monsteralice

At first it's a little sharp and all cherry. On drydown the other scents peek out and the cherry calms down. I get a sense of herbal tea from this, which must be the star anise. I don't particularly like to eat anise flavored food, but I do like the smell. This is a strong yet delicate scent - I can easily imagine it scenting folded kimonos, just waiting to be worn again. The one problem with the scent is its fleeting nature. I don't think I got a full 2 hours before I had to reapply. I probably won't keep the imp because the scent disappears so fast. It's a beautiful scent though, and might last longer on you than on me.

At first the lily scent was very strong, then the rose took over. Now I can't decide which I am smelling, they have blended so well. On me this is a bright floral - the resins don't come out at all, which is a shame as I was hoping for more presence from them in the blend. I don't get a sense of angelic beings here, but it could be the scent of the gardens in the Silver City. It lasts for a few hours before requiring reapplication, I make it a medium for duration. Without the resins this just isn't me, but it should work well for someone who likes lily, rose, and a sense of brightness to their perfume.

The impression I get from Loviatar is more leather jacket than dominatrix -- a very nice scent. This is the first blend with leather that I have tried where I actually smell the leather note. I get a strong resin scent with the leather, also.The scent clings close to the skin from the beginning, though that may be because it's a fairly cold day. It's not me, but I'm glad I tried it. It is definitely an androgynous scent (at least since women started wearing biker boots and leather jackets ) and well worth a try on DH.

A very dry scent, without being sneezy. It is like a desert version of Silk Road (which I love). Unfortunately, it doesn't stick around very long on the skin; I needed to reapply twice during the work day. In the scent locket it maintains just fine, though. Incense-y with a little sweetness from the iris. It's a really nice combination.

Simply gorgeous - or I suppose complexly gorgeous in this case. It has a definite purple feel to the florals, but not jungle-y, with just a little drift of incense around it. It did need reapplying about halfway through the day, and the scent shifted a little more towards incense even in my scent locket. This one may be a bottle for me.

Rose was the most prominent note for me, but there are other flowers there as well. It is definitely a pretty scent, prettier than I associate with 18th C. Versailles. It conjures up more of a Victorian pastoral than Marie Antoinette pretending to be a shepherdess. It only lasted for a few hours before I had to reapply, even though I had it in a scent locket as well as on my skin. I like it well enough to keep the imp, but I won't be buying a bottle.

This one is very short-lived and doesn't have much throw even when freshly applied. Initially sharp and citrus-y - I never got mango from it, alas. The sharp citrus peel scent disappeared in less than an hour, leaving a vanilla muskiness with just a hint of sandalwood. This one was a disappointment, since from the description I should have loved it, but it was just "meh" for me. It definitely requires reapplication after about 2 hours. It might work for better for someone who slathers, or someone who likes only the lightest touch of perfume.

A very clean floral, with just a hint of herbs. Did not make me think of the Morrigan, being a little too pleasant. Lasted a fairly long time, 6 hours or so. Interesting that in the scent locket the various notes were easier to pick out, but it smelled even cleaner than on my skin. I'm trying to be ruthless about what I keep, so this imp is destined for the swap box. Not that I don't like it, I do. I just don't like it enough.

First on, it had a sense of wintergreen, which must have been the spices and citrus in combination. Dry it is almost all cardamom and orange with a little cinnamon and musk. Very nice. Not that my cats smell bad, but it would be nice if they smelled like this and it suits their personalities.

Niflheim gives an impression similar to a salt marsh in winter, when everything is covered with a thin skin of ice. Not that it smells like a salt marsh, mind you! It's a pleasant floral with a hint of cedar combined with, I think, an overall aquatic. I think I like it, but I'm not likely to wear it often, so an imp will do.

Question about Sophia: I have sampled Sophia from two imps and the smell has been radically different, what could have happened? Has anyone had a problem with Sophia turning into licorice? The first imp was a very nice lavender blend, but the second was straight anise (yucky, yucky - I never liked licorice).

Initially it's all lily-of-the-valley, with the other flowers coming in later. It's beautiful, and conjures up linen dressed women at a garden party, drinking champagne punch. Didn't last very long, alas. Was pretty much gone by the 4-hour mark.

