reynardine

In decant: MUSK!!! Wet: Sharp amber and MUSK!! Almost plastic and nasty. Drydown: Okay, that’s better. The scent is softening. Getting the florals orange blossom and ylang ylang. Not picking up coconut milk at all. Later: At the beginning, I didn’t think I was going to like this one, but it settles into an absolutely gorgeous scent. Bottle for sure.

In decant: creamy strawberry? Wet: Yes, getting a LOT of strawberry here, very strong. A little pepper. Drydown: Getting the creamy white chocolate now. The strawberry dominates. It’s a sugary smell, more like candy than fresh-picked. Later: this settled down into something absolutely huffable. Will do a second test, but I think I’ll be getting a bottle of this one.

An amorphous mix of oppressive, piceous ritual incense, macerated kelp, sea salt, sticky dark ocean plants, and… mixed chocolates. In decant: a whiff of light chocolate Wet: Chocolate and incense Drydown: The chocolate is very light. Getting some incense and salt. Later: Morphed. Now getting mainly salty aquatic with a hint of chocolate. I need to test this again before deciding whether to get a bottle. It faded very fast. EDIT: Added description since top of page.

In bottle: clean, spicy scent Wet: Getting a lot of the pumpkin spice, with a touch of grape and pear. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, but the cool notes balance out the warm ones really well. Drydown: The sweet and spicy work very well together. Second that this is NOT a slather scent—quite a nice throw! Great for late summer/early autumn, I think.

In decant: spicy and creamy? Wet: Got that pumpkin spice thing going right away, plus a hint of chocolate and caramel. Drydown: Oh, wow, this has me grazing my arm. Nom, nom, nom! The pumpkin spice really blends well with the caramel and the white chocolate and cream give it a lovely smoothness! Later: Medium time (a few hours), good throw. I foresee this becoming an autumn favorite. Fortunately, I managed to score a bottle of this.

In decant: slight musk Wet: Starts off a bit like rubber? That fades quickly though, and I’m getting milk. The musk comes in, sweetening it all. Drydown: Going into a light, near-to-the-skin musk. Bit of a dirt note. Later: Very light musk with milky undertone. Not me at all, I’m afraid.

The notes listed are a very straightforward description, but this scent is just what it says it will be. Green tea with lemon and honeysuckle. It’s a light and refreshing scent, really vibrant, which would work perfectly on hot summer days when you want coolness around you. Doesn’t morph a whole lot. Glad I got a bottle!

Ugh. The notes all sound like they’d work on me, but for some reason, this ends up smelling like creamy dirt. Nasty.

This starts off as a musk with lily and a touch of ambergris. Very pretty. Not getting the sandalwood at the beginning (a good thing, since I’m allergic). Later on, this scent morphs, and you get amber, vanilla and yes, that pesky sandalwood. As soon as that came out to play, my eyes started watering and I had to wash this off.

In imp: light floral Wet: Jasmine and Ylang ylang dominate with a mess of florals playing in the background Drydown: Very pleasant floral scent, heavy on the jasmine. I like this well enough, but it doesn’t stand out. There are other light floral blends that I like better.

Someone was kind enough to send me a small sample. It really does smell like turned up earth in a garden. Clean and fresh scent, but not something I’d really wear. Reminds me a lot of Pumpkin III 2009—in that same botanical scent family.

In decant, an almost overwhelming sweetness. Wet, there is a wall of musk, very perfumey. It actually smells nicer than I thought it would. I was thinking this would be downright repulsive. Instead, it dries down to something light and pleasant. Others have mentioned a hint of green here and I agree. I’m not a huge musk fan, so probably won’t get a bottle of this, but I will use up this decant.

2010 Vintage decant. Getting the vanilla cotton at first, with a touch of tobacco. The musk and smoke comes in later. Not sure if I like this or not. It smells “dirty” to my nose—as in housecleaning, not sex. That’s probably the tobacco. As it dries, the “dirty” smell grows stronger and stronger, overwhelming everything else. It smells like cigarettes. Ew. Trade pile.

