Meg

In the bottle: rich florals, myrrh, sandalwood... Wet: jasmine pops out, very dusty. Myrrh also emerges, very beautiful. There's something tart, possibly the paperwhites. Drydown: cool and dusty with embalming herbs and hints of florals and myrrh incense hanging around... now I feel like I'm in a pyramid, walking into a tomb. I get the very dry sandalwood, jasmine and orchid floating together with the paperwhites... it's a very calm, quiet scent, and at the same time, piercing. Overall: the white sandalwood never fails to make me think of bones, which works out great when looking at the art for Eshe. The myrrh smoke make you giddy, and the flowers are heady. I rather like this, but it goes too perfumy for my taste after a while, between the sandalwood and paperwhites.

In the bottle: ubersweet, acidic yuk. Plus frankincense. Wet: Frankincense liek whoa. Had I mentioned my allergy? Drydown: The frankincense attacks my throat and nose immediately. I get a sweet perfumy floral-type scent, probably the hibiscus and orris, and something herby. It's not good at all. Overall: It hits right into my allergies and I don't like the way it smells anyway, too sickly and frankincensy. It reminds me of a sickly sweet perfumed plastic doll I used to have as a kid. Begone, Vulture Girl! It's a shame because I loved the art.

In the bottle: salty ocean spray and seaweed Wet: frankincense and sea spray, with something lovely and green, more seaweed, perhaps Drydown: it's a very light, discreet scent, as frankincense frequently is. I get a slight breath of salty air, and maybe the faintest hint of jasmine. It goes animalistic on me, afterwards, sort of musky sweet, a bit like ambergris. Overall: It's a very discreet scent, with some really nice notes, but they die out too fast. I think I recognise the benzoin, because the incense resembles Carfax Abbey, and I know it's not pure frankincense. Speaking of which, I'm just waiting for the moment when it will make me cough my lungs up. A pretty ocean blend, but too faint for me.

In the bottle: burnt celery. Wet: dishwashing liquid and celery, with a dash of walnut Drydown: still dishwashing liquid (I'm guessing a mix of iris and orange blossom) and celery (the carnation? sometimes I think it smells of cabbage, celery isn't so far). And it's all burnt walnut, too (sugared cream). Overall: This is a nightmare blend, each of the ingredients is a disaster on my skin separately, so together, it's just horrendous. It really smells like some kind of celery root concoction with a vague hint of sweet floral. Not the horridest scent ever, but definitely not a good perfume. After a very very long drydown I get a pleasant sweet creamy scent... with celery beneath it, still. LOL.

In the bottle: Dark, acidic resins, vetiver and sweet myrrh somewhere. Wet: myrrh mixing with smoky vetiver, getting sweeter. The myrrh gets stronger, bubbly and glittery. Drydown: it becomes a thick smokey scent, with some vague cinnamon notes but especially some strong myrrh. Strangely to me it smells perfumy, nearly aftershavey, but for the life of me I couldn't explain why. There's a definite playdoh element though, from the vetiver, which isn't good at all. It does die down, though, and then I get cinnamon, very sweet and discreet within the myrrh. Overall: Sweet myrrh playdoh. The idea was great, but the elements just don't play out nicely on my skin. Normally myrrh works with me in small quantities, but the smoke, from vetiver, just doesn't like me, and I find the myrrh too shrill on my skin without something else to hold it back or alter it. Priala is beautiful, but a bit too perfumy for me. Though I may take her out again in the winter, see if my opinion changes when she can warm me up in cold weather.

In the bottle: very spicy patchouli and caramel Wet: patchouli patchouli patchouli, over caramel, which promptly turns to burnt sugar on me. Drydown: this is SPICY, it makes me think of curry, but there's not good explanation for that, except perhaps the patchouli/sandalwood mix and maybe the cinnamon leaf. It's a really burning blend. After a long while the burnt sugar becomes a teense sweeter and less bitter and the muguet pokes out from time to time, but very faintly. Overall: It's really woody and spicy on me, and not so much else. An intriguing mix, but rather monodimensional on me, actually, fiery and burning. A scorching blend, really for the spice lovers, really not for me. It's fascinatingly multifaceted, though, and represents Tiresias perfectly.

