steffanina

Phantasm- In Bottle: Hmm, there's lemon, but there's also that "baby's room" smell of powder and plastic. Wet: Yes, a lot the same. Lemon and powder and something a little plasticky. And a bit of floral. Dry: This recedes, so the plasticky part goes away, but what's left is quite faint after half an hour. A teeny bit floral and lemon. Overal: Pleasant dry-down but not very interesting for me.

Aureus- In Bottle: Woody, resinous. Wet: Very much the same. It seems a very pure woody scent, if you know what I mean. Dry: I would love this more were it not for the cedar. Cedar makes me think of hamster chips. But if I ever say to myself, "I need to smell like the inside of a wooden box today," I will wear this. And that might happen. Overall: Very conditional, but has potential.

Thanatopsis- In Bottle: Kind of lavender-y and powdery. Wet: Pine bloom on my skin. Dry: It takes time, but this turns into a nice powdery musk on me, lightly masculine and pleasant. I don't think the dry-down is all that remarkable, to wait for it, but it's a nice scent. Overall: Nice but not a frequent flyer.

Scherezade- In Bottle: A little grape-like, with spices. Wet: Not so grape-like now, more sweet and...yeah, this smells very like the scent that clung to the bags I brought home from the shopping at the middle eastern boutique! Mmm, memory. Dry: That soft sweet scent is gonna haunt me. I don't get it as prominently after a while, but it was great while it lasted. I wish it had been a stronger part of this scent overall. Overall: A note in there that'll bring me back to it.

Twenty-One- In Bottle: I smell pine! Pine, and there's something a little boozy. Wet: The pine-and-booze smell stays true. It's nifty! Dry: This stays very true to itself, one of those few scents that does, from bottle to dry-down. A little bit of mustiness but only the mustiness of a boozy scent, which I can happily bear. Even like. Overall: Conditional, but I like.

Sin- In Bottle: Sweet and woody. Wet: Fruit and sandalwood. Sort of grapey. Dry: This reminds me a lot of Shango, and it has quite a bit of staying power. I don't know that I love it; grape-and-sandalwood is maybe a little cloying for me. Overall: Okay, but not a frequent flyer.

Omen- In Bottle: Kind of nondescript perfumey-spicy. Wet: Minty-woody bloom on my skin. Dry: This has a light sandalwood-and-mint scent. Pleasant; probably not something I'll wear a lot, though. Overall: Not that interesting to me.

Black Cat- In Bottle: Minty. Pepperminty, with herbs. Wet: The mint is only a nose-tickle now, like the memory of mint only. Like it's just a vehicle for the herby scent in my nose. Grasses? Dry: The peppermint comes back--this is like someone's herbal toothpaste, but that's not a bad thing! I think I actually like it. Overall: Conditional, but will keep for now.

Black Rose- In Bottle: Only a little rose. The rest is something spicy. Wet: The rose comes out. Dry: This is starting to go a little bit sour on me. I'll give it a bit more time though...No, it didn't actually go sour, but it never got more interesting, and was fading quickly. Overall: Not for me.

Come to Me- In Bottle: Very faint. The merest whiff of sweet acetone. Wet: Sweet acetone. Dry: Goodness, this is gone already! Only been a quarter of an hour. Overall: Fast fader, was never very strong.

Tzadikim Nistarim- In Bottle: Interesting! Creamy and fruity. Wet: A burst of evergreen. Dry: This stayed light evergreen on me the whole way, though it faded fairly quickly. Wish I'd had more of that creamy/fruity bottle scent. Overall: Not bad. Will keep.

Sundew- In Bottle: A very fresh, outdoorsy floral scent. Like the sort with which they'd scent laundry detergent. Wet: Bright lemony floral; a bit strong on me. Fortunately that starts to burn off rapidly. Dry: Unquestionably a floral, but different from a lot of cloying floral scents. Not that hot ozone-y floral either, but pretty. On the end of the dry-down I get that berryish note that I got in Baneberry (I really love Baneberry). Overall: A pretty scent. I like, conditionally.

Blood Countess- In Bottle: Very delicious sweet berry scent. This is supposed to be savage? Not that I'm complaining! Wet: Sweet sweet sweet fruit with a widdle bit of floral underneath. Plummy-berry. Dry: This stays lovely the entire time. Pretty berry scent; very versatile. Overall: I like a lot.

