Meg

Well so far I've had three kinds of allergic reactions, I think I also found the culprits... Skin rash: Bengal. The place where the oil was slowly started to turn red. Fortunately as soon as I washed off, the redness started to go too. The oil also made me want to sneeze. I think the culprit here is the pepper (or peppers? it smells like Chili peppers to me), as it's what seemed to be annoying my nose. I know lots of people have reactions to cinnamon, but in all the cinnamon blends I've tried so far, I've been fine. Sore throat: ozone. I have a bad reaction to ozone in the atmosphere every summer (polluted city), and I have no idea if the component in ozone blends is the same, but I react in a similar way to it: dry, itchy, uncomfortable throat. That's only while it's drying and if I've slathered, mind, otherwise I'm fine. Nose irritation, sinus pain: aquatics. Oh dear, where to start with aquatics! I love the concept. I'm Pisces, aquatics go with my personality. People who smell aquatic perfumes on me seem to find them lovely. Me? I can't smell beyond the barrier of water. It's like sniffing snow or ice really hard - freezes your nose, irritates it and hurts right into your head. If I try sniffing a bit superficially, I get weird smells like chalk or chlorine (?!). Despite that, one of my favourite blends is Titania, and I haven't given up on trying aquatics to see if any other works on me. But anything marked as "juicy" or "watery" just won't work, normally. If anyone has found how to work around aquatics, please do tell!

In the bottle: Nutty chocolate, with a hint of liquorice. I swear, this smells foody. Wet: a very acidic green note jumps out, I think it's vetiver or something similar. Then a bitter dark smell of bark and moss appears. I can smell the anise now, but it's absolutely not foody anymore. Drydown: this warms up quite a lot and gains a sickly musky background tone which I think might be the civet. There's a slightly rubbery dark scent that's certainly the lichen, and it mixes mysteriously with the anise. It smells like liquorice, but not edible anymore. However, it's gone sickly sweet on me, with a little-old-lady scent. Overall: It's certainly not unpleasant, and it is reminiscent of a dark, warm cave where animals live. I don't think it suits me, but it works very well as a slightly spooky yet pleasant blend, and it represents Black Annis very. I'm also relieved that the civet hasn't gone disgusting on me. However, I'd have liked more moss and earth to make it darker, and less sweetness. Edited to add: it has gone disgusting, in a sickly sweet, pungent way. It reminds me of a little old lady's house with too many cats, with traces of cat urine that she's attempted to conceal with cheap perfume. It's very invasive, and it adds to the Black Annis image, but I really, really wouldn't wear it. Ick.

In the bottle: grapefruit and iris with a touch of plum. Weird combo. Wet: The iris comes to the foreground with a touch of something tangy and bitter which is probably the grapefruit. It's quite a rich scent, probably rounded out by the amber. Drydown: Hm, plum and iris with a touch of grapefruit, and amber to warm things up. It makes me thing of a glycerin soap - it's not soapy per se, but I think we had a soap that smelled like that. Actually it's slightly powdery because of the iris. Overall: Oh, it's so not me. It becomes very much iris and amber, and it smells like a run-of-the-mill commercial fruity perfume on me. All the zest of the citrus is warped, and it mostly smells sickly sweet and powdery. Nope, I was hoping for something much stronger and zesty, this just doesn't suit me. *off to the swap pile*

In the bottle: hmm, I'm not familiar with the notes... it smells a bit like burnt wood, but in a pleasant way. Pretty masculine and powerful. Wet: it becomes subtler, there's still this warm burning wood scent... that's it: not burnt wood, but a fire still crackling on a branch. Drydown: Pretty much the same as before, though I get hints of Play-Doh, as with Djinn, from time to time. There's a spiciness in there, not a notable spice in particular, just a pleasant mix. There's also citrusy tone to this with what I think could be ozone. And of course it's gone quite sweet on me. Overall: woody and spicy, with a touch of ozone... I'd nearly imagine this is how a Phoenix's nest would smell like, with sweet-smelling woods and spices mixing with smoke and ashes, preparing for a resurrection. Funny, though, to me Yog-Sothoth is mostly fire, and varies between flashes of light and dark smoke, generally I see it as a very orange-yellow and black kind of perfume. However, it's much too masculine for me, though it would be absolutely delicious on a man.

