juniperus

Bottle: holy vetiver, Batman! Wet: still all vetiver, all the time Dry: the vetiver is still very strong, the violet a tiny presence behind it. Later: cripes, the vetiver is totally insane. I can still barely detect the violet. Argh.

Bottle: very light, white flowers..not sure if I can pick out which, although there is definitely a lily there Wet: a hint of green grass and herbs behind the floral Dry: the floral is still a high and light component, but heady and enveloping..which makes no sense, I suppose, but there you go. a bare hint of the sandalwood behind, and the green notes have stepped back a touch. Later: not much longevity on me. faded to a pleasant, light, vaguely woodsy floral.

Bottle: both sweet and oddly smoky. sweet greenness and heady floral, and an almost smoky woodiness behind. Wet: something sharp coming out a bit, but otherwise much the same. Dry: smoky impression has passed, and the almost-rotted-sweet green has calmed significantly..good, as I was concerned it would only get worse as sweet often does on me. Later: It's not got much staying power on me, unfortunately, as it faded down to a, yes, somber floral..but still something I was enjoying..it was a really appropriate for a gray day sort of blend.

Bottle: Sweet honeysuckle and lavender, not so much the jasmine (which is OK, I'm not necessarily a jasmine fan). Wet: Oh. Soap. Oh my. No. I've read reviews complaining that a scent turned soapy, or powdery, but I hadn't had that experience yet so I didn't know how literal that could be. GAH! Dry: Really, really soapy. I'm sad. Later: A really lovely lavender..soap...the kind that's shaped and left in decorative bowls on the toilet tank by little old ladies who tat the doilies the bowls sit on. Yes, I smell like an old lady's bathroom. What a shame - totally soapy on me. Someone else will surely love it if their body chemistry does not abuse it like mine does. Let me know if lavender and jasmine appeal to your aesthetic.

Bottle: Cookie. They ain't lyin'. Wet: The spiciness of the cookie is stronger, but yep - damn if it ain't gingerbread. Dry: Same. Later: Yummy, but it makes me hungry. Now I'm having a craving for old fashioned spice cookies and a tall, very cold, glass of milk.

Bottle: Um. Ugh. Pumpkin, but odd. Like pumpkin candy - sweet but warm. Wet: Tart of the pomegranate overlaid. Dry: Tart = warm and sweet is now =ing sickly sweet/sour. I will certainly need to wash soon - I'll wait a little longer for the later verdict, but I'm getting a headache. Later: Back to sweeter like candy, but still the headache. Must. Wash. Now.

Bottle: Musk, musk, and more musk. Oh, musk usually loves us, we are excited already, we are. We loves the precious. Wet: A sharp edge, green. Not sure of the note, but it's there. And a hint of the amber, and yes, it's dark. Oh goody! Dry: The barest hint of the orange in a little sweet citrus-y ting at the end of a whiff - more of the amber, it's a dark golden warm yummy-ness, enveloping but not overbearing. Intense olfactory flavor...flavor-full, not intense like 'whew, man, is that intense!' Later: Looooove it! It's mellow, little throw. And we loves the musk! I have always loved the way people hug me when I have a really lovely musk on - they hug, they take a deep breath, sigh, and hug some more.

Bottle: Sharp and smoky. Wet: Sharp and smoky, with a sweetness. Piney sweetness, working in combination. Dry: More Leather, and we know how leather hates me. It's getting me in the throat, seriously - really strange..like I'm choking on smoke. Later: Can't even make it to later, I have to wash this off, it's very not-nice to me.

Bottle: musky uh..cough syrup. that boozy/sweet thing reminds me of medicine.. Wet: same, slightly boozier Dry: muskiness really taking center stage, the sweet and boozy notes are less prominent Later: the sweet has got to be vanilla, it's increasing over time (always does on me, drat) nice, tho..I'll be happy if the vanilla stops amplifying, it's right on the edge.. eta: the 2007 version works much better - it doesn't have that sweet boozy medicine edge, and the musk holds its own at the end, a sweet musk...but definitely not overtaken by the sweet. yay!

Bottle: Sharp, astringent, and reminiscent of something I can't quite put my finger on. Wet: Eucalyptus and..lighter fluid? Er, greener than that, but...yeah. Dry: Faded almost immediately to hints of the eucalyptus and...something else. Later: Keeps fading, which is good..but still that weird chemical quality. Must wash.

