Magycmyste

In the imp: Floral. It's a very pretty floral, with an almondy hint of almost sweetness. Wet on skin: I'm getting hints of the sage and the woods, but the strongest note in this is jasmine at the moment. Regular and night-blooming jasmine tends to go a little sweet on me, but if it's trying here, the woods are holding it back nicely, so the floral sweetness isn't too overpowering. Dried down: The sandalwood's coming out even stronger here. If the lemon peel is here at all, it's peeking out from behind sandalwood's giant hoop skirt (I've been looking at a lot of Victorian references lately. The jasmine's still there, but it's peeking out on the other side of the sandalwood, though a little further out than lemon peel. Throw: This one's got a little throw, but I'm getting that almost almondy jasmine from earlier. It's really pretty. Verdict: **** I'm actually really happy with this. It may take awhile, but I think a bottle might be in my future. It's a light, gorgeous scent, albeit maybe not one I'd wear everyday, and probably not one I'd wear in small, enclosed spaces (I could see it giving me a headache in that situation.

In the imp: Jasmine. Jasmine sambac, specifically. Oh, this is heavenly. Wet on skin: Ok, less jasmine, more fruit now. I'm not sure what fruit, but fruit it is. Dried down: A little jasmine and fruit, and a lot of something very green and herbal. I don't know what this is, but I don't think I'd want to wear it as perfume. Throw: Not much. Verdict: *** I love the jasmine and like the fruit, but I don't really care as much for the sharp herbal quality when it's dry. If this were going to be a straight perfume for me, I would probably put it in my swap pile. As it is, though, I like the idea of using the celestial oils in planetary work, and I could see myself using this one in aspects relating to the description.

In the imp: My first thoughts - sweet and heavenly. This has a very sweet scent, which makes sense, since two of the three notes are vanilla. Wet on skin: I hate to say it, but suddenly there seems something very off on this scent. I think it may be the chamomile, souring the vanilla. Dried down: This dried very quickly into my skin and almost disappeared. There's a faint hint of something, but I can't really tell what. After a while, the vanilla comes back a lot stronger again. Hmmm. Throw: Almost none at first. After about five minutes, though, I've got a light vanilla cloud around me, with a hint of chamomile around the edges. This is much better. Verdict: *** It got knocked down to three stars for that funky wet stage, but I think I'm going to have to try this again before sticking it in the swap pile, especially since I do love that vanilla throw.

In the bottle: Sweet fruit, pretty much. Wet on skin: A nuttier scent, probably the almond milk and cashew comes out now, with still a bit of sweet fruit in the background - the tamarind and the mango, I think. Dried down: Much less sweet now - I think this is the mogra (jasmine sambac) and red sandalwood mostly now, with maybe a little cedar. There's a tiny bit of sweetness, but only in the background. Throw: I'm not really getting much of a throw here - just when I sniff my wrists. Verdict: ***** I would have sought out a bottle just for the name, really - Diwali is one of my favorite festivals of the year, and I have fond memories of it growing up (which include getting hit in the lip by a firework. Yes, still fond). I'm not sure how much this perfume evokes those memories for me, but it plays beautifully on my skin, morphing from sweet mango all the way to sandalwood. Almost all the notes recall aspects of my childhood, and as far as I can tell, none of them smell bad on me. I'll be happy with my bottle, and I might seek out another if I can get one for a good price.

I'd say what I have is a sniffie - I'm not sure if there's actually enough to test here, but I'm going to try! In the bottle: Baked goods like cookies with a hint of lime! Actually, I'd have to agree with Spring Snow's assessment of key lime pie with a cookie crust. Wet on skin: I tapped it on my wrists a few times, so I think I got something on there. On me, it's still pretty similar to the wet, but the lime is fading a bit. And I think something else is coming out - I'd guess the bay run and tobacco, but there's not really enough to tell. It's almost a soft floral scent, though. Dried down: Sniffing my wrists, I get the bay rum and tobacco (I think). But the scent of sugar cookie tinted with lime is still in the air. Throw: It's got a little bit of a throw, which is pretty much the sugar cookie. With a little lime. Verdict: ***** I actually really, really like this. It's gorgeous. It reminds me of Vespertilio Proterus Kuhl except instead of LIME SMARTIES!!! I get a much softer lime, which I like even better. So.... I may need to procure a full bottle of this in the future. I think this could be my go-to lime scent I've been searching for.

