Magycmyste

In the imp: Dark, sweet herbal Wet on skin: Less sweet, more woodsy, but nice. The sage is strong, but not overpowering, and the musk has an almost dark floral edge to it Dried down: The floral's gone now. This is kind of a dusty, dried herbs and incense scent now. Very pretty, and much better than I'd imagined. Darker, woody blends seem to often go sour on me, but I think it's certain types of woods. Throw: This has a little bit of throw on me, focusing on the sage and incense. Verdict: **** This is very, very pretty. I don't know if I want a bottle or not. I doubt I'd reach for it very often. But it's very nice.

Ok, I'm not exactly expecting this to morph on my skin, but I'm doing the full write-up anyway, just in case. Also, I can't remember having ever actually smelled India Ink, so I'm not entirely sure how this matches up. In the bottle: Smells a little tarry, or like pine pitch. Wet on skin: Same but with a squeeze of fresh lemon added to it. Dried down: Lemony-woodsy. Like, a hardwood table with lemon oil rubbed into it. Throw: This has a little bit of throw to it, but not a whole lot. Verdict: *** 1/* This is a very masculine scent, and, as of now, not really one of my favorites. I may hang onto it, though, to try again, or just for the concept.

So, I'm not a fan of melon, but my preferences for food and my preferences in perfume seem to differ, so let's see if this works on me. In the imp: Melon, melon, melon. Wet on skin: This isn't unpleasant, but..... I don't know. I don't really like it. It reminds me very much of watermelon, which I like, but there's an afternote to it that distinctly tells me "This is one of those melons that you can't stand, like cantaloupe or honeydew... or anything besides watermelon." It's like watermelon, but with a sheen of latex over it or something. Dried down: Same as wet. Throw: This has a little bit of throw on me. Verdict: ** So this is apparently one where my foody tastes match my perfume tastes, and being sweet isn't enough to overcome that. If you like melons, this one would probably be a good one to try. For me, I think I'll pass.

I actually order the ones from ED Luce. I found the link somewhere earlier in the thread, but these are the ones I order: http://www.essentialsupplies.com/~smartcart/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=M03025-APP45&dept=Caps. 18-400 fits perfectly into the 5ML bottles. Which this thread just reminded me, I need to order some more soon. For my most used oils, I prefer to use these roller bottles (http://www.pilotvials.com/Roll-on_vials.html), but I like having the wand caps on certain other ones, the loved but not being used frequently enough for me to decant into a roller.

In the imp: An almost coconut sugariness Wet on skin: The peach blossom is coming out now, with the amber softening everything else up. This is sweet and delicious-smelling. Dried down: Soft and peachy, but not overwhelmingly so. Throw: Not a whole lot on me, apparently, but I'm good with that. My skin tends to eat up these oils, but I don't really like to be overwhelmed with perfume, anyway. Verdict: ***** Bottle, please? Maybe two? ::Sigh::

Sweet pea, cherry blossoms, and sugared cream. In the imp: This is beautiful! I'm pretty sure I'm getting the sugared sweet pea with cream Wet on skin: Sweet creamy floral. This smells delicious! Dried down: Same. Still creamy and gorgeous. Throw: This has a bit of throw on me, soft and sweet. Verdict: ***** I need a bottle plus a backup, stat!

In the bottle: Sweet and spicy, with a touch of floral. I could see that being mostly the tobacco and honey. Wet on skin: Tobacco, I think. Touched with vanilla. But I have to get really up close to smell anything. I can see the oil on my skin, but I can barely smell it. Which is sad, because I liked the scent coming out of the bottle. I had to dab quite a bit of my skin to smell anything there, though. Dried down: Getting much more floral on me. Like a very heavy floral I don't usually associate with champaca. Throw: It took a little while, but I'm finally getting some throw on this from the drydown. It's the spiciness of the tobacco mixed with the floral of the magnolia. Verdict: *** I'm not sure if I need a bottle of this. I'm not feeling my best today, so it could be that my skin chemistry is hampering my testing (but I want to be able to put in my order soon). I like this a lot, but I'm just not sure if I love it or not.

