achildoftime

Opening the imp was like being ambushed with a fruity plum pie. Very potent. Applying it just brings out what smells like pie spices. My gran used to cook prunes for herself with cinnamon sticks, a little cinnamon sugar, and some nutmeg. This smells like that while it was stewing plus currants. I think my brain is adding an uncooked crust under it all because it really does smell like baking day before everything goes in the oven. I get no rum and a suggestion of quince. it really does just feel like a plum berry pie before it goes into the oven. While it's not unpleasant, it's not for me. The only time I like to smell like I was in the kitchen all day is when I was in the kitchen all day and have the treats to show for it.

I've been going back and forth about how I feel about this one. It does smell distinctly charred. It feels like bundles of dry grasses were burned and is now haunted by the ghost of citrus. I wish I could describe it better than that. I just can't, because the vague suggestion of some kind of citrus fruit hovers through the scent. It doesn't have the bite or zing I usually associate with citrus, but that's definitely what it is. I know it's listed as tangerine, but it really could be any of the sweeter citrus fruits. Have I said citrus enough? Anyway, the main note that really defines itself on me is the vetiver hands down. It burns the amber and the cedar till the whole thing resembles burnt woods with the aforementioned tangerine ghost. It's not bad to me, just not what I was hoping for. I like burnt, smoky scents but there is a strangeness with this one on me that I can't completely pin down. I asked my husband to sniff because I think it does lean a little masculine. He thought it smelled like a hotel hallway. He says it's not like cleaning fluid or anything so I'm not sure where the connection is being made, but he swears up and down that's all he can think of. Take from that what you will.

Beautiful, freshly-watered tulips. It smells like a lovely spring garden. There is a touch of green sharpness from the grass, but it's not off-putting to me. I'm a bit surprised to only be getting a suggestion of peony because that's what it mostly smelled like in the imp. I do wish it had a little more throw as it is so pretty. Ah, well. I'll still hold on to the imp because it is lovely.

This is such a delicate scent. I get a lot of lemon peel and jasmine. Those stand out first, but are strongly supported by the floral components. No single supporter is easy to identify for me, but they work in conjunction very well. I don't get much of the woods at all. And this holds true for me both freshly applied and dry. Overall it settles into a very cohesive blend. Nothing screams at me or demands attention, it just floats around and is pretty. I think that's all well and good, but I think I prefer something that I can pin down. Since it is pretty light I'll keep my imp for those days when just a suggestion is necessary.

I had an older imp in my collection and was frimped a newer one, so I tried them next to each other and I'm surprised how different it gets with age. I'm not sure how old the older one is, but it's at least 2 years and probably more. The newer one is only two or three months. Both in the imps and first applied are pretty similar for each respective sample. The older one is much richer and deep. It's almost like a mulled blood orange. And it is mostly the orange. A little bit of the raspberry pokes through, but it's mostly a dark, brooding blood orange to me. It stays close to the skin. The more fresh one really smells it. It's more like a freshly peeled navel orange and is cheery and waiting to help you start your day. The neroli is the support in this one. It also stays pretty close to the skin, but it feels like the emotional polar opposite. Once they dry they lean in towards each other a little to find some common ground, but it still feels almost like night and day. I don't know how much batch variation may have contributed to it and how much is aging. I like them both, but it is interesting.

In the imp it's all pine and trees. It kind of reminds me of a lumber mill I drive past to get to work. When it goes on the skin, though, a big bouquet of wild flowers stands front and center. They are sweet and cheerful, almost bubble gum-y. It really is a pretty chipper scent, which is all well and good, but not what I was hoping for. All the lovely trees got gobbled up and violet bubble gum is all that's left on me. Dry it's much of the same and doesn't change. Usually anything with mostly green notes stay true to form, but this just didn't follow that trend. To be fair, anything sweet does tend to just get sweeter on me so YMMV, but it's just not for me.

After sniffing it in the imp, it does feel like it should be glowing. It smells pretty fluorescent. At first I get lemons and green musk right off the bat. It cleared up my nose a little. After the initial bust, the other notes show up. It's mostly the fruits that have stepped up, though. I suspect it's because I tend to amp whatever sweetness there is to be had. I get the lemony citrus first and then the honeydew with something vaguely tropical which must me the guava. The green musk paired with the salt is providing a pretty solid base for all of this and keeps it from smelling like a fruit plate on me. It does mellow out after a bit and leaves a crisp scent behind. It's a lively scent that I was really hoping to like, and I do!

I'm a little surprised to like this because myrrh so often goes straight to soap on me, but this actually keeping true to the scent. And boy am I glad it does! In the imp it's sweet resins. Nothing that my uneducated nose can specifically identify, but it is lovely. When I put it on it really does shine. I absolutely get the honey comparisons, because it's so golden sweet. If this is what myrrh is supposed to smell like, I'm missing out. Anubis as a whole is rich and smooth. It feels ancient, but in the best way possible. I don't get any herbs with it the way I usually interpret herbs, just a rich golden scent that doesn't slap you into noticing it but rather calmly walks into the room and everyone notices anyway. It feels kind of like it could be a really nice standard scent for someone, because it isn't obtrusive. It's not something I would personally reach for often, but I'm glad i have it because it is a nice change of pace from a lot of my other scents.

