cantabile

Strawberries are my favorite food and have an uncanny power to make me instantly happy, so any scent containing strawberry is an automatic "hell yeah I want to try it" for me. in vial: Delish! The strawberry note smells realistic and juicy to me, though the equally realistic champagne note is a lot stronger. High hopes for this one. on skin, both wet and dry: Well, that was anticlimactic. The champagne note goes totally flat and weird-chemical on me and overpowers the few whiffs of heavenly strawberry I do get. I think I saw someone describe this as turning to the plasticky smell of an old Strawberry Shortcake doll on them, and I guess my chemistry is similar that way because it sounds about right to me. Curse you, skin! verdict: Another heartbreaker for the swap pile. Now all the pressure's on Maenad to be the GC scent with strawberry that wins me over, since I've come to the unpleasant realization that amber loves to give me nasty headaches, so Hollywood Babylon is right out. Maybe I should start hoarding more Strawberry Moon...

This was recommended to me by a couple of people, and it's not exactly like they had to twist my arm to get me to try it. I love cherry blossom and citrus like whoa, and besides, you have to love Japanese patron deities of prostitutes, musicians, and landlords, right? in vial: Yuzu, mikan, yuzu, cherry blossom, yuzu. And then more yuzu. In other words, very citrusy. Did I mention the yuzu? just applied: Very citrusy and delicious, with a hint of floral. drying down: Yay cherry blossom! I was curious as to how a fragrance with this notes would be able to portray a god of passion, but it smells sexy, really, in a playful sort of way. later: I still can't really pick out the tea, but no matter. This smells great on me for a looooong time. It's flirty yet womanly. verdict: This scent is as amazing as I've heard, and it'll be even more perfect in the warmer months. I think it's shot straight to my top three. Bottle for sure.

Carnal is totally straightforward. Bright mandarin over deep fig, with both notes equally prevalent and yummy. I can see this as a perfect scent for days when I find myself thinking "OMG MUST HAVE FRUITY GOODNESS NOW!" I'm actually swapping the imp I have now, simply because I'm still in the "must try everything" phase, but I wouldn't be surprised if, several months down the line, I find myself snapping and ordering a bottle without consciously realizing why.

WOW. This scent is everything I'd hoped for and more. Honey and lilies are two of my true loves in perfume notes, and Tiger Lily doesn't disappoint. Both notes are clear and true, from the imp to my skin and throughout the drydown. It smells as feisty as the description claims, and simply lovely, like lazing in a garden in midsummer. Great staying power, too. Definitely in love. 5ml at some point in the near future.

Okay, I had to get Snow Moon to commemorate my first winter living in Illinois, after growing up in a part of California where snow was a freak occurrence. I'm so glad I did. in bottle: I definitely smell the "snow" note, icy and pretty. Strong evergreens, with sweet flowers backing them up, and a kick of mint at the end. just applied: Definitely evergreens, pine in particular, laden with snow and ice. drying down: Oh man, those floral notes are so lovely... and hey, wait, do I smell fruit? dry: A perfect, idealized winter forest on my wrist! Makes me want to go wander around outside and breathe in the cold air. Maybe it's a weird comparison, but I'd say I think of this as Hexennacht's icier, purer sister, actually. It's sweet, but not a pushover scent by any means; it means business. verdict: Arrived just in time for Christmas, and I'll be wearing it the whole day, and all winter, in fact. Maybe I should've gotten two bottles... also: pretty label. Macha, you did that? I like.

Hot damn. The instant I tried Dana O'Shee, it skyrocketed to the top of my favorites list. in vial: A perfect honey almond, two of my favorite notes. I wanted to drink it right then and there. just applied: Oooh... sweet and nutty without being overpowering. Also a bit milky. It's incredibly soothing. drying down: I smell the grains! Almost a bit green. They add a nice dimension to the scent, warming it up and taking it beyond straight-out foody to something even more amazing. dry: I think I just came. (Seriously, though, it's sweet and light, with great throw and staying power, and I smell positively scrumptious.) verdict: 10ml, stat. (i.e. in my next order.)

in vial: LEMON VERBENA. I heart lemon verbena, so this was a good sign. just applied: ...LEMON VERBENA. And a bit of jasmine. drying down: LEMON VERBENA, more jasmine, and maybe a touch of green tea. It doesn't really scream "hey, look at me, I'm green tea!", but it helps anchor things nicely. dry: LEMON VERBENA, but given depth and staying power by the jasmine and green tea. I can't really pick out the neroli, but it's not a note I'm very familiar with anyway (I've smelled the essential oil by itself, but I have trouble picking it out in blends sometimes). verdict: I'm very fond of Phantasm. It's a great mood-lifter for me, and gives me a lot of energy. It seems like a lot of people have trouble with it fading lickety-split, but I still catch whiffs of it on me hours later. My chemistry is weird. 5ml at some point soon, since I have, like, a couple of drops at the moment.

