juniperus

Bottle: Christmas tree, fresh cut, Douglas Fir Wet: Same, but warmer..like the smell of the bubbling pine tar when you first put the log in the fireplace. Dry: the sharpness of the evergreen has faded leaving behind soft wood and a sense of..cold. white snow. Later: a quick fader, so perhaps a room scent after all, but so evocative..I felt a shiver.. what lovely images this carries in it. Magical. Really.

A large number of the imps from my CT3 decant circle offerings just arrived all cakey and sweet. And I can't wear them - they turn to celery on me! Somone out there is sobbing for the love of cake, and they are all at my house.

Oh I love it when the circle imps arrive! DXIII In the imp is spicy, red wine. On me the spices warm and the red wine goes to town, which is to say, on me, it gets real big then real sour. It's a morpher, it moves from that to incense-y/spicy and resiny. Hey - one I can actually wear!!! DXV In the imp this is...holy funky food-y, Batman! Buttery and sugary and...thick-smelling. On me it's cake batter, raw cake batter with a lot of vanilla extract and...run extract. It's not boozy, per se, but has the after-sniff of rum..reminds me a lot of my extracts. This has little throw, and a lot of morph - the buttery passes away so the batter disappears and is replaced with..a Halls? WTF? Menthol? DXXIX In the imp this starts out buttery and then moves into a citrus. On my skin I get little of the buttery, more of a rather non-committal citrus - I can't quite tell which it is, it's just...citrus-y. It's fresh without giving me that special aquatic ping in my sinuses. It has almost no throw, little morph, and little staying power. DXXXI In the imp this is medicinal, kinda floral, and fruity. Yikes. On me I get more of a food-y feel, yellow cake and a very sweet fruit...pineapple-upside-down-cake I think. With a splash of rum. Gets sweeter, but otherwise not a ton of morph, and little throw. DLVI In the imp it's vaguely floral, vaguely herbal, and vaguely (boozy?). Really weird. On me it gets sharp, rather like celery. Plus booze. More throw than I'd certainly like for this one, that's for sure. It's a morpher. It seems to take on the feel of an herbal floral, and then I get that damn celery back. DLXII In the imp it's all floral - lillies, I think, and something else sweet...white hyacinth? Not sure.. And there's a hint of something underneath - maybe white musk, maybe civet..hard to tell from the sniff alone. On me the lillies immediately begin with the sacred lily amping dance. This is followed by the growing sweeter segue into rotten-smelling cloyingly sweet cut flower. And, of course, it throws like a freaking major leaguer. DLXV In the imp this is a sweet liqueur, hazelnut. On me the nuttiness is more pronounced. Then it turned to that darn celery. Clearly there is a note that my body hates with a bright purple passion, because it keeps turning it to celery. Not much throw, no more morphing that I can tell beyond my own abuse of one of the notes. DLXVIII In the imp this is really boozy, kinda butterscotch schnapps chased with vodka. On me it suddenly changes into a floral (?!?) I want to say there is jasmine here since I'm currently amping it to high heaven. And vodka. Mid-range throw, it's bugging my sinuses. Ugh. DLXXIX In the imp sweet, rich, buttery pound cake. On me it's the same...and then in short pace I discover that some sweet, buttery note that everyone else loves to pieces...turns to celery. Again. WTF?! I mean, really. Gah. DLXXXIII In the imp this is a kinda aquatic-y, herbal-y, floral-y...uh, thing. On me I get the scent of cool water and a boozy aftereffect of some sort...a sharpness I associate with the boozy notes, in any case. It might be a really sharp floral, not lavender-sharp, but it's got an edge. Only a slight morphing as the floral becomes more dominant, some throw, obnoxious staying power. [edited because I'm the typo queen]

Bottle: sweet floral, but barely floral and by sweet I mean almost candy-ish. Fruity, maybe, but I can't tell you what fruit. Wet: very subtle, I need to practically press my nose to my skin to smell it. I'm not picking out any particular notes, but this has a light-reddish feel to it, if it were a color - but translucent like the sun through red-streaked stained-glass. Dry: very much the same - but the sweet is burning off rapidly. I'm having a really hard time picking out notes. I'm leaning towards the possibility of orchid here, and the impression of spice without being spicy, per se, makes me wonder about forsythia. This has the same feel as the lunacy blends. Later: a hint of musk but it's pale - white musk, I assume, as that's often rather pallid on me. this doesn't seem to contain any notes that usually amp on me, but I can't quite make this one out. it's rather too sweet for me, sadly enough, and really disappears quickly...

Bottle: dark green and brown, earthy without smelling of dirt. Wet: the same, a little greener. Dry: rooty, yes, and damp. the green remains dark, doesn't make it to an herbal-smelling green..this is viney and undergrowth in feel. Later: I had really looked forward to this one, but it just smells...kinda dirty on me.

