iamzuul

In the imp: This has a lovely citrus scent to it - I vacillate between grapefruit and lemon. There's a touch of sweetness to mellow it out, so that it smells more like - like many have mentioned before me - lemon sugar cookies or a citrus glaze for cookies or cakes. Invigorating but calming at the same time, like it takes you back to a happy place. Like how smelling apple pie can take you back to grandma's kitchen, that sort of thing. On application: More of the bitterness of citrus rind or lemongrass came out immediately after I rubbed my wrists together and smelled them. Not entirely unpleasant, but not the same as lemon sugar cookies. The green-ness that others have mentioned starts to poke its head out here, but only barely. Further from the skin, though, the throw does still smell like lemon cookies - it just gets a little odd the closer you get. After the first half hour: The odd green rind/grass scent fades to a lovely lemony powder. I am quite fond of this. Final impression: Though it does have a moment of 'I'm not really sure I like this after all', the scent eventually settles into a lemony powder that slowly fades as time passes. It's lovely. I'll be adding this to my favorites. :3

In the bottle: Oh my. This is... oddly red, in scent, if that makes any sense. (Synesthesia, go!) Not strongly red, but faintly while not yet becoming pink. There is a sort of medicinal aftertaste, which may be the poppy, but it is mostly covered by the dusty amber and floral ylang ylang. It's very... interesting, and cologne-y. Right after application: The cologne-ish-ness pops on the skin, but is muted a touch by the amber. There is something at the bottom I can only detect occasionally, though, that I'm not sure I like. It's hard to describe. Floral soap? It's not quite bad enough to definitively say I don't like it, but.... I'm thinking I won't like this. Final impression (30 minutes later): .... the longer I wear this, the worse it gets. Like the Seraphim, the bottom note that rises up is one that smells like heartburn tastes - acrid, sour, and gross. I guess florals just won't work on me.

Out of the bottle: This... smells.... like a storm. o_o It smells like you're standing at the mouth of a river, just far enough from the ocean that the salty tang is very faint, with a storm rolling dark and thundery toward you. I'm unfamiliar with China Rain, but it does have an ozone-y and rain-y scent to it. There's also a salty-greeny smell, like the mouth of a river. Maybe brackish, but without any real scent of marshy rot. Right after application: I spilled a few drops on my desk when evaluating the out-of-the-bottle scent, so I wiped it up with my wrists. Something woody starts to stand out once it's on the skin, almost smokey or charred. This is probably from the vetivert. The saltiness fades and leaves just that scent of wood smoke and petrichor, maybe with a touch of ozone. I don't NOT like it, but I'm not sure if I'm fond of it either - I'm developing a headache and I'm not sure yet if it's from the scent or because I haven't eaten lunch yet. ; One hour later: The smokiness is very faint now, leaving the aquatic scent of rain or ozone as the top note. The headache was definitely from not eating lunch. It had an odd start, but I am getting more fond of it. Unfortunately, like most other bpal scents it has already gotten very faint. Four hours later: By this point the scent has certainly faded, enough that you have to get close to the skin to pick up much of anything. All I can really pick up anymore is a faintly aquatic, soapy smell, not at all unpleasant but not something I'd associate with perfume, either. Final impression: I'll have to wear this again and get others' opinions before I can be sure if I really like this or not. It's nice, but may not be me in the way that R'leyh is.

In the imp: A very nice, spicy scent of buttery vanilla root beer, only the old fashioned kind with a bite (sarsaparilla). I'm unfamiliar with onycha, so I'm not sure if I'm picking that up or not. On application: The sassafrass comes through much stronger once it's on my skin; not much in the way of butter or vanilla anymore. The throw is very faint, no more than you'd expect to smell if you had a can of A&W on the desk next to you. It does have a foody sort of smell to it, but not the kind that makes me hungry or thirsty, if that makes any sense. One hour later: At first the scent seemed to strengthen, giving out more of a throw as time passed. The buttery scent returned, lessening the spice of the sassafrass without making it less root-beery. Then eventually it faded again, making it hard to smell even with my nose against my skin. Man, I wish my skin didn't eat all these scents so much. Final impression: Overall a nice scent, something I would hesitate to call masculine or feminine. Fairly unisex, but at the same time not something I would ordinarily except someone to smell like. I'm sure it would make an excellent atmosphere spray or linen spray, but it doesn't really work as a perfume for me. I'll probably be giving it to maoric next ;P