In the bottle: lavender and cocoa, it's a very disturbing scent. Also, the oils always separate, it needs to be shaken up to mix. Wet: lavender, with hints of cocoa coming through. It's like Lavender SN meets Bliss. Drydown: Lavender and sage, I think, still in the foreground with cocoa and vanilla hovering deep behind. It smells fresh and foody at the same time. After a while, the lavender starts to lift, giving way to other elements there that I can make out but can't name, a creamy gentle floral (cistus?) and something lemony and woody (the birch tar?). It smells very wild, woodsy. The cocoa and vanilla are still there, but more in the background, perhaps the vanilla is stronger and provides a backdrop to the cistus. Extreme drydown returns to vanilla and cocoa, it's a real cycle. Overall: This goes completely floral on me, of course. I really like the opening with lavender and cocoa, but the bright floral is pretty boring to me, it reminds me of sun screen or something. I do like the way it morphs in a cycle, though, going from foodily cosy and homy, to herbally sharp, to wildflowers and trees, back to foodily cosy - a nice werewolf's story. Oh, yes: this stains the skin, I'd be very careful applying it to clothes, too.

In the bottle: very fresh florals, a bit of dry poppy, a bit of black currant. It smells sharp, nearly metallic. Wet: patchouli and metallic florals. Drydown: black currant and lilies, with hints of patchouli. The lilies are very perfumy and not particularly pleasant to my nose. I think I get some red musk, which is too sweet and sickly with the rest. The poppy comes out, dry, perfumy. It ends up as a blackcurrant/red musk blend, which is definitely too sweet for my liking. Overall: To me this isn't particularly hypnotic, it's pretty much like a traditional floral perfume, in fact, with sickly sweetness from the red musk. Pity. On the other hand it vaguely reminds me of how I remember Poison, so it sort of works with the poison spider theme.

In the bottle: Mossy mossy moss. Wet: Oakmoss liek whoa, nothing much else. Drydown: It becomes... weird... I can't really explain. The moss has gone closer to the skin, and there's this rubbery plasticky vibe from it. It's also pretty sickly sweet, as moss is wont to be. Overall: No, I'm really not a moss fan. I didn't get much olive leaf from this, it was too imbricated with the moss to come out.

In the bottle: metal and shrill, green florals Wet: metallic ozone, cold and fresh Drydown: it doesn't really change much, still metallic ozone. Then florals start to emerge, but I can't tell which flower it is, it's eaten up too fast by the metal again. Overall: Very true to its description, a cold, electric scent, great for ozone fans. I don't get many florals at all, it's vaguely sweet metal, rather. Not something I'd wear, but a good depiction of a clockwork woman.

In the bottle: bay rum and bourbon, ick Wet: bourbon, very rich, but with something cool beneath it, the bone. Tobacco comes out, fresh and a bit minty. Drydown: booze and tobacco, with hints of cheap cologne and bone. I like the tobacco/booze combo, and it smells rather fresh from the cologne. The bay rum has this almond note that I don't like much, but it's hidden amidst the other things. And still there's this dryness... bone-dryness. Very clever. Overall: it's a rather nice booze scent, and not too masculine, probably wearable by anyone. I like the bone effect, it really does smell like a boozed up skeleton with a cheap cologne. It also resembles Hellfire quite a bit for my nose, and I definitely prefer Hellfire to it, so I wouldn't really keep it.

In the bottle: Pretty!! Mint and something delicately fruity Wet: Green tea and mint. Whooo!! Plus Snake Oil's vanilla, which is quite nice with mint. Drydown: Lots of mint, some green tea and I think a hint of bergamot. I can smell the Snake Oil in the background. When the mint lifts, a lot of green tea stays, very interesting with the vanilla. Overall: I didn't expect green tea to go so well with Snake oil. It becomes a little bit bitter and smoky, and definitely very pleasant. And I think Snake Oil gives the green tea some staying power. I also love the mints of the beginning. I'll definitely be testing this one some more.

In the bottle: Apple, yum yum yum! Wet: Still red apple, blood orange and some lemon peel Drydown: Spicy apple and orange, not so far from a christmassy scent. And then *something* pierces through, and it goes strangely powdery - I'm guessing this is the Snake Oil. The drydown is not so nice, all the powdery vanilla of Snake Oil, with hints of apple and lemon peel. Overall: Too Snake Oil for me, and it's a shame because I loved the spicy apple/orange vibe I got out of it in the beginning. But Snake Oil doesn't like my skin so much, so this one ended up a dud. Oh well. (I had a horrible experience with this one earlier this week: to my nose, it smelled like acid reflux - gyarrrgh)

In the bottle: citrusy frankincense. Wet: Frankincense, very strong Drydown: Orris plus frankincense. Still, loads of frankincense. The Snake oil is perceptible beneath it, vaguely, and comes out in the throw. Overall: This is surprisingly *not* Snake Oil, and very strong frankincense. Which is all very well, except that I've had some bad reactions to frankincense, so I won't be giving this another try.

