Magycmyste

In the imp: Sharp but sort of minty herbal. Definitely some rosemary in there. Wet on skin: Very minty, like Vicks Vaporub minty. I could see this being a little mind-clearing. Dried down: Ok, starting to smell a bit more like herbs again instead of just Vicks. Throw: This has a bit of throw, but it's definitely sinus-clearing when I sniff it. Verdict: None yet. Honestly, I might not go for this based on scent, but I'm about to go to sleep, and I'm curious to see if it will have any effect on my dreams. Well, really, on what I remember in the morning from them, since if I don't remember anything, I can't really judge on anything more than that. But I've gotten some great story ideas from the rare vivid dream that I remember well, and I love having that "Ooh!" moment in the morning where I realize I'm going over the details of my dream and adding on to them even more. I'll try to remember to update in the morning if I have anything worth updating about. Update: Well, I didn't notice anything special about my dreams last night. I think I dreamtt of trying on perfume. Still, I'd like to do a little more work with this one. I did notice my mind kind of clearing a little bit when I tried it on last night, like it was open and receptive to more things.

In the imp: Honestly, this is a sweet hot mess in the imp. Other than sweetness, I can't pick anything out. Wet on skin: Strawberry wine. That's what I'm getting out of this. It's nice and subtle and sweet, but not too sweet. It actually reminds me of strawberry chapstick, a little bit. Dried down: It's a little sweeter and a littler fainter now, and reminds me even more of strawberry chapstick. Like it's got a little of that waxy feel to it. Throw: Almost none, but I have too many scents on, and I really doubt I'd be able to pick it out from the others if I could smell anything from a distance right now. Verdict: *** I was actually thinking this might be another winner for me tonight, despite that it doesn't smell like anything in the notes to me. But it faded a little too much, too quickly for me to really be able to appreciate this one.

Lustrous, sanguine, soft and lavish: soft orris, blood musk, and coconut. In the imp: Coconut tinged with something else. I don't know which it is, just that it's there, on the edge of the coconut. Wet on skin: So whether it's the orris or the blood musk, something's darkening and thinning out the coconut. Dried down: Really soft coconut. The scent does give me the impression of a dark pink pearl. Throw: Not a whole lot, but I think my nose is starting to burn out a little after all the scents I've tried tonight. Verdict: *** 1/* I actually do like this, but surprisingly, not as much as I thought I would. I think I'm not as fond of the other notes darkening up the coconut. Maybe if it were more of a hint of coconut brightening the other notes? Oh well.

In the imp: Soft musk with a subtle sweetness to it. Wet on skin: Soft musk, but now with a bitter note instead of the sweetness. Dried down: The sweetness is back! And now it's gone! It's playing peek-a-boo. When I get it, the sweetness is more like grape than caramel. Whenever it disappears, it turns into that bitter herbal note I keep getting tonight. Throw: This has a little bit of throw. I keep getting whiffs of that almost grape-y sweetness. At a distance, it actually does start morphing into sugary caramel. Verdict: *** This is nice, but I think I'm enjoying discovering it more than I am actually wearing it.

In the imp: Definitely a fruity floral (like apple or mango fruity). Wet on skin: Soft, sweet floral. Oh, this is pretty on me. Dried down: Mmmmm.......... this is heavenly. It's not really sweet anymore, just soft and pretty. Throw: Not much on me, but I'm trying on a lot of different scents at once, and this is pretty light, so I wouldn't expect it to cut through. Verdict: **** 1/* I see a bottle of this in my future.

In the imp: Sweet fruity rose powder. Wet on skin: Sweet fruity rose powder, with a little dust thrown in. Dried down: Sweet dusty rose, now. Throw: Not much, but that's probably a good thing, as sniffing the back of my hand made me cough. Verdict: *** I think this went a little too dusty too quickly, on me. Normally, I don't mind dust as a scent, but I probably have too much of it around here already (it makes me sneeze). I'll probably have to pass on this one.

In the imp: Very light, and there's both a sweet and a bitter note going on there. Wet on skin: Bitter floral taking over here. Dried down: Ok, the white musk is taking over on me now, which is fine, and fits the scent. It's almost lemony in the background, but doesn't quite get there. Very nice. There is a tiny, tiny bit of vanilla in the background, just a drop, as the description says, which makes this beautiful. Throw: Almost none on me. Verdict: *** Ok, this is really pretty, but that bitter note at the beginning really didn't work for me, and I've got other vanilla and musk scents that work for me more immediately.