In the bottle: Sharp lemon and green aloe. Ooh, this smells wonderful! I have been putting off trying this one for weeks now, because it smells so lovely in the bottle, I'm afraid I'll be disappointed once it's on my skin! Wet: Same as in the bottle, but the lemon is slightly toned down, and there's the smell of green tea somewhere in there. So far, so good. Yum! Now my greatest fear is that it'll turn to soap, as white musk often does that to me... Drydown: The scent becomes subtler, but still stays sharp with lemon. The tea comes out with a slightly bitter and rather green note, it adds to the elegance of it all. The aloe lends a green softness to it all. And it's getting nice and sweet with the musk, but not too much, thanks to the lemon that takes the edge off. I think it has a good staying power, too. Overall: Lovely aloe-lemon-tea all the time! Oh this is wonderful! I had no idea that I would enjoy lemon scents so much, but now I'm going to go looking in that direction. Apparently because of the acidity of the lemon, the white musk doesn't get soapy, huzzah! Oh I love this, it's so energising and comforting, so unbelievably bright, like applying pure light to your skin! Besides, the concept of telling someone that I'm wearing "Embalming Fluid" as a perfume is priceless. Absolutely on the big bottle list!

In the bottle: ozone. Wet: ozone with a lemony tinge. Drydown: ozone and citrus! what a surprise. It dried down to something between the smell of rubber and fabric softener, now I understand why people say it smells of freshly dried linen. I think that there is a faint scent of incense, but I didn't smell anything else than slightly sweet ozone, really. Very persistent scent, I can't get it off if I try. Overall: I might have enjoyed this more if I hadn't tried Thunderbird yesterday. Thunderbird was my first ozone scent, and it's so complex that Storm Moon comes off as extremely simplistic in comparison - I wish the flowers had come out! It's rather pleasant (though I have a bit of a sore throat all of a sudden, and I find myself wondering if it's not the ozone's fault), but tends to smell like a generic brand of men's aftershave or a room deodoriser. Not me, off to swaps.

In the bottle: Okay, my first reaction this was "dirty socks?!?". I think that this is the ozone in the bottle, it's my first ozone scent, and as others have described the scent as coppery, I guess that's it. I think that there's citrus in this, something gentle like orange, and something vaguely earthy. So yeah, analysing a bit more, it's more complex than "dirty socks". Wet: sharp citrus and ozone, I think... yes, there's a metallic tang and... I keep on feeling "orange". Like copper and oranges, if that makes any sense. There's something gritty in there... like chalky earth, or smoke. Incense, perhaps? Drydown: The orange has faded to the background, I just get a... feeling rather than a smell. Like a trembling of trees in the wind, or the impression that rain is coming with huge clouds looming overhead. There's misty feeling about it, and earthy tones. It really smells like nature and metal, and it's very subtle. It's very powdery on me, and as usual with my skin, it goes pretty sweet. I think that there's cypress in this or an aromatic herb like sage. Overall: This really grows on you. At first I honestly didn't know what to think of it, because there were moments where I thought it just smelled of the run-of-the-mill ozony lavatory deodoriser. When I bought it, I was anticipating something... big. I think that it lives up to it once it's dry, it really does smell like nature. I get strong associations with it, the colour orange, metal, earth, forests and mist. Very very pretty. I might just buy a big bottle if I can.

