Meg

In the bottle: White musk and... ... smoke? It smells very clean. Wet: Soapy sharp white musk, with very vague flowers and perhaps a hint of fizzy champagne. Um, it has a faint undertone of dustbin, which isn't very good. Drydown: It stays quite sharp and soapy, with a very clear champagne note, and discreet florals coming out, a bit of hyacinth maybe. It smells quite like a handsoap, to me. And there's a very weird note that smells like a mix of sex and dirty diapers, eek! I have no idea where this comes from, but it's certainly not pleasant! Overall: It's much too heavy on the white musk for me, and the florals aren't really my cup of tea either. It's a very fresh soapy scent to me, a bit like a more floral/boozy Bunny Musk. And that smutty note really isn't my thing, either. No, if I want champagne, I'll take Bon Vivant any day.

In the bottle: Amber, musk and peaches. Wet: Very much the same as in the bottle. Drydown: Peaches, a boozy note and something herby, I'm guessing the myrtle. Underneath it, amber and musk, creating a creamy, nearly plasticky base for the peaches and herbs. Overall: A rather simple, warm and summery fruity blend. I'm not really a fan, I think that the peach note is too aquatic and tart for me, and the myrtle really isn't my cup of tea. It reminds me a lot of "Fae" without the oakmoss.

In the bottle: Orchid and jasmine. Wet: Weird musk, very sharp, with some rose in the background. There's also a rather green note in there. Drydown: Rich musky orchid, with a bit of rose and a touch of very discreet jasmine which adds a dustiness to the blend. I think I also get some rich sandalwood in there. It's rather acrid smelling, sharp and aggressive. After the acrid part goes away (a half hour at least), I get soft rose and orchid, pretty and gentle. Overall: It would be a really pretty blend if it didn't have such a sour note to it. Perhaps I make the musk turn, or if it's the orchid that's too strong, but it's too powerful a blend for me. It does have a magical, dark and warrior-like feel to it, but it's just not me, much too aggressive to my nose in the beginning.

In the bottle: Soft white florals. Wet: It gets a bit sharper, smelling like wet florals. It gets a bit sharp for my sinuses. Drydown: It dries down to a very soft, creamy floral scent. I don't know which floral this is, but it's the same as in Asphodel. There's a misty air scent that wafts above it, very much like dew. After a while, it gets a bit dry, and there's a definite hay scent to it, like dry grass in the sun. Overall: It's a pretty blend, but it keeps on making me go "who's wearing sun cream"? It smells just like the floral used in Nivea sun cream, but it's a bit sharper and has a bit of a wet feel to it. It's pleasant, but not something that I would wear regularly.

In the bottle: Sweet woods, fir and birch, I think. Wet: A sweet, aftershavey wood scent, a bit minty and refreshing. Drydown: Still very sweet wood, minty, with some icy snow notes. Birch starts coming out, it's quite a recogniseable scent. It starts going very woody mint, soft, warm and cool at the same time. As time goes by, the birch becomes more and more dry and sweet. Overall: This reminds me of Nuclear Winter with birch, they have the similar slushy snow note and some mints. I tend to prefer Nuclear Winter, as the birch goes too sweet on my skin. Somehow it seems a bit masculine to me, like an aftershave.

In the bottle: Apple blossom, a bit of orchid and various herbs. Wet: Apple blossom and something tingly to my nose, grass, I think. Drydown: Soft, powdery apple blossom, a bit of rich orchid, and lots of different herbs and greenery scents. It smells a bit rosey and rather wild, like nature in the dead of night. Actually I think I get a bit of hawthorn, too. Overall: It's pleasant smelling, but I have an aversion to apple-blossom, I find it too sickly. It smells herby and rich, with a dark feeling to it, not threatening, just... nocturnal. Doesn't seem to be my cup of tea, but it's very pretty.

In the bottle: A rather tart smell, with jasmine and lily. Wet: Jasmine and... frankincense, I think. Drydown: I get lily and jasmine, with tart black currant and wafts of frankincense. There's something a bit bitter and woody in there, too, I think sandalwood. I get a bit of the spice of ylang-ylang and cardamom, too. Overall: A pleasant blend, mixed between very soft from the lily to smoky from the frankincense. It has a weird foody vibe from the currant, which doesn't really go with the rest, except perhaps if you imagine the scent as the smell of all the offerings to a goddess.