Broke my heart, Szepasszony did. Several forumites recommended it to me, I read glowing reviews of it everywhere, and I fell in love with the sound and the concept of it. I finally got to swap for it, and anticipated its arrival eagerly... and it turned to Softsoap on me. That exact same smell. This was weeks ago, and I'm still too distraught to write a "proper" review. It's been swapped to a loving home, though, so hopefully it can be appreciated the way it deserves. I'm starting to wonder about aquatics on me. I've always had good luck with them, and then two scents in a row containing them went berserk on me. Coincidence?

New Orleans really surprised me. I got it in an eBay lot along with an imp of Amsterdam, expecting to love Amsterdam and be like "hey, okay, cool" over this one. As it turned out, Amsterdam wasn't for me, but this one's growing to be a favorite. in vial: YUM. The lemon and spice are the strongest, but the jasmine and honeysuckle aren't taking it lying down. It smells like someone is baking lemon-spice cookies at twilight in the summer, with a window open to let the oven heat out and the scent of blooming flowers in. just applied: Lemon and spice. Almost foody to my nose. drying down: Aaaaand here come the flowers, fighting back. dry: Totally delicious. All of the major notes blend perfectly. It's a potent mixture of sweetness and assertiveness, and more than a bit sexy. verdict: I've adopted this as the signature scent of my character in the Vampire: the Requiem LARP I go to (yes, I'm a geek, shut your mouth ), and I can definitely see myself buying a 5ml sometime in the not-too-distant future. It's just that nummy.

Amsterdam made me a sad panda. I was hoping to love it based on the description, but, well... in vial: Dew-covered grass! The flowers are there, too, but definitely in a supporting role. just applied: WHOAGRASS. I'm not even kidding. drying down: Unmistakably the scent of a freshly mown lawn. dry: ...with a couple of crushed flowers strewn by the wayside. verdict: There's something undeniably charming about this one, but I think my chemistry did a number on it, and it's just not for me. Ah, thwarted hopes. *cries* Already been swapped out to a loving home.

Okay, I'm way behind on reviewing all the scents I've tried, and now's the time to catch up, heehee. Eh. I don't even really know what to say about Languor, it evokes the characteristics of its name so well. in vial: My admittedly-untrained nose picks out predominantly narcissus (yay!), with the tuberose and something heavy around the edges that I assume is the opium. first time I got a little on my finger whilst sniffing the imp: Turned into a dead-on Pez scent after a few minutes. wtf? the real skin test: Uh, narcissus and other stuff. I don't know. I might just not be sophisticated enough with scent yet to appreciate it. As it is, Languor just doesn't strike me in any meaningful way, other than making me feel a little drowsy and apathetic. Apropos? Yes, but I don't need perfume to help me with that. >_> verdict: I wish it'd stayed Pezzy on me, 'cause that would've been awesome. As it is, off to swaps. It sounded interesting, too. Le sigh.

Gift imp~ In bottle: McDonald's barbecue sauce. I kid you not. My nose must be really messed up. Just applied: OOH. I smell like a lush, green forest, with a hint of fruit. Drying down: This is really yummy, and a little smoky now. It smells like a weird cross between spring and fall, if that makes any sense. Dry: I think I smell the "skin" note listed. This scent is gorgeously evocative, and kind of makes me want to go running around naked in the woods under a starlit sky. It has incredible throw and staying power on me, too. Verdict: Now here's where I'm torn. On the one hand, this is an amazing scent that works really well on my skin. On the other, I'm just not sure when I would wear it; I don't know that it's really my "type" for perfume, though that seems like a strange justification. I'm keeping the imp, though, because I can't bear to part with it. I think I'll end up giving in and wearing it, if only at night to sleep, but if nothing else, I'll figure out ways to use it to scent my room.

Bought from Julilla Regina. In bottle: Straight-up ozone and metallics, with a very very faint bit of something sweet and feminine. Just applied: Whoa, very ozone/metallic, though not unpleasantly so. Drying down: I think I smell the bamboo now, but the overall effect is still overwhelmingly modern and urban. Dry: This is smelling very masculine on me. Luckily, I like playing with androgyny sometimes, heh. Later: The cherry blossom and orchid are emerging a little now, and the gender line is blurred further. It's nifty. I wonder where the fruits are, though. Verdict: This is a really crisp, fun scent. I doubt I'll be ordering a big bottle, but I'll definitely keep the imp on hand for special occasions, especially those that warrant a little fun with gender-bending.

