lanablade

Alright... What I want to know is how the heck this one turns to that generic berry thing my skin does with anything resembling a roundish fruit. There are no berries listed, but from the moment I put it on till the moment it fades, it smells exactly like Lady MacBeth, Montressor, and Urd. Why must the curse of the Generic Berry strike? Where have you hidden the sandalwood and tonka? Why did you abscond with the ginger and pepper? Where are you my beloved opium?? *sigh*

In the bottle: Pear in wine sauce. Like a really fancy dessert at a pricey restaurant. Fresh, juicy pear with just enough wine to make it expensive. Wet: Pear still, and wine, but now I've got this great boquet of flowers on my table at said restaurant. Pretty, white, fresh, unobtrusive flowers without a single wilting one. Dry: This wears off pretty quick. The lotus lingers the longest, just a sweet creamy barely there hint with a touch of that wine still. Pretty. Not me, but very very pretty.

My first review since being struck with the plague the day before my order arrived. Fate laughs. In the bottle: Spicy musky something or other. Wet: OMG! The instant I put this on I started squeeing to my fiance that it smelled AMAZING. Spices and woods and patchouli and APPLES! The apples brighten the scent and really make it come alive. Dry: This is fantastic because each sniff smells different. One time it's spicy apples, and another it's rich spices and patchouli. There's something almost creamy in the background. This is SUCH a perfect fall scent. I ALMOST didn't get this, and I am thanking all the stars above that I threw it in last minute because it just shot onto my top ten, easy. ETA: Oh, and yes, it's STRONG. Go easy on it, definately, even if you like to slather.

CHRISTMAS TREES! A very generous lady sent me an imp of this, and even though that's all I'll ever need, I'm glad to have it. It's the perfect Christmas scent.

In the imp: Apple, vodka, mint and lime. Smells like an appletini. Wet: As soon as it hits my skin, a flower pops up. Iris I assume. The mint also comes to the fore, and the vodka and apple drift into the background. I'm thinking the lime is in the middle somewhere, bridging between the front and back. This really does smell like a flowery appletini. Like the boss's daughter at the annual office Christmas party. The floral in this is really very sweet and creamy. The mint gives it a pleasant coolness. Dry: This smells VERY familiar. I swear I've smelled it before. This becomes very sweet and creamy as it dries, but it never loses that bite the lime and vodka give it. The mint I don't so much smell as feel in my nose as an afterthought of cold. I'm going to guess that the ambrette is what's giving the thing as a whole a warm feel. As for the aquatic notes, I'm finally picking them out, but only every other sniff or so. I'm going to have to go through my old perfumes and see which one of them smells like this because it's SO familiar to me. I think this would be a fantastic summer perfume. It's very light and cooling, while at the same time having an amazing depth. ETA: I just shoved my wrist at my sister thinking it might remind me of one of HER perfumes, but her only response was: 'You smell like Grandma.' That girl has no nose.

Ghostly, glowing, sweet and dark: black cherry, patchouli, cassis, cardamom and verbena. In the imp: ...almonds? and a bit of cherry. Wet: ...cinnamon? and cherry. For a bit when I first put it on, it smelled like a cherry cordial without the chocolate. Then the cinnamon took over, and yes, it smells like red hots. It actually reminds me of Serpent's Kiss in that way. The throw is more green... I'm guessing the herby smell I'm getting is cardamom and patchouli. It's not bad, actually. Dry: As it dries, the cherry pops back after a while as a sweet note behind the overwhelming cinnamon, but the cinnamon continues to dominate as the smell fades. On me it lasted an INCREDIBLY short amount of time. As in, I put it on to start writing this review, and within about fifteen minutes, it's nearly gone. I can't say I'm not relieved about that, though. This does indeed remind me of it's name. The throw is very whispy and hard to track, then as the thing comes closer, it gets more dramatic until the ghost stands before you and it's down right terrifying. This imp was part of a Christmas gift from a friend, and I can with great confidence and zero guilt pass it on to someone else.