In the imp: I definitely get the wood (the oakmoss, I think), but there's a bit of sweetness and brightness I wasn't expecting. Wet on skin: The myrrh and patchouli are coming out more - I think my skin tends to amp myrrh a bit. Dried down: Actually, I like this a lot. I get mostly myrrh and patchouli off of this, but the oakmoss, and juniper berry sort of grounds it. Throw: Incensey scents tend to linger in my nose, but I think this has a bit of throw even if I don't sniff my wrists. I get a little hint of the brightness from the oakmoss and juniper berry. Verdict: **** I actually didn't think I was going to like this as much as I did - I think I was expecting the oakmoss to go sour or bitter o me. I'm not sure I'm going to get a bottle of it, but I'll keep the imp, at least.

In the bottle: Hmmm.... I'm getting a sweet scent off of this - the dragon's blood, maybe? I mean, that's the only note in there I would associate as sweet. Wet on skin: Still sweet, and a little herbal, I think I'm getting the basil and myrrh now, though. Dried down: I guess I an get a hint of metal if I really, really try. It's not really morphing, though. It's mostly sweet herbs on me. It's still really pretty, just not what I expected. I didn't really get the metal, or the ginger or black pepper. There might have been a bit of clove in there, but I think it blended into the myrrh if it was there. Throw: Yeah, I got nothing. I'm wondering if I may have put too little on to test - my skin ate this right up. Verdict: **** Not at all what I expected, but I think it's still a keeper for me. I like this scent. I do think I need to try it again, and compare, to see if I get more of these notes when my body chemistry is a bit different, but at this point, I like it.

Ok, I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about trying this one. Pine and other drier wood smells have not been too friendly to my skin, and while I like eucalyptus, it can get overwhelming. Well, here goes. In the imp: My first hit when I open the imp is a lovely orange touched my eucalyptus. When I sniff closer, though, I get a strong hit of the pine. Wet on skin: Ok, this is actually very well blended at the moment. I get the pine, but it's a darker undertone to the eucalyptus and orange, and neither of those overtake the other too much. Dried down: After drying down, the pine takes over more strongly. It's still complemented by the orange, but the eucalyptus is barely there. I can't even pick it up in a wrist sniff. I didn't want it taking over, but I miss the eucalyptus. I didn't want this to be all pine on me, either. Throw: This has a bit of throw, but it's all pine on me. I don't really get the orange unless I sniff my wrists. Verdict: *** 1/* I don't think I needed to be nervous about this one, but I don't know if it's for me yet. It's definitely not a bad smell, but pine is not the note I want lasting the longest on my skin. People say this one can change depending on when you apply it, so I might try it again before sticking it in the swap pile.

So my first imp of this came as a frimp from the lab. Subsequently, I've gotten a couple more imps, but hadn't had a chance to actually test them yet. Something I find interesting - the imp from the lab is slightly darker than one of the others and slightly lighter than the other. I wonder that that says about its age. Anyway, to the test. I'm going to use the imp I got from the lab. It's been about a month since I got it. In the imp: vanilla and something else - I'm assuming the blend of Indonesian oils. It's sweet and spicy at the same time. Wet on skin: Incense with a little bit of sweetness. (also, wow, this oil is dark, and for once, we have an oil that doesn't immediately sink straight into my skin. I can still see it glistening a little where it's applied.) Dried down: Incense and sweet vanilla, with the scent I got out of the imp in the background. Throw: This definitely has some throw. The incense sort of overpowers it when I sniff my wrists, but otherwise, I've got this cloud of slightly spicy vanilla floating around me, and I keep wanting to breathe it in. Verdict: ***** I get it now. I need a bottle of this. Two bottles, actually, so one can age while I use the first one up (although I seem to enjoy it already when it's not so aged).

