storme

In the imp: talcum powder, with a faint hint of musk behind it. On me, wet: very very faint light lemon and musk - I keep wanting to say there's tea in this, too. It's very faint - and the florals are barely a whisper over that lemony musk. On me, dry: it's very faint and subtle, but lovely - light, airy white musk with the faintest wispy florals over the top. Even the powdery isn't baby powder so much as a softening dryness behind the musk. Verdict: Very delicate and girly - perhaps a touch too girly for me, and very very faint. I'll certainly keep the imp, but I don't need to find a bottle just yet.

In the imp: myrrh and juniper and cypress, sort of stingingly bitter green. On me, wet: mm, that sharpness has gone, and the myrrh and florals make this a warm, floral-incense scent. There's something sort of medicinal about this, though. On me, dry: hm, the violets have come forward, and are sitting being all powdered-sugar-ish atop that warm dark and faintly medicinal smell. This is really disconcerting to my nose. And after a while, ugh, it just smells like soured violets over baby powder on me. Verdict: My nose didn't really like this in any phase - and I kept thinking 'a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go bad'. Alas - I think this is the first Funereal Oil I've tried and not liked.

In the imp: lots and lots of ylang ylang, very sweet. On me, wet: Whoops, spilled most of the imp all over my hands. I feel like I am wearing ylang ylang fudge or something. Very sweet, with just a hint of musk. On me, dry: Mrfle, it's dried to to a baby powder-and-sugar smell. There's something really rancid about this towards the edge of the throw - I kept trying to work out if it was something else in the vicinity that I was smelling, but, no, it's a rank, sweaty nastiness on the edge of the powder. Verdict: Gah, no. I am, in fact, going to scrub what remains of this off my wrists now. Yick.

In the imp: Hmm, this smells like caramel Baileys. The SO says 'gingerbread!'. On me, wet: Cough, splutter. Gingerbread would be more accurate, I guess. Actually, it smells like artificial generic cake smell. Plus some almonds. And a healthy dose of dusty dryness. On me, dry: This is like a stale vaguely-coconut-flavoured cake topped with almonds. There's a hint of caramel too, and the dustiness does eventually down, but this is still not very compelling. Verdict: Well, Closet worked okay on me, but this is not worth keeping around - though this was the Monster Bait that sounded most tempting to me. Swap pile time.

In the imp: Ooooh, this smells like a rose-based liqueur of some kind. I'm intrigued. On me, wet: hmm, this really does have a sour alcoholic tang to me. possibly I don't want my skin to smell like drunken flowers. It's a bit cloying. On me, dry: Ah, there's some resin, sticky and spicy and the roses. The whole scent has faded really swiftly on me, though. Verdict: No, this ends up a sticky fug of sweet resin to me - and rose is a note that usually amps up clear and pure on my skin. Alas.

In the imp: Lots of patchouli and resin and earthiness. On me, wet: wood and vetiver and patchouli and incense. Very dark and stern, somehow. And I think there's civet in here. On me, dry: vetiver tends to dominate scents on me, but here the patchouli fights for dominance. I smell like discarded half-burnt incense sticks, and then eventually like incense stick dust. Verdict: Off to the swap pile it goes.

In the imp: wow, this is nice. Soft yet dark. Spicy, sexy warm woods with saffron and musk. On me, wet: Still soft, spicy woods. Very warm and dark. The oil is a crazy colour - dark green! - but mmm, it smells like a darker, naughtier, less-sweet Morocco. On me, dry: Mmmm, it just keeps staying warm, and dark, and rich and sexy and sultry and woody and spicy and musky and *slightly* foody and... man, this is such a great scent. Verdict: Yum. I think this just replaced Morocco on my list of future Big Bottle purchases.

In the imp: mmm, cake mix and vanilla. On me, wet: whoa, the rum leapt out. This is now a greasy alcoholic vanilla cake - full of calories, probably delicious, but very very bad for for you. On me, dry: rum, sugar, butter, sugar, vanilla and a bit more sugar. This has gone over-sweet on me. Sniffing this also makes my throat go dry - there's a powderiness under the sugary cakey glop. Verdict: This is no doubt gorgeous on someone who is not me, but there's too much sugar in this for my skin.

In the imp: mmm, soft, damp rich red rose. On me, wet: this is still a very pure, very deep and sweet ripe red rose note. If there's anything else in this at all, it's maybe a little bit of green rose stem sap. On me, dry: yup, still that ripe, mature rose scent - this is a rose *just* at that moment of full maturity before it starts to wither and rot. Verdict: This is a very pure rose - maybe too pure to wear as is, for me. In fact, I bet this would be excellent for layering experiments. Hmm....

