waternight

In the bottle: Spicy! Clemence is a kick in the nose, in a really good way. Clove, pepper, and cardamom. Wet: Clove and carnation...and tea! Not quite as violent as in the bottle. Mmm... now patchouli shows up, and its sharp earthiness is the perfect compliment to the spices. The tea is keeping the SLAMBAM HOT SPICE in check. Black pepper is a subtle supporting character. This. Is. Amazing. The tea and patchouli get a bit stronger, but the clove is holding steady. The cardamom and pepper are subtle and lend to the overall spiciness, as does the carnation. While this is VERY spicy, the tea adds a smoothness. This is truly an active, enchanting blend. Dry: Dries down to a gentle clove tea with a touch of cardamom. Absolute work of art. EDIT 10/2/13: I wore Clemence yesterday after not wearing her for a few years, and I was blown away. If I thought I loved her fresh, it's nothing compared to how I love her aged. She's still got the spicy warmth of clove and cardamom, but she's MUCH smoother and more balanced now, with patchouli and carnation (especially carnation) being more prominent. I could not remove my nose from my inner elbow. She seriously just sky-rocketed into my Top Ten.

In the bottle: Deep, smokey vanilla and a rich amber. Wet: Amber and vanilla with a bit of spicy carnation. This is not a light, tropical vanilla - this is serious vanilla, deep, dark, and sophisticated. Although... what's this? Now it smells like spiced oatmeal cookies! Yummy. I want to eat it. A bit later, some sweet warm myrrh creeps in. Vanilla-amber oatmeal cookies. Delicious! Luckily, the woods are behaving, as sandalwood sometimes turns a blend into a single-note, powdery sandalwood. The carnation adds a steady spice that keeps the vanilla and amber from being too sticky. Dry: Warm, sexy-snuggly, resinous vanilla. Deep and dark and soft. There's still a lingering "oatmeal cookie" note to this, but that's fine because it smells amazing. This will definitely be a popular blend.

In the bottle: Creamy caramel and amber. Undertones of fresh apple blossom and woody teak. Wet: Honey and apple blossom with just a bit of caramel... This is a lot lighter than I was expecting, and it's not nearly as foody as I was expecting either. The teak provides a warm, solid base. The cream and the caramel are warm and sweet and creamy, but they play second fiddle to the apple blossom, which is lightly drizzled with a light, sweet honey. Dry: Soft, warm, gentle... apple blossom continues to be the dominant note, floating on top of a lovely, warm, sweet caramel. This manages to not be foody, and it's gorgeous.

In the bottle: Warm benzoin, earthy patchouli, and dry frankincense. I was puzzled when I first sniffed because I expected this blend to be WOAH FRUITY, but the fruit comes in the "after-smell" of that first sniff. Wet: Fruity, but with an earthy warmth and dryness from the wood, patchouli, and frankincense. They keep the fruity notes from being too sweet. There's the tartness of pomegranate, the plum and plum blossom lend an earthy fruitiness, yet they're also juicy and sweet - I can almost taste a ripe plum bursting in my mouth. The raspberry is there but it's not overwhelming, and it lets the other fruits take center stage. I really agree that this blend has the best artwork/scent agreement. This is a woman who is earthy yet elegant, ripe and sensual and feminine and hedonistic. She revels in her womanhood and her sexuality. She is unapolegetically sexual in a very primal way, but she never loses her dignity and elegance. She's an interesting dichotomy... There's a stage where the fruit becomes more dominant, but it's followed by a stage where the patchouli comes back strongly. Dry: Tart fruits with smooth benzoin and a good, solid patchouli base. Dionysia is awesome.

I have to throw in a rec for CLEMENCE. One of the Grindhouse ladies. Oh lordy, she is AMAZING. Spicy and amazing.

In the bottle: SWEET. CANDY. WOAH. Wet: Wow. Bubblegum. I can only guess it's the hibiscus. I repeat - wow. Ok, after several minutes the 50 LB BAG OF SUGAR TO THE HEAD has settled down and I can smell some other notes - neroli, monoi, hints of coconut and vanilla. After a bit, the sweetness feels like it's coming from the ylang ylang, and some white musk lurks in the background. Dry: This continues to calm down into something wearable - sweet and feminine and tropical. I... don't know if I'll be keeping the Queen, as I feel like I'm going into a diabetic coma when I wear her.

