juniperus

Bottle: patchouli and myrrh, smells like a hippy Pagan bookstore. Wet: patchouli, musk coming forward as the myrrh steps back a touch. Dry: more musk, but still the patchouli is the strongest note. A hint of the orris hovers at the back of the lot. Later: It's warmer, rounder, and the patchouli is stepping back some, saved by the orris, I think. It's still sorta hippy-shoppy, but not so much that I can't wear it t all.

Bottle: both sharp and fresh. aquatic, no particular note hitting me immediately Wet: a white flower, I think, although it's not as sweet as I might expect. still very wet and sharp..and by sharp I mean has an edge that could cut. Dry: opening into a rose, still a sharpness to it, and there are other florals I'm not quite picking out yet.. lily, perhaps? Later: the rose run neck-and-neck with the other floral..I smell lily and something else I can't quite put my finger on. the sharpness has softened some, but it's still not a run-of-the-mill generic floral by any stretch. It's grown subtle, but not soft. I rather like it, I think.

Bottle: fresh and aquatic. very much like that pre-storm-ness..I love that smell. Wet: (I spilled it all over myself. heh.) sweeter, some white floral, I think..a lighter one, tho. has lost some of that initial match with description, but still pleasant enough. Dry: it's sweetening, grabs me between the eyebrows as it shoots through my sinuses. yee-ow. Later: I can't wait quite til later, it's just continuing to get more sharp sweetness as time passes. must wash. I loved it in the vial, tho.

Bottle: Sweet, almost candy-like, but soft. Wet: Sweet remains, a hint that's a floral but still something else giving that candy-effect. Almost little-girlish. Dry: Light, powdery floral sweetness. That almost pixie-stix sweetness still present, can't figure out what note is getting this reaction from me. No woodiness at all. Later: It's gone plenty powdery on me. Very light, it's more hints of itself rather than a presence on its own. And still quite sweet and young..almost Love's Baby Soft young - this smell's young enough for Emma, except she'd pour it out on the cat or something equally bizarre when her med wore off so she'll get no impies for a long, long while.

Bottle: wine and leather and sweet greenness and sweet woods. no one note necessarily taking completely over..sorta strange. Wet: the leather and burnt-grass foremost, and the sweet of the wine moving forward also. Dry: wine and leather and wood, oh my. masculine, but not dark, per se. smells rather sour and flat on me. Later: Stale wine and burnt-ness...leather comes up subtly behind. Definitely not a happy blend for me. It smells like how I imagine a 19th century English drawing room closed-up for a long while must have smelled...with the stale sweetness of spilled wine, the burnt reminisces of a fire, the leather of the chairs, and the smell of the wood paneling. The smell of forgotten-ness.

Bottle: a lovely, almost sweet, musk Wet: spicy - almost patchouli-ish in warmth, but doesn't hit me like patchouli can. Dry: warm and round, complex. seductive, a lovely spicy musk. Later: Gorgeous, sensual, rich and exotic. Such a keeper.

Bottle: the lily and vanilla are most immediate. sweet, but not in a way that immediately makes my head ache (which is a positive, let me tell you!). I don't know what opium smells like, but there is another floral note here that I'll assume is that. Wet: the sandalwood steps up to equal placement - very nice. Dry: the sandalwood and vanilla are dominant, but not terribly so. I like sandalwood, and normally am not fond of vanilla (although that could be the nasty fakey vanillas that are out there, this is warm and comforting). Later: finally hints of the mandarin, but the layers remain balanced and interact beautifully together...not a very long-lasting scent, but delicate and lovely.

Bottle: Minty, uh, dirt. I think I have moss issues. Wet: Ok, remember those markers from the mid-70s that came in a large collection of colors and were scented? Remember the green minty one? Dry: I can catch a hint of the ambergris, but really...minty dirt. Later: Negatively charged...yeah, that's it. It's sure negative for me, at least.

Bottle: Sweet, but subtle. Floral, but not-floral. Complex. Wet: Amber and a slightly-sweet rose. Dry: warm, complex. the amber golden, and the rose-affect gives it a sort of rosy-hue..like that black hills rose-toned gold (for an image). Amber-y sweetness. interesting, unexpected, and niiice. Later: Warm and round and complex and amber-y goodness. Oh, we loves it. The precious.

Bottle: sharp and green - lavender, the moss, and carnation. Wet: heavy lavender and carnation, and then the moss. almost air-after-a-rain fresh, but not precisely aquatic. Hmm. Dry: lavender and moss primarily. mellow. it's growing more masculine-smelling. Later: Moss really starting to take over, and the sharpness of the carnation is neck-and-neck with the lavender. Definitely manly. I like it, I'll have to see if I can get Bri to wear it...

Bottle: really sharp, the lemon is bite-y Wet: Very lemon, with a bit of woody behind it. more sharp than sweet, definitely not a tangy lemon, tho. Dry: lemon and cedar, with bits of the sandalwood wanting to come forward. I am catching bits of the sweetness of the jasmine. I can barely detect the patchouli or rose. Later: More sandalwood with the cedar, hints of the patchouli, and the lemon is gone .. and while the edge of the sticky-sweetness of the jasmine is present, the jasmine itself doesn't stand out. It's complex and interesting in a rather generic Indian incense sort of way, which doesn't make sense..but it reminds me of the incense a gas station near campus uses..the woman who often runs the register in the morning during the week burns it....