In the imp: Gingerbread! I think this may be my default reaction to buttery scents, especially when combined with alcohol. The SO said 'caramel' when sniffing the imp. On me, wet: gingerish buttery cake and caramel - oooh, and the alcohol is peeking through, all bourbony and rich under the sugary creamy cakeiness. On me, dry: still a gingery cakey caramelly mix with a dash of alcohol. It's reminding me of Jack and Antique Lace, mixed together. I don't get much berry at all. Verdict: Well, this is nice. I was pretty wary of the monster baits when I read the descriptions - they sounded great, but like they might turn into sugary glop on me. It's nice to be proved wrong! I don't need a bottle, but I'll certainly keep the imp of this around.

In the imp: man, that's a woodsy scent - it's reminding me very strongly of <b>Wolfsbane</b>, but a much darker version of it. On me, wet: Yeah, this is the cool shady forest of <b>Wolfsbane</b> gone dark and malevolent, full of dead leaves and rotting flowers. Urgh. On me, dry: Well, it's consistent. As it dries, it gets a little lighter and softer, but it's still mostly that woodsy vetiver smell and not much else. The patchouli never really did much, and my skin usually plays up the funky-hippy-shop side of patchouli. Verdict: I don't need another cool-forest-vetiver scent, especially when it's this brooding and dark. Swap time!

In the imp: wow, this is a powerful, sweet-yet-fresh floral - lots of peony and lots of gorgeous plum blossom! On me, wet: fresh sweet floral. Delicate without being insipid, and feminine without being too girly - there's a dampness that reminds me of London, but with a different floral. On me, dry: Yup, still a glorious, sweet floral, but the woods have warmed it up so it's less juicy and more grounded. Very nice indeed. Verdict: Wow, this is utterly lovely. I think I may have to spring for a bottle from someone.

Preliminary testing for scent, since I don't want to use oils that I dislike the scent of in rituals: In the imp: hmm, creamy and sort of spicy - I think I smell poppy, maybe? On me, wet: wow, that's smoky and creamy and gentle. Very soft, but with quite a throw to it. Gorgeous. On me, dry: hmm, this might have frankincense in. The smokiness is combining with that soapiness and it's gone a bit acrid - reminiscent of Djinn, all smoke and spice and bitter herbs. Verdict: Mrmmm. This is probably wonderful-smelling on people who don't get weird reactions to frankincense. I've been testing Panaceas today, so my mind is pretty unstressed and uncluttered already. If I can keep this smelling like it did when wet, though, I can see it being *very* good at relieving stress and anxiety. Even when dry, it's not unpleasant. It's not reminding of white light, though...

Peace, serenity, tranquility, silence. In the imp: lime and lavender. sharp and a bit startling. On me, wet: yup, consistently lime-and-lavender-scented. Very soothing - if just a *tad* soapy. The lime cuts through that, mind you. On me, dry: hmm, it's a very *clean* scent. Pretty soothing - the lime is keeping it from becoming a sleepy scent on me, but the lavender is very calming. Verdict: Well, it's pretty soothing and tranquil. I think I'll keep the imp around, even if I'm more likely to use Safari as a relaxing scent.

In the imp: *lots* of lavender, sweet and fresh and clean. On me, wet: still lavender, and a bit of .. geranium, maybe? a faint floral that ads a sweetness to the lavender. On me, dry: man, and I thought Quietude was relaxing. Knots in my back I didn't know I had are untensing. Wonderful pure lavender softness. Verdict: Oh, definitely a keeper. I shall try wearing it next week for the long train journeys I'll be making, and if it's as relaxing then as it is now, I may need much more.

In the imp: man, that lavender is pretty prominent (and a little offputting with the chamomile too, sort of soapy. hmm). On me, wet: this is so much greener than I was expecting it to be. A lot of bamboo smell and something sort of ozoney - much more of an alert smell than a sleepy one. On me, dry: still a sort of soapy herbal fresh lavender scent. This doesn't make me feel sleepy at all, although possibly I should try it in the evening rather than the afternoon for that. As it is, this scent makes me feel like I've just gotten out of the shower in the morning after using some soap I won't be buying again. Verdict: Ah well, not one I'll be keeping I think. Alas.

In the imp: light, green aquatic, with lilies and herbs. On me, wet: citrusy aquatic, very light and bright and cleansing. On me, dry: crystalline aquatics - that citrusy grapefruity aquatic ozoney scent that reminds me of Sea of Glass, but with some florals beneath making it just a *little* bit soapy. Verdict: this is more or less the same as Sea of Glass on me, as the lilies have vanished. Nice enough, but I already own Sea of Glass in a 5ml. Off to the swap pile it goes...

In the imp: whoa, patchouli and resin. On me, wet: very deep warm patchouli and some sort of resin - reminding me of Lust a lot. Dark and strong. On me, dry: ah, it must be frankincense rather than myrrh, since it's gone powdery. Bah, all the dark complexity gone to powder - a vaguely patchouli-scented powder. Verdict: Blech, not so great. Off to the swap pile, I guess.