In the imp: Berry wine. It almost smells like the pomegranite (sp?) martinis we had last night at the Christmas party. Wet: Sharp berries for an instant before it fades into that 'generic berry' scent that my skin makes of anything even remotely berry-like. Dry: That generic berry scent, like Montressor and Urd, only not as heavy as the first and darker than the second. I think I smell a bit of an herbal note to this, which must be the thyme. Berries just aren't for me. They all smell the exact same. *le sigh* In to the pass on pile.

In the imp: Jasmine and violets. Wet: Jasmine and violets are having a mosh pit, and mimosa is lingering around the outside, too shy to actually get his ass kicked in there. Dry: The mosh pit is now a ballroom full of overheated jasmine and a few stray wilting violets. I can smell the mimosa a bit more now, but I think she's waiting for vanilla to come and ask her to dance. The throw is sweeter, and I think I can catch a hint of vanilla lingering on the front walk, but for some reason he's been banned from the party. The vanilla comes in more the longer it dries, so perhaps jasmine is getting tired of dancing and taking a cooling walk on the terrace, allowing vanilla to sneak in and ask mimosa to dance. I had passed on trying this scent, but a friend gave it to me for Christmas. (I know. I open my presents early. Bad me.) It's very much how I would expect. Very feminine and sweet, but at the same time, like a puppet mistress, very controling and mildly overpowering. I like it more than I thought I would, but I'm definately content with just an imp.

Ack. This is one of my favorites, and I've never reviewed it! That said, I have an imp of this that is almost a year old, and a bottle that's about a month old. I'll try to differentiate between the two. In the imp/bottle: The bottle is mostly tobacco and chardonay/rum. Slightly sharp and definately the scent of a bar minus the ick of the actual burning cigarette bit. The imp is stronger, sweeter, and yes, it does smell like coconut a bit. Tobacco and rum are also present. Wet: The imp is sweeter and more subtle, I've noticed. I can pick out the leather more, and the tobacco isn't as overpowering. Which is good and bad because I love tobacco, but this smells so fantastic I can't mourn it's lessening. I can pick out the chardonnay better in the imp, but the rum is more subtle than in the bottle. Dry: The bottle dries to tobacco rum and a hint of sweet creamy vanillay tonka. The imp is softer, sweeter. The rum and chardonnay give it the smell of some very old very fine very EXPENSIVE bottle someone's kept in their spot at a prestigious club for ages, and they only drink it on special occasions, like the day their grandson was born. The tobacco is softer and sweeter, too. Fine cigars, almost. The leather is there, winding it's way, so sweet and wonderful. Like a leather corset from the eighteen hundreds that was worn and cared for so lovingly that it's still supple and lightly scented with the vanilla of the woman who wore it. I love this perfume more every time I wear it. I have a friend who smokes, and when I go to her house wearing this, the smoke from her cigarettes that sticks to my clothes, you know the stuff that smells terrible? It melds with the tobacco in this perfume, and actually ENHANCES it. It makes that 'day after' smell bearable. Definately my favorite. Ever. *snuggle* Thank gods it's GC.

In the imp: Bright. Just very bright and happy. Wet: Cedar and pine and bright berries. It's a very bright, happy, greenish red and yes, very Christmasy scent. There IS green in the background, but it never comes forward. Dry: Cedar and pine and that same fruity note I get from Urd. I think my skin takes all berries/grapes/red and purple fruits and makes them smell dead on the same. Or it could be my nose. This is definately more interesting and nicer than I thought it would be. It's surprisingly soft and the pine doesn't try to kill me. Yay. I'll give this one another try in a few days and see if the berry note is different, but for now this one is pretty, but not me.

I second the Dragon's Blood reference. In the imp and wet, I was certain there was Dragon's Blood in here, which is bad, cause Dragon's Blood is a big no-no for me. It got really strong for a minute and I was starting to become afraid, but it must just be something that smells similar, because within a minute or two, it almost disappears. Dry: There's a fruit smell that I associate with Urd in here, and definately musk and flowers. I think it's the musk/flower/fruit combo that was making me think Dragon's Blood. It still smells too close for comfort, but it's really a very lovely scent for the many people who love the Ars Draconis line. ETA: As it dries more, I can smell the green bits poking through. It's really very lovely, and if it wasn't giving me a headache, I'd probably adore it.