In the imp: Sugared coffee with a side of chocolate. But something, either one or a combination of the other notes is making this not foody despite that. Wet on skin: Same as before.....but different. I know, I'm being so eloquent here. But I can't quite place this. It's actually turning a little.... lemony on my skin. Reading the other reviews, I have to agree with the root beer claim. Not quite qhat I was hoping for. Dried down: This is softer on my skin as it dries down. Still root-beery, though. Verdict: I think I may need to give this one a second try when I don't have any other perfume on. I think that might be throwing off my sense of smell, though I've had more than that on without having problems identifying things. ETA: Second test. In the imp, I'm getting grape gummi bear now. On my skin, it's a pretty chocolate wine. Softening back into root beer as it dries down. I can identify the champaca now, giving it that ethereal sweetness that makes me love that note. Wears pretty close to my skin. I think my skin chemistry right now is totally wonky, and maybe I shouldn't be trying perfume on at all. I may need to try this again in a couple of weeks. But I'm probably going to be placing my order before then, and this is still pretty, even if it's not what I expected. And I get the feeling it will age very well. So I'll probably get a bottle, try it again in a week or two, and also just to see how it ages.

In the imp: Mmmmm...... I can smell the cocoa in this one. And a bit of patchouli. Wet on skin: Mmmm...... soft cocoa. Dried down: Still soft cocoa, but with a whiff of incensey patchouli. Beautiful. There's a touch of cinnamon there, too. Throw: This has some throw on me. Verdict: **** 1/* This is the only one of the bonbons that's really calling for me to get a bottle of it. Except maybe the Deadly Nightshade Honey. Interesting.

So, I haven't actually tried Blood Kiss yet, so I don't have that to compare to this. Vetiver tends not to work on me, but chocolate usually does. And I'm not sure how the cherry will work out for me. In the imp: Much dark cherry and a little bit of chocolate. Possibly a bit of vetiver, but that's just darkening the cherry. Wet on skin: Hmmm....... the cherry's going a bit almond on my skin. Very nice! It might be the chocolate coming through for me, but I'm enjoying this. Dried down: Getting more cherry again. I'm getting too much cherry and not enough chocolate. Throw: Cherry, cherry, cherry, cherry, cherry. Verdict: *** Not unwearable, but not for me. If you're a fan of cherry, you'll probably enjoy this. Apparently, the only cherries I like are still the fresh ones at the grocery store.

This one had me curious - I'm still on the fence about whether I like absinthe or not, but I'm starting to find that more absinthe-y, anise-y scents that work on me. Plus, I do love the chocolate scents. In the imp: Mint with a touch of anise and possibly the cardamom. Wet on skin: Stronger anise, but the mint is still there, too. This reminds me of the fennel candy they have at the exit in some Indian restaurants. Not unpleasant smelling, but I never really liked that stuff. Dried down: Same as wet, and I'm not getting any chocolate at all. Throw: This one has a little bit of throw on me. Anise with a hint of mint, making it a little sharp. Verdict: *** I could probably do without this one,honestly. Maybe I'll change my mind in the future if the chocolate note comes out more, but for the time being, I don't think I need a bottle of this.

In the imp: Honeyed SO. That really is the only way to describe it. To me, the honey actually kind of darkens the SO (although the oil itself is lighter than SO is, it's a golden orange). Wet on skin: The honey takes on an almost floral quality on my skin. Dried down: Ooh, this is turning absolutely beautiful. It's like Snake Oil, but lighter. Throw: This has a little throw on me. The honey reaches my nose as I type at my laptop. Verdict: ***** Damnit. I was hoping this would be so similar to Snake Oil or that I'd love Snake Oil so much better that I wouldn't feel like I needed a bottle. But as much as I love Snake Oil, it's a very heavy scent on me sometimes, and this would be very appropriate for when I want Snake Oil, but a little lighter.

