scent itself. In the locket, the beautiful top notes of tea and violet stayed for over 24 hours, and never did disappear completely, even when the incensey lower notes came out. In the locket, it's a bottle-worthy 5 stars.

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and the color is a light peachy yellow. I smell florals (not identifiably rose), musk (not identifiably lilac), and sandalwood; in that order. On me, wet: Aha, here's where the lilacs come into play. At first, that's all I can detect. After 15 minutes: Very delicate and ethereal, which seems appropriate for nymphs. Lilac and musk. I don't notice any fruitiness at all, which I would normally expect as a top note. After 30 minutes: Ooh, now a lovely gentle rose has joined the lilac, with some soft musk in the background. It's a beautiful combination. After 45 minutes: The florals have taken a back seat to the musk and incenses. But even the incense notes are delicate in this blend. After 1 1/2 hours: The frankincense has come out a little more, and I can now pick up a whiff of honey. Otherwise it is pretty much the same. After 2 hours: Not what I expected! I thought that the sandalwood and frankincense would dominate the scent in late drydown. But instead, it has gotten sweeter and softer, with the honey and musk dominating. The incenses have actually lightened up, which allows the floral notes to peek out again. After 2 1/2 hours: The honey is the strongest note, with musk coming in right behind it. At this point, I don't notice any of the other notes. After 4 hours: This is surprisingly long-lasting for a fragrance that started out so delicate. I can still smell the musk, sandalwood, and frankincense. I never did notice any of the pomegranate. But I really love this anyway! My rating: 5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: A clear, bright golden yellow oil. The fragrance is delicious in a non-foody sort of way, very fresh and lovely. It's spearmint first - not the heat or candy of peppermint or menthol, but a delightful sweet and light spearmint. That's balanced by the pomegranate and mulberry. In spite of the connection between pomegranates and The Underworld, this is heavenly rather than hellish to me! On me, wet: The berry is the most dominant on my skin, with the mint coming in at a close second. It reminds me of one of those desserts that they put in a pool of berry puree, garnished with a few mint leaves. But I still really like it, and I don't like many foody scents. The mint keeps it from being overwhelmingly fruity. After 10 minutes: The mint has now stolen the show, and has developed the biting green note of a fresh, torn, mint leaf. It's even more realistic than before. The fruits aren't going down without a fight - they are staying strong. After 30 minutes: Basically the same, except that the sharpness of the torn mint leaf is settling down. After 1 hour: The mint has returned to the light, sweet note it was in the imp, without any sharpness. After 1 1/2 hours: The mint is all gone. Some of the pomegranate/mulberry remains, although it has gone a bit plastic. And the myrrh is finally coming out, giving this a new, warm and incensey, note. After 3 1/2 hours: A faint note of myrrh. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and nearly colorless, with just a tint of ivory. The first thing I smell is the very realistic black soil, and it is by far the strongest note. In the background I can smell the pomegranate and then the flowers. On me, wet: For a few seconds, the black soil is still the dominatrix, then the pomegranate very quickly takes over. But the soil remains a strong presence. It's a really interesting and unusual juxtaposition. I can smell the flowers, too, but they stay in the background. On me, just dried: The flowers come out more strongly, so that now all three notes are equally balanced. It's a bit green and herbal, too - apparently from one of the flowers. I'm not familiar with either of them, so I can't say which. This isn't a particularly sweet scent - the soil damps down the sweetness from the fruit and florals. After 15 minutes: An oddly unsweet - almost salty - pomegranate, and black soil. I'm not getting much of the floral note at this point. After 30 minutes: The saltiness has dissolved, and now it's a more typical pomegranate. But the soil note emphatically keeps this from being foody. It's kinda like old pomegranate juice that has been sitting around in the fridge for months and has developed a surface of gray-green mold. Only nicer. If that makes sense. After 1 hour: Pretty much the same, except that maybe the pomegranate has become a little stronger than the soil. But not by much. After 1 1/2 hours: Mostly pomegranate, and greatly faded. After 3 hours: What little scent remains is all pomegranate. Verdict: Pleasing and very unusual. It's floral only in the first 15 minutes on the skin, and the flowers are never a strong presence, so I think I can safely call this a unisex fragrance. After that the scent stays fairly consistent, pomegranate and soil. This blend has the strongest soil note I've experienced so far in BPAL. It's pleasant - not nasty dirt, but rich, dark, garden soil. I will wear this in a perfume locket (as well as on my skin) to retain the florals and to make the whole fragrance last longer. