Opulence

Weird! In the bottle and for the first 20 minutes or so on my skin, this is pure chocolate--well, sometimes it smells like cocoa powder, specifically, but other times it has a creamy quality like milk chocolate. But now it's a very light scent that I can barely smell, but it's definitely not chocolate or not all chocolate. It fades so fast that it's a no go for me.

In ancient India it was believed that a specific combination of flower petals, when strewn across a couple’s bed, would amplify desire and sexual pleasure. This blend is a blend of the same floral essences, refined into a gloriously sinful perfume blend. Frangipani, with rose, tuberose, and jasmine. When first applied, this scent is sharp and I found it unpleasant. But after about 5 minutes it softens down. I like this floral--it makes me feel exotic! After some hours it got a little powdery, but not enough to degrade the scent or bother me. I didn't think my husband would like such a floral scent very much, but when I wore this he rated it a 7.5 or 8 out of 10. He actually liked it the most during those first, sharp 5 minutes, so different strokes for different folks.

I did not have problems with this going powdery the way some of the other reviewers have. However, The Raven is just too melancholy for me.

When I put this on, I smell fresh, realistic lily as well as a bonus--a clean green smell, as if I'm also smelling the flower stem. That green scent only lasted a minute, and then really faded into the background. Then after maybe 20 minutes, the scent seems to be equally floral and equally spicy. I don't have a good enough nose to know what spices were used--maybe there's some pepper in there? Unlike one of the other reviewers, I did not detect a cinnamon note. Lasting power isn't great, but I did not have any problems with it turning powdery. Husband called it a "nice warm flowery scent" and gave it 7 or 7.5 out of 10. I basically agree--it's nice, but not exactly a standout or edgy, and not really "me." I typically like warmer, sexier scents.

To me this smells like gin or kerosene/gasoline. Extremely strong on the tree smell--can't detect anything else. Definitely not for me.

Jezebel, you broke my heart. I thought I had found my Holy Grail scent, when I put you on and you were the most delicious, erotic, yet sophisticated thing I'd ever smelled. But so soon you turned to baby powder. Pure baby powder. In desperation I asked my husband if the smell of baby powder was sexy. He says it's not. I'm going to see if you mature with age--I will wait for you. I also bought a scent locket just for you. Will edit my post when I see if that changes our relationship.

Even though I'm a vanilla lover and was so excited to try the fabled Snake Oil, it has a synthetic smell to it that ruins it for me. The synthetic smell seems to fade after an hour or hour and a half, so that I am left with a soft vanilla powder scent that is fairly nice. However, I can't put up with the synthetic smell for that long--to the swap pile. Even though I'm a vanilla lover and was so excited to try the fabled Snake Oil, it has a synthetic smell to it that ruins it for me. The synthetic smell seems to fade after an hour or hour and a half, so that I am left with a soft vanilla scent that is fairly nice. However, I can't put up with the synthetic smell for that long--to the swap pile. Update: Ok, so I didn't swap this. I read that Snake Oil gets better with age, so I aged it for 6 months. Tried it again today and it was LOVELY! Such a deep, dark, sweet and spicy scent. It is definitely sexy, sophisticated, and edgy. Long lasting, too--my husband noticed it right away when he saw me 11 hours after I had applied it. He liked it--rated it an 8 out of 10! It did not go powdery over the hours, which was a relief.

In all fairness, I am not in any way a patchouli fan...but damn this is pungent and NOT in a good way! I can't even smell the apricot. I know that a lot of people reviewing this scent really liked it, and all I can say is that for me, this has the strength and pleasantness of an industrial cleaner. Even when I washed it off, the smell remains--so the good news is that if you do like this scent, it should have some wild long lasting power.

I think Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds is a soft, romantic scent that would be lovely for a wedding!

I'm envious of the reviewers who had such lovely, complex experiences with this. All I'm getting is a fruitiness blended with something sweet and/or floral. Didn't have much throw at all, and the scent wasn't "me."

Smells like bread and coconut to me. But it seems like, especially at first, it has some kind of synthetic edge that I can't get cozy with. I gave it 3 out of 5. Has very nice staying power and throw--husband smelled it just fine when he saw me after work after wearing it all day. He rated it a 7/10, and said it smelled like a "red candle," or "something deep and dark, like going through a walk in the woods." I don' get those descriptions at all, but to each their own.

A lovely soft rose scent, a bit soapy but that ends up being a good thing in this blend! As others have commented on Beth's rose scents, this truly smells like fresh roses with nothing synthetic about it. So soft, feminine, and comforting. Not very long lasting, but beautiful. I give it a 4 out of 5--it would be a 5 if you didn't have to reapply it during the day. Husband gave this a 7.5 out of 10, saying it smelled "very fresh and clean." He liked it but thought it smelled too clean to be flirty or sexy. <sigh> Wish men thought the same things were romantic as women, because I love this innocent scent.

This was a free imp, and I had two very different experiences wearing this. The first time, it was sophisticated and golden, with a strong note of lemon that made it more accessible. It was the scent of an elegant woman with strength, confidence, and ambition. It smelled appropriate for a 40 or 50 year-old, or a woman in her 30's who really has it together. However, it was too unisex for my personal tastes, perhaps because the wood notes were too strong for me. It also had a smokey edge to it that I don't care for--I'm not much of an incense type. The second time I tried Fascinum was just a few days later. I was facing a very demanding workday, and thought this scent might make me feel more powerful! But all the depth I'd noticed previously had disappeared. This time, it smelled like lemon scented pledge. And it made my skin itchy. I don't know what to make of the change, so I guess all I can do is put it out there for you to draw your own conclusions. The first time, I'd have highly recommended it to someone with different tastes than mine, but the second time I wouldn't have recommended it to anyone. An upside is that if you do like the scent, it seems to have decent throw and good staying power.

Oh, Aglaea. I love this golden, peachy, skin-musky scent. The amber is beautiful, and the peach adds complexity/depth to the glowing warmth while keeping the overall effect super-feminine. It is erotic, but also somehow innocent and young. It smells like it's coming from you. Hard to describe, but it smells like it could be your actual skin scent--if you were a goddess. But Aglaea, at least on me, had absolutely no throw. My husband can hardly tell I'm wearing it, and if I put my wrist right under his nose, it is so faint that all he can smell is "flowers?" If this was more noticeable, it may have been my signature scent.