cuervosueno

I have a cold....or rather some sort of fiendish illness of the lungs....so I can't entirely trust my sense of smell, but I had to try this as soon as I got my swapped imp. I loved in the bottle--vanilla and some sort of watery green note which I suspect is aloe.

 

But I put it on, and remembered, oh yeah, I don't like light musks. It takes over, and it has the clean/soapy scent others have mentioned, the smell of a certain sort of skin with the soap just rinsed off. Only I don't like that. I can't smell the sandalwood now, nor the vanilla, sadly.

 

And yet there is something oddly appealing to me. I suppose because it so fresh and green. It reminds me of the papyrus plant, rather than the paper made from it, ie. what I imagine papyrus to be like--a green aquatic reedy plant. It is rather fresh laundry, which is ok, just not my thing for perfume.

 

but as Jilara notes below, I find something kind of oddly comforting about it:

 

 

Wet, it's all aquatic notes. On drydown, a waft of something like white florals starts to come out, then a note of fresh laundry.

 

Dry, it's aquatics with a papery note and something that makes me think of iris blossoms, with a faint fragrance of white florals.

 

This would be gorgeous on drier sheets, or sprayed on bedding.

 

and I can see that it might be nice sprayed on bedding. Sometimes I like linen sprays of scents I'm not crazy about otherwise, and this might be ok like that. I love Obatala as a linen spray, for example, but I don't want to wear it as a scent much (unless I'm calling on Obatala) and I feel the same about Mr. Ibis.

I mostly put the temple blends in scent diffusers for meditation or to help induce dreams. So I did the same with the Horned God, being drawn mostly to the guardian of the forest aspects of this temple blend.

 

First few minutes: Pure raw civet! It was so strong that I wondered why I'd chosen to put in the diffuser. Even the dogs were sniffing around curiously.

 

But after a bit, the civet settled down, and what I got was an earthy, foresty scent. I imagine damp earth, the strong notes of fir trees, and something slightly sweet.

 

It is like Lord of the Forest--quite a bit. But it also softens into something different, something more evergreen and foresty.

 

I like it, but am not sure I'll even use up the partial bottle I have. It's not a temple favorite of mine (like Temple of the Trickster or Temple of the Maiden), nor do I often have the need to do rituals involving the Horned God, so....

At the last will call, I got two bars of this for friends who are Dorian lovers. And one friend was kind enough to let me take a shower at her house and use the soap!

 

The packaging is gorgeous--there are even things to read inside!

 

And the soap itself is lovely--soft and creamy on the skin, just enough lather, and it smells nicely of Dorian, and as others have noted, a little more tea-like than the oil, but.....

 

It doesn't really linger much on my skin, but that's fine, because I'd prefer my soap didn't linger too much (or it would interfere with my perfume--what if I didn't feel like wearing Dorian?). It also makes the bathroom smell nice, and my luggage smelled gorgeous when I came back from my trip with the bars of Dorian inside.

 

I recommend it: gorgeous soaps!

 

and no more expensive than any other fancy soap. I love Zum soap, for example, and it's not so different in price for the amount.

I thought I'd reviewed this, but guess I hadn't.

 

In the imp: fruit. Probably the dreaded pomegranate.

 

On, though, it is a mixture of fruit, dragon's blood, and smoke. The cinnamon/cassia is also making itself known. Interesting! The pomegranate disappears and I get something similiar to three witches, with a bit of smoke added.

 

Interesting, but not my thing.

I use the Temple blends in this way: I put them in a diffuser at night and meditate to them before falling asleep.

 

Temple Druidic is beautiful for spring. It smells like a pine forest which is wet from melting snow, but bright with wintergreen. It is a fresh spring like scent--it reminds me of a stream rushing through a forest just coming back to life. The mint makes it sweet, but it is still cool and piney.

 

It evokes great forests quite well for me.

I don't like aquatic scents, but I do like bergamot and amergris, so I was happy to get an imp of this to try.

 

Wet: clean blue-green, a very refreshing, and yes, effervecent scent. I can't pick out any notes particularly, but the bergamot probably adds the clean, slightly citrusy note.

 

It does remind of a breeze over water, though not necessarily a sea breeze.

 

After awhile, it gets a bit cucumbery, which I don't like.

