Meg

In the bottle: Lime, lemongrass and something akin to lotus. Ick. Wet: Lime and lemongrass, with the thickness brought by coconut. It reminds me of a certain type of coconut candy. Then suddenly the citrus lifts to give way to... iris, I think. Drydown: Lemongrass comes back with a vengeance, still mixed to coconut. I get some florals, but I couldn't describe which, except that they smell very clean and white. I do recognise iris and it's strange greenness. After a while the lily of the valley (muguet) and snowdrop peek through a bit more. Overall: Iris and lemongrass and lime, with coconut, all notes that I really don't like or can't wear. I think it smells like window cleaning product, and I don't get very much beyond that. Plasticky, artificial and citrusy. Not my thing.

In the bottle: vetiver and black musk. Wet: Sweet vetiver and black musk, there's something aquatic in there, too. Drydown: I think this is ajowan, because it smells a bit like spicy celery. It's unexpectedly spicy, in fact. The aquatic note and vetiver is still in the background, mixing with the spice. I suppose that the tamarind is also adding to the exotic feel of the blend. Overall: This smells very oriental, it definitely has a feel of Indian cuisine. As many vetiver blends, it ends up a bit powdery and smelling grimy or sweaty on me, like the adrenaline of a cook making some kind of curry. Not particuliarly appealing on me, but an interesting scent all the same.

... A sinister, sinuous incense of summoning, a herald and paean to the Primordial Gods of Darkness, Chaos, Madness and Decay. In the bottle: very powerful sandalwood... burnt sandalwood, actually. Wet: Sandalwood and... it smells hollow? Also, there's something like caramel in here. Drydown: Lots of wood, and something... almondy, I wonder if this isn't actually the bay rum note. It's a very light scent, but also pretty sickly sweet. The sandalwood is very obvious, very fragrant. Overall: It's not at all my type of scent, very perfumy and very sweet. To me it's not complex, it's pretty much pure sandalwood with some unexpected sweet additions. I don't know why this smells hollow to me, or even how to explain it, but that sort of works with the chittering of demons, somehow.

In the bottle: Sandalwood and spices. Wet: White sandalwood and more woods, it smells very dry. Drydown: Very dry sandalwood, and nothing much else. There are hints of spices from the cajeput, and it has a bit of an oriental feel. I get hints of lily, I think, but it's very discreet. After a while it warps into... toilet deodoriser florals. Eek. This smells unfortunately just like a product that I smelled in old ladies' toilets. Overall: It's pretty much white sandalwood single note on me, a bone-dry blend with dry flowers... not really my thing, it goes pretty sharp on me, too. Then there's the toilet deodoriser scent. A complete no-no for me.

In the bottle: Tea! Citrus! Yummy bite! Wet: Delicious white tea and ginger, very fruity somehow. Drydown: Ooh, spicy! I get tea with spices, which is certainly the ginger. It's a bit of a thin scent, I visualise it as absolutely transparent, and it has quite a bit of acidity and bitterness. It does tend to go slightly plasticky at times. Overall: It's a great tea blend, on the cheeky side - easy to associate with a playful fox demon. It does pack a bit of a bite, but it's not too strong either, and it's specially very fresh and pleasant. I think that despite it's plasticky moments, I'll wear it in the summer, yum! Also, on me it has surprising staying power, yay!

In the bottle: Oooh, black currant! Wet: A good dose of thick fruity black currant, yum! I also get some citrus from the mandarin, and something akin to mint. Drydown: Rose geranium like whoa, it completely takes over the blend, pushing the lovely black currant into the background. Ah, but it comes back, sweet and sticky, and mingled with the melati, I think. The black amber base makes it smell nearly aquatic to me. I also get tangerine, I think it's intimately mixed with the black currant, giving it a bit of a tangy edge. Overall: A very complex blend, not really defining rage to me, but very "red" smelling to my nose, from the black currant and the geranium, as well as the dragon's blood. I really like the black currant in this, it's similar to the one in Medea. It's pretty, but rather quiet, not really something I'd see myself wearing.