Bottle: lily, followed by the slight sharpness of geranium. Wet: more of the rose with the lily, the sharpness gone. Dry: rose disappearing again, lily is taking the lead. barely hints of the frankincense behind it, and the wood isn't much holding its own, either. Later: growing....soapy. gah! I am so disappointed - I love frankincense and rosewood, I had such high hopes for this despite the presence of a dreading amp-y note. It amped, yes, but worse than that...it detergified.

Bottle: all I can discern is the dragon's blood Wet: hints of sandalwood from underneath the resin Dry: developing slowly, slightly more sandalwoody goodness, but still very much about the dragon's blood. Later: there's the sandalwood! - and I do, as suspected, lovelovelove this one. Warm and rich, woody and just slightly sweet in a resiny kind of way.

The dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious. Bottle: frimp - much love to the lab. spicy and golden, none of the amber yet, but this is lovely - spicy without being food-y. Wet: ginger! on my hot skin it's the scent of hot Vernor's Ginger Ale (the real thing, none of that Canada Dry stuff). (hot Vernor's is great when you have a head cold, BTW. seriously, and so nice to a sore throat.) Dry: very much the same. spicy and warm and golden. Later: energizing, luscious, and wonderful in its spiciness. Spice without being food-y, yay!

Bottle: beautiful and delicate tea with a dash of carnation Wet: I can detect a little rose behind, but it's bashful, comes through like a scent on the wind as it changes direction on a summer's night. Dry: delicate, the rose barely making more of an appearance, this is a very translucent scent. Later: fleeting. really, really short-lived.

Bottle: foppish. am I allowed to say that? violet and primrose and rosewood, primarily, at first sniff. Wet: bergamot coming from behind. violet less prominent. Dry: there is some note here that is setting itself apart...not in front of the other notes, but simply not blending well to my nose. how very odd. not sure which it is, the rosewood, maybe..it's like I'm only getting part of the note, if that makes any sense. Later: well that odd phase ended, but I still don't think this likes me overmuch. A shame, I really loved the immediate violet in the beginning..

Bottle: sage and cedar and leather and vanilla all ajumble. Wet: I can catch hints of the lavender, the sage is stepping back. Dry: the leather is backing off some, amazingly enough, and the cedar and vanilla are primary with hints of lavender behind. Later: I can barely detect the musk, and although vanilla and leather usually do bad things on me, this is one of those miracle blends that hasn't gone wrong. this is a complex, very interesting blend - evocative, off-putting, and...intimidating. really damn interesting.

Bottle: amber, amber, amber. ooh lovely. Wet: the musk is coming up from the depths, like something surfacing in a sea of liquid amber. Dry: both dark and golden, warm but underneath a dark chill. like feeling a chill, unfamiliar touch on my neck on a warm day in the sunlight. Later: yep, haunting. you know I was going to say that, didn't you? very melancholy, a sorrowful embrace.

The fiery, volatile scent of cinnamon, thickened by myrrh, honeysuckle, and copal. Bottle: very sweet cinnamon..the sweet of the honeysuckle without the floral aspect. Wet: more of a floral feel, but still primarily food-y. hints of the myrrh beneath. Dry: still reminds me of those roasted cinnamon almonds I occasionally indulge in when I take the kids to a ren fest. with a hint of myrrh. Later: food. and a slight soapy edge to the honeysuckle behind the cinnamon, disturbingly enough. Not for me. Thanks to the lab for the chance to try it on them, however.

Bottle: leather, woods, and parchment..very dry and about as British Academic as I could have imagined. Wet: hints of the sweetness of the tonka, none of the incense yet. Dry: leather still in the foreground, the tonka isn't taking off on me like it often does...but this definitely has a masculine feel to me. hm. Later: I really like this, but I think I'll keep it for Bri - this smells really male on me, like I borrowed it from some guy. (but I have to say, this is exactly what I imagine Giles smelling like. er. uh. oh. )

Bottle: delicate rose Wet: much the same - a fresh, pink rose, none of the greenery of Rose Red, but still very delicate. this is the rose that all of those fake rose scents meant for old ladies try in vain to achieve, I am sure.... Dry: this stays true. it's wet, but not an aquatic, per se (which I am happy with, after all then it would give me a headache!), spring-y and flow-y and just lovely. delicate and young...almost too young a rose for me, to be honest, but neither is it Love's Baby Soft young, either. Later: I may use this for layering more than wearing by itself, but it is a beautiful blend. (and it appeals to my Libra AC like nutz. funny, the way the Luna celestial has been described wouldn't work for me at all, all notes that hate me. ha. silly Cancer)

Bottle: frankincense and copal most clearly indentifiable. Wet: the florals are coming out, although I'm not familiar with all of them so I can't really give a more detailed description. Dry: one of the florals is really hitting me in the sinus - I don't recall reacting this way to geranium or hyssop, so it could be one of the others. it's growing sweeter in that ylang ylang amping kinda way. Later: the sinus-y aspect has passed, thank goodness, but the ylang ylang has really taken off and this is very sweet, now. I can barely identify the resins and even the florals beneath it's cloying grip. Darn. I had rather hoped this one might be another that may just work... (edited to add: Bri likes this on me, so I'll try it again this morning and see how it works itself out through the day...)