In the imp: Honey tinged with a few drops of wine. Wet on skin: Still honey and wine, but the myrrh comes out to play as well. Dried down: Sweet wine, with just the barest hint of myrrh. Throw: This has a little bit of throw on me, butt wears pretty close to my skin. Verdict: **** This is very pretty, but I'm not too sure I need a bottle of it. I'll hang on to the decant, though.

Hmmmm, not really familiar with mugwort or mayweed, but let's give this a whirl, shall we? In the imp: Dark, swirling herbal water. I'm getting something closer to vetiver than clean and refreshing, though I'm definitely getting the thyme, too. Wet on skin: About the same, though slightly less vetiver-y. Dried down: Cool, dark herbal water. This is like evil herbal water (although probably delicious). I'm not saying it smells bad, just... there is something very dark and sinister about this blend on me. Throw: This one hugs my skin. Maybe curling like Devil's snare around it. Verdict: Despite my calling it evil, I actually rather like this one. I think I'll stick to my decant, though. Maybe seek out a bottle later on. It's very interesting, though. And I do like the watery feel to it.

In the imp: Sweet and incensey. Not what I was expecting from it. Wet on skin: Sweet and incensey... with a touch of something else, and I'm not sure what that is. Dried down: Hmmmmm, sweet and beautifully spicy. I love it! Throw: This one has a little throw to it. Verdict: ***** Yeah, this is beautiful, and a little different. Need more.

In the imp: Hmmmm, my oil is a dark golden amber, not red. Unless Lycanthrope was describing the scent, not the actual color? Anyway, from the imp, I'm getting sweet cinnamon and star anise, with a touch of spice from the ginger, and maybe the pepper. Wet on skin: Same on my skin. The anise is getting almost frankincensey. And after reading about cubeb, I think that's where the cinnamon scent is coming from. Dried down: Pure spice. This is gorgeous. It's both hot and cool at the same time, like a core of ice in the center of a flame, if you can imagine that. Throw: I can smell the spices about an inch or so away from my skin. But I'm not wearing much. Verdict: ***** Yes, I want a bottle. I just need to figure out if I need a backup of this. I don't think I'll be reaching for it too often, but I definitely want to have it on hand.

In the imp: So I'm getting something between sweet tarts and wine. Red wine with some sweet tarts tossed into the bottom? Or darkened sweet tarts. Quite pretty, actually. Wet on skin: Still a little grapey, but with more pine and floral. Dried down: As it dries down, it becomes more woodsy than fruity, and the aquatic note starts shining through. I'm enjoying this a lot. Throw: This wears really close to my skin. I need my nose to be almost touching it to smell it. Verdict: **** I REALLY like this. I want a bottle, but I think I'm willing to wait and see if a secondhand bottle pops up for this one.

In the imp: Sour with a bit of rocky incense. I get the vetiver everyone's talking about. Wet on skin: Oh yeah, vetiver, almost purely, sharp and sour, like it almost always goes on my skin. Dried down: Softer, but still pretty much the vetiver on me. Well, actually, there's something else, too, but I can't tell what. Like a flower trying to poke its way through. No, not floral - it must be the grey musk. It's similar to the grey musk scent I got from Kneel Down, Fair Love, and Fill Thyself with Tears. Very pretty, but darkened by too much of the vetiver here. Throw: Not much, unless I get about an inch or two from my skin. Verdict: ** It's wearable, but way too much vetiver for me.

This is actually the scent I was most looking forward to trying. Let's see if it lives up to my expectations. In the imp: Mmmm... a floral or musk sweetened by the patchouli and with a hint of ginger. Wet on skin: Mostly the patchouli, light and airy. Dried down: Soft musk, and soft patch. The ginger is gone, unfortunately, but this is still pretty. Throw: This one has a faint throw. Verdict: *** ...1/* I feel like this one needs a second test, when I'm not messing with everything else. Maybe I want to love it too much. And I like the musk/patchouli scent, just... I don't know how much. At the moment, not quite as much as I loved it in the imp. I might get a bottle anyway, and use it as a room scent or in an oil burner instead of on my skin.

