Lunasariel

In the imp: About equal parts bright, juicy, mouth-watering citrus (primarily blood orange, I think?) and a big ol' snootful of ginger. There might be some frankincense way down at the base, giving the whole scent some traction, but it's hard to tell under the one-two combo punch of citrus-ginger. Definitely a get-up-and-go scent! Wet: The citrus softens down and blooms almost immediately, but it stays pretty close to the skin, where it's pretty much a blood orange/lemongrass/bergamot combo, with maybe some ginger or frankincense for complication's sake. (I almost want to say there's a brown or red musk in there?) But from afar...wow. Just, wow. It's one of those scents that's so well-blended it's impossible to pick out any individual notes, but it's a homey, comforting, bright, and strong scent - I would almost swear beeswax is involved somehow, since it has a similar warm, almost smoky feel to The Lights of Men's Lives or Alma Venus. I think ginger might be a main player? And frankincense? But if so, this is frankincense as I've never seen it before - it normally goes thin and sour on my skin, but this is downright lovely, warm, and well-rounded. Dry: I still say there's beeswax or honey in here somewhere - it has that kind of mellow sweetness. There are occasional worrying whiffs of chemical-lemon-scented cleaning products from afar, but mostly it settles down into a comfortable citrus-ginger scent, with the rose geranium becoming more distinguishable over time, and maybe the frankincense still anchoring the whole thing. I definitely want to pair this with The Lights of Men's Lives. Interestingly enough, this is possibly the first time frankincense has worked on my skin without amber or some other resin to bolster it - normally it goes unpleasantly thin and sour (see above), but this warm, resinous sort of frisson must be what everyone else gets, and I love it!

In the imp: Light, soft woods - almost floral and/or citrus-y. I agree with Foodie in that this feels more like fragrant night air than anything else. Wet: I get big ol' wafts of amber as I apply, but a strikingly gorgeous green scent quickly steps up to bat. It's not identifiable as any distinct wood or moss, but instead it's the multifaceted, entwined scent of a living forest itself. There's also a hint of the Lab's snow note, which always reads as cool, crisp air and/or "classic" perfume on me. After a few minutes, it's predominantly amber and/or the snow note, with the greenery taking a step or two back. Dry: The snow fades over time, and the omnidirectional greenery resolves itself into woods (but, again, I can't pick out any type of wood in particular). The amber is present throughout, which I'm 100% a fan of - my skin loves amber, and turns pretty much everything that contains it to warm, sweet, delicious gold. This is no exception. I get a lovely, almost resinous or vegetal amber here - a bit like Philostratus' Phoenix, but much softer (although it initially has quite a throw, it dries down to a skin-level scent) and lacking that citrus element.

In the imp: Mainly warm, thick honey, with just a breath of florals to keep it from smelling *too* much like an apiary. There's something wonderfully wild and nutty-smelling, too, which could be either the "wild musk" or the mallow, which I don't think I've ever smelled before. Wet: There are so many new-to-me notes here, it's a bit difficult to describe what I'm smelling. There's a warm, snuggly, almost nutty scent at the base, which I thiiiiiink might be the same musk as in Coyote. A complex, bright, and brisk zinginess flirts in and out, which could be either the magnolia, the neroli, the orange blossom, or some combination thereof. Not definitively citrus, but it it's got a similar uplifting feel to it. Rich white florals are barely noticeable at first, but come to be a main player within a few minutes, melding beautifully with the honey. It's become a soft, voluptuous, white-gold scent. Dry: From afar, it's the lovely gilded magnolia-with-a-hint-of-neroli-and-honey that so many other people are getting. Up close, it's much more uplifting and citrus-dominant, but with a much toned-down version of the wild musk still present. After several hours, it dries down to a musky honey - less sultry than Womb Furie, brighter and less smoky than The Lights of Men's Lives (which is beeswax and not honey, but still pretty similar), but similar to both, albeit softer than either. There might still be the faintest breath of mallow hanging around, or that could be me remembering them so fondly.

I agree! It started out very beeswax/rose-heavy on me (which is lovely, but not what I wanted), but settled down into the most wonderful old-paper-and-leather scent.

