juniperus

MCLXXVIII (1178) At first this is resiny and a little sweet (like the dark sweet of coca cola when it comes out of the fountain badly calibrated and there's a low soda to mix ratio - can you tell I worked fast food as a teenager?). It almost immediately deepens and broadens into resins and patchouli, and an undercurrent of red musk, I think. I think this comes as close as I could have hoped for a blend that was really and truly made for me.

MCCLIII (1253) On first sniff this reminds me of the synthetic paint thinner (my roomie back in the day was allergic to turp) I used when I was both still an art major and working in oils. Once on I think I can detect green, and what initially seems like a boozy note that comes across as that sharp and almost astringent paint thinner affect in the bottle. I think that it is, in fact, eucalyptus as this is morphing into fresh green, not soft green and floral but that fierce dark green of leaves and stems and succulents. There might be floral here, but it's no where near center stage. I'm wondering if there is an aquatic note of some sort here, because although this is green, not blue, to me and clearly not of the sea...I'm reacting to some note in exactly the same way I usually react to aquatics. Very fresh, though, almost forest-y. but not of any forest I have around here - no I imagine this is what Australia's green areas must smell like.

Bottle: spicy vanilla/musk Wet: very musk, and the coconut is dark, underscoring it. the vanilla has backed right off (wonders never cease). Dry: musky with a sweet undercurrent. I can detect the amber, but this leaves me with an impression of a very sophisticated and feminine EOM... Later: ah, the plum appears, lovely, as well as the labdanum. This is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Not foody on me at all - just thick and rich, and seductive.

Bottle: the citrus and tea are foremost, followed by the aloe (sunburn flashbacks commencing) Wet: citrus and aloe, but joined by the mint - very fresh and light Dry: the citrus is still present, but backing off enough to smell the tea again, and the aloe has also retreated somewhat. Later: the aquatic note is making its appearance and I'm feeling it. *sigh* damn sinus reaction to aquatics, anyway. *cry*

Bottle: a rosy golden, golden, golden..amber?, mums, something else ..mebbe opium, I'm just not getting a clear hit on it yet Wet: this is warm and seductive..there is musk here, as well. Dry: oh. I think there is ginger here. and a smokiness wafting through. there is a herbal sharpness (like mum leaves, actually..a little bitter) underneath..so far this is really gorgeous. Later: I am SO glad I took a chance on this one (and now wonder if I'll need to acquire another bottle at some point!)- this is a warm golden-red glow on my wrist, seductive and intoxicating. truly breathtaking, gorgeous! [edited to correct my tags, I was thinking html when I typed]

Bottle: a vague herby-ness, the color of wheat, and orange oil Wet: the same through a curtain of warm dragon's blood resin, like seeing the world through a curtain of water as it pours in rivulets down the car door windows in a thunderstorm Dry: the warmth of the amber and the resin - a red gold sunset over the big lake. this is sitting not on the beach, but on a grassy outcropping overlooking the lake, seeing the sailboats heading back to their docks against the red sunset that bleeds into the water as it hits the horizon. what a shame Chicagoans can't see the lake at the end of day like this - they only see the sunrise, gleaming, brassy, and still full of promise; when the sun reaches the edge of the lake on our shore it languidly reclines like an exhausted Vegas dancer gracefully falling onto a couch with a little leftover glitz still stuck to her skin. Later: I can really get the marigold in this - it sort of reminds me of my mums that are juuust budding right now (they're orange and gold, too). this is a peaceful blend, its affect on me is akin to a feeling of that short pause between the inhale and the exhale, that suspended animation moment...that's what the last bits of August feel like to me, too - that point poised between fall and all of that hustle and bustle, and the outings and plans and doings of summer. actually, this brings on a feeling of melancholy, too, because that 'sweet spot' is all too short. I love fall, but I must admit I don't love the increased pace and stress that fall brings.