In the imp: Clean, bright, with the scent of fresh flowers (as opposed to flowery perfume). The wisteria and lily are the top notes, with a hint of frankincense. There may also be some rose in there, but it doesn't rise to the top like the others. If this doesn't work well with my chemistry, it would make a wonderful linen or atmosphere spray. On application: It's much stronger on the skin than in the imp; the floral is too much up close. It does have a little bit of throw, but not a great deal. It goes from faint, faint, faint, whoagoshtoomuch. I hope the scent matures more than others have on me, because it's actually unpleasantly floral at this point. The 'Estee Lauder' description in a previous review fits it perfectly. This is one that might give me a headache. One hour later: It's softened down to a sandalwood/frankincense odor with an acrid, nasty undertone that makes me think of heartburn. Thankfully there's little to no throw and I have to push my nose against the skin to smell even that much. Final impression: This has one heck of a difference between the bottle and my skin. Definitely not for me. I'll be washing this off now.

In the imp: A huge number of previous reviewers mention grapefruit... but honestly, I pick up nothing citrus-y about this scent whatsoever. It has an aquatic odor with a hint of bite, possibly from just a touch of pine, but I would suspect the aquatic odor comes more from a mild melon (not cantaloupe, perhaps honeydew). It also makes me think of cucumber, but it's not quite cucumber-y enough to be positive. The description talks about oceanic depths, but there is no fresh or even old sea-scent to this, no saltiness at all; aquatic, yes, but a freshwater sort of aquatic. Brackish at best, like being near the mouth of a river where it dumps into the sea. And perhaps, as a few other people mentioned, some ambergris or ozone. There is something about it that reminds me of Hurricane. On application: No real difference between the imp and the initial wet/dry-down stage on my skin. This seems like a very fresh and clean scent to me, not at all dark, brooding, or evil. If I were to ascribe a sense to this, I'd say 'unknowable/unfathomable'. It isn't so much that the scent is evil, but that you know nothing about it, and so that not-knowing may scare you. A lot like the ocean, actually. Clean, fresh, and vaguely frightening both in it's size and what you don't know is in it. After first hour: No real change, other than that the scent is fading. The throw was apparent for the first few minutes, but quickly lessened. After four hours: Almost gone entirely, even when I put my nose right up against my wrists. But still, it hasn't done anything funky or even changed much in scent. I just wish it lasted longer. Final impression: I really, really like this. I could see myself wearing this quite frequently. But if I do, I'll definitely need to carry an imp around for touch-ups throughout the day.

Out of the bottle: First impression - OH MY GAWD IT SMELLS LIKE DIRT. After this initial spazing I calm down and try to identify the scents. This most definitely smells like dark, rich loam - not the kind of dirt you often find down here in Florida. It's the kind of good, earthy decay you smell after you scrap back the thick layer of half-crumbled leaves at the base of a tree, down to the dark, cool, loose and earth-wormy dirt beneath. None of that gross wet decay most people associate with rotting vegetables. No, this is like fresh wet grass clippings and the kind of dirt you just want to stick your hands in. (yes, i am a gardener, why do you ask?) The green-ness of the scent is probably from the rose leaf, the hint of sharpness that isn't quite as acidic as pine needles probably from the spanish moss. (i now have an over-whelming desire to comb my campus for spanish moss so I can huff it and be sure.) I really don't detect any sweetness from the rose, but that's probably because they're 'dried' roses - the sweetness of a fresh rose would probably ruin the scent and tip it over into the sweetly gross decay of vegetables. That or I'm just not very sensitive to rose scents. Right after application: I put a thick line on each wrist and rubbed together. I also put a swirl in the hollow of my throat. The throw is thick and delicious - again with the fresh grass clippings and dark earth. My partner is too congested to give me an opinion, but my cat seems torn between 'get that away from me' and 'meh'. One hour later: On my way to work I stop by a kwik king where the grass is being cut, and it does not in fact smell at all like what I'm associating with cut grass in this scent. It must be the rose leaves. It definitely has a sharp, green odor that makes me think of greenery, but it isn't as readily identifyable as say tomato or cucumber/squash leaves. There is a rose near the apartment office where I work; I'll have to huff it along with the spanish moss to be sure. The throw is still apparent enough that I can pick up the green scent just sitting still - my mouth waters in a way that has nothing to do with food, but rather with the desire to go outside into the cool shade and roll around on the grass and clover. Why did they name this Zombi, anyway? It smells too good to smell like a zombie!! Four hours later: Man, my skin just eats these things up. By the time the first hour is up there's barely any throw at all, and by four I can barely smell it even on my wrists. It is still lovely and green though, when I can catch a wiff. I guess I'll just have to carry imps around for touchups or something. Final impression: OH MY GAWD IT SMELLS LIKE DIRT. This is amazing, but at the same time kind of saddening; very little in Florida smells like this, and it makes me miss Washington (state) something awful. This is absolutely positively going on my wishlist, but I'm torn between wearing it and using it as a room scent. If I were to pick an occasion to wear this, oddly enough I think of a funeral - not because the dead might rise, but more because this strikes me as a wistful scent. Not quite joyful, but not quite full-on mourning. Dang I love this scent. Dang you maoric for dragging me to bpal!

Out of the imp: This is a very floral, grassy scent. I can pick up the coconut, just barely, which gives it a kind of creamy odor, along with the wild lettuce and a hint of white chocolate at the very end. It seems very fresh and clean, but at the same time there's something air-freshener-y about it. It does not strike me as being very strong or heavy - this is clearly a 'light' scent. Right after application: I put a thick line on each wrist and rubbed together, and a swirl on the hollow of my throat. The air-freshener-ness to it became stronger, but it also turned a bit watery, perhaps from the lilac petals. I can't pick up any more coconut, which is good, because I can't stand the smell of coconut. Still bright, floral/grassy, a clean scent. One hour later: The throw comes and goes; sometimes I catch a wiff of it just sitting still, other times I have to sniff my wrist to really catch the scent. It has turned more powdery at this point, the sandalwood and orris coming through the florals. No longer quite so air-freshener-y, but still a bright clean scent. Three hours later: The throw seems to have really diminished, as no one in my office has commented on it (many of the women here are very sensitive to perfumes and other scented things). I'm really torn between whether I like wearing it or not; it has a very fresh and clean feel to it, but at the same time it feels like an air freshener, and I'm not sure if I want to smell like an air freshener. I definitely like it in general, though. This would probably make a wonderful scent to spritz on fresh linens. This strikes me as being a good scent for young women - fresh and perhaps a touch innocent. An evocative scent for the Last Unicorn.

Out of the imp: This had a nice, rich vanilla scent with a strong note of cedar and sarsaparilla. Sans the cedar, it reminded me quite a bit of the sarsaparilla that they serve special at a local medieval faire. (Think like IBC out of a bottle, only made with unicorn tears.) It's been a long time since I've smelled balsam wood, so I'm not sure if that mixed in with the cedar or if I'm not catching it at all. Right after application: I put a quick line on each wrist and rubbed together. Almost immediately the cedar scent faded away, leaving just the vanilla and sarsaparilla. Remarkably delicious. Twenty minutes later: Cedar is still gone. Maoric is jealous because it smelled like cedar chips on him. I buy the imp from him. One hour later: I want to eat my arms. My room mate's first response to smelling my arm is also to try and eat my arms. She says she can smell the cedar, but it's still invisible to me. Four hours later: Faint enough that you have to get all up on my wrist to get a good wiff of the scent, but still a nice warm woody vanilla, as lucytalk put it way back in the day. The vanilla is the top note to me, but there's just enough sarsaparilla to notice it. In the future I would probably want to either apply more than I did for this test, or in more places than just my wrists, so that it lasts throughout the day. Final impression: Unless I smell like a skunk in the morning, this stuff is AMAZING. Although I wouldn't define it as either feminine or masculine, it strikes me as a scent better put on a woman, especially if the cedar scent vanishes like it did on me. Once the imp runs out I'll almost definitely be getting a bottle of this stuff.