In the bottle: Sage, wood and leather Wet: Oooh sage, sweetening... with the Snake oil beneath. Drydown: Still sage, with a nice mix of red sandalwood and leather beneath it. It has this wild feel, something you'd smell if you were riding on an old leather saddle through the fields. The leather starts amping like mad. Then it develops into pure Snake Oil, bleh. Overall: Snake Oil with leather and sage... it's pleasant at first, before the Snake Oil becomes too strong. Then it's just very diluted leather with a whole load of Snake Oil, which I don't like so much for starters. I'd have liked to see more of the sandalwood, too.

In the bottle: Cocoa, 100% Wet: pure cocoa, it smells like hot cocoa actually, milky. Snake Oil slowly emerges beneath it. Drydown: very much like when wet and in the bottle, cocoa, with slightly powdery Snake Oil peeking out from underneath. Of course it would be nicer if Snake Oil didn't smell like talcum powder to my nose. The vanilla note of Snake Oil works well with the cocoa, and the rice milk smells nice and milky. And ooh, teakwood. I have teak furniture, and it smells *exactly* like this. It's a sort of sharp, leathery wood scent. Overall: Hmm, it's an interesting scent, with a very nice chocolatey scent in the beginning, and a more teakwoody ending that really works well with the Snake Oil. The cocoa is really yummy, and the teak is really pretty, but I don't see myself wearing this. Except in extreme drydown where it's hints of Snake Oil with teak + honey goodness (rice milk?) and smells divine.

In the bottle: *killed ded* er... hyper woody violent... cassia? I don't know it well, but I'm guessing it's what I'm smelling. That and red ginger. Wet: Cassia and ginger doing a little dance together. Smells like... dried kitchen spices. Drydown: Still a hell of a lot of cassia, with slightly citrusy ginger. I can smell cinnamon fighting to get out, but the cassia just stifles everything. I smell - nearly taste - something sweet. Cinnamon, cooking cinnamon, I think. No Snake Oil to be smelled, which is good. Overall: It smells musty and dark, like a wooden kitchen cabinet with spices that has been abandoned for years. It's really quite citrusy, in a good way... and for some reason I have strong scent associations with it, but I can't figure out quite which, yet.

In the bottle: very sweet Snake Oil. Wet: frankincense, resins, champaca... then sugar cane emerges. Drydown: it's very discreet, suprisingly. I get a whiff of champaca flower, very nice, and a lot of sweetness from the sugar cane. I think I smell frankincense, but it's well blended, not so obvious. The Snake Oil hovers underneath, letting out it patchouli, mostly. Overall: The frankincense still gives me a sore throat, even well hidden. It's a surprisingly gentle scent, though, I really expected to smell more Snake Oil, but it's well behaved, buried in the background. Mostly, this is very sweet, waxy champaca on me, and some kind of aquatic. Nice!

In the bottle: supersweet syrup with a hint of violet... Wet: Sweets... like the inside of a tic-tac, but without the mint, if that makes any sense. A sort of warm sweetness. Drydown: Very smooth, sweet violet. Which turns to burnt caramel. Uh-oh. It smells fresh, too, and actually reminds me a lot of Numb. After a while the burnt smell lifts, and I'm left with powdered sugar and violets. Overall: This is Numb without the lemon after being burnt to a charcoal-sugar mess. After a long drydown it's more acceptable, but I still find it smells like sun cream or soap. Not my thing.

In the bottle: this is rose syrup - it smells exactly like a rosewater syrup I'd bought, one summer. Wet: a rather sharp green rose, with a sugar background. Compared to the twin sister, this is more floral than sugary. It also takes on this creamy "sunscreen" scent. Drydown: it becomes dusty rose, with sugar. it's really quite musty, definitely not really edible. The sugar lingers in the background, it didn't go burnt sugar (yet?), it's more like a lazy syrup. Overall: A rose syrup, with a hint of sunscreen. It's actually quite bitter, for a rose scent, sort of musty and dark, unlike its twin sister that's very sweet and upbeat. I love rose scents, but I don't think this one will make it into my permanent collection.

