Magycmyste

I thought I had tried this already, but I guess I hadn't. I don't know what some of these notes are, but rose, amber, frankincense, myrrh and champaca seem to do well on my skin. Narcissus seems to hate me. In the bottle: Incense with a little floral, and a bit of herbal sourness, but not a bad sourness at this point. Wet on skin: Frankincense tinged with rose. I can enjoy that. I can sense the narcisssus wanting to come out, and I'm hoping the florals and incense will beat it into submission. Go find another playground, narcissus! Dried down: AS it dried down, the champaca blooms beautifully, mixing with the rose and incense. Absolutely gorgeous. I'm still getting whiffs of that narcissus, but the other notes I love seem to be taking over the stage. There is a tart woodiness if I sniff my skin, but it's faint and blends in well with the rest. Throw: This has some serious throw on me. I can lean back, relax and tpe and still smell the champaca and rose and incense. Beautiful. Verdict: ***** Phew! Now that I've realized that narcissus and daffodils don't really work on my skin, it's a relief to know I can still wear blens where it's not so prominent. I'll probably just have to test them one at a time. And if my wrists don't start to stink later, I'll happily keep my cleric bottle.

In the bottle: I'm getting a lot of peach more than anything else, but there's something stinky too. Wet on skin: More mandarin now, and still something stinky. I'm getting pretty sure narcissus hates my skin now. Dried down: I'm kind of wondering if I dare let it dry down, or should I wash it off immediately. It's putting off some powerful throw, and I'm getting peach with hints of orange in that. Not getting the stink there. In fact, the longer I wait, the nicer this becomes. And I can even sniff my wrist without wincing! Whoo! (I just looked up narcissus, and realized that it's either the same, or comes from the same family as daffodils. This explains why Crowned with Calm Leaves She Stands so did not work for me). I haven't tried too many of them yet, but this is the first of the New Year's blends that has remotey worked for me, and I might even enjoy. It looks to me like they all have the same ingredients, but maybe in different concentrations. Throw: Throw is fairly light after it's been on my skin for a few minutes, mostly peach and floral, and rather pretty. Verdict: **** I think I gave it an extra star just for showing that I can wear a blend with narcissus in it if it's not too prominent. If it rears its ugly head at me, that's going to go down to a one. The peach and floral is very nice, though.

In the imp: Sweet and wet with a little bit of salt. Wet on skin: Beautiful aquatics and light florals. This reminds me of Dragon's Tears. Dried down: Creamier, and more floral now. The aquatic note is still there, but it blends beatifully with the floral. Throw: I'm not getting much, but I keep sniffing my skin to get more. Verdict: ***** Oh yes, this is another winner. This reminds me of Dragon's Tears, but the creaminess pulls it one more step up. Not getting the red currant at all, but I don't mind that. I don't know if I would care for the fruitiness in this.

In the imp: The first hit is sweet, probably the yokan, but it's quickly replaced with astringent sake. Possibly mixed with the sandalwood, but I'm attributing it to the sake. Wet on skin: Same as before. A lovely sweetness which is throwing nicely, accompanied by a sharp scent that makes me thinkof alcohol poured over a paper cut. Close to my skin, it's just the sharpness. Dried down: Same as before, sweet yokan and sharp sake. Throw: The throw is almost all yokan, very nice. Verdict: *** This one has me torn, really. I love the yokan and the throw. But I really don't like the sake astringency I get when sniffing closer, which, considering how much I love the yokan, I'm bound to do. It's like a bait and switch, Jekyll and Hyde sort of scent on me. I'll have to pass this time, but I'd love to see another scent with yokan in it. I think I will keep the decant, though, see if the sake mellows out over time.

