juniperus

Bottle: bamboo and cherry blossom - but mostly bamboo. it's not sweet, per se, but it's grabbing my sinuses like the uber-sweet florals do. Wet: pretty much the same, with a hint of tea in the background Dry: still heavy on the tart green bamboo, more tea and less blossom. I can barely detect the dragon's blood and no sandalwood. this almost has a aquatic feel to me - very crisp and wet. Later: much the same - I wish the dragon's blood and sandalwood would have been starts in this show - those are notes I can wear well.

Bottle: cardamom and mandarin, mainly. almost food-y. Wet: the same, the other notes aren't coming out to play, yet. Dry: the patchouli is hiding underneath, barely peaking out as of yet. still very fruit, not much from the floral on top, really. very complex - I'm still not sure how well I'm wearing it, but it's really damn interesting. Later: I'm still just fascinated with the wrist-sniffing. I'm not sure if it's for me, but it'll need more than this one wearing to discover that - it's too complex to really make any decisions about with one try...it's a lot to put my head around, I need time to consider this scent. it makes me..contemplative.

Bottle: exceptionally pale, transparent floral Wet: vanilla here, I think, as there is a creaminess..it's really..opalescent. Dry: still pale, but little floral..amped vanilla or something close to it, and a note that its hitting my sinuses like an aquatic even if I'm not quite picking it out as such, yet. Later: fascinating, lovely, and...hollow. before it started morphing oddly on me it was a thing of..how can I put this..frightening beauty? it was lovely, but invoked these images of disturbing and almost a claustrophobic/agoraphobic terror - being closed in and totally exposed all at once. really a bizarre feeling, and I'm almost glad for my crappy skin chemistry on this one, because I don't think I could have made it all the way through the review without the amping cream breaking that spell.

Bottle: all of the notes are a jumble - I can pick out the apple and quince separately, but barely. Wet: fruity and floral with hints of darker beneath that hasn't fully appeared. Dry: sandalwood, myrrh and to a lesser extent, the musk, are all in play. the greenness of thyme is less present than I hope it might be. for a fruity blend I'm finding this really lovely on me. Later: very different from things I usually like a lot - this is a lot like imp in that the fruit aren't getting strange on me and those notes are working really nicely with the darker elements. I wouldn't mind more of the sandalwood, but at least the jasmine isn't going totally out of control - it either almost entirely disappears or goes whole-hog. A lovely keeper.

Bottle: rose, but sharp..not a green sharp, tho. Wet: the sharpness reminds me of the fake-rose in cheap bath products. It's clearly not, but it's really calling that scent-memory. Dry: I can't put my finger on the note that's making this so harsh for me. the rose is sweet, but this bitter sharpness isn't a counterbalance so much as an additional irritation. it's really getting me in the sinus. Later: and it's almost totally gone in a very short time...hm. oh well.

ayVAHL is how I've reckoned it.

CCLXXXII White floral with a green undertone. Possibly a white musk behind the flowers, but it's getting harder for me to pick out the notes because...I'm amping this like a sonuvagun. Cereus, perhaps. It's not lily, nor is it jasmine, two common amping culprits. I amp orris, too, so that's a possibility - some of these higher floral notes I amp so quickly once on that I have a hard time differentiating them, they morph so horribly (and one sinus has completely closed in outraged rebellion, so my ability to keep going with this is pretty much ended). Two possible dealbreakers of the highest order - and I got one of them.

This starts as a very light herbal/floral. There is a hint of aquatic, perhaps citrus as well, but the aquatic note is, as usual, not letting many others show themselves.. But this is very subtle, reserved. Contemplative - yes, I think that can be applied as descriptor here, as well. Despite being my life card, I wear no aquatic well, unfortunately.

Bottle: forest, night air. seriously. amazing. Wet: a hint of an aquatic-y note, but it's not terribly sharp. and a hint of green behind the musk coming up from behind. Dry: there is a sweetness here, a creaminess. the note I was a little concerned about has softened it's tang considerably, but now I'm hoping this vanilla impression I'm getting won't misbehave. Later: This is truly lovely, slightly musky, a hint of the sweet creaminess of a whitetail as it bounds away through the trees..a bit of green that grounds this for me...wow. I am so glad I kept searching - this is gorgeous.

It'll vary a little depending on whether you're talking to a native welsh speaker, irish gaelic, or scots gaelic..but sow-en or sow-een are both possibilities.

Bottle: a very dark green herbal. Wet: sharp, like green leaves and stems newly crushed. Dry: vaguely fir-like. the sharpness has passed into a general damp green scent...hmm. Later: it's not bad on me, but it's nothing special, either. Ah well...

Bottle: bark and leaves, yes. damp, earthy. Wet: the apple, though - uncanny. smells orchard-y. Dry: the sharp dampness has passed into a warm woody-ness, but it's disappearing at an amazing rate. Later: this smells like fall to me, since I take my kids apple picking every year. it's a shame it doesn't stick around...I'm tempted to hold on to it and try it this fall, tho.

Bottle: sweet and boozy. Wet: even sweeter, like cough syrup sweet. Dry: ugh. and getting sweeter. it's...gotten naasty. it clearly is a Bad Thing on my skin. boozy notes usually are, tho. *sigh* Later: no later, this has got to go.