I can't do honey, or vanilla, ior vetiver, or jasmine, or lots of othernotes that make resinous blends fail on me (All Saint's is still my greatest heartbreak, as far as this is concerned) - from Ivy & Peony's list I can wear the following (that I've tried, I haven't tried maybe 1/4 of them): Bastet Cathedral Crossroads Dee (meh) Haunted Hexennacht Hymn Mantis Medea Midnight Mass Nefertiti Penitence The Pit and the Pendulum Rose Cross (meh) Shub Niggurath Sin Also, FWIW, I can wear these others with a strong resin presence on me (I'm considering, specifically, amber, myrrh, and frankincense) in addition to other the notes (often florals or musks). I find that resins with woods seem to work very well on me, and that the woods work on my skin to really lay a nice foundation for the resins: And There Was A Great Cry In Egypt Anne Bonny Aureus Black Lotus Blood Amber Brinsingamen Coyote Fallen Fenris Wolf Hecate Lilith (meh) Magus Phantom Psyche Resurrection of the Flesh Spellbound Titus Andronicus (meh) The Lion Wicked The other notes involved are always the downfall. Alas.

for me the issue is neither resin nor incense, rather it's what else is present. I can wear about 1/2-2/3 of the above list - and what ruins things are the other players in the blend.

Bottle: fruity fruit fruit, sweet, and by sweet I don't mean sah-WEET, but OMG where did you get that car air freshener? Wet: the bite appears, but still very curranty. Dry: much the same. Later: Anyone remember Huckleberry Pie dolls? This, on me, is that scent, plasticy undertone and all. Gah. Doc Holliday, "I'll be your huckleberry." Sorry, couldn't resist.

Bottle: cherry cough syrup. Wet: lilies are awakening, but the sharp edge of that cherry still lends a medicinal feel Dry: the cherry has backed off quite a bit, I'm relieved to say, but that calla seems to be doing The Lily Thing. Later: ever expanding lily. yep. darn my amping, anyway.

Bottle: boozy tropical floral. Wet: this is taking on the air of a perfume I've smelled before, possibly from one of my grandmothers - it's going powdery, sweet-floral, and the boozy is lending itself to a alcohol-y fake affect. Dry: still old lady perfumed closet or drawer; no booze, lots of powder. Later: there is no sultry for me here, alas.

Bottle: early-fall forest underbrush. Wet: much the same, with more of the floral shyly hanging behind. Dry: green and damp and lovely, the floral isn't taking one bit form the depth of the forest. Later: despite the spring floral, it's fitting very well with me today, on an overcast, chill, and occasionally rainy early fall afternoon.

Bottle: clean and slightly tart, like barely-brewed green tea with a fresh squirt of lemon juice Wet: less tart citrus, the floral is emerging, overall a pale green and yellow, as if all of the components are nearly the same hue Dry: still monochromatic, but it's quiet simplicity is peaceful, gentle, and calming. Later: gorgeous, I never thourhg I'd find a tea blend without something that disagrees with me! subtle and lovely!

Bottle: gorgeous lilac Wet: I can detect a hint of the lily, but it's still fresh, blooming lilac in the cool of a summer's evening Dry: the dragon's blood resin is, surprisingly enough, not surpassing the lily. this is sweet and heady, but not throttling my sinues. Later: this is right at the edge of my toleration for sweet florals, but I'm feeping it for just such an occasion. it's very pretty, I just have to take care to wear it in small doses.

Bottle: tobacco and chocolate - like a dark chocolate bar sitting too close to an open pouch of pipe tobacco? Wet: I can catch the red wine (please don't go sour on me), and hints of the florals. Dry: wow, the florals, esp the sweeter ones, have really taken off and left the darker notes behind! Later: sweet and sour florals. how very sad, I had so looked forward to this one.

Bottle: dry woods, grasses, and musk. warm - if I were to lay in a dry field bordering a midwestern forest wearing EOM - this is that scent. Wet: the doeskin is evident (and here's hoping it doesn't turn on me) Dry: deepening, and the doeskin isn't taking off and morphing like leather notes usually do on me. goooorgeous. Later: evocative and warm and prairie. Did you know that the prairie actually begins in SW Michigan?

Bottle: neroli and ylang ylang. oh fear. Wet: the oleander is making a strong statement, but only accompanied by the neroli and ylang ylang - no patchouli yet. Dry: oh that ylang ylang, sweetening and souring. *grumble* Later: the patchouli is wonderful, but the neroli and ylang ylang are just strangling it to death on my skin.

