alizarin

Delirium reminded me a bit of The Fool at first, a bright bubbley apple scent. As it dries on me the lemon comes out, and it came out very strong for awhile, but then it calmed down and mellowed into a sort of fruity floral. It ends up being very light on me, just a hint of the rose and apple. The lemon disappeared completely. It goes through a lot of stages, some of them are lovely but some of them hurt my nose. Unfortunately the one that lasts on me is rather bland.

I don't know how, but Nosferatu manages to smell like dust and decay and still smell sexy. It's very herbal on me, like an herb garden that's been overturned for the winter, mingling with the dirt. But the wine puts this undertone of life beneath it, it's a very intriguing scent. I wish the wine came out a little stronger on me, I shall have to try it again.

Translucent is indeed an excellent adjective for The Lady of Shallot. The scent seems to ebb and flow on me like a tide. At first the floral notes were very sharp, and then the aquatic notes took over. Very languid and and soft but with depth to it. Almost turned a bit soapy, but a good afternoon-in-a-spa kind of soapy. Now it has a sort of goldeness to it, an almost buttery quality. It reminds me of floating candles, the way they glimmer on the water.

When first applied Blood Kiss had a sort of musky clove scent on me, not bad, but interesting. With a sweetness underneath, so it was a bit dry and sweet at the same time. After drying down it smells absolutely incredible, the vanilla and wine come and fill in all the spaces, making it this warm, luscious scent. BPAL wine notes simply sing on me, and this one is gorgeous. It's soft, but with edge. Sugar and spice and everything wicked. Love it, and it will definitely go on the bigger bottle list.

Imp is both succulent and musky. I love these scents that incapsulate opposites, that toy with my senses. It starts out almost candy sweet and then expands and deepens into this rich, gorgeous scent. The peach and patchouli are both distinct but the amber and musk fill in the space between just beautifully. I am being very very picky about my list of bigger bottles lately, but this has definitely made the cut.

Val San Retour is lovely and fresh and green. It has a distinct pine note but it's very bright, and some sort of light sweet fruity note that's actually reminding me of peaches for some reason, even though I'm almost positive it's not peach. It smells like morning dew on a cool Summer morning. Which is particularly impressive since it's rainy and Autumnal today.

I got this as a freebie and wasn't in any hurry to try it since I'm not a rose fan, but today I decided to give it a whirl and I'm quite pleased. Wet the coffee is definitely predominant, but I love coffee so I totally didn't mind. After a bit the coffee tones down and it turns into this glorious deep warm scent. I can't pick out the individual notes, it's a bit floral and a bit creamy and just gorgeous on me. It's one of those scents that slips on like a second skin. Love it. Why does the lab always pick better scents for me than I do myself?

Wet, Lampades is a splendid tart, tangy cranberry. Dry on me it fades to a soft vaguely sweet floral, the cranberry pretty much disappears and the lilies take over. It's pretty but too soft for me.

When I was little I used to have this instant spiced cider mix I drank all the time, and for the first hour or so Decadence smelled exactly like it, cinnamon spicey, liquid & hot. After awhile it gains this almost-powdery undertone that makes it richer and more lush. Gorgeous. It's very autumnal, I like it a lot.

Pele reminds me of Xiuhtecuhtli, but without the underlying darkness. It's light and tropical and refreshing but I'm not getting a lot of depth, at least not on me. I don't normally like florals but this is nice, sultry rather than sweet. My skin also apparently ate it for lunch, I can barely smell it now but it was quite pretty for an hour or so.

It is absolutely no fun that so many of the "smells like sex" oils turn positively rancid on me. I don't want to know what that says about my body chemistry. Le Petit Mort smells lovely in the vial, sort of sweet and smoky, but once it dries on my skin it smells like a mix of baby powder and drain cleaner. Not fair.

Whenever I make chamomile tea with honey I hold my cup under my nose and inhale while I'm waiting for it to cool. It is marvelously calming. If I could fall into that teacup, and be enveloped by the warm sweetness of it it would be just like wearing Red Moon.

Got this as a bonus imp as well. Wet the ginger is all I can smell, crisp and bright, just like fresh ginger root. As it dries it turns creamy and a bit sweet, but the ginger stays sharp somewhere underneath. It's really beautiful, though it has this edge on me that's threatening to turn soapy. I don't think it's quite me, but it is a lovely scent.