An immensely potent purification oil. Anoint your chakra points and palms with this oil, and anoint white figure candle, a personal fetish, or any other object representing you. Purges your soul of dark and morose thoughts, and vigorously cleanses away day-to-day irritation and misery. Helps relieve stress and anxiety, and clears your mind of ugliness and clutter. This stuff is brilliant. I can't believe I had it in a drawer and hadn't started using it up until recently. I have anxiety syndrome and panic attacks, not as bad as it was at first, but still rather incapacitating when it spikes. Lately I had a really rotten few weeks. It started with violent fighting with my family, and was followed by the most anxiety-producing thing my University could come up with: misunderstandings that led me to believe that there were more deadlines on my MA program than I'd thought, and that I wasn't signed up for enough classes, etc. Basically, I was a wreck. Trembling all the time, churning guts, teeth chattering, unable to breathe, extremely dizzy. BLEAH. I tried White Light twice, and the most spectacular effect it has had was during an anxiety attack. I dabbed some on my palms, anointed the chakra points, and visualised white energy coming into me, and my anxieties going away with each breath. Less than a minute later my anxiety attack was gone - dissolved. My palms became warm and tingly, and then my chakra points. I think I changed posture in my seat, because my muscle aches waned too. It's a few hours later now, and I'm still feeling calm and centered, relaxed. It's an unusual feeling for me, so it seems a little weird, but a good kind of weird. It's as if I'm detached and focused at the same time. An extremely potent blend, highly recommended! I seriously didn't begin to believe it could be this powerful. And I'll be getting a big bottle, ASAP! as someone who easily picks up atmospheres/other people's stress, this is one I want to use often to get rid of vibes I might pick up daily. Scent wise, it smells like a soft creamy floral in the bottle. I would have said it's jasmine, and it goes a bit powdery on the skin, after a while. I definitely get the feeling of sandalwood, too. And the pleasant tingling must come from cinnamon and/or ginger. Generally it smells clean and uplifting.

A tribute to New York’s 21 Club on West 52nd, formerly the speakeasy Jack & Charlie’s Puncheon Club. This is the scent of the perfect martini. In the bottle: This smells like gunpowder, metallic and dark - makes me think of the smell of fireworks. There's also something lemony, very acid. Wet: A very cool, clean scent, with something woody in it. It still smells a bit of gunpowder but it's watered down by something. It's aquatic and I think I smell lemon in there, or perhaps orange. Drydown: There's something effervescent about the scent. I get citrus, lemon and possibly orange, and a really strong, aggressive scent like a bonfire or gunpowder... bitter and black smelling. There's definitely a fruity vibe to it, though, that softens the burning bitter scent. Overall: I don't drink, I vaguely know what a Martini is, but this is the first of Beth's "pure booze" blends that I don't find incredibly repulsive (unlike Swank or The Hamptons). It doesn't smell like booze to me so much as soda water with a twist of lemon, and something very bitter. It's a clean aquatic scent, and frankly I'm rather intrigued by it, even though I wouldn't wear it.

In the bottle: roses, jasmine and COFFEE Wet: Coffee with a jasmine backdrop. Rose and tonka come out slowly, and rose slowly takes over the blend as coffee recedes to the background. Drydown: Rose and jasmine, which is slightly plasticky, as well as some vanilla, I think. There's a slight cool woodiness from the tonka and mahogany, and the coffee has all but vanished. If I pay close attention, I get the tonka strongly beneath the rose, it's a cool, creamy earthiness that goes very well with florals. Overall: It actually reminds me a lot of Wicked without the myrrh, a very pleasant jasmine/rose blend, heavy on the rose. Definitely a floral, the coffee bean just gives oompf in the startout but then it mellows down into a cool, elegant rose. The exotic dancer, the courtesan is well represented in rose and jasmine, and the stronger side of her personality is brought out by coffee. You can also smell that there's more going on, vanilla and fig as mere hints hovering in the background.

In the bottle: A very ambery blend, sickly sweet and a bit fruity. Wet: Amber and fruit... I can't tell which, perhaps plum and peach? It's familiar but I can't place it. There's also something vanillaish about it. Drydown: It's a strange scent, there's something dark and woody in there, slightly bitter and a bit tart, but I still don't know what fruit it represents. Actually it smells a bit like burnt sugar, and I wonder if that's a sugar note that went wrong on me. The amber provides a slightly powdery base, and there's a certain spice note in there. It doesn't really smell fruity, the fruit is suggested, rather. Overall: I'm not a fan of this, there's a bitter biting note that I dislike, and the burnt sugar doesn't do much to help. It reminds me of a commercial perfume, though I wouldn't know which one. This is far from fruity on me, it's more dark amber and burnt sugar. Off to swaps.

In the bottle: Very woody sandalwood, and frankincense. Wet: Frankincense, that takes over everything else. Also, red sandalwood in the background. Patchouli hovers in the background. Drydown: A very pleasant mix of patchouli and sandalwood, with frankincense hovering above it. It's nearly earthy, probably because of the patchouli, and rather spicy. It reminds me a lot of Beth's loam note, something that I've never got until now from regular black patchouli and other sandalwoods. Frankincense comes back with a vengeance after a while and the blend veers towards citrusy. Overall: It's a very interesting blend, sensual and mysterious, but also rather biting and energetic. It's woody and incensy, and I really quite like it... unfortunately I have an allergy to frankincense, so I can't really use it.