Jenesis

All Souls (06 for me) is one of those like-but-not-enough-to-keep-the-bottle scents. It's much like the description - strong incense with a base of sweet cake. The scent itself is quite pleasant, but the association is what killed it for me; it reminded me way too much of a particularly horrible teacher I had when I was younger. The scent is almost identical to the one she used to wear. So it's not for me

Help, I think one of my bottles of Geek has gone bad! My first bottle I got with only an Imp's worth in it. It is a beautiful, rich scent and I love it, but it is sadly running out. I bought a full bottle to replace it. However, the full bottle smells very sharp, almost medicine-like, very aftershave-ish, with none of the mellow vibe or the sweet drydown that I love about my other bottle. Is this full bottle newer or older? (I have no idea, I got them both second-hand.) Do I need to "age" the full one? And what do I do if it has gone bad or was part of a radically different batch? Help :D

Edit: At first this smelt odd, then I realised I was developing a cold. Oops! So on to the real review: Wet: This is a sharp, clean, cold scent. Drydown: Still sharp, cold and clean, exactly like a frosty winter morning. Dry: Oh. My. God. This is love in a bottle. The sharp snow and earthy soil sweetened by myrrh and my favourite note ever, opopanax. A triumph, especially as it captures the artwork it is based on. Need a bottle of this now kplzthnxbai! PS: How on earth does Beth recreate the smell of snow so realistically?

Bottle: This is looking promising! Rather Geek-esque (yay!), but I can't pick out any individual notes. Wet: An odd blend of aftershave and leather. Drydown: It smells like a rugged, ranger (go on then, Aragorn) type man. His leather clothing is brushed with woods from his wanderings, spices from his travels to exotic places and flowers crushed under his boots. Dry: Repeat above description, only the flowers are rather more prominent now. My skin amps anything with petals. I hope this doesn't ruin it for me. Dry (10 mins): This is an incredible piece of scent mastery. The fragrance is complex and deep. However, I'm sorry to say, whatever champaca flower is it is turning this whole thing into Old Spice Shower Gel. ETA: I FINALLY, eventually, after much cajoling, got my boyfriend to try this one. HOT. DAMN. This smells stunning on a man. Rather leathery, but warm, smooth and incredibly sexy. And I mean sexy. Excuse me while I go and secretly apply this to his neck. And then jump him.

This is one of those scents which, to me, has no discernible single notes. The overall impression is very masculine and aftershave-ish. At first it is quite soft and warm, with the bark smoothing things out. Later, it becomes sharp and herbal. Later still, the woods return, and the whole thing goes back to a smooth, resiny, manly scent. A keeper, but not a top 10.

At first, this is a thick cranberry cocktail. Later, it turns into cranberry-flavoured shower gel. Damned lilies. And I was looking forward to this one so much...

Well, I'm not an expert, but I'd recommend Dorian as a musky vanilla, and I found Obatala to be an incredible coconut scent. As for earth and rose, I'm not into rose personally, but a browse of the site gives Zombi as an earthen rose. Good luck!

Bottle: Aaack. Alcoholic cologne. Wet: Still alcoholic cologne. Drydown: Weird, dusty, woody cologne. Dry (10 mins): Slightly more interesting. I can smell cedar, sandalwood (I think) and other light, as it says, blonde woods. No "dust" as yet. I think the "cologne" scent must be the musk. Dry (20 mins): Glad I left this, it's lovely now! Sweet, light musks and bright woods. Very sophisticated and fitting of the character. If I ever have a spare $25 I'll grab a bottle of this! Verdict: Leave this to mellow! Smart, sophisticated and uplifting. Sit there with your gold-rimmed spectacles and browse your old books. Rating: 4.5/5

Imp: Sharp-ish, musky cologne. Wet: Patchouli. Loooots of patchouli. Drydown: Oh no! Sharp, alcoholic cologne, the kind that made you gag when it came in clouds out of the boys' locker room at High School. Dry (First): Phew! Still cologne, but much creamier. Still very, very manly though. Dry (10 mins): Crowley just screams manliness from every pore. Not something that warrants big bottle attention, but nice nonetheless. Verdict: Don your sunglasses and drive your burning Bentley screaming through the black night. Rating: 4/5. Would have gotten 5 if it was a little less testosterone-fuelled.