In the imp: A floral scent that wants to be heavy and languidly sweet, but there's a fresh, clean-air scent uplifting it and shooing it out of doors. This could be the ocean water or the fir, but isn't really distinguishable as either. Wet: Still very floral-dominant, but now the florals are lighter, softer, and more demure. There's also what I would almost swear is tonka or amber at the base, providing warmth and strength. I guess this is the fir (maybe?), but I've never smelled fir like this before. Throw is pretty good. Dry: Huzzah, it's an aquatic that doesn't develop into soap on my skin! In fact, I'm not getting much of the ocean water at all - it's a soft, lush floral; sexy yet wearable to work. It starts off as hyacinth with jasmine undertones, but these slowly switch positions throughout the day until I'm left with a very soft, woody jasmine. Wear is pretty short (about four hours, give or take), but it looks like that's not unusual.

In the imp: When my order first arrived, I couldn't resist taking an olfactory peek, and from this one, I got... bubble gum??? Inexplicable, but there it is. I had hoped that a good few days of settling would bring about a change, but nope. Five days later, and the only change is that the bubble gum is now a bit spicy. Without reading the notes, I would have said lotus with a touch of cinnamon or cassia, or maybe carnation. Wet: Uh. I'm getting a brisk, fresh, fruity floral, with a delicate hint of cinnamon developing after a few minutes. If the amber that other people are smelling is lurking around here somewhere as well, I wouldn't be surprised. Unfortunately, the soapy note also starts to emerge after 15 minutes or so. It starts at skin-level, while leaving the scent intact further out, but it starts to creep out pretty rapidly, alas. Dry: Wow, every stage is bringing something completely new and different. Now it's a soft musky amber with an edge that's most definitely frankincense - nothing else goes slightly sour on my skin like that. And it's still here, seven hours later. Huh! At first I was all ready to drop this one in the swaps box, but... this is actually really pleasant.

The scents of the blossoms of darkness, condensed into one perfume. Features a rose base, softened with lilac and wisteria. In the imp: Soft white florals - I would have said a very subdued tuberose or ylang ylang, with some violet for wispiness. No rose so far. Wet: Lusher and very capital-W Womanly. I don't have a great scent profile for pure lilac or pure wisteria, so my first thought was "jasmine? maybe with some violet sprinkled overtop?" Dry: Dries down very quickly into what I would swear is sugared violets. A very soft, sweet floral that wears close to the skin.

In the imp: A dark, sticky, sweet, and sexy perfume. I'm definitely getting the bourbon vanilla, and something rougher at the base that's either patchouli or oud (or both), but overall, it's so well-blended even in the bottle that I get an impression or a feeling rather than a series of notes. Wet: It swirls around for a bit as something ineffably sweet and ballsy before settling down into a more identifiably syrupy-sweet fig/honey scent (figs preserved in honey?) over a base that's mostly oud, but still has a touch of patchouli for texture. Not getting much bourbon vanilla at this stage, but I'd be willing to bet it's lurking in the background somewhere, intensifying both the sweetness and the slinky, flagrantly sexual scent-impression. And, of course, my old friend amber is gilding everything, making sure that everyone works together. Dry: Passes through an amber-patchouli phase with bourbon vanilla facets, a dusting of the light, springtime, almost floral honey that's in Womb Furie, and a breath of fig. It eventually settles into an absolutely lovely and very sophisticated amber oudh with a surprisingly soft patchouli at the base and occasional wafts of slinky, almost boozy, bourbon vanilla. The fig has faded almost entirely and the loukhoum never did show up, but I was drawn to the dark, earthy, sexy aspects of the scent rather than the sweet foody ones (and I tend to amp fruit to high heaven, anyway), so I'm not too fussed about that. I was worried about wearing this one to work, but this Nasty Woman isn't just any ol' pissed-off lady - she's a pissed-off lady with class. Elegant, slightly understated, devastatingly lovely, and will fuck you up. I think I'm in love.

In the imp: A mellow herbal lavender. When it first arrived a couple of days ago, I couldn't help taking an olfactory peek, and the jolt of sharpness really put me off. I'm glad it's smoothed out considerably since then! I may even be getting hints of warm, rounded amber, or that could just me be trying to smell the listed notes. Wet: Gaaaaaaaah. *drools* Up close, it's a true herbal lavender, green and fresh out of the ground, with amber providing a broad, smooth, golden base for it to rest on. From further away, I get whiffs of the most gorgeous lavender-tinted amber every time I move my head. It quickly melds into something simple yet wholly unique, and I. Cannot. Get. Enough. Dry: The throw settles down to skin-level pretty quickly, and from there on out it's pretty much what you'd expect. It occasionally veers a touch too sweet (making me want to layer it with something woody, like Krampus or The Antikythera Mechanism), but mostly it's my old friends amber and lavender making some beautiful music together. I've never bought a backup bottle before, since I tend to go through scents slowly, but given how amazing this is, in a year or so it will be knock-down, drag-out gorgeous and I may need an extra bottle or two around between now and then.