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and a richly saturated salmon color. It smells beautiful, too - apple with flowers and a touch of spice. On me, wet: At first, the flowers are the note that stands out, but within seconds the apple comes out even stronger. The spiciness is more that of the incense rather than the ginger or the tea; and thus it (along with the florals) keeps the scent from being foody in spite of all the apple. The flowers are very beautiful, and different from the typical floral note. After 10 minutes: Apples and flowers, in almost equal strength. There's an undertone of incense, and now I can get just a whiff of ginger as well. After 30 minutes: The flowers are the main note, with some incense and ginger in the background. The apple is pretty much gone. After 1 hour: Mostly spice and incense, with the floral notes now in the background. And there's just a faint breath of apple still floating above it all. After 2 hours: The scent has nearly faded away. There's just a vague remnant of incense. Verdict: Gorgeous - I must have a bottle! It edged out The Glittering Apple of the Stars for my favorite apple. But it isn't long-lasting, so use a perfume locket as well as applying to the skin. Or reapply often, but the locket would also retain the apple note longer as well as the overall fragrance. My rating: 5 stars My favorites of the apples, in order of preference: #1 is The Golden Apple of the Sun #2 is The Glittering Apple of the Stars #3 is The Silver Apple of the Moon #4 is The Green Apple of Venus (I didn't try the Black Apple.) (Edited to eliminate redundancy)

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and almost the color of amber, but a little more orangey and with a greenish tinge. Patchouli and sandalwood are the first notes I smell, but I can pick up all of them that I am familiar with. I'm not sure what the Peru balsam, ambrette, or ambergris smell like. On me, wet: Sandalwood, patchouli, an animalistic musk, and a bit of vetiver smokiness. It is a unisex-to-masculine scent and very dark - as suits its name. This is interesting but I'm not sure if I like it. It verges on the stink of dirty socks, but a sharp spiciness as well as a touch of sweetness rescues it from quite being that. After 15 minutes: It's a little sweeter, spicier, and less animalistic; but otherwise pretty much the same. The spiciness is cool enough and sharp enough to make it lean towards a men's cologne type of scent. After 30 minutes: The animalistic note is gone; otherwise it's the same as above. I do like it now, but I would like it better on a man than on me. At about 35 minutes, it underwent a sudden drastic change. It is now mostly wood and smoke, having lost the men's-cologne sharpness, making it more unisex than masculine. I'm liking it even better. After 1 hour: Still pretty much all wood and smoke. After 2 hours: Faint, now mostly incense. Verdict: Too animalistic and strongly masculine for me to wear. But I like it well enough, especially in the late drydown. My rating: 3 stars (Edited punctuation)

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and a beautiful peach color. Even in the imp, this is a well-balanced scent. I notice cedarwood, florals, and dragon's blood especially, but can also detect the bergamot and lime. From the description, I had expected a rather masculine scent, but it isn't, due to the prominent florals. On me, wet: It's wood and florals at first, but after a few seconds, the lime suddenly pops out and really makes the scent zing (or should I say "zoom"?) On me, just dried: The lime is now strongest. It's the rind of key limes. The bergamot is running a close second and is really an intriguing and unusual pairing with the lime. Interesting how the notes that were the most subdued in the imp are dominating the scent on my skin. It's also less floral on my skin, at least at this point - a unisex fragrance. After 10 minutes: The scent has changed quite a bit. Now it's mostly wood up close, with a touch of lime to sweeten it a little. And sniffed from a few inches away, I get the florals again. But this time they're not dominant enough to change my "unisex" label. The bergamot is still hanging in there, too. And there's just an occasional faint whiff of