In the bottle: Very herbal - sage, lavender, hint of peppermint, cedar Wet: Still quite herbal. The lavender and peppermint provide a base, with sage and frankincense on top. There's woodiness from the cedar. A heady floral ntoe is present as well - magnolia. The DBR doesn't amp, but it's there in teh background, providing some sweetness. The peppermint adds to the sweetness too, but this isn't a sweet blend. It's sharp and dry and herbal and spiky - nothing smooth here. The sage and cedar add the dryness. Dry: Heeeeeeerbs.

In the bottle: Moist potting soil. On a deep sniff, there IS a hint of sweet overripeness, and a hint of blood. Wet: Soil, but lighter than in teh bottle. Coffin wood appears and is a steady presence, making this a wood and soil blend. There's something tart here too - lunar oils? Cuckoo flowe? Hell if I know. Whatever it is, it's almost citrusy-sour, but in a really great way. Ah! It could be the coppery tang of the blood note. Wow, this is a lot more wearable that I thought it would be. There's a sharpness here that I'm just loving. Not really getting any fruits, red or otherwise, and the florals are a mere suggestion. This is gorgeous. Intoxicating. Moist potting soil mixed with coppery blood and a sprinkle of rotting sweet things. In a wooden box. Dry: Rich, moist, sweetened potting soil. LOVE. And to think I almost didn't get this.

In the bottle: Mmmm.... moist, rotting wood, moist and moldy and earthy. Amazing. Wet: Wow - now it's barely there. It's VERY faint. Same as in the bottle, but fainter and with a bit more rose and incense. The rose gently amps - but not crazily - and the mold and rot are gentler. But the earth note is still moist and mildewy and awesome. Dry: This is like a softer, gentler Zombie.

In the imp: Gingered vanilla with honey, though there's an "after-smell" of blood orange. This is not very floral. Wet: Spicy, gingered vanilla. Almost foody, but not. Spicy ginger! Yum! I adore Beth's ginger note, and this blend certainly doesn't let me down. Honey and orange, juicy and spicy and sweet. The orange in this is the best orange I've smelled - juicy and pulpy and natural. There's an undercurrent of gardenia, but it's more of a feel rather than a full-blown note. Same with the roses. After a bit, the ginger settles down (though it's still a major player), and this is primarily a vanilla-honey-orange blend. Dry: ::attempts to jam arm up nose:: This is so amazing. I can't stop huffing at my arm. The orange continually amps. This is almost edible, it's so good. I'm so glad I have a bottle!

In the imp: I barely smell anything at all. There's the whisper of a suggestion of honeyed tea, if at all. Wet: Honeyed tea, incredibly light and faint. After a few minutes, a crisp green note with a slightly spicy feel appears, but it's not the sinus clearing whoosh! that I was expecting. There's almost something astringent about this. Dry: Doesn't morph. It's light and fresh and crisp and pleasant, but NOTHING like what I was expecting.

In the imp: Huh, this does smell metallic and sagey. Wet: Metal eucalyptus! Seriously - eucalyptus and camphor, but with an unexpected warmth. It really does smell polished, oiled, glowing... Wow. This is amazing. The incense is behaving (it can go wonky on me), the sage isn't really there... This is mainly warm, oiled metal with eucalyptus. Vastly addictive. Dry: LOVE. Musky and masculine and metallic... So unbelievably sexy. YUM.

Damn! I lost my review notes for this one, but I DO remember that it blew me away. It's dead sexy. It's masculine-musky, but a women can wear it. Someone said that this is the scent of James Bond - but the grittier, sexier Daniel Craig James Bond, and I couldn't agree more. If this scent were a man, I'd be throwing my panties at him right now. I may need a big bottle of this.

White mint, purple musk, violet, lilac, ylang ylang, lavender moss, and sandalwood. In the imp: Violet, lilac, and sandalwood. Soft and fuzzy. Wet: Same as in the imp. Soft and muted, not electric like I was expecting. After a few minutes, a gentle soft sweetness come from the ylang ylang, and a headiness that prevents this from being ALL floral. This is a homey, comforting, relaxing scent. The sandalwood lends a slightly powdery creaminess. There's the faintest hint of a light musk. Dry: Pretty much the same as wet.

In the imp: Light, spicy resins. Almost crisp. Beeswax is prominent. Wet: Same as in the imp, but stronger and warmer. This is warmed beeswax, soft and maleable, that has been blended with the resins. There's a dry spiciness that's pretty awesome. A bit later, it sweetens up, as I expect from resins. Benzoin stands out, but this is essentially very well blended and smooth. This bears a strong resemblance to Anubis, though this is more creamy and less herbal. Dry: Smooth, creamy resins. Creamier Anubis. I like it a lot, but Anubis is one of my true loves, and I don't need bottles of both.