In the bottle: Violets. Wet: Violets with a touch of something soft and wispy coming to soften them. Instead of being deep purple, the perfume turns pale mauve. Drydown: Violet softened by lilac and other pale mauve flowers. I smell the lilac from time to time, but I don't find it "true" (the lilac in "Blood Countess" is more obvious). Rather, the whole blend turns into a mix of creamy mauve. The tuberose is probably the one giving this creamy little sparkle to it. Overall: Good if you're a violet fan, a very dreamy soft scent, calming and understated. I bought this one for my mother, who loves both violets and lilac, and she's relatively pleased with it, but like me she has doubts about the tuberose. I wouldn't wear it myself, it feels too shy and quiet for me, I'm definitely a rose gal rather than a violet one.

In the bottle: Flowers, very wet flowers, clearly muguet and possibly gardenia, it smells rather thick and sweet, like nectar. Wet: The muguet comes out beautifully, it smells... flowing, white and creamy. Then the aquatic note comes to slice at my sinuses, dang. Drydown: Aquatics aquatics aquatics. I can hardly smell beyond that, and it's a pity, because people sniffing me find it very nice, flowery and summery. Actually I get a whiff of ginger, over something sweet which must be the flowers. Later the musk develops into a slightly vanilla-ish and gingery soap scent, as white musk always does for me. Overall: It's not working out for me because I can't smell it properly through the aquatics and I'm not a fan of the musk part either. I think that it's rather suave and perfumy, and perhaps the flowery equivalent of Titania, but with even more aquatics. Really not something for people who have problems with aquatic notes, but a very pretty, blend. Perhaps it's a little too happy, not really mournfoul enough, for Tennyson's poem, though? This is going to have to go to swaps, unfortunately.

In the bottle: Honeycomb and wine Wet: Thick honey and some wine, then the myrrh pops up and dashes to the front for a while, before mixing with loads of sweet white flowers, like clover flowers. Drydown: It becomes much subtler when it's dry. There's a scent of honey and beeswax, mixed with the spicy myrrh and a slight bitterness that seems to be all that's left of the wine. I think the flowers are still around, but they smell like dried flowers, now. Overall: It brings me back to eating honey cake at the Heraklion Museum in Crete, in the scorching heat, with trees all around... there's a slightly dark edge given by the myrrh and wine, that makes the scent thick and heady and stops it from going too sweet. Very nice. It starts out really quite bold and syrupy, and ends up rather subtle, sweet and mysterious. Not a huge favourite, but I like.

In the bottle: a very light scent, with a hint of rose and apple, bot slightly sharp Wet: The lemon comes out... hm, smells a bit artificial, with a rosy afterscent. Washing up liquid, anyone? The rose starts coming out afterwards, but it smells a bit "off", I'm not sure it's getting along with the lemon all that well. Fortunately, this doesn't last very long. Drydown: My mother smelled this and said "Apple Blossom", as in the Helena Rubinstein perfume (which I don't know). It actually smells faintly of apple, a bit of bark, and a very pale tea rose, with a slight sharpness of lemon. There's a mustiness to it, and I end up equating it with a summery stay in an English country home that has drawers with paper liners smelling like this. There's a homey, slightly old-fashioned side to this. Overall: Funny, I don't see the delirium at all, it's not silly, I find it pretty grounded. It reminds me of England - those who mention Turkish Delight are dead on, down to the powdery coating. It smells pretty, but I don't like it all that much on me... makes me think that I'm a drawer liner rather than a person. I think I'll probably give it to my Mum.

In the bottle: Very spicy pumpkin, rather vegetal, with a buttery scent in the background and a vague scent of apples. Wet: Very much the same as in the bottle, with the apple coming through quite clearly now - it smells like a green, crisp apple. Drydown: Baked apples and cinnamon, with a tiny touch of butter. At first it overpowered the pumpkin, but now it's coming through very slightly, a gentle pumpkin pie scent. It tapers off into a vegetal, slightly aquatic note which reminds me much more of fresh pumpkin, before disappearing. Overall: A discrete, pleasant foody scent. It disappears very fast, though, unfortunately, and hardly has any throw. Hmm, enjoyable, but probably not me. I'd really prefer my pumpkin not that foody (I like the end notes of this best), and it really doesn't have any hold on my skin.

