damuddymeg

Oh Beth, you're a goddess. I finally have my 2 favorite notes in the same bottle, to the near exclusion of all others! Vanilla and currants? Heaven. Thank you!!! This starts out rich and almost buttery--I get the same "cake" note I get from Monster Bait: Closet. Sweet and creamy. Then, as the butteriness starts to dry down and calm down, currants. Omg, currants. Tart and lightly sweet and very vaguely floral. Eventually, the cake subsides altogether and I'm left with creamy vanilla and currants. This is among the most comforting, delightful scents I've encountered. In the end? It stops being foody at all. It's still got the currant and vanilla notes, but they are not edible, merely beautiful. Gorgeous.

I love this. I absolutely, positively LOVE it. Initially, it's all about the sweet pea. It's a bit sweet. Then, after about 10 minutes, it becomes more complex. My skin loves amber and vanilla, so it becomes a beautiful blend of these notes, and the subtle burr of the white sandalwood underneath. This is a close skin smell, not much throw even at the beginning. But the life of this is reasonably good--about 5 hours before I have to work to smell it. But this is so amazing, I think this is going on the big bottle list--not just 5ml, but 10. It will be my second 10ml (the first being Dorian). *bliss*

I'm glad I'm not the only one who got fruit cereal from this. My first thought was "Froot Loops!! OMG!" This starts out brilliantly fruity, an eye-opening splash of kumquat. Like Hypatia, I never really get pepper, per se. Rather, I get an almost buttery note from this blend. After a few hours, the buttery note is gone and the kumquat has settled down considerably. What's left is a lightly citrusy white tea, with a faint floral note from the orange blossom. It morphs considerably, but for me at least, it doesn't have a bad phase from beginning to end.

Not something I would have ordered--I got it as a frimp. It is VERY potent and aggressive. I get no citrus in this, and the eucalyptus wears off quickly. I'm left with pine, pine, and more pine. This is extremely green and fragrant--reminds me of the Winter Solstice. I think I'll save it as a room scent for that time of year.

Wow. This one morphs like crazy on me! in the imp: aquatic, slightly fruity floral. Wet: I get a quick punch of mint, but it's up and gone in seconds. Sadly, mint rarely lasts on me. Then the iris swells back up under the aquatic notes. Dry: Lime is up and gone before this is fully dry, following in the wake of the mint. Green apple never makes a center-stage appearance, but lurks at the edges, hitting me unexpectedly with the occasional tart burst. Oddly, I'm learning that ambrette works differently on me than I'd thought. On me, it's more like white musk than anything. In this blend, it anchors the light aquatic notes, the clarity of the vodka, and the gentle iris note. It goes through a brief but distinct soapy phase, but ultimately it comes back around to a clear, clean but not soapy, light floral. Lovely and light for the warm weather!

I had forgotten the notes for this when I put it on this morning, but I am utterly delighted with it! Fruity and green, with a spicy, earthiness from the fig and patchouli. For me, patchouli is hit and miss, but this is a total hit! Warm and sweet and delightful! Sadly, it only lasts about 3 hours on me--but it is worth the reapplication!

First thought: If Smut and Snake Oil ever got it on, Snake Charmer would be the resulting love-child. My skin, being wonky like it is, amps the amber, vanilla and musk, meaning that while this lasts for a good 8-10 hours, the plum and coconut and (eventually) spice all fade out fairly early on. But that's ok. This is spicier than Smut and more musky than Snake Oil--I love them both, but this is perfection. Sexy as hell. So glad I snapped up 2 bottles during the CN resurrection!

I find this scent fascinating on several levels. First, that so many people get fruit or candy notes out of this (I definitely don't). Second, that the lab manages to prove me wrong once again--I keep insisting that florals aren't my thing, and they keep making florals that are AMAZING on my skin. In the imp: lightly sweet floral, both aquatic and incensy at the same time. Wet: The amber, as always, blooms on my skin. It turns the floral creamy and spicy. Dry: The creamy, spicy floral is here to stay, deepened with smoky myrrh and spiced further with sandalwood. This is not, however, a strictly spicy OR incensy fragrance. It retains the vague aquatic note I associate with lotus, but it blends in perfect harmony with the amber, which is, as always on me, the last note to hold on. There's an above average throw (I get whiffs from my wrists when they're at the keyboard), and the wear on this is amazing--a good 6 to 8 hours after a modest application. This is a new love!

in the imp: heady, herbal-y roses. Wet: dirt. Not the rich, damp, loamy soil of Zombi. Rather, this is dusty dirt road at dusk. Over the top of this, the roses and herbs are sweet and thickly green. Dry: This goes through about 15 minutes where it gives me a headache. The throw is powerful! Thankfully, this stage passes, the floral notes settle down a bit, and the throw dies back from overwhelming to above-average. The dust settles as well in the first hour, leaving me with a fragrance that, if I had to liken it to anything, would be a love-child of the Peacock Queen and the Apothecary. I will certainly be hanging on to my imp!

