thecaitycat

In the bottle: Sweet florals. There's a nice mix in here; nothing stands out too much. Not cloying or sharp. Wet on skin: Same. My skin amps up the sweetness a little bit, though, which is very nice. This is all floral, nothing fruity or sugary about it whatsoever. Surprisingly nice. Dry on skin: It smells the same, but it's lighter somehow. Very feminine and sweet. As before, there's nothing fruity or sugary about it, but it's still sweet. Verdict: After the disaster with my last CD/LE order (ordered five bottles, sold four of them and only kept Bakeneko), I was a bit guarded. This is really beautiful on me, though. Definitely a keeper!

In the bottle: Honey is the most prominent note at play. It's tempered by some florals, almost on the verge of going powdery. Wet on skin: Still very much a honey-based scent on me; my skin tends to amp it up, and this is to my advantage! I can't pick out any florals in particular, but they are light. Dry on skin: It's going ever-so-slightly powdery on dry-down, but this actually works out to be a good thing. It's still very much a honey scent with light florals in there - I can smell plum blossom and lily. Verdict: This is malevolent and beautiful without being overpowering and heavy. It also gets GREAT throw. I fell in love with my imp and had to get myself a bottle of it.

In the bottle: It smells like violets and grape and iris. Very "purple". Wet on skin: Uh oh... It's starting to get vaguely medicinal on me. I still smell fruits and flowers, but this is starting to smell like kids' cold medicine. Dry on skin: More medicinal. It smells like grape dimetapp by the time it dries on my skin. Verdict: I wanted so, so much to like this! I mean come on, PURPLE PHOENIX! Purple is my favorite color! Alas, it was not to be. Can't win 'em all, I guess.

In the bottle: "Screech" and "howl" is right! This has lots of bite to it. It's almost like a tart strawberry, but the red and white musk really pack a punch. It does not smell like bubble gum to me. Wet on skin: Less fruity, but still very tart. The white and red musk really DO screech and howl, almost. Dry on skin: This has REALLY good throw. It smells like musk and strawberry to me, but somehow that doesn't quite describe it. Verdict: I really, really love this. I've had bad experiences with buying bottles unsniffed, but this was a great choice. It's chaotic, sweet, sour, and just yummy.

In the bottle: Wow, this is dark. It reminds me of bobbing for apples. Wet on skin: Definitely a dark apple scent, with a bit of spice. If I sniff my wrist up close I can smell some cranberry as well. Dry on skin: This hasn't morphed much, but it's gotten a little bit stronger. This has fantastic throw. Verdict: I love this! I wasn't so keen on it the first time because I wasn't sure I liked the dark, spicy apples without the sweetness. The second time around, though, I fell in love.

In the bottle: A very sweet citrus, but not candy-sweet. A vaguely floral-y sweet citrus. It must be the grapefruit. It's a bit reminiscent of Cheshire Cat, to me. Wet on skin: Mmm, grapefruit and plum! It's a lot less like Cheshire Cat once it's on the skin; it's not as acidy sweet and has more of a floral element to it, whereas Cheshire Cat is almost pure grapefruit. Dry on skin: It's definitely more "mature" than Cheshire Cat, probably because of the plum and bergamot. I can't pick out any florals now. Verdict: I really, really like this blend. Cheshire Cat is one of my signature scents, but Megaera is destined to be on that list too. As I said, it's a more mature, womanly blend than Cheshire Cat.

In the bottle: Cherries. Very strong cherries. I can't smell anything else immediately. Wet on skin: I wouldn't say that this mellows out at all, but it does become more complex. It's very dark, still with the cherries, coconut, and something vaguely floral/incensey. I can't really tell. Dry on skin: This is not a sweet smell at ALL. I can't call it refreshing, really, but it's a nice change from the sweet scents I'm usually attracted to. I can't stop smelling my wrists. Verdict: I really, really like this. It certainly lives up to being dark and languid and self-love inducing. It's almost smoky.

In the bottle: Fruity-floral with orange blossom in front of everything. I can definitely smell frankincense and myrrh. Wet on skin: This starts out smelling great on me. A nice balance between fruity and floral with a little bit of musk mixed in. Dry on skin: This goes to almost pure frankincense and myrrh within about 20 minutes on my skin. My skin amps up frankincense, especially. Verdict: I bought a bottle of this based on the description, and I probably shouldn't have. Wet, it smells amazing. Someone with the right skin chemistry would love it. Sadly, frankincense and myrrh aren't so great on me. Fortunately that bottle has gone to someone else.

