Chouchen

I didn't even think of getting hold of any Numb because I'm really not into cold scents but was finally persuaded to try it as someone mentioned it smelled of violets. Boy am I glad I read that because it does, indeed, smell of violets to me, candied violets at that. I don't know how this is meant to smell cold, or if it's juts my alien skin chemistry doing it's thing but this is warm, powdery sugared violets that I can't get enough of. One sniff and I had hunted down 3 bottles within a week! I am so glad it's not a popular scent or I'd be broke. Keep hating it folks, please.

Undertow for Jeff Buckley? (I know, I'm a sick, sick puppy but it's just what popped into my head )

Hmm, curiouser and curiouser. The kumquat makes this smell juicy fruity which is odd considering how unjuicy kumquats are. But on with the review. The orange blossom is lovely and combines well with the tea and pepper. This lasted much longer than I expected it to as most of the notes are light and that usually means they're very fugitive on me but, 4 hours later I can still smell it from 2 inches away. A lovely summer scent but I don't think I want more than an imp.

I thought this would be my favourite out of Dum & Dee because it would be heavier. But no, whilst T'dee is still wafting off my wrist, T'dum has almost vanished entirely. Most surprising. The patchouli is very gentle, the green tea sleeps in the background and the green mango slaps you round the face when wet with an almost metallic tang, then skulks in the corner before buggering off entirely, presumably to meet with fig who doesn't seem keen to play either. Most disappointing.

Ahh, cherries, and not the bubblegum cherries in Jailbait but lovely red maraschino cocktail cherries. My mouth is watering, and the woods seem to be coming over as almonds with a definite aroma of freshly sanded mahogany. Rather lovely but there's so little sillage I have to get my nose within 3 inches to smell anything at all. Half an hour later and the cherries have vanished, the woods are still hanging around but it's disappointing after the lush burst of marascino, to be left cherryless with wood.

Heavily floral, the stephanotis makes it heady and the cherry is lovely but the lily of the valley keeps hinting at soap. She hasn't won my heart at all.

Much stronger and lasting than I expected. The mint and vodka are disctinct, less so the citrus and fruits. The warmth of the ambrette and iris creep in later to keep this nicely anchored. A lovely summer scent that I'm tempted to get a bottle of but am not sure if I would actually wear it.

First impression is rose and tea, it's lovely and light, upliftingly floral. If the peony doesn't go soapy on me, and manages to last a respectable time, this could be very nice indeed. Lovely for the summer. 4 hours later and it's still detectable on my wrist from 2 inches away and is somehow hovering on the line betweeen peony and soap, the tea has pretty much gone.

I had a feeling I would like this, amber and vanilla are rapidly becoming favourite notes. The addition of Sweet pea, which I am wary of, and Sandalwood, about which I'm neutral, just don't adequately explain why this is so stunning. It's warm, radiant and sweet without being sickly, very creamy and there's something rather delicate about it, threaded through the richness. After an hour things are less intense, the scent has thinned out a bit, the vanilla has calmed down and has assumed a more supportive role, but then it keeps changing, each note taking turns to speak up. Even having ordered a 5ml unsniffed, my first reaction to smelling it on my wrist was "I must get a 10ml before they go." Which makes no sense as it's GC and I have yet to finish a 5ml of anything yet! If this is what a victimised mouse smells like I'm starting a campaign to persecute the poor little creatures immediately!

I got a tarted imp of this, and had no idea of the notes in it when I slapped it on my wrist. I still have no idea of what's in here because all I can think of is tiger balm. Fresh on and for the first half hour or so this just smells like tiger balm to me. Herby, pungent and medicinal. It just reminds me of having a cold and my mother applying copious amounts of tiger balm to my head and torso at bedtime.

Posting my first review because I nearly freaked out at how djinn smelt nothing like the lab description on me. Only reading the reviews reassured me I wan't an utter mutant. In the imp: turpentine! On the wrist: All I can smell is cool pine, more specifically, pine Radox bubble bath. No smoke, no fire, no ashes just a big bath of bubbly, cleansing pine and it isn't even remotely warm, not even the warmth you normally get from your body heat. An hour or so later and it's still just pine bubble bath, just much calmer and quieter. My skin usually deepens and darkens scents, or eats them up in minutes. I have no idea WTF it's doing with this one but I won't be signing up for a bottle because I was really looking forward to the dark smokiness.

If people are still looking for lids with wands TheApothecarysCat.co.uk (I think!) does replacement caps with little glass wands for 50p and they sell mail order HonorAlexandria - I share your anguish, some of my fave BPALs sink into my body chemistry so fast it's heartbreaking. I loved the first whiff of my new Black Lotus imp but it was fading before the oil was dry on my wrist there's only the ghost of a scent left clinging to my skin now. It didn't occur to me that diluting would make them linger longer I must admit, or that priming my skin with something else would help. Maybe I'll try making a solid perfume and see if it holds the scent better.