So, I've been using this for the past few months, for a while, every day, but lately, just before I go out (which isn't every day), and I don't always remember to anoint myself with it beforehand. I tend to get along with people in general. I smile and try to be nice and polite to others, and they they're usually the same with me, and are usually willing to be helpful, sometimes moreso than with other people I know. So the outside viewer might say this is just how people are around me. When I wear Charisma, sometimes it seems like people are even more willing to go the extra mile to be nice to me. No miracles yet, but moreso than affecting other people's perception of me, Charisma is kind of like a good luck charm for me. I'll get parking spaces really close to the store, I went to the farmer's market today without hitting a SINGLE red light (and went through a few more lights than I normally do on the way to the market). The guy at the garden center was extra nice and friendly and helpful. I don't know if it's me or the TAL, but at the very least, the TAL seems to affect my own perception of me, and put me in a better mood. And I can't place the notes, but I love the scent.

In the imp: Leather. Pepper. And a smidge of floral. Wet on skin: Same as above. The leather and the pepper are the two strongest notes here. Dried down: I've been learning a lot of new names for these components over the past few days. Olibanum is apparently another name for frankincense. It comes out a lot stronger in the drydown for me, maybe minged with the slightest bit of sandalwood and elemi, but I can't really pick them out - they're either faint or too well-blended. The leather's still going strong, although the pepper may have faded a bit. Throw: This doesn't really have much throw from the amount I put on. I don't think it's my nose today, so I'm starting to wonder if I really don't use very much to test compared to some other people. Verdict: **** 1/* I want a bottle of this. It's a very non-perfume scent, and I'm fairly sure won't be reaching for this bottle too often... but I want a bottle anyway. It's just so spicy and rich. Also, since the lining of my leather jacket got shredded, and I haven't worn it as much in the past couple of years, I think I've been missing the smell of old black leather. From the above reviews, it sounds ilike this scent might morph into something sweeter later on, so I may update my review with that if it happens.

I have to admit, after vetiver (under the name of khus) sort of screwed up my experience with Stentor yesterday, I'm a little more nervous about this one. Still, you never know! In the imp: Coconut and patchouli. And something else. I think I can smell the vetiver a bit (though that might just be my growing prejudice of vetiver ::Sigh:) Wet on skin: Coconut and patchouli. It's and interesting combination. I think I'm getting the quince in there, too, or maybe the green tangerine. For that matter, it might be the bergamot, or a combination of all three. It's something fruity. In general, coconut seems to work well on my skin, but I don't know about some of these other notes, and how well they'll play. I still need to figure out what myrrh smells like. Dried down: Yep. there's the vetiver. But it's not horrible. It doesn't have the funky undertone I was getting from Stentor. It plays reasonably nicely with the coconut and fruity bits. I do like the dried down scent better than the wet. The patchouli's calmed down a bit, and all the notes are playing nicely together. Throw: This one's got a strong throw. Yay for coconut! Verdict: *** 1/* This wasn't really bad at all, so maybe I don't need to start fearing vetiver. Still, it didn't wow me either. The coconut's pretty, and I do like the final scent, but still not as much as I like some others. Oh well.