In the bottle: Lavender and vetiver over white musk. Wet: Vetiver drowning lavender in its darkness. Then lavender starts coming out with a vengeance. Drydown: I get a lot of vetiver, which dries down to powder on me, as well as a rather medicinal lavender. I don't smell the violet very much but I'm convinced it's hiding in the background, adding to the general darkness of the blend. When the vetiver starts lifting, it smells more like a traditional lavender cologne. Overall: It's a very dark scent, dark rage indeed... the vetiver gives it a broody quality, the lavender is sharp and stabbing. It works very well as a masculine blend, it's definitely too masculine for me and vetiver doesn't like me very much anyway, but it's certainly a good representation of Bluebeard's dark, murderous personality.

In the bottle: Frankincense, myrrh and other sharp resins and woods. Wet: Frankincense like whoa. Underneath the frankincense, myrrh is bubbling, and the mix of the two is really lovely. I think that the ginger adds a bit of spice to the blend. Drydown: Still frankincense going rather strong, myrrh adding its own zing as well as black musk making it sweet. The patchouli is there discreetly, peeking out murkily every now and then. I think that one of the dominant notes is in fact olive leaf, mixed with frankincense. Overall: This is a lovely incensy blend, which works for men or women. There's a delicious woody base to it, and the olive leaf is great. Mysterious, dark and delightful. And yet I can't wear it or have it in a scent locket, because I am allergic to Beth's frankincense note, as far as I can tell. This is extremely sad, because it's a truly beautiful blend.

In the bottle: Pine and various woods. Wet: Strong sharp pine, that smells slightly metallic from the "night air" I'm guessing. There's some kind of sweetish musk note in there which is reminiscent from the first Wolf Moon. Drydown: It's a bit plasticky and waxy from the tonka, which pretty much dominates the blend. Pine is also very obvious, and it has the smell of Crayola crayons - like a Pine Crayola. Ick. After a while, the waxy smell does shift a bit, and now I get full-on sweet pine. I really don't get any other nuances, I'm guessing it's mostly pine and black musk on me. Overall: I'm sad to say that this is really horrible on me. In fact, the musky scent combined with the woods... unfortunately it has a tiny "faeces" smell to me, much more than civet does. So, no, a world of no. I get the animalistic thing and the pine woods, but I'd never want to smell like this.

In the bottle: Bubblegummy lotus with something nice and spicy. Wet: Bubblegummy lotus, ickickick. It starts warming up in an intriguing way, though. Drydown: Hmm, this is better. I still get the sticky sweet fruity scent of lotus, but I also get the pine resin very obviously, which adds a touch of freshness. I also think that I'm getting some opium, it gives a rather spicy feel to the blend, and it makes it smell very oriental, a scent I've smelled in... Chinese restaurants possibly... Overall: Yes, I think I know what this reminds me of - the hot towels from Asiatic restaurants, for some strange reason. I clearly get the lotus, and the pine, and the rose is maybe what adds to this "clean-smelling" scent. It's actually a pretty fresh blend, and I'd say rather unisex, and at the same time it's a bit spicy and smoky with opium. Good for lotus lovers. I don't like lotus, so I'll pass.

In the bottle: This smells divine! Tart fruits, sweetness, all kinds of things mingling. Fresh and yum. Wet: Tart red apple and chrysanthemum, perfect together. Drydown: Still the red apple and chrysanthemum, over something a little bit grainy, and I can definitely smell tea in there. I also get herbs, I can smell sage but also others working their way out of the blend. Honestly, there are so many delicious things in this blend that I can't really pick one out. After a while, a cardboardish note (possibly one of the cereal scents or the hickory) adds something pretty rough and dark to the blend... Overall: At first, this smells like a divine drink of fertility, with apple, grain and fruit, and all kinds of beautiful other things. It actually reminds me a bit of Dia De Los Muertos ('05), but a more summery version of it. It also shares a dark component with Dia, in the drydown, which gives it more body and personality and actually makes it wearable for both sexes.

