GemmaCat

In the bottle: yah for mint! Minty-minty-mint! *licks lips* On my skin, wet: still that lovely minty smell and the chill of eucalyptus. Actually, this is helping to clear my sinuses. . . ^^; On the drydown this becomes the coldest, frostiest spearmint with a surprisingly gentle, even creamy, undertone. It's not so much annihilation as it is the very first flower struggling to push itself above the surface of the snow. This is like Shattered's less emotional twin. I'm a big fan but not quite enough to hunt down a bottle.

In the bottle this is sharp, cold citrus. On my skin, wet, it's very very icy and bright. It's actually a little too sharp and citrusy for me, reminding me of cheap men's cologne. On the drydown it's much prettier and the white floral notes start to emerge. After being on for some time, though, it turns into laundry detergent and Bounce dryer sheets on me. T his is one for the swap pile, me thinks.

n the bottle this smells like slightly burnt milk with a heavy undertone of honey. On my skin it changes from a heavy honey scent when wet, to the most delicious creamy milk and vanilla. This really does smell like a huge mug of hot milk with real vanilla in it. At first I was a little unsure about it, since foody scents tend to make me nauseous due to how badly they work with my skin, but this is such a comforting smell. I actually just returned home from being treated appallingly by a post office employee and was all upset, and after applying this I could feel my muscles relaxing. Now, I have a big smile on my face. Definitely a keeper!

Still cold-ridden, but nevertheless. . . In the bottle it's girlish delight; everything sweet and gentle and feminine-pretty. On my skin wet, it's much the same but big wafts of delicious vanilla keep hitting my nose. Dry, however, it sadly smells like scented My Little Pony dolls. It's still pretty, but plasticy. I'm going to try mixing it with Milk Moon, though, since I strongly suspect that will ramp up the vanilla and get rid of that plastic scent.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . In the bottle, warm tropical sea breeze with a hint of floral. On my skin this is surprisingly light. There's a beautiful floral undertone, which I suspect is the hibiscus, but otherwise my skin just gobbles this up. It's clearly a beautiful, feminine scent that is just so delicate and gentle, but on me it simply isn't strong enough to stick around. I'll try it again when my cold is gone, of course, to see if that helps.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . In the bottle this smells very masculine; sharp and a little sweet and tangy. On my skin it's much more gender neutral. I can smell the spice but it's subdued, leaving a fresh rose scent that is really quite beautiful. These aren't sweet roses for ladies, however, they're deeper, duskier, and very sensual. This smells amazingly sexy on me, and I can't wait to see what it's like on my fiance!

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . This is a strange one. I can't smell any chocolate or wine; nothing deep in fact. In the bottle it's warm, fresh florals with a hint of fruity sweetness. On my skin it's delicate and inviting, the florals taking over but without being overpowering. I'm studying Kali as part of my dissertation, and this perfume makes me think of her mothering aspect. It reminds me strongly of the poems written by her devoted followers; praising and loving her for her gentleness behind the fierce mask of warfare and destruction. In particular it reminds me of this verse by the Bengal poet, Ramprasad: "O Tara, doer of good, the good of all, grantor of safety, O Mother, grant me safety. O Mother Kali! take me in Thy arms; O Mother Kali! take me in Thy arms. O Mother! come now as Tara with a smiling face and clad in white; As dawn descends on dense darkness of the night."

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . In the bottle this is buttery pumpkin and the sharp scent of a forest in winter. On my skin the wood notes come rushing to the fore, underlayed by that lovely creaminess. This really makes me think of walking through frosted forests, late at night, when everything is dark and spooky, and when the scent of fresh pumpkin pie is still clinging to your clothes and fingers. PP#4 was too creamy on me, and this one is *almost* too woody. As it dries down the pumpkin comes out and is very deep. To be honest, it's making me a little nauseous. I suspect pumpkin perfume just doesn't work on me. ;_; I'm disappointed, to be honest, as both the PP scents I've tried are beautiful, but the pumpkin note keeps turning my stomach.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . In the bottle this is heavy, buttery, cloying sweetness. Quite off-putting to me since very foody scents tend to make me a little nauseous. On the skin it's. . . weird. The buttery pumpkin makes it deep and creamy, whilst the sandalwood and orris are clearly there over the top, adding a little sharpness to the sweet. I can tell that this is a really beautiful scent, but on me it's just too much; too rich and foody. One for the swap pile, for sure.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . In the bottle this is too strong for me. I can't even pick out individual notes because it's so overwhelming. But, like with all lab scents, one should try them fully. . . On my skin it's still too strong, but the sweetness is starting to emerge above the other scents now. Then the florals come to the fore and it reminds me of grandmother perfume; not something I really want to smell like! Given time, though, this settles into a complex floral-sweetness. I can just about pick up the chocolate scent, maybe a little caramel, and the florals are much more gentle though still a little sharp, so that it's like getting a waft of a freshly bloomed flowerbed. Over all, this is a surprising scent. Complex, changing, sweet and dark. The drydown is much nicer than I expected, but it's still not *quite* working for me. One for the swap pile.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . I bought this because some reviews mentioned it smells like Lush's Snowcake soap, which I love. And I thank you kind reviewers, because you're right! In the bottle this is marzipan with very sharp almonds. On my skin, the sharpness dies down and I'm left with purest, sweetest marzipan! Rich, creamy, decadent, sweet without being cloying; this is pure candy happiness in a bottle! This is much stronger and sharper than Lush's Snowcake scent, but that suits me just fine. Sadly, my skin eats this scent up in a matter of minutes. It's definitely worth constant application, though, and I'm sure it will do beautifully in my hair and a scent locket.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . In the bottle it's a cacophony of fruits! Melon is definitely coming out the winner, though, and it's a sweet, fresh melon; not too ripe or bold. On the skin this is just beautiful. It's the perfect mix of fruits; delicate, sweet without being cloying, and ever-changing so that different fruits come to the fore as it dries down and warms up. I'm not sure if my skin ate it, or if it's due to my cold, but it hasn't lasted too well on me. Definitely one that's worth constant application, though.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . This is nothing like what I expected, but in a good way! In the bottle it's pure feminine beauty. On my skin it's even better! I never believed anyone could make a scent with snow notes, but somehow Beth has managed it. I completely see why everyone praises her as a genius; she is! As this scent warms on my skin, it's all sharp-sweetness like flowers covered in pure, white snow. There's a faint fruitiness too it, which evens out the bright-snow note, and the florals are the most delicate I've come across. This is a BIG favourite of mine, now. It makes me feel so sophisticated and pretty.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . In the bottle this is ALL peach wine; ripest peach with that underlying sparkle. On the skin, this is a delicate scent. The peaches have lost some of that ripeness whilst the amber and musk give it a white, pretty scent. There's still the bubbliness of the wine underneath, but the main notes are those beautiful ambers and fruitiness. I LOVE this one. So feminine and fresh.

