modernsaints

Oh lord. I am super behind on reviews - a ton of things have felt "off" lately, or just really "meh" - but I feel the need to rave about Oberon. It is GLORIOUS. The lab sent it to me as a frimp, and how the hell did they know? I never would've touched this (sounded horribly manly.) But I love it~~~ It is all sweet, sugary orchid - and for some reason it reminds me of Caron's Fleurs de Rocaille, though I have no idea if that's got orchid or not. As it dries down, it gradually gains this skin-scent base (with just a tint of salt) that I think is the white-musk/patchouli combo. Feminine and gentle and absolutely lovely.

Exactly the same as the Hamptons at first. EXACTLY. Sugary and sweet fruit and then the alcohol note kicks me in the face, sour and dry, and it becomes utterly unwearable. Boooo.

Tra la la bright sweet fruit OH GOD HNDKS GNRG THE HERBS, THEY GOT ME Sorry, lavender. Move yourself along. You're not wanted here.

... Huh. Smells exactly like it should - except somehow my brain reads "peony" as "apple". Tart, herbal apple tea, which some folks would hit in a heartbeat, but I am just "meh" on it. A bit too much on the sour side for me.

Bright and citrus-y in the bottle - TONS of lime - but on me, the lilac amps up to 11 and drowns everything out. Blech.

Salt? BWAH? I wanted salt and instead I got the same vaguely sweet, faintly perfumed scent I get from every aquatic. One day I will find a BPAL that smells exactly of the ocean. Today is not that day

So very faint, but sweet and floral and OMG IS THIS MY MOM'S BUBBLE BATH? Yes. Yes it is. She had something when I was just a kid - Tahiti something-or-other - and it was this EXACT floral blend and oh my do I ever need a bottle. Not even to wear, just to keep it in the bathroom & pour it in the tub sometimes. Almost an edge of something candied (like violets) but not quite; just bright tropical goodness.

Not even a hint of orange blossom, just straight-up ginger with a hint of patchouli spice floating around the edges. Blech. Starting to realize I amp ginger all to hell and it is never, ever good. If you like ginger this is pretty good though!

Starts off as a lovely, tart apple, with a hint of something golden and sweet in the background - just a bright, sunny apple scent. Very reminiscent of The Hesperides (but a lot less sugary.) And then - about 30 minutes in - HERB POWER, GO GO. And it turns into a dead ringer for Punkie Night, which was the exact same potpourri/scented-candle-shop smell. I smell like a super classy bathroom. It was so good until then, too!

High, sharp sweetened mint - yes, it IS a candy cane! The vanilla in Lick It was a lot stronger on me, and it didn't hit quite as hard or feel as sinus-clearing (eep.) Still delicious and sweet, but I will be content to stay with an imp of Lick It Again, where I am constantly bemoaning my lack of Lick It.

Very cool, sort of blue-green - I KNEW there was blue musk in this just from smelling it. The tea note is also very prominent on me, as is the plum blossom; the combination reminds me of many of the Asian-inspired Salons. Sweet and delicate, but ultimately not something that feels like me. Definitely worth the time to try it, though!

Lime syrup, exactly like what you'd use to make a cosmopolitan, plus a drizzle of raspberry syrup. It is almost like a snow cone! As time goes on, something bitter - perhaps the alcohol note - emerges in the back, but for the most part, this is syrupy-citrus candy. Delicious, but a bit heavy and sticky for me.

In the bottle: an almost sweet, creamy base, covered up with soft white florals. Not bad, though not something I feel especially compelled to wear. On me, the herbal aspect ratchets itself up to 12. If you like herbs, have at it; this is not my thing especially. I feel obligated to try it one more time - just to make SURE - but I suspect it will not be a hit.

IT'S A MIRACLE. Cinnamon bark beats the three myrrhs down! Yes! Myrrh tends to amp all to hell on me, but the cinnamon here comes through strong and solid, very distinctly "cinnamon bark" as opposed to "cinnamon". There's something dry and woody here, and it's surprisingly nice; the smoke isn't heavy, and the myrrhs hang in the background. I can see myself wearing this more often once winter rolls around. Not sure I need a full 5ml, and I'll most likely end up decanting some out for others, but I'm not upset with the purchase.

First test: creamy...? Eh? I have no idea what's doing that. Second test: Sharp herbal with a really strong kick of mint - not candy mint, but the actual herb mint. Blech. Not a hint of creaminess, either; weird as hell. Passing this one on.

Narcissus: Hi there Emily, I hear you have never gotten a chance to really smell me in a blend! Let me introduce myse- Rose: *KAPOW BLAM* Me: Oh

Got an aged imp of this in a swap. Hmm! I am not sure what it smells like fresh, but aged, it is creamy and sweet with a sickly-sharp undertone - something that hits high up in the nose and makes me go "ack WHAT?" Definitely agree with the concept of laundry detergent/fabric softener. Eh.

Creamy, sweet vanilla, and it smells JUST LIKE SOMETHING but I have no idea what that something is. Delicious, though. No floral, no linen, just straight-up vanilla with something that smells like cream soda, almost. Most likely will end up with a bottle.

YAY! Cedar plays nice on me for once~ At first this is a strange pine-y sort of scent, but it dries down into a nice tart cranberry - in fact, the same cranberry I got out of Snow Bunny! YES! This does lack the same sweet snow/perfume hints that Snow Bunny has, and instead has something else (I think it's the pine/leaf thing), but it'll most likely be a decent substitute.

A sweet and nearly creamy floral, to the point where it smells uncannily like hand lotion. Fades off REALLY fast. I think this'd be lovely and calming in an oil burner, but I feel no need to actually put it on my skin.

Oh. Three Hell Notes. Glee. Sure enough, this is a nice enough orris/coconut blend, but it's got this terrible plastic undertone. The lab seems to look at my list of Bad Notes, and then their pile of frimps, and then yell "BINGO" with unearthly glee. .

A dulled-down version of Snake Oil... sort of generically sweet? I think it's the calla lily/narcissus combo that's not doing it for me. I think I like my Snake Oil straight up, really.

Distinctly aquatic, with some strangely perfume-y back to it, and a hint of salt. (I think the jasmine is what's making me go "oh, perfume", but it's a very inoffensive jasmine. Not to worry!) Out of all the aquatics I've tried, this is the least "meh", but I'm still not jumping up and down excited about it. I think I'll need to test-drive it a couple times to see if it grows on me.

Something about this is very heavily reminiscent of Haloa (which I loathed) - I think it's the olive leaf/vanilla/spice combo. Except dirty. Just cake-y and gross and heavy; this is the smell of a mud wrestler who has not bathed in a month and then he decided to wrestle in cake instead. Blech.

Got a lovely frimp of the '05 version Smells exactly like pancake syrup in the imp (but I work at a pancake house, so I almost want this. ALMOST.) And then I put it on my skin and it goes straight to rancid molasses. Blech. Sugar Skull, why must you break my heart so