mint which must be from the helichrysum (I've seen it described as floral-mint, among other things.) After 20 minutes: I'm surprised yet again at how much this has morphed. It's now a warm, somewhat sweet, scent of wood and florals, very lovely. After 30 minutes: The florals have continued to strengthen and have overtaken the wood note. They have an appealing undertone of honey (another thing I've seen in descriptions of helichrysum.) It's now a more feminine scent. The wood is still around, now as an undertone. After 45 minutes: Now mostly wood, with a hint of spicy incense - not sure where that comes from, maybe the resin? After 1 hour: All wood and incense, with barely a trace of the florals. After 2 hours: All incense, still going fairly strong. After 3 hours: Same as above. After 6 hours: Only a whisper of incense remains. Verdict: An unusual and appealing fragrance in all its stages. A real morpher: in 30 minutes going from a slightly masculine lime-and-wood scent to a rather feminine florals-and-honey one, and then in the next 15 minutes returning to a unisex wood scent. More discreet and dignified than either the usual astringent men's cologne or the usual floral (or vanilla) women's perfume, this would be a good choice for both men and women to wear to work. This was an alternate/backup choice for me, and I am glad I got the chance to try it. I liked it much more than I had expected to. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and copper-colored. It smells like a classic perfume, with notes of rose, sandalwood, and something else I can't identify. It could be the gurjum balsam or the ambergris - I don't know what those smell like. On me, wet: On me it is much woodier, sharper, and not perfumey. I don't specifically smell the rose. On me, just dried: As it dries, it gets more perfumey and more like the scent in the imp. After 10 minutes: It is fairly subtle, the scent of a classic, expensive, perfume. Formal and elegant. A bit soapy, as such perfumes do tend to be. Like most designer perfumes, it doesn't smell like any particular note, but I can detect a hint of rose if I try hard enough. After 20 minutes: Oh, my. I was thinking that this was enough of a generic perfume scent that I wouldn't need a bottle. But now a gorgeous velvety rose fragrance has blossomed. If it lasts, I'll have to get a bottle after all. After 30 minutes: Yep, it's lasting. The beautiful rose note combined with an elegant perfume: what could be more perfect for a formal occasion? I definitely see a bottle in my future. After 1 hour: Still the same gorgeous scent, but now rather faint. After 2 hours: It has gotten a little powdery, but that seems characteristic of both rose and sandalwood oils in late drydown. I don't consider it a problem. In fact, I often wonder if it isn't just us interpreting it that way - so many powders are scented with these notes (and also musk) that we associate the dry fragrance of them with powder. Our noses have been trained to think "powder" when we smell them. After 3 hours: Only a trace of sandalwood is left. Verdict: Beautiful, elegant, feminine, understated. I might want to wear it it a scent locket to add sillage and longevity. But I'd still wear it on my skin at the same time, in order to get the notes that only develop more there, especially the rose. My rating: 5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and a dark orangey amber color. It's definitely a dark smell - wood, pepper, cognac, and vetiver are prominent. On me, wet: It smells exactly like cigarette tobacco, which isn't even in it. With a hot clove-and-pepper spiciness in the background. I can only detect the patchouli if I think about it. On me, just dried: It still smells like tobacco, but now there's also a very sharp menthol-like note. This is certainly an interesting blend - the things it smells like most aren't even in it! Very masculine and powerful (in mood, that is - I don't mean that the strength of the fragrance is unusually powerful.) I totally get the connection with the artwork. After 10 minutes: The mentholic sharpness was very short-lived and is completely gone now. I smell smoky tobacco and spicy clove. If I sniff hard enough, I can also get a bit of champaca in the background. I'm thinking that the tobacco smell comes from the combination of the wood with vetiver. There's some earthiness to it, too, which surely comes from the vetiver. After 30 minutes: Now the tobacco has morphed into more of a smoky wood note. I don't smell the clove as strongly as before, but there is still the bite of pepper. The overall scent has faded and isn't quite so aggressive. At about 1 1/2 hours, the incense starts to come into its own, almost equaling the smoky wood note. After 3 1/2 hours: The scent is faint, and mostly