mtlaise

I'll preface this to say that my body chemistry tends to turn anything with rose awry. That being said, on with the review: This starts out smelling like a bad commercial perfume on me when it's wet - that's got to be the rose. I'm not liking it at all at this point. After about 30 minutes or so, this settles into a more pleasant scent for me... the rose (or what my body interprets rose as) begins to fade, and I get more of the sandalwood, mandarin and nutmeg peeking through. This stage is nice, but I won't be getting this one due to the initial stage on me...

I love star anise, and really hoped that would be the most prominent note on this one for me... unfrotunately, when I put this on, it's all cherry blossoms, and nothing else. It's not a bad scent, but not really my style. Ironically, my roommate, who doesn't really like star anise, gets all the star anise out of this that I missed out on!

This was recommended to me as a scent that had the same feel as Snake Charmer... while I didn't find that at all, it was an interesting one to try. Wet: This was quite sweet/fruity, with a hint of spicyness Drydown and 1st hour: As this dried down, the amber came out, which does nothing for me... at this point, it was not a bad scent, just not one I'd wear a lot 2nd hour and onward: the amber toned down a bit and this seemed to blend into a milder version of the wet scent - slightly fruity/sweet/spicy... it lasted like this for another hour or two, then faded Verdict: I quite like this scent when it's wet, and in it's last stage before fading away. I don't mind it on the drydown and for the first hour or so, it's just nothing that screams "Buy me" at that point. Overall, I wouldn't buy a bottle of this, but may trade for an imp of it.

Wet: As soon as I put this on, I smelled the vanilla (which I love), and a few seconds later the lemon and verbena. What a great mix! Did I mention I love this? Dry down: It seems to be softening, something else is trying to come through. Pouf! It just turned to powder. The throw on it at this stage is incredible... I just sniffed my arm a moment ago and wrote about it softening, and the scent had been pretty close to the skin up to this point. When it turned powdery, all of a sudden, the scent wafted up to my face and said "Hello!". Surprisingly, I actually really like this, most scents that turn powdery on me are so close to the skin, and in that bland baby powder sort of way, that I don't really see the point of wearing them, but this is REALLY nice. I can still pick out a few notes, despite the powder finish: the vanilla is still apparent, and I can pick out the florals now too. If I sniff close to the skin, I get a hint of the lemon, verbena and musk. The bergamot never did come out for me on this one. I'm not sure if I'll buy more, but I'll use up the imp for sure. ETA: This has great staying power... I put it on last night, and today I can still smell it before getting into the shower - about 15 hours later. Not much throw at this point, but still...

I wasn't sure what to expect for this one, but it's definitely a clean, fresh scent. The ozone note seems a bit sharp to me at first. As it begins the drydown, it goes through a short "clean laundry" phase, but luckily, that only lasted a minute or so. I'm not great with notes, but once this is dry, it almost seems floral to me, even though they're not mentioned in the descroption. It's not a heavy floral scent, though - it's still crisp and clean, but with a floral backdrop? I may have to restest this one to get a second impression ETA: a few more minutes have passed, and this has now turned soapy on me... too bad, it was intriguing up to this point...

While I do get the spicy reference others have mentioned, I don't get cinnamon at all... more like the spicyness of pine or fir. This does smell exactly like a fresh wreath with holly berries. Unfortunately, I personally do not want to smell like a wreath... This is a fun scent to try, and I'll likely use it as a room scent for the holidays.

This was a frimp for me, and I'm glad I got the chance to try it. Wet, this was very fruity and deliciously sweet (but not cloying or overpowering). As it dried, something else seemed to appear - the pink pepper? And thankfully, I'm not really getting overpowered by the florals. This is really nice! I'm glad I have the imp, and will enjoy wearing this in the summer, or when I want a light or light-hearted scent.

All the notes in this sounded appealing, so I was curious to see how they would all work together. Wet, this was a very green smell for me. As it began the drydown, the aloe and mint were definitely at the top, followed by the aloe. I sniffed again after about 20 minutes, and it smelled very familiar, but I couldn't figure it out... something I remember from when I was a kid, not at all unpleasant, but not what I associate with perfume either - it's Zest! Wow, there must be something in here that my chemistry does funny things to, because I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to smell Zest-fully clean... Ah well... I loved the wet and early dry down stages, but don't really want to smell like soap all day.

