waternight

In the imp: Generic sweet Wet/Drydown: Starts out sweet spices, but quickly goes talc on me. Dry: Pure, strong talc. ICK. No thanks. Helloooo, SN talc!

In the imp: Juicy and slightly minty. If I sniff really deeply, there’s an apple-y note. Wet/Drydown: Minty apples. It’s nice and cool and refreshing. Dry: Unfortunately, this turns into blue-raspberry candy on me. Way too sweet and kinda plasticky.

In the imp: Smells like the description – a blend of China rain (like white musk) and vetiver. Wet/Drydown: Mmm… I was scared of the vetiver in this, but the China rain softens it very well. The China rain provides a light, delicate white-musk base, and the vetiver provides a spicy, acrid counter-note that’s almost too strong, but manages not to be. The blend is lovely. Very unique. Dry: Dried down to soap on me. Sad – I thought I’d found a vetiver blend that worked on me.

I wouldn't necessarily classify it as fierce, but Casanova is a very uppity blend. It's energetic and driven, very take-charge - and slightly naughty. Plus it smells great.

You might want to try The Stations of the Sun in Excolo. I've only tried Ra (there are three total), and not only do I adore it, but it's a VERY sunny blend.

In the bottle: Light and sweet. I think I’m getting the white tea leaf and benzoin interacting. There’s a hint of dryness from the sandalwood. This definitely has a “white” feel to it. Wet/Drydown: Like in the bottle, but the appearance of the skin musk warms it up. There’s a very slightly spicy tinge to this, which is possibly the ginger, but it’s mainly lovely and sweet. But not sugary-sweet. The benzoin is a very light, unobtrusive vanilla note. There’s a soft floral undertone. This smells edible, but not foody. It’s hard to classify. But oh, sososo lovely. It does have a creamy feel, despite the lack of a cream note. Dry: Mainly skin musk, with a gorgeous light, sweet tinge. I adore this blend.

In the bottle: Dry, woody, with a hint of floral. Wet/Drydown: On, a lovely gentle floral. It reminds me of lilac, but it’s different. I could pick out the ylang ylang if you forced me, but it’s not a dominant note. I get the tea absolute, blending perfectly with the florals. This is a dewy floral, in the same way that Moon Rose is dewy – and yet it’s also dry. I feel like there should be sandalwood in this, which is probably the “Asian woods” and “wood aloes” that I’m smelling. I swear there’s lilac in here. Dry: Fades A LOT. But it’s still stunning. A dewy-yet-dry woody floral. Breathtaking.

In the imp: Cherry or almond, with a cool sweet aquatic underneath. Wet/Drydown: Sweet cherry. This is pretty soft and mellow on me, actually. I’m not getting a lot of scent off of my skin. Spicy cherry. Not very complex. Alright, the cherry note is fading, but it’s still a fruity scent, so I guess that’s the plum. Now I’m getting something slightly… salty? Interesting… Still VERY faint on me though. Huh! Now there’s something resinous and lovely, slightly musky. This one is revealing its layers. Now it’s a sweet incensey scent. Dry: This smells how I wanted Kanishta to smell on me, before it went to latex. Lovely.

Try Stations of the Sun - Ra (in Excolo). This is delicious oranges with cinnamon sprinkled on top, with some florals in the background.

My best friend loved it and said I smelled like cake. In the bottle: Intensely vanilla with a sharp grapefruit undertone. Wet/Drydown: Mmmm… a yummy sweet pink scent. First on, strongly vanilla/grapefruit. The florals burst onto the scene a few seconds later. So interesting – the vanillas are warm but the grapefruit is definitely chilly. It’s not so much a tart grapefruit as it sharpens the blend, gives it a little oomph to balance out the smooth, thick vanillas. The jasmine is blending gorgeously, drying the blend up a bit and making it a bit muskier. This is gorgeous, but very feminine and girly. Mmmm… Lots of throw. Now I’m getting less vanilla/grapefruit and more florals, though the vanilla is definitely still there. Dry: A heady white floral with a strong vanilla base. Yummy. Never thought I would like something SO vanilla-y and foody, but damn... biggerCritters is just absolutely luscious.

Resurrecting this thread because if you're looking for a primarily lilac blend, Asphodel fits the bill. It's pure lilac on me.

My first blend with cocoa/chocolate! I was nervous to order this because I dislike smelling like food, but all the herbs and spices convinced me. In the imp: Chocolate mint! On a deeper sniff, I definitely smell the clove and sandalwood too. Plus a general spiciness and floralness. Really yummy. Wet/Drydown: Chocolate clove with a lovely minty undertone. It’s not candy chocolate though, it’s true cocoa, with a dry herbal blend grounding it. The spices are gently supporting the other notes. All the notes are blending smoothly and producing a gorgeous scent. Dry: Clovely, herbal chocolate. It’s staying strong, too, with lots of throw. Overall, I'll definitely keep this one around and wear it when I'm in the mood for something sweet, complex, and unique. A very enjoyable blend.

