kwelge

Samhain 2007: Apple cider, spices, woody overtones, and a hint of smoke -- the ENTIRE way, from bottle to dry-down. My God, it's perfect! Exactly what I wanted Punkie Night to be... but PN went fake candle-y. Not so with Samhain -- this is all mug of spiced cider in hand and a roaring fire at your feet. Throw: medium -- a dab gave me lovely close wafts of scent throughout the workday, but didn't kill my co-workers in the same office. Lasting power: reasonably good. Was going pretty strong through the first 3 hours, went to skin scent/inches away fragrance for the next 3, gone after 6 hours. Similar to: Queen Alice (its sister, of the woody cider -- soooooo good!!), Hesperides (some sort of distant cousin)

This blend owns my soul. Orange/gold/red feel, very smooth, suave and sultry. Starts out strong on the orange peel, then backs off into this wonderful eye-rollingly good blend of the red musk, amber and almost-creamsicle. OMG so good. I keep reaching for it -- whatever the occasion, it brings a grin to my face. Dare I say it: This, I think, could be my signature scent. Time to swap half the current stash for a goodly sized hoard of Red Moon!

Bottle: Oooooh, milk and fruits, hard to pick out specific ones. Pina colada is right on! Wet: Imagine a heaping pile of cut fruit in a bowl -- I'm getting peach and pineapple in my whiffs -- with warm cream poured over them. Lordy, this is good stuff. Dry: Same smell, just less in your face. I was a little afraid the milk was going to turn on me a time or two, but it settled down very nicely. I got really nice wafts of it throughout my classes today. Unfortunately, now I am *craving* fruit and cream. Or a pina colada. Lasted for ~5 hours Verdict: Keeper. Not sure if I really need another bottle; depends on how often I reach for it. Still, I am very glad I jumped on this one! ETA: Usually, fig and grape seem to amp on my skin -- so if you're concerned about the white grape, you might take a chance with this one!

Bottle: Mmmm, vanilla and mint. Wet: OMG LOVE. Thin mints!!! Dry: Less throw, same smell. Occasional wafts of lovely thin mint/minty ice cream as I run errands. Up close, I'm getting a kinda funny smell -- slightly plastic-y, like the way Snow White turned on me. However, this is easily overlooked for the fabulous comforting wafts... Throw is short, duration is several hours tops. Fella's Opinion: Definite increased neck-sniffing AND first EVER unsolicited compliment! Verdict: I love it, and so does the fella (a FIRST!). I'm gonna need to stock up on this! Now, to find the money for it...

Bottle: Definitely grape. Rich and fruity. Wet: All grape, all the time. Wait, there's florals. Dry: Still grape + screaming florals (violent violet?). Verdict: I'd really, really hoped for the myrrh to shine alongside the cognac and plum blossom -- and damn, I LOVE the concept! However, I'm not going to wear it, so it's gone to Dixiehellcat, who looks like she'll be head over heels over it.

Imp: Honey and spices... maybe some cinnamon? On: Starts out strongly spicy sweetened with some honey -- definitely getting the cinnamon/ginger/clove blend with the occasional whiff of pepper. The honey keeps it from being quite as 'bone-dry spice cabinet' as Saw-Scaled Viper. Still, don't sniff too deeply at this point -- you'll burn your nostrils! It mellows a little on drydown; less of SPICE! and more sun-warmed spices with a little honey over to the side. There's some subtle background thing also that I can't quite describe that smoothes it over nicely on drydown -- I'm guessing that's the skin musk? It played a similar role in the Brides of Dracula, of supporting actor and general coordinator. Works for me! Verdict: OMG LOVE. I love cinnamon and ginger, and this one is nice and warming for chilly evenings. A terrific fall/winter/chilly spring scent.

I adored my critter from the get-go, but I was so worried about the MB:bC scent due to the jasmine. Let me say now, on me, jasmine as a rule amps to nightmarish stinky-sweet soap and hangs about like a bad case of bronchitis. It waylays other notes and beats them senseless. I have never seen an exception... until now. Imagine my incredible surprise and delight when, despite the initial whiff of strong jasmine combined with citrus from the bottle, the vanillas effortlessly gang up on that jasmine, beat it into cowed submission, and keep it under tight control. The jasmine and citrus show up at the beginning, but on drydown the main note is the soft, sweet vanillas, with an undercurrent of lightness that (I think) is derived from the gardenia and grapefruit. Soft, fuzzy, snuggly white fur is the impression I get -- it's how my fella's cat's belly should smell! Not a lot of throw -- starts out strong, fades to a little stronger than a skin scent on drydown. Lasts for 3-5 hours at the skin-scent intensity. It's an utter delight to wear -- I've been all over it ever since I received Slobbering Blossom! I may need another bottle.