In the bottle: Much sweeter than I expected. I smell peach and gardenia. Wet on skin: It goes a bit more floral once it's on the skin, but it's a sweet floral with something deeper underneath. I still smell gardenia more than the other flowers. Dry on skin: Still gardenia and peach, but softer than it was when wet. Verdict: I was disappointed when I had no money to buy this brand new, but I eventually managed to grab a bottle from someone on the forum. This is a really lovely, girly scent. It's very floral, but not cloying or bitter. Very sweet.

In the bottle: @#%@$%# This smells like Sloth. Sloth and I are not friends. They don't share notes, so why Vice smells like Sloth in the bottle, I'm not sure. Wet on skin: Slightly sweeter now. It doesn't reek of vetiver and myrrh like I thought it did in the bottle. I definitely detect the orange blossom; it's overpowering the chocolate and the cherry. Dry on skin: This is when Vice starts to smell goooooood. Chocolatey orange goodness, like those orange/chocolate sticks you can get at Trader Joe's. I don't smell any cherry. Verdict: Vice is proof that sometimes you have to give a particular blend some time before deciding it's awful. Once you give it 10 minutes to dry down, Vice smells delicious. Definitely a keeper.

In the bottle: Hmmm... It's complex. I cant pick out any particular notes except to say that this is mostly floral with some spice to it. I like it. Wet on skin: GINGER! Now we're talking. I love ginger and it plays up the florals beautifully in this blend. Dry on skin: The ginger is a bit more subtle after drydown, but it's still prominent. It's very "autumnal", for lack of a better word. Verdict: This was my first lunacy and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm glad I didn't splurge and buy two or more bottles, but the one bottle I have is a welcome addition to my collection.

In the bottle: Smells like the almond-cherry handsoap you find in the restroom at work. Wet on skin: Aaah, now I can smell something different. The description says it has milk, honey, rose, carnation and bergamot. I definitely smell the honey and rose now. Dry on skin: Much improved from what it was in the bottle. It smells like honey and florals, to me; I don't smell any milk. Verdict: Not my favorite Mad Tea Party scent, but worthy of a partial 5ml bottle I swapped for. Very pleasant when you don't want to smell particularly sexy (Bordello) or powerful (Wanda).

In the bottle: Holy spicy plum! Wet on skin: This is a wonderfully spicy plum, sort of like plum cobbler with cinnamon sprinkled on it. I would venture to compare it with spicy apple cider, but this doesn't smell like apples at all. Spicy plum cider maybe. Dry on skin: Still quite strong. The carnation is a bit more prominent now, so it's more like spicy plum cider with a carnation bouquet. Verdict: Oh I am so glad I have a bottle of this. I think this would work better in colder, darker weather, but I'd wear it no matter what.

In the bottle: Definitely grapefruit, with something else tempering it down. It's not as sharp as orange. Wet on skin: This smells way better on my skin than in the bottle. It's a very sweet citrus, with a touch of currant. I can't detect any lavendar though. Dry on skin: It's a little more musky, but very much a grapefruit scent. It's light without being so faint I can't smell it. Verdict: I want my 5ml bottle of this! My imp is almost gone. I used this almost every day while I worked at a middle school and it really helped to wake me up. It's also great for those early morning classes we all love so much...

In the bottle: Roses! Lots and lots of different roses. Sweet and green at the same time and not sharp at all. Wet on skin: Oh boy, my skin really amps this up. Not that I'm complaining. Roses and I get along very well. This still smells very sweet to me, like a fresh red rose bouquet. Dry on skin: This is more subdued now that it's dry, but it's strong enough for me to smell it without much effort. Verdict: I will probably get a big bottle of this someday. This is a rose scent that left me floored. Soooo nice.

In the bottle: This is GORGEOUS. This is fruity without being sweet, a little bit floral, and a little bit ambery. I can't pick anything out specifically besides a faint bit of amber. Wet on skin: Still gorgeous. "Tropical" is the best word I can think of to describe it. It's light and feminine and lovely. Dry on skin: Still gorgeous! Verdict: Love love love love! This is such a pretty scent. I'm so glad I have a bottle of it all to myself!