In the imp: Roses. Kinda like the Tea Rose perfume my grandma has a million bottles of. Wet: Neroli and bergamot make the roses a bit sharp. I tend to amp myrrh like crazy, but it really blends with the roses here so it's not Myrrh of Death . Dry: Flowers. Soft roses, I'm guessing Jasmine, and myrrh. It's kinda boring, really. At least for me, but I'm not a florals fan.

In the imp: Lemon, opium smoke and something very perfumey... the tuberose and heliotrope? Wet: Sharp lemon with that opium and coconut in the background. And as it dries a bit, musk, perhaps? Dry: Smoke and a touch of coconut with a whiff of florals and a hint of musk. The florals are much more noticable on the throw than on the skin. Up close, this is a tiny bit astringent. The last of the lemon, perhaps. The throw, however, is very sweet, and reminds me a bit of Red Lantern. The opium, I suppose. This reminds me so much of my favorites, Perversion and Red Lantern. It's got it's own softer sweeter feel, but so many aspects I adore. Thanks so much Juniperus for letting me try this. I'm definately keeping in on my bottle want list.

In the imp: Mint. And maybe a hint of juniper. Wet: Mint. Not cold mint, though. It's got a very warm feel to it. Maybe that's the juniper, too. Dry: I swear I smell coconut under the mint. That must be the lotus. And I can pick out the juniper still. It gets soft and sweet and really very refreshing like a mint Italian cream soda. The lotus is a bit creamy as it starts to step up a bit more. Lovely. I was frimped this, and it's certainly something I would never have tried on my own, but it's really very fascinating. It smells like really good candy. Mint and coconut and sweet and soft and creamy. I think I may need a bottle of this. We'll see how often I reach for it.

In the imp: To me this smells like soap in the imp. Wet: Bad mens cologne. That acrid alcohol nail polish smell everyone's been getting. But only for about the first minute or two. Then it smells a pretty much the way I expected it to. Dry grass, something slightly spicy that does indeed smell like a hot dry wind. There's something perfumey in the back that smells alternately like dirt or like the perfume section of a department store. Dry: Sweet, grassy, warm. Like laying in the middle of a crop circle in a field of gold corn. Interesting. I'm definately glad the lab frimped me so that I got to try this one, but I think I'll pass it on to someone who will love it more than I can.

In the imp: Almond. Sweet almond. Or cyanide. Wet: Spicy almonds. Definately smell clove. Not sure about the bay. The sassafras popped up briefly, but was buried by the cloves. If I try real hard, I think I can smell the rum and butter under the clove. Dry: The clove calmed down pretty quick on me. It's still there, but not trying to make my eyes water anymore. The bay pops up a little, too. There's almond and sassafras once you get far enough away to ditch the clove. No rum, though. I don't think I like this one. It's kinda flat to me. If I was going to go for something clovey, I'd pull out Count Dracula.

In the imp: Uh oh. I think I smell either dragon's blood or Myrrh, neither of which I like. Other than that, I smell mandarin and tea. Wet: Aaaah. Attack of the ampage. There's definately myrrh or dragon's blood in here. Thankfully it's only amping enough to make overwhelm the throw. If I sniff close, I can still smell mandarin and tea. Dry: Whatever resin/herb it was in the wet stage that smelled like my arch nemesis', it's mostly gone now. I can smell musk, tobacco, sandalwood and maybe those herbs and something fruity. I'm relatively certain that I'll pass on a bottle of this, but it is pretty to wear occasionally as long as whatever amps during the wet stage keeps to itself.

I *counts* third the Lion recommendation. Very golden and sunny.