Crush basil and wormwood in one fist while letting some resin and sliced galangal warm up in the other; now empty both hands and sniff both at once. That's Scorpio. It has an occult flavor from the resins combined with the mystery of bitter herbs. I didn't get a sense of aquatic from it, but nonetheless it was dark mysterious Scorpio. The resins last longest, like they always do - I don't have a problem with that. I have Scorpio as my sun sign and I think this scent is a good representation of it.

Starts out with a nice crisp lavender, then the rest of the florals come in. I never got a strong sense of the musk or vanilla, but they are lurking, rounding out the scent. This is an outstanding floral.

First, let me say I'm not a foodie. I got the imp in a swap and gave it a try. Wet: Serious cocoa or melted baker's chocolate. There is a sharp edge to the scent and no sweetness. Dry: Aromatic with winey overtones, no sweetness. Fading: Spicy and pleasant. Conclusion: Not to my taste.

Death of Autumn is very evocative of walking through a magic wood with dead leaves underfoot. The dead leaf note floats, slightly bitter, under the spices for a very nice effect. The spices are loose incense in the hand, not burning incense. The total effect is warm brown velvet. Duration was not very long; it was gone by 4 hours. But it's worth applying more than once a day. I only allowed myself one of the Halloweenies. I'm glad I chose Death of Autumn.

Wet: Delicious, like plum wine. Dry: Thick and sweet. Duration: still strong at 3 hours. I really like this!

Distinctly red in color! Blends in on the skin after a minute... Wet: Lily of the valley when close, resin blended with lily of the valley a little further away. Dry: The resins come up, but it is still strongly lily of the valley. Finish: The lily of the valley fades, leaving a touch of floral with the resin. Duration: Faded quickly, faint after 3 hours. I like it, but not enough for a big bottle, it fades too fast for that.

Wet: Lush peony overwhelms everything else. Dry: Smells fresh. Finish: No change from drydown. Duration: Went faint on my skin fairly quickly, but stayed on my cuffs wafting for a few hours. Probably a good choice for a scent locket.

Wet: Herbal, with no one scent predominating. Dry: Berries develop on top of the herbs. Duration: Moderate - wafts for a few hours, is gone by the 9 hour mark. Pleasant enough, but not for me.

Still going strong after 9 hours, but it has taken on a sharp, almost metallic edge. I had an odd thing happen with Mme. Moriarty that I have not had with any other BPAL - it interfered with my ability to taste cranberry juice! I'm guessing that was because of the similarity in odor between pomegranate and cranberry, but it was certainly odd. The vanilla at the start made it a little too foodie for my taste, but it did mellow. The musk and patchouli was great. I don't know if I'll keep the Madame or not; I'll probably have to wear her a few more times before I can decide.

I've got the big box to pack and ship, then it'll be all over but the shouting. There's some cool stuff going in there, and some stupid but entertaining stuff too. I wish my switchwitchee ate, b/c that would make filling the last corners a bit easier, but fairies are constantly on diets it seems. I'm taking the dogs to WV this weekend. Hopefully it won't be rainy the whole time we're out there. The schedule includes a thorough brushing for both Judy and Molly, and that's a lot easier to clean up from if I brush them outside. The rest of the time I'll be knitting, trying to get the body of a sweater finished. The patterning is a pain, but luckily the sleeves are ribbing, so they'll go quick. If I can just get the body done... I'm going to stop at Trader Joe's for supplies, then we're off.

Not for me, thanks! I opened the imp and told DH that I thought it was meant to go with a catholic schoolgirl outfit. "Not in MY fantasy," was the immediate reply. He characterized it as the odor of used schoolgirl panties bought from a vending machine in Tokyo. Too close to the scent of pedophelia for my taste, but might be good for those into cosplay.

Wet: Fresh blossoms and dusty dragon's blood. Dry: Same. Finish: All resin, and maybe not just dragon's blood. Duration/throw: Good throw; I got a compliment from a woman on the other side of a wide counter, even though there were lots of cooking smells on her side. Lasts well; still sniffable at 8 hours.

Made a sniffy necklace and matching bracelet set for my Switch Witchee over the weekend. Also found a funny book for her. Sure enough, I couldn't stop at one cd - starting the assembly process for the next one...