Bottle: very piney, like the smell the house takes on after a freshly-cut xmas tree come in, to be honest. Wet: the pine steps back some and I can smell the musk more. Woodsy and wet - like walking through a pine forest after a rain, when all of the scents leap up with every footfall. Dry: strong juniper coming through, pine retreating some, ambergris moving forward. Later: more of the cypress and the musk has really become a strong foundation - they aren't fighting for the lead scent, it's a very mellow mixing. I love pine, woodsy scents, musk so this is a Happy Thing for me - these are all scents I find calming, so it's almost aromatherapy on the wrist..I used to do meditation work and burn pine resin I had collected myself, or little rocks of myrrh, instead of commercial fakey incenses (which more often than not give me screaming headaches, especially anything fruity..uugh) so I associate being very, very grounded and calm with the scent of pine. I can wear these heavier scents well, too, so that helps. As Weezy would say, "Loooooove it!"

Bottle: I'm not a fan of foody scents, but I diligently review all I receive. Chocolate almond ice cream, melted. Wet: same. Dry: same. Later: very short-lived, but remains true to the end.

Bottle: sharp and..dunno. Not boozy, tho. I must admit that I've never had a martini, so I'm a poor reviewer. Wet: astringent, the piney of the gin without the boozy (I'm a gin and tonic girl), rather strong..not pine-sol-y, but stronger than I expected. Dry: Still very piney and astringent. Another note that I'm finding very irritating, but I'm not sure what it is. A hint of aquatic, er, something. Later: This isn't changing over time at all so I can't wait - I need to wash. It's headache-inducing for some reason, funny, since I normally do fine with the pine..

Bottle: whew! holy rosemary and citrus, Batman! Wet: sharp, both green and citrus-y (but not sweet), I can catch the grape spirit - reminds me of the odd grape-seed aftertaste I notice from sparkling white grape juice. no floral yet. Dry: the sharpness has passed, a bit of floral, but it's gone subtle to the point of difficult to detect. Later: gone, gone, gone. No staying power at all.

Bottle: overwleming, disturbing, non-specific sweetness. fright night, baby. Wet: sage, a little green tea, and sweet. I'm feeling exceptionally uncertain about this one, I am getting a 'too sweet scent' headache, and that's not very bewitching for me. Dry: the oh-my-god sweet has come down to reveal itself as berry. lots of berry. a lot less of the sage, now. I smell like raspberry tea. didn't I already mention how much of a sweet-and-fruity kind of girl I'm not?!?? Later: still berry. I can't find the musk anywhere. I SO need to swap this one, it doesn't work on me at all.

Bottle: The Lavender hits straight away, a not unpleasant lavender (I hate when it gets too sharp), but strong. Wet: The verbena coming out, still lots of the lavender.. Dry: Holy lemon, Batman! I love rosemary, but no hint of it yet, nor the frankincense. I smell like a lemon curd tart. Later: Finally some of the frankincense and rosemary, but man, too little too late, as far as I'm concerned - it's really nice once the heavy verbena steps back, but I just can't deal with the very fruity period leading up to this (very, very pleasant though this is). I'm not so very much a fruit kind of girl, so although the lemon is nice and rich and lemony, it just doesn't work for moi.

Bottle: um..fresh, sharp. mouthwash. How very odd. Wet: green, very bare hint of woodiness under. And spearmint mouthwash. Dry: the mouthwash affect has passed, thank goodness - that was darn odd. the woods are really strengthening, and there is a sort of smoke after scent - like the smell of wood that has been slightly charred, the smell of the stick used to bank the campfire, or something. and the green herbiness is still present, but is in balance with the woods. No particular note stands out enough to identify any particular wood or herb at this point. Hint of soapy. Later: Soapy-wannabe has receded, the whole lot is all mellow, balanced, and very subtle. Not quite interesting, but pleasant..comforting, somehow.

Bottle: a sharp incense-y, very churchy note. strong, but a definite mid-range so it, at least, didn't attack my poor sinuses. Wet: Seriously woody - cedar, gotta be. Very warm, very golden. Nothing much beyond the woody, even the incense-y has tamed some. But I like woody scents, so I'm totally ok with this - YMMV. Dry: MMMm...ammmmmber. Still with the cedar, but it's sooo warm and loverly. Like sunlight pouring through the windows of an old, wood, church - some incense-y stuff, the warm woodiness, and sunlight. I didn't realize the brightness and warmth of sunlight had a smell, but I think this is it. Later: Much less cedar-y, more amber-y. Another that isn't terribly long-lasting (but so much isn't long-lived on me I don't worry much about it.) We likes it.

Late, I know, but if you want to order for her again for Mother's Day I am particularly fond of <b>Wicked</b>: A paean to all the Wicked Queens, Evil Stepmothers, and other misunderstood villainesses throughout history and lore. Lends an aura of majesty, refinement, strength, and a deep, brooding malice. A sophisticated, womanly scent: rich myrrh and jasmine draped in the subtlest rose. The jasmine doesn't get all out of control on me as it is usually wont to, and the rose plus the myrrh is a slightly sinister, not at all sweet, gorgeous rose. And, to me, dragon's blood resin has a scent that's like sweet rose with a hint of black cherry...so I find that Dragon's Musk (which is the one draconis blend I do like a lot, as it's not as sweet as the others) smells like a very musky rose on me - I have described it as Wicked in heat. LOL