In the imp: Mint, mint, mint, mint, mint. And maybe a hint of citrus. Seriously, I could smell the mint before unwrapping the plumber's tape from the imp. As someone said, this is the mint of a York peppermint patty. Dried down: Normally, I'd have a wet stage first, but this just disappeared into my skin, and I didn't want to apply anymore. Well, it's doing something funny on my skin. I think the lime's battling the mint to get on to the stage. I don't know what khus or juniper berry smells like (or even champaca, really), but I think one of them is trying to help the lime rind get into the spotlight (I nearly said limelight). The result is something kind of wood smelling, that's still being overpowered by the mint, but is leaving kind of a funky undertone to it - almost like pairing the mint with vetiver. And I wish I could smell the champaca, whatever that is. So far, none of the blends I've tried with champaca has done this to me, so I don't think that's the problem. I'm not sure about this. I want the citrus back, not this bitter woodiness. (I just checked wikipedia. Khus is apparently another name for vetiver, which explains this - vetiver is fast becoming one of my death notes. It's funny, though, I think I've smelled khus grass before, and I don't remember it smelling like this. It has been awhile, though). Throw: This. Is Strong. White mint is freaking muscle-y. Which I'm a little grateful for since I don't like the khus that's trying to push through. Verdict: *** ::sigh:: Three stars for the mint, minus two for the vetiver. And possibly for the headache I'm starting to get, but that might be more because I need to eat, so I'm not really counting that. I think this is a swap pile scent for me. If the vetiver portion doesn't die down soon, I may need to put something on over this. I'm not convinced it will wash off, the way my skin appears to eat the oil. Or I may try this as a room scent - maybe that way the lime will stick around longer. Edited for corrections, and to add: After five to ten minutes, it seems like both the vetiver and the mint have softened a bit, and I think the champaca is starting to come out a bit now too, and the lime rind is coming back into play. This is actually rather lovely, although the mint still wants to clear my sinuses. There's something that actually makes me think of coconut, and my beloved Touched Twice (which may be the champaca a bit, since it's in there). Hmmm. maybe I should keep this is my second chance pile, instead of swaps. It's just that funky vetiver undertone stage. I don't think I've had this strong a negative reaction for most of my perfumes as I did for that one stage. ::sigh::

In the imp: Wood, wood, lots of wood, with maybe a touch of pine sol. I also get some sweet strawberry, but only if I don't hold it up to my nose. Wet on skin: Sour wood. i'm getting the faintest hint of the mint and tea leaf, but it's pretty much overwhelmed by the woodiness. I think I'm getting more of the pine than anything else. Dried down: Well, the strawberry has come out to play. Unfortunately, the game is hide and seek, and the woods are "it." I can see where others would call this a more herbal strawberry, but I feel more like the strawberry is trying and failing to sweeten the woods, rather than the woods bringing an herbal note to the strawberry. The woods are very.... Pine-Sol-y. Throw: This has some decent throw. I don't have to sniff my wrists to get some good scent here. The funny thing is, the throw is almost completely strawberry. Like a fresh strawberry just rinsed in water, without sugar or any other sweeteners. It's too bad I like sniffing my wrists so much. Verdict: *** I love the "throw" scent. If that was what I got when I sniffed my wrists as well, it would be a definite keeper for me. As it is, though, I don't think I'll be reaching for this too often, and a decant's enough for me. I just don't like the wet stage or the scent directly on my wrists very much. I may give it another test before deciding to swap it. I hope I find another scent that can replicate that strawberry, though. It's really beautiful, and I don't know if I have another one like it. I know I've got the sugared ones, but fresh, sweet, ripe strawberry with no additives? That would be divine.

Really looking forward to trying this because I love so many of those notes, and East Indian mango is so me (but I haven't had a chance to try a mango scent yet) - just hoping they play together well on my skin. In the imp: Fruity - smells like a cross between a pina colada, and a mango lassi. Wet on skin: Er... the jasmine's coming out. Which, normally, I don't complain about, but the jasmine and the fruit don't seem to like each other so well on my skin. Dried down: Ok, that's better. It does seem like the jasmine has beaten the coconut and mango into submission. I can barely smell them anymore. They are there, but they're trying to hide from the big, bad, jasmine, while jasmine's laughing at the forefront about having two new minions. It's a good thing I like jasmine sambac. I think if it had been night-blooming jasmine, or one of the sweeter ones, this might have gotten too sweet on me, like decaying fruit. Throw: I get a definite hit of scent off of this as I type. Funny - while typing, I get more coconut and a hint of mango rather than floral, but when I sniff my wrists, I get jasmine. ::shrugs:: I like them both. Verdict: **** 1/2 The inability of the mango and coconut to play nicely with the jasmine brings it down a half-star for me, but if I can afford it, I think I'm going to go for a bottle of this anyway.The scent notes might be a little disparate on me, but the ones I can pick out are all ones I love.