 

In the end? Glad I'm got to try it, but not a favorite.

most of the labs leather notes don't work well on me. That said, I'm crazy about Quincey Morris, and like Coyote. Are you seeing a trend there? It is the lighter leather scents that I like.

 

I imagined this as a spicy Quincey Morris. Instead, it's.....leather. Almost all leather. I never really get Snake Oil, though this is sweeter than just straight up leather.

 

Well, guess I'll stick to my Quincey Morris.

Wow! Super fruity, and while at first it is really intriguing, the fruitiness overwhelms it a bit. At the end, it smells like fruit cereal--like crunch berries or something. With snake oil. It is intriguing, but not me.

This should be a natural for me, which is why I bought it. I love patchouli, I love jasmine. I even like white florals (so Magnolia would be fine). I didn't know what Kush was, and interestingly, it turns out to be a very strong form of cannabis, high in THC, but with a sweet spicy scent (or so says Wikepedia). And I've enjoyed being the other woman, the few times I was. I should like this.

 

In the bottle, I get mostly jasmine with a slight perfumy note (which is how opium plays out on my skin. I also smell other white flowers--the magnolia I think? Wet, I get no patchouli at all. This may end up being too floral for me.

 

Alas, I don’t think I can do BPAL opium notes, because this is getting really perfumy on me in the same way Mum moon did, which I ended up not keeping. How sad! As it dries down some of the perfumy notes go away, but I'm still pretty overwhelmed with opium and flowers and none of my beloved patchouli. Damn!

I pretty much will buy any scent if the description includes honey. Svadhinaopatika was no exception.

In the bottle, this is the most divine scent imaginable--bursting with honey and blackcurrant. On me, it is more mellow, a honey rose with the sandalwood and blackcurrant peeping out whenever they feel like it.

Even though I would love it even more if it smelled exactly like it does in the bottle, this is absolutely a keeper.

I'm with you, Tarotgirl, I'll buy almost anything if it includes honey. And while this is close to some other beloved honey scents: honey moon, Litha, it is also different enough to interest me.

In the bottle, honey, but a particularly glorious honey. On, the honey blooms and I can smell the amber as well, which makes it a bit powdery, but in a good way. I believe massoia bark would give it a spicey, clove/cinnamon like scent, and I get that too. I don’t smell any currant, but I do get a nice white floral scent (though that is not in here!). It all blends together to be the most fragrant honey scent. I suppose the currant is adding sweetness, and perhaps that is what I am identifying as floral.

It doesn't have the sharp thyme edge of Honey Moon, and is more similiar to Litha, but still not so similiar I can't have both. I don't get much of the sandalwood at all.

In the bottle, hello, Spanish Moss!

 

strong masculine note, like men’s cologne. Not as dark as vetiver. Ambergris? It also has a nice spice....My god I’d be crazy about a man wearing this.

 

I like it best after the spanish moss fades, and I get the delicious spice--cloves and pepper....mmmm...Still, even after that there is a bit more spanish moss than I like. It makes a little too masculine for me. I'll have to try it more. it may be ok once i get used to it.

 

It is very much a wild man scent....in the best sense.

This one surprised me. I didn’t even want to get it, because I thought I wouldn’t like the coconut, but what a surprise! In the bottle, I get vetiver and coconut, which is really quite delicious.

 

On, the vetiver doesn't overwhelm (but I can always wear vetiver, so....). Instead, it softens what might otherwise be too sweet. On me, this is like a coconut creme brulee, but not too sweet. Really nice. One of my surprise faves of the snakes I've tried.

This smells like frankincense, champaca and opoponax in the bottle and when wet, which I love. The opoponax is a little more regular (bitter) myhrr than sweet myhrr for my taste, and while I like this, the unfortunate hyssop starts sneaking in.

It is very similiar to King cobra though. Just slightly more bitter. I like King Cobra better, and this fades fairl quickly on me.

In the bottle this is so strong it is almost vile. I kept thinking what IS that scent? Then I realized it was cassia. All I get is cassia, cassia, cassia. After awhile it fades to....lighter cassia with a hint of vanilla.

 

I don't get the ginger at all, sadly.

