reynardine

2010 Version: I’d been curious about Midwinter’s Eve since missing the earlier 2007 version, which had the same scent description. I was so pleased that the Lab brought it back. I wouldn’t call this scent melancholy at all. It’s very homey and extremely pretty. Plums must work with me. I’m usually wary of “white flowers” as those tend to be very sharp on my skin, but this scent behaves itself and seems to be stronger on the plum side. I’m going to do a second skin test on this to see if I want a bottle, but I suspect I will.

Sometimes, I just try out a scent because the description reminds me of a time and place. This is one of those scents. One time around Christmas, when I was a child, I got mad at my father and went out to walk in the woods over near our house. Texas is usually fairly warm in winter, but we’d had an ice storm and the trees had a layer of ice on them. And this is exactly how those woods smelt. And while it is interesting, the scent is not something I would wear. Too dry. Still, thanks for the memories.

2010 Version Smells remarkably like Mother Ginger. Probably all the gingerbread thing going on. I got more spices from this one. It’s okay, but not something I’d use. Pass.

Certainly getting the gingerbread from this. Very pastry on my skin. Also nutmeg and cinnamon. Stays on a couple of hours. I like it, but I have enough pastry scents for now.

I was looking forward to trying this decant, but in the end, it ended up being rather disappointing. While the plums and sugar worked well on my skin, the musk really threw everything off and the cacao didn’t help much either.

Starts off strong on the fir. I’m not getting the pine bark much at all. There’s a cold note here that is identical to Tiki Princess, which worked very well on my skin and doesn’t go to powder the way the lab’s snow notes often do. There is a hint of vanilla in there, but mostly I’m getting fir and that icy note. LOVE this.

Warm scent, mainly pastry and cream with a touch of clove and candied fruits. Medium throw, doesn’t seem to morph a whole lot on my skin. Last for about 3 hours. I do like it a lot: it smells very much what I think Christmas smells like!

Yet another entry into BPAL’s Lick It series. I’ve tested a couple of the earlier versions and this one is very similar. Pretty much straight peppermint. Doesn’t last as long as I’d like (less than 2 hours) but it is very refreshing. Have I mentioned that the name always cracks me up?

Starts off just like the description. The fig is light, the holly strong. As it dries, the fig comes out more, to the point of almost being a single-note. Doesn’t work that well on my skin.

Very boozy and smells just like the description. If you like wine scents, you’ll probably like this one. My skin amps booze like whoa, so it just didn’t work for me.

Almost a green scent. I’m getting mainly bayberry and pine cone. Maybe a touch of pumpkin pie. Refreshing, but not extraordinary. It does start off strong, then carries a medium throw as it dries down. On the second testing, I found that I really liked the scent (and so did the Man: I think it is the bayberry). Bottle-worthy, maybe two. Wish there had been an atmos spray of this. Edit 2013: this has aged pretty well after a couple of years--not as strong. It smells like walking outdoors in November: crisp, clean air with spices in the background.

Looks like the Lab’s snow note doesn’t like my skin. Winter-Time smells delicate and lovely in the decant, but once it hits my skin, it goes very sharp and then fades into a light powder. Pass.

Very warm scent. Reminds me a lot of Santos as it is first applied, although they don’t seem to have notes in common. Maybe it is the “warm” scent? The amber throws it off for me a bit: amber seems to be a note that is difficult for me to carry. Starts off medium throw, fades fairly quickly. I like it, but not enough for a bottle.

My first impression is something cold and sharp, but then it sweetens as it dries. It’s the berries. I love berries and berries love me. Unfortunately, this faded on my skin very quickly, like 10 minutes in. Alas. I really liked it.

First impression: whoa, spicy!! Also, it might be something the Man might like, since he tends to favor the more spicier scents that I am rather meh about. The musk starts coming out, and yeah, it is certainly the red stuff. Some musks just turn my stomach, and this is one of them. I mean, real nausea. (Nothing against the scent—it’s just me. I don’t like a lot of men’s perfume for that reason.) Pass.

Starts off with a very bright dandelion scent, almost like rolling on summer grass (grassy smells are not spring-like in Iowa’s climate. Spring is the time of snow mixed with mud.) There is a touch of light florals, mainly the wildflowers. Not getting cherry blossoms at all. If there is myrrh in it, it is hiding itself very well. Maybe it works as a binding agent? I do like this scent very much, but I already have a couple of other “green” scents that are rather similar, so no bottle on this, although I might put it on my want list for swaps. Certainly going to keep the decant!

I picked up decants of all the Phoenix scents because even if they don’t sound promising, I do like to try them. (I should amend that statement to “unless they have an allergic note in them.) I wasn’t sure if Phoenix in Autumn would be something that was my style, but you never know. I used to not like foody scents, either. It starts off with the teak and tonka being way too strong. Some folks may like teak and tonka, but I don’t much care for them. I don’t care either way about patchouli (military family, not a lot of hippies where I grew up, so no associations in that direction). Picking up just a touch of ivy, but the bitterness of the coffee doesn’t let much of it through. What surprises me is how the coffee and patchouli work well together. Anyway, it was an interesting scent to try, but I just don’t care for that wood element in there. Not for me.

It smells so gorgeous in the bottle and I was very excited, but the plastic note of doom got me as it hit my skin. It burned off a bit as time went on, and you get a sort of strawberry pastry scent, but the plastic is always in the background. I'm so sad! But the scent in the bottle is so wonderful that I'm going to keep this around and use it as a locket scent. It's that nice. I just wish so much that it had worked on my skin!

Goes on as bright red pulpy apple. Then the candy kicks in. But the apple stays dominant. Lasts about four hours before fading. I like it, although I prefer last year's Pomona as an apple scent. Still, apple scents are perfect for autumn!!!

Gingery/pear smell from the bottle, but it went to soap on my skin. Really nice smelling soap, but yeah, soap.

Got this one as a frimp. In the imp, I was mainly getting a green scent (ferns). Once on, the lavender came out to play. It dried down to a light, pleasant scent, rather like a stream running through a meadow. As someone else commented, I may try this one as a sleep scent and see how it does.

Not sure which version--someone frimped me a decant of this. It smells like champagne and tuberose. Actually quite pretty, until the sandalwood comes into play. I'm allergic and my eyes started watering. But if sandalwood doesn't bother you, it might be worth a try.

This is an odd one. When I first got it, it smelled off to me and went sour on my skin. But now that it has aged? It's this fruity blend with a touch of milk in the background. I'm mainly getting pomegranate and pineapples. It's still a bit of an odd scent, but I think I'll keep my bottle around a bit longer.

2010 version: Almost aquatic? The sap is foremost on this scent. Masculine.

Almost single-note marigold. Rather nice but not something I’d wear.