In the imp: Plumeria and pear, yup - this is a lot like Thalia, which had those two, but I can smell the rose and magnolia added in. On me, wet: mmmmmmm pear. It's not a really clear pear note, what with all the florals softening it, but it's still mostly pear. On me, dry: Soft, sweet pears, with some light florals - mostly magnolia, I guess - in the background. It's not too sweet, and it's fairly light. Verdict: I think I need to compare this and Thalia side by side (well, wrist by wrist) - but I suspect this is different enough (less crisp and fresh, more girly softness) that I may end up keeping it too. Very nice indeed, especially as a springtime scent.

In the imp: ROSE! This is like a bunch of other BPAL rose scents combined together. There's a hint of powder and a hint of bitter herbs and.. maybe some violets? This is how I expected Two, Five and Seven to smell. On me, wet: Mrm, those roses faded a lot when it hit my skin. It's gone very green and herby - rose stem sap? There's a hint of tea, but almost no rose scent - maybe I overdosed on rose smell in the imp and my nose has shut down reception of that scent. On me, dry: Man, this morphs a lot on me - from roses-mixed-with-tea-and-lemon to something slightly powdery with a sandalwood base and a hint of incense. It's pleasant in all phases, mind you. Verdict: I keep wanting to compare this to London, but it's sun-warmed roses in a room full of old woods, not damp juicy roses and wet air. I like this a *lot*. I'm not going to be buying a big bottle quite yet, mind you - I don't tend to want both rose and sandalwood at once. If I get through the imp quickly, I'll reconsider. *sniffs wrists again* It might not take me long to get through the imp...

In the imp: almonds, honey and CHERRIES. Some florals, too - if there's jasmine, I will be very sad.. On me, wet: whoa marzipan and cherries. There's something sharp and citric behind it, though - but that's a lot of cherry-almond to get past. On me, dry: It's so very light that I can't really identify any notes beyond 'powdery florals'. Maybe a jasminey scent (if it is jasmine, whoa, it didn't take over with baby powder-ness?). Verdict: It's not unpleasant, but I don't think it's a keeper. I can barely smell it. Swap pile.

In the imp: Sweet creamy fruity magnolia. In no way as sharp as I'd expect from mandarin. On me, wet: *cough splutter* SPICY MUSK. This is a dark, deep red, peppery scent suddenly, and the smell in the imp is totally not like the smell on my wrist. On me, dry: Hunh, there's a sunblock-ish coconut scent to it over the top, soothing down those hot spices and making this much creamier and softer, but still spicy in a delicious way. There's a fair amount of magnolia, not much mandarin, and I have no idea what Oleander smells like. Later: man, the longer this is on the more everything else fades except that coconutty sunblock smell. After one beach holiday when I was a student, I hung up my sarongs as a curtain, and every time a breeze blew into my room there was a waft of sunblock and bleached linens and warm beaches. This was that smell. Verdict: This was lovely in the imp, utterly bonkers on me when wet, and then it became.. sunblock. It's not an unpleasant scent in any way, but really I should just apply some sunblock if I want this scent. It'd be better for my skin. Swap pile time.

In the imp: herby cloying musk. On me, wet: light musk, with a sharp resin beneath it. This is odd, and not really what I was expecting at all - it's both lighter and sharper than the described scents sound, and I swear I can smell *anise* underneath it. On me, dry: The frankincense is making this a bit soapy on me. This is still lighter and fresher than I was expecting, though - very green and citric. I don't smell anything I recognise specifically as sage or basil in this at all, but there's a generically herby tinge in the mix. On the SO: Insipid pale musk when applied, fading really fast and never really changing. Verdict: Not one for me, I think, and not great on the SO either. It's not really grabbing me as particularly masculine, I also note - it seems pretty androgynous to me.

In the imp: Glorious tea, with some sharp citrusy herbiness behind it. On me, wet: Stil tea and sharp citrus (I assume that's the ginger) - this is really lovely and light, but it's maybe a touch too light, and it's fading fast. On me, dry: This is incredibly faint. I can get the faintest trace of sharp citrus over tea if I wave it, but none of that fig or ginger mentioned in the description. Later: hmm, now I'm getting faint traces of sweetness. Man, if this was just a bit kickier and less faint I'd probably love it. Verdict: This is like a weaker Embalming Fluid at the start, and then it sweetens a bit into something sweeter and less green (Budding Moon, *that*'s what it reminds me of!), but still really faint. Ah well. I guess I'll try to trade it to someone in the hopes it'll work better on them.

In the imp: sandalwood and sharp florals. On me, wet: sharp, dry, bitter green herby florals. On me, dry: Oh, good, this is becoming less bitter, but it's getting to be pretty dusty somehow. Yup, definitely getting sweeter and warmer. Now I can smell dim sandalwood and sweet, warm florals over the top. The longer this stays on me, the nicer it gets. Verdict: Man, this is nice - warm and soft. It does *verge* on becoming powdery, but never quite succumbs. A surprise hit!