Salvia_spathacea

In the vial this smelled like spices, with a strange note that smelled almost rancid. But I went ahead and tried some on and the scent reminded me of an East Indian grocery - a blend of raw spices and incense, with a hint of ghee. After a few minutes the rancid note dissappeared completely, and left me with spices and musk. To me this smelled less like red musk (which I love) and more like an animalistic, heavy musk (which I love more!) After about 2 hours I finally smell a soft caramel, with a hint of benzoin over a wonderful musky base. I don't really smell the honey at any specific point, but it's presence is definitely there - a faint underlying sweetness that ties together initially discordant notes, and deepens the musk. I think this is a new favorite for me!

In the bottle this had a sharp, astringent smell - I could smell the Greek mountain tea flower and something evergreen, but not piney. On my skin it smelled more or less the same and I actually got distracted by various things and forgot to give another sniff till about three hours later. At this point it was a deep, dark woodsy aroma that I could imagine as the scent of the ritual that inspired it. In some ways it reminded me of Wolf Moon 2006, but without the sweet edge that one had. This is a similar dark forest, but closer to the sea and without the snow. This one is going on my altar to apply before I retire to bed!

This is an amazing blend - In the bottle I smell caramel, with a hint of coconut. On my skin the caramel and coconut vanish in seconds and leave a sharp, spicy scent. This gradually changes to a citrusy-spice scent. After about 40 minutes the spicy scent is no longer citrusy, but has a richer depth to it (the opium and tobacco, I suspect) But the really interesting thing is that at this point the caramel and coconut come back. At first I can only smell it from a distance (right up against my skin yields only spices) but after about four hours it's right there with all the spices. I've never had a perfume go through so many changes! Not only is this a lot of fun but it's also an exquisite scent - spicy, rich and a touch sweet.

This is the first lunacy blend I've ever purchased and I'm so happy I tried this one! There's a distinct feel of two phases - the first being very green and "piney", the second being a little bit sweet and musky. It's very evocative of a Winter forest - I had a chance to wear this when I worked outside on a couple of nights when the temperature was below freezing and this scent was the perfect accompaniment!

In the vial I smelled dry woods, and not much else. When it hit my skin I smelled strong coriander, with a hint of woods underneath. But after about 30 minutes everything settled into place and it's now wood, overlain by a smokiness that is almost sweet, but not at all in a foody way. On the whole it's very complex - you can smell all the notes listed as they swirl together. Every so often little strands of the various scents will rise up from the blend and remind me of something I can't quite place then slide back into the others. Rich, and very evocative - I definitely like this!

When I first sniffed this in the vial I could smell mandarin, with a hint of the tobacco and black tea. The black tea was particularly recognizable. So I went and put it on and it smelled mostly like mandarin, but with something rich and spicy waiting underneath. Unfortunately, once the mandarin fades my skin seems to have soaked up almost all the scent and I'm left with something that smells really good, but is very faint! But on the whole I do like the scent and the citrus doesn't go bad on me so I really can't complain too much. I'll just reserve it for times I'm free to sniff my skin at close range a lot!

When first applied the sassafras was very strong - it actually made my nose and throat tingle! After this it became an incensey or almost floral scent, and finally ended with a very nice smoky, spiced base chord. After being mixed with jojoba and sitting for a couple of months the sassafras lost that strong, initial edge and was mellower and sweeter. Although it's nice this way, I think I prefer the fresh tingle!

I was expecting great things based on the musk and honey and I was definitely satisfied! At first it seemed a bit too sharp and made my sinuses a little jumpy, but after about 15 minutes my skin decided it liked this new scent and it turned into a rich, wonderful perfume that was very deep and sensuous. I don't really detect any specific notes in this, but there is an overall feeling of muskiness with slightly sweet floral overtones. Very nice, and well suited to hot or cold weather.