In the bottle: Violent, headachy pepper and something orangey. Wet: Pepper pepper pepper, eep! Makes me want to sneeze! Drydown: Pepper and something rather soapy, I can't tell what. I get kumquat, certainly, it's a sort of citrusy scent between lemon and orange. After a while the pepper lifts a bit, leaving the kumquat dominate, and a bit of the orange blossom come through and it smells rather sweet. Overall: After the really obnoxious pepper has lifted, it's a rather pretty, sweet citrusy/floral blend, really quite upbeat. In fact, it reminds me a bit of "Moxie". It smells a bit soapy to me, though, and the pepper notes really disgust me in the beginning. Still, it's a fun blend, it gets quite a reaction out of me. [ETA: I washed it off before I went to bed - or so I thought. In the morning, I woke up with my very first BPAL rash on my wrist. *adds pepper to the list of ingredients I can't wear*]

In the bottle: I get slightly bitter, woody plum. Wet: Wet plum and lily of the valley. Drydown: It becomes very faint, I can still smell a bit of plum and some lily of the valley, with a bit of powdery jasmine over it. It goes a bit soapy and sour as the plum dries down. Overall: An extremely faint breath of a scent, quite true to its name. I find that the jasmine is stronger than any of the rest, I tend to amp it, and apparently the plum goes wrong on me. I get some lily of the valley too, but it tends to smell like handsoap. Pretty, but nothing special to me.

In the bottle: Orange blossom and... something more. Possibly the lemon verbena. Wet: Orange blossom and lemon verbena, with a softer base underneath. Drydown: Orange blossom and sweet honeysuckle, with a touch of lemon verbena. Heliotrope also comes out, a shiny, rich and tangy sweet scent, very girlish. Then, like clockwork, the orange blossom turns on my skin and starts smelling horrible. Fortunately it seems to leave quite fast, and only the honeysuckle/heliotrope/lemon verbena stays behind. Finally, it develops into a rather bubblegummy smell, very sweet. Overall: It's a sweet, slightly sharp and bright scent, and with the orange blossom gone wrong it smells slightly decaying at the very back, which works well with the general picture, somehow. Not something I would wear, but a very pretty evocative, extremely girlish blend.

In the bottle: Honey, and spices, and fig, with a hint of wood from the patchouli. Wet: Thick honey and woodsy fig. The patchouli starts developing. Drydown: Honey and fig, becoming much more voluptuous. I get a spices from the ylang ylang especially, and maybe the clove, but nothing invasive. It just smells like rich, spicy fig and honey over wood. It gets much more spicier as it dries down, like spicy patchouli. Overall: It's a very sensual, warm and earthy blend, with all the spice and sweetness you need for quite an erotic aura. It is slightly dry from the patchouli, but generally it gives a very good impression of its description, fierce and dazzling and sexy. A beautiful blend.

In the bottle: A watery mix of rose and lilac. Wet: Lilac, a rather woody smell, with a watery side to it. Drydown: The rose seems to be buried under all this watery, slightly bitter lilac. I get a bit of a violet smell too (and taste, actually, I can taste violet in the back of my throat?!), and the rose very slowly develops. There's something very slightly boozy to it, too. As time goes by, the rose comes out, rich and heavy. Overall: Fleurs du Mal indeed: it's strangely aggressive on the sinuses, and has a bit of a soapy, old-lady's-perfume feel to it. Not a soft floral, even the lilac has bite to it, and the end result is really quite bitter. It has an old-fashioned, nearly Victorian feel to it, a bit like a much darker and more bitter "Ouija", or a less foul "Imp of the Perverse". Not something I would wear again.

An allegorical expression of the ineffable, indisputable triumph of death, generally expressed in medieval artwork as a violin or flute-wielding skeleton leading a procession of dancers to their graves. Black cypress with oakmoss, frankincense, oude, and a sliver of toasted hazelnut. In the bottle: Cypress, mostly, and oakmoss maybe. Wet: Still pretty pure cypress and... frankincense? Something slightly sweet and tangy. Drydown: Cypress, frankincense and oakmoss, I think. It smells very woody and a bit smoky, and I can vaguely smell the hazelnut somewhere in the background. Something smells a bit plasticky in there. Overall: A very dark scent, with lots of rather harsh evergreen, and a touch of smoke and the slightly plastic hazelnut that makes me think of bones, somehow. It fades rather fast, unfortunately. I quite like it, it would work well to create a dark woodsy atmosphere.