in the imp: sweet, not quite lemony. Like clean linen with a sweet clear floral--guessing this is the clover. wet: White musk begins to bloom as soon as it hits my skin--musks, as a general rule, are amped like crazy on my skin. This is no exception. This is light and clean and sexy, all at the same time. dry: eventually, this becomes all clover-y, cotton-y white musk. It's light but loses a lot of the initial sweetness fairly quickly. It doesn't have major throw, but has quite a long life on my skin--I still get whiffs of it even 8 hours later. This is becoming one of my favorite 'skin scent' oils. SO glad I snatched a bottle up!

in the imp: This is light and sweet, but not overpowering. It smells of clean linen and vanilla. Wet: This goes through an unfortunate stage of smelling like cheap shampoo. Thankfully, this does not stick around long. Dry: Once it's dry, this a light scent with a fair amount of throw--a feat in and of itself. It stays a lightly sweet blend of clean, crisp linen and white vanilla. Really quite lovely and feminine without being cloying or sugary.

in the bottle: pure plummy goodness. Sweet and juicy. wet: The spiciness of the carnation begins to hop up and down. There are a few moments in here of Christmas candles and potpourri, but they fade fairly quickly. dry: Spiced plum, a faint hint of floral, and a wisp of musk. I'd hoped this would be light enough to wear all summer, but alas, I don't think so. Still, come autumn, this will be getting a LOT of use!

... Black Annis' perfume is a mixture of damp cave lichen and oak leaf with a hint of vetiver, civet and anise. I think I've finally decided that the lab's anise scent pretty much hates me. That plus civet? Oh hells no. in the imp: Musty, dark and licoricey. wet: this goes immediately gag-inducingly smokey, dirty, sour, and just plain vile. dry: this never changes. It stays sour and dirty, like stagnant mud. I had to wash it off after about 5 minutes. It was just that bad. *sigh*

in the imp: grapefruit, and oddly, something that reminds me of my mother's vegetable garden in mid-summer. It's crisp and warmly green, like sun-warmed tomato vines. wet: the green immediately becomes a backdrop as fragrant cherry blossoms bloom softly. The citrus stays true, glimmering palely. dry: This scent winds up so incredibly unusual and complex. The green notes stay warm and almost dark. The tea wells up occasionally to give the blend an almost smoky note at times. The citrus is the first note to start to fade, leaving the cherry blossoms to remain the single sweet note in an otherwise airy green scent. Fascinating and refreshing!

I also thought I had reviewed this previously, but I'm guessing it might have gone the way of the Dodo in the crash earlier this year. In any case... In the bottle: Sweet, creamy caramel and warm toasted coconut. Reminds me distinctly of Elegba. Wet: The light smokiness of tobacco starts to anchor this scent in place right away, keeping it from being too runaway-sweet. Dry: During the initial drydown, this is nothing but smoky-sweet. After about an hour, it goes through a distinct cologne-like stage, where it smells a bit more commercial and less like the sweet, lickable, exotic scent I know it to be. I'm guessing this is the opium or delphinium? That stage starts to fade quickly, and the amber is finally amped by my skin, as it always does. This stays warm and slightly spicy throughout the rest of the wearing, which is usually a minimum of 8-10 hours. The coconut is the first to give up after the florals, leaving me with spiced black currant caramel, which is utterly heavenly, and my favorite stage of the scent. These three stay almost untouched from this point forward, until, at last, I'm left with nothing but warm amber traces on my skin. This is one of the few scents I actually own 2 bottles of, and I don't think this will wind up being enough. Elegba layered over Lion is fairly close, though, when it comes to that.

I can see where people would get Holiday Moon from this. I get it a little bit, toward the end of the dry-down. But, where Holiday Moon smelled like dish soap on me, Dragon Moon thankfully smells better. In the bottle: Tea and bamboo, green and wet. Wet: Lush, fruity-floral cherry blossoms well up in the green tea and bamboo notes. Vaguely aquatic, despite a hint of sandalwood. Dry: I don't get a lot of dragon's blood, which on me typically turns into warm, almost-spicy fruit. There are a couple hints of it early on, but this ultimately remains a very light, clean, green and wet fragrance. The cherry blossom begins to fade after a few hours, leaving only tea and bamboo in its wake. Lovely and light for summer--I'm looking forward to wearing this a lot!

