Precis

On the first few wears, Tamora smelled EXACTLY like Fae to me. Peach and heliotrope are common to the two of them, but it was like a second imp of the same thing. Now, something changed (the oil, my skin? I don't know) and the two still smell similar, but the amber and vanilla now dominate Tamora, making it a much stronger, less delicate, headache-inducing version of Fae that needs to be applied lightly. This is a great scent, but it seems kinda redundant when I have Fae.

Viola is all baby powder on me. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE ARGH. In the bottle, it smells like old lady after-bath splash "Jean Naté" but once it's on, it's just baby powder, which was disappointing, considering all the :wub3:s and :yum:s going on in the reviews. I even tried multiple times to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Can't win 'em all, I guess.

I'm not familiar with many of the notes in this one, but something in here is bizarrely smoky, and I LOVE it. It makes the oil for me. Mightnight doesn't smell "sad" to me as some reviewers have noted, but it does smell "sleepy" and languorous, like (forgive the conceit, oh god) a quiet night stroll through an unfamiliar garden. I ordered an imp of this hoping for a night floral scent, because I love the scents of all the ones I've seen in real life but I don't have much time to mess around outside at night with flowers so they're smells I rarely get to enjoy. The florals in Midnight are unusual and the initial effect is more herbal than I expected and not at all sweet. I guess the night flowers I am used to are very different from the ones in this mix, because this didn't turn out like I hoped at all. It's a slightly bitter, blue-green-purple floral that is nice in it's own right though. After adjusting to the SHOCK, I came to rather like this mix. Applied for day wear, it adds a touch of mystery, too, whooOOOoo. ;D I really wish I knew what the smoky note was.

In the imp and on wet: The Hanging Gardens is lush, wet, juicy, and just gorgeous. The scents blend together well and no single notes pop out at me, although if I had to guess, I'd say the plum, pear, and gardenia stand out the most. Dry: The fruits dominate the scent, but just barely, as the florals are still evident. I don't detect much change as time progresses, which is just fine for me since it smells so great from the start. Also, I don't get much if any rose or fir from this. The Hanging Gardens fades in a few hours, or at least, it would if I gave it the chance-- when I wear it, I reapply constantly. This is my first 10 ml order and my favorite oil (so far!). I barely know how to describe this outside of "perfect," it's so awesome. As silly and hyperbolic as it sounds, it really is powerfully evocative of wonderful green places outdoors. I'd love to visit a garden as gorgeous as the one this creates in my imagination.

First impression of Santa Muerte? VETIVER ATTACK!!! The name is fitting because this oil smells like dead Santas in the imp but as soon as it's on skin, it's magically okay! I don't know what happened! The vetiver keeps the mix from being too sweet and feminine; I'm guessing it's there so Santa won't smell like a typical floral despite all the flowers. Thus, I'm thankful for it despite the DEATH ATTACK you get when you sniff it still in the bottle, argh! Wet: It smells like a sharper version of the drydown scent. The "juiciness" is most evident here (I'm guessing it's from the cactus flowers?) and it's pretty cool. Dry: Santa mellows out very quickly to something soft and pleasantly earthy. The final scent is very much something to wear on cool nights out; I loved this in pre-Christmas December and as the cool weather seems to be returning for February (Florida weather ), I'll be breaking this out more often. I don't get any cocoa or chocolate from this like some reviewers, but it does give me the impression of the desert at night. It's a comforting, unusual smell, and I like it!

For me, Mata Hari isn't coffee-smelling at all. It's okay, but I was looking forward to the coffee, darn it! Upon application, it's a very nice exotic scent. The dry-down is a warm floral that's less complicated, but it still feels like an oil that would be called "Mata Hari," if that makes any sense! What happened to the Mata Hari that initially got a ton of reviews calling it overwhelmingly coffee-ish? Don't be fooled by the first pages of reviews, people. ;D