In the bottle: I'm not sure what I'm smelling, honestly. There is a little bit of citrus, but a little chalky - it reminds me more of a Flintstone vitamin rather than verbena. That could be the verbena playing with something sweet, but I can't quite tell. Wet on skin: Same as in bottle, pretty much, though it smells a little nicer on my skin. It's softer, at least. Dried down: The scent has warmed up a bit - I'm getting hints of something sweet still - probably the cocoa butter, almond milk, and/or beeswax, but the citrus has faded enough that it doesn't smell like a Flintstone vitamin anymore. I can almost smell the sandalwood - I really, REALLY want to smell the sandalwood - but I can't really pick it out. It's too bad, I'd have loved to see how it played with the other notes. I still don't really know what opoponax, kumaru, guiac wood, and myrrh smell like, so I'm not sure where or if they're playing into this. (ok, by the time I got down to writing the verdict, the sandalwood started coming out to play a little more. Maybe even a bit of the myrrh, but I'm not sure. This, I love.) Throw: Almost none, when I'm typing. There is a tiny bit of sweetness in the air, but I have to sniff my wrists to really get any scent. Verdict: **** I think it would have been a 5 if it didn't have that Flintstone vitamin smell in the beginning. I don't really like the wet scent on my skin that much, but it's bearable, and the wet stage doesn't usually last long on me. The dry stage (especially if I have the patience to wait for it, smells gorgeous on me. I probably won't try to seek out a backup bottle of this, but I'll keep the one I have.

In the imp: I smell something sweet, sort of like a cross between jasmine and apple blossom, and a little bit of sandalwood. Wet on skin: That same sweetness, but softened by something else. It could be the sandalwood, but I'm not sure. It could also be the amber, or the musk, I don't know. Dried down: Cucumber. It reminds me of soft cucumber, now. Except a little floral. And the sandalwood's still there, too - just a hint. Throw: This doesn't have a heavy throw on me. I've noticed some perfumes become a little stronger on me after I've written the review, so maybe I'm just not waiting long enough, but yeah. I can smell a wisp of light scent as I type (sometimes sandalwood, sometimes the almost-cucumber), but ?I don't get much of anything unless I sniff my wrists. Verdict: **** 1/* I wonder if the sandalwood and the white tobacco are blending together in my head. I can't tell. But this is SUCH a pretty scent. It's a happy scent, very spring-like to me, even though the description suggest a cold, hard, even wintry picture.

The scent is somewhere between lemon and fresh roses to me - I love it! I have to admit, I think I've only tried Concentration once, and I haven't tried Determination yet, so I don't really have a good feel for how it compares to those two, but... I use this on a regular basis - it's become one of my go-to blends for getting work done. Whenever I sit down to work on manuscripts, or fill out application,s, or whatnot, and want to make sure I don't get too distracted, I apply it to the base of my palms. It works. Even if I let myself get distracted, I don't STAY distracted. One caveat: put it on right before you start whatever you want to be focused on. If I put it on and do something else first, I end up hugely focused on that instead. I have found that, for me, reapplying it when I change tasks (sort of adjusting my focus) seems to work well, too. One of my most common uses is laying it at the base of my palms with Hand of Hermes when I'm working on my ms. I like the scent of Hand of Hermes, but the Red Hot Cinnamonyness can sometimes be a bit much for me, and sting my eyes slightly, like an onion. It's not too bad, but it can be slightly distracting. Dicipline cuts through that cinnamon. It's still there - I can smell it along side the lemony rosiness, but it's not anywhere near as harsh, and gets me an awesome jumpstart to working on my ms.