 

Its ok but a bit one dimensional. I like the vanilla spice mix it dries down to, but there are other scents I like better.

yep, this is gorgeous. Like everyone else has noted, it is like a very cinnamony constant comment tea. Orange, spice, lots of cinnamon.

 

I like it quite a bit, even if the cinnamon is a bit overwhelming. However, I wonder if I will like it over time, because while it is lovely, it is somewhat straightforward in smell, and not particularly a stand out.

 

Right now, though, I'm enjoying it.

Zarita is full on orange blossom to my nose, at least in the bottle.

When I put her on, still that heavy orange blossom, so heavy and wet it is as if I am in a warm humid greenhouse, with orange trees in bloom. I love that, even though it is more girly than I usually like (but I do like me some white florals, so...).

After a bit, the orange turns milder, and I can smell something sweet and creamy too. It is as creamy as I would like, but it blends nicely with the orange blossom. I don't get much--if any--carnation.

I don't know what I'll think of this in the end, but right now I'm enjoying the blast of orange blossom, just dipped with cream.

Mmmm...I love the mint in this. Like everyone else said, its a blast of mint at first, then we get the creamy vanilla. Wet, this reminds me more of Snowblind then of Lick It, which is lovely, because I love Snowblind.

 

But after a bit the mint fades and I'm left with a softer, just slightly minty Dorian type blend.

 

I can't decide if I need a whole bottle of this, but I might.

I'm decanting snakes, but I decided to review this one right away, because it smelled so good I wanted to try it out immediately. I put just a tiny bit on, and yes, it is gorgeous cocoa and snake oil--chocolate and spice all at once. I immediately thought, oh my god, aged Velvet!

 

But you know, it goes a bit soapy on me. I'll have to let it settle, but right now I think I prefer Velvet.

 

ETA: most of the cocoa went away and it is very like snake oil now. I put some Tell-Tale heart on near it to see how close they were, and I find them fairly similiar. Guess I don't need a bottle of Boomslang.

this is the one I most wanted--and lucky me, I got it!

 

Unfortunately, True Love doesn't seem to work well with me..... And I shouldn't be surprised by that at all!

 

In the bottle, it is bright, sweet but not too sweet. Peach blossom or honeysuckle maybe and the sweetness of the mandarin.

 

When it hits my skin, the golden scent amps, and I can smell the initial sweetness, but also the soft golden scent of frankincense. Well, perhaps saying I can smell it is overstating it. I can't smell much at all unless I press my nose to my wrist. Then I get that faint waft of golden floral and resin, and yes, it is almost honeylike.

 

No patchouli at all, which is too bad, because it is a favorite of mine.

 

This faded fairly quickly--in about the time it took to watch the Westminster Dog Show (about 2 hours). After an hour, it was the powdery gold note of amber.

 

it is very soft. Just sweet enough. But not, alas, spicy enough for me--I never get the patchouli or my beloved carnation.

 

This might age well...and perhaps get stronger?

 

Guess I'm just not made for True Love. Perhaps I can swap it for Passion? Now that's more to my taste, I bet...

 

eta: hmmm....I was wrong about the fading. Perhaps I just hadn't put enough on. I put more on around 11 when I was writing this, and this morning I can still smell it, faintly golden, slightly fruity. Still not my fave, but it does last quite a long time.

the notes aren't listed on Hod, but it sure smells like carnation to me. It's a gorgeous creamy floral.

 

I love it!

I'm in love with this scent too! I got it to annoint my TAL conjure bag, but haven't even got to that yet. I put it on last night and couldn't stop sniffing myself.

 

And first, I get almond--like the scent in Horn of Plenty, but that turns bitter on me, and this doesn't. It could be cherry--I also have a hard time telling them apart. Then it goes gorgeously fruity, and it as it this stage that I can't get enough of it. I kept thinking it's orange, but not. I think Yeahbutno is right on: it smells like Orangina, a drink that always makes me happy! And there is a soft dusty spice in there. I keep thinking just a dusting of cinnamon sugar? but it is not as sharp as most cinnamon...so allspice? cloves? I can't tell, but it is so delicious and gorgeous.

 

It fades very quickly on my skin--was gone in less than 2 hours. But it stays on fabric--I put some on my other mojo bag and kept sniffing it last night. I'm sure it would work well in a scent locket. And while I haven't tried it out yet for it's purpose, I'm sure it would work. Like Queen of the Nile, it has such a gorgeous scent that it makes me feel happy and confident to wear it, so I'm sure that would work in terms of attraction.