Bottle: gentle and sweet Wet: I recall making a Welsh recipe when I was a teenager, one that I found in a cook book in the library. It was a honey cake - and this smells very much like I remember it. Dry: there must be some vanilla here, even if only a touch, as vanilla is a very obviousl thing once it touches my skin. Later: Interestingly enough it's lost that cake quality and the honey has not, as it oft does, gotten a bitter edge to it. I might have to borrow this from Colin some time, it would be nice to find a honey that actually works. (this is the kids'; Emma made a face, while Colin nodded emphatically and added his now infamous "Yes!")

Bottle: vanilla and old-lady drawer, like I remember my great-grandmother's linen drawer with the veeery old, ceramic floral drawer-freshener. Wet: and the vanilla begins it's ritual amping dance. Dry: yep, vanilla. juuuust vanilla. Later: and eventually, cloying and slightly musty vanilla. oh, it hates me so. (this is the kids'; Emma thought it "pretty", while Colin announced that it smells like vanilla. duh, LOL. Since Colin took Dana O, Emma kept this one)

Jester is red currant, but I think the huckleberry adds a little darkness that may be similar to what you're experiencing with the black.

I hadn't thought much about the Convergence scents - after all, they are very rare and although some reviews have sounded interesting, I'm too po' to go trolling on Ebay for extreme rarities. And I am not so much an obsessive collecter. But - a decant. And what a decant! Bottle: dark, rich, and resinous. Wet: much the same, but a little smoke-y at the depths Dry: deeeep like a baritone, there is a sweet edge that isn't floral or food-y to me....ever smelled Coke syrup? Like the real thing, before it was all corn syrup and crap? I remember when I was a kid smelling it - and that sense memory was just brought back for me. oh my, there is vetiver here. it's clearly present, but not amping and turning dirty-oily yet, so I'm hopeful. Later: Oh yes, in time this has returned to merely deep and resinous, and by merely I only mean that the vetiver monster has retreated back into it's dank lair. This is sooo dark and masculine, which is not to say I couldn't wear it, but it really feels male to me when I sniff. I know getting a bottle of this is nigh impossible - but if ever one crosses my path I'll snap it up in an instant - this is a multifaceted, dark, sinuous wonder. (and thank you thank you thank you for letting me try this, you know who you are! ) (edited because there is more to proofreading than running spellcheck, ya ditz!)

Bottle: MMMspicy cinnamon and clove - like my favorite spicy tea. Wet: Much the same, really yummy. Dry: mellower, with a hint of the pepper, but still wonderful - and no skin reactions from the goil with the sensitive skni! w00t! Later: mellower, still, with more clove than cinnamon..this smells very holiday to me, and it's comforting as all get out today. not long-lived...but delightful.

Bottle: spicy, woody, root cellar-y. Wet: woody, primarily, with spice underlying. warm, somehow, even though it does smell very autumn. Dry: much the same, but..drier. like the warm autumn sun in a forest in autumn, warming the woods and remnants of growing things so that the scent of the still-slightly-damp underbrush wafts up with each footfall. Later: this reminds me of the part of my back yard where ivy grows under a stand of huuge old pines, and recently when it rained I caught a waft of what was really the smell of autumn to me - the damp ground, the wood, the ivy..sitting outside in the evening with a cup of spiced tea. wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

Bottle: sweet, almost brown sugary with an undertone of da booze. Wet: this reminds me of the smell of maple extract (to account for a little boozyness) and brown sugar..a spicy, autumn baking sort of scent. Dry: the darkness of the musk is more apparent, the spice tease still foremost. Later: complex, the sweet has mellowed and the musk is not thuggish, but fantabulous on me. Very autumn, not so much invoking the devil's night aspect for me (that would be the smell of toilet paper. muahahaha!) but moreso my inner thrill at the season itself, the smell of spiced, boozed something-or-other at a costume party, with the empty wrappers strewn about wafting that sweetness into the air, going outside for a breath of air, closing my eyes and taking a big, sobering breath and smelling all of autumn at once. maaan.

Bottle: bright, citrusy-fruity Wet: somehow this sort of combination always reads as 'juicy fruit gum' on my skin. there is another note here that's lending itself to a stale gum affect, actually. rather...unpleasant. But before that stale thing started I could see the sun connection with the sparkly fresh citrus fruitiness, and even 'stale' it's a bright yellow sort of scent. Dry: growing oddly sharper. I'm not quite sure about this note, it's familiar and yet I can't quite put my finger on it. Later: and suddenly - it's gone. poof. ruh?