surlygurl

Oh dear. This was supposed to be really good, with all those lovely notes. But when I first sniffed it, my reaction was "Eeewwww! Sweaty balls!!" Luckily, it got a little better on my skin. The vanilla was pretty, but the rum was dirty (and not in a good way). There was a bit of sour, and something sharp. I was hoping for florals/ vanilla/ rum, but no such luck. After a couple of hours it finally turned into what I had hoped - gently spiced vanilla with a sharp kick. Then it promptly faded. Harumph.

I also got the sparkling teenage girl pink grapefruit note, but the other notes kept if from going perky-sweet. All the Grendel scents have split personalities on me, and this is no different. The grapefruit, orange blossom, and champagne grape give the teen sparkle, while the tobacco, woods & resins bring it down and give it a calming, almost scholarly vibe. When the scent hits that perfect balance, it's my favorite of the bunch. Unfortunately, it usually see-saws between the two.. That's ok. It's great for warm weather.

Ummm...... this scent smells like wisteria lemon Necco wafers. It really does. Just a powdery cloud of purple yellow sweetness with that special something, I know not what. A little sourness floating about, but not enough to get excited about.

This imp had been sitting around forever, and I couldn't decide whether or not I like it. It starts out an aquatic bay rum - very piratey. It lasts a long time like this, then something goes a bit sour. I'm guessing the leather. After maybe 10 minutes the sour leaves, and it becomes more woody, but still dominated by aquatic bay rum. And as it dries, it sweetens and goes a little powdery on me. And it lasts all day. Your wouldn't think an aquatic would be an all day scent, but there you have it. I really like this on a warm summer day. So many scents are seasonal, and now that I know where to put this one (summer, definitely), I love it!

Wow! This is stunning! I originally passed this up due to the rose, but the other bits had me intrigued. First on, I get amber rose. Now, rose is a death note for me *except* when it's a rose resin combo. My first though was "This is a much lighter & brighter Binah". The dark resins are lifted up by something almost cheery, almost citrus-y. And as it dries, the scent gets brighter while still maintaining a soft resiny quality. Usually resins ground a scent, but I think that the rose grounds this and keeps the sunny resins from taking on a too churchy tone. I love it.

This is interesting. The imp is very aged, and at first it smells like raspberry - a juicy candy raspberry. Then something dark shows up and weaves in & out. Something grounding and a bit evil (yeah, cedar & vetiver). Just when I think it's going to all come together, it goes bitter herbal pencil shavings on me. It's strange, because I usually love cedar. All in all, it's not a bad scent, just... disjointed. Until the end, when the raspberry goes away. *sigh*

This is a strange one. Fresh on my skin, it's very soft with a slight almost-soapiness. There is something there (which I now know is tobacco flower - same smell as Smoky Moon) that's hard to place. The almost-soapiness flows in and out, unable to decide where to go. As it dries, a little bit of vanilla comes out. There's never any sandalwood. No teak, no patch. In fact, it faded down to almost nothing. BUT..... every now and then I move my arms in a certain way and something... alluring.... wafts by. Is it me? I don't think so. Is it the beav? Maybe. I wanted to love this. And I just might. But it's very different that what I'd anticipated. Soft & ladylike with a gently insistent throbbing far down below. It may be worth getting a bottle to age.

Wow. Fresh on, this smells exactly like the TAL Hymn to Pan - it's that slightly effervescent herbal cola smell that I love so much. Joy!! Within minutes, the fresh juicy effervescence fades and the herbal elements (bay?) come out stronger, but the whole thing gets a little dusty. It's like going into an old herbal apothecary shop, or going into a (great)grandparents attic and opening a chest of men's clothes. Slightly musty, bay rummy/ herbal, very faint. This needs to be tested side by side with my other bay rum blends, but I *think* it doesn't measure up. If the opening notes remained strong on me, I'd get a bottle. We'll see.

Fresh on skin: *sniff* *sniff* "OH LOOK! IT'S CINNAMON!" A few minutes later "OH LOOK! IT'S DIRTY CINNAMON!" Then, finally, 30-40 minutes later the cinnamon dies down and the cardamom (that I recognize from Bakenako) comes out and what I'm assuming is leather smooths over the whole thing. Someone upthread said it best: it starts like a hot spanking and ends with a warm glow. I do hope the initial blast of cinnamon mellows as the bottle ages, because the dry down is some sexy stuff.

In the imp, this was all "Eeeewwwww! Vetiver!!! Eeeewww!" But then I put it on. At first it was pure vetiver, then a fruity like sweetness came out. Then "HELLO! I'M LEMON. HOW ARE YOU?" Very sharp and fresh.... which then went powdery. There was almost a lemon gingerbread vibe for a bit. Or was it the vetiver that went powdery? Either way, the lemon mellowed and the scent took on a different dimension - dark yet bright, bold and coy. Very strange. Pretty, but it doesn't last long on me. And that meat smell people mentioned upthread? I thought it was my neighbors making dinner. But I got that, too. A very strange scent, this one.

As far as scent goes, I don't really like it. To me, it smells like a grape spice candle. But when it hits my skin, the smell turns into something pleasant. The more I need the calming influence, the more pleasant it smells. When I'm not particularly ruffled, this scent has the effect of guiding me into a meditative calm. But last night - when I danced with a few different guys at a party, including Mr. Creepy McGrabbyHands (the last guy) - it was a blessing. Once I got home and applied this, the 'ick' feeling melted off me and it felt like I was wrapped in a warm fuzzy security blanket. It smelled wonderful, too!

