bergamot_bliss

Oak leaf, bourbon vanilla, almond husk, and black leather accord darkened by a 13-year aged black patchouli. In the bottle: Wow, this smells delicious. I can smell the almond immediately, and leather that is warm and broken in. Wet: Still very warm. Dark patchouli and well-worn leather. Drydown: The almond is coming out again, with a hint of sweet vanilla. The patchouli and leather are lingering in the background. Something earthy is emerging...the oak leaf? It's definitely still settling down; at this stage, it smells a bit chaotic. Dry: This has gone very dark on me. The patchouli is very strong, but mixing beautifully with the leather, and there are a few hints of sweetness from the almond and vanilla, with the oak leaf whispering in the background like an afterthought. Absolutely gorgeous.

Mandarin, tonka, saffron, black tea, cocoa, tobacco leaf, sanguine red musk and five classical herbs of conflict. In the imp: Tobacco and red musk fighting with each other, some cocoa, and there’s the sharp mandarin. Wet on skin: The mandarin is the most prominent now, and now it’s getting more herbaceous and spicy. The tobacco leaf is quieter now, and the cocoa and musk are barely there. I still am not getting black tea, and I don’t know what tonka smells like. Drydown: Previously mentioned notes that I picked up are settling down and mixing more evenly, but I still am not getting the tea. Dry: It’s gone very herb/spice. I’m glad the red musk isn’t jumping out, because sometimes it goes rather bubble gum on me. The mandarin and tobacco are still present, but still no black tea and the cocoa has faded, both of which are disappointing. It also fades quickly. I don’t think I’ll be getting a bottle, but I’ll try to wear what’s in the imp again.

In imp: Lovely dark woods and crushed leaves. Not getting the lilies, though. Wet on skin: Hello, lilies! Ordinarily my skin loves lilies, so hopefully this is no exception. The woods are still lurking nicely in the background. Drydown: I’m getting all of the notes except the aquatic now, and they are blending more evenly. The lily adds sweetness to the dark woods, just like in the description. Dry: The woodiness is very nicely balanced by the lily, and the leafy scent has faded into the background, but it is still there. The aquatic is present too, and reminds me of Y’ha Nthlei, which I also like. This isn’t my all-time favorite scent, but I think a bottle is in order.

In imp: A little soapy, very sweet with some tartness. I hope it doesn’t go soapier on me. Wet on skin: I think I’m getting the clove now. It’s much less soapy, and I smell a touch of fruit and the sweetness of the honey. Drydown: Um, skin? Did you just eat this scent? It’s suddenly very faint, and the soapiness is coming back. Now it’s just a very light honey, possibly with some of the fig. Dry: Now there’s something leafy in there among the sweetness. I’m not getting any patchouli, which is odd, because my skin ordinarily loves patchouli. Oh, and it fades after about 5 minutes. Skin, you usually only eat aquatics, but apparently this was an exception. Boo.

In bottle: Boooooooooze. And a little sweetness from the rose. Wet on skin: I’m still smelling the wine strongly, and there’s the ambergris. Boozy scents always are crazy alcoholic on me when wet. Drydown: Oooh, what’s that? Is that a green note coming through? It smells like pine. That must be the aconite. The musk, rose, and wine are mixing beautifully, and the hemlock is poking through as well. Dry on skin: This is completely beautiful once it’s dry. The aconite and ambergris are what hit me immediately, and the honey, hydromel, and rose add some sweetness. As usual for my skin, the wine has calmed down, and the red musk is a gorgeous smooth, dark base. Probably my favorite of the Halloweenies.

In bottle: Red musk is dominant, but I also am smelling the patchouli. And…is that the honey in the background? Oh, and there’s the hemlock! Hemlock loves me. This bodes well. Wet on skin: My first impression is a mix of Witch Dance and Lead Phoenix, probably because of the red musk and hemlock. Drydown: It is getting more autumn-like and woodsy. I think that’s the cedar incence and ho wood. Red musk and hemlock still dominant. Dry on skin: I think I need to give this a little more time to settle, because it still smells slightly disjointed. The wood, incense, and hemlock are dominant, but the sweeter honey and champaca flower are coming out as it continues to sit. In any case, I love it. Gorgeous fall scent.