I have a cold, so I'm probably not picking up all the complexities of scents today. That said. . . In the bottle this is tart and a little bitter. Maybe that's the neroli? It's definitely off-putting either way. On the skin, however, it's beautiful. Soft, sweet, and feminine with just a little bite (I think that's the orange). After quite some time, it gets a very delicate powdery undertone but the fruit stays strong, making it a really gorgeous scent. A definite favourite.

In the bottle this is very strong, which I confess made me feel rather wary. At first sniff I get hit full in the face with heady florals and a sharp undertone that reminds me of the very old, very expensive, French perfume my Nan used to wear. On my skin the mossy, herbal notes come out. I LOVE herbal scents, and this one is pleasantly dark and rich. As it dries down, I get the floral notes again, but this time they're softly blooming jasmine, not too rich, but still relatively heady. After an hour or so, it changes again to a sweet, incensy scent with the herbs and jasmine nicely mixing together over the top. This is an odd one for me. At times I dislike it, but I keep sniffing my wrists with interest. For now, I'll be keeping hold of this one until I make a firm decision.

A scent as sharp as glass shards, and as brittle as a broken heart. The formula came to me - quite literally - in a dream, and is named after, and created in memory of, the last poem that I ever wrote… almost ten years ago to the day. A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms. OMG, I LOVE this. In the bottle it's sharp and cold, like frosted glass, or a frozen pond in winter. On my skin it warms up slightly, releasing the most gentle creamy-mint smell. There's a white undertone; some kind of floral? But very faint. Really what I get from this is just that beautiful, delicate mint smell that makes me smile. I'm so sad this is a discontinued scent, as I would love a bottle!

I didn't get any particular fruit scents from this one when wet; just a deep, dark, and sensual scent. However, once on it caused a very itchy rash, so I didn't get a chance to really sniff it. ;_; My body chemistry strikes again, alas.

This one smells very green and sharp in the bottle. You can definitely pick out the herbs, which are almost tart when wet. On my skin this calms down to a warm herbal and citrus scent. It's very fresh and perky, but there's a tangy undertone I can't place and which I do not like. This is another one for the swap pile.

...Her scent is striking and bold with a delicate yet dark undertone: five roses with soft jasmine, warmed by vanilla, fig, tonka bean and mahogany, spiced with a drop of coffee bean. I can't really write a detailed review of this scent as all the notes rush up my nose and swirl together in confusion, so that all I get is a headache. :"/ It smells very musky and deep on my skin, and is just too much for me. I washed it off after a minute, and into the swap pile it has gone.

In the bottle this smells almost sharp and very musky; almost like something is rotting. On my skin, when wet, the muskiness of before takes over but quickly dries down to a warm, creamy scent. Unlike other cherry notes which smell fruity and sweet on me, these cherries are bitter and tart; a really nice combination with the creamy undertone. Eventually I'm left with a warm (due to the cloves), gentle vanilla-incense scent that is very nice and feminine.

My skin did something very weird to this scent, as I can barely smell florals at all. What I *do* get is sharp citrus and a dirt-scent undertone. It's somehow heady and fresh all at once, and is nothing like what I expected it to be. The jasmine scent is incredibly strong in the bottle but gets eaten by my skin, drying down to an expensive male cologne smell. Not for me, but interesting all the same.

This was not what I expected, but in a good way! In the bottle this smells rich and mossy with a touch of wood-smoke. On my skin it transforms into the most beautiful smokey fragrance, reminding me of warm herbal incense. I can just about detect a trace of eucalyptus, and maybe. . lavender? Either way, this was a very pleasant surprise, and is a truly beautiful scent! I'm in love.

It's very hard to describe Lightning as so many notes are vying for my attention. My first thought was rain and wet vegetation, but it's sharp too, almost tangy like a citrus. Once on my skin it has a creamy undertone that constrasts nicely, and the rain scent smells more and more like the air before the storm (so very true to it's 'ozone' description). This is one of those scents that I am undecided on, and therefore fascinated with. One minute I think it's not for me, the next I love it! It's definitely a scent for keeping you awake and on your toes. I think I'll wear it for my late night essay writing sessions, and see how it goes.

In the bottle: Whoosh! Overpowering lime notes that make my eyes water a little. On the skin, wet: still lots of lime, very sharp, with a floral undertone starting to come out. Maybe lotus? it's a deep floral scent. Later: dried down it's more fresh than sharp, but all I can smell is lime and something that reminds me of old fashioned mens cologne. This is a *really* fresh and lovely scent, but on me it's a little too masculine and overpowering.