outofrhyme

In the bottle: *choke* A strongly, strongly alcoholic beverage that contains Goldschlager. Vaguely reminds me of a martini I had a few weeks ago - "oatmeal coookie," which had Goldschlager and butterscotch schnapps, among other ingrediants. There may be a hint of cherry in there as well, and maybe some chocolate. Wet: CARDAMOM. In a nasty, plasticky way, layered with a sweet alcohol and musk. Uck. Dry down: It is difficult for me to describe how much more pleasant this is after half an hour. The cardamom seriously tones down, and it actually blends very well with the other notes, especially the musk. There's still a little bit of plastic to it, but it's not oppressive... I think the "plastic" note is coming from the chocolate-covered cherries. The vanilla sweetens it in a very yummy way. Final thoughts: The dry phase is pretty nice, but it isn't me. This is probably a godsend to cardamom/cinnamon lovers, though! Hopefully I can pass it along to one of them

In the bottle: There's something foody in there... I think it's the ginger? It's different from the other BPAL ginger that I've smelled - probably because it's red ginger. It's a chewy ginger that reminds me of ginger salad dressing. The ginger sits underneath a layer of smooth, sweet, light florals. Wet: Some floral, some musk, some opium?, and something that's almost fruity... it's also a little dusty. Dry down: This is very, very well blended and subtle. Floral-dusty musk-gentle smoke-??? The florals are very fresh, the musk is very damp skin and a little dust, there's just that hint of creamy ginger spice, and all of it is ethereal like smoke. The ginger absolutely makes this scent work, adding a whole new sweet-spicy dimension. Final thoughts: Gorgeous. I really, really like it, especially the ginger-floral combo. Subtle, grown up, a little exotic. I wish it had just a little more throw (it's moderate throw, so I'd only want a little more).

In the bottle: Mostly cinnamon and a sharp floral. Wet: The first thing that hits me is the cinnamon. When I smell up close, soft citrus, light floral, light musk... and the tea. Oh god. This is incredible. It reminds me of a warm cup of tea on a cold winter night. The tangerine + cinnamon definitely have a bite, but the tea and floral and musk seriously soften the edge. I wish this were drinkable. Dry down: It's more cinnamon than anything else, which is just a little disappointing. I liked the other notes. I can catch a little bit of tea, a little bit of floral, a little bit of soft citrus. It's sweet. Final thoughts: The wet is better than the dry down, but it's okay. I'll reserve my judgment on the dry until I've had more experience with it. I really really like it wet, though.

In the bottle: Mostly orange blossom and sharp, white carnation. Wet: Same as in the bottle, just a little bit milder and with a hint of iris. Dry down: The longer this sits, the more the sugared cream comes out, sprinkled with soft florals with just a little bit of a bite. Another that smells amazing at a distance, a little less amazing against the skin. As more time passes, it becomes sweeter, right against the skin - sugared cream with light florals. Final thoughts: This reminds me a lot of something. I think it's somewhere between Queen Mab and Zephyr once it's completely dried down, with a little Alice thrown in at the beginning. I like it, but I wish that it had more throw.

In the bottle: What's oude? I don't know, so I don't know whether I'm smelling it... I do get sandalwood, bark, maybe some amber and honey. Wet: Warm - honey and currant over sandalwood. Very Indian, at least to my ignorance. I think I get the amber and the bark, too. Dry down: Just a little sweet. The honey and currant are there, but both are very subtle. The bark and sandalwood are there too, and a hint of amber. Is oude a flower? Because I think there's a gentle floral note in here. Still strikes me as very, very Indian. It's quite pleasant. Final thoughts: This is very nice, and I really like it. Having said this, though, I also know that it isn't really "me." I'll hang onto the imp for awhile, though.

In the bottle: Definitely belongs to the Snake Oil family, but muskier and darker. Wet: I swear that this is chocolate Snake Oil. Hard to say where I'm getting that impression, though, because I can definitely pick out musks, sugar and the dark booze... I think that the sugar and dark booze are giving the "chocolate." Dry down: Dark and flirty. Sugary musks - noticeably more than 1 musk. The booze note is not particularly boozy. It's the scent of sweet, dark liquors. Or port, or something. It isn't a whiskey/vodka or anything like that. Final thoughts: I like it a little better in concept than I do actually on the skin. I'll probably hang on to it for awhile, though.

In the bottle: Whew that's potent. Mostly tobacco-type leaf stuff and a TON of caramel. Wet: Opium (I think), tobacco, amber... definitely some caramel, but the caramel hangs much further out from the rest of the scent. I can't smell it at all up close, but it's almost all I smell from a distance. A little bit of amber, a little coconut and spice. Dry down: This is lovely. Tobacco and opium sweetened by caramel with a little bit of coconut, amber and spice. Smoky, spicy and delicious. Final thoughts: Gorgeous. It reminds me a lot of Hearth 05, for whatever reason, only much much more wearable. I might be tempted to seek a bottle of this later.