In the imp: There is something floral, sharp, and BITTER in here. Wet on skin: Less bitter, more floral - the rose and orchid, I think. So, the labdanum's going bitter on me? I's never done that before. Dried down: Same as wet. Less bitter, but still bitter. Throw: Not much at all. Verdict: ** I was expecting to like this more, from the notes. But I wasn't expecting something to turn completely bitter on me. Oh well.

In the imp: Sweet and dusty? Wet on skin: Paper and dust. Reminds me of being in the library. Dried down: The frankincense is coming out stronger now, turning this into a magic library. I'm really liking this now. Throw: Not much. Verdict: **** Ok, I could get a bottle of this at some point. I like the paper, but it's the frankincense that does it for me here.

In the imp: Hmmm, sweet, fruity, and floral. I can definitely smell the King Mandarin. I don't know why I tend to shy away from it when I see it in a list of notes, because I do love the scent when I smell it. Wet on skin: The mandarin is still strong, but I'm getting a bitter herbal scent along with it now. Is that the opium or the sandalwood bittering it up? I'm afraid it's the sandalwood, though I love sandalwood, and never want to think about it riuing a scent for me. Hmmm........ Dried down: The sandalwood is softening down again, letting the mandarin take back over. I might be getting some Lily of the Valley in this, but I''m not sure. And where, oh where is the vanilla? Oh, there it is. Hiding behind the mandarin and peeking out to see if it's safe. A little too shy to come out, though, apparently. Throw: Not getting much, but I have several scents on different areas of my arm right now, so it's hard to tell. Verdict: ** 1/* This is very complex, and I think I need to spend more time with it to really appreciate it, but I don't think this scent is for me. I'll try it again if I run across it later.

In the imp: Sharp lavender. Granted, a lot of these are smelling sharp to me in the imp. Wet on skin: Hmmmm, I'm not sure where the lilac is, but I think it's the lime and citrus musk giving it that sharp edge. Dried down: Well, that's softened a bit. I like it better now, but I'm not entirely sure how much I actually like it. Throw: It's got a little bit of throw. Verdict: *** I really want to love this one, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to stick with like. I don't know if I can get F to try it on or not (getting him to try on scents has been like pulling teeth, but he's enjoyed the ones I've had him try so far. I should probably get him to try Jareth, but I kind of want that one for myself. )

In the imp: I have no idea what palmarosa smells like, but I'm getting sweet rose, like an almost honeyed rose. Wet on skin: Actually, I take that back - sugared rosewater. A little light on the sugar, but still. Dried down: Still sweet rose. Throw: Not much, but I only put a little bit on. Verdict: **** I do like this a lot, but I don't know how often I would reach for it. This is a maybe bottle for me. ETA: the patchouli comes out a little bit more as this wears longer on my skin. Interesting.

In the imp: Ooh, this is interesting. The dominant scent for me is the soft lavender, but the lotus gives it a sweetness, and there is the tinge of something spicy in the background. Wet on skin: The spice is a little stronger on my skin. Fennel, anise, is that you? The lavender is still there, but the lotus has faded somewhat. Dried down: Almost the same, but it's gone dusty on me. Throw: Not much. A teensy bit of spice. Verdict: *** This isn't bad, but I don't see myself reaching for it very often.

In the imp: Juicy, juicy pomegranate tinted with rose. Wet on skin: Same as before. The rose is adding an almost dry bubblegum tinge to the pomegranate. Normally, I don't think that would be a good thing, but it works here. Dried down: Still the same Throw: This one has a little bit of throw. Verdict: **** I really like this a lot, and could see myself wearing it a lot in the fall and winter (I usually start craving pomegranates around then, anyway). I think I'll be getting a bottle in the future, but not immediately.

In the imp: Sharp, sweet, and resin-y? I'm not good at identifying resins, But that's wha this strikes me as. Or maybe raisin. Wet on skin: I think I'm getting jasmine from this now? Or gardenia. A sweet, white floral. Dried down: Still sweet and white. Throw: I'm not really getting any throw from this. Verdict: *** This is rather pretty, but I don't think it's for me. I'm just not getting that special sense from it.

