joopjoop

Very light - spectral is the right word for it. Mostly light musk and neroli on me and doesn't morph much at all. Reminds me of an orange blossom 'cooling water' that I used to buy sometimes in Thailand to use after showering in the hot season. It's a nice sense memory but this one is not wowing me. But it is pretty fresh from the mail so I'll set it aside and see if it changes at all after it rests for a bit.

As others have said, it smells remarkably like rose-scented cold cream - very realistic. To me, it smells like high-end Japanese skin care products - I think it is the hint of iris that does it - the iris gives it a bit of dimension that keeps the rose from reading too old-fashioned. It makes me feel fancy and pampered. I like it. Not enough to want to wear it regularly as a perfume, but I'll be keeping my decant.

September Midnight is one sophisticated lady! The pomegranate note is dark and rich and regal - really deep and lovely. As it dries, it becomes very 'perfumey' for lack of a better word with the myrrh and amber taking center stage. The chypre grounds things and gives it that high-end commercial feel. I think it is beautiful but I'm not sure if I enjoy wearing it that much. I love the Pom - it is very different from the other pomegranate scents I own - and the chypre is a great compliment - but the amber and myrrh, hmmm, they are a bit much somehow. I'm going to have to try this one a few more times, and maybe I will fall in love, but I'm thinking the decant will do for now.

Wow. This one was a disaster on me. It starts off nicely, with that lovely BPAL red musk swirled with some light smoke, but after about 15 minutes it all goes horribly wrong. Not sure if it is the incense or the dead leaves, or the combination of the two, but this turns into a particularly pungent smelling liniment cream or homemade poultice or something similar. It is medicinal and almost acrid and smells like great-uncle feet. And it amps up like crazy. After an hour I had to scrub and I could still detect traces of it hours later. Too bad. I want to dance at the witch dance. But it is not to be....

I really enjoy this one! In the imp it smells very medicinal. Wet the mahogany and woods are very strong and a bit funky and bitter smelling, but it soon settles down and the cherry and currant come up and meet the woods. I usually amp cedar like crazy, but I'm not getting any here. It does indeed have a velvety, somewhat luxurious quality to it with the red fruits and rich woods. It reminds me of a room with thick red draperies and polished carved furniture and people murmuring in low voices. I'm learning that woods + fruit (particularly red and/or tart fruit) often hits the sweet spot for me. I got this imp in a swap (yay swaps!) and not sure how old it is. I might order a lab imp to see if I like it fresh.

I've discovered this Weenie season (my first) that I have something of an adverse reaction to the smell of pumpkin, and the first whiff of Fizzy Jack O'Latern - which smells like pumpkin soda - is kind of gross. I soldier on however and fortunately the pumpkin doesn't stick around on the skin and it turns into a fizzy ginger ale with a touch of sherry. I like it - it's fizzy and fun, but not something I would reach for, probably ever. However, super glad I got to try it through a lovely lovely swap.

I wanted to try one of the Apples but did not have high hopes as apple notes are usually too sweet on me, however Apple X turned out to be the stealth hit of the Weenie decants for me. It is lovely bright apple with a little punch of patchouli to start, and then mellows into an extremely smooth and well-blended teakwood-vanilla-red musk scent with just a hint of fruitiness. It smells delicious without being particularly foodie - which I appreciate. I've been wearing it to bed lately - it is a very comforting fall scent - and I'm considering a bottle.

I love Die Nacht, but it doesn't love me. Lovely bright citrus scent - so nice - but on me it just disappears. I am sad, but glad I got a decant rather than springing for a blind bottle.

I'm kind of in love with this one, TBH. It is a very simple scent really - sandalwood and slightly tart fruit - but the sandalwood in this one is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. I never really consider myself a huge sandalwood fan, but this one may have changed my mind. It starts off strong, the sandalwood is all I can smell at first, and then quickly the black currant and the pomegranate come up to balance it out. Really beautiful.

The combination of the mulberry and the honey myrtle give this a cough drop vibe while wet - not unpleasant but certainly distinctly medicinal. It settles down into a very pretty berry scent with just a little bit of rosemary. There is still a slightly honeyed quality as well, which keeps it from being too sharp. I'm not really sure how I feel about it overall. It is quite relaxing, and I'm finding it comforting as well - I feel like it smells like an old English house might around the holidays - festive yet slightly subdued and old-fashioned. I'm not sure if it is something that I would really wear - I'm really on the fence. I'm going to have to test my decant a few more times I guess!