In the bottle: Very mild. A little woodsy, a little floral, a little fruit. Wet: Sweet, but understated and NOT in a sugary way. It's not the fructose of fruit, but it's also not really a floral sweetness. There's wood and green there, too, but it's all incredibly subtle, like a warm fog. If I can classify a note in here as "fruit," it's a figgy kind of fruit. Dry down: Clings very, very close to the skin. It's a warm, greenish purple fog. I think I do get the impression of berry, but it's definitely a figgy plummy berry, not a strawberry or blueberry. Gets a little sweeter as time goes on, which makes it smell juicy. Reminds me a little of the plum note in Frumious Bandersnatch. Final thoughts: I think I like it, but I can only smell it with my nose pressed up against my wrist. It's yummy, but I'm not sure yet whether it's a keeper.

In the bottle: Vanilla and patchouli jump out. I also get the almond, pine, and lime, I think. Wet: The lime/clove is much stronger tonight than when I first tried this. Vanilla with almond undertones forms a base, covered by a smoky layer of patchouli/myrrh/vetiver(?). I'm really struck by how much the lime, almond and clove are coming out right now. I think I liked it better without them Dry down: Thankfully the lime, almond and clove MAJORLY toned down. Sweet vanilla with spicy resinous smoke and just a slight hint of other flavors. Final thoughts: A scent with myrrh that doesn't go crazy on me! Yay! I do actually like this a lot. It's a little bit like a smokier Snake Oil.

In the bottle: Powdery, a little soapy, a touch of citrus and floral. Wet: Dragon's blood resin like whoa. But not in an obnoxious way. There's something sweet and powdery that softens it. Rose? Someone suggested gardenia in the review thread. Whatever the floral is, it's one of the rubbery ones (I don't mean that in a bad way). I'm pretty sure there's a musk in here, too. Hard to say what else. It's a very warm, reddish pink smell, maybe with white lace or white powder. Subdued, but extremely present. Dry down: Powdery florally dragon's blood resin. Final thoughts: It's nice, but not for me.

In the bottle: Wet, dark and tropical. I think it would be very difficult for me to describe it with a greater level of detail. Wet: Surprisingly, this smells really good. Cool and spicy. It smells carbonated, somehow, with a hint of greenery and florals. It's not a bright tropical - definitely a very dark smell, except maybe for the carbonation. Dry down: Having read some of the forum reviews, I'm going to hash them up: it's carbonated sandalwood burning in a ritual fire in dark, green woods next to a beach. At night. Several reviewers said that this scent reminds them of LOST. I half agree - the florals are a little bit too sweet, but otherwise, it's pretty close. The musk and volcanic gas combine into smoky carbonated sandalwood, and the rest is tropical blooms. It's a floral, and yet it's definitely not a floral... and you can flip back and forth which clause refers to "scent" and which to "ingredients." Final thoughts: Hrm. I like it too much as a concept to part with it just yet, but I doubt that I'll really ever wear it, unless I feel like smelling particularly exotic and dangerous. It's actually a little sexy in that way.

In the bottle: Very exotic. Sandalwood jumps out - it reminds me of a desert. I can pick out all of the other notes - they rush out together. Feels like some middle-eastern themed shop. The amber, saffron, bergamot and nutmeg are definitely noticeable. Wet: Here comes the mandarin! It's mostly mandarin and sandalwood at this stage. I'm also getting the rose and some of the spices. It's still very dry, but much fruitier than in the bottle. I hope that the mandarin and rose don't combine to go all sour on me, like they do in Hell's Belle. Dry down: Really lovely. This is sandalwood at its absolute finest, beautifully blended with the exotic. I really can't comment on any of the individual notes aside from the sandalwood and maybe the musk - it's just so well balanced. I mean, with a list in front of me, I can pick them out, but I definitely don't feel like I'm sensing them each on an individual level - I'm sensing instead the overall olfactory picture. The sandalwood mixed with the amber smells a little bit like cedar. It's a fine wood box in a middle eastern spice shop. Final thoughts: This is really, really, really nice. I think it's a little bit too exotic for *me* to wear all the time, but I am DEFINITELY not swapping this away. It's gorgeous. It strikes me as a really nice late summer/autumn scent. I wonder how it would smell layered with vanilla?