In the bottle: This smells dark blue with stars! Ozone, moss and white musk. Very much like a man's aftershave. Wet: Ozone and white musk. Something a bit salty emerges, maybe part of the ozone, and then it sweetens. Drydown: It's a very light, airy, nearly salty scent, like some kind of warm sea breeze. I think that I'm getting a lot of benzoin, a very sweet resinous note, out of this. Jasmine is present but extremely discreet, like a backdrop rather than a main player. After a while the white musk becomes intensely soapy, which is a speciality of white musk on me. Overall: There's something very light yet deep about this scent, and I can't refrain from seeing it as very dark blue with white flecks. It's all resin and ozone with hints of other things clinging on to it, and I think that it works very well for the muse of astronomy. I wouldn't wear it myself, but the blend really represents Urania very well. It would work well on a man, I think.

In the bottle: Lily of the Valley (muguet), sweet, wet and clean. Wet: Slightly powdery lily of the valley, very sweet and soft and realistic. Drydown: This smells gorgeous, like a lily of the valley single note with a warm humidity around it, exactly how I would imagine a patch of flowers growing in a jungle to smell. It has a definite smell of clean laundry, but maybe that's just because I have a great fabric softener that smells exactly like this. After a while the lily of the valley lifts to leave a very clear, light scent of ginger, I think. Overall: It's a delicious blend! It's white and clean, very pure, and slightly aquatic. There's a slightly powdery quality to it, and it also makes my throat ache a bit. However, it's really beautiful and I think that I'll definitely find myself reaching for it again. It's definitely uplifting.

In the bottle: Honey, apricot and orange, very pleasant and warm. Wet: Honey, apricot and orange, still, close to the skin. Drydown: Something shifts as it dries and I get a sharpness. The orange starts drying down to a powder, but it becomes more obviously blood orange. There's something herby about it, possibly the ciste and gardenia and certainly hints of smooth tonka. The honey is still very strong and pleasant, mixing with the tonka and herbs. Overall: A very nice blend, possibly my favourite of the muses for now. It's sweet and warm, sensuous and a bit sexy, with a definite sense of something bucolic going on - like being in an orchard, eating apricot and honey, with butterflies flitting around you. Warm, summerlike and a bit lazy. It's the first blend I ever find where I actually enjoy the tonka, too.

In the bottle: Dragon's blood and white sandalwood, very fresh. Wet: White sandalwood and the slight bitterness of dragon's blood, with something a bit aquatic. Ooh, I get honey-sweet iris, I really hope it won't go bad on me. Drydown: White sandalwood mingled with dragon's blood. It has this very dragon's blood scent, slightly like banana and resin. The sandalwood smells very beautiful, not sour as it can go on me sometimes, but smooth and woody. Iris has faded to nothing. After a while, the wood takes another scent, which reminds me strongly of the woods in Krampus, cool and dark. Overall: It's a good sandalwood blend, excellent for people who can wear woody blends and who don't have problems with orris. It's not at all a "me" blend, I don't wear woods, but it's sophisticated and elegant, and very pleasant to sniff.

Imperial violet softened by wisteria and chrysanthemum, but edged with the regal iciness of delphinium. In the bottle: violet, another sweeter flower and something sharply green. Wet: This goes green to the point of being bitter, like a walk in the forest. Then the green bite dims and the flowers come out again. Drydown: Ow, aquatic note giving me a sinus headache - must be the icy delphinium. I can clearly smell violet, but also something else that's much sweeter and a tad bolder. I don't know much about wisteria, chrysanthemum and delphinium, but I know for sure that this isn't pure violet I'm smelling. Actually I find the mix rather warm once I get passed the aquatics. Overall: I'm not a big fan of violet scents, and this isn't really an exception. I have to say that I like it better than others, because it's a bit bolder and haughtier thant most violets, that I tend to find shy and quiet. It's still a scent that I would see on a more mature woman than me. And then there's the tiny aquatic twist that doesn't really help. Dang.

