ilona

At first this is a super sharp floral that makes me wince. Then it becomes soapy. Now it's pencil shavings. But clean and soapy pencil shavings. Never got any orchid, which is a note I can usually pick out. And there is something murky about Goneril - a darkness and deepness that is interesting, but overall this is a no go for me.

The eucalyptus was a little scary there in the beginning! Luckily, the medicinal Vicks-iness fades fast and the woods come shining through. This smells like a freshly cut piece of pine, with the sap starting to seep out. It's a very fresh woods smell. Fades pretty fast. I really like it because it is so evocative of the forest, but I prefer my pines a little sweeter, like Skadi.

Gah! Orris! Yeah, I had to go wash this off. This is a strong dry floral iris soap. Never got any coconut or any musk at all. Sorry to say, but this totally smells like old lady to me...

I can't get enough of All Souls 2006. I've been carrying the bottle around with me in case I need to dab some on, or put a drop on some tissue to scent my office. To me, this is a marriage of Penitence (Smell sanctified! A blend of pure, pious frankincense and graceful myrrh.) and Eat Me (Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants). Which makes sense - currants, cakes and incense. Yum! All Souls is sweet and warm. Comforting and inviting, and somehow wise.

I really really like this. Very minty at first, similar to Envy. Then it smooths down to the sweetest citrusy tea. I don't get a fresh brewed tea from it, rather the warm, round tea like Dorian, but with citrus. And a honey that doesn't go sour! I love it!

Wow, doesn't get much greener than this. This is so green it's almost yellow, like new grass. Not sweet, but I don't get any saltiness either. More aquatic than ozone, which is good since ozone ends up pretty soapy on me. I love smelling this in January, it reminds me of summer.

Well, after weeks of waiting the Queen is here. And then she is gone... Initially, PQ is the perfect fruity pumpkin. A little citrusy, and little spicy, and very pumpkiny. Then, *poof* GONE. Seriously, Ive reapplied twice this morning, and its only 10:30. If I stick my nose directly on my wrist and inhale deeply, I can kinda tell something is there. All in all, not worth the wait.

Here's what I found for Givenchy Ysatis: Top notes: mandarin, bergamot, ylang-ylang, galbanum, orange blossom, coconut, rosewood, greens, and aldehydes. Middle notes: rose, jasmine, polianthes, iris, tuberose, ylang-ylang, carnation, narcissus. End notes: bay rum, vetiver, patchouli, oak moss, sandalwood, clove, vanilla, amber, musk, honey, civet, and castoreum. edit: found here: http://www.parfumsraffy.com/notes.html

At first, this smells remarkably like Venom or Dior's Poison, but with dirt. Kind of fruity in a purple sort of way - not sweet, though. The fruitiness fades within half an hour, and it becomes much woodier and sharper, and less dirty. More like a coffin, rather than the fresh soil...

I just found an imp labeled Hamadryad that is absolutely, positively The Hesperides. I've smelled several samples of each. But s'okay - I like em both!

Hollywood Babylon and Lampades - Lampades is more tart and less incensy. Swank and Rage, while nothing alike wet, have a similar drydown that reminds me of old import stores. Which is a good thing... Embalming Fluid, Phantasm and Shanghai are all strong clean tea scents. Morocco and Scherezade are very similar, with Scherezade being less sweet and more incensy. Queen Mab, Regan and Phantom Queen are all similar - it's the orchid. Rapture and The Caterpillar- can hardly tell the difference, except that Rapture is rosier. They both have jasmine, bergamot and neroli. Phobos, Endymion and Fae all dry down to the same yummy white musk smell. Sacred Whore and Love Me must have something in common, they have very much the same feel to me. Lady of Shallot is like The Unicorn with musk. Melopomene is like a floral version of Envy. Lady Macbeth and Lilith - it's the wine. Eve, Jezebel and Alice (and even La Petite Mort) - rose and honey.