In the bottle: Vanilla, lavender, jasmine. Very feminine, very classical-perfume. A little bit sweet, a little bit edgy. Wet: Very light, very sweet. Vanilla and florals. It smells honeyed. I can't decide whether it smells more like flowers or more like cake. Dry down: Again, is it cake or flowers? I can't tell! It's not at all dissonant - the vanilla and the florals work very well together. The florals are definitely less sharp than they were when it was wet. The scent clings very closely to the skin. I can pick out vanilla, musk, lavender, jasmine... the amber is maybe *barely* there, but it hugs the vanilla/musk, sitting right between them and blending perfectly. Likewise, the florals sit very close to each other, right above the musk, blending very well. The rose is so incredibly subdued that I forgot it was in here. Final thoughts: It's very good. I wish it had more throw. I think I like it a lot, though.

In the bottle: Rose, but not oppressively so, nor is it necessarily very sweet. I think I can get the orchid and musk, too; I'm not sure about the cream accord. Wet: Not sweet at all - it's actually almost bitter. Rose and orchid. Very perfumey, possibly in a commercial way. Dry down: Up close, it smells very commercial and not very good. From a distance, though, I think I like it. Definitely rose and orchid - and only a little bit sweet, but no longer bitter. The other notes make it a bit more exotic, and the musk makes it feel a little bit damp (but not in a bad way). Final thoughts: I *think* I like it. I need a little bit more wear-time to be certain, though. I don't think I'm completely in love with it, and I have a hard time reconciling the keeping of LE bottles that I'm not in love with, so I may end up passing it along. But it needs more wear time first. A little later... I'm really warming up to it. I think it's going to be a keeper. But I'm not completely convinced yet.

A raven-haired Fairy Queen of Ireland. One of her eternal duties dictates that she must hold a midnight court every season and hear the pleas of married Irishwomen. The court serves only to determine whether or not husbands are adequately serving their wife’s sexual needs. A judicious yet powerfully sensual blend, a mingling of justice and sexuality: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka. I didn't actually mean to try this - I opened the imp, and the new cap (yay new imp caps!) allowed them to fill the bottle COMPLETELY full, so I couldn't close the imp again without spilling some oil. So, without further ado... In the bottle: WOW this smells good. It's soft and warm. I'd swear it was just really floral. Wet: Yum. Warm, beautiful, intoxicatingly different floral. It really surprises me that there aren't any real powerful florals in here. The sage and sweet pea combine with the musk to be stunning. I can barely pick out the tonka. Dry down: I think the phantom floral smells a little bit like lily. SO GOOD!!! I know that this isn't really a straight floral, but it has a very floral vibe - very feminine, very delicate, very warm. I can definitely smell the sage, which gives it a little bit of a green-spice kick. I think I might be able to smell the vanilla-ness of the tonka, and I'm pretty sure I can smell the sweet pea and the musk. But I'm really surprised that "lily" isn't among the notes. Final thoughts: Lily is currently one of my favorite florals, so if I'm comparing this to lily, it's obvious that I like it. A lot. Definitely a big winner.

In the bottle: The natural perfume of flowers, with a hint of coldness. I feel like I'm smelling pollen - I think it's the lily. There's definitely something that gives it a chill at the end - maybe the frankincense or one of the other florals? Wet: POLLEN. But not in a bad way. In a, "I just rubbed flowers all over myself" way. In the background, there's a more classic perfume smell. I think I mostly smell lily and lilac, and a little tiny bit of frankincense and cedar. The frankincense and the pollen aren't really getting along... Dry down: It's okay in moderation. I ended up with my left wrist slathered, and the frankincense is just too much. My right wrist is more subdued, though, and it's much more tolerable. Definitely frankincense and lily, with a hint of other florals. Feels a little bit mysterious. Reminds me of a cold mountaintop in spring It's very light. Final thoughts: I don't know. I may end up trying to swap it for something else. It's not bad - it's just not quite what I was hoping for. I'll see if it improves on the next trial. It doesn't react too badly with my chemistry, so there's hope I just tried fanning air at my nose rather than sniffing my wrist directly, and it's better - turned into a mountain breeze. Still some prominent frankincense, though. I just wish the flowers and bergemot came out more and the frankincense less.

In the bottle: Whew! That's strong. Poppy, and something cloyingly sweet. I think I can get the strawberry and orange. Wet: Confusing. More strawberry than in the bottle. Poppy, and a little bit of floral. Sweet... but confusing. Dry down: Sweet. Strawberry, orange blossom, poppy, carnation. If the hibiscus is there, I'm having trouble separating it because I'm not very familiar with it. Final thoughts: Very yummy, but possibly also very young. I'm going to reserve judgment on this for awhile.

In the bottle: White musk, aloe, tea. Wet: ...ginger? Something smells a lot like ginger. Also getting a little bit of all of the real notes: aloe, tea, white musk and lemon, in order of prominence. I think it's the aloe/tea combo that gives the impression of ginger. Somehow. Dry down: Aloe and ginger, with a little bit of tea. In fact, it's essentially kumiho + aloe. Final thoughts: I'm learning that I'm not really a big fan of aloe. Reminds me too much of lotion. Having said that, this isn't as bad as F5 with regards to LOTION. Still not sure how much I'd wear it.