In the imp: Soft, dark, sweet, and with a touch of incense. Wet on skin: Soft, dark, amber touched by myrrh. There's a touch of floral to it, probably from the moonflower. Dried down: Same as before, but even softer. This is pretty. The salty aquatics are starting to come through, and blend with everything else Throw: This has a decent throw on me. Verdict: **** You know, I should love this. It's beautiful, but... it's not quite grabbing me.

In the imp: Lemon and eucalyptus. This smells very medicinal. Wet on skin: It's softer on my skin. More lemon, less medicine. The mint's still there, though. Dried down: Lemon and mint beautifully blended together. Kind of like a softer lemon halls. Throw: This one has a decent throw. Verdict: *** 1/* Very pretty, butI don't see myself reaching for it over most of my other scents. I think I'll pass on this one.

In the imp: Erg. Sweet, used up corn cobs and dirt. This is pretty much what I usually get out of the lab's dirt note. Wet on skin: Still dirt and sweet corn. Dried down: The dirt is fading a bit, but the corn cobs are getting stronger. Throw: Faint, there's something sweeter in the throw than up close to my skin. It would probably be pretty strong if I pu on my normal application. Verdict: *** This isn't unwearable, but I don't think it's for me.

In the imp: Interesting. Definitely reminds me of the woods, evergreens and stone and little flowers poking through the rocks. Wet on skin: A little heavier on the florals and woods on my skin. It's nice and soft. There's a touch of camphor and incense, adding to the mystery of it all. Dried down: This is really pretty, like baby powder winged with camphor on me. It's like the woods disappeared under a baby blanket. Throw: There's a tiny bit of throw here, but not much on me. But I only put a dab across my inner elbow, since I'm testing all the Ragnarok scents today. Verdict: **** This is soft and pretty, and totally unexpected. I really like this.

In the imp: First whiff was fruity and herbal, then all of a sudden, whoa, floral! (Eloquent, I know ) Not getting the leather yet, but everything else has shown up. Wet on skin: There's the leather! First and foremost. There's a hint of the other notes right mow, but it's mostly the leather. Dried down: This is pretty much pure herbs and leather on me, with the lilac creating a bit of a soapy background. If I try really, really hard, I can smell the plum, but not otherwise. Throw: There's a teeny bit of leather and herbs in the air, but that's it. Well, every once in awhile, I sniff and get some of the lilac. Verdict: *** This is nice, but surprisingly enough, this combination with the leather isn't driving me wild. I don't think I'll be reaching for it enough to need a bottle, and I may even give up my imp. I've got enough other leather scents that I adore. ETA: Ok, actually, I am getting a few whiffs of plum in the throw, and I can smell it if I rest my chin on my hand. It's pleasant, but I think my verdict still stands.

The dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious. In the imp: A reddish oil, saffron colored (the color of the threads, not the color they impart to foods, which is more like turmeric) A sweet, ambery scent. Well, I might not have guess amber - it reminds me of the sweetness of cornbread, though it doesn't smell corny. Wet on skin: Still soft, sweet and ambery. This sweetness reminds me slightly of Play-doh, although again, not quite. Dried down: Definitely ambery now. It's got that resiny tartness that comes from amber. And it is softly spiced, as the description says, thoguh I can't quite tell with what. Saffron's a possibility. I might actually think there's the faintest hint of red pepper, except I think that would irritate a lot of people's skins. Maybe clove or nutmeg or cardamom - it smells like a strong spice, used very lightly to me. Throw: Sweet, soft amber. This actually has some good throw on me. Verdict: **** This is very, very pretty, but I don't think it beats my must-haves for a bottle yet. I'll definitely keep my decant, though.