I'm not going to bother with my normal scent review for this one, other than to say it's a dark, rosy smell to me (which I'm perfectly fine with). I've been using this for about three nights now, after using Anthelion, TKO, and Somnus, respectively to get a bit better sleep. They all helped, in their own way, but I have to say, Nocturne is the first one that's helped me sleep well at night (even on nights where I didn't feel really tired already, going to bed), AND lets me wake up naturally without feeling groggy. (My cat woke me up a few times - she likes to come up and lick my face (which I try to discourage, and I pet her until she goes back to my feet or settles down again. Even then, though, I was able to wake up to pet her without feeling too groggy, and able to go right back to sleep.) Admittedly, I don't think I've had the kinds of days lately that would lead to those really restless nights during this time, but it's hard to predict when those are going to be. I also think, for Somnus and Nocturne, at least, my fiance hasn't had a sleepless night with me when I'm wearing them yet (he may believe in the aromatherapy properties, at least, if not the magical properties of nocturne). Actually, for that matter, I got really tired in the middle of the day yesterday, and napped while he was playing video games. I didn't have any caffeine either, but I don't usually sleep too early or easily when I've been able to nap during the day, and last night, I wanted to go to bed fairly quickly. I'm hoping it won't cause me to start oversleeping, but I do feel like I've been regularly getting a good night's rest more than in the past. Three nights may not be a lot to go on, but it's enough to make me take notice. Edited to add: So, I met a friend at a coffeehouse last night to work on our manuscripts and catch up, and I had a chai latte. I'd also had an extra (albeit somewhat milky) cup of coffee in the afternoon in addition to my first cup in the morning. I grew up drinking coffee and tea, and never had any issues with the caffeine, but at some point (I think undergrad), I stopped drinking it, mostly because no one was making it (my parents make coffee every morning). In grad school, I started drinking tea again on a daily basis, and after graduating, started drinking coffee again on a near-daily basis. Somewhere in that period of time, I realized that my caffeine tolerance was apparently shot, and that if I drank anything stronger than white tea after noon, I would be up REALLY late that night, and not be able to sleep. Sometimes that was a problem, and sometimes it wasn't. I do think my caffeine tolerance has gone up again (which I like, since I never remember to order decaf, and I love my coffee and tea), and I did start getting tired not too much longer after I'd been going to sleep the previous nights. It took me longer to get to sleep than it had the previous nights, but not by too much (maybe took me 30-45 mins), and once I was out, I did not wake up until my fiance woke me up in the morning to tell me he was leaving for work. And I fell asleep again and woke up feeling rested. TL;DR version - Yeah, this stuff works. Even when I've stacked up the caffeine against it. And just a thought - this could be pretty useful to people trying to establish a decent sleeping schedule.

In the imp: Sweet and floral. This is REALLY pretty! Wet on skin: Ooh, I'm getting incense, with a touch of leather. I think the incense is coming from the myrrh or patchouli. Dried down: incense softened by leather. Oh. Yes. Throw: The incense lingers in my nose a little, but otherwise, I just get the faintest whiff of scent as I type. Verdict: ***** Damn. I need a bottle of this.

In the imp: Sweet fruit - I'm also getting the patchouli, and I think the frankincense. Sooner or later, I need to figure out what hyssop smells like, because I'm come across it often, but never been able to pick it out. Wet on skin: On my skin, I'm mostly getting incense, with the tiniest hint of fruit. I have to sniff my wrists for the fruit, though. The incense is strongly reminiscent of camphor. Dried down: This is confusing. I'm still getting mostly the same as before, but the fruitiness has morphed. It's more light and ethereal. I also think I'm getting some of the cardamom , and maybe a bit of the rosemary now. The camphor is still pretty strong. Throw: I don't get much as I type, but again, the camphor and incense tend to linger in my nose a bit after I sniff my wrists. I can't get the fruitiness at all if I don't sniff my wrists. Verdict: **** Honestly, I can't decide if I'm going to keep this or not. I didn't get anything I really didn't like, but I'm not sure how often I'm going to wear this. I might also try it in something else, like a room spray or something. I'm curious if I'll get more of the notes that way. I think this imp will go into my second chances pile. It needs another test before I decide what to do with it. Updated 3/6/2014: Second test didn't go quite as well as the first. Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress. In the imp: I'm pretty much getting vetiver out of this one. I think I might go a bit light on it. Wet on skin: Mostly vetiver with a touch of incense. I can kind of get some lavender, but it's hovering way in the background. Dried down: Still mostly dry, bitter vetiver, although some of the fig is coming through in the throw. Throw: Very faint, but I only put it on one wrist, and pretty lightly - so for that, I'd say it's actually pretty strong. The throw is more fig than vetiver, and is actually very pretty. Verdict: *** Not bad, but not for me.