Bottle: sweet florals. glads, gardenia, and tea.. Wet: almost fruity sweet. how odd. Dry: the gardenia is large and in charge. holy crap - another floral note I amp? gah! Later: I had really looked forward to trying this one, with the rose and amber and patchouli...damn damn damn

Bottle: cherry cough syrup. the kind that burns on the way down. Wet: oookay. cherry licorice. twizzlers. I'm really more of a black licorice kind of girl. did you know there is a website that just sells licorice from all over the world? it's like my holy grail.. Dry: ahh, there's the anise. I love star anise - makes beautiful, fragrant homemade tree ornaments, along with cinnamon sticks. that cloves in the orange thing smells divine, but looks really nasty when it starts to wither. I am on such a string of tangents today... Later: oh hey, that red musk has kicked in and now it's a much more balanced blend. a little sweet, very round and deep. niiice.

Bottle: jasmine, jasmine, jasmine, and a hint of lily. Wet: jasmine, jasmine, carnation, jasmine, and a hint of lily. damn jasmine. Dry: wait, wait....it's soapifying! gaaaah! Later: jasmine soap. mmmboy. super.

Bottle: mmm, sandalwood and lovely red patchouli Wet: the frankincense is evident on my skin - it's rosy and warm and already luscious Dry: this is gorgeous (and a little sassy)! I love all of these notes, and I can't believe it's taken me so long to try it!! Later: I am so in love!

Thanks to the lovely Urraca for this imp. Bottle: sharp carnation with a hint of the orange blossom, mainly Wet: I can detect the ambergris behind the carnation, the sharpness is softening. Dry: patchouli is still only a hint at the bottom of the pack - the notes are still crowded in the mid-range, but things are deepening and growing richer so I'm interested in how this will finally expand. Later: the patchouli, ambergris, and carnation are really balances, the orange blossom has largely disappeared and taken the very top with it, but this is warm and lovely...festive does fit, yes, as my impression is the whirling of dancers, golden candelabra filtered candlelight, and passion hidden behind facades.

Thanks to the lovely Urraca for this imp. Bottle: orchid and plum and lily, oh my! Wet: lots of lily and orchid. very light, pale. Dry: now jasmine, and ylang ylang and lily often amp on me, and amp in really foul ways...but so far not a hint of the first two, and the lily is, while very present, not taking over. very pretty! Later: the lily has surpassed the orchid, amped slightly, but it's not gone the sickly sweet-sour it can and oft does, so I'm a happy girl!

Thanks to the lovely Urraca for this imp. Bottle: scrumptous amber and a bare hint of cinnamon, sweet and golden-red Wet: the pacthouli is bringing up the bottom, very warm. sinful? hell yeah. Dry: I can't catch the sandalwood yet..this is almost dragon's blood-esque ... sultry. Later: still no sandalwood, sadly as I love sandalwood, but as sins go this one could become a habit.

Bottle: a very chilly floral Wet: the resins, I can catch the gardenia and lily, although the rose I could smell at first sniff seems to be taking a back seat. there is a sharpness to something here.. Dry: one of the floral notes is really getting sinus-gripping in an almost-aquatic kinda way..the cassia, maybe?is it the note designed to give the chill-wind affect? (ok, probably) it's not the lily amping and growing sickly sweet, this is a new thing altogether. Later: I dearly wanted to love this, and with the frank and myrrh and rose I figured I would have a good chance at it...but this damn note is beating on me. I am very sad.

(from a sniffy, so this is an impression as there was not enough to try and savor) At first sniff it's more flowers than woods, but I bet on it would go delightfully woody on me if none of the wildflowers I don't think I've encountered before amps or gives me headaches..so chalk this up to another I'm sorry I missed. ADDED Dec. 11: Bottle: very floral, esp. phlox..light and very spring. Wet: more green undertones, and the violet is apparent. nothing of the forest itself. Dry: hints of the woods, something sharp and dusky, maybe the cypress or the moss but I'm not quite sure. plus the florals, which are growing a tad sweeter. Later: still fairly non-woody, a sort of general spring-flowerness is fading..pleasant, but not much presence on me.

(from a sniffy, so not enough to really try on and savor) Dead on. Coffee, the smell of yellowing pages...it's the smell of old used bookstore with coffee overlayed. Damn me for missing this!

(from a sniffy, so not enough to really try on and savor) Sharp, incense-y and spicy. I think there may be a resinous bottom note in play I am just not quite picking out on its own, and something patchouli going on. It's warm, but a little dusty. There is either a smoky note or an aquatic - I'm getting the same odd vaguely headachey reaction I've known with both note groupings. Lovely, apart from that small sadness.

Peony Moon has the peonies of Amsterdam with less green. My favorite rose is still Wicked - it's dark rose, a tiny bit of jasmine, and myrrh (which I find lends a really nice bottom component..give it a little attitude). I can't wear most sweeter florals well, I usually amp lily and jasmine...but the thing I recommend is just trying everything you can lay your hands on - you never know when something containing a note that normally seems to not work on you will end up being fabulous (for me, that's Wicked).