In bottle: Musk musk musk. And I’m getting something dark and spicy…I think that’s the incense. Wet on skin: Smoke and red musk. It’s dark, round, and heady, and quite lovely. Drydown: Still smoky and musky, but I’m getting the spicy incense. Such a lush scent. Please dry nicely! Dry on skin: Sometimes red musk gets a little soapy on my skin, but the hypersweetness of the red musk in this is tempered by the leaves and the smoke. The incense is still coming through strong. The notes blend perfectly. Absolutely loving this scent.

In the imp: Light, floral, a tiny bit soapy. Wet on skin: Not smelling anything. My skin tends to eat stuff without grounding notes. Drydown: Soap. Very nice, high-quality, soothing soap. But soap. My skin sucks the subtlety out of a lot of scents. Dry on skin: Still smells like a very expensive soap, but not what I want to wear as a perfume.

In the imp: Purrrrr. Lovely dragon’s blood resin, and the musks are strong. Wet on skin: Heady dragon’s blood mixing nicely with the musks. My head’s spinning! Hopefully it will be a little less wicked on drydown Drydown: The musks and dragon’s blood resin are gorgeous together. It’s calming down and getting a little bit sweet. No, please don’t go powdery! Dry on skin: It was so beautiful. Now the dragon’s blood is still juicy and strong, and my skin loves the warm musk, but it’s a little too sweet. I think my nose is still affected by the last imp I tried, which was way too sweet, so I’ll try this again later.

In the imp: Soap. Straight soap. Wet on skin: More oily than soapy now, and I’m getting the frankincense. Thankfully no anise, which I don’t like. It’s surprisingly sweet, and a little metallic. Drydown: Dammit, there’s the anise. I do not like anise. Why can’t I smell the leather? I like leather! Dry on skin: Sweet and shiny in a way I don’t really like—it’s too sweet, really—and soapy. Going to be swapping this one.

In the imp: Hell-oooooo florals! The lilac is particularly strong. And I’m also getting the lime rind and benzoin. Wet on skin: I don’t smell much. I think my skin ate it. I’m still getting a little bit of the florals. Drydown: I can still smell the lilac musk. I’m not smelling the myrtle or blackberry leaf. There’s something really smoky in it, too; I think that’s the tonka. Dry on skin: Weirdly enough, it smells stronger on me dry than wet. It’s mostly smoky and musky on me, with the violet and lime dancing around in the background. The green notes aren’t showing up. It’s nice--I like smoky scents--but it doesn’t really grab me and isn’t anything special. I’ll probably wear what’s in the imp again, but I don’t think I’ll be getting a bottle.

In the imp: At first, I get the cherry blossom, and then the anise. I don’t like the smell of anise in situations unrelated to BPAL, so…hmm… Wet on skin: Mostly anise, a little bit of cherry blossom, and yeah, there’s the sandalwood. It’s not really soothing, though. It’s frustratingly disjointed. Drydown: The notes are starting to blend together better. I can tell it would be a nice, warm, comforting scent, but though my skin likes anise, my nose doesn’t. Dry on skin: Cherry blossom and sandalwood are quite nice together, and the anise is hovering in the background. But I still don’t like anise. If someone had similar skin chemistry to me but liked that anise/licorice/absinthe smell, I would recommend this scent, but it’s not to my taste.

