sessile

on me, wet, is honestly terrible. the honey/tonka combination, which sounded like a good idea at the time, is just awful and overwhelming. eventually, it does calm down to let the chamomile/hyssop out, sweetened by the honey. which is fine, i suppose. it's not for me, unfortunately.

my first impression was that this is a really nice aquatic - balanced just right. the bergamot/eucalyptus are surprisingly (and a bit disappointingly) faint in the beginning, and become nonexistent quick. all that's left is marine note, with the ambergris holding down the fort. but... it IS a little simple. me personally, i figure if i'm going to get an aquatic scent, i might as well go all out and get something like the men's l'eau d'issey or ck one summer. (then again, i'm not particularly enamored of aquatics to begin with. i have to admit i do find them kind of meh in general.)

I LOVE this. I got it as a decant and it's become my go-to sleep scent. The orange of the mandarin/tangerine with the green of the yerba mate/moss just makes me ridiculously happy in the beginning, and they do well in balancing out the tuberose and prevent it from being too strong. The first poster is absolutely right in that it makes the oranges last long, too; they come together with the tuberose and blend so perfectly with one another. (At this stage, the wet stage, I can see what other people mean by the floor cleaner/soap aspect. But I have to admit, one of my favorite scents in the world is the smell of the entire laundry detergent aisle at the store. That smell is just so refreshing and invigorating to me, and the citrus/green part of Geisha is reminiscent of that, so I of course I want to roll around in it and have it on me forever. MUCH better than CLEAN the perfume for that, well, clean smell for me.) The citrus/greens do eventually fade to the back to leave the tuberose front and center. But the sandalwood/styrax also step in to keep the flower from becoming too cloying, so all you can smell is that fresh, and only slightly sweet, white floral. At the very, very end (so, when I wake up), a powder is left. I'm not too too fond of powdery smells, but everything that comes before I ADORE, so I really don't care. HOWEVER, it's my sleep scent for a reason. I was so enamored of Geisha I was all hyped to buy not only one, but TWO bottles - until I wore it during the day. Granted, it's been really humid and warm lately, but still - the heavy incense/resin scent of the styrax STORMED up, and for me that's just too much for a wet spring day. Maybe it'll be nicer for fall, but right now - NOPE. I'm more than content, though, to have this send me off into dreams in the meanwhile. ^__^

starts off: bright citrus, with a sweet fruitiness from the peach (and the davana?). later: the musks and resins come out and blend together nicely, rounded by the sweet notes and faintly, faintly topped with the white sandalwood (which i'm glad of, as i'm sensitive to wood notes). classy winter scent. emptiness of snow outside, warm and cozy inside. might be reminiscent of some old lady scent, but hey - it's a lady with style and grace.

at first: CITRUSSSSS. a bit like a lemonhead. later: the citrus fades down into verbena/cedar. the oud/labdanum is nice and soft/slightly powdery, not an overpowering wood scent. the amber is more in the background, imparting a slightly higher note than the other resins. really pleasant scent, perfect for the fall. since it's spring i'll probably kind of sit on it until then, but really - so, so nice. probably a great unisex fragrance. note: this scent really showed me the importance of applying fragrances to pulse points, and liberally. this smelled TOTALLY different when i applied to somewhere else on me (my knee, as i was running out of spots to test) with just a couple of stripes. there, the wood notes were prominent, overpowering, and therefore unpleasant/headache-inducing. glad i gave this a second chance.

at first: white florals after a rain in spring then: musk/white cedar come out, with lilac/lemon on top. the white flowers are faint in the background. really delicate, feminine scent, with the white cedar bringing a little gothic to the proceedings.

in the bottle: smells like elizabeth arden's green tea (which, great - i used to wear all the time) on me: lemon at first, but then BLOND WOODS. that note overwhelms anything else that might be in the scent and gives me a headache. (it's also in both clinque's happy heart and dkny's be delicious fresh blossom, and it's something i never smell in the bottle but it amps ridiculously on my skin. and like sea of glass, i think those scents smell great - when they're not on me. :/) can't wear it, so it's gotta be a swap.

starts off woody and with strong myrrh. juniper and cajeput (aka tea tree) bring a crispness and the florals remain in the background. the wood backs off in the drydown. myrrh dominates, and the herbaceous note of the juniper and the almost eucalyptus quality of the tea tree comes through. florals round things off with a slight powder note. would make a nice atmosphere spray. unfortunately do not like woody scents as perfumes, though. edit: wore this on a chilly day, and it was an excellent match for the weather. the myrrh is a nice, comforting, warm incense-y smell to buffer against the cold, while the herb and floral notes still remind you that it's winter. i might not really be able to wear this during other times of the year, but right now it's perfect.

opens up with the "fougere" part of the fragrance with a nice strong lavender. develops to allow the vanilla sugar and white musk to come out. finalizes to vanilla and a slight herb-y note. nice, but too femme-y and confectionery for me.

i was SO excited for this one. the description sounded fantastic, and reviews have been glowing. one note - vetiver, probably - DOMINATED on me. high, sharp, broad, headache-inducing. could barely pick out the lime. the vetiver did not fade, even after several hours. gonna have to swap. :/ EDIT: this goes to show the importance of trying fragrances on your pulse points - i initially tried this on my forearm, and it smells SO different there than on the pulse points in my wrists. at first: the vetiver still runs up and punches me in the face, but then runs off. lime/lavender/mint come out and are so refreshing to my nose. the woody/earthy notes of the vetiver/patchouli/sandalwood are still there, but more in the background. later: the sweetness of the patchouli becomes present, bringing an almost sticky tobacco quality. the musk also rises up, smoothing things out. the higher notes of the lime/lavender/mint makes the scent sort of arid, so the whole thing smells like ancient, decaying wood in a huge, old, dank stone chamber filled with cool, stale air. and oh, hay - suddenly there's the geranium bourbon and calla lily. this is frankly a bold, ballsy scent. authoritative, unyielding, with the floral notes actually making it more sophisticated. pure evening wear.

got this as a frimp in my very first order of imps, and it winds up pretty much being my favorite out of the bunch. starts off spicy/cinnamon-y and with citronella. also strong notes of linden flower. fades to let the linden come out more, with the spiciness far more subdued. the linden lingers and lingers, and i love the smell of the flower (green, slight hint of its namesake, lime, but rounded out with a bit of powder). l'occitane used to sell a linden perfume, now discontinued , so i'm so glad it shows up here. love it, love it. probably gonna buy a full bottle.