Jilara

Wet makes me think of polywogs. There's a froggy acquatic note, with a bit of pond scum. As it dries down, I get a note that reminds me of Fire Pig, and a floral blend takes precedence over the acquatic, though there's still a bit of polywog in the background. I don't sense any bamboo, it's all floral and citrus, blending. Dry, it balances, and the citrus is stronger, with a floral backbone. No acquatic, now. Soft citrus with a strong floral, very sweet. There are notes that I recognise from Lady of Shalott, but more citrus-y. Quite nice, if one is in a floral mood.

Wow. Just...wow. I got this because I'm a big fan of the Vulvas, Glowing and bath oil and Giant. But this is nothing like them, on me, but it's SO GOOD. Wet, there is something sharp hiding behind a background reminding me more of Giant Vulva than Glowing Vulva. I'm wrinkling my nose, trying to figure it out, because it's almost a fruity note. I finally decide it it's similar to the fruit note in Ebisu Making Love to Two Octopuses, which is another of my favorites. Not at all what I was expecting. It stays sharp through the drydown. Dry, it's amber and vanilla musk and what must be the helicrystum adding a touch of sharp green note? Beeswax comes up in the background. It stays strong with time. I just keep sniffing at my wrist. Okay, this is another favorite , but very different from the Vulvas, or Love's Philosophy, which are among my faves as well. I like the sharp backnote (something I like about Couple Consulting on an Enpon). Sometimes I like the softer scents, and sometimes I like a bit of extra edginess. If I was feeling like pulling out my boots and riding crop, I'd go for this one.

I think I like the mid-range first. Like on everyone else, it seems, the pear fades quickly. I had a few trepidations, because the various apple scents uniformly smell like rotting apples in the garbage, with my skin chemistry, and I wasn't sure pear would be any different. Wet, it has a musty backnote, with something a little like sharp fruit mingled. But as it dries down, the mustiness and sharpness drop out, and the pear and vanilla start to bloom. I don't get honey. It reminds me a lot of Poire William pear brandy, with a hinting of vanilla. It's almost floral, with a sturdy pear note. As time wears on, the pear starts to fade, and the honey comes up. I think it was masked by the pear. After a while, it's mostly honey and vanilla with a background fruit note of very faint pear. Very pretty and feminine. But I still prefer the more agressive pear note of the mid-range.

This was a last-minute purchase, before the Yules went away, and I'm glad I did! Wet, it's all cedar and lemon, with maybe a hint of sage. Very much like an aromatherapy candle for when you want to stay alert. Then, as it dries down, the red current comes up, very strongly, and blends in, with the lemon calming down. The cedar hangs in, and you can really notice the sage supporting the fruit notes. I wouldn't have thought of cedar and sage blending well with red fruit, but it works quite well. The whole concoction starts blending well as it dries, and I finally get the French vanilla, coming up as a strong supporting player. The cedar and vanilla blend well, and give a strong backing to red currant and pomegranate. The citrus has pretty much dropped out, except for giving a slight tart backing to the fruit. Very nice, very pretty. Almost an autumn fruit scent, but not quite...a bit more feminine.

Two reviews of the 2011 version for one! My housemate (male) tried this one. He said in the bottle it smelled "like a warm office chair." Wet, it was pretty much caramel. On drydown, it went to caramel with walnuts and warm leather. Dry, it almost vanished, and was only a background of pralines, very faint. My own impressions: in the bottle, a high-end men's cologne. On me, there was a sharp fruit note coming up in foreground, a faint berry hint (probably the black current), with a background of caramel. Behind it, on drydown, there is an almost...cedar or wood note? The fruit/berry almost drops out. Dry, there is a caramel and slightly sharp woodsy note that really pops. I really like this!

Hmm, why hadn't I tested this before? It goes on as...dust? Old dust, like the scent of dust in an old attic. As it dries, this morphs into a scent of cold stone and dust. It's like you emptied the vacuum bag onto an old stone floor. Dry, there is a faint background of sweet incense, but it's definitely still taking second place to the dust. Doesn't seem to change over time, either. Well, I guess this really sums up some old cathedral, but it's more like it's been abandoned for a long time, and no one comes any more. Even the church incense has faded to almost a memory of scent, just a lingering memory of former times, when ceremonies were still held. Interesting, but not something I'd wear.

I just knew I was going to regret not getting a bottle of this... When I first opened the decant, I was afraid I'd accidentally gotten the wrong scent, because it was a delicious buttercream that was the first note I got. And it was still heavy on the buttercream when it was wet on my skin. But as it dried, the most decadent dark chocolate came up. It was like opening a box of decadent dark chocolates. No cherries at all, at first, but interesting mixed chocolates scent. But as it finished drydown, there it was, a well-blended background of cherries. Totally yummy. This is one of the best chocolate scents so far.

