paperdoll

Initial Sniff: A complex violet scnt in the vial. I think I smell the neroli as well. Wearing: The violet dominates until this dries. The violet becomes more powdery and the other ingredients peek out a bit. Final Impressions: Yeah, I still don't like violets.

Initial Sniff: Lavender and vetiver. Evil. Wearing: The violet really dominates when wet, but there is a malevolent undertone to that violet. As it dries, the vetiver slowly gets stronger and stronger until it is all that I smell. Final Impressions: This scent fits the story of Bluebeard PERFECTLY. Truly a work of art.

Initial Sniff: Sweet juicy apricot and plum. Wearing: When wet, this is sticky, sweet, and syrupy. As it dries, however, the fruits become less sickly and become softer, and the florals peek out. The last stage is warm and sunny orchard. Final Impressions: Very pretty!

Initial Sniff: Interesting. Fruity rose. Wearing: ROSE! Final Impressions: One of these days I'll stop reviewing rose scents, but not today!

Initial Sniff: Violet and rose. This is actually quite sweet. Wearing: Violet and rose duke it out for dominence on my skin. Violet actually mostly wins for a while, but pretty soon this truns into a violet-rose-powder-soap blend. It smells like the guest soaps my elderly neighbor had in her bathroom in the early 80s. Then the rose takes over and this is pure rose. Final Impressions: I have a policy of trying every imp that crosses my path, but I almost passed this one up. I don't like violet or rose, so this blend meets my expectations.

Initial Sniff: Grass. And a few berries. Wearing: Wet, this starts out as grass and a few berries, and it is quite pleasant. As it dries, it takes on a sharpness. It fades completely within the hour. Final Impressions: I have received this as a gift imp in no less than 5 orders. Each time I dutifully try it, hoping to like it. With each imp I receive, I become more concerned that the Lab knows something that I don't - I should love this oil! Alas, I surrender! I do not love this oil, whether I should or not.

Initial Sniff: Mint and lime with a hint of sweet coconut. Wearing: Oh, yum. The mint and lime are still around, but the coconut really takes center stage. It is not overly sweet, and is not really foody. It is like a bright white glow... This has great staying power as well. Final Impressions: This scent immediately jumped to the top of my next order list.

Initial Sniff: Earthy, floral, spicy... odd. Wearing: This started out as an aggressively floral perfume with earthy and spicy undertones. As it dries the florals... dry out, like they have been singed. The earthy spice turns into more of an incense, but again, it is very dry smelling - not at all sweet, either. Final Impressions: This is very odd, and very unique. I don't really think it's me, though.

Initial Sniff: Fruity, sharp, and boozy. Like cough syrup - the prescription kind with the good stuff in it. Wearing: Thick and syrupy, the fig, rum, cocoa and juniper all come out to play. It sweetens as it dries, losing some of its bittterness. This starts out really strong, but fades very quickly into nothingness. Final Impressions: Not so much my thing, but then I've never been a dog person.

Initial Sniff: A bit herbal and a bit resiny. Wearing: This does indeed smell like potential. It is very positive and grounding. It starts out largely herbal, but the resins take over and it ends up as a resiny red floral/herbal with an interesting spice to it. Complex, but so harmonious that it feels simple. Final Impressions: This is incredibly easy to wear and has an incredibly positive vibe about it. Perfect.

Initial Sniff: Gingerbread Poppet has done very very bad things. Unspeakable things. Dark things. Wearing: This doesn't morph much on my skin. I smell like deeply evil gingerbread. Final Impressions: I have to agree with Aurelius's assessment... I really don't feel like I am the source of the evil, but I am ready to embrace the evil with open arms. Very odd.

Initial Sniff: Oh, lovely! Green and woody with a hint of spice. Wearing: This is like sitting on the wooden deck of a cabin looking out onto the green woods that surround me. It is a crisp morning in the spring, and I wear a big cozy sweater and am sipping a mug of hot chai. The only noise is of the wind rustling through the leaves and the birds singing. Final Impressions: By far my favorite Arkham scent that I have tried.

Initial Sniff: How very odd. I am at a complete loss as to how to describe this scent. Air and Darkness is pretty dead on. Wearing: This stays true to the bottle scent for several hours, then slightly sweetens. The sweeter stage is when it starts smelling a little like dryer sheets. Like dryer sheets, but without the thick oily aspect - this is crisper and darker. Final Impressions: Strange and beautiful, and very unique.

Initial Sniff: The first time I open the bottle for a whiff, i think it is super fruity. The second time I can barely catch the fruits and it is super floral. Crazy brain fluid! Wearing: Holy mango! this goes on in super-fruity mode. After a few minutes, the florals creep in along with the spice. This vacillates between spicy-fruity and spicy-floral for a while, then the fruit loses the battle and the florals conquer all. This has completely vanished in about 45 min. - 1 hr. Final Impressions: This is pink, sloshy, stimulating, and calming. Truly a work of art! (and the small squooshy brain? Awesome!!)

