mtlaise

The most satsuma-like scent i've found is Tweedledee, so I think you're definitely on the right track with that one. As far as other citrus - A lot of people have also noted lots of citrus in Fire Pig (although to me it was mostly a strong lychee, which didn't really work for me). Phobos is all lemon and grapefruit to me, and Shanghai, Lolita and Zephyr also have strong lemon presences. Cheshire Cat also comes to mind for grapefruit...

hmm.. when i first put this on it was very much a sharp lemony tea scent... not really what i was hoping for. As it dried, though, a hint of the musk and aloe seemed to peep out, softening it a bit. I can see why this is a classic light scent for many, and although I like the dry stage, that initial stage is a little too sharp for me to enjoy wearing it.

When this was wet after first putting it on, I though "ok"... After a while, I caught myself thinking "what is that amazing smell" only to realize it was the Underpants I had just put on! Once this is dry, it's fantastic foody-spicy-boozy goodness! It's very warm and a little sweet, so I can see this being a favourite fall and winter scent for me.

Wet, this was very boozy indeed! I instantly got sugared rum, with a hint of tobacco close to the skin. This stage is really interesting. Unfortunately, my skin amps the tobacco note. As it dried, it began to overpower everything, leaving a tobacco scent, with a background of rummy-sweetness, and a hint of coconut... not a good blend for me. too bad, because i do love bpal's rum note.

I guess body chemistry is a huge player in this one... I was worried when I read all the reviews that mentioned heavy gardenia or florals, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on. I did detect a floral close to the skin, but it pretty much stayed there, which is excellent in my opinion. The scent that wafted up to me was sweet, mildly spicy in an incensy kind of way (though not smelling like incense). As it dried, I thought I picked up a bit of cinnamon, and something creamy-sweet like honey or vanilla. The spicy side seemed to develop a bit more to, leaving me with a slightly sweet, slightly spicy blend, with just a hint of floral. This is really nice, and one of the few scents with a floral note that I will be keeping.

I typically love light, refreshing citrusy scents, and Phobos is by far the most citrusy you can get in a scent! My initial note was "almost wet and green, because it's SO grapefruity and lemony". Each time I try it on, that's what I come back to... Definitely not something I'd wear year round, but when it's hot a sticky out, I can see myself reaching for this. I'd definitely have to pre-apply though... the first minute or so is sort of "lemon wetnaps" on me...

When I first put this on, the impression I got was wet flowers, which quickly changed to a "wet" scent, with flowers - I think what I interpreted as "wet" at this stage was an ozone note. As it dried, that ozone note amped up incredibly... Although it incited great nostalgic feelings of home and evening rainstorms in June, it is definitely not a scent I would wear.. Oh well... better for my budget since there are lots of other I want!

I got a sniffie of this, and was ecstatic once I read the description, as I love mint and vanilla, and hadn't had luck so far with the mint note... I guess fortunately (for my wallet, anyway) this was ok on me, but not great... The mint was a little sharper than i thought it would be given the vanilla, and reminded me of candy cane mint with a shot of vanilla. Very nice, but not quite what I was hoping for...

The only other apple blend I had tried when I got this was Punkie Night, and it was a disaster on me, so I was a little worried about my chemistry mucking with the apple note in general. The Hesperides proved me wrong, though. The apple in this was a realistic very ripe apple smell. When this was wet, the overwhelming impression I got was ripe apples and wood chips. Luckily, as it dried, the "wood chips" became more of a woody background, and the apple's sweetness toned down just a touch. This is lovely when it's dry.

hmm... I'm not typically fond of patchouli, but this was a frimp and the ambergris intrigued me, so I thought I'd take it for a spin. Wet, this was orange blossom, and what I'm guessing is the ambergris note/bouquet. As it dries, the patchouli comes out a bit, but it's definitely in the background. This is very interesting! I don't know that I'd think to pull it out often as I have so many scents that I love, though.

This one was a surprise... the honey note usually just does not work for me, but I don't even get a whiff of it in Dana O'Shee. What I do get - start to finish - is sweet, milky grains. An scent elegant in it's "apparent" simplicity. This has become a quick favourite, although it's probably a little heavy for me in the summer.

I'll preface this with the fact that I really dislike florals, but it was a frimp, and the description included ruits and incense, so I had to give it a shot. This scent was one of the more consistent one's I've tried - in that it smelled the same to me from start to finish. If you like florals, this is probably a good way to go. Unfortunately for me, this was all floral with what i think is jasmine in the forefront. I don't get a hint of anything else. Not a good blend for me.

Wet this was all sweet - cherry and dragon's blood, on me. As it dried, the cherry toned down a bit, and I could sense the myrrh coming up in the background, evening out the sweet and spicy sides a bit, and finally the clove came out to play. I definitely like this in the dry stage, and I may keep the imp I have, but I don't think I would reach for this very often.

I was so excited to try this one, and I get nothing but lychee. blech...

One technique I've found works really well is to have the client sniff a couple of oils, and ask them which they prefer... check first if they have allergies, but I've found that this allows them to pick a scent they feel is right for their massage that day, even if the list of notes says nothing to them... A couple I always have on hand for massages or warm baths are Tombstone (odd, I know, but this is my all-time favourite relaxing oil), Lolita, Hanging Gardens and Dana O'Shee. Also, several of the Panacea series: TKO, Lustration, Moxie, Succor. I may add Grr or Oof to my list once I receive my first sample imps... Good luck!

