mermaidsdream

I'm going to second the "once I learned what works on me" ... like I said, it's been a lot of trial & error for me, and a lot of being OCD with a spreadsheet, and a LOT of spending money on imp lots on eBay & on the forum. A few scents broke my heart (Arkham, for example; violet gives me migraines & I amp it like crazy), a few I fell in love with that I'd have never looked at or thought to try. I also learned (the hard way) that even though a scent might have notes in it that work on me, in combination with other notes, they're just rancid (most of this year's Lupers, for example).

I started keeping a spreadsheet with testing notes, and have been looking at common notes that seem to cause me issue. It's not always easy, because some scents don't list notes at all, and others don't have all notes listed, but it does help. I know that most rose notes tend to go straight to baby powder on me, and that the combination of cinnamon & clove (at least, to the extent they're in Bengal) cause a physical reaction. I have a bad nasal-allergic reaction to some of the Patchouli notes (Implacable Beautiful Tyrant made me ), and the dusty-tome note in Aziraphael makes me sneeze all day long. I'm still trying to figure out which note (or combination) it is that turns to "diaper wipe" on me It really is a lot of trial & error, as everyone's body chemistry is different; and body chemistry & personal preferences are constantly changing. Some scents I loved when I first got them, but now I sniff and go "what was I thinking?" If I wait another week, it'll change again. FWIW, Dorian, Morocco & Mouse's Long and Sad Tale didn't work for me either. O seems to be hit or miss.

I keep seeing 13 listed, but want to make sure I end up getting the one I know worked on me What colours are on the August 2010 label? I'm digging through the thread, but there are quite a few pages to go through, and someone may answer me faster N/M ... found the answer, and only 1 page back Clearly, I was over thinking things

The bottle I ordered from the lab just prior to it coming down has the regular SN label.

It looks like Red Musk is my winner: it works fabulously on me, smells fantastic, but I have to be careful with it, because I tend to amp it like crazy! My nemesis? White musk. It's one of the few common notes in the blends that turn to straight baby powder on me, Lurid being the most recent. It smelled great in the imp, but turned to baby powder almost the instant it was applied. Same thing with Dragon's Musk ... it turns into baby-powdery flowers within minutes, even though it smells divine in the imp.

I wasn't sure what to make of this scent, at first. In the imp, and applied all I get is the mastic - that sharp, licorice smell - but it's soft, golden, light. After a while, it dries down into something soft, warm, and ... relaxing, almost sleep-inducing. Yes, I love this.

Holy Sugary-Flowery-Baby Powder Batman! I'm not sure what I was thinking when I picked up this decent, because WOW (aha - I think it was that the musk, tobacco, amber, sandalwood, and vanilla would work out okay on me, because they're notes that usually DO work out well on me). All I get is sugary baby powder. I will NOT be keeping this one.

I decided to see what the fuss was about. Initial impressions: must.have.a.bottle. There must be Red Musk in this, because I'm getting the same “OMGYES” I get with other red musk scents. *checks the scent notes and nods* Yup, red musk. I was a little afraid of the rosewood turning things powdery, but it never does. It's almost a SN Red Musk scent on me. I apparently amp red musk, but that's okay because I kinda like it. This may go on the "get a bottle" list.

In imp: green, woodsy. Applied: still woodsy, but it's a clean wood, with just a hint of smoke; Drydown: turns creamy sweet, with a lot of patchouli. Overall - I do like this one. Verdict is still out on whether or not I'll get a bottle.

Soft aquatic, then becomes baby powder & perfumy It did dry down into something quite creamy & nice, but stays powdery for far too long for me to keep

Vanilla? Amber? Sandalwood? Sign me up please! And they're notes that should work on me very well! In the imp: vanilla & something sweet I can't put my finger on. Applied: the vanilla goes poof almost immediately, and all I get is sweet. Dry down: in less than 10 minutes, it turns entirely to baby powder. No vanilla, no amber, no sandalwood; nothing but sweet pea. I guess I've found another note I amp like nothing else. Sweet Pea is added to the list with Violet.