Wow, this one is strange, but I LIKE it! In the bottle, all I can smell is rue. Yes, rue, the herb. There is a long-unavailable perfume called Christian Aujourd that has a rue undernote, and it was one of my favorites, so you might note that I like that bitter herbal undernote. But I was so afraid it would be all about rue. Wet, it's all about rue and green grassy sorts of things, but with a background honeyed sweetness, that must be the orange blossom. As it dries, the sandalwood joins the party, and really amps up. The whole drydown is the rue and sandalwood jostling each other, striving for dominance, with orange blossom lurking in the background. But then, as it gets very dry, the rue skulks off the the background and fruity blackberry comes up in a crescendo, with strong backing from the orange blossom. The sandalwood, no longer having to fight hand-to-hand with the rue, decides to harmonize with the blackberry fruitiness. Dry, this is just utterly gorgeous, and it's something I can see for everyday wear, not just when I'm feeling sexy. Another winner from the Shunga series! Woo-hoo!

Ooh, this is lovely. Wet. it's a soft floral with a minty undertone. Drying, the flowers really bloom out and bring up a background of daffodil and green aquatics. Dry, it's very aquatic, with daffodil and a whole yardful of flowering bulbs, sort of like being in a shaded bulb garden. Very sweet, but light sweetness, not cloying. I scent something liliac-y lurking in the background--wisteria?, and a honeysuckle note. There is something unidentifiably herbal lurking just at the edge of detection. A breath of spring air! I agree with the assessment that it's a floral for folks who might not do well with standard florals. Light and charming.

Okay, is it my chemistry, or does this one just have a weird undertone? Especially with my chemistry. Vanilla is scruptuous, and Love's Philosophy is great on me, so I decided to spring for a bottle, based on the description and reviews. This is nothing like Love's Philosophy, and I can't even really find the components in it. Wet: stale cigarette smoke and bitter melon. My first thought was "Ohmigod, was this a mistake!" Drying down, it gets green and spicey, and the cigarette smoke thankfully drops out. There is still a bitter melon undertone. The ginger starts to take center stage in the later drydown. Dry: hard to describe. Still very green, but with a creamy undertone that makes me think of vanilla mochi ice cream. A hint of ginger and sweet sweat. I'm not sure if I like this or not. It's one that I think I'd wear if I was going to need to be a royal bitch in a meeting or something. I get a similar feeling to Jolasveinar, something you wear with a snicker and a gnashing of sharp teeth. It's not at all sexy on me, which is weird for something with erotic theme.

White chocolate? Um, not so white, on me. This is Vice with Violets on me. I was thinking maybe that it would be Faith with a creamy chocolate undertone, and I adore Faith. Not what I was expecting...but...ohmigod! Vice is one of my ultimate favorites, and this is definitely Vice with just a whiff of violets on the breeze. I LOVE this one! I put some on, and put my hand under my boyfriend's nose, and asked "What do you think?" His reply was "Can I eat your wrist?" I think we've got a real winner, here! Luxuriant chocolate, with a floral undertone. MMMMMM, good!

Wet, this is pretty much straight up pumpkin with a slight sweetness. Drying, it amps sage more and more and more. The pumpkin is still there, but wow, during drydown, the sage is really in-your-face, and almost overwhelms it. As it dries more, it simmers down and gets a better balance, and I pick up a spice note. The cedar comes into play after a while. I don't get any of the other notes in the final dry phase. Pine? Cherry tobacco? Vanilla, smokey or otherwise? Nope. It's Sage/Cedar/Pumpkin. Notice that the pumpkin has retreated to a supporting role. It rounds out the sage and cedar, but I really don't get anything else but those three notes.

Bones and roses. It reminds me, on initial application, of Dragon's Bone, where the dragonsblood has been substituted by the rose note. Very skull-ish, with a garland of funeral flowers. As it dries, the floral becomes more jungle-flowerish, and a vegetal note blends in. I wonder if that's the cocoa leaf? Still boney, but floral vegetal. It's a very light and dry scent, almost dusty, when fully dry. And it fades out quickly on me. Lasts barely an hour, and then it's gone. Like a comment on the ephemeral nature of life? Could be.

At first, wet leaves and smoke. I suppose it's supposed to be charred wood, but I get smoke, fairly rich smoke. It's the strongest note. Drying, the leaves are less wet and more crunchy, but they're still not a fully dry leaf. Something floral but bitter lurks in the background. Kind of nose-twisting, not fully unpleasant, but not really a comfortable scent. Bitter herbs? Still smokey, but very faint after an hour or so, while the bitterness take center stage. There are leaves still, but very in the background. Overall, I don't think this one is a good one for general use. I could see wearing it to a meeting where you need to feel somewhat harsh and mean, but not as a general thing. As mentioned above, not comfortable.

Booze! And smoke! I keep thinking of the song "Booze, booze, booze, booze, moppin' up the whiskey on the floor..." But it reminds me very much of Mad Sweeny. I like Mad Sweeny, but not on me. I use it as a room scent, to make me think of a nice Pub somewhere. Well, John Barleycorn is like that, with a bit more booze than pub. Not sure about the blood note. It's just rich an very slightly smokey (bloody?) and boozy, with a slight grassy undertone that lightens it. Pub Lite. I intend to use this one as a room scent, also. I have an oil warmer, and I think the note will give a scent like an alestand at Renfaire, with hay bales in the background and a rich whiskey and beer aroma.