This is one DC scent I've had to hoarde. I'm desperately hoping it will be resurrected, because it is utterly amazing. I never thought of myself as a rose kind of girl, until this blend. I've tried several others now with some success, but this is the one I gravitate toward over and over. I could have sworn I'd reviewed this one previously, but I looked back through and didn't see one. Hmmm--perhaps I've lost my mind. In any case: In the imp: Barely sweet, almost lemony rose, with a fluid undercurrent of something sweeter underneath Wet: Rose. Specifically, it reminds me of the pale peach and yellow roses my father has grown since I was a baby. This is a fresh spring bud, whose smell leaves a wet-tart taste in your mouth. Dry: This is heartbreakingly beautiful. For me, the ylang-ylang never does more than accentuate the delicate rose with a barely detectable sweet fruity-floral note. It's like rolling in rose petals, smooth and cool close to the skin. I know someday I'm going to run out, and I will be heartbroken.

in the imp: Cool and very slightly sweet. Aquatic. The floral note is barely there. wet: Light and fresh. A hint of frankincense, adding depth. This is almost cucumber-y or melon-y. dry: The frankincense hangs around for awhile, then slowly slinks off. The musk is always what my skin hangs onto the longest, and this is no exception. It stays even after the pale and fluid floral begins to fade. Sadly, this doesn't last longer than 3-4 hours on me without reapplication, but it's so lovely, it's certainly worth it!

This is so not my normal kind of scent. While I love musk, especially white musk, poppy and patchouli are not scents that I typically gravitate toward. Still, it was a frimp, gotta give it a go, right? in the imp: A little musk and a little floral. There's definitely patchouli, but I'm not getting the dirty, earthiness of black patchouli. This is distinctly subtle. Wet: Lots of people have called this a "cool" scent, but I don't get any chill on this one. It's warm, without heavy throw even when wet. The musks are out in full-force. The poppy must be hiding. Dry: The patchouli settles into a warm skin-smell upon drydown, unobtrusive and mild. The musk settles over this like a veil, smooth, soft, and approachable. The occasional breath of poppy sweetens the blend slightly from time to time. It fades gradually--after about 7 hours, I have to concentrate to smell the last faint hints. However, both my husband and a coworker commented on how good I smelled today. AND, my hopeless husband (to whom things either smell good or not-so-good) picked out the musk in this blend! Who knew!?

in the imp: Chocolate, smooth and mild, over citrus. Wet: And there are the tea and currant, crisp and sweet by turns, under the chocolate and citrus. Dry: I never get floral in this most recent version of 13. It is a creamy skin-scent, not much throw at all. The chocolate dries down to a barely sweet backdrop for the currant and tea. The mandarin fades into oblivion after just a few hours. Lovely and mildly sweet. I love it.

In the imp: This is warm chocolate fudge. Sweet, creamy and rich. Wet: There is more than just chocolate. Call me crazy, but I think I may be picking up a hint of sandalwood? Dry: Bliss is chocolate, but strangely, it loses its purely foody note early on. This is decadent, and definitely chocolatey, but it is no longer gooey and sticky. It has a sophisticated edge, and I definitely pick up a little sandalwood. It has remarkable staying power, too!

In the imp: sweet and tart, citrus and berries. Wet: I thought I'd get booze and earthy pomengranate, from the mention of martinis. But it's still sweet berries and tart citrus to me. Reminds me of an energy citrus soap I used to make. Dry: The crispness becomes a bit more marked, but to me, pomengranates don't smell like this. This is definitely more sweet and citrusy than earthy or crisp. Still quite lovely, though.

Mmmmmm. In the imp: Oh, so sweet. Smells like strawberry Jolly Ranchers and grape Kool-Aid. Wet: Finally getting more than just "sweet". Smells like strawberry cotton candy. Mmmm. Dry: A tiny glimpse of pear behind honeyed berries and vanilla sugar. This mellows as it wears, becoming less overwhelmingly sweet as time goes on. This is the vanilla and honey that I wish O was on me. The strawberry settles down, the pear shows up more, and much later, the sweet pea makes itself known in the faintest final wisps. I'm glad I snapped up a bottle when I did!

I have definite ties to the Morrigan, so how the heck did I manage to go so long before testing this out??? Darned if I know, but I am so incredibly delighted that I did! imp: Floral. Wet and green-y. Wet: I'm sure that what my nose is trying to tell me is rose is actually the orchid. It is dark and vibrant and has a pulse all its own. There is a marked green note to the floral, and a sweetness that I'm guessing is the apple blossom and clover. Dry, early on: The height of the orchid dies back to mellow within the rest of the notes fairly early. It becomes a beautiful blend of dark and light, sweet and green, tart and grassy. Dry, after 7 hours: All that's left is the green-y sweetness of the red clover. It is faint and close and heartbreakingly beautiful. If it was offered as a single note, I'd bathe in it! I am in love, and I don't often say that about florals!!

Note: The imp I got was formerly owned, and received as part of a swap. It's aged, though I have no idea how old it really is. It's amber in color, and slightly viscous. in the imp: Spice. It's reminding me a bit of Port Au Prince--I'm swearing I get clove and amber and musk as well as some creamy vanilla in this. Wet: Gingery, spicey yum. This is NOT foody at all, which is ok. Rather, it is sumptuous and sexy and warm and a little dark. Dry: There is a musk here that puts me in mind of Smut. Musk and I have a love affair, and this one is vying for some sweet, musky love. It is still spicey, and lightly creamy with vanilla. I'm still swearing there's some amber in here, or ginger--on my skin, the two are often indistinguishable. Maybe both. I think I need to buy a 5ml, so that I can age it and test it over time...