champaca, with some of the smoky wood still lingering. After 6 1/3 hours: I can still smell it a little, now almost all champaca. VERDICT: Although I like this, it is way too masculine for me to ever wear. But the strong woodiness of it might make for a great room scent in a oil warmer. I'm curious to try it out on my sons to see what they think. As a fragrance for men, I think it would make a nice change from the usual sharp astringency of most men's colognes. Instead of their coldness, this is warm - even somewhat hot - so it would be a lovely cold-weather scent for a man. My rating: 4 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quotes from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp; Oil is clear and virtually colorless, with just the faintest tinge of ivory. The first thing I notice about the scent is fruitiness, although not specifically apple. Then incense, and last, a bit of florals. On me, wet: Now there is a definite note of apple. After a few seconds, the florals peek in. On me, just dried: The apple is still dominating, but only by a very slight margin. The florals and sandalwood are almost equal to it. After 10 minutes: The scent is very mild and delicate, so much so that it's hard to detect any particular note. But if I sniff hard enough, I get mostly incense with a bit of apple. After 30 minutes: Now it isn't a fruity, an incensey, or a floral perfume. All three notes are so perfectly balanced that it is all of those in equal strength. Which makes it unclassifiable. I don't even notice apple anymore. It's just itself, and very nice. After 45 minutes: This blend seems to need some warmth and time on the skin to fully develop. It's actually stronger now that it was when just dried. Yesterday I wore it to work. I wasn't concentrating on the scent like I do when I write reviews, and my initial impression was that it didn't smell anything in particular. But around 45 minutes after applying it, I was paying attention to my work when I suddenly noticed a gentle but noticeable and lovely cloud of fragrance surrounding me. It is still the same balanced scent as above. After 2 1/2 hours: The scent is now barely discernible. It's leaning slightly towards the incense, with just a hint of florals, and the fruitiness is pretty much gone. Verdict: A nice all-purpose blend for women. Others have used that phrase and I didn't really understand what they meant, but after trying this, now I do. It's subtle enough, and balanced enough, that it would be appropriate for any situation, would seem pleasant to almost everyone, and would offend no one. Some people don't like fruity scents, some don't like florals, some don't like incense. In this fragrance, all of those are so well-balanced by the others that I can't imagine anyone disliking this. And it is indeed pale and ethereal, a perfect realization of its name. My rating: 4 stars This is my second favorite of the Apples I've tried so far: #1 is The Glittering Apple of the Stars #2 is The Silver Apple of the Moon #3 is The Green Apple of Venus

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle!) In the imp: Oil is clear and pale straw-yellow in color. The fragrance is very fruity, with the strawberry and pomegranate equal in strength to the apple. There's also a notable floral presence, mostly the apple blossom. On me, wet: I smell the red fruits mostly, against a backdrop of apple. I don't really notice any florals at this point. It reminds me of red Kool-Aid. On me, just dried: The flowers do come out a bit more as it dries, but I'm still thinking of Kool-Aid. Or red Lifesavers candies with a bit of apple blossom. After 10 minutes: The florals and apples have pretty much gone into hiding, and now it's mostly red Lifesavers. But there is a hint of something I can't identify in the background - maybe the violet leaf? After 30 minutes: Same as above. After 1 hour: Pretty much the same, but fading. And with just a hint of the sandalwood starting to show up. After 1 1/2 hours: Now kinda like stale red Lifesavers. After 2 1/2 hours: Old Lifesavers and sandalwood. It's gone a bit plastic-y. Verdict: This one is a little too fruit-candyish for me. And unfortunately, I never did notice the rose, which is one of my favorite scents. I prefer The Glittering Apple of the Stars. But The Green Apple is nice enough, and I will keep and enjoy my imp. My rating: 3 stars