Every time a new batch of LEs comes out, I make it a point to try out something completely weird, off the beaten path, and totally different from my usual warm ambers, leather/rum scents, and florals. In general, this has succeeded more than it's blown up in my face, so let's see how this one does! In the imp: Green and leafy, exactly what it says on the tin. The tomato leaf has much more emphasis on the latter than the former, and the dead leaves are much more mellow and vegetal, and much less acrid, than I had feared. The black pepper is present only as a subtle accent or enhancer - if I wasn't looking for it, I could easily pass it over. Wet: ...And there's the sharp, dead leaves I was anticipating! It's the almost soapy note I remember from Sonnet d'Automne and Autumn Overlooked My Knitting, but much more vegetal here. It settles down and melds with the tomato leaf very nicely to produce something softer and rounder than the dead leaves, but with more of a bite than the tomato leaf. Dry: The leafiness slowly returns over time, but never feels quite as "alive" as ITI. The soapiness, however, hangs around with a vengeance. Apparently dead leaves are something of a death note on me, huh. And the black pepper never did show up...

You might want to give White Rabbit a shot. On me, it's a soft-yet-zingy ginger over a base that is occasionally identifiable as honey and tea, but is mostly just "your skin but better."

In the imp: Primarily woozy, almost alcoholic cherry, with heady white florals also in appearance. Pretty much what I expected from reading the notes, with the exception that the cherry is a lot boozier and more prominent than I would have thought. Wet: The lilies take a big ol' step forward, and the cherry fades almost entirely. Right now, it's alternating between soap (I'm starting to think that lily-of-the-valley might be a death note on me - several blends containing it have turned to soap) and soft white florals, faint greenery, and clear running water. Huh, I wonder which it'll settle into... Dry: Settles into a soft, demure lily - feminine and innocuous. It's not at all assertive, or even all that sexy, but it's pleasant and comforting. Definitely not for everyone, but I could see myself in this mood enough to hang onto it.

In the imp: Wow, I'm already getting soap and it's not even on my skin yet! A breath of fresh florals hangs around on the edges, but in general, hello Soaptown. Wet: Unlike usual, when a scent is fascinating and complex ITI but turns to soap once it hits my skin, this one actually gains a little depth. The soap is still there, no doubt, but more definite aquatics are also present, I think I'm getting some actual seaside salt, and the florals are a little more... reliable? Overall, this is a less screechy, more relaxed version of ITI. Dry: Straight-up soap (without even the florals) trades places with, but eventually gives way to, of all things, a light, pleasant cologne. Where TF did this come from??? It's almost resinous or woody by the end, but it's a soft, comfortable, masculine scent. Very much not what I'd expected from the imp - I hope some serious aging will bring this stage forward and diminish, even if it can't completely eradicate, the Actual Soap stage.

In the imp: A smooth, cozy, well-worn scent, too well-blended for me to pick out any definite notes beyond what I'm pretty sure is the beeswax, half-melted resins of some sort, and a particularly soft, lived-in leather. Wet: A resinous, leathery hug in a bottle. Styrax (which, according to my research, = benzoin), beeswax, and hints of the same well-worn leather are the most prominent, with ineffable resins feeling almost sticky at the base. Occasionally I get a whiff of dried roses (and yes, they are definitely dried, not fresh) around the edges, but mainly I'm getting a candlelit library full of occult and very well-used books. Dry: It seems to settle into a pleasant but slightly disappointing roses-and-beeswax scent, but this proves to be just a phase before really settling into almost exactly the old paper scent I was looking for! Still some hints of leather and resins (almost woody by now), but yes this is a library scent indeed.