In the imp: The eucalyptus and mint are strongest, but not sweet - this is quite herbal. Wet: Peppermint tea! This smells like Celestial Seasonings Peppermint tea! Herbal and delicious and not overly "minty"... ozone shares the stage nicely - they combine well. A light, sweet floral note creeps in, somewhat tropical and juicy. The floral aspect softens the mint and ozone, but I wouldn't call this a floral scent. Rather, an herbal ozone with the softness of a floral. Dry: The florals amp up a bit, and this ends up as a floral-herbal-mint. It's much softer than I expected, not really sharp or electric.

In the imp: Light and sweet Wet: Translucent blooms indeed! Fresh, light, watery florals, followed by incredibly light, barely-there resins. There's a slightly spicy note as well, but it's quite soft and gentle... like a very gentle ginger or carnation. This certinaly fits the name and description - definitely ethereal and misty-wispy. Very lovely. Dry: The florals amp up a bit and get sweeter - the resins are thickening up this blend. All in all, this is a lovely, fresh, feminine scent.

In the imp: Vague metallic leather, kinda sweetish, hint of frankincense. Wet: I get the thin lubricating oils, and maybe some faint anise... but this is barely there. Just nothing. I is confused. Dry: Alright, dry, this does take on a bit more life. But I really can't pick ANY of the notes out. It's kinda musky. I'm underwhelmed.

Glowing amber and citrus, labdanum, verbena, cedar, and oud. In the imp: light cedar and citrus, touch of resins Wet: Citrus! Bright verbena, light and sweet and pithy and awesome. This is CITRUS-citrus. The cedar is there, but it's VERY understated. I smell the oud from Holiday Moon - a light, crisp, citrusy wood. Lovely. There's just a hint of resins in this blend, not overwhelming at all. This evokes a sunrise... wow, the verbena is actually sticking around. Yay! So far, this is wonderful. A bit later, the cedar starts to amp and detracts from the tartness of the verbena. Dry: Oh, how I wish this had stayed true to the wet stage. Dry, this is a cedar/citrus blend, heavy on the cedar. I love cedar, but in the dry stage of this one, it's just odd.

In the imp: Deep, glowing woods overlying tobacoo. Just a hint of vanilla. Wet: Lovely deep woods - almost chocolatey...glowing, burnished, dark brown...now a thick, creamy vanilla come into play, but it's a supporting character... vanilla amps a bit and tobacco shows up, somewhat heady. This is really quite delicious... the woods dry out a bit and become woodier, and the vanilla becomes creamy-vanilla-er. The tobacco is gentle and lends a slight headiness. Dry: This is smooooooth. Creamy vanilla, deep dark smooth woods, and a wisp of tobacco, all blending seamlessly together. Definitely a winner.

Another vote for Aureus. I'm biased, as I have a strong emotional connection to it, but it really is a glorious woody scent. Or I'd go for something with a strong frankincense component.

In the imp: Light, sweet, cheerful, and joyful. It's a happy making scent. Wet: Wow. First on, this is all poppies, but the most true-to-nature, just-like-the-flower POPPY. Outrageously gorgeous. During the drydown, a light honey note creeps in and sweetens it up JUST a bit. If you amp sweet notes and are afraid of the honey in this - don't be. Dry: Not a huge morpher. This stays pretty much bright, gentle, beautiful poppies with the barest coating of honey. The acai berry never really shows up, but I'm not mourning it because this scent is AMAZING. A few hours later, there is a note that is almost reminiscent of the lightest, purest white musk, but that could just be me. This is definitely bottle-worthy. I bow down to Beth for the creation of this glorious scent.

My friend's cat practically glued her face to my cleavage when I wore Aureus. So, heavy cedar/patchouli might be good, if you can wear them.

If you can find it, you need to try Asphodel. On me, it's pretty much ALL lilac, and it's gorgeous. Unfortunately, it was recently discontinued. I'm still kicking myself for not picking up a bottle...

Golden amber, golden musk, litsea cubeba, cedar, and saffron. Ok. I just got this yesterday as a frimp, and I thought, spiced amber? The Lion was pretty "meh" on me, so I didn't have high hopes for Fascinum. Bite my tongue. Fascinum is amazing. Its golden, warm, sweet resins that are kept from being sticky or cloying by the cedar and saffron. It's spicy in the very best way possible. It has hints of cedar from time to time that stay modestly in the background. It smells strong in the imp and when first applied, but it quickly settles down into a gentle scent that stays close to the skin. It's like my beloved Anubis but less sweet and more spicy and musky. It is made of ABSOLUTE WIN.