In the imp: Patchouli and something sweet – the heliotrope? A hint of resin too. Really delicious. Wet/Drydown: First strongly patchouli, now something very green and earthy, which I’m guessing is the oakmoss. I’m not really getting any heliotrope – there is nothing floral or sweet about this blend. I’m not quite sure what copal smells like, so can’t really speak to that note. This is a very dry, earthy blend – a soft patchouli underlying what I can only guess is the oakmoss. It’s a gentle scent, green and gold, like sunlight filtering through a deciduous forest canopy and gently dappling the forest floor. A bit dryer – ah, now I’m getting a hint of resin, and it’s sweetening up the musty/earthiness just a tiny tiny bit. This reminds me of Aureus, which I adore, but Greed is softer and gentler. I have to say, this blend does not evoke “greed” to me at all. It’s a very naturalistic, outdoorsy type of scent. Dry: The oakmoss is sharing the stage more equally with the patchouli now, and the resin is stronger. Overall, this is quite similar to Aureus, but I prefer the former. Overall, I think I'll stick with Aureus, but Greed is nice.

Ok, I need to preface this review by saying that normally I stay far, far away from any blend with honey, and never would have ordered Eden on my own. However, I got it as a frimp with my last order, and it's my policy to try everything once, because you never know. I am SO GLAD that I did! In the imp: Sweet and salty – I definitely smell the toasted coconut and the almond milk. I don’t know where that salty smell is coming from. Wet/Drydown: Honeyed almond milk, quite strong. I’m super intrigued by the toasted coconut note. This is a very sweet blend. Alright, some sandalwood peeking through, making this a bit woody-spicy and earthy. Where’s that lovely fig that I adore from Gomorrah? Oh! There it is! It’s not quite as dry as Gomorrah, but earthier. Now the honeyed almond milk is really taking a backseat, and the fig is making itself known – and it’s glorious! The toasted coconut is much calmer too, but it’s still there. My G-d, this is gorgeous. But it’s faded quickly into a very soft scent; I wish it had more throw. Dry: Oh my, lovely honeyed fig! Whiffs of sandalwood and toasted coconut. Just a hint of almond milk, making the scent nice and creamy. It really does evoke The Garden of Eden. Overall, I wish it had more throw, but my skin eats up most scents like woah. Eden is beautiful, and I'm happy that I found a blend with honey that I can actually wear.

The official description for Baron Samedi is "Our spin on traditional bay rum". Then there's Port au Prince, which is buttered rum and not bay rum, but is still rummy and delicious. I know there are more blends with bay rum, I'm just not remembering them right now...

I definitely second Aureus. What a wonderful, wonderful cedar/amber/patchouli.

In the bottle: Lush, deep, dark, and sexy. I smell the patchouli underneath a thick, spicy floral. The other notes are too well blended to pick out. Wet/Drydown: Rich, sweet magnolia rises first, backed up by the opium. The jasmine lends a hint of spicy!floral as opposed to sweet!floral. The patchouli is in the background, but it grounds this blend and makes it earthier and dirtier (sexy-dirty, not earth-dirty). Now the jasmine is being a bit bolder. I don’t know what kush smells like, so no comments as to that note. This is unbelievably sexual – wow. At every whiff, I keep getting the spice of jasmine or the sweetness of magnolia – they switch off, and sometimes they blend together. Dry: A very sexy, musky, spicy-sweet blend. The description is spot on – “dark desire” is right! Definitely a blend to wear when you want to seduce someone.

I didn't find Othello to particularly masculine, but that could just be because I have a hard time thinking "rose" and "masculine" in the same sentence. Anyway... In the imp: Rose with something extra. Wet/Drydown: Spicy rose. Rose with spices. Yup. The warmth of the musk is starting to bleed through the rose. Yeah, the rose and the musk are blending beautifully, and the spices are backing it up. Now the spices are backing down and this is primarily a musky rose. Dry: Musky rose! Gorgeous and sexy and I love it.

In the imp: Light, dry floral. Faintly purple and juicy. Wet/Drydown: Mmm… I know I’ve smelled this, but I can’t place it! It smells very natural, like the actual plant/flower that I can’t name. It’s gentle but not faint, dry but juicy/sappy, floral but green. There’s a watery/dewy note that’s similar to the one in Moon Rose. Absolutely gorgeous and natural. I love it. Dry: An absolutely wonderful light floral. A definite keeper, possibly a big bottle purchase. Love love love love love Asphodel!