In the imp: Ummm Something sweet and very very light and airy. Ambrosia? Wet: I was totally afraid of the milk in this after White Rabbit turned into sour baby formula with pepper, but I smell no milk. More of that sweet airy scent which I'll assume is Ambrosia, and a touch of ginger. Even wet this is very close to the skin, which I don't think I like, but will probably have occasion to use. There's almost no throw whatsoever. Also, I smell zip on the honey. Dry: Sweet. I think I finally smell the milk, and praise the gods, it's not sour. It's sweet and soft smelling. Almost powdery, but not. Still no honey, but I do still smell that fruit/floral/airy/sweet Ambrosia whateveritis. I didn't think I'd like this one, and it's still definately not a favorite, but it's a very pretty scent that I'll keep around for those quieter perfume days. Oh, and it picks up just a hint of sweet throw once dry. Very subtle.

In the imp: Spicy amber and almost a honey smell. Wet: Amber, spice, sandalwood, something slightly powdery in a good way. Definately a golden scent. I think I'll be adding Amber to my Notes Loved list. Dry: Something almost fruity comes out in this as it dries. It's still a wonderful spicy scent, and it's got a lovely amount of throw. Not too much, but enough to know it's there. I really like this one. I'm so glad someone recommended it to me.

In the imp: Bay rum. Wet: More Bay rum with an undercurrent of tobacco, and maybe some flowers. The bay rum is pretty strong. Dry: Spicy tobacco. YAY! I was a bit worried about this one because the bay rum was SOOO strong at first, but it's taken a back seat and now it's spicy tobacco with a bit of a flowery touch in the back. This smells vaguely like a commercial perfume I've smelled before. No idea which one. Only this one doesn't make me sneeze and run screaming. The flowers are a tiny bit powdery, and it really makes this one very pleasant. It's a nice non-descript scent on me. I probably won't get a bottle, but the imp will stick around.

In the imp: Wine and chocolate. Wet: More chocolate and wine. Good wine. Really expensive wine. I do wish the chocolate would back off a bit. There's sweet flowers, specifically rose, and I think honey under the wine. Dry: Rose, other sweet flowers, sweet things, and that really fabulous wine. The rose and the wine are most obvious. It kinda smells like a really good date. You know, red roses, a bottle of the good stuff, some sweet desert with honey or whipped cream... I didn't think I'd like this one at first, but once the chocolate went away, we got along smashingly. I'm wearing this out to my birthday dinner (a really good, expensive date), and I think it's going to be a winner.

In the imp: nothing? Maybe a faint bit of tea and pepper. Wet: The pepper scared me for a second, because that was all I could smell. Then it went down to... citrus? Must be the tea and ginger. The vanilla and milk are MIA. This is a very fresh scent. Can definately smell the pepper in the throw, but I swear it smells like a citrus. Very bright. Dry: Oh. There's the milk. Um... It smells... sour. Fortunately it's only there about one of every twenty or so sniffs. If it gets any more prominent, I might have to wash this one off. At the moment, it's peppery gingery tea and occasionally milk. Still no vanilla. I ended up having to wash this one off because the milk smell was nauseating me. Pity. I'll probably have to add milk to my avoid list.

In the imp: Sharp. I think that's the cedar, but it doesn't smell like cedar. Just... sharp. Wet: Wow. This is by far the most interesting perfume I've ever worn. Cedar, definately. Sharp and warm at the same time. With vanilla and root beer underneath. There is indeed something menthol or minty in the very beginning, but it disappears so fast, you almost forget it's there. Dry: As it dries, the root beer and vanilla take over, but the cedar is still there if you sniff close. This to me is an interesting scent. I probably wouldn't wear it often, but it's definately a 'this is SO cool, I smell like ROOT BEER!' thing. I agree with the comment that the vanilla is the same as Snake Oil's. It's very deep and slightly heavy vanilla, but the scent isn't heavy or pervasive. But I occasionally catch sniffs of it, and I can definately tell it's there.

In the Imp: Arg Matey. This be rum. Wet: Rum, coconut, brown sugar, and more sweet things. Dry: Grog smells almost exactly the same on me as Gluttony, without the overbearing Toffee smell from the wet stage. Dry, it's a dead ringer. Sweet and sugary with a hint of coconut. I can't decide if I like Gluttony or Grog better. They're so similar I can't see having a bottle of each, but it make take a while to pick a favorite. Final verdict: If you want a pirate scent, go with Port Royal. Grog is foody and sweet, and doesn't shout Pirate to me.