Received in a trade - This was my first scent with vetiver, so I have no clue what it's supposed to smell like. I know flowery scents tend to become overpowering on me, so I hope the vetiver is a good note for me and can reign in the florals for me in this and other scents. Wet: hmm... is vetiver woodsy? musky? Drydown: still a musky, woodsy scent... this seems to have definitely reigned in the violet - I can't even find it. Dry: the scent remains unchanged. I actually really like this one, but would prefer the scent on a guy. I'm guessing that my chemistry did something weird with the vetiver, because none of the other reviews mention this. All in all, I'm glad I tried it, and may now actually try some of the other floral scents that contain vetiver. I'm thinking maybe with a different pairing this could work for me, as I tend to like woodsy smells.

Well anything with an almond note tends to smell like liquid almonds on me when wet, and that's true of the Queen as well. I love the scent of almonds, so this is fine by me! I don't get anything but almond in this one, though, until it's completely dry, when the almonds soften and the scent takes on a powdery finish (not as in baby powder, but as in a soft top layer that's on top of the almonds). I quite like this, but was hoping for the spices to come out more. I'll use my imp, but probably won't buy more.

When I first put this on, all I could smell was the honey note. I wish I got a bit more of the vanilla, but I like this. On the drydown, however, the vanilla creeps out, and the amber makes an appearance. THIS I could wear everyday. Unfortunately, the amber begins to assert itself on the later drydown and takes center stage. While I wouldn't mind a bit of this, it overpowers everything else to the point where it's all I can smell once it's dry. My skin must amp the amber. I like this one when it's wet and on the initial dry down, but I think my imp of this is off to the swaps because I really don't like the dry stage.

There's something in here my chemistry does not like. The minute I put it on, it was nauseatingly sweet, and the smell seemed like it was bubble gum flavoured cotton candy... While I might not mind trying a bite of it, I definitely do not want to wear it. Too bad - I had hopes for this one because of the vanilla.

when i first put this on, it smelled of slightly spicy orange, similar to the Body Shop's Satsuma, that I use to wear. As it dried, it became more fruity as a bit of the kumquat came through, and a bit spicier, as the pepper got stronger. I loved the first hour of this, but after that the tea note came through and the mix wasn't bad, just not one I liked as much.

wet: sweet, sugared plums drydown: the plums tone down a bit, and i'm getting a slight floral note mixed with the sugared plum dry: same, but dries *very* mild... this wears very close to the skin, and only lasts an hour or so on me. I like the smell overall, but since it's not a scent I LOVE, I'll be good and not buy this one.

I almost broke my budget to buy a PP set, just so I could try this one. It sounded amazing! When my wallet one the battle, I had to wait not-so-patiently a friend's order to come in so I could test hers. I'm so glad my wallet one the battle over my obsessive brain about this. Wet, this smelled sickeningly sweet, and exactly like the big pink chunks of Hubba Bubba bubblegum I got as a kid... as it dried, the mulling spices made their appearance and scent morphed... to spicy Hubba Bubba! I guess pumpkin notes don't work for me...

This is a little weird for me, because I tested this without seeing the notes, but I swear, I smelled currants! I guess it's the blackberry note, but I've never seen one note trick my senses so badly I was sure it was something else. At any rate, I do like it at this stage; it would be a nice, light, fruity summer scent. Unfortunately, 5 minutes later, it was gone... and I don't mean that the throw had diminished: I mean that with my nose touching my wrist, I couldn't even detect where I had applied it... so unfortunate...