In the bottle: Strong! It smells like pepper, ashes and lemon, and I admit, I'm being wussy about getting it on my skin... Wet: Much less violent than in the bottle. A powerful spice... cinnamon, perhaps, but so hot that I can hardly distinguish it. There's something woody in this, too, a very enjoyable scent, too. And still this slightly lemony scent. And... uh-oh. Play-Doh. Agh. Drydown: Play-Doh's gone, mostly. But now it's tingling, it's really hot on my skin. Again I can smell wood and spices, I'm guessing this is a kind of sandalwood, and perhaps pepper/cinnamon. It's still pretty lemony, too, and it dries down to something soapy, in the end. Overall: A very fiery and fierce blend, but not at all ashy, in my opinion - it smells of fresh crackling wood... or deserts, perhaps. But it's much too masculine for me, and not really working for me in general. *sends to swaps*

In the bottle: A soft very sweet flower, with something slightly spicy and lemony. I don't have any idea what lotus smells like, so that's lost on me. Wet: Oh dear this is so very sweet, at first it's so sweet I can hardly pick out a note. Then I can smell citrus, could be grapefruit or mandarin, and flowers that I can't name, maybe slightly reminiscent of carnations. There's a subtle fresh/watery quality to it. Drydown: No more citrus now, but it smells like a fruit or a nut... I'd say some kind of sweet but very bland apple (it doesn't smell *of* apple, it just has that juicy feel to it), or a very wet almond. It also has a rich, slightly spicy amber coating and there are some very sweet nondescript flowers in the background. Overall: I get the impression that this is moist almond, honey and amber. It smells... pale, and discrete, and really really sweet. It really does smell young and innocent, and I feel way too old to be wearing this, it's very cute and so not me. A nice, pretty blend, though.

In the bottle: Oh dear, this smells like a mix of Lady Macbeth and Hell's Belle. Red berries and musk. I'm afraid, now... Wet: a surprisingly realistic cranberry and a slightly earthy scent... like rock dust? Strange. There's also smoke, I think. It smells like being in a tunnel under a mountain, if that makes any sense. It's tart like cranberry and bitter like stone. I find it weirdly appealing. Drydown: the musc is coming out and making things even dryer, and I can smell a whiff of ginger and other spices now and then. It started out quite discrete, but the musk becomes stronger and stronger, and really gives this dark grotto feel to it. There is a vague scent of smoke, but the lily hasn't reared its head at all. Overall: I think this works very well for what it's meant to be, underworld nymphs. There's this berry scent that gives a feminine touch to it - but it could certainly work on a man too - and it stays clean and tart all along, just like... well, rock. I keep coming back to this image of smoke-and-spiced-incense blackened tunnels. Interesting. And big bonus, the musk hasn't gone to soap, nor has it gone sickly sweet. I don't think it's quite me, but it's enjoyable.

In the bottle: spicy myrrh and something very fresh... pine trees, lemon, eucalyptus - the mullein perhaps? And I get whiffs of musk in the background. The blend is dark brown, very good colour for a god of Death. Wet: there's a myrrh/eucalyptus scent, with some roundness from the musc. It smells very clean and fresh, I hadn't expected that at all. Drydown: Oh, now it smells darker. The musc is much more obvious, and the vetiver must have turned up, the smell is slightly reminiscent of a swamp, with wet roots and earth. The eucalyptus scent still lingers around though, keeping the smell "clean". Of course, the musc turns very sweet on my skin, then dries down to soap, which ruins the effect a bit. Overall: I love myrrh, and I really liked that lemony note and the vetiver. I think this blend would probably be amazing on the right person, somber and mysterious. But it's the musc, we don't get along. Now all I can smell is lemony soap. It smells clean, but all the complexity has gone. Goodbye, Czernobog, I hope you find someone who can wear you better than me.