I had been putting off testing this one, for fear I'd find another 'Changing the Shadows' -- a scent I'd fall in love with that I'd have a hard time finding. I was right. In the imp: sweet and a little sultry. I'm not sure what notes I'm getting out of this. Applied: sweet with a bit woodsy. After a few minutes I get the orange blossom, but a little perfume-y. I'm a little hesitant ... Then it dries down into OMG yes. Resiny, sultry, gorgeous vanilla amber that I can't stop sniffing. It's my fear: I've fallen for another scent I'm going to have a hard time finding

Musks? Neroli? Vanilla? Sandalwood? Yes, please! This should be a great scent on me, right? In the imp: it's a very light, fresh, clean scent. It's very promising! Applied: Hrm ... I'm getting a scent that's wet, aquatic. It's hovering right between being something that's going to work wonderfully, or shift into the "oh no, baby powder" scent. I don't get any sandalwood or musk. I think I'm amping the florals in this. Drydown: Within 10 minutes, it's pure baby powder. No musk, no sandalwood, no vanilla. I'm not even getting the lemon. If the description didn't say "white florals," I'd suspect violet being in this (since I amp violet like no one's business). I'm having to wash off as much as I can, because it's starting to induce a migraine. Swap/Sale pile for this one

In the imp: musky, with something sweet. Applied: All honeysuckle with more floral. Is that gardenia? Drydown: Is that some rose? And now, all baby powder. Who knew dragons smelled like flowers? I see this more as "The Knight of Flowers" from GoT than the musk of the Dragon. Disappointing, and going into the trade pile.

I just received this as a frimp with my eBay win. OMG, THANK YOU Puddin'! I've never had an imp I had to try immediately, but this was love at first sniff. In the imp, it was all musk and something deeper, something very sexy. Applied: after a few minutes, I start getting the nutmeg, but the musk is still there, warm and sexy. This is another one where I may have to surgically remove my wrist from my nose!

When I first got the bottle, it smelled straight-up of cordial cherries. I let it sit for a couple of days before trying it on. Out of the bottle, I get leather with something else I can't pin point. Applied, I get cold, cool leather, a little masculine for my tastes. Reminds me a bit of Robotic Scarab without the metallic undertones. After about a 1/2 hour: Oh, hi there Patchouli! It's starting to fight with the leather, warming up just a little. I still get a lot of the cold leather, but not much in sweet. I like this, it's very sexy, but I think I'd like it on a man better (unfortunately, I don't know any who'll wear it). This is how I'd imagine Sherlock would smell like (or maybe it's Benedict Cumberbatch I'm thinking this would smell fantastic on). Edited 6/7/13, rather than creating a new post in the same thread: I've actually worn this twice now; once around the time I first got it, and then again, about a month later. I think the thing that strikes me the most about this scent is how "cool" the scent stays throughout it's wear; and by "cool" I mean temperature. I'm not really sure how to explain it exactly, but it's an over-all feeling, an over-all impression.

All the notes in this should work on me, but something about the combination (or maybe it's the age of the imp), but this scent totally fails on me. It starts out floral & perfumy, and goes down hill from there. It reminds me too much of old, cheap perfume, and goes powdery on me way too fast. I feel like I'm constantly on the verge of sneezing. Not a keeper.

I was a little hesitant at first, because most of the autumnal scents/leaf-type scents don't seem to work on me. Initial sniff from the bottle: very light, smoky and woodsy, with a hint of floral and citrus. Nothing really stands out. Applied: again, nothing really stands out; it's so light, I have to press my wrist into my nose to smell anything. Drydown: reminds me a lot of Sunbird, with a hint of something creamy underneath. Unfortunately, it fades fast; after a couple hours, it's almost completely gone, and I was fairly liberal with application

This was a more than generous frimp I received with a recent purchase from Azurephoenix. In the imp: I'm not quite sure what to make of this. I certainly don't get Snake Oil out of it, but I haven't gotten Snake Oil out of a lot of the Snake Pit scents. This is ... light, green, almost citrusy. Applied: Oh no. My first impulse is "ugh .. .just like Dorian - lemony men's cologne!" Dry down: Talk about a morpher! Within about 5 minutes, this has completely changed into something creamy, soft, almost vanilla-y, with a hint of floral. I can see why this one is so popular! It's also a good reminder not to (necessarily) judge an oil by first sniff!