In the imp: Hmmm, the lavender and ginger come together to become very sharp. Wet on skin: Same as above. I'm not getting the white plum blossom or rice wine at all. This is a white scent. Not soft white - this is blinding white, that you need to turn away from. Dried down: The white plum blossom comes out much more as it dries down. Still a bit too astringent for my tastes when I sniff Throw: The throw is ume blossom, and very pleasant, actually. Verdict: ** The ume is nice, but this one is too astringent and sharp for me. This one's a pass.

In the imp: Hmmm.......... I'm getting patchouli and bergamot, right off the bat. Wet on skin: Patchouli and bergamot, still..... and rubber? Dried down: Yeah, this isn't changing, just getting more rubbery. I'm not getting tea at all. Throw: Not getting much. Verdict: ** Yeah, I don't think this is for me.

In the imp: Mostly juicy peach, with something else. I'm thinking it's the sandalwood peeking out, but I can't quite tell. Wet on skin: Peach and.... musk? Amber? It could be a floral - the lilac or cherry blossom. There is a sweetness to it that might be coming from the peach, but I'm not exactly sure. Dried down: Interesting. Peach and floral is mostly what I'm getting. I like the fact that it's not going kid's vitamin on me. Throw: This is wearing pretty close to my skin as well, but sometimes it takes a little while for throw to show up on me. As I wait, the peach wafts to me. Verdict: **** 1/* I think I do want a bottle of this. The question is, am I willing to wait to get it secondhand?

In the imp: Tart. I'm mostly getting the green tea lightened with the apple blossom. Wet on skin: It's the same, but...twisted. And I can't exactly explain how. Like there's another note really blending the tea and apple together? Maybe the bamboo? Dried down: This reminds me a lot of Shanghai. The apple blossom has faded, leaving a mostly tea and bamboo scent. Throw: Wears pretty close to my skin. Verdict: *** 1/* This is nice, but I think for a scent of this type, I'll keep reaching for Shanghai.

In the imp: Honeyed tart floral. The honey's the top note here. Wet on skin: Honey's still the top note on my skin. The floral and the amber blend together well, and they're beautiful. Dried down: Light honey tinged with the amber and mimosa. This is very, very light. And pretty. Throw: Very light and pleasant Verdict: **** 1/* This is another scent that I like a lot, but I like some of the others better. If my order starts getting too big, I might cut this out, and maybe look for a secondhand bottle later.

In the imp: Hmmm... not what I expected. Woody and tart, almost limey. Wet on skin: Getting a hint of frankincense through the tartness. Dried down: Tart and incensey. This is actually a very interesting blend. Throw: This one seems to wear close to my skin. There is a faint throw as time goes on, and the sweet beeswax comes out in that beautifully. Verdict: **** I like this a lot, but I don't think I need a full bottle of it, and I can wait to find a partial. It is very pretty and interesting. I just don't know how often I'll reach for it.

In the imp: Hmmm........ sweet, floral, and smoky. I'm intrigued. Wet on skin: Same as before, but the cognac is coming out a bit more now. Dried down: Anise and clove, with that smoky cognac in the background, sort of sweet and spicy... Throw: Very faint, but what's there is gorgeous. Verdict: ***** I was not expecting to really like this too much, but so far, this might be the runaway hit of the lupers for me. Yes, I loved some others, too, but this one is so different!

In the imp: Oh, pretty! The rose is definitely subtle in this blend. Wet on skin: Still light and lovely. Dried down: This is gorgeous. It actually smells like vanilla. And makes me happy. Throw: There is a little bit here, which is surprising because I'm testing a bunch of scents at the moment. Verdict: ***** Yeah, this one is going to be a must-buy for me. I love too many of the Lupers...

In the imp: Jasmine and raspberry wine. Wet on skin: Mmmm............ this jasmine really blooms on my skin. It's gorgeous! Dried down: Still mostly jasmine on me. Almost a jasmine single note now - the wine has pretty much disappeared at this point (although I can still get it if I try really hard). Throw: I'm not getting much, but as I'm testing a lot of scents right now, that's probably normal. Verdict: **** I am kind of wishing the the sandalwood and champaca were a little stronger in this one, and I'm kind of still hoping they come out, but the jasmine is so pretty on me, I may want a bottle anyway.