The description for this knocked me dead, and after snatching up an imp at the first opportunity and waiting eagerly for it to get here, I feel oddly disappointed, but I can't put my finger on why. In bottle: Nummy. Lilies, orchid, a bit of plum and ylang ylang teasing at the edges... exactly what I was hoping for. Just applied: Where did the plum and ylang ylang go? This is a straight-up lily/orchid duet now. I love both notes, but without the others, this seems really one-dimensional. Drying down: Still the same prim floral, and the jasmine is nowhere to be found to sexify it. (Yes, "sexify" is a word now. Hush.) I think I catch a whiff of plum, but it keeps disappearing. Dry: This smells way too innocent compared to what I was expecting. The name made me expect the fragrance equivalent of holding your breath in lust and anticipation, but what I'm smelling makes me think more of the wistful sigh of some repressed Victorian lady falling back onto her fainting couch because her damn corset is too tight. But wait! Later: After riding my bike here with my gloves on, my wrist smells delicious, way closer to what I wanted. The plum and ylang ylang are back, and this is way closer to the softly seductive perfume I was thinking of. I think maybe this is a fragrance that needs some body heat to work right on me, so I'll conduct further testing to see if it'll work out in the end, because I want to believe that this won't disappoint. Verdict: Uncertain as of now, but hopeful that this'll be another favorite. edit: Yup, it's gorgeous, and works better on me every time.

I got a 5ml bottle of this as a very sweet gift, and the instant I got it, I ran upstairs to try! (Sorry, I needed an excuse to use that. I've never seen it anywhere else, heh.) In bottle: Strawberries, herbs, and alcohol. Not even necessarily a bad scent, but I'm definitely hoping it won't be like that on my skin. Just applied: Strawberry and ylang ylang, with lots of greenness underneath. Mmm. Drying down: The sage is really coming out now; it's mostly the ylang ylang and the sage dominating this now, with the strawberry floating lightly over the top and the other notes being coy. Something about it smells very ancient (in a good way, very natural). It's lovely, but I've been hoping for a stronger strawberry note, so I hope it comes back. Dry: It does! This gets very sweet and creamy while maintaining the herbalness, and the lotus comes out to play after an hour or so. This scent smells familiar at times, but I have no idea why. Eek, I can't stop smelling my wrist. People are giving me funny looks. Verdict: I'm in love. It may not be exactly what I thought it would be, but different can be amazing. I'm so glad I got to try this, and I may have to hunt more down to hoard.

Well, my imp of Eris finally turned up yesterday. Curse you, USPS. In bottle: Um, how can I put this delicately? To my untrained nose, it smells like cat urine, with an underlying hint of watermelon. I almost didn't bother to test it, but I wanted to give it a chance. Just applied: Nope, not getting any better. Now I smell like I've been rolling in Hello Kitty's litterbox. Drying down: Occasional nice flashes of the watermelon and maybe something floral, but still more of the same. I'm not sure what it is, really. My only guess is that it might be the mimosa, since that's the one note in this I'm not really familiar with. Dry: It's a lost cause. Discordant? Yes, but... Way later: Everything gone but some pungent evil flowery smell that refuses to go away even after a shower. Maybe that's the mimosa, I dunno. Verdict: Curse you, Eris. I'm gonna go eat a hot dog or 23 now to spite you for pulling this on me. I almost wonder if the oil might have gone off, but it might just be my skin chemistry. Oh well, at least now I have evidence of another note I might want to avoid, always valuable information. Anyway, the person I got it from sent cute stickers with it, so that's a plus.

Yay, my first imp! Looking over the site, the name caught my eye first; "The Lady of Shalott" is one of my favorite poems. When I saw that it had muguet (which my body chemistry loves), I was dead-set on it. In bottle: omgwtf gardenia. Also, the aquatic notes noted in the description, and maybe a bit of musk. Absolutely gorgeous. It seems oddly haunting and familiar for some reason. I keep thinking "mirror", which I guess is appropriate. XP Just applied: Very floral, and of course my old friend muguet is popping up to say hello. Rather bittersweet with the aquaticness underlying it. Drying down: Some green notes coming to the surface now. They work really well with the muguet. A slight muskiness, but with none of the problems I seem to have with musk sometimes. Dry: So perfect. The notes all blend together, one occasionally surfacing over the others, then plunging back into the mix again. I smell like a dew-covered bouquet of flowers. Maybe it's an overblown metaphor, but it works. This scent has a sadness and a warmth simultaneously; it's very evocative. Verdict: Definitely buying a 5ml, possibly a 10ml, at some point when I'm less poor. Ah, another unsuspecting customer hooked.