In the imp: Well, huh. I get a lovely, brisk, outdoorsy scent accented by crisp, not-too-sweet apples...buried under something thick, heavy, and musty. It reminds me of the "warm tortillas/corn chips" salt note in Callisto. Something warm and almost foody that contrasts jarringly with the cool, smooth notes underneath. Where TF did this come from??? Wet: Now that's more like it! A cool, serene scent, elegant and understated and almost achingly beautiful. The apple blossom is a touch of sweetness carried on the wind, and the water is trickling and fresh. I get occasional whiffs of distinct grass, but mostly it melds with the mint and pine for something ineffably green and lovely. The "watery cerulean musk" provides a base of subtle strength so the rest of the notes won't drift away into nothing, but it still contributes to the light, cool impression overall. It wears close to the skin, like a secret only for you. A unicorn's scent indeed! Dry: Unsurprisingly, the water burns off the fastest, leaving the apple blossom as the dominant note. This is fairly linear, as soft and sweet as it ever was. The greens, too, fade into the background - I get an occasional whiff of pine, but mostly just a general greenness to support the apple blossom. I'm getting something almost white musk-like, hiding way deep down at the base; maybe it and cerulean musk are cousins?

Oddly enough, Autumn Overlooked My Knitting! I have no idea why, but it was a dead ringer for Daisy both on me and on a couple of friends I tried it on. Ah, how interesting! Did it smell like that straight from the bottle? I'm really hoping something exists without relying entirely on my skin chemistry to amp/drink certain notes. You're so lucky to have gotten that out of the scent though! Colour me envious! Just gave it a whiff, and I think so? It's been a while since I smelled Daisy in situ, but I think in the bottle it's a little more floral and less fruity. Still damn close, though.

Oddly enough, Autumn Overlooked My Knitting! I have no idea why, but it was a dead ringer for Daisy both on me and on a couple of friends I tried it on.

In the imp: Dragon's blood front to back. There may be some spices lurking under the "spicy floral" scent of dragon's blood (cinnamon especially - I'm getting whiffs of it a good foot and a half away from the uncorked imp), but they're secondary at best. Wet: The "floral" part of "spicy floral" resolves itself into jasmine, but it's quickly over taken by the cinnamon-heavy spiciness. Yup, Red Hots is what I'm getting, too. The Red Hots flip-flop with the more balanced, spicy jasmine scent. Dry: Surprisingly, the jasmine comes out on top. There's still a lingering bit of spiciness, but it's not immediately readable as cinnamon. In fact, if I didn't know better, I would say carnation.

In the imp: Yep, that's some sharp, dark, biting greenery right there. Primarily I'm getting something sharp and probably coniferous - maybe yew? And there's something almost woody growling around the base; I'm going to guess vetiver or one of the darker woods. It's rounded out by some ineffable spices and/or herbs - I might say basil is in there somewhere, among others. Wet: Almost definitely vetiver at the base, but it plays well with the other notes. The coniferous scent fades to a background sharpness, just providing an edge for the sweet, spicy herbs that come to dominate. Huh, I was not expecting this! I almost get a pomander-like scent - sweet and spicy, but with an herbal, green edge. Dry: A sweeter, almost fruity scent. The spiciness resolves itself into almost definitely cinnamon, but the whole scent never leans quite gourmand.

In the imp: My immediate thought was "hmm, how do all these notes combine to read as Dr. Pepper???", while my boyfriend took one sniff and immediately said "wet fur, like when the cats come in out of the rain!" (This is without him knowing the name or description.) Here's hoping for more of the latter than the former. Wet: After an initial blast of worrying cola, it settles into, yes, a cuddly, fuzzy, brown scent. It gives me an oddly precise scent memory: I used to have a massive brown faux fur blanket on my bed that was incredibly warm and cozy in winter, and my cats used to sleep on top of it, giving it a certain...realistic fur odor, shall we say. Unfortunately it was stolen from the laundromat many a year ago, but this is basically it in scent form. Amber provides cozy, warm sweetness, the musk reminds me of my kitties, and the woods, leather, and grasses lurk at the base, not distinguishable as themselves but giving an overall impression of gentle outdoorsiness. Dry: An absolutely gorgeous, musky amber, actually quite similar to Haunted. But unlike Haunted, Coyote is complicated by herbal, leathery overtones that round the scent out wonderfully.

In the imp: Musky, almost musty herbs, and very well-loved leather. This is a very masculine smell - a sort of manly your-skin-but-better. (I credit the ambergris for the skin-like qualities.) Wet: Opens with a big ol' blast of basil. Maybe complicated by sage, and maybe with a touch of ambergris rounding out the base, but mostly just a mouthwatering burst of basil, making me long for popcorn chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, and olive oil. However, this phase doesn't last long, and eventually fades into a lovely herbal-ambergris blend. I was afraid of it leaning soapy, but it's more like freshly-washed, sun-warmed skin - I honestly can't tell whether this note is the ambergris or the leather; it's that well blended. Dry: A powdery, soft, herbal, mellow scent - mostly ambergris and/or leather with the faintest breath of herbs, and frankincense proving unexpectedly tenacious. Frankincense tends to go a bit sour on me, and here is no exception, but it's nothing more than a vague edge to the scent. I've never been the biggest fan of Mark Antony the historical figure or literary character (I don't *dis*like him, he just leaves me a bit meh), but this scent is wonderfully, deliciously masculine.