In the bottle: The first note listed was sweet milk, but I smell ginger. I like ginger much more than milk. We're already off to a pretty good start. Wet on skin: Still ginger, but a bit creamier. Like a nice lotion, or maybe chai. It's not quite like gingersnaps, but as I said, very much like a good chai. Dry on skin: My skin is still loving this. Once again, I smell gingery chai. I love how my skin is amping up the ginger just enough so that it's the main note but not smothering whatever else is in there. I can smell a teeny bit of honey as well. Verdict: This is going on my 5ml bottle wishlist. The ginger showed up a lot more than I expected, but this worked out to my advantage. I got it as a freebie in a swap. Lucky me!

In the bottle: Pomegranate vodka is what I get. Perhaps more emphasis on the pomegranate. It doesn't really matter, though, because whatever I'm smelling it's amazing. Wet on skin: Mmmm. A little bit sweeter, but at the same time not (if that makes any sense). It's a little bit more boozy now. Very crisp as well. Dry on skin: This hasn't changed much during drydown. It still smells wonderful. It smells like something I would love to drink right about now. Verdict: Love at first sniff! A friend of mine originally ordered this, but I tried it anyway. This is one of my top five scents now.

In the bottle: Woooo, this is sharp. It hurts my nose. Wet on skin: It doesn't smell spicy or chocolatey to me. It smells very, very strongly of vetiver and myrrh. These two notes work well if they're in small doses, but not if they're the main notes. Dry on skin: Ack! Now my skin is reacting to something in it and turning red. Verdict: This is definitely a swap. I don't like it very much and I can't wear it.

In the bottle: So sharp it almost hurts. It reminds me a bit of my dad's garage where all of his paint is. Wet on skin: I definitely smell the rose, which I like. I don't, however, like the narcissus right now. Dry on skin: True to the description, it's rose and narcissus. I'm still not sure if I like it very much. Verdict: This is going to be swapped, I think. I wanted to like it, but it's giving me a headache.

Base and earthy, yet glittering with golden notes: patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss. In the bottle: Wood and patchouli. I can't smell anything else. At all. Wet on skin: Still wood and patchouli. This is a bit disappointing, but my skin chemistry really amps up anything patchouli so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Dry on skin: I let it sit for a while hoping that the copal and heliotrope would show up more, but no dice. This is pure patchouli and wood. Verdict: Disappointing. On someone else's skin, this has the potential to be gorgeous. On me, it's just patchouli and wood. I need something softer to go with it. It's going into my swaps.

In the bottle: WOW. This is strong. I definitely smell buttercream and hazelnut along with something very boozy. I'm not completely sold, but it is encouraging. Wet on skin: Smells a bit like Butter Pecan ice cream (which I love) and butterscotch schnapps (which I also love). I think I could love this. Dry on skin: It's still strong. It's strong enough to even cover up the catastrophe that was Envy + my skin. It dries down to something a bit sweeter and more candy-like. Yummy! Verdict: This was a hit! I bought a 5ml bottle unsniffed and am not disappointed.

In the bottle: Blech! Mint and lavendar. Two notes which I don't like very much unless they're barely noticeable. Wet on skin: Now it's mint and grass clippings and weeds. It smells like a mowed lawn. Some people like this. I don't. Dry on skin: Still a minty, freshly-mowed lawn. Verdict: I wanted very, very much to like this, especially since I went and splurged on bottles of all seven sins. But it almost makes me want to gag. Luckily, I have a friend who'd *love* this.

In the bottle: Straight up orange. Not even sweet, really. Very sharp. :-/ Wet on skin: A little less intense, but still nothing but orange. Dry on skin: Aaaah, now we're talking. It's much sweeter when it dries down and I smell a hint of berry in there along with the orange. Verdict: I'll use up the imp, but I don't think this is one I'll be getting a bottle of. It's nice, but not really "me".

In the bottle: Whoa, musk! I can also smell some vanilla and plum way in the background, but this is mostly musk so far. Wet on skin: It's already much different from when it was in the bottle. I can smell more patchouli and less musk, and also more plum. Dry on skin: Patchouli, musk and fruitiness with a little hint of vanilla. This dries down wonderfully for me. Verdict: Smoky, sultry and sexy. It goes through a lot of changes as it dries down and the changes are for the better, I think. I don't want to stop smelling my wrists! Not as awesome on me as Xanthe, but I still might end up getting another bottle so I don't run out.