In the imp: Definitely getting the fruit, whatever it is, and a little bit of the cinnamon. The fruit makes me think apple and cranberry, and maybe…pomegranate? Wet on skin: Lots of cinnamon! And getting the almond now, too, and spices. The fruit seems to be in the background, but still present. Drydown: Is that…wood…that I’m getting? Still almond and cinnamon—almond more than cinnamon, though—and the tang of the fruit is coming through. It’s very smoky on me. Dry on skin: Smoky and cinnamon-y more than fruity, although the fruit is more prominent than it was when it first went on my skin. The fruit is more tangy than sweet, but it’s not too sharp. It’s quite lovely. Definitely considering getting a bottle.

In the bottle: APPLE. I just got punched in the face with apple. Wet: Musk and dragon's blood resin peeking through apple. Drying: Apple dying down, which is good because it was way too strong at first. Mostly dragon's blood resin and florals now. Musk, where did you go? I liked you. Dry: It's fading a little. Which is odd because my skin eats a lot of perfumes, but it's never eaten one with dragon's blood. It's mostly the resin now, with the florals and a hint of musk, and the apple is present at the perfect level. Will definitely be getting a bottle.

In the imp: Something overpowering that I can’t identify, something fruity; is it the red wine? Hoping it’s less intense on my skin. Wet: Red wine’s calmed down a bit. Smelling a hint of the chocolate and what I think is the musk rose. Drying: Tobacco! A note that loves my skin. I can still smell the musk rose and some of the other florals. Whoa does this blend’s scent change quickly as it dries. Dry: It’s settling down to smell like a blend instead of just a couple notes sticking out. I can’t really tell what notes I’m getting, but the blend is smooth, dark, and a little musky, with just a touch of booze; exactly how I’d expect a Goddess of Destruction scent to smell! I approve, but unfortunately it gets very faint (if still lovely) after about half an hour. If it had more staying power, I would definitely get a bottle...eh, I'll enjoy the imp very much.

In the bottle: Musk, amber, and sandalwood are definitely the dominant notes, but they blend so nicely. Wet: O HAI MUSK. And wow is the sandalwood overpowering. No rose, bergamot, saffron, nutmeg or mandarin yet. I hope some of those notes come out as it dries. Drying: I think I can smell a bit of the rose now; not surprising, as my skin amps florals. The nutmeg is starting to emerge too, but the dominant notes are still sandalwood and musk. Dry: The musk and sandalwood have calmed down, and I can smell the rose now. The nutmeg is there and the bergamot is quietly lurking in the background, but I think my skin ate the saffron and mandarin. It smells more blended than the "here's a couple notes hanging out on my wrists" vibe I was getting when I first put it on. Not my favorite scent, but definitely good for a certain mood.

In the bottle: Mmm, there's a little sweetness here. I'm getting amber and sandalwood, mostly. Is that violet in the background? Wet: Hello, florals. You like my skin, don't you? The amber and sandalwood are still there, but I don't smell the musk or vetiver. Drydown: Smells almost the same on me as it did wet, but the slight bitterness of the vetiver is finally showing up. Dry: Hooray, I can smell the musk now! It's a bit heady, really. The florals, violet and amber are still there, but less overpowering. Still only getting a tiny bit of vetiver. The sandalwood seems to have faded to the background, but it's still nice and warm. "Regal" is definitely a good way to describe this scent on me.

In the bottle: Ooh, sweet! I can definitely smell the orchids in there somewhere, but mostly it's vanilla and strawberries. Wet: IT'S A COOKIE. Or perhaps a cupcake? But it smells like a baked good. All vanilla, strawberries and honey. Drydown: The vanilla has calmed down a bit. I still can't smell the sandalwood at all, or the bergamot, which is sad. It's still a cookie. Dry: The vanilla and honey are still nice and warm, the strawberries are fresh and natural, and the orchid is starting to show itself again. Very nice, and seems to smell less cookie-ish and more like a perfume as time passes...unfortunately the bergamot and sandalwood are only apparent after at least half an hour. Funny note: I'd been wearing this blend for a bit longer than an hour when I went to squash class. I was warming up by myself, and my opponent came into the court and burst out "It smells really good in here!" I guess Kitty is a keeper.