For the first minute or so rose and patch had quite the tug of war to see who could win. Rose won out by a mile. It's almost all rose on me for the first five minutes after that and then, after asserting dominance, lets the other notes out to play. I get jasmine and ylang ylang now with a much friendlier rose. Under that it does smell like there is something keeping it grounded, but nothing that is distinct enough to say "Oh, it's ___ doing the thing". It's my star sign so I had to have it. I don't think I'll reach for it often, but it is quite pretty and has a nice traditional feel to it.

Really pretty, sweet grass that's just been watered. It's like rolling around a beautiful lawn with lilies and violets planted around the edge. I find it very green and a touch sharp, but not in a way that puts me off it. It's going to be a lovely spring/summer scent.

Ive run away from a little old woman, 
A little old man,
 A barn full of threshers,
 A field full of mowers, 
A cow,
 And I can run away from you, I can! Sniffing from the bottle all I get is the gingerbread, which I was wary about. I'm not the biggest foodie fan, but I really like any tea and mint. Thankfully on my skin the matcha shows up, even though it's really just a supporting player. I get a little bit of pleasant bitterness I associate with matcha, but it's almost exclusively gingerbread. I can't detect any mint at all. Baked goods in general tend to bully other notes on me, but I had to give it a shot. It's a little disappointing, but it's still not a bad scent. It still smells just like gingerbread that came right out of the oven. Someone just happened to throw a little matcha into the batter.

White tea, hibiscus, Arabian sandalwood, white amber, ho leaf, pale Japanese flowers, and vetiver. From some of the reviews I was a little apprehensive because of the vetiver. It doesn't always play nice with my skin. When I sniffed the bottle I thought my fears were confirmed. It was all vetiver, but I know that it's always best to give it a try anyway. Boy am I glad I did. Despite the bottle, applying it I get virtually no vetiver. It's all white flowers with a dribble of tea. After it dries, the tea becomes stronger and sits right out in front with hibiscus at its side. The sandalwood and ho wood lend some support to round it out. It's very much a resinous tea. The vetiver doesn't rudely interrupt like it often does on me. It has some pretty good wear length and a moderate to low throw. As a tea lover, I'd say this is a keeper.[bpal]The most fearsome of Kaidan's conjured warriors, his sword can shear through anything--or anyone.

Upon opening this bottle it smells like I may have just opened a bottle of red wine. It's very strong. Wet on the skin it mostly just smells like I've spilled wine on me. I'm not a wine drinker so I can't tell if it has specific notes that wine commonly have except that smells very generously of purple/red fruits. As it dries, the alcohol tinge burns off and I'm left with what reminds me of Welch's sparking red grape juice. Don't get me wrong, it isn't particularly effervescent, but it doesn't smell like straight up fruit juice. This does last for most of the and has moderate throw. It's not my thing in particular, but for someone looking for a nice red grape scent, this might be worth checking out.

I like applying it to my dry hair, for what it's worth. It's cold for sure, but I find it more refreshing than biting. I get mostly elemi backed by eucalyptus. It feels nice and chilled, but not bitter or hollow. This is going to be a great cool blast when it's hot out.

I was a little wary about this because of the chocolate. I'm not the biggest fan, but I love books and book scents so much I couldn't let this one pass me by. Even though I'm not crazy about chocolate notes in general, I really think that this benefits from it. It starts off like having an old leather-bound book with a high-quality chocolate book mark. It feels layered and pressed. The sweetness really lends a little special oomph overall. As it wears, there is a hint of smokiness, but it's pretty well balanced by leather, paper, and now wax has joined the party. The chocolate all but disappears after about an hour, and the whole scent settles into a beautiful blend of everything. I have some of the other "book" scents, but I do think this fits it's own niche. And for the curious, the book that arrived with it was Candide by Voltaire. I'm really excited to dig into it!

It's exactly what is says on the tin, in even measure. Both in bottle and on my skin it's really pretty blue musk chilled by snow. I do smell something almost citrus-y, but it's not powerful, just kind of playing in the back. It stays true to it's scent throughout. It's a simple beauty.

Woah is that sweet to start. In the bottle it's a very sweet snow with the suggestion of trees. Not what I was expecting for sure! First applied, while it's still sweet and snowy the fir, spruce, and pine all make their appearances in order. I'd have to agree that there seems to be a lotus note to my nose, but I could be wrong. It's not floral-forward on me, but I do think there is something tucked under the branches boosting the sweetness in the snow. As it dries, it doesn't change much. It's sweet and outdoorsy. I wouldn't reach for it to smell like a tree, but it is a true winter-y scent. It's very nice, but I don't know if it's what I'm looking for.

First opening the bottle was like opening the door of a cabin in the woods at night during a blustery snowfall. It really jumped out at first and then calmed down a bit. I get mostly juniper with supporting cypress and fir, all covered in snow. Or maybe just the cold. It's not sweet, just bracing, and I adore it. Wet it's very similar as the bottle, but the winds have died down. It smells more settled and less in your face. In fact, as it dries it's almost like the winds die down and I'm left with less of a chill and more of a coziness. It's a breath of sweetness through a forest. I still get mostly juniper and cypress, but I also get some of the oakmoss now. The fir is tucked back a bit and I don't really get any leaves once it's dried. I really like this scent and it might just be the forest scent I've been looking for.