Lunasariel
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In the imp: Herbal-woodsy. The lemon is notable, but comes across as more herbal than acidic or bright. And maybe a faint breath of florals? This is certainly delicate, but I dunno about pale. Wet: An initial waft of herbal-woodsiness, fairly true to ITI. But then the florals quickly come to dominate - mostly pale, delicate, moonlit white florals, of course (hooray, the lily isn't going soapy!), and maybe some rose? They're rounded out by that same lovely herbal-woodsiness, anyway. Pale and delicate indeed! Dry: The florals warm up considerably - definitely not "fragile, distant, and radiant" anymore! They're actually very well balanced with the herbal and woodsy notes. It's still quite a soft blend, but considerably more approachable now.
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In the imp: Effervescent and bubbly! I'm getting kind of a 7-Up or ginger ale feel, with maybe the barest hint of florals. Wet: I don't have a good scent profile for rosé, but that effervescent, bubbly sort of note is sure still coming on strong! Other than that, I'm getting either the orange peel or a particularly citrus-y rose; I'm going to bet on the latter, since whenever I catch a random whiff of it, the first word my brain tosses out is "perfumey," so I bet the rose is more prominent than I'm giving it credit for. It's also surprisingly spicy further away from my skin. Dry: The effervescence fades, of course, but the underlying aldehydes are surprisingly tenacious. Is this an aldehyde that actually works on my skin?? Other than that very classic, vintage perfume scent, it's very distinctly orange spice, a little like tea or chocolate, but *very* not foodie. An odd combo, but I love it! I agree with above - it would make a fantastic NYE scent.
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In the imp: Narcissus - definitely in the white floral family (which I love), but citrusier and less va-va-voom than my beloved jasmine. And maybe a hint of opium at the bottom, rounding things out? Wet: The opium is much more prominent, and now shares space almost equally with the narcissus. To the surprise of none, they play well together! Throw is still mainly narcissus, but at skin level it's an interesting balance. Dry: Still quite sweet, but no longer quite so narcissus-forward. The opium also comes across as fairly sweet. The myrrh goes a long way towards balancing it out when it does appear, but I wish the myrrh were a lot more prominent. It really needs something in the dry incense vein to manage all that woozy sweetness! It's lovely, don't get me wrong, but it is definitely a sweet scent first and foremost. Pretty impressive throw, too. (Or maybe that's just me amping white florals, idk.)
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2024 version! In the imp: ...Wine??? No, seriously, I don't get any rose at all, just straight-up red wine. My father is a winemaker, and this smells exactly like sticking your nose into the bung hole of a French oak wine barrel full of cabernet sauvignon that's almost ready for bottling. It's not unpleasant, just... what??? Wet: What the Sam Hill is going on with this perfume? Again, not rose, but something kind of acidic and spicy and chemical-y - way too much cinnamon or allspice? Camphor? I have no clue what's going on here. Dry: Whew, finally! A recognizable rose note finally develops, first most noticeable in the sillage, but eventually at skin-level as well. It is quite a camphorous rose, at least at first, but after a little while it becomes lovely and fresh-smelling.
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2024 version! In the imp: It smells white and fluffy! Something akin to the "starry" note from, say, Canis Major or The Flame of the Bear, but less crystalline. It's quite a sweet scent, the way night air is sometimes sweet. And maybe a little bit floral? Wet: White and chilly, what can I say! Now with a distinctly sharper, chillier, more night air-y edge. Still very sweet - if I was smelling this blind I would assume some sort of ineffable florals, or maybe vanilla? Dry: Fairly linear. Always fairly soft, and getting softer over time, but it loses that sharp, chilly edge. I do want to say that it's coming across as mainly vanilla-ish, with maybe some florals as well.
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Lemon Chiffon Pumpkin Pie
Lunasariel replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Gifts with Donation or Purchase
In the imp: That buttery pie crust note that BPAL does so well hits me first, then sort of omnidirectional baking spices, and then a surprisingly soft and unobtrusive lemon. I'm getting more of a lemon snickerdoodle feeling than lemon chiffon pumpkin pie, but whatever it is, I'm here for it! Wet: Close to the skin, it's much more distinctly pumpkin pie spices with a hint of lemon, and still with that delicious buttery pie crust note. The throw is much more general baked goods. Weirdly enough, the lemon is *much* more noticeable on one wrist than the other. Huh! Dry: Lemony, spiced-but-not-spicy baked goods - not distinctly pumpkin pie, but not distinctly snickerdoodle, either. Predictably, the lemon burns off after an hour or so, leaving pure baking-spices-and-pie-crust goodness. -
In the imp: A fresh, clean herbal scent, predominantly lavender and lemon in that order. And maybe a little woodsy? Wet: Lemon (or at least citrus), herbal and just a little sweet, with the tangerine also coming out after a few minutes. Not as floral as I had expected. Dry: The citrus burns off, leaving the ylang ylang and sandalwood to come forward. It's a mild, creamy, floral-woodsy sort of scent. Cooling the nerves and inspiring serenity indeed!
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I'm wearing both Druid and Paladin for the new year - kindness, strength, and respect for nature.