Bottle: sharp and medicinal, very..eucalyptus? basil? it's so sharp I'm having a hard time really getting it. Wet: basil, perhaps, and rosemary, clean and fresh Dry: add a strengthening lavender to that mix...very calming, now Later: wow, it totally disappeared within an hour. amazing, that's the fastest fade I've experienced yet. of course, I suppose if I'm planning on using it for dream work longevity just isn't an issue, eh?

Bottle: myrrh and balsam Wet: greenness, esp balsam..and something oddly sweet..storax? Dry: myrrh and storax, mainly, some green coming up at the rear Later: same, only faded...very short-lived on me.

Bottle: sandalwood, something sweet that I can't quite identify, and...moss. Wet: much the same with less sandalwood. Dry: The rose is stepping forward and the moss, thankfully, stepping back. I'm catching a slightly-sweet note that I can't decide is the benzoin or the mastic, but it's increasing in intensity..and the sandalwood is faded considerably. Later: A re-play of the moss as time wears on, and with the sweet-whatever-it-is I'm just not wearing this one- too much working against me.

Bottle: Very sweet, the almond pronounced, lotus behind it adding to height. Yowza, sinus-grabbing. Wet: Almond, then saffron and cardamom. I smell reminiscent of an Indian restaurant. Dry: The cardamom is really prominent. The warmth of the musk and amber is hinted at, but they are overshadowed by the spicy. The almond has receded nicely, my sinuses appreciate that. Later: The musk and amber really rounding the bottom out, very warm. Spicy, but I no longer smell like something edible, and the myrrh is a nice counterbalance to the spices. I can't find much of the lotus hanging around anymore, and the almond is barely a hint - almost feels like a top note to the myrrh, in a strange way. Exotic and lovely.

Bottle: light floral, the jasmine comes through (as it is wont to do) and hints of the rose..balanced, tho. Wet: the florals dominate, the rose and jasmine primarily. what is osmanthus? Dry: complex, the sandalwood is light behind the floral, the jasmine not yet taking over (and for that I am grateful). On the sweeter side, but not offensively sweet, the jasmine not cloying..the rose darkens the floral enough to make it more appealing for me. No hint of the musk yet. Later: Musk stepping forward a bit, with the sandalwood, but it all remains very, very balanced. The jasmine remains in its place, which both surprises and delights me. Very complex..and mysterious, yes: "She is the faries' midwife". Exceptionally lovely - a summertime floral ... a hiding in the deep wood in the dappled late-day sunshine waiting to catch a glimpse of the Summer's Eve ride floral. Loooove it!

Bottle: tart, floral, and citrus-y in a fresh-and-clean way. Wet: very citrus, like a marriage between lime and grapefruit. Now, I love both of these as fruits, and even the smell of them as I cut into them with a sharp knife..and I'm not foody-fond at all with scents, but this is tart enough to not offend my delicate sensibilities. behind the tart lies the hint of the floral, no more than I got from the bottle, but I have hopes for more - I rather like cherry blossom (in person, that is). Dry: no hint of the tea, yet. another fruity smell comes up to stand in front of the floral - must be the kaki (persimmon-ish, basically)..but at least it's not shudderingly sweet. I'm not happy about the obviously-fruity note stepping up to say hello, but at least my sinuses aren't protesting. Later: Very much like the drydown, slightly mellower. I think this is really the first food-based scent that I like..I do like it, but I don't love it, not on me - it's just not a scent for me...but I can totally see myself enjoying smelling it on someone else who is more suited to a sweet-tart floral.

Bottle: Yep, just as sweet as I thought it would be. Which doesn't make me mirthful, but we'll see. No single notes, just sah-weet. Wet: Lots of vanilla and sweet floral..the jasmine, I think, but it's hiding behind the vanilla. I seem to have a problem with foody scents, even as benign as vanilla seems..since, after all, it's so...vanilla. Dry: No sign of the tea rose. Heavier jasmine, and the gardenia is making a showing. More gardenia would be nice, jasmine seems to amplify on me to disturbing levels, and turns cloying and pissy. Waiting... Later: more gardenia, still none of the rose, fades down to a more manageable and pleasant generalized white floral with less of the overpowering qualities of the vanilla (on me) ..still I think it's something someone else might wear better, my chemistry just doesn't seem to do well with all of the notes in this one through most of it (even if it does get very pretty eventually).