In the bottle: This is black and sweet, like molasses. I can smell the myrrh clearly. Wet: Smoke, very heavy smoke, slightly bitter, I think this is the opium, it reminds me of poppy seeds. The myrrh is in the background, and I get a general impression of a very dark room... the kind you would have a séance in, perhaps. Drydown: The opium had been very dominant at first, now the myrrh is coming out more and the scent sweetens. There's a slightly powdery floral in there, though I don't recognise narcissus clearly, that becomes the leading note after a few hours. It's a dizzying scent, that tends to make you feel lazy and sleepy. Overall: The scent is very enjoyable, so dark and sticky and smoky. It's the smell of darkness indoors, a house with tightly closed velvet curtains, keeping in the dark and the smoke. This makes me feel drugged, though. Probably great for insomnia and for relaxing, but not so great when you need to stay awake. And it lingers there for a long while.

In the bottle: Apple and tree bark, it smells green, biting and bitter. Wet: Same as in the bottle, it smells of pretty bitter oak bark, lots of mouldy leaves, and a very faint scent of apple in the background. Right now it smells quite mouldy and rotten. Drydown: Buttery apple? What, how, huh?! It went to smelling of rotting leaves to very foody. Now it's a subtle scent of buttery green apple, with a very faint background note of wet oak bark and a hint of woody spice. Wow, I'm absolutely amazed by the morph. Overall: Unbelievable, and very pleasant once dry - but really rancid when drying. I'm not a huge fan of foody scents, but I like this one quite like. It's frightening at first - before you're allowed to pass the Hesperides' Dragon? - then grows very comfortable and pleasant. Ack, but there's an aquatic note that gives me a headache. Damn you, dew!

In the bottle: Fruits! My, so many very ripe fruits... peach and pear seem most prominent. With some flowers in the background. Hmm, tasty. Wet: This turns woody on me immediately, I think this must be the ebony. This stage hardly lasts, though, the fruits start popping up very soon. Peach and pear at the front once more. Then there's the slightly tart scent of plumeria that comes in (uh oh, I have a bad history with it), and I can smell pomegranates and plums and... wow, so many fruits and they all pop out! Drydown: The scent dries down as a very woody scent, a mix of palm, fig and plumeria, I think. There's this hint of vanilla, and the fresh fruits are lurking in the background now, I can still smell the peach, plum and pear alternately. This is really surprising! Overall: This keeps on changing! It's full of complex notes that come and go, trailing sweetness behind them. It's really a tumble through a garden, with lots of different notes poking their head out and disappearing again. This morphs all the time and surprises you constantly with fruits and flowers, even once it's dry. Very multidimensional, I don't know if I'd buy a bottle, but the imp's a keeper.

In the bottle: Blood orange and orange blossom, with a hint of something more in the background. Wet: Blood orange, very refreshing, and orange blossom, with a hint of greenness to it. Drydown: Now the berry's coming through, juicy red raspberries in orange juice with a background of orange blossoms. The raspberry takes away a lot of she sharpness of the orange and starts getting rather sweet... with a slightly citrusy tang. However, as with most red berries, it smells slightly synthetic raspberry on me. Overall: The raspberry and orange blossom are a weird combination. This is a cool combination, and feels a bit... cat-like. In the sense that it's pretty to look at, but has really sharp claws and will use them at the most unpredictable moment. Certainly a spring blend, and probably great if you're a big fruit fan. Pretty. I just wished the blood orange would hang around more.

In the bottle: Wine - similar to Lady Macbeth - and myrrh, I think Wet: The myrrh takes front place and overpowers the wine (phew!), and roses appear in the background - this smells very Oriental, like an esoteric incense shop. Drydown: A softly sweet scent of spicy myrrh and soft dried roses, with hints of musk that smell slightly like vanilla. It's a dark scent, very thick and heavy. Overall: Potent and seductive, and a scent that makes me think of esoteric shops that sell all kinds of incenses. It's become rather sweet on me, but it still has a mysterious and dark aura. I really expected to hate this, but finally I think it's quite enjoyable. Reminds me of "Wicked" (unsurprisingly, the myrrh/rose combo) with a darker twist. Wouldn't buy a big bottle, but the imp's a keeper. Besides, once it's on, it lasts for hours and hours and hours...