Initial Sniff: Extremely dry cedar and cocoa powder. Wearing: The fig explodes in all of its dark fruity glory right after it hits my skin. The result is a thick dark syrupy sweetness on a bed of dry wood and cocoa. After it dries, the fig and the cedar coexist in a more balanced harmony. Final Impressions: This is just too strange for me. I'm not a huge fan of fig or cedar, so I guess that's not too much of a surprise. My fiance's conclusion: "Smells like blackberries."

Initial Sniff: Salt water with florals behind it. Wearing: ROSE! Final Impressions: As my reviews for rose scents are all the same, perhaps I should just stop reviewing them. *sigh*

Initial Sniff: Wicked sharp - minty pennyroyal with a hint of astringent lavender. Color association: the brightest white you can imagine - the kind that it hurts to look at. Wearing: Very sharp indeed, but it quickly fades into a minty herbal. It is gone completely within the hour. Final Impressions: Very medicinal.

Dark musk and black amber with frankincense, red sandalwood, neroli and bergamot. Initial Sniff: Dark resins and musks as well as sharp citrus. Lethal. Wearing: The neroli, bergamot and frankincense are very sharp at first, but as this dries they mellow into the deep pool of resionous musk. After about an hour, the sandalwood peeks out. The drydown is almost sunny, which is unexpected. The amber and musk shed their darkness and left warmth behind. Final Impressions: This is so nice! Truly beautiful.

Initial Sniff: Lavender, but it is soft, not overly astringent. There is also citrus - again, soft instead of sharp. Very smooth. Wearing: This starts off very nicely as a soft, smooth lavender/citrus scent. As it dries, it becomes more of a moist towelette smell. Wet-nap. Baby wipe. Those pre-moistened facial towels. It does fade quickly. Final Impressions: Not for me!

Initial Sniff: Yummy red fruits in a bath of thick, dark Egyptian amber. Mmmmmm... Wearing: This starts out candy-sweet, with the berr/cherry fruitiness in the forefront. As it dries, the darkness and spice of the amber and musk balance that sweetness and then take over. This lasts all day long! Final Impressions: Thankfully the vanilla and heliotrope never really assert themselves in this blend, because those notes both tend to go powdery on my skin. This is sweet, devious, and dark - very naughty!!

Initial Sniff: Grapefruit, with some aquatic notes and a hint of something darkly animal. Wearing: The grapefruit dominates when wet, but very quickly something warm and spicy rises to compete with the cool refreshing tang of citrus. I seriously think there's ambergris in here, y'all. Final Impressions: I would never have tried this based on the description (I don't love aquatics), but when the Lab sent this as a freebie, I sportingly gave it a try. DAMN. This is one fine blend! It is totally unique and unexpected. It has great staying power, and I love the combination of cool and warm.

Initial Sniff: Mmmm.... peach. There's a hint of the Deep South in here too - that must be the myrtle. Wearing: This stays absolutely true to the vial scent on my skin. It is very sunny and peachy, but the amber is nowhere in sight. This lasted all day on me, which surprised me. Final Impressions: While I definitely like a touch of fruit in my perfume, this is a bit too much peach for me.

Initial Sniff: Dragon's blood with just a hint of leather. Wearing: Spicy dragon's blood is altered ever so slightly by the presence of leather, this is just a touch dry and smokey - othere than that it is just the spicy kick of dragon's blood. As this dries, it gets sweeter. Final Impressions: There's nothing wrong with this blend, it just isn't striking me as something I have to have.

Initial Sniff: Woah. This is the most amazing garden... lush greens, full flowers, and ripe fruits. Incredible. Wearing: Complex and lush. This smells similar to the scent in the vial, but somewhat different... I am really struggling to describe it. I've worn this scent twice now, but I'm really no closer to being able to describe it - it has morphed differently each time. Unfortunately, both times it faded very very quickly. Final Impressions: Gorgeous. I wasn't even going to try this scent because it has my archnemesis rose listed as a component, but after reading Macha's review, I had to give it a try. I am disappointed with the lasting power of this one, but there is no way I'm giving it up!!

Initial Sniff: I think I smell civet - Glasya civet, not Puck civet. There are also those Tarot blend herbs and something warm - possibly amber? Wearing: On my skin, the herbs really develop nicely and there is a sweet fruitiness that comes through the warm, musky background. I feel very attractive and powerful in this scent. It lasts all day - after 10 hours there is a warm sweetness lingering on my wrists. Final Impressions: I really like this one. I'm such a good little heathen!