phedre

In vial: smoky incense and musk, with a touch of woody leather. Wet: This is very masculine, yet untouchable. Remote and haughty. Drydown: Black leather and musk. This priest has a kinky side underneath that robe. Yipe, something's turned this to soap! Off to someone who'll appreciate it more.

In vial: Peppermint schnapps and fake coconut. Wet: This smells like fake peppermint and coconut, with a plasticky undertone. Drydown: Nope, still plasticky. There's a light floral note coming out for some odd reason, but it's still not nice.

In vial: patchouli, pepper, and pine pitch. Very alliterative. Wet: Tobacco leaf and patchouli. This is rough and dirty. Drydown: Oh so dirty, but in a wonderful way. There's a touch of everything here: patchouli, tobacco, fruit, and pepper. It's a bit too masculine for me, but still absolutely gorgeous.

Vial: Whoa. This smells absolutely dead on like egg nog. I adore egg nog as a drink, but I'm not sure about it as a perfume! Wet: Wow. This is less eggnoggy and more creamy sugar. There's still a touch of brandy and nutmeg, but it's been taken over by the cream and sugar. Drydown: the brandy is gone. This is a sugar candy, thickened with sweet cream. Unfortunately, there's a note of plastic coming out in this, like new tupperware. Not a lot, just enough to be noticed.

In vial: myrrh and moss. Wet: There's a sharpness to this, like olives crossed with incense. The greek incense maybe? It's not unpleasent, but it's leaning that way. Drydown: Definitely olives and incense. Unusual. Eep, it's turning to pickles! Off to the swaps for this one.

In vial: mandarin and magnolia. wet: Oh pretty! The mandarin's staying crisp, and the magnolia and oleander are sweetening this nicely. The musk is gorgeous. drydown: This is well balanced, with tart mandarin and sweet magnolia. The musk is wonderful! I really like it.

In vial: Sweet fruits, lots of pear, pomegranate, and fig. A touch of plumeria. Wet: Even sweeter, tons of ripe pear in this. Drydown: Sickly sweet. It smells like one of those scented children's dolls. Not good.

Wet: bergamot, mosses, and patchouli. Wet: very mossy and dark, indolent is a great descriptor for this. Patchouli and sweet jasmine. Drydown: Oh pretty. This smells like a hookah bar with incense drifting over everyone. This might be my first Mad Tea Party bottle!

In vial: Spicy musk, sour plum. Wet: This is all plum on my skin, with a bit of spice peaking out. Drydown: Musk is coming out on this, and a slight olive note. Carnation is finally making an appearance and toning down the musk. Overall, this is very pretty with a sultry, sensual spice. I really like this.

In vial: clean light florals, a touch of creaminess, and cold at the same time. On skin: Oh this is lovely. Creamy fresh floral, reminds me a bit of jasmine. Drydown: Sweet, pure, and creamy, tending towards soapy. I wish it stayed at the wet stage!

In vial: honey, cherries, and coconut. On skin: definitely that cherry almond smell. something creamy too, maybe the coconut? Drydown: The cherry smell is fading, and now it's more honey and milk, with notes of coconut. I don't get the sandalwood, but I do get the fig. This is nice!

In vial: It smells like laundry that's been hung on the line to dry. Wet: lavender. plumeria. Very light, clean, and fresh. Drydown: this stays the same through drydown: crisp, clean, fresh, but it has a touch of chemical drycleaning solution that's turning this off on my skin.

In vial: Potent, dry spices. I get petitgrain maybe? Wet: musky, a bit dirty. Pungent. Drydown: the musk is going plasticky on me. Definitely not for me.

In vial: strawberry cheesecake! Wet: Definitely cheesecake, rich, sweet, and designed to go right to your hips. I can even smell the graham cracker crust! Talk about irony: Graham crackers were invented to stifle sexual urges. Drydown: This stays the same: strawberry cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. So fun!

In vial: Musk and clove, a bit of amber. Wet: Wow. The clove comes right out, and the vanilla is sweetening it up nicely. Gorgeous! Drydown: This reminds me of a cross between Snake Charmer and Smut, but doesn't go nasty on my skin like Smut tends to do. It's a lovely mix of amber, vanilla, and musk that's just perfect. I love this, and if I didn't already have a bottle on the way, I'd be scouring for one!

In vial: Strawberries, sugar, and honey. This SMELLS pink. Wet: there's something a touch rotten here, like spoiled strawberries. Just barely, though. I definitely get the phlox and sugar, very strongly. Drydown: This is overwhelmingly pretty and pink. The florals are nice, the strawberry is mellow and sweet, but not too sweet. I really like this!

In vial: myrtle and amber, lovely florals. Wet: Pretty! Creamy myrtle and bright florals. The amber in this is just perfect. Drydown: Carnation is finally starting to peek out. It matches perfectly with the myrtle, one of my favourite green plants. I'll need to try this once more to decide if it's a keeper or not.

In vial: earth and roots, like a plant being repotted. Much like Danse Macabre, but sharper, with more vegetal notes. Wet: Same, rooty earth. Drydown: More earth and roots. I can practically see the maggots squirming in this. The florals never appeared at all. It's interesting, different, but I'll stick to Jazz Funeral for my earthy scents.

In vial: Dirt. Fresh, clean garden topsoil. On skin: there's a sharp, vegetal scent, like carrots being pulled out of a garden. Drydown: This is still mainly topsoil and vegetals, but an interesting smoky scent has emerged, like a campfire. Not for me.

In vial: coconut and musk. This reminds me of Lush's King of Skin, the old one with the gold dust. Wet: Pretty! Definitely coconut oil, but also cocoa butter. Soft musk. Drydown: Definitely King of Skin. Something's going a bit off on me, likely the musk. This smells EXACTLY like King of Skin now. It's eerie.

In vial: dirt and green herbs. Wet: fresh roots in topsoil, green herbs and a touch of florals. Drydown: The soil smell has disappeared, and this is now very floral, like a light orchid. Later: This has gone oddly perfumey. The earthiness is gone completely, and it's just too orchid-like for me now.

In vial: Pure cherry. Wet: maraschino cherries, and a touch of cinnamon. Definitely a touch of alcohol burning off. Drydown: Much better. The cherry notes are fading, and the cinnamon, vanilla, and frankincense are coming out. Very sweet.

In vial: I get something orange scented here, and the cedar too. On skin: Neat! There's something in here giving my skin a cooling sensation, like peppermint. I'm not familiar with a few of the notes listed, and nothing's jumping out at me. Perfumey, for sure, with the musks and the violet. A slightly sweet floral with a wood background. Drydown: The evergreen's finally coming out. Normally this dominates on me, but not here.

In vial: Patchouli and red musk. This is incredibly dark and sultry. Wet: The musks remind me of smut, which isn't a good thing. I'm also getting a root beer note. Drydown: Ugh. Definitely the same icky burnt plastic and root beer musks as smut. Ew!

In vial: Lemon, neroli, and sweetness. This really is liquid sunshine. on skin: Neroli is the dominant note for me. A touch of daisy, but no carnation unfortunately. I get a bit of the honeycomb too. Drydown: Golden. This is just yellow, happy, pretty fun. It's nice, but not for me.