In the bottle: Sweet and very sharp, with a very strong dose of soapy white musk. Wet: Lemony white musk, and slowly white, cottonny flowers appear. I can't really name them, but they smell clean and dry. There has to be some citrus in here, though - yes, the greenness of the clover, of course! Drydown: As it dries down, the citrus note slips into the background. I'm left with a soft, cottony, powdery scent. There's a grassy undertone to it, and a sort of depth that I haven't smelled before in a grass blend (like Val Sans Retour). It's got a very slightly aquatic, fresh air scent to it, as well. The powder notes don't disturb me as much as I thought they might, they smell a bit lemony and remind me of an extremely watered-down Numb. And there's a hint of very soft spice in there, I think. Overall: Clean and white, so beautifully clean! A really white fluffy bunny in the middle of a clover meadow. But there's something deep about that I can't really explain, a skin warmth from the musk, and a rich flower scent. Hmm, lying naked in a meadow in the sun, on a perfectly clean cotton sheet, that sounds about right do descibe this. A warm, comforting, clean spring scent. Yum!

I don't have quite as extreme a humidity, but it's getting pretty damn hot and sticky here (damned town by the lake and stupid mountains trapping everything in). Embalming Fluid has always been one of my staples, and I tried to wear some on a scorching day of shopping. I had to reapply several times, but it did stay around a bit. I think that anything containing musk has more of a chance to sticking to your skin, even if the top notes are light citrus or florals. So why not try like Embalming Fluid, Endymion, Phobos, Lady of Shallot, Enraged Bunny Musk, etc. I also find that the ozone note tends to have staying power, I don't quite know what grounds it, but on me it sticks. And ozone = fresh blends. So think R'lyeh, Danube, Tempest, Lightning, Neo-Tokyo, Nyarlathotep and the likes, anything "marine" tends to be ozony. Oh, Lurid has both white musk and ozone and it's superfresh. I found out that O has unbelievable staying power on me, even in this heat (lasted 12 hours!). It's a vanilla/honey/amber/musk blend, certainly not fresh, and I can imagine that it has quite a potential of smelling foul if it turns, but perhaps it stands a chance to actually have some staying power, too. Dorian - to me - sort of goes in the same category as O, because it has vanilla and dark musk. I think it may easily go foul because of those two notes, but if it doesn't, it stands a chance of lasting, yes. Good luck!

In the bottle: Lemon and green tea heaven. Oooh! It's like a sweeter Embalming Fluid! Wet: Green tea and honeysuckle. Drydown: A lovely smooth green tea with honeysuckle over it and just a hint of lemony goodness. It's simple and fresh, sweet and zesty at the same time. Surprisingly, the honeysuckle doesn't go plasticky on me with this blend, yay! Overall: It's a really lovely light and summery blend, reminiscent of drinking tea surrounded by honeysuckle vines everywhere. It's a pity that it doesn't have very much staying power, though it might do great layered in Embalming Fluid - it's really like its sweeter little sister.

In the bottle: Sharp, dark and lemony woods. Wet: The cedar comes out and battles with the lemon verbena for dominance. Drydown: It settles into a cedar and lemon verbena mix, with the dusty scent of patchouli over it. I'm constantly reminded of a really dark and thick jungle, full of moist woods and exotic lemony herbs. The patchouli lends it a sort of dark, mysterious spice which makes it quite magical. Overall: It's an acidic scent, I think because of the lemon verbena and patchouli mixing, and of course it's very woody from the cedar and very discreet sandalwood. It's a refreshing blend, earthy and deep, and also quite exotic to me. I could just imagine this being the scent of a jungle in India, where you walk nervously for fear of meeting a tiger. Evocative, but not something I'd wear regularly.

In the bottle: Bright, white floral ozone with some lime. Wet: I get ozony flowers, white and slightly rubbery flowers, I wonder what these are. Iris or daffodil, perhaps. Drydown: I get very pure air with a whisper of flowers. It's pure white and very... floaty. This will sound weird, but it smells spongy and soft like you'd imagine a cloud would feel. Unfortunately it also smells quite rubbery, so it's flowers and clouds over rubber. Overall: It's a very pretty blend, but I don't think it likes my skin chemistry very much. I think it's probably iris, which frequently goes off on me and either smells like plastic or like "old lady's" perfume. It moves from creamy to rubbery powder all the time, which sort of breaks the bright, smooth clouds feeling. Such a pity.

In the bottle: Ooh, pretty ozoney florals! I immediately get images of deep blue water! Wet: For a moment it smells a bit like an ozony toilet deodoriser, very citrusy over florals. Drydown: Oh yes, flowers, full woods of sweet-smelling flowers and the very green and undescribable scent of rhododendrons. It still veers into toilet deodoriser land every now and then, until the sharpest part of the ozone is gone. It's lovely and moist, too. Overall: Absolutely beautiful! Blue, blue water and florals! It's really the deepest blue scent I've ever smelled, and a really beautiful one, fresh and sweet. I think that there's both ozone and sweet aquatics in here and it works, even on aquatic-allergic me! A perfect scent for a warm summer, for the atmosphere of a huge river going through flowering woods. Yum!

