Soupy Twist

This is a very nice generic men's aftershave, which I do not wish to wear.

This is at least 18 months old by definition, so "aging" is not the problem. Beeswax and smoky vanilla in the bottle. Goes on as a smoky cinnamon with the beeswax underneath. There is practically no throw on this thing whatsoever. There's a wee bit of vanilla as it sweetens, which briefly turns into a weird plastic. This continues to dry as an unpleasant clove, and then a queasy clove/cinnamon blend, like a cheap candle. It finishes as a vaguely smoky vanilla. An hour later, the vanilla has totally gone burnt plastic. Just as well there's no throw. Dammit, this sounded so good on paper. Look at those notes. Look at all these great reviews! How could I miss? I should just wait for zankoku_zen and Little Bird to review everything. They are apparently my scent twins. If either of them vetoes something, I should give it a pass.

Opens as a sweetened black European-style coffee — not Turkish, but with that strong bitter undertone I love so much. It's definitely not American brown coffee. This stays for about two minutes before devolving into amber and powder. No nuttiness. This is what an old gypsy fortune-teller would smell like. I can practically hear her bangles clinking.

This is really hard to describe. Wet grains? I guess that's the mead and honey? There's a tang here which I recognize but I can't place. I almost want to say it smells like drying paint, but in a good way. maybe that's the sweat? Well, it doesn't matter, because a minute later stale whiskey rumbles in with metal clanging along behind it, which turns to blood, and I am so done. Brilliant morpher. Not my cup of tea.

Unpleasant generic old lady floral. So much throw I'm gagging on it. merciful Freya, this is so not my jam.

There are some oils which have ingredients which separate, and benefit from being shaken or stirred or James Bonded or whatever. Travel shock may be more about repeated movement over a long period of time plus temperature changes. "Settling" isn't just staying still; it's also about adjusting to the temperature and humidity in your home. And oils can definitely change when they age. That's why you'll see people asking specifically about aged Snake Oil and aged Antique Lace, for example.

to be fair, Beth started it. Sherlock Holmes, Coraline, American Gods — we just took the idea and ran with it.

I hate reducer caps. I pry them out immediately and use either regular or wand caps. I've never had an issue with wand caps leaking in transit. I use electrical tape and a separate bag as sprout notes. sylvis, if your skin eats some scents (as mine does), try a scent locket. You can get inexpensive ones on eBay and washable felt discs for the oils on Amazon.

In the bottle: Vanilla, musk, and dust? Goes on as vanilla musk. The vanilla is creamy and perfumy, not foody. It's beautiful and sweet and I want to keep this note forever. More musk develops as it dries, which makes me sad. A lot more musk. This is Antique Musk. Someone is going to be very very happy with this bottle, but alas, I do not think that person is me.

I won't suggest what to wear, but how to choose what to wear: Something discreet which makes you happy and gives you confidence. You don't want something with massive throw, so that depends on your skin chemistry, and weather is a factor (for me, anyway — there are heavy foodie perfumes I won't wear in the summer and florals I won't reach for in the winter). Nobody wants to work with That Person who marinates in Drakkar Noir. You should pick a scent which lifts your spirits and makes you feel good. This will give you confidence for the interview, and if you feel yourself flagging, a whiff can pick you back up. break a leg!

This oil contains the innocence of the Garden, coupled with the Truth and Erudition found in the fruit of the Tree of Evil: fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood. This went backwards from the description. Sandalwood in the bottle — overpoweringly so. This struggles for a moment on application, and then shifts to a toasted coconut. That lasts for about 10 seconds before morphing into a wood note, maybe fig tree? and then that becomes soap. So done. No almond, no honey. This sounded much more appealing on paper and in everyone else's reviews.

A really excellent single-note thick cocoa, almost like drinking liquid chocolate. Fades alarmingly fast with the dry-down. No other notes — no caramel, no tonka. On balance, I am probably relieved that I am not in desperate need of a bottle of something called "Rubber Poop." I have a hard enough time justifying my stash.