 

(I feel kind of self-conscious when I wear Dixie Love Perfume, for example, because it is so strong and not really pleasant to my nose).

 

I'm even more in love with Beth for making this, so at least I know it works to a degree!

 

Amor=

There are a lot of notes I really like in this, so I finally was able to get ahold of a decant. I sniffed it: ah leather. Something dark. Something fruity. Not for me.

 

I tried to pass it off a leather-loving friend, but she said it was too sweet.

 

A couple of weeks later I try it again: wow! This is really nice. My skin amps leather like crazy, so I have to be cautious with it. Though I always like Beth's leather notes, some of them just overwhelm, like Iago and Loviatar. Then there are ones I adore like Quincey Morris (and unexpected favorite of mine) and Coyote. This is like that, a sweet slightly fruity leather.

 

I couldn't remember what was in it when I tried to get another friend to try it, so I told him leather and pomegranite, and it does kind of smell like that on me.

 

Imagine my surprise when I read the notes. I can, however, pick out the champaca blossom now--that is what gives it that sweetness (champaca is also a favorite of mine). I smell a bit of patchouli, but the vetiver doesn't overwhelm any other scents though it no doubt contributes to the darkness of the scent (I love vetiver too, but it is a bit commanding at times). I don't really smell the ambergris or the ginger.

 

And where IS that fruity note coming from?

 

Anyway, I like this a lot, and its tempting to get a bottle....but I'll use up the imp first and see.

another GC scent I've managed not to try up til this point, when i got it as a frimp.

 

In the imp: what a glorious floral! What is that? It's familiar, and at first I thought it was just one of the lab's roses that actually is ok for me, but I could smell something else that was very sweet....but couldn't place it.

 

Wet: pure wisteria! As soon as I looked up the notes I recognized it. I adore the scent of wisteria--last year I bought one and planted it and hope it comes back this year (I'm not always successful keeping my plants alive). This is sweet, creamy, intoxicating--just like the plant itself.

 

the rose is so faint as to be inoffensive for this rose-hater.

 

Verdict? I wouldn't buy a bottle of it, but I love the imp for the beautiful images it conjures up: sitting on a porch in early spring. There is still a little coolness to the air, but the wisteria has bloomed, and its fragrant purple flowers are a breath of sweetness and promise for the season to come.

 

and this would make a great bath addition when I'm really looking for a spring scent. In that way it reminds me of Prague, another floral I wouldn't want a bottle of, but love in the imp as a harbinger of spring.

I keep getting frimps of things I swore I reviewed...but didn't.

 

Wanton is one of those. In the imp, this is a lush green floral, and I was intrigued enough to try it on.

 

Wet: yup, there is rose in this, but its not a bad rose (as most are to me), rather a soft, wet rose, slightly powdery and sweet.

 

Dry: now I can smell the patchouli, and damn if rose and patchouli don't make a nice mix. Who would have thunk it?

 

I'm a rose-hater, but I find this pleasant enough. the patchouli gives it a nice earthy tone that grounds it, as does the sandalwood.

 

Don't think I'd wear it much, but it's not bad!

I tried this without being able to recall the notes, so I'll give you my first impressions, odd as they are.

 

In bottle: beautiful green--slightly piney, slightly sweety, with just a bit of an aquatic note Lovely!

 

Wet: those things continue. There is an underlying sweet greenness that is almost but not quite minty. Very lovely!

 

Dry: hmmm....suddenly I'm hit with soapiness. Will this fade? I hope so!

 

At this point I decided to check the notes. What a surprise! Where is the frankincense and opopponax (I thought these were the same thing--maybe different varieties?). I'm not sure I get the myhrr either. After the soap fades it is green and herbal and slightly peppery. The herbal note is something I'm not crazy about--almost like hyssop.

 

this is one of the oddest blends I've tried, because its one of the few in which I'm not able to pick out any of the notes. I just don't smell the ingredients listed, though my overall impression is not much different than other reviewers. This is a dark herbal with resin on me, but not one I like.

 

too bad it didn't smell on me like it does in the bottle!