Hamadryad- In Bottle: Kind of...aged perfume. Like the kind that's gone to seed. Wet: Mmm, something like cinnamon wood. I smelled a box made of cinnamon wood once. Dry: I like this cinnamon wood smell! It's warming. It's not mixed with anything that sends me through the roof, but it's a pleasant scent, and I'll keep it. Overall: I like.

Chuparosa- In Bottle: Spicy with a floral undertone. Wet: Floral with spicy-sweet cinnamon smell. Dry: This is a nice scent. It's kind of cinnamon-spicy; not really a lot of zing, but nice. Overall: Not a frequent flier, but nice.

Dead Man's Hand- In Bottle: Ohhh, leather, but sweet leather--I like this so much better than my first whiff of De Sade. I hope this works for me! Wet: Ohhh, yes yes yes. Beautiful deerhide, or maybe new calfskin! Oh, rapture. I hope the dry-down on this remains as lovely! Dry: Yup, I completely love this scent. It's everything I was hoping De Sade would be. Stays this lovely sweet leather scent all the way through. Overall: I love. ETA: It's funny, but everyone says this scent is more raw leather, while De Sade is more refined leather, and I see them as the other way round. This--Dead Man's Hand--is the leather you'd purchase in a leather shop, all soft and sweet and ready to be worn, while De Sade to me smells like you just started tanning the stuff and it smells burned and reeking still.

The Mock Turtle's Lessons- In Bottle: Lime, and something like bergamot. Wet: Very bright lemon. Dry: This never got to something I fell in love with; it stayed light-lemon-smelling for a time and then faded. Overall: Not interesting.

Nocturne- In Bottle: The sort of violet scent I love. Wet: Strongly violet, but there's this quick sharp recurrence of something unpleasant. Something...rotting. Like the flowers that smell like rotten meat to attract insects. Dry: I wish I liked this one better. That rotting scent goes away but what's left isn't as pretty as it might be. Kind of powdery-off-sharp. Overall: Doesn't work for me.

Juju- In Bottle: This is wild. A little sweet and a little...rotting. Wet: The same; still a little rotting and cloying-sweet. Dry: It's going powdery but it ain't gettin' any prettier. I have to get this off, sorry...And it doesn't want to wash off. Why is this such a clinging scent when it turns into such a bad scent on me? Overall: Definitely not for me.

Aizen-Myoo- In Bottle: A very bright floral with a bit of a grapefruit note. Wet: Strong, aquatic notes. Salty, even. Shortly afterward there's an almost cherry-like bloom. Dry: Wow, this is not like anything else I've tried. I can't identify these smells. It would be cherry but it's too clean-soapy; it could be cedar but it's too sweet. I do like it! Not my very very very favorite but one I'll come back to. Overall: I like.

Terpsichore- (What's neroli?) In Bottle: A musty smell on top of florals. Wet: I don't like that initial mustiness I get here, but I'll see if it fades. A violet-like floral. Dry: The mustiness goes away almost immediately, and, hey! I like this! It's a floral, and it's got just a touch of aquatic to it--it smells like a less girly version of violets. This scent is the sort I would wear if I wanted something the essence of feminine strength. It's a queenly scent. Overall: I like!

Kostnice- In Bottle: Incense-y sour. Hmm. I'm already predicting this won't work for me. Wet: I smell orange baby aspirin. I am not making this up. Dry: That smell did linger for a bit, but is gone rather quickly. It wasn't enchanting me, so I'm not sad that it faded. Overall: Not for me.

Horn of Plenty- In Bottle: Ooh, foody. Sweet and cherry-ish and almost...cinnamon-clove. Wet: Cherry-eucalyptus? Oh my God, it's cough syrup! Dry: Ooh, cherry cough syrup and sandalwood. No, I'm afraid I can't wait for this to dry down longer, it's just too wrong to my nose. Overall: Not for me.

Mouse's Long and Sad Tail- In Bottle: Mmm, sweet and warm. I love the vanilla-richness. Wet: Oh, I do like amber, I'm discovering. Dry: Mmm, I keep sniffing to get the vanilla-ish amber of this. It's rich and delicious without being too sweet and it's delightful on me. Overall: I really like a lot.

Nerfertiti- In Bottle: Ooh, very grassy. Wet: Still grassy, with a floral note. Dry: This seems to recede pretty quickly, but it wasn't enchanting me anyway. Overall: Uninteresting.