In the imp: Kind of a sharp first whiff, I think I got something floral, like jasmine. Wet on skin: On my skin, I get something more a combination of rose and sandalwood, with just a touch of myrrh. This is beautiful. Dried down: Still a gorgeous sandalwood-rose. Throw: Not much of one on me. I keep sniffing my arm for this. Verdict: ***** This is definitely going to be a bottle buy for me. For both the scent and its possible effects.

In the imp: I smell the lavender, the jasmine, and even the honeysuckle, but it's bitter, in a way I wouldn't expect from any of those notes. Wet on skin: Still weirdly bitter. Dried down: Still bitter. Throw: Very little, as bitter scents tend to on me. Verdict: ** This isn't totally unpleasant, really, but it's not for me. But it's totally not what I expected from this blend. It's strange, as these notes work well for me in just about every other scent I've tried them in.

In the imp: Sweet, foody honey and molasses On my skin: Interesting. I'm getting coffee and honeysuckle now, as though the honey and molasses morphed into related items. I'm not getting the sugar cane, but I'm sure it's blending into the honey and molasses (especially the molasses - honestly, I think I've been getting brown sugar) It's not too sweet, though. Maybe the oakwood is taming the sweetness. The throw is light honeysuckle on me. This is really nice, and I might be in for a bottle in the future, but not immediately. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5.

In the imp: Sweet herbs and flowers, hinting at a white grape Wet on skin: Ooh, this is sweet and beautiful on my skin.I get mostly vanilla, but there's a hint of leather peeking out of here. Dried down: The leather is coming out stronger now, playing with the vanilla, with a bit of the lavender from TKO in the background, watching. Throw: Vanilla. Rather faint, but I only tried it on one forearm. Verdict: ***** Yeah, I'm going to have to get me a bottle of this.

Ok, I have been wanting to try this one for a long time. In the imp: I get very distinct notes of rose and frankincense, and something almost candy-ish that seems to a mix of the two. Wet on skin: Interesting - on my skin, it seems to turn into rose candy. Dried down: Definitely rose here. The frankincense is very light. Throw: Not much at all, but I put it on lightly, and I'm testing several scents. Verdict: ***** I really like this. I don't actually know if I'm going to get a bottle for myself, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to get one for my mom. She loves rose scents, and if this works on her the way it does on me, I think she'll be happy, and wanting more.

Sweet, almost fruity? In the imp, I smell more jasmine than pineapple, but there's a hint of pineapple there. I'm fairly certain the only reason I'm getting that is from the reviews I glanced at on my way to the bottom of the page. On my wrist, I definitely get the concept of spell-soaked herbs. This smells like dried herbs, a little sharp and green, a little light and magical. But, I don't think this scent is for me. Oh well.

In the imp, this is a very sweet floral. On my hand, the sweetness dies down, so it's more of a tart floral - gardenia, jasmine sambac? It's actually a sort of yellow scent. It is nice, though.

This is really pretty. Rose and honeysuckle? It doesn't quite blend together very well for me - I like it, but it feels a little disjointed. Hmmmm.....

In the imp: Kind of sweet? I'm not getting much scent out of the imp even, this is so light. Wet on skin: So fairly light still, but it has a sharp bitter herbal scent to it. I think that's the ozone with the white musk softening it, since I'm not getting anything I would identify with lavender or currant. Dried down: Hmmmm, now I think the lavender's coming out a bit, but it's still hiding behind the white musk. And I'm still not getting blackcurrant at all. I don't really mind, because I like white musk, but I never thought I'd see it in a blend where it was drowning out everything else. It's so light and airy - how can it block something else out? Throw: Faint white musk. Verdict: *** 1/* This is pretty, but I think I've already got something for white musk. If not, I'll come back to this.

In the imp: Amber and sandalwood, with a hint of vetiver Wet on skin: Mmmmmm............... sandalwood...... This bit is gorgeous. It's tinged and complicated by the vetiver, but lightly, and not in a bad way. This reminds me of sandalwood incense, andtthe sandalwood garland we used to hang in the prayer room. I used to love to sniff it. Dried down: Still that perfect sandalwood scent. Throw: Almost none, but I barely put any on (I'm testing a few too many scents right now). Verdict: **** This is something I think I'm going to want a bottle of.