The scent of wisteria, Cymbidium, lotus blossom, and cassia buds drifting on a breeze through gently swaying bamboo reeds. This goes on with a woodsy floral, and is quite sweet. As it dries, it evolves, with the floral notes becoming more and and more in the forefront. It's a soft floral with a woodsy, crisp background of what I think of as green leaves, rather than bamboo. It doesn't come off as oriental, and I'd be hard-pressed to pick out specific floral notes, and the bamboo is so well blended in that it's not distinct as that, just a nice green leaf note. I like this one.

To me, Leo has always smelled of butterscotch with buttercream frosting. Too bad it's a LE. It's gorgeously scented.

This is closer to what I had hoped Egg Nog would be like. Wet, there is almost nothing there, just a whiff of something like orange flower water. However, as it dries, a strong egg custard/vanilla comes out. Dry, I don't get any orange or anise at all. I get a floral note that reminds me of the floral note in Vice. The orange has morphed into orange flower water? But aside from that, it's all yummy egg custard, in a very strong and lasting form. This is just yummy!

You know the rotted flowers left in cemetaries? Or the roses that have stood too long in water, and have a funky smell that's kind of sweet decay? That's mostly what I get from Mictecacihuatl. It has a sour, dusty, rotten smell, when it hits my skin, and it doesn't improve over time. I get a bit of tobacco, a waft of dead roses, which doesn't improve it, but it's mostly sickly rotten and sourish funky smells. Mictecacihuatl just doesn't like me. Glad I only got a decant.

Wet, this is almost all grapefruit. Drying, the citrus comes out the support the grapefruit. There is also a note that's like the bitter white underlayer of the peel. The citrus is very sharp at this point. Dry, it's grapefruit/citrus, and something sweetish underneath that might be a floral. The citrus/grapefruit notes have mellowed out and are not so sweet, and makes it wearable. Otherwise, it could be far too overwhelming! It makes a nice substitute for Ebisu Making Love while Two Octopus Look On, though it has a lot more citrus than that one. This is definitely a good one! I notice that my favorites in the general catalog tend to all come from the Picnic In Arkam line. Interesting about that.

I love red musk, and I love vanilla, and I love parma violet, so I figured this one was a shoo-in. Well, I love the scent, but it's nothing like what I expected! Wet, its soft and musky (though not red musky), with a hinting of roses. And then it just starts to blend and morph, and it's sensuous and yummy. It's warm skin that says "touch me" with a soft vibe of vanilla and a vague waft of floral, a woman's smell, with a languid feel. It's like a younger version of Dolce stil Nuovo. After an hour or two, there is a slightly sharper note that comes out, but it doesn't make me think of tea. It's a greenness, some form of vegetation, maybe poppy? Not the flower, but a slightly green sap, but sleepy...it lightens it enough that it doesn't cloy. Lovely scent! I suspect I'll wear this one a lot.

Swampy but sweetish. Maybe it's the sweetness of decay? I was expecting something a little more with a leafy note, but this has more of a bayou quality. Quite acquatic, but with a slightly unpleasant sweetness and something almost...floral? I can't really pin down the qualities, and I'm not sure I really want to wear it. I'm not scrubbing it off, but it's...unsettling. It's just a little stranger than I think is wearable.

VERY sophisticated baby powder! It's powdery and snuggly and vaguely sweet and milky, when you first put it on, then it sneaks up on you and becomes sensual in an innocent way, if that makes sense. (Hmm, there's that naked lady on the bottle label...) Someone else remarked that it has a quality of Inez in it, and I have to agree. This is great, because Inez is one of my favorites! I was worried about the lavender, as lavender can go bad on me, fairly quickly. Not to worry. It's heavenly lavender, with roses and carnations in the background, like the sweet sachet tablets an old lady friend used to tuck into drawers. I love that scent. This also has a slightly sweet herbal edge, which I think is the wonderful sage that graces many of my favorite BPAL scents. This fragrance certainly gladdens MY heart!

For once, an apple that doesn't go rancid on me! Wet, there is a spiced cider with candy apples quality, with something just a little dank and woodsy in the background, like wet leaves. As it dries down, it gets more orange in the mix and gets more overall fruity, more like some cross of mulled wine and cider, and the dank note goes more woodsy. The waft of woodsmoke comes out. It's a good slug of warm autumn beverage sipped by a hearth, after a walk in the woods!

Mushroom beds! Wet, the notes remind me a lot of those in Death Cap. It's very mushroomy. Then it becomes damp compost, with the mushrooms in the background. Rotting wood, too. It smells like an overturned stump. I like it. My boyfriend hates it ("too much like real dirt!"). I suppose I'll wear it when I'm leaving the house, as it only lasts about an hour on me.