Bottle: sweet, almost candy-sweet. fruit and floral, cloying. Wet: apricot, gardenia, and something I'm not quite identifying yet. syrupy. by ciste do they mean rockrose - I'm confused. Dry: the fruit is still dominant, the floral notes harder to catch behind that sweetness, and none of the ylang-ylang or tonka. I am identifying honey in that sweetness, and that usually goes all funky on me so we'll see. Later: the floral has faded and it's mainly a disappearing apricot and orange with a hint of something else...the ylang ylang, maybe.

Bottle: amber and myrrh initially. Wet: leather coming to the fore, not quite overpowering the myrrh. Dry: leather right up front, and it's not a scent that works well for me. I'm hoping that this will pass and the resins will create more of a balance. Later: The ambers are lovely, and the leather has calmed some. Interesting and complex. I'm not sure it's for me, tho.

Bottle: warm and rich, I can detect the bourbon and vanilla over woodiness Wet: some of the floral is coming out, but still has a mulled, hot bourbon impression Dry: still a little foody, but the musk is coming more to the fore. warm and growing more lovely. Later: the vanilla hasn't turned this into something truly horrifying on me, for which I am grateful. it's warm and complex..some floral presence but not flowery. I would have loved more of the musk and clove, actually, but it's still rich and pleasant..not seductive, not on me, but comfortable.

Bottle: Red wine and something dark, possibly the myrrh. I'm not sure what altar of rose will turn out to be.. Wet: Myrrh steps forward, wine a step back. I can pick up some of the musk. It's a dark, almost peppery scent. Dry: First the musk then myrrh and the fermentation-sweet note of the wine...dark, yes, but not sultry nor sinister, exactly..something I can't quite put my finger on. It's seductive, but not sexy.... Complex. Later: More musky, less wine. I still don't know how the altar of rose fit into this, but it's rather nice...dark, but more of a golden dark than a blackest-night-black-as-pitch dark.

Bottle: way sweeter in the vial than I imagined it might be - almost maraschino cherry-ish. Wet I couldn't pick anything out except the fruity odd sweetness that was assaulting my nostrils. Dry: it looses that fruity sweetness totally and becomes really warm and spicy (not a light or dark spicy.. rather mid-range on that point) with an aftertaste of incense-y qualities I can't put my finger on right now. Like Silk Road Wet = bad, but dry seems to be better for me. Later: Hovers fairly close to the skin. It smells like an old lady to me...not an icky smell, but that heavy perfume-y/spicy smell that's both enveloping and comfortable, it's a fond sort of old-lady smell...like a Babushka who only wears perfume for 'good' so when you hug her in her good coat you get this really fragrant perfume + baking sort of experience. Ok, that makes little sense. It's pleasant after a bit, oddly not like something I'd wear, but I like it nonetheless. It's crone-y to me...how appropriate.

Bottle: Honey. Only honey, actually - like I'm sniffing one of those honey bears. Wet: Ylang Ylang competing with the honey , but still rather sweet and foodie for me...I hope the musks step up soon... Dry: More of the Ylang Ylang, less honey..some other odd note..labdanum, I guess. It's a resin, tho, and this is an odd sweetness..so maybe the Ylang Ylang is just turning on me. darn. Later: The honey returned, musk has never really had any showing beyond a hint of darker notes and potential complexity. I really, truly thought this one might just work, even with the honey..the musks, ylang ylang isn't a floral I know I always have Issues with, and a resin...soo..I am sad. I think the honey accentuates the sweet of the floral to a point of cloying on me, and the musks just don't come up enough to balance that.

Bottle: a semi-sweet and also savory green with a hint of patchouli Wet: both green and golden - the musk and amber barely there, the sweet of the neroli, herbiness without a certain note stepping forward yet Dry: broadening. the golden deepens, and the green looses that sweet bit to come to a nice balance. the patchouli is a hint only (which pleases me, it can really take off on my skin). Later: Lovely! Warm and round, subtle (but not anemic). Still green and gold, fresh and complex. Truly breathtaking on me, I'm in lurve.

Bottle: sweet, definitely, and rather cherry - that cherry-ish gum-number the dentist uses Wet: somewhere between cherry and rose, still on the sweet side but not as gacky as the aforementioned milk. Dry: very rose..sweet, tho..maybe like a rose-hyacinth combination. I really don't seem to care for it in the blends I've sniffed, but by itself it's inherent darker notes can actually stand up to balance the sweet. complex. interesting...sweet, but interesting. Later: still sweet rosy-ness. it almost wants to turn soapy on me. I'm uncertain about this one. it'll probably end up as a swap...I think I maybe should stick to the darker rose blends I wear better.