The notes in this are LOVE.... individually. I love them all. As a combination? *shudder* Um... no. Fresh on, I get lots & lots of rootbeer. Wonderful stuff. Then, I'm not sure what happens, but the tea, champaca and tonka do something unkind. It may be the addition of the champaca (which works so well in resiny blends!), but this just goes strong and dirty, and not in a good way. I so wanted to love this. Phooey.

My hands-down favorite is Copulating Mice. I almost didn't get it because the list of notes was a big "WTF!!?!". It's also, to my nose, the antidote to red musk, which is not a friend of mine. So it may not work on you. Burning Vulva is funky up close, but the throw is gorgeous. You may like Male Nude, Arms Upstretched. The red chyphre contains a little bit of red musk. To my nose it's in the snake oil family, but in a clean way.

When I first tried this, my nose got the oakmoss/black pepper combo right away - shades of Ronin. But here it was backed up by smooth vanilla, sassy orange blossom and beeswax. Those didn't come out 'till later, tho. So today I dabbed some on before going to meet a friend. During the walk, I would occasionally get a dark pleasant waft. During the bus ride, I'd move my arms & think "what smells so good?" then realize it was me! The oakmoss pepper faded into the background and the other elements came forward. Before I knew what smelled so good, I thought I smelled cinnamon, like a less foody chimera. The throw is fabulously lovely, so if you're judging the scent by the up-close smell it won't be the same. Bottle buy!

In the decant, it's very vetiver and maybe a little musk. The smell is bracing and brings me into focus. I can see this being an "eeew yick get it off!" sort of scent for folks who don't have a focus. As far as intent, I use it before going on long bike rides. I'd much prefer sitting around reading the forums, but last summer I told myself "I WILL go out on long bike rides! Eat less, exercise more, lose fat, gain muscle!". I'd dab some on my 3rd chakra and swipe the wand across the backs of my hands before heading out. During the ride, I'd sniff my hands whenever I needed a little 'oomph', and it did help. Once it warms up, the smell helps center me and isn't as shocking. Quite a useful oil!

This update shall henceforth be know as "The Update when Red Musk Played Well with Surlygurl". Yes, I'm assuming that the "red" in red chyphre is red musk, due to the coloration of the oil and the, um, red musk smell . Fresh on, it does have that Snake Oil vibe of red & dark musks. It's this dark reddish glowing scent that soon goes to powder. But very sexy powder. I don't really get linen, citrus, or anything else that's supposed to be part of the blend or chypre. It's all about musks. And that's ok. I'll definitely keep the decant (it'll be stunning aged!) but see no need for a bottle.

Oh! This is nice! On me it's mostly rice wine (more sweet rice, less wine. It's *not* an alcohol scent.) White musk gives it a little shimmer, white sandalwood grounds it a tad. The vanilla is merely there to sweeten - and not by much. This is a very subtle skin scent. Too subtle for my tastes, unless I want to bathe in it (which may not be a bad idea!!)

Oh. Well. Whaddaya know. Lemon tea with honey. Was I expecting something else? I guess I was expecting the anise to show up more or throw a curve ball. The lemon is kind of chemical smelling. It's a lemon pledge kind of scent on me. Pass.

I'm not sure what the combination is, but I've smelled it before in a 2010 Yule and, possibly, Intrigue. It must be Fig +?. Whatever it is, it's dark and bitter and steals the whole show. I keep hoping to get carnation or tea or nutmeg or vetiver even. No such luck. The drydown isn't quite as bad. I may keep the decant and test it again in a few weeks, but at this point, it seems destined for the swaps pile.

This is a bright girly scent. A mishmash of sweet and tart, mostly; nothing stands out above the others. Coconut husk, musks and sandalwood must be anchoring everything because I can't pick them out. On the early drydown I do get squash blossoms, or at least a memory of the time I tried growing pumpkins and got no fruit - just huge, magnificent smelling blossoms. Pretty, but not for me.

Finally! A red musk blend that I can wear. My search finally paid off. This is straight up juicy red fruit. Not 'red fruits weaving through some dark ingredient', but red fruit. Mostly mango, a little fig. Tomato must be hiding, because it's undetectable. Luckily, the red musk does NOT have the starring role. She's a bit player who's working her butt off to keep the unruly fruits in line. This scent doesn't morph or throw out any surprises. A juicy fruity summer scent that will age beautifully and make an interesting layering scent.

This scent is mostly sweet powdery amber with fresh hay and some cool mint in the drydown. It's quite pretty, and definitely understated. I expected this to be a big bold scent, but it's just the opposite. It's also much more beautiful than I expected. This deserves further testing.

Yup yup. What they said. Very purple floral. I can't make out the individual notes, but it lasts & lasts. It reminds me of Lune Noire, but darker. It makes me wish purple scents worked on me.

This is a sweet & pretty scent. I mostly get apple blossom and sugar, with very light mango/coconut/cucumber. It reminds me quite a bit of Agape, tho not as creamy. It has a pale pink smell to my nose. A definite spring and early summer scent.

Oh mmmmmm....Musk! This is a lovely musk blend. Right out of the starting gate, this is musk with orange blossom and a few other things I can't identify. I do believe the spikenard gives it that reeds-along-the-Nile vibe. Super clean sexy musk and I wish it would stay this way always! As it dries, the musk backs off and this becomes a skin scent. When it's dry, the orange blossom has faded and the mint & lime come out. It's a very clean sexy scent. I wish it had better throw, but then again unculture noses don't deserve to smell this baby! (An aside: I saw Cleopatra last night at an old movie house. If this scent had been around in 1933, Claudette Colbert would have worn this to set the mood.) eta: This doesn't last long, unfortunately. And the spikenard winds up being funky at the end, much like in the CD scent that has spikenard. But the early parts are lovely! eta: One day later, and the oil has gone from glorious musk to sharp soap This is a very fussy scent.