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In the imp: Sweet lavender, and lots of it! And maybe some patch or lavender to provide ballast? A sweet, well-rounded lavender, anyway - kinda reminds me of the Liliths, or certain Lupercalias. Wet: Ahhhh, this is exactly what I was hoping for when I read the description! Sage is one of my all-time favorite notes, and this is a wonderful example - soft green, herbal, and alive. It's rounded out by rich, complex bourbon vanilla, and still a hint of sweet lavender. The patchouli also comes out to play after a few minutes, especially further from the skin. Dry: After a brief but worrying soapy phase, it settles into a glorious honeyed patch and bourbon vanilla, lovely and warm, rounded out with notable sage and less-notable but still present lavender.
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2024 version! In the bottle: "Starchy" is the main note I'm getting here, like rice or flour (or rice flour!) - kind of musty, but leaning in a foodie direction. But it's also a bit creamy and a bit sweet (although I can't identify the sweetness as either fig, ylang ylang, or vanilla at this point). This is a very soft pink-and-white scent. Wet: Huh, there's a change-up! The starchiness is still there, but instead of balancing against creaminess and sweetness, it's balancing against sandalwood and fir. There's maybe a hint of creaminess still rounding things out, but now it's primarily a woodsy scent, with sandalwood being predominant. It still feels very soft, and wears very close to the skin. Dry: The starchiness eventually fades away entirely, leaving woodsiness (again, mainly sandalwood) and fruity-creamy sweetness. It does smell very cozy, comforting, and compassionate!
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2024 version! In the bottle: Pretty, pretty, pretty! I can pick up the roses, the jasmine, the amber, the vanilla, and the mallow, but the overall impression is pretty, elegant, omnidirectional daintiness. A vintage Christmas gown indeed! Wet: The roses and mallow come on strongest at first, with the amber keeping everything grounded. Jasmine starts to creep in as well after a few minutes. At skin level, it's very floral-forward, but the throw is much more sweet cream/mallow and amber, with some very soft rose around the edges. Dry: Unsurprisingly, the amber and vanilla(/mallow?) prove the most tenacious, but the rose also hangs around longer than I thought it would. This is a gorgeous, dainty, elegant scent. The gown to go with this would be a stunner!
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2024 version! In the imp: Evergreen-y, but not overwhelmingly so. The fir is balanced out with something berry-sweet and herbal, and a "starry" note that I also noticed, and loved, in Canis Major. Wet: The berry-sweetness and effervescent "starry" note take a big step back, and the myrrh and oak (I think?) take a big step forward. I've never smelled an oak note this pure before - it's woodsy and vegetal and a little musty, but in a good way, very much like breaking open a damp fallen oak branch. It's a dark, damp, woodsy, winter scent; very appropriate that I'm testing it on the winter solstice! Dry: More traditionally woodsy and resinous, or maybe incense-y? It's definitely a lot drier; mainly oak (or fir, from reading other review?) and some myrrh. The myrrh also is fairly dry, but becomes more resinous and less incense-y towards the very end (around 10 hours on me, which is about average), bringing back a bit of the sweetness I noted ITI. It's a quiet, inward-looking, meditative sort of scent.
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In the imp: My brother walked by while I was uncapping this and said it smells like "old folks' homes and death." Thanks buddy! But really, it is a very strong, perfumey rose, with the narcissus coming across as kind of wet, green, and aldehydic or alcohol-y. Wet: Yup, that's rose! Still very aldehydic and traditionally perfumey. And it packs a HELLUVA punch. Dry: Gets less aldehydic and wet/green over time. The throw also decreases to something much more manageable. It settles down into a fairly straightforward rose SN, and stays there for the next 10-12 hours, which is about average length for me.
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In the imp: A very soft, perfumey (but not sweet) lavender. The astringent edge that lavender sometimes has is blunted by tonka and/or amber. Subtle and lovely! Wet: Ah, damn. I haven't tried a fougere for years after they drastically failed to work on my skin, and it looks like things haven't improved. Soapy, plasticky lavender, alas. At least it's balanced out by a surprisingly nice rosewood! Dry: Once the lavender fougere burns off (after an hour or so), it actually dries down to a really lovely amber-rosewood scent, with more rosewood closer to the skin and the throw having more amber. Well, that was a nice surprise!
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In the imp: I'm getting a lot of pumpkin spices (particularly nutmeg) and honey, but this is a surprisingly non-foodie scent for me. Probably because the more gourmand-y elements are balanced by a nice fur-ruffling musk, a very smooth patch, amber, and maybe just a hint of bergamot around the edges? Wet: Very incense- and pumpkin spice-forward (more pumpkin spice up close, but more incense from afar), but grounded and made cuddly by tonka and amber. The bergamot also becomes much more apparent after a minute or two. It brings to mind the colors orange and brown, and feels like a fuzzy, well-worn knitted jumper. Dry: This is such a gorgeous fall scent. Less sweet than you might think from the pumpkin spice/honeyed chestnut/amber, but just a lovely, mellow golden-brown scent. The honeyed chestnut really comes into its own on the drydown, and it eventually settles into mainly tonka, patchouli, and amber, although the pumpkin spice incense and honey(ed chestunt) are also evident. The tonka, patch, and honey last the longest, although the amber and incense also hang around for a long time.