In the bottle: Honey and spices, including cinnamon and pepper, perhaps even mint. Wet: Pure dry spices, very powdery and strong, with the honey going to the background (probably won't stay there long, knowing my skin). I think I can smell cardamom in there, as well as peppers. And I smell skin... not my skin, someone else's. This is very weird. Drydown: Okay, so the spices are really powerful, as in, I'm on the verge of sneezing and feel that my sinuses have cleared up nicely. The cinnamon is violent and dry. There's honey there, but it's not doing much to stop the spices - it just adds a sweet background to them. I think the spices are pretty complex, and there's still this scent that reminds me of another person's skin - leathery and slightly musky. Overall: A fascinating blend, it really reminds me of a chokingly hot market in a desert with people bustling by and the smell of their skin mixing with the spices. However, wearing it, I have the impression that I've eaten a really hot curry and am both sweating and getting shivers from the spices. And I'm developing a rash, first time in 40 imps that this happens to me (and cinnamon usually works okay with me, so I'm accusing the peppers). Oops. *off into the swap list* Pity, I was curious to know how sweet it would become on me, but it never had time to develop as my skin seems to amp spices up like mad.

In the bottle: strong slightly bitter almonds with a hint of herbs. Wet: lemon with an almondy background and something else that smells rather rubbery, possibly some kind of pine. Drydown: a very smooth scent that's difficult to describe. It's warm, creamy, and there are certainly almonds in there, as well as pine and some spices, most prominently clove and perhaps cinnamon. Yet they aren't all that sharp, they're strongly dampened down by the almond base, which smells slightly like vanilla. Overall: a rather pleasant scent, that just hangs around softly at the edges of your nose without being invasive. Actually it quite reminds me of Chimera, on me, minus the huge cinammon flare-up. Lots of people describe this as green, but I just see it as white and creamy, quiet and grounded. It's not me, but it's a fine blend.

In the bottle: Fresh and herbal and slightly lemony, very pleasant. Wet: The same as in the bottle, but subtler. The lemon is what I smell most... though it might not be straight lemon, but lemongrass. Is that melon I can smell? Peaches? And yes, in the background, black tea. Drydown: the florals have come out to play over the tea. I don't know exactly what peony smells like, but this is very pleasant, elegant and refreshing, slightly creamy. There's still a hint of lemon somewhere in there, and the tea stays firmly in the background. Overall: Very refreshing and summery, it reminds me of a soothing lotion or face cream rather than a perfume, actually, it's so smooth. It's clean and bright and very soft. Not sure if I would wear it, I'll have to think about it again in the summer. Besides, it disappears too fast.

Beautiful, radiant daughter of Demeter... her loveliness was so exquisite that even Hell itself could not resist her. Pomegranate and rose. In the bottle: Tea Rose with a fresh, red and slightly bitter scent that recalls pomegranates. Wet: Still very strong rose with a sharp, slightly bitter and tart smell... like pomegranate pips or peel. Unfortunately during drydown this gets way too aquatic for me (the "juicy" part) and smells really rancid - I need to wait at least half an hour until I can get it to stabilise. My nose hates aquatics. *sigh* Drydown: When the gross phase is passed, this becomes a juicy rose, with a hint of something tart to counterbalance it. It sort of goes back to the smell in the bottle, tea rose and pomegranate. Overall: A very nice, shiny and juicy rose blend, quite girly but enticing. I'm a bit ambivalent about this one, because while I really enjoy the blend when it's settled, the aquatic note during drydown keeps on coming out and punching me in the sinuses if I sniff it too closely, and it doesn't smell good at all. But after complete drydown, it's a very pretty scent, ideal for the summer.