If you found an old, dusty jar of mulling spices hidden in a dark forgotten corner of a cabinet, opened it and inhaled it would smell just like Tintagel. On me it is a very dry cinnamon, dry but warm. At first the cinnamon is the only discernable note, but it deepens and softens. I get hints of wine and leather and something woody, but only hints. It's still spicey but in a cozy way, I shall definitely try it as a room scent.

Chaos Theory LXX In the bottle it is a complex citrus, with a distinct grapefruit tone. On me the grapefruit dissolves and dissipates and leaves in its wake a complex scent, warm but light. I can't make out any of the notes, each time I think I've identified one it's gone. A hint of wine, a floral undertone, something spicey dancing around the edges. It reminds me a bit of Kali, or Kali layered over something warmer with an almost powdery tone, but not quite. I like it a lot, though it's going to drive me crazy not knowing what's in it. This was such a brilliant idea.

I didn't like Kali when I first tried it, it just didn't seem to do much for me. But something made me try it again, and then again, and suddenly I find myself contemplating getting a 5ml of it. Tricksy scent. Wet it was too sweet for me, but the sweet is just so complex on drydown that it works. It stays light but still has a prescence, like a swirl of mist or curl of smoke. Subtle, yet with a strength to it. The wine is most prominent on me, which I like. The creaminess of the chocolate mixes with the florals and just confuses my nose so much that I can't stop smelling my wrists. I can't pick out single notes other than the wine, and the wine isn't so much a distinct note as a thought floating within the scent. There's a richness to it, it's languid and tropical and I am really going to have to get that 5ml, aren't I?

I'll third De Sade, & Wanda doesn't smell particularly leathery on me but smells luscious nonetheless.

Wet, Wanda has the scent of a just-poured glass of red wine in a dark room, luscious and slightly sweet. Dry on me, the wine melts into an intoxicating dark musk, heady and strong and sexy. It's making me want to put on a little black dress with stockings and garters and high heels. The original sweetness clings to it only a bit, like a half-forgotten memory. Downright entrancing, this is. Definitely keeping the imp, may have to invest in a larger bottle and some new black stockings with seams.

Oh, how I love Sin. It's deep, dark, and sultry, and it lasts and lasts. It's like the energizer bunny with a whip. The sandalwood and patchouli come out most on me, with the cinnamon and amber sort of blending everything together into warm spicy luciousness. I have a 10ml and I tend to wear it to work, it makes the flourescent lighting more tolerable.

Got this as a bonus in my last order, wasn't thrilled with it when wet, I'm not a big fan of florals and it was a bit too sweet for me. But oh, once it dries this is just gorgeous. The smokiness buries the sweet and leaves at as this light undertone with a tinge of orange. The description "light within darkness" is perfect. Love it, worship it. Definitely getting a bigger bottle.

Ooooh, The Dormouse and Shattered just hopped to the top of my to-order list. They all sound splendid.

This smelled very sweet on me at first, and somewhat fruity but not an immediately identifiable fruit. After drying down it warmed up and the cinnamon-y note became more predominant though the sweetness remained. It was reminding me of something and it took me awhile but I finally placed it, it smells rather like Yankee Candle Spiced Pear, which is one of my favorites. Tarot-wise I can see this (smell this?) as The Lovers, the different scents complement each other and blend together, while remaining distinct. Since The Lovers is ruled by Gemini, the dual nature makes a lot of sense.

This started out very pina colada and then turned into coconut macaroon. I actually said "Eek, I smell like cookies!" out loud on the subway. It's mellowed into the soft, sweet scent of something baking with a tinge of coconut. I'm not sure how often I'll feel the need to smell like cookies, but I do like this a lot.

This reminds me of the box of dried roses I used to keep on my dresser. It has that floral yet dusty and dry smell. Almost like tea leaves. It smelled very sweet and sharp when I first put it on but after drying down it mellows. It's nice and light and is striking me as somewhat Victorian. I'm not sure it's very me but it's pretty and not overly floral.

I wanted to like this, I really did. I love ambers and musks so it sounded perfect. Wet, it smells warm and dusky, somewhat heavy. On me it was pure unadulterated baby powder. Very, very strong and a bit nauseating. It's a shame, I'm sure it's gorgeous on the right person but that person is not me.