Starts off as a strong chypre. That dissipates almost immediately and gives way to a amber-frankincense touched with floral. The patchouli is a whisper. This smells, in the best way to me, like a church. A small chapel maybe, clean and fragrant from the lingering scents of flowers and incense. As others have said, it is very well blended. I like this very much and am considering a bottle.

I like this a lot, but then I looooove licorice and anise scents. The teak gives it a nice smoothness and depth, but it is primarily a licorice scent to me. Starts off strong but fades rather quickly. Glad I have a decant, but there are other licorice/anise scents that I think I enjoy more. I do think it would smell amazing on a man - hmmm, must test.

This blend is a soothing balm to my bitter soul at this moment in time. Others have described it well - I won't go into too much detail - on me it is a gorgeous, well-balanced and very herbal rose scent. Not a lot of morphing. Although it is not a dupe by any means, it reminds me strongly - more strongly than anything else I've found - of my beloved (and out-of-stock) Catherine. And that is a very very good thing. I think I've found my new night-time relaxation blend. Into the cart it goes. The question is, do I need a backup?

Wow. That's a lot of oak and a whole lot of incense! I don't get much rose at all even when I look for it. It is a very evocative scent - really like being in an old church building. I like it but it is not something I would wear and something in it - I think it is this particular incense blend - takes it right up to the edge of headache territory for me. Not for me, but pretty cool in concept and execution.

I was a little underwhelmed at first, but this one is really growing on me. It starts off as a sort of salty ginger blossom and later settles into a lovely fruit and floral blend. The guava and salt give it a certain freshness that reminds me of 51, which is one of my mainstays - although they are quite different. For such a light scent (particularly at first), it has a good throw and lasts quite a long time. I'm leaning towards a bottle, but want to try it out again before deciding.

A beautiful chilly white floral. Ultra feminine, but like a cold porcelain figurine on a high shelf. On me, the white rose is dominant. I do get the aquatic but it doesn't take over. It's lovely and a little old-fashioned - nostalgically ladylike I would say. When I was younger I would have loved this to death, but I'm not sure it is really 'me' anymore. I feel like this is the scent that the devastatingly elegant and slightly diva-isa retired ballet-dancer turned celebrity art-historian me in an alternate universe would wear, but I'm not sure that the very different 'me' in this timestream can quite pull it off. Still, I will enjoy my decant! Edit 1/5: I've found myself reaching for this one more and more. And now I'm planning on ordering a bottle. So I guess it is 'me' after all.

Ah this is lovely. Wet it is peach nectar and honey. It warms on the skin and the magnolia comes forward. The peach is still there giving this a little sweetness, but it is definitely a magnolia scent at heart. I've been looking for a good 'Southern' floral - not too fancy and a little sweet - and Josie fits the bill perfectly.

Libra is everything I hoped it would be. The strawberry is fresh and smells real. Once on, the rose rises up to meet it and there is a subtle creaminess in the background. As others have noted, this is extremely well blended and the background notes give it depth and complexity. The overall effect is that of a very feminine fruity rose scent that is almost cloud-like. It smells fluffy in the best possible way. My only complaint is that it is a little light - I wish it were stronger and had more throw. But still, I am SO GLAD I went for a bottle. Considering a backup. "On a sheep-cropped knoll under a clump of elms we ate the strawberries and drank the wine - as Sebastian promised, they were delicious together - and we lit fat, Turkish cigarettes and lay on our backs, Sebastian's eyes on the leaves above him, mine on his profile, while the blue-grey smoke rose, untroubled by any wind, to the blue-green shadows of the foliage,...." - Brideshead Revisited

Well, it certainly is bracing. In the imp: bubblegum and aftershave. Wet - sweet from the lotus, lots and lots of juniper (so very much juniper) Later - as it dries down, I like it better - the juniper fades a bit (thankfully) and the mint amps up. There is still a hint of sweetness from the lotus. It still has a sort of aftershave quality to it. Verdict - Not my thing, but definitely cool and minty. I think it would be nice in the bath, maybe if when you are not feeling well. Not something I enjoy as a perfume, however.