Bottle: Nothing in particular, quite strong. Wet: Fruity, tart berries. Dry & Drydown: Smells similar - warm, sweet cake with slightly bitter undertones of berry. Sorry I can't be more specific - this is one of those mellow, all-purpose, warm, comforting scents, and on my chemistry, it smells divine! Throw: Everyone I asked "Do you like this smell?" loved it. It lasted about 8 hours before vanishing. Verdict: Warm, sweet and foody. A 6-part chord of notes rather than an octave. Rating: A delectable 5/5!

A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including vanilla bean, white ginger, orchid, golden peach, massoia bark, clove, honey, and starfruit. Wet: Strangely, I can smell no chocolate at all. Although it is making my stomach rumble. May be subconscious? Drydown: This smells very "department store perfume". Dry: Yum! I smell edible! (I love foodies...) The chocolate has come out, but it's thankfully not overpowering (a la Candy Butcher) like I thought it would. The whole scent is rich and smooth - sweet cocoa over the rich fruit and vanilla. The scent reminds me of those special edition hot chocolate flavours that Cadburys released a few months back. Dry (10 mins): It is official: My skin eats white chocolate. This reminds me quite a bit of Xanthe, with the bright fruits and slight "perfumey" tang. Perhaps a slightly less liberal application is called for. 13 isn't a top three scent for me, but it is a top ten! (Seeing as I only have thirteen bottles...)

I've found that "masculine" scents smell dead sexy on me! I remember going through the Avon catalogue (with its "rub wrist and sniff" pages) when I was about 12 and thinking that the mens' colognes were much nicer than the perfumes My favourite scent, Geek, is very much a manly scent to me. It reminds me a lot of cologne (expensive, not cheap!) and the cedar and leather are both traditionally masculine notes. Some of my other favourites, such as Dorian, are also in the masculine or gender-neutral band. I think that may be the vanilla/tea combination.

Bottle: Snake Oil with a whole coconut dumped in. Wet: An odd, dark, slightly bitter coconut. Coconut amps to ungodly proportions on me so we'll see how that pans out! Drydown (first): It reminds me quite a bit of Brown Jenkins, with the coconut bittered by other notes. I can just about smell the vanilla struggling to get out, but it's mainly slightly bitter coconut. Drydown (later): Wow, what a morpher! This has gone very sweet now, with what I think (and hope!) is the murky opopanax in the background. Dry: The scent has balanced. On me it's a murky, slightly dark vanilla blend with a dollop of slightly bitter coconut balancing on the top. There is a little dark opopanax underneath. I can't detect any amber or spices (in other words, no Snake Oil) in this at all. Dry (later): It hasn't changed much from the earlier drydown. It's murky and sexy while still being sweet - very "me" in other words A clear winner here, Beth!

I was frimped this by the awesomeness of shelldoo! Like others, I got a very strong lemon/citrus vibe out of this. Usually, lemon sends me running for the hills and smells like dishwasher soap. Not so with Delousing Powder! It does smell a little like Fairy Citrus, but it has a lovely sweet sherbert vibe about it too. It smells more like one of those frothy, citrusy, sweet cocktails you get on mainland Europe in August than soap. It also reminds me of lemon Callippos (ice lollies). All in all, a pleasant scent, perfect for hot summer days - which means I won't be wearing it any time soon *looks out gloomily at the rainy and flooded country*

Just noticed that, Sholl! Great idea definitely useful!

I have two imps of Imp, and one of them is deep red while the other is pale pink. The red one smells more musky, but I have no idea which one is newer.