Haunted was one of the blends I was most excited to try, based on the description and notes, so I was thrilled when I got a frimp of it in my last order. Alas... In the imp: Thick, sweet amber. Heady and rich. Very resinous. Wet/Drydown: Oh my God, this is amazing. The thick, sweet, gooey amber provides an intensely beautiful base, and the black musk adds such a heady, woozy note. This is my first blend with black musk, and WOAH, it’s definitely darker and more sinister than the other musks. This is sweeter than I expected. VERY resinous. Bit drier – WOAH BLACK MUSK. Strong, sweet, strong… this is a very heavy blend. Dry: Oh, Haunted, I wanted you to work on me so much. But alas, you are crazy-strong and overpowering. I'm guessing that it's the black musk that does what honey does on my skin - AMP LIKE WOAH. This blend gave me a headache. I'm sorry, Haunted, but I must swap you.

Aww, there seems to be so little love for Ra! Well, don't worry, my lovely, I'll do you justice... In the imp: Slightly sweet. Oranges with a hint of cinnamon underneath. Wet/Drydown: Yeah, cinnamon-oranges, but the cinnamon isn’t overwhelming at all, it’s very gentle and supportive, merely adding a touch of warm spice. Now I’m getting something floral, as well as something resinous. Mmm… this is delicious. This is a very clarifying scent, definitely encapsulates that “morning” feel. I’ll admit, I’m a morning person, and this really reminds me of waking up early and stepping out onto the shore of a pond, gazing at the forest on the other side, as bright, warm sunlight streams down onto my skin. A bit drier - more floral, but not overwhelmingly so. The spice really warms this up and gives it a nice gentle bite. Gah! I can’t stop sniffing my arm! Oo! Now I’m getting the very slightest hint of something creamy. Dry: Delicious, delicious oranges, sprinkled with cinnamon, with a frosty mug of cream on the side and a bouquet of gentle flowers on the table. My goodness, I could smell like this forever and be happy.

Ides of March 2007 In the bottle: Sweet herbal – rosemary and bergamot are foremost, with the florals trailing behind. Wet/Drydown: Fresh and green and citrusy! Not very strong, it stays pretty close to the skin. The florals are catching up, as is the cardamom, which lends just a hint of spice. It warms up with every minute, the “greenness” is not as strong. The bergamot and lemon rind give the blend that citrusy bite that freshens up the spicy-floral mix I’m getting. So interesting! It keeps switching between a spicy-sweet floral and a citrusy herbal blend. It can’t decide what it wants to be! But I love it either way, so I win. Ah, the citrusy-herbal seems to be winning! But it’s a gracious winner, it’s letting the cardamom and florals peek through a bit. Oo! Amber! How I love you… Dry: Settles down into a lovely fresh scent that is primarily a sweet green herbal, but with periodic whirls of spice and floral, and a thread of amber wandering throughout it all. A definite success on my skin, I’ll be wearing this often. Such a complex blend! It really morphs a lot, going through so many stages, and each one is delicious. Masterfully blended.

In the imp: Sandalwood and myrrh, with a sweet hint of flowers. Wet/Drydown: Floral! Lovely, heady, white florals. Sweet orchid spiced up a bit by musty jasmine. I don’t know what paperwhites smell like, but underneath the sexy, spicy jasmine/orchid combo is a light, delicate, white floral, though it’s more of a feel than a scent. It’s light, though, and plays second fiddle to the jasmine/orchid. There’s a dryness to this blend, which I think is the sandalwood. I’m not getting anything herbal, nor much myrrh. This blend is sexy, but classy-sexy. Dry: Lovely white floral, with a dry, sandalwood base. A keeper!

In the imp: Veeeery faint, I can barely smell it. Incredibly light, sweet floral. Wet/Drydown: Still very light. It’s a gentle, sweet vanilla-floral. I don’t get a chilly feel to this, it actually feels warm to me. Oh wait – there’s that winter wind! Wow, it’s spot-on! I’m yet again in awe of Beth’s talent. Dry: This dries to a very soft, gentle vanilla-floral on me. It's sweet, but not too sweet. It's lovely and unique, yet very unobtrusive, so I feel like I can wear this anywhere. Too bad I only have an imp!

In the imp: Grassy and spicy herbal. Very green and invigoratingly delicious. Wet/Drydown: Evil Christmas tree! Herbal-sharp and fresh and biting and venomous and green and dripping. It bites you, quick like a snake, but it turns you instantly into a masochist, desperately wanting it to bite again, loving the pain. A bit drier, and a very dry, dusty earth note creeps in, not that lovely damp earth smell, but different. This really does smell like a plant in the earth, out in nature. It’s amazingly evocative. I don’t really get anything floral in this at all. Dry: Settles down a bit. It’s still very green and herbal, but there’s a slight acrid tone creeping into it, the same one that’s a lot stronger in Brimstone. I like the wet/drydown phase better, and I would’ve upgraded this to a big bottle purchase if the scent had stayed in that phase. As it is, I’ll use the imp.