In the imp: frankincense, frankincense, frankincense.... and something that smells like pee. I'm a little nervous to try this on. I think I'll be using a light touch. Wet on skin: Ok, almost pure frankincense on my skin. Maybe some benzoin mixed in there, making it shinier. I'm good with this right now. Dried down: Still almost pure frankincense, and when I sniff my arm, I think I'm getting some of that jasmine hedoine. Very light and fresh. Throw: I'm not getting much throw, but I've not got... six scents being teested right now? Still frankincense tends to overpower everything else in throws on me, so I'm a little surprised. Oh wait, there it is. I guess I didn't wait long enough. Frankincense and...I think it's the jasmine hedoine. Or maybe it's the pimento - I'm not sure. I think it's also what smelled a little like pee in the imp. I'm going back and forth between wanting to sniff and wrinkling my nose. My nose is very confused. Verdict: ** This isn't nearly as bad as I was afraid it was going to be, but I don't think I'm going to be hanging on to this one.

I am a huge fan of champaca in the blends I've tried in it - it adds this ethereal quality to the scent that I love, and makes me go "Bottle, NAOW!!". I'm hoping all of these notes make an appearance in this, though. In the imp: Interesting. It's light and airy, but darker than I expected. I think I'm getting the chamomile more than anything, to start. Maybe some amber. Wet on skin: Definitely chamomile. I haven't had the greeatest luck with chamomile in perfume, but the other notes seem to be doing a good job of sweetening it up - hopefully they'll keep working at it. Dried down: Getting to be a much more traditional floral, but it's a soft floral, rather than a hard, strong one. It's a quiet perfume on me, with champaca blends usually aren't. Throw: Light and pleasant. There is a little bit of sweetness from the vanilla in the throw, but I'm not getting much of it. Verdict: **** I do want a bottle, but I think I'd be happy with a partial. Hmmmm..... I have to admit, this is one of the first champaca blends that hasn't had me screaming to hoard bottles the moment I tried it (Touched Twice, I'm looking at you...)

In the imp: Mmmm.........This is light and sweet off the bat Wet on skin: This is like pure dawn sunlight, with a cool breeze. Beautiful! The oil is dark, but the scent is pale gold. I'm only getting the barest hint of rose. Dried down: As it dries, the rose comes out more and more, blending with the gold. Throw: I'm not getting a lot of throw off of this right now, but it's the fourth scent I'm testing right now, and at least one of the others might be overpowering it. I do keep sniffing my wrist, though. Verdict: **** 1/* This scent is pure rose gold, which I love. It reminds me a little of Copper Phoenix..... but rosier. I really want a bottle.

In the imp: Ugh. There is something incredibly astringent here. From You I have been absent in the spring did the same thing, so I wonder if it's the combination of the frankincense and black pepper. Or the lilies. All three notes are in that one, too (although different versions). Wet on skin: No, no, no, no, no. The tuberose is starting to come through, but not enough to get rid of that astringency. Dried down: A little better, but not by much. This makes me want to cough when I sniff it. Throw: Not much. I'm good with that. Verdict: * Not for me. I need to figure out which note (or exact combination) is producing that astringency so I can avoid it in the future. Frankincense works well for me on its own. I know I've tried lily blends before, but I can't remember it going like this on me. I really hope it's not the black pepper, and that it's some sort of combination. I really love the idea of wearing a scent with that pepper kick, but if it's going to turn them into this, I'll be disappointed.

