Nikki Scarlet

So for me, this scent actually starts off pretty bitter. In the bottle it smells like a mix of bell peppers and old hay. Not terrible, but not at all what I was after, and I was honestly considering just putting it straight in my destash pile without a skin test. But, I decided against that and gave it a skin test anyway, and I'm glad I did. The bitterness sticks around for the first few minutes, but then, very gradually, the scent shifts, and all the sparkling, sweet notes start to come forward. Within an hour, the sweet freshness is all you can smell, and I couldn't stop sniffing my wrists. The scent it eventually becomes is pretty much exactly the scent I was expecting when I first read the notes and ordered the bottle. Absolutely lovely. I like to think of it as kind of symbolizing the state of things right now. Things are bitter and disappointing, but hang in there. Things will get better, and by supporting the causes that matter to you, you'll be able to partake in something wonderful.

This might be a weird comparison, but . . . Bewitched is my absolute favourite GC scent, and I feel like A View of Cascading Cherry Blossoms is like its younger, sweeter sister or cousin, who really loves pink. They share absolutely no notes in common, but they both manage to beautifully balance their berry notes with their herbal/floral notes and musks to create something fresh, juicy and gorgeous. They both have great wear length, too. I'd been wishing for a while that I could find a scent that smells similar to Bewitched but doesn't get dragged down toward the end of the day by the dark musk (this only happens at certain times of my cycle, and isn't too unpleasant, just not as fresh and lovely as the early half of the day). I feel like Cascading Cherry Blossoms scratches that itch for me. I'll be buying a couple of backup bottles. <3 EDIT: Bought the backup bottles, and . . . they're different from the first. Stronger on the cherry blossom and white musk, with less of the lovely, jammy strawberry. It comes off sort of generically floral and slightly artificial by comparison. This batch just isn't doing it for me the way the first bottle does. I'm debating on whether to try buying one more backup bottle (and maybe sell / swap the other two) to see if it'll match the first bottle, