ReallyZeb

In the bottle the almond is so strong I almost didn't try it, and this continues when wet. On drydown though it's surprisingly lovely, the musk kicks in making it a warm nutty, slightly spicy scent - yet not actually sweet - more like the remnant of a savoury spiced nut mix. Very gentle and I have to agree, comforting.

I love Evil Gnome - a smoky yet fizzy scent - but today I'm trying Evil Gnome Paladin, which I think is a mistake! It started off turning into a weird floral soap once it dried. After a couple of hours it now only gives me beeswax with a tiny hint of Gnome's original fizzy ginger.

Wet I get that overpowering blast of fresh lavender, just like everyone else! Once it dries it calms down to a really fresh creamy almost citrus smell - I guess its the raspberry but I wouldn't recognise it as such. It really reminds me of Monsterbait Bigger Critters once its fully dry. I don't know if I want more but I might.

Wet, it is all almond and I get nothing else. Once it dries it becomes a lovely slightly spicy, slightly almondy musk. There's not much throw to it for a musky blend. Definitely a keeper but I'm not sure if it warrants a bottle

I wanted the fresh peachiness that I get from it wet in the imp, but almost immediately it dries down to faint peachy soap, so sad

I put it on and all I could think was 'melon, with a backnote of scrotum' I'm counting down that 30 minutes to see if I can cope ... Once it's properly dried down I do get musky melon, but the melon is so in your face that I can't see it's worth suffering through the scrotum phase

When wet I get a refreshing cologne, but as soon as it dries I first get a whiff of very strong leather and then it settles into something half medicinal, half like a very savoury spice scent - it smells of one of indian cooking spices that's rarer in the west, I just don't know which one (my partner has a very extensive spice rack but he's not around to ask). The trouble is, while I'd be happy for my kitchen to smell like this, I don't want it on me. After a couple of hours it has finally mellowed into warm vanilla and tonka, yes quite reminiscent of Dorian, but I don't want to wait that long for the good bit.

Cuddly evil deliciousness - if evil smells like this I'm all for it I'm not sure why I bought this as leather tends to turn nasty on me, but I'm very glad I did. Wet on skin it is very cologney, with the leather adding a backnote that threatens to be overpowering, but once it's dry I get woodsy musk. After an hour or so it has mellowed to a comforting, smooth, vanilla musk, with a little wood right at the back, reminding me of Smut, and I know I *must* get a bottle or be eternally damned!

I agree that this smells like it should be in the Steamworks section - when wet it reminds me of No. 93 Engine. Once it's dry, I'm fairly certain that the citrussy note here is lemongrass and then theres a lovely light resin smell and some light wood, I don't know what but not as rich as oak. The more I sniff this the more I think of walking through scrubby silver birch type woodlands, early in the morning on a summer day when it's still cool and fresh but will turn into a scorcher later.

I tested this today after a cold wet day and an hour's personal training and I am totally impressed - after a long soak in the tub my muscles have stopped screaming. It smells almost medicinal when it first goes in the bath, I guess that would be the epsom salts, but that's soon overtaken by a lovely steamy ginger and nutmeg cloud. For the next couple of hours my bathroom smelt of spicy honey which was also wonderful, and it has an incredible throw on it, it wafted both up and down a floor!

Thanks you Fright - they have both arrived this morning despite my Lab CnS still saying the package is in the US!

I'm wondering if or when I should worry - I got my CnS on 7th April and still haven't got my parcel - it's a UK order - and the tracking page says nothing since it logged it in LA on the 7th. As a contrast, my BPTP order CnS shows logged out of LA on the 13th and is showing logged as recieved at the UK post office last night. How long should I leave it before officially worrying, as opposed to the unofficial worrying I'm doing now? They've never taken longer than 6 days from CnS to delivery before now.

This is far too soapy for me - it's a posh herbal soap but sadly there's no trace of the lovely blackcurrant I wanted, and I don't even get the myrrh.

Lady Una, Tristran, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat and Jezebel for me

2012 version In the bottle I get strong men's cologne and nothing but cologne ... but once it dries on my skin it morphs into something much softer. There's still the backline of cologne, but there is a soft powdery rose over the top and a hint of some greenery, maybe bay leaves or some other leaf of that ilk. There's a tiny bit of sea spray if I sniff close but the throw is all woodsy. I get no rum and no berries at all, and thankfully no strong leather note. It is quite masculine, even though I tend to like some masculine blends - but strangely I can imagine myself wearing it while lying in the shade on a boat in really hot weather. Not one for general use for me though - I'd rather smell some tall dark interesting stranger wearing it!

Can anyone find the review thread for this year's Frederic? I don't know if my search is just fritzing up - I can find the 2008 one.

There was a moment of hesitation, and then she sniffed her wrist again, and she was, under the strange stars, utterly, irrevocably, lost. I never thought I'd find something I loved quite as much Dorian, but here it is. Yes I get berries and vanilla and musk, but also that intangible sexiness that's also in Dorian. I'm in love.

Have you considered Brusque Violet? Q who you sometimes swap with had some arrive recently, so she might be able to sniff & compare the two. I also gave some Violet Ray away to someone as a frimp, might have been you, but I think the label on that one was clean.

Wet and just on I get lovely caramelly brown sugar with a hint of salt water but as soon as it dries it turns to evil spiced candles. Where's my strawberry? Where's my marshmallow? I was hoping for sweet goodness like Midway but this is just a tooth rotter

In the bottle all I got was white chocolate, but once on and dry the star is the lemongrass, without the sharp edge that it often has. I do get the almond I think, as I get an almost coconutty sweetness in with the white chocolate. I can't detect any coriander until about an hour after applying it, and then I might only be picking it up because I know the smell so well. The lemongrass has faded completely and the end result on me is a herbal coconut that just doesn't quite work.

Wet I get curried chocolate, maybe the smell of dessert after a great curry! Once it dries it is rich, very dark, chocolate with a good kick of spice from the ginger, and quite strong turmeric grounding it. I only get a very faint whiff of tulsi which is a shame, I'd have liked it a bit stronger. I was expecting this to be very similar to Jan 2012's version of Thirteen but this to me is far more earthy.

Gorgeous, herby, woody and sparkly too ... I guess the sparkle is probably the mint. No one note comes reliably to the fore so each time I sniff it I get a different note. It reminds me of an old sun warmed desk in a dusty schoolroom with a window opening onto some deep green forest. I love it

I ought to love this from the notes but it is the vilest thing I have ever smelt that was actually for sale - it's even displaced Delousing Powder as my most hated scent. All I get from it, wet or dry, is what I remember strong carbolic soap smelling of, and it turns my stomach so much I actually had to wash it off I think it's the leather that does this, as it reminds me a little of Highwayman which I also didn't like.

I don't get sparkly pear from The Vine - just pear and cream ... but I get tons of sparkle from Bon Vivant and very little strawberry so was wondering if layering the two would give sparkly pear?

I just have to try this ... I'm often seen as quiet and aloof by people, unless they know me. Underneath my quiet exterior is quite a different story. I daydream too much, I eat too much, I sleep too much, I like to indulge all my senses so I obsess about sex as well I love reading and can completely lose myself in a book, I'm stubborn and I have a hell of a temper if something pushes my buttons. I try to live by logic but too often my emotions overwhelm me. As far as relaionships go, I'm bisexual and ethically non-monogamous. I can't wear cinnamon although I love it. I hate strong florals and aquatics tend to turn to soap on me. My favourite BPALs include Dorian, Smut, Bastet, Miskatonic University, 13 and Lady of Shalott