In the imp: The oil is a dark red, almost brown. It smells very, very sweet, like syrup, as someone said earlier, with a hint of rose. Wet on skin: Interesting - not nearly as sweet on my skin - all I'm getting is faint incense - myrrh, mostly (Well, opoponax is also known as sweet myrrh, apparently). Dried down: Ok, there's the sweet rose again! Now this scent has some real complexity - it has that caramel syrup sweetness, blended with a bright red/dark pink rose with the myrrh rounding everything off. Throw: This has a bit of throw to it, alternating notes of rose and myrrh. Verdict: ***** I really like this a lot. There is something holding me back, though. I know I'm going to want a bottle. The question is, do I need it now, or am I willing to wait to find it secondhand?

In the imp: This is a very soft scent. It definitely fits the color grey. I picture heavy, heavy mist with this. Wet on skin: Still very grey, with the magnolia trying to peek through the mist, but not really succeeding. I can't really pick out the orris root from the grey musk, so I'm not sure which is dominating this blend. Dried down: This is really just soft and pretty. It comes a little close to traditional perfume for me, but not in the bad way. Throw: It's got a little bit of throw. Verdict: **** I like this one a lot. Again, just not sure if I absolutely love it. It's plesant, but doesn't make me go "wow!" or want to keep breathing it in.

So Tweedledum did not give me the mango I wanted, but maybe I'll adore it with the white chocolate and hazelnut? In the imp: White Chocolate and... unidentifiable fruit. Actually, it's probably the fig. That note dominated Tweedledum a little too much for me. Wet on skin: Well, I'm definitely getting the white chocolate and hazelnut. Nothing else. But it is very pretty. Dried down: Well, this isn't changing, and I'm not getting any more mango out of it than I did with Tweedledum, but I am enjoying it more for the white chocolate and hazelnut. Throw: Faint and sugary sweet. Verdict: **** I really do like this. But I've been collecting so many chocolate scents that I'm willing to wait to see if I can get this one second hand. It's nice, but not quite special enough for me to feel like I need a bottle right away.

In the imp: Soft, dark cocoa. Wet on skin: Interesting. It's mostly cocoa, but there is a faint herbal undertone to it. Very pretty, and gives it a little bit of complexity. Dried down: Still sweet, dark cocoa with a soft herbal undertone. The undertone is barely there - I don't know if I would notice it if I wasn't looking for it. Throw: This definitely has some throw to it. I'm enjoying it. Verdict: **** I'm not entirely certain I need a bottle of this. But I probably will be on the lookout for a secondhand bottle in the future.

In the imp: That is some incense! Minty incense! Wet on skin: Incense with a bit of wood. Dried down: Still incensey, but much softer. It smells like camphor to me. Throw: Camphor - not very strong at all. Verdict: *** 1/* I dolike this, but not nearly as much as I like other blends. I'll pass on this one.

In the imp: Gorgeous light floral. Wet on skin: Still that beautiful light floral. It almost reminds me of the Bat and Body Works Japanese cherry blossom, but not quite. Other than an almost afterscent, I'm liking this so far. Dried down: Same as before... but I'm getting more annoyed by the rubbery afterscent. Throw: It does have a bit of throw, but the rubber is still mixing in with the florals. Verdict: *** I like it... but not enough to buy a bottle. I'll keep the decant for a second test, though, and if I like it enough, I might seek out a secondhand bottle.

In the imp: Rose wine and frankincense. Wet on skin: A little stronger on the frankincense and rose than the wine (yay! I was hoping it wouldn't be too boozy). Dried down: Rose and sandalwood, with a hint of wine. The beeswax sweetens it a little bit asit dries down further. I'm kind of loving this one. It's soft, has a lot of my favorite notes, and complex. Throw: Not getting a whole lot, and I wish I were, but that's not exactly a dealbreaker for me. Verdict: ***** This is a two-bottle order, if I can afford it. It's that good.

In the imp: Creamy, sweet, and floral. Wet on skin: Still sugar-sweet and floral. Dried down: Vanilla orchid flowery sweetness.... Throw: I'm not getting much right now, but I keep wanting to sniff my wrist... Verdict: ***** I may have bottles like this, but I want this one. Like yesterday.