In the bottle: Rain, ozone, light florals, a touch of salt? Not overwhelmingly RAIN/WATER/STORM. Sweeter, more perfumey. Wet: I swear there's floral in here - I don't care what the notes say. Gardenia, maybe. It's absolutely the scent of wet flowers. Dry down: It's... gone! Well, okay, it's barely there, but only barely. Aquatic notes and florals, with a touch of salt. Final thoughts: It's nice - it's probably my favorite aquatic insofar as an aquatic that smells like water but doesn't smell like a candle. But it's incredibly light. I can barely tell that I'm wearing anything there at all. I like it, I just wish it had more throw.

In the bottle: Wow... warm and exotic. Mostly clove and violet. Wet: This is really, really yummy. I LOVE this clove. The longer I smell, the more the tonka bean comes out, plus a little bit of violet. Dry down: Clove has backed away somewhat, but it's definitely still there. It's a very heavy scent. Almost smells a little bit nutty. Clove and tonka, other spices, maybe a little bit of violet. Final thoughts: Again, smelling weird on my chemistry. Maybe it's just me today. This is definitely one I'll try again, because it still smells pretty good. I did like the wet better than the dry down, though.

In the bottle: Vanilla and gardenia? A little bit like florals, a little bit like confectionary. Wet: Warming up. The rose is a little bit sour... reminds me of the rose tea that I have that I really don't like, because it gets really sour really fast. I can also pick out the other florals and the vanilla. Dry down: Soft, powdery floral. The jasmine and gardenia are most prominent. Then the vanilla. I can hardly pick out the rose, except that it's souring the blend a little bit and adding some floral powder. Something about the jasmine is a little bit acrid/sharp. Final thoughts: It's okay. I don't know that it's a keeper for me. Will try again later. 02/09 Update: It's possible that I didn't really give Euphrosyne a fair chance, since the Iambe probably wasn't completely worn off when I retested. However, it still strikes me as being too sharp for me, at least on my chemistry. It smells a little bit like a lovely, warm floral underneath, but I see no reason to keep it when I have so many other florals that I like so much better. Into the swap/sale pile it goes!

In the bottle: YUM. Exotic florals, touch of citrus, touch of spice. Wet: Spicy, heavy, heady florals. A touch of diabolical sweetness. Dry down: This scent is very, very confusing. I can't tell whether it's floral, or fruit, or spice. I don't think I like one of the notes, which vaguely smells like rotting flowers... I think it's the mandarin mixing with something. Final thoughts: It was SO GOOD to start with, and now it smells like dying flowers. I can just TELL that it's something gone a little funky on me, because the notes smell great when I focus on them in isolation, but my skin is amping some of them strangely. Such a pity. I'll try this one once more, in the future, before I swap it. 02/09 Update My opinion is unchanged. There's something about this that is exotic and good... but on me, it smells too much like cloying, dying flowers. Maybe it's the oleander or magnolia combined with the musk and mandarin? Into the swap pile it goes!

In the bottle: Amber, pine, and... white musk?? Wet: Vanilla and amber predominantly. Just a slight hint of pine/juniper and rosewood. The vanilla/amber smells incredibly warm. Dry down on me: It's a vanilla, but it's an amber/pine/wood vanilla. A little bit exotic, a little bit green. Dry down on the boy: My first thought was, "he's not amping the vanilla as much." My next thought was, "this isn't nearly as spicy on him... and it's not even that spicy on me." The vanilla is very subtle. It's a little bit musky on him. The greens and the amber are almost absent. Final thoughts: A little bit masculine on me (from the juniper); but it's far less masculine than the other masculine blends I've tried, and I think it's wearable. It's nice. As far as the boy goes, we're undecided. It's good, but doesn't really stand out on him.

In the bottle: Zesty. Mostly lime, mint, green tea and white musk. Wet: Aloe, white musk... verbana is definitely there but not lemon pledge... green tea note smells kinda funny. Getting a little bit of the lime and mint. It smells a lot like lotion. Dry down: Aloe and green tea. Somewhere between lotion and a light perfume. Final thoughts: It's okay... but it's too "lotion." Probably not something I'd really wear.

In the bottle: Florals - especially jasmine; tonka bean; mahogany. Wet: Ehh... not me. The jasmine and fig are going wonky. Ick. Dry down: Whoa. Ick. Ick. Ick. Baaaaad chemistry. Behind the ick, I can just barely smell a touch of mahogany and coffee, and it smells like it might have been nice if the jasmine hadn't gone EVIL. Sickening. It just gets worse and worse. Final thoughts: Definitely a disaster with my skin chemistry. Will definitely swap away.