I straddle the divide between Cancer and Leo - I was born during the first days (well, nights) of Leo, but my personality leans strongly Cancer. However, as much as I love water, aquatic scents don't play well with my skin, so I skipped the Cancer Starstruck in favor of the Leo. And, yup, looks like it's got a lot of my favorite notes in it! Here's hoping for my old friend amber to take the florals, herbs, and hint of incense, and turn it all to gold on my skin. In the imp: A soft, almost candy-like, sweetly floral scent. I think I'm getting primarily the chamomile at this point, since I'm strongly reminded of Lenus Mars. Some determined sniffing reveals a hint of spice (probably the carnation) and a broad, warm base that could be the saffron, could be the amber, or could be both. Wet: Ohhhhhh dear. I had hoped that Lenus Mars was a fluke, but apparently chamomile does the same Bubble Tape routine as lotus on my skin - a powdery, synthetic, too-sweet scent. After about 5-10 minutes, the Bubble Tape calms the hell down, leaving an... interesting divide. From afar, I get whiffs of the most fascinating, regal frankincense-amber-saffron-carnation blend, but when I huff my wrist, I get a toned-down version of the above - an herbal-floral scent that errs just this side of too sweet. Better than it was, but still not ideal. Here's hoping that it improves over time... Dry: Goes through a beautiful herbal-amber scent, somewhat similar to Philostratus' Phoenix, but eventually the frankincense veers sour (as it tends to do on my skin). The faintest sweet edge from the chamomile hangs around for an unexpectedly long time. This would provide a nice addition to the amber, but it mingles unpleasantly with the sour frankincense. Maybe like me, this Leo will get better with age?

In the imp: There are some lovely cool herbs and spicy incense hiding way down at the bottom, and every so often I get a fleeting whiff of them, but mostly it's just SALT SALT SALT all the time. I very much agree with Lycanthrope - this is a foody, tortilla chip-y salt. Man, I hope this one morphs on the skin... Wet: Kicks off with EXACTLY the smell you get when you first open the little container of warmed tortillas at a nice Mexican restaurant. It slowly starts to mellow in the direction of an herbal, cologne-y scent after that, but the "warm tortillas" note remains jarringly present for much longer than I'd like. Eventually, it settles into a fresh, aquatic scent with a touch of what I'm pretty sure is sage. Which is actually a bit odd, since aquatics *never* work on my skin. They almost universally turn to soap, but whatever is creating the impression of fresh, running water here is working! Dry: A soft, musky, herbal scent - the kind of cuddly that's appropriate for warm days like this. Warm without stifling. Looks like my wish for a morpher was granted! Now, if only there was something I could do about the warm tortilla opening note...

In the imp: If there's any patchouli evident at this stage, I'm not smelling it. All I'm getting is orange blossom - a crisp white floral with a heady, almost creamy edge, cut by the zing of citrus. Wet: A touch of patchouli, providing some grounding, spice, and (not entirely necessary) additional sweetness to what is otherwise an orange blossom SN. Understand, this isn't a bad thing at all. The orange blossom I'm getting is lush without being cloying, fresh without being aggressively citrusy. It eventually swings a little more "orange" and a little less "blossom," though. Dry: Primarily soft, sweet patchouli, but the orange blossom does prove to be pretty tenacious. After about four or five hours, the orange blossom swings back towards the "blossom" end of the scale, and winds up as basically an accent for the patchouli, but discernible as itself for a remarkably long time.

In the imp: A light, white floral (I believe I recognize the angel's trumpet from Rapunzel) over a sour, paint-thinner sort of smell - probably the "grave dirt, decay... and moldering scraps of shroud." Wet: Wow, is this a dirt note that *doesn't* go all compost heap on me? This is good, living earth, dark and rich, with hints of the flowers and plants growing from it. Not my usual, but lovely all the same! Dry: Dry, woodsy, resinous florals, like pressed flowers kept in an old wooden armoire. Again, not my usual, but the BPAL psychics have proven accurate once again - this isn't something I'll reach for every day, but this scratches a very particular itch, and it scratches it well.