In bottle: a touch of wild rose and gardenia Wet: Spicy scent, reminds me a lot of Pumpkin V 2007, probably because of the similar notes of ginger and blood orange. Drydown: Stays a light, spicy citrus with a touch of wild rose. Not getting any vanilla at all. Later: Light scent, stays close to the skin. This is like the summer version of the Pumpkin Patch scents. Not woodsy, but it kinda reminds me of going to play outdoors in the neighborhood I grew up in, with some garden scents from other people’s yards coming through. I love this and might need to get a backup bottle of this before it goes away.

Someone was kind enough to send me a sample of this, since I was interested in the notes. It’s very spicy—too spicy for my tastes, but those of you who love the Snake Oil variations should love it. My husband absolutely adored it, but it is so not me. I got pure spice and musk out of this one—very little floral.

This scent is very straightforward. Milk Chocolate with buttercream, and Oh! Does it smell divine! I wish I had gotten a bottle of this when it was available. The Lab’s chocolate note can be powdery at times, but this one wasn’t like that at all. Glad I got to try a decant.

Sister to Pele, Patroness of Hula Dancers, she is a Lady of Hawa'ii, and is caretaker, mother, and beloved of the land itself. The heart of the forest beats along with Her dance, and the air is suffused with Her scent: mai'a, hibiscus, white ginger, akala, na'u, Hawaiian moon flower, yellow ilima, pink lokelani, jewel orchid, and fringed orchid. In imp: fresh ginger Wet: Oh, I love me some tropical florals! This is gorgeous. Mainly getting hibiscus and orchid. Drydown: some fruitiness, but mainly tropical floral and LOTS OF IT. I love this one and it is going on my bottle list!!! EDIT: added description since this is top of page.

In decant: very sharp citrus Wet: I’m getting citrus and I think, cedar? Sandalwood? There a wood in here, and I’m reacting to it. Allergic, had to wash off.

In imp: Almost a cake scent? Wet: Weird! Cake scattered on the grass. Drydown: Okay, this is a strange scent. I’m getting foodie and I’m getting floral at the same time. It’s like a refreshing food scent? Later: Moderate throw, but I just can’t deal with the dichotomy of foodie/floral. It’s nice, but just not me. Trade pile.

In imp: Very citrus Wet: lemony scent (probably the citron). Hint of musk. Drydown: Now I’m getting the musk and lilac, too. This is a very light scent, though. Later: Turns into lemon Pledge on me. Just not going to work. Might do better on a man.

In imp: hint of vanilla Wet: Vanilla and the sharpness of amber. Maybe a touch of sandalwood—hoping that won’t set off the allergies! Drydown: Vanilla and sandalwood—and dang it, the sandalwood is making my eyes water…! Allergic. It’s a pretty scent, but I can’t wear it. Off to swaps.

In imp: light tea Wet: very light, tea with peony Drydown: My skin completely ate this. No trace of it at all after 15 minutes. It’s too bad, as I tend to enjoy tea scents. Trade pile.

In bottle: wow, gorgeous floral scent Wet: More subdued. The wheat seems to keep the roses from dominating everything. Drydown: the honey and nectarine are coming out now. This is really a complex blend here! Lovely floral, subtle and discreet. Beautiful.

In bottle: bright and fruity Wet: getting the apple, very fresh, and the banana, with a bit of pomegranate. Drydown: Really getting a lot of banana in this one! The coconut and sugar cane is starting to come out, too, while the apple is fading a bit into the background. Later: Medium throw, lasts a couple of hours. If you like fruity scents, then this one is perfect. Also, I know what I’m wearing this year for Mardi Gras!

In bottle: Mess o’Florals Wet: HELLO JASMINE!! Yes, I can see that you are the shining star diva queen. Can you move out of the way a bit so that I can see who else is in the room? Drydown: Starting to pick out a few others now, like honeysuckle and carnation. Maybe a touch of apricot? Later: The florals have evened out more into the Mess o’Florals that I got when I took a whiff from the bottle. The honey seems to move around a bit in the background, but don’t fool yourself: this is a VERY FLORAL SCENT. I don’t have that much of a problem with Jasmine, but if you loathe it, then it is probably best to pass on this one, since it insists on stepping out in front of the others.