FizzzzzzZZZzzzzZZZZZzzzzzzzzZZZZ!!! All the bubbly fizz of 21 minus the juniper notes. A faint honey sweetness develops on the drydown, but it's mostly FIZZ! I will never understand how this goddess of scent makes something smell bubbly. What a gift she has.

Fruit punch. Perfectly balanced, not watered down, high-quality fruit punch. Including the slightly-too-sweet finish of all the undissolved crystals at the bottom of the glass. There is some of the Lab's snow/ice note in the back of the throat on the drydown, but it's strongly overwritten by the fruit punch. It's a good blend, they don't argue, but I wouldn't have pegged it as that if someone else hadn't mentioned it.

Cut green plant stem. boring.

Starts as almond, ends as clove, disappears in an hour. Nothing else. I'm disappointed; this sounded really good on paper.

have you tried it in a locket? That's the only way I can wear some citrus and tea oils, because otherwise they vaporize in 15 minutes.

I am pleasantly surprised by this on application. It's just pine, with a hint of vanilla sweetness to round it out. No gross amber. After half an hour I'm getting some sandalwood, though. Then it turns much more woody. Alas. The opening of this was wonderful.

Just what it says on the tin. Cocoa with mostly cedar and a few amber undertones.

Delightful! Ginger and fizz in the bottle, fizz and ginger on application. There's a blast of fresh-cut ginger root, with dashes of pepper and sweet sarsparilla, but it no more than waves at them as it rides by. It dries to a gingery version of 21, which is awesome because I love 21. None of the other notes (which is not a complaint). From the other reviews, it looks like I have an "old" imp, with the lighter oil. ETA: Got a sample of the new, darker oil: oh my thor there it is. Oil, smoke, gears, dirt. Nuffin else. Brilliantly done, but I'm hoarding the old version.

Green and sweet in the bottle and on application. There's a brief flirtation with a tea note, but it soon settles as a pretty if powdery lilac floral. Almost like a lilac-scented candle — there's a smoothness to the powder which could be wax. Nice, but not my cup of tea. Why was this a Yule?

Decant from a swap with no year on the label. More of an egg cream, really. Creamy nog in the bottle and on application. Nutmeg and sugar soon come in, and then there's a light alcohol note — I can't tell if it's brandy or a particularly delicate rum. It's a grace note, which is nice, rather than a big stompy booze. But as it dries, it develops a fizzy note, like tonic water. The sugary creamy scent returns, and it honestly finishes as a mouthwatering egg cream. A spectacular technical accomplishment, and it smells wonderful. This is something I would drink in a heartbeat, but I don't think I want to wear it. How ridiculously fickle.

This is delightful. Citrussy linen in the bottle. Goes on as sort of a light, spicy potpourri, but the spices soon give way to a grassy greenness as it dries. Similar to Sagittarius 2007. A lovely spring scent.

This was very hard to describe. I finally settled on "green/herbal" in the bottle, and a sweet green on application. Very fresh, almost like a dandelion or succulent. It slowly becomes more of a coconut sunscreen kind of note — not artificial or obnoxious, but a nice "day at the beach" fresh kind of generic floral. There is the briefest flicker of sandalwood, and then it turns into a lovely beeswax. I have no idea where the description is supposed to fit with this. Also, I get no resins, incense, molasses, maple syrup, or brown sugar. I have Sugar Skull so I know what that smells like, and this ain't it. (I like Sugar Skull, so it wouldn't be a problem if it did, but this doesn't.) This may be bottle-worthy.

Cinnamon and cocoa in the bottle, which continue to cycle on application and as it dries. There's a brief flash of creaminess, and then it's back to cinnamon cocoa. It's dry and powdery (not in a bad way — not "baby powder," but dry cinnammon powder and dry cocoa powder). Almost identical to El Dia de los Reyes, so if you like that, get this. Not getting any coffee, however.