I have Sugar Skull 06. All I got out of this was burnt sugar, crème brulee style. No fruit or even subtlety - just pure, burnt, crispy sugar. Such a shame.

Imp: Urk. Cheap shower gel. Wet/Drydown: This really doesn't change on me much - sickly fruit and heady champagne. Dry: I don't know how it did it, but this smells exactly like some cheap, sickly, pink Barbie bubble bath I had when I was a little girl. It wasn't nice then, and it's not nice now. Ick. Verdict: Instead of the sweet fruit and bubbly champagne, all I get is cheap shower gel or bubble bath. Rating: An icky 1/5

Bottle: Bitter cocoa and cardamom. Wet: Dark cherries with a lashing of chocolate. Drydown: The vanilla appears, rounding off the slightly bitter cherries nicely. Dry: The foodie in me loves this! I'm having trouble picking out individual notes, but it's a warm, sweet scent, but not as sweet as, say, Carnivale. Yummity yum yum! Dry (20 mins): Obviously my skin thinks this tastes as good as it smells, and has eaten it! Oh well. It leaves behind a very light musky scent, so would be great for a job interview or something - pleasant, but with little throw and no permeating qualities. Verdict: While it lasts, a sweet, musky foody. Warm and cuddly with 50% Extra Added Cute. Rating: 4/5

I'm afraid that, for me, "sharp and biting" was very accurate. It was sharp, searing and biting to the point where I had to go and wash it off, and the fumes wafting from the Imp reminded me of little more than the bleach my Mum uses to clear the drains under the sink. Sorry Lab

I'm having some trouble picking individual notes out here, so I'll go for impressions instead. In the vial, this smells "perfumey" and very penetrating. On skin, it thankfully loses that penetrative quality and goes to a light, fresh scent with very little throw. I can't smell the vanilla at all - if anything, this is like a less fruity version of Xanthe. That must be the white pepper. I can smell the linen too. The overall impression is of a guest room: clean and fresh, but with little personality and no frills. As a scent goes, it's not really me, but it would be nice as a fresh room scent.

Bottle: Light cologne. Wet: Sweet vanilla with a slight "kick" from the citrus. Amazingly, the lemon hasn't amped to washing-up-liquid proportions yet! Drydown: Sweet vanilla tea, just like the description. Dry: There's sometime else in here that I don't recognise (probably the fougere, I haven't a clue what that is!). It's a sweet, bright, vanilla tea with the remnants of a slice of lemon in it, and this other, slightly musky scent underneath it. I love white musk so this is lurvely! Verdict: Mr Darcy holding a cup of sweet vanilla tea out of which he has just fished a slice of lemon. Rating: 4.5/5

Bottle: Pure apricot. Like a jar of apricot jam. Wet: Slightly spicy apricots, reminiscent of one of those pastries with apricots and cinnamon/spices on top. Drydown: Sweet, slightly less in-your-face apricot now, lightly spiced. Dry: Now this is LOVE. Gorgeous, smooth, sweet apricot grounded by a hint of clove and spice in the background. Absolutely delectable. And so glad it's GC! Verdict: An apricot pudding with spices drizzled over the top. Sexy, smooth and sensual. Rating: 5/5 ETA: This is BRILLIANT as a room scent. Try it in an oil burner.

I'm sorry, Lab, but this one just stank of cheap shampoo on me. No heather, no berries, just "urgh".

Bottle: Holy shamoly! That's a lotta caramel. Wet: Pure, liquid caramel and butterscotch. Drydown: A slight boozy note underlies the caramel. Dry: Still strongly butterscotch and caramel, with booze underneath, but I can smell the sweet coconut coming out. Rather nice actually! Dry (20 mins): Still tooth-achingly sweet and indulgent, but the apple comes out as just a tiny whiff to stop it being too cloying. Not a summer scent, but will be great by October! Verdict: Slices of apple in a bowl of caramel and coconut rum. Rating: 4/5