Bottle: sage, vanilla, and mandarin, mostly. a hint of amber. Wet: same, but with vanilla growing stronger. Dry: I can identify the violet in this, now, and hints of the wood underneath are evident. less of the sage and mandarin, but the vanilla still immediate. Later: I was worried about the vanilla musk in this - vanilla usually amps and grows sticky-sweet...but in this blend it's taking a front seat, but not totally taken over. the iris and violet are still very apparent, and although the mandarin and sage are mostly gone, the musk and wood beneath, however faint, lend it enough depth. I'm undecided whether a bottle is a good idea, but I'll definitely use up the decant imp. What a pleasant surprise!

Bottle: very sharp, astringent. the juniper and yew most evident. Wet: aquatics coming to the fore but the sharp greenery close behind. Dry: sweet aquatic, the lily the only floral really moving forward in order,and the still-razor-sharp greenery is also very present. Later: largely the same, but with a peppery sort of sharpness in addition to the juniper/yew combo. The lily hasn't totally taken off on me, but nonetheless this is not at all attractive on my skin.

Bottle: resins, especially the frankincense and myrrh Wet: much the same..amber stronger, tho, and I can catch a hint of the sandalwood. Dry: the musk is really stepping up, and I can barely make out the saffron. none of the floral, yet. Later: I had really feared the honey because it usually not only amps on me, but turns really sharp and stale, but like jasmine it's either all or none, and I'm getting none. YAY! I'm not getting much of the cardamom either, but I'm not complaining because this is truly gorgeous and I must order a bottle. Oh yes. This was the one that I thought had the best chance on me (since all of the salon had notes that concern me)..it's complex, a warm red-gold in tone...and just spectacular.

Bottle: floral, floral, floral Wet: I can smell the honeysuckle and lavender most clearly. Dry: moonflower really taking off, but no jasmine yet, so I suspect it's one of the non-amping blends (it's either/or for me) for that note, at least. Later: the moonflower hasn't amped any more, thank goodness, and I can catch a bit of the damp night air. I don't think it's me..but it's complex, haunting, and lovely.

The Coiled Serpent. To me it's a cross between hippyshop and this Hindu-family-owed gas station I frequent that always smells of incense (especially in the morning when the wife? sister? is working).

Bottle: florals, but a crazy mixture, and many I don't recognize at all. the phrase that came to mind as I sniffed, interesting enough, is 'the smell of insanity'. it's the sort of manic I experience after having had general anesthesia - until the toxin leaves my system several days later I have strange nightmares, Lovecraftian almost, of bugs in the walls and other frenetic frights. Wet: less intense hysteria, now merely floral. Dry: already starting to fade, which might be ok, since the moonflower was starting to amp somewhat and already I noticed I was reacting to it. allergies, bah. Later: apart from some lasting resonance of moonflower - this is gone, gone, gone.

Bottle: the green of that spikenard is right at the front, and sharp. behind I can catch the olive, but the other notes are far back - like extreme perspective in a drawing. Wet: the floral behind the green is more evident. this is terribly interesting. Dry: I'm catching the frankincense now, and another note, although I'm not sure if it might be the hyssop or galangal...it's a brighter floral note. Later: the sharpness of the green has softened some, but this is still an unexpected and very complex combination to my nose. jury's out on this one.

Bottle: sweet, heady, and somehow familiar. But otherwise inscrutable. Wet: same, with a dark undercurrent of some spice I can't yet name. Dry: this has a candy quality...wait I think I have it - horehound! those horehound sticks I'd get from the old country store during field trips to Greenfield Village! Later: sweet spice candy, yes. how very odd. under that a bitter herbal..this doesn't work on me, not at all.

Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood. Bottle: the nutmeg is immediate. if I try I can catch the mandarin and sandalwood behind. Wet: the saffron and bergamot are hints at the rear, the nutmeg still leading the procession. Dry: still very food-spicy. I'vd love it if the amber, musk, and sandalwood really came out to play. Later: I can now catch some of the amber, but it's still mainly spicy-foody. even so, it's pleasant, and not that sweet-foody that I seem to have the greatest difficulty wearing, so I think I'll hold on to this - I bet I'll enjoy it more in Nov and Dec as I'm in nutmeg mode.