Wow, this is a weird one. In the imp it smelled almost yeasty - like something that wasn't quite done baking. First on the yeasty smell almost (but not entirely) goes away and this is a very pretty lemon scent. It settles into a nice lemonhead candy scent for quite some time. At this point, I'm into it - its a really nice soft lemon tempered by a slight sugary sweetness and the barest touch of honeysuckle. Three hours later the citrus dissipates, the honeysuckle gets stronger and the weird 'under-baked' scent comes back to join it. I think it must be the heliotrope (based on my 2 minutes of internet research on what it smells like - that means I'm an expert now, right?!) I can't say I enjoy how this one ends up This imp is going in the swaps pile, I'm afraid, but I think it would be stunning and fresh on the right person.

Very evocative of its name. Initially it is rather an old fashioned perfume scent, and to me it smells a little austere and foreboding at first - like a very plain wooden church decorated with purple and white flowers. Mostly violet to start with a strong backing of the astringent woods. Later the lily of the valley and the myrrh come out a little more and the woods take a step back, but it is still primarily a violet scent on me. It is very interesting and I'm really glad I had a chance to try it, but I'm not a huge violet fan and its not something I would ever reach for.

I hesitated to write a review of this one right away, because I've noticed that I tend to wax rhapsodic about almost all the forest blends I've tried - but then I never ever seem to reach for them or wear them. But Ochosi is different. It is the only 'forest blend' where a full bottle went directly into my cart at the lab after the first time I tried it. For the past few nights, I've been putting it on after I shower in the evening as a sort of 'reward' for trying out other - less successful - scents. And so without even realizing Ochosi has become rather special. Ochosi leads with the Shea butter backed with herbs and greenery. In Obalata, I don't like the Shea, I find it too earthy paired with the coconut, but here it is terrific - fuzzy and creamy and just the slightest bit sweet. After a few minutes the spruce comes out along with another tree smell - one I can't quite identify, but that is green and a little waxy and from semi-tropical areas. The interplay between the shea, the spruce and other green/herb/tree notes all balance each other beautifully. It smells clean and herby and comforting. Much later it is a soft herbal shea scent. Blissful! It doesn't have a ton of throw, sadly, but I'm willing to slather. It is excellent as a sleep scent. Man, I would LOVE to have this as a room spray. My only concern is that the imp I have may be fairly aged. I really hope that the lab fresh Ochosi doesn't smell totally different!

I got an older imp through the forums, and thought I would try it out tonight. wet - Jasmine! I like jasmine but whoa, that's potent. later - jasmine and cola and a little cinnamon still later - jasmine and cola-scented sandalwood? Can't be right, doesn't seem like anyone else gets sandalwood. And ah, there is what I think must be the dragon's blood. much later (about 8 hours) - faint cola verdict - I have no idea. I don't dislike this at any point during it's impressively long-lasting run, but I'm left feeling more confused and unsettled ... than powerful and magnetic. I'll hold on to the imp and maybe test out its attraction properties in more controlled settings to see if they work.

Ylang ylang is one of my favorite notes, and myrrh is one of my trickiest/least favorite notes, so I was both excited and wary of trying this. Wet: Ugh, so much myrrh and what I assume is skin musk and vanilla (?) for the 'flushed skin' part. On the dry down: Ah, there's the ylang ylang - very pretty and ably counteracting the sort of slightly sweet sweatiness of the other notes. I understand now why this is a popular one, it is well-balanced and definitely a 'skin' scent. I just don't think it is for me. Later: Blerg. The myrrh wins and it is too much - sour sweat with an overlay of clammy sweetness, like trying to cover up the smell of unwashed skin. I'll pass.

At first, whoa, total skittles on the skin... very artificial fruit medley. But after a few minutes it turns into a real-smelling fruit smoothie, creamy and delicious with pineapple leading and just a touch of banana in the background. As it dries down, something is grounding things and making it less foodie and more wearable to me - I think it might be the chili, which adds a touch of smokiness, together with the pomegranate, which tarts things up a bit. The pineapple remains an important player - it's great and smells very realistic. I can totally see where whoahorsey gets red musk - I get a little of that too, of the kind Beth uses in some of her other fruit scents (Kabuki comes to mind). The throw is medium and it lasts a while - it doesn't disappear within a couple of hours like many fruit blends. Not sure if I will need a full bottle of this one - there are several of these tropical fruit blends that I've tried now that I quite like and I'll have to do a series of death matches to determine which one I like the best.