I've signed up for a book swap, and figured I'd put a bunch answers here for whomever ends up as my swappee I'll also try to update this post as new questions get asked. Questions from the questionnaire: Allergies: None Favorite Authors: Neil Gaiman, Sara Douglass, Jacqueline Carey, Melanie Rawn, Kate Mosse, George RR Martin, Stephen King, Kat Richardson Least Favorite Authors: Charlaine Harris, Laruel K Hamilton Favorite Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy Least Favorite Genres: Romance, overly-religious Favorite Snackies: popcorn, chocolate, pretzel chips, milk duds (or any chocolate & caramel combo), red vines Least Favorite Snackies: black licorice, twizzlers, nuts Is There Anything Else Your Partner Should Know? I'm far too picky with my non-fiction to try & tell you what I like & don't like. I'd be willing to do either ebooks (I read via the kindle app on my iphone) or physical books. There are a few books I have physical copies of that I wouldn't mind having in ebook format. Also, I'm good with gently-used books (or even older used books that may be out-of-print). I'm fairly well-read, and tend to not shy away from things; I've read (and own) some Anais Nin, Henry Miller, etc. Links: Amazon Wishlist -- I do use this as a "I need to buy this later" kind of list, so you'll find more than books on it GoodReads Preferences: There are some books I own physical copies of I wouldn't mind having in e-book format, for ease of transportation, otherwise I really don't have a preference between e-book or physical copy. I do prefer Kindle over iBooks, but other than that .... Books I own to ebook: * Books 1-4 of the Song of Ice & Fire series (I own 'A Dance with Dragons' in ebooks) * Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books (all 9 of them) * Melanie Rawn's Sunrunner series (all 6 books)

In the Imp: Sweet, with a bit of spice to it. Not bad, but not my usual fare. Applied, wet: Lemony men's cologne. I'm most assuredly not a man, so this is somewhat problematic. Applied, dry: I'm still getting a lot of "men's cologne" out of this, but now I'm starting to get the sticky, sweet, soapy smell that the "sugared" anything turns to on me. I should have learned my lesson from "Giant Vulva". :\

Imp: woodsy with a bit of spice. Wet, applied: Oh, hi there, Rosewood. How are you? Amped to high heaven, drowning out everything else. Drydown: the rosewood turns powdery. No cinnamon, no patchouli, no frankincense. Just baby powder. Not my thing, and will be added to my trade pile.

I've had my decant for about a week, so it's had plenty of time to settle. Imp: something ... green, with a little tart. Applied & drydown: Oh Lord, floral, floral, and more floral. Most people get opium out of this, I'm getting the rose, and almost NOTHING else. Even after several hours, all I get is rose to the point it's aggravating my allergies. Definitely NOT a keeper for me. I can't wash this off fast enough

Over in the CD thread, people are raving about Death Adder, so I thought I'd pull out the bottle I managed to grab in the "Great Etsy Rush of 2013" to see what the fuss was about. The only note in this that gave me pause was the coconut, since I seem to be overly sensitive to the smell. In the bottle: rolled the bottle in my hands several times to mix, as we're talking some good, aged Snake Oil here. I open the lid and I get ... coconut. Not a promising first impression. Wet, applied: Woodsy coconut. Yeah, not going well. Drying: After about 10 minutes, I'm fighting the "get it off" urge. It's not quite as strong as some other scents that have caused that urge ("Butterscotch & Black Beetles," and "Death Embraces a Young Woman" are the 2 that come to mind). The woodsy coconut smell reminds me of ... suntan lotion. A couple hours later: The coconut is finally disappating enough that I'm getting more woodsy than suntan lotion; I'm pretty sure it's the vetiver. It's not terrible. Overall ... ugh. Too much coconut. I think I want to give this one more try before giving it up, but I'm not hopeful.

Snake Oil with orris, frankincense, and copal. This was a "Great BPAL Etsy Rush of 2013" purchase, and the second of the CD scents I bought that I've had a chance to try. The bottle is aged at least 2 years (likely closer to 3.5). Out of the bottle: it's subtle. I'm not 100% sure what notes I'm getting. I don't get much of the snake oil, but something resinous. Applied: I'm instantly reminded of Sunbird. It's not as dry as Sunbird, and a tad bit sweeter (likely a result of the Snake Oil). It's still incredibly subtle, and I'm afraid it's going to wear off fast; I'm afraid I didn't mix it as well as I should have before applying. Drydown: Ah, there it is. After about 10 minutes, as it warms with my body heat, the Snake Oil comes out to play, but a tad sweeter. The throw is almost pure Snake Oil, but when I do a direct sniff of the wrist, it's dryer, almost dustier (what I associate more with Sunbird). I'm really liking this. I do think I'm going to have to give this another go, rolling the bottle more before applying, but I'm enjoying the subtleness of the scent. I'd definitely consider this a win.