Malus, the apples, are a genus of about 30–35 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae, including crabapples and wild apples. (paraphrased from Wikipedia) My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is clear and almost colorless, with just the palest tinge of peach. The fragrance is a beautiful, realistic, fresh apple scent with a hint of florals. On me, wet: In the first seconds, it is all apple. Then the florals come out more strongly and are a gorgeous blend with the apple. Among the florals, nothing stands out strongly, not even the ylang ylang. The frangipani might be dominating, but only by a small margin. I'm not familiar with tiare, so I can't tell about that one. The apple smells like the sweeter red apple to me, rather than the crisper and tangy-er notes of green apple. Which makes sense - a red apple is pictured on the artwork. (BTW, I have a top with that exact same appliqué, so that delighted me!) After 10 minutes: The apple note is fading somewhat, and the musks are taking its place, with a bit of bergamot. The floral notes are about the same. After 30 minutes: The apple is almost completely gone. Now it's mostly musks and florals, which makes it smell more like a traditional perfume, a light, fresh, elegant, one with just a hint of fruitiness. After 45 minutes: The vanilla note has kicked in, first as just a trace, but gathering strength rapidly. But the musk and floral notes are still strong enough to keep the overall scent from being foody. After 1 1/2 hours: Quite faint, mostly vanilla and musk, with a touch of florals. After 6 hours: I can still smell a lingering hint of vanilla and musk. Verdict: Lovely, I want a full bottle of this! My rating: 5 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) In the imp: Oil is bright yellow, clear, and very thick and viscous. It does indeed smell exactly (and strongly) like cake - to me, it's yellow pound cake. On me, wet: On my skin, it is the same. Lots of vanilla and butter. There is a kind of sharp, sour, tang - like artificial flavoring - hovering in the background, but I have to sniff hard and up close to get it, so I don't think it would be a problem. I think that's the same note that others have called rum or boozey - I could see that. It is a lot like artificially-flavored rum extract. On me, just dried: Still the same. After 15 minutes: Pretty much the same, except with the addition of an artificial-strawberry note. After 30 minutes: The rum extract note has gone. Now it's buttery vanilla cake with a touch of artificial strawberry flavoring. After 1 hour: Same as above. After 2 hours: Pretty much the same, except that it's gone plastic-y. After 3 hours: Same as above, just slightly faded. Verdict: Some of the nuances come and go, but basically this fragrance remains consistent. I don't like foody scents - particularly not vanilla-based ones - as perfumes, so this is totally not my thing. It is perfect for a little girl, though. I'll give it to my granddaughter. The artwork is adorable! My rating: 3 stars

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.) I've been to Mexico many times, and just reading the ingredients list evokes images of that country for me - especially the chrysanthemums and marigolds. In my mind I see baskets of the big colorful blossoms - both real ones and handcrafted paper ones - for sale at outdoor markets. In the imp: Oil is clear, with just the palest tint of greenish yellow. The scent is of spicy, non-sweet flowers - the chrysanthemums and marigolds; together with the chamomile and possibly the leaves. Highly unusual - not at all what you expect when you think "floral fragrance." So far, I don't notice the rose or vanilla at all. On me, wet: It's pretty much the same on my skin, except that the green herbal note of the chamomile has a stronger presence and there's more sweetness. I love this! It's casual, playful, and floral without being overly sweet or girly. After 15 minutes: It's now a somewhat sweet scent, but the pepperiness of the mums and marigolds remains the dominating note, with the chamomile running a close second. The chamomile (and leaves?) make this very fresh and grassy. I can detect the rose now, but it's extremely discreet. I don't think I would notice it if I wasn't looking for it. After 30 minutes: It's gotten rather faint, and the peppery flowers are gone. It's now mostly a herbal, green, scent with a touch of florals. At this point it reminds of the original Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo, which I loved. After 1 hour: Although now quite faint, the fragrance has changed and doesn't smell like Herbal Essence anymore. It's still herbal and beautiful, but has lost that bright grassy freshness. Also, I can now pick up the vanilla, as a very understated nuance. As with the rose, I wouldn't notice the vanilla, either, if I didn't already know it was there. After 2 hours: It's virtually gone. There's just the faintest hint of herbal greenery lingering. Verdict: This is lovely at all stages, but especially interesting at first. For that reason, and to give it more throw and longevity, I recommend wearing it in a scent locket as well as on the skin. My rating: 5 stars