I have to say that I'm predisposed to spicy scents, especially those with clove, which reminds me of a french canadian christmas dinner... it's one of those smells from my childhood that I'll always love. Wet, this was all cinnamon - kind of like those little red cinnamon heart candies. As it dried, the clove came out just a bit, and as time passed, the pepper appeared more and more. I *really* love this! I wish the clove was stronger, but once the pepper comes out, and it's not all cinnamon, this is great... It will definitely be a good warm scent for me, and I've already bought a bottle.

this really does seem like salt water on my skin when it's wet... no sweetness as of yet, just wet and salty. As it dries, I'm picking up a hint of the rum, but still overall very salty. This would have been the perfect fun scent for my pirate-themed hallowe'en party, but not a scent I'd wear other than that...

This was described to me as a woody, smoky smell, with (perhaps) citrus undertones, so I was intrigued and swapped for an imp - I love citrus and most woody scents, except maybe fir... This scent remained the same from the moment I put it on: SMOKE! Like a giant bonfire, made with lots of old but wet wood, and the wind keeps blowing the smoke right into your face. It's very acrid smoke, and slightly musty. I usually leave scents on for a few hours, even if i dislike them at first, in case they morph into something I love, but this one I just had to scrub off. I could still smell the smoke afterwards, despite the alcohol and soap. Note to self: smoke is not a good scent for you.

Shattered is quite minty to me at first. While it's wet, that's almost all I get, with the faintest hint of *something* behind it. As this dries, I see the reference to the champagne notes first, then the lotus/crystalline aquatic blooms, and finally the grapefruit. Once completely dry, my final impression is of a minty champagne, with a hint of grapefruit (no floral, thankfully). This doesn't have a lot of throw, but has good staying power. I like this one - it's very light, and although I wouldn't wear it everyday because it's not my typical type of scent, I might get an imp for summer weather.

Wet: this is quite strong on me - a blend of what seems to me as resin/incense Dry: for me, this definitely has a spicy incense as the main note. I'm not getting any of the sweetness anyone else mentioned, and do agree that this is a nice scent, but I think it might be best suited for a guy, or for meditation/relaxation if you like incense for those.

well, i have to test every scent that comes across my path, but I approach this one with trepidation... patchouli and incense tend to be overpowering notes on me... wet: as expected, the incense is at the forefront, screaming for attention drydown: this is softening, it's getting better at this stage, and i'm getting a much more bitter scent - much be the cocoa - with a hint of sweetness from somewhere else dry: ah the familiar cocoa-to-powder transformation. actually, I like powdery chocolate smells, but already have a few, and this one still has a bit too much of an incensy/patchouli feel for my taste.

I tested this one blind, then checked notes... Wet, this seemed very flowery to me, but with something else - something darker (musk? incense?). As it dried, each note seemed to get stronger and more pronounced... At this point, one of the flowery notes was getting overpowering, and I also realized there must be rose in this too, because the flowery side just went berserk on me... rose just does not agree with me. Ah, now I see: the mystery floral is jasmine. I've never smelled it before, so I'm not sure if it is actually a strong floral scent, of if my chemistry just amps it... I think this is one someone else can love better than I - off to the swaps.

I love foody smells, and was excited to try my first almondy one. Wet, this felt to me like I had poured a bottle of liquid almonds on my arm... yummy smell, but way too powerful; the throw was incredible. Thankfully, that only lasted 2-3 minutes, then it toned down to a comfortable level. The next time I sniffed it, about 15 minutes later, the almond seemed to be just an accent on top of a bed of musk and a bit of myrrh... This would be great if I liked either of those scents as much as I like almond - a great blend of the 3 notes at this point though. I think my skin amps myrrh way too much because about 5 minutes later, and until the scent faded away, all I could smell was myrrh - strong myrrh. At least the throw is less than it was when this was wet, so I don't feel I need to wash it off, but myrrh just isn't for me, I fear...

CT III: CCLXI (261): As I open the bottle, I smell earthiness and mint. Wet on my skin, I do pick up a soft mint as the top note, with an earthy background. This is really nice. As it dries, the mint all but disappears on me (but my chemistry tends to eat up mint anyway), and the earthy notes come to the forefront. I'm not usually really fond of mainly earthy scents, but this is quite lovely... I'm not sure it's a scent I'd wear often, though, so I may consider swapping it for others I wear more frequently.