Judyku, I love your avatar! <3 I usually test using the polycone nub in the lid, but if I really like a scent, and think I'll be applying it often, I'll give it a wand cap. I'm also considering getting some of those Aroma Glide roller fitments, but I haven't gotten to the point yet where I want to apply like that straight out of the bottle (I have decanted Touched Twice into a smaller roller bottle, so what's left in the big bottle is clean). A question about wand caps for you experienced users - I got a bunch of extra ones from E.D. Luce, and I keep them in my drawer near my BPAL, so when I get a new bottle that I think I want one for, I can just switch them out. But I was putting a couple of wand caps on bottles today when I noticed that 3 of the ones in my package were broken. I can't remember if they were broken or not when I received the package, but I didn't think so. And I haven't exactly been rough with them, I don't think. Anyway, I don't know how or when they broke, but do you think it would be possible to fix them? Or should I just give them up as a lost cause and order new ones a little sooner than I would have otherwise?

In the imp: I smell apple in the imp, with a little hint of mint. Wet on skin: I'm getting apple and lime here. And maybe just the slightest hint of mint, though my nose has to look for it. Dried down: Hmmmm, it's dried down to a mildly minty floral - I'm not really sure if it's the ambrette or the iris I'm getting, or if there's any notes I'm not getting because it's aged. The mint fades pretty quickly, leaving me with more of a sandalwood scent. Which is still really pretty, but I liked the way the mint played on my akin, especially with the apple. Throw: This is another scent where I kind of feel a cloud of scent around me rather than smelling it. Just the faintest whiff of something in the air. I have to sniff my wrists to get anything distinct though, and I think it's that sandalwoody iris or ambrette. I have zero apple and mint now. Verdict: *** I like sandalwood, and I think this is really pretty, but I really wish the apple and mint would have stayed around longer. I do wish this scent was still live, but - what can you do? If it ever does come back, I'd love to try a less-aged version, to see if the initial notes stick around much longer.

Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver. Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver In the imp: I'm getting heavy, strong, florals. I'm kind of hoping this will stay more an incense and floral mix on my skin, instead of going too heavy on the vetiver and patch, but we'll see. Wet on skin: Still strong florals, overall, though I'm getting a little more of the incense. I'm also starting to get more of the vetiver, but it seems to be a grounding note, more than a top note, and I can appreciate that, as long as it doesn't get too heavy. Dried down: More of the soft incense - I think my skins amps up incense, but I'm not sure. I generally don't mind too much, though. There's a lot less floral going on now, though. And the vetiver's still there as a grounding note. I think it works better for me with the incense than with some other notes. Throw: My nose is stuffed (again), but I get a little hint of scent off of this while typing, though not near as much as when I sniff my wrists. It's almost more of a feeling of scent in the air than actual scent, though. Weird, huh? Verdict: *** 1/* This isn't bad, but there are other incense-y blends I like better. I'm glad I tried it, but I think this one will probably go into my swap pile.

In the bottle: chocolate and sweetness, with a touch of nutmeg. I'm pretty sure the vanilla's playing nicely with the chocolate, and I just can't pick it out because it blends so well Wet on skin: Still a warm chocolate. I'm picking up something else a little bit herbally, but I can't quite tell what. Dried down: Still getting the chocolate, but I think some of the other notes are coming out to play more, though they're playing hide and seek, apparently. I get enough to tell there's something there (and I think I'm getting hints of the sandalwood and the tea, but I'm not sure), but not enough to be able to pick out distinct notes. MAybe a bit of the geranium or lavender, but I'm not quite sure. Throw: This has a little bit of throw. I don't need to hold my wrists up to get the chocolate, at least. Maybe the other notes will come out more in time. Verdict: ***** This is primarily chocolate on me, but I'm not going to complain about that. I wish I'd gotten a bit more of the sandalwood, but it's still a lovely, lovely scent, and the chocolate scent just makes me happy.