I love apples and lemon, but those notes just don't seem to do so well for me in perfumes. And I rarely can stomach flowers, so I had little hope for this snake. It came as part of my set, though, so I dutifully dabbed some on my wrist. First whiff was nothing spectacular - it seemed to be a slightly fruity, slightly floral scent, without being able to identify any particular fruit or flower. I was getting ready to write this one off, when I caught a whiff of my wrist again a half hour later. What a difference! I really don't like flowers, so this was a total surprise. As it dried, it seemed a fair bit fruitier, and the florals didn't so much recede as soften, and something just beyond them was adding a little zing, which I'm guessing is the lemon peel. Although I don't think I'd wear it very often, as I tend more toward the spicy scents, I've already swapped for an extra imp, because I think this will be lovely for summer.

I think I'm in love! I ordered a Snake Pit set from a decant circle, and it's so odd, but the ones I thought I'd love are "meh", and others that I wasn't really interested in - like this one - I've loved. I typically like foody scents (more on the foody spices side), but chocolate and snake oil sounded like a horrid mix to me. Thank goodness Beth knows more about scents than I do! As soon as I put this one on, I was hit by the chocolate. It sort of reminded me of the chocolate in Candy Butcher - rich and dark, like a chocolate ganache. Ironically, I usually find Snake Oil a little on the sweet side, but this blend , with all its chocolate, seems a little less so to my nose, and I love it. As it dries, the chocolate recedes a bit, and something else seems to be taking the lead (I think this might be the teakwood), alongside the Snake Oil spices which are starting to come forward more assertively. I think this has to go onto my next purchase. I wish it had a bit more throw, but I'll definitely have to try it in my locket, and see if that helps the issue of my skin drinking this up.

I was beginning to wonder if my decant was mislabeled because this absolutely does not smell foody to me in the least. In fact, my first whiff seemed to be all tobacco. As I read, through, I saw a few other mentions of that, so I thought I'd wait it out. As it dried, tobacco remained prominent, but it didn't slap me in the face any more, and a hint of what registers to me as burnt sugar/creme brulee, and an occasional hint of what seems like incense, which I'm assuming is the Snake Oil base. At this stage, I can sort of see the foody that everyone else is getting, and I definitely prefer this to when it was wet by far. This is just not me.

Hehe... i hate my body chemistry - on me Eat Me was bubble gum flavoured cotton candy and nothing else! Although, I did just order a scent locket, so maybe I should track that one down again and try it that way.

I LOVE Snake Charmer, and am getting down to the last of my stash... Does anyone have any rec's for similar GC (or easier to find LE) scents? What I love about it is that all the notes are so well blended, none really jumps out to the forefront. Also, exotic/indonesian spices are some of my favourite notes, and I think the light sweetness (i'm guessing that this is from the vanilla, black plum, black coconut, and amber) mixed with the spices is part of my obsession with SC. I'm not sure what the other notes smell like, so I'm not sure if they're a major part of what I love about this blend or not. I do wear Snake Oil occasionally when I'm trying to go easy on my SC stash. It has a similar feel, but it's a fair bit sweeter and I don't feel as comfortable wearing it out. Spices, vanilla, and light fruits are definitely my favourites, and I really can't stand strong florals (unless it's just a hint of florals), black musk, and am not really fond of frankinscence, myrrh, etc. Other scents I like that have a similar feel or share some of the notes as SC are Tombstone, MB: Underpants, Hanging Gardens, Silk Road, and Snake Oil. I'd love any help you can offer. Thanks!

CT III: DCCXXV (725) Wet, this was green and very slightly woody. As it dried, I got a nice, green scent, with a bit of soft florals. Quite nice, but not really me, so off to the swaps! Previously reviewed by Melantha.

The description of this one is totally different than the impression I got from it when i first put it on... When I opened the imp, and when I first put it on, the main note was coconut, which I don't think of as chilly or bright... after about 2 minutes, it began to take on a lovely creamy vanilla scent. After about 15 minutes, it turned to Play-Do... eww... luckily, that only lasted about 3-4 minutes, and it is now back to a creamy, mildly flowery vanilla, only this time I'm picking up a bit of "spicyness" behind it. I keep getting whifs of it as I move my arms... All in all, although it's not what I expected, it's quite a nice scent on me, so I may keep this decant, unless I can trade it for my true love: snake oil.

I tend not to do well with florals, but i have to try all the imps that come my way, so... Oh, the main note is definitely the heather, and my body does not like it one bit. This one is just an overpowering floral on me...

When I first put this on, all I could smell were the spices. As it dried, I noticed the berries and the iris coming forward. I never did get the amber in this, which is fine by me. Although I preferred this wet, it is quite nice as it dries as well. I won't buy a big bottle, but will use up the imp easily.

Wet, this reminded me of an aftershave or cologne my dad used to wear... can't remember what it was, though... as it dries, the finish gets softer, and I can see this working for a man or a woman. I can't place the notes at all, except for something like a light musk or sandalwood, which tends to give off a soft, slightly powdery finish for me. The throw on this is quite good as well. I'll probably keep this imp. ADDED April 15: Ever try an imp and think it must be mislabeled because it reacts so differently on you than others have described? That's Ozymandias to me. Wet, the overwhelming impression I got was of a men's cologne. As it dried, it was pretty much the same, but with a softer finish, maybe a hint of sandalwood popping out? Once completely dry, I could see this as working for either men or women, but that initial scent would put me off wearing it. I would love to smell it on my boy though...