In the bottle: A sharp, pretty bitter aquatic, with florals and mint. Wet: Mint and lots of marine ozone notes, nearly salty. There's something very bitter in there, like the white skin in citrus fruits. Drydown: Bitter, bitter, bitter. This is a slightly soapy and very biting scent that I can't quite qualify. There's a very clean side to it, really like soap, and the bitterness could be anything, possibly a mix of citrus, really metallic ozone and possibly geranium. Overall: It reminds me strongly of one of my Dad's aftershaves, in a less masculine version. It has the similar bitter, metallic, biting note and I already can't stand it if it's on a man. I have no idea what's in this, but it doesn't suit me at all. On the other hand, it fits the description very well, it's aquatic and pretty evil. Good for those who like very fresh blends.

In the bottle: A watery, sweet and a bit spicy neroli. Yum! Wet: Aquatic neroli, ooh! It's really lovely! Drydown: A very airy scent, very light neroli and a little bit of sandalwood peeking through, grounding things. It's watery and light, a little bit woody, surprisingly not even very spicy. It's close to the skin and fresh, but also sensual. Overall: This is absolutely not what I was expecting, it's soooo much better! It's pretty and watery and sensual, very siren-like - in fact this is what I'd have wanted Siren to smell like! This really does smell of streams and lakes, but also of something really warm and perfumy from the sandalwood that hypnotises you. Lovely!

In the bottle: Pear and magnolia, I think. Wet: Flowers... I think it's tuberose or plumeria that I can smell, quite tart. Drydown: The tartness softens into a rather creamy scent, and I can smell pear. It smells slightly woody actually, but also dewy. It's quite foody, actually, you can smell the thickness of fruit, possibly from the magnolia. Overall: It's a rather tart and thick scent, more foody than I'd have expected. I think that it's pear dominating, but as I don't know many of the other flowers it could be mixed with one of them. The rose doesn't come out at all on me. A calm, quiet scent, but not one I really appreciate.

In the bottle: Fizzy booze and strawberry. Wet: Quite a lot of acidic booze, very champagne-like, over strawberry. Drydown: Still strawberries and champagne, a very rich, bubbly and warm scent, with a hint of bitterness and smoke. There's with something vegetal in it that reminds me (strangely) of artichokes and there's something a little bit like honey in there, too, as well as a hint of violet, I think. Overall: I didn't like it when I first tried it, but I'm pleased to have given it a second chance. It's a rather dry, boozy, effervescent blend, with strawberries. It makes me think of a truly decadent bubble bath with a platter of strawberries right next to you. I do get more and more powdery and obvious violet as this dries down, which is a bit weird but not unpleasant. All in all, it's a pretty, fizzy blend.

In the bottle: Rather fruity, floral and tangy ozone, nice. Wet: Same as in the bottle, slightly citrusy ozone. Drydown: I get air, all of a sudden, as if I've opened the window to a garden. I also smell lemon rind, which is a very pleasant and natural scent, and flowers... I wonder what flowers, possibly peony, because it smells like rose with a bit of an icy greenness to it, like in Peony Moon. Overall: It's cool, a little citrusy without being violent lemon (more like grapefruit, really), and airy, with hints of frozen flowers. Very evocative, though I'm not sure it evokes a lightning bolt - but it does evoke mist. The ozone floats away very fast, which is a good thing, it stops the blend from smelling too aggressive. It's actually peaceful and pretty, a lovely aquatic.

I avoided getting an imp of this for a long time, because as much as I adore leather and the concept of a goddess of sadomasochism, I absolutely loathe red musk, which smells disgusting to me. So I was both hoping to try it and avoiding it. Finally, I gave in... In the bottle: Just red musk, eep. Ooh, wait... and leather. Hmm... Wet: Leather goes dominant, whoo! It covers up lots of the red musk, and I can smell some myrrh. Drydown: Very dry, hot and bitter leather, with red musk in the background - the musk has this distinct slightly sickly sweet and rather rubbery quality. Strangely though, leather and rubber go pretty well together. There's spice, too, dry and strong, more like cinnamon than myrrh, really. Overall: I'm stunned to find myself really liking this. I can still smell the red musk, but mixed with leather it doesn't disturb me (read: gross me out) at all. This is the smell of fetishist's closet: leather and rubber items, musk and the harsh spice of their perfume. Certainly a perfect representation of a dark goddess of sadomasochism. Wow.