While not usually a posh-rose-perfume lover, I decided to take a risk on this one. Bottle: Strong rose and... wood? Sharp/bright musk? Wet through drydown: Strong rose blooms with something posh and slightly woody. I don't know what orchid usually smells like, but it may be blending with the rose. There may be a hint of cream there, but it's too ephemeral to tell. Very elegant and confident, but a touch heavy. Dry: This is amazing. The woodiness and rose blends more with the cream, and becomes this lovely background scent. Short to medium throw. Verdict: Keeper! It's the kind of perfume I'd wear to a nice dinner out with the fella, or when I needed a confidence boost at work or school. For me, this perfume signifies a young, elegant, confident woman. Note: I can't usually do white florals, but this one is beautiful! Geek moment: Remember Jenny from the Rocketeer? When she was all dolled up and out at the posh club with the older actor, this is what I picture her wearing.

Don't forget Bitter Moon! All melon, all the time on me -- and I've seen a few up for swap/sale around the forum, since it was fairly recent.

Orange pulp in the bottle! I was so excited. Alas, my skin chemistry hated this one. Sharp, perfumey floral, from application to drydown. It calmed down a little on drydown, and becomes more of a soft floral. No cakes, no cream, no fabulous resins, no lovely fruits. Ostara is such a cool concept, though. It's worth one more try, but if nothing improves, then it's off to swaps.

Imp: Oooooh, cinnamon. Can definitely smell that in the imp, sweetened by something. Wet (applied to inner elbow): The cinnamon gets a little darker and complex. It’s still sweet – an almost thin-syrupy sweet. I think that’s the copal&myrrh? Drydown: Mildly sweetened cinnamon. I can definitely see the resemblance to red hots. I’m also getting increasing sweetness from what I think is the honeysuckle as time goes by. Very slight skin-reddening, but no burning sensation/welts/etc. Thank goodness! Dry: Holy cow, I’m now getting this vanilla-creamy background wafting up from the cinnamon-y goodness. OMG, is that honeysuckle?? Verdict: Definitely a fan. As a bonus -- I’ve been trying to find a cinnamon blend to wear for the fella (who’s addicted to the smell of cinnamon!), and this may work out nicely.

Imp: Mango, here and present! Background of lemon & a little cinnamon on next whiff. Wet (applied to inner elbow): Lemon peel comes out! It’s sweetened some – this smells amazing, like candied lemon peel at Christmastime. Er… starting to get some reddening here… what the hell is doing that?? I’ve worn cassia before without problems. Drying: OW. Serious reddening and heat. Damn bird bit me! Time to wash this off. Verdict: This scent has so much potential for me to love… it’s worth another try to see if it’s salvageable before I swap it. I just wish I could catch the red musk. ETA: Second time -- candied lemon peel and fruits with a nice background of something, then OWWWWW! "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... won't get fooled again?' SWAP. This bird just isn't for me.

I was really hoping for the dark, sweet, and spicy. The reviews had me so excited! And then, I tried her on. Imp: Hey, nice spice and florals! Wet: Ok, florals, spice... OH NO NOT SOAP! Dry: Floral-scented soap sprinkled with spices. Throw: Strong when wet, Medium when dry. Wear: Lasts a fairly long time (several hours). Verdict: I curse my skin chemistry. Such high hopes, and yet, swap.

Comforting, sweet sugary cookies balanced by tart lime. Bay rum shows up more at the beginning, and adds a nice, sweetish, caribbean flavor. I can practically picture those lemon-yellow gloves and lime-green fedora when smelling this. On me, it doesn't change much from initial application to dry-down, though it's a LOT stronger in the wet stage. After ~1-1.5 hours it settles into more of a caramel + rum smell -- the lime gets eaten by my skin, I'm afraid. Medium to light throw -- not getting much unless I'm waving the hand past the nose. Definite presence on the skin, though. I need to try this more before deciding on the bottle, but... Wow. This is fantastic! I'd totally date a man who smelled this good. No wonder Mr. Nancy had such luck with the ladies!

A new year’s blessing! Peony, China’s national flower, with bamboo for flexibility, plum blossom for perseverance, courage, and hope, tangerine for wealth, orange for happiness, lychee for household peace, pine resin for constancy, golden kumquat, pussy willow, and quince for prosperity, narcissus and King mandarin for good fortune, and peach blossom for longevity, with a splash of blazing red of dragon’s blood… to help you scare away the rampaging Nian. Wow, this is super-fruity. I'm definitely picking up a bit of the lychee (looove that fruit!) and citrus. On the other hand, it's not too sweet -- it's slightly bitter, too, which balances the fruit nicely. I'm getting a little bit of a soapy tinge from one of the components -- trying to identify it and hoping it doesn't go any farther. General impression is a uplifting blend with barely contained energy -- it feels like a coiled spring! Will probably keep the imp; will need to test again before it goes away to assess need for more.