In the bottle: Um... ew? Amber, peach blossom and/or heliotrope don't seem to be getting along very well - very sickly sweet. Wet: The peach blossom and heliotrope start coming out over the amber. Drydown: It dries down to a very sweet floral with the same vanilla as in Dorian - invasively sweet. There's a little bit of sharpness from one of the flowers, a slight peach smell perhaps. After a while I get a slightly woody scent from the sandalwood Overall: It dries down to a powdery amber and vanilla scent with a hint of florals. It's a very sweet scent, with a very slight woodiness from the sandalwood. It reminds me a little bit of O, but with a lighter floral scent. It smells more girly and more sweet than O, and I don't really find myself needing anything like this.

In the bottle: A sticky sweet vanilla floral, not so far from O. Wet: Sweet vanilla musk like O, veiled with a fresh floral that smells nearly herbal. Drydown: Very rich orchid with vanilla. There's something slightly plasticky about it, but dies down fast. A perfumy floral, certainly the stefanotis, appears. It's a little sharp and slightly powdery. Overall: It's an interesting, regal but slightly girlish blend, fit for a princess. The orchid is definitely powerful, but the vanilla musk is rich and warm and the stefanotis is light, girly and nearly aquatic. On me that's what dominates the blend, and it smells too sweet and girlish for me. However, it fits its description perfectly, deceptively sweet, princess like, everything fits Regan.

In the bottle: A lot of buttery pumpkin, but there's a hint of freshness, too. Wet: Ah yes, I get the sandalwood now, it's even stronger than the pumpkin. Then the pumpkin starts to regain its strength. Aha, I get something very fresh and green, the iris coming out. Drydown: A rather balanced mixture of buttery sweet pumpkin and bitter green iris, with a strong base of sandalwood. There's a nice spice in it, too, like nutmeg. I get the iris as if it's floating in the throw, whereas the sandalwood/pumpkin stays closer to the skin. On extreme drydown, sandalwood emerges very strong and sour and perfumy, and that's not really pleasant. Overall: It's definitely starts out as one of the more pleasant, slightly green and woody pumpkins, but unfortunately sandalwood doesn't always play nice with me and ends up very shrill. I definitely prefer #5, and there are a few similarities, it just depends if you can wear sandalwood or rosewood better, I guess.

In the bottle: Yuck. Almonds and something grainy that makes me think of oatmeal. Wet: Ooh, milk and honey. The almond is in the background, now. Drydown: It dries down into a very discreet scent of milk and honey. There's a slightly plasticky element to it, as there often is with milk scents on me. In the background there's the scent of grains and also of hay, I think. It smells rather fresh and vegetal, despite the milk and honey. After a while it gains a rather shrill note and some cardboard, which is common with foodie blends on me. Overall: It's a comforting, gentle scent, despite its iffy moments on my skin (totally blame my chemistry). It evokes the offerings to the Dana O'Shee very realistically, but it's not a downright "smell like food" foodie smell either. As it dries, the milk and honey dimension fades but the grains remain, a scent that really makes me think of oatmeal milk. It's not really my thing, but it's a good scent.

In the bottle: Slightly musty, powdery vanilla from linens. There's also something fresh, it nearly makes me think of vanilla with a hint of mint - like the flavour of Tic Tacs when you first put them on your tongue. Wet: Lovely sweetness, clearly from something floral, white florals. There's vanilla here, yes, and the unmistakeable scent of linens that have been folded and starched. Drydown: It's hard to describe. There's perfume in here, but something that's indistinct. Also, the scent of detergent, possibly the scent of Castille soap, but it's not soapy. There's something very vanilla here, but the closest I come to is imagining all these scents on clean linens that you're sniffing. Overall: The ultimate comfort scent in the form of clean sheets. This reminds me of a scent that I've smelled before, a delicious egg and cognac shampoo I used to use - there's the same foodiness and sharpness. It's fresh and breezy and at the same time warm and comforting. A very beautiful blend, I understand very well why it's so popular. It's not very "me" as a perfume, but it's a definite winner for a room scent or to dot on my pillowcase when I need a hug.

In the bottle: Mint over indiscernible tart notes. Wet: Mint, grapefruit and champagne immediately mingle in a very friendly way, making a fresh, zingy combination together. Drydown: The combination of mint, grapefruit and champagne lingers, and there's something like dried florals there, rather than fresh. I do get misty aquatics, but they're barely there. If I really concentrate I can find the bubblegum of lotus, but I prefer not to concentrate too much because I abhor this note. I barely smell it if I don't look for it. On extreme drydown it's mostly champagne with a touch of lotus and mint. Overall: This is one of those mint blends that makes me think of the dentist's - not the best mental associations - and I think it's the mint/lotus/tart note that does it because the other culprit was Undertow. However, this is more pleasant, saved by the grapefruity goodness. It's still not a blend that I would wear, but it's refreshing and definitely a good one for mint lovers and for champagne lovers.

In the bottle: Thick spicy woods and resins with a current of vetiver. It's dark, just as dark as the deep brown oil. Wet: Something slightly like turpentine or tea tree comes to the front, spicy and warm. Vetiver is clearly here, so strong it goes a bit play-doh on me. There are burning woods, here, in the background. It starts going sweet, as vetiver does on me usually. Drydown: Sweet spicy vetiver with a strong base of other woods, I'm guessing, because vetiver never smells this good on me usually. It's dark and strong, elegant, even a little bit sparkly - now I realise it's actually myrrh that I can smell. Myrrh and vetiver play very nicely together over woods and perhaps a hint of nutmeg. The Play-Doh attempts to come back on attention, but apparently the myrrh has a good grip over it and subdues it. Overall: It's a heady, delicious perfume to me. Saturn is one of the hardest planets in my chart, that critical Superego that makes me constantly doubt myself. But the BPAL is probably all its good aspects: solidity, traditions, depth, roots, control, discipline. It makes me feel grounded and strong, and it doesn't induce doubt or self-questioning. I definitely want to work with this oil or its TAL equivalent to sort out my problems with Saturn.

In the bottle: A lovely green aquatic scent with some rose. Wet: Greenery like stems and tear-like aquatics. Drydown: Rose starts coming out, a pale white rose amongst a thick lush background of greenery. It makes me think of a beautiful garden in the spring, with fountains and ponds, where roses are budding but haven't come out yet. The green note is a little bit tart, but that works well to keep the freshness. It gets a bit vinegary on me, after a while, and then all of a sudden it absolutely blooms into fresh delicate roses, light but definitely strong. Overall: It's a very pretty blend, soothing, similar to Water of Notre Dame for the green note, but less powdery and more rosey. I very much understand how this can express Venus, for the aesthetic and gentleness that is represented in the planet. To me this represents Venus as it is seen through Libra (the sign, not the oil), mostly graceful and turned towards artistic creation, and less materialistic and sensual as it can be seen in Taurus. I tend to find it even a little shrill for Venus, but maybe it's just my chemistry.

In the bottle: Very aquatic neroli. A lot of sweet herbs and a hint of woodiness. Wet: Herbs, like freshly cut stems, still with hints of ozone, and something a bit aquatic underneath that's probably the neroli. Drydown: It dries down into an aquatic neroli with green hints of herbs and something rather citrusy. Very sporadically I get a hint of patchouli, but it disappears nearly immediately. I get the musk, it reminds me strongly of Enraged Bunny Musk, in fact. Overall: It's a soft, sweet, clean blend, that smells a bit fruity and slightly powdery, like clean sheets. The patchouli here is really fleeting, and the sweet resin and neroli dominate it. It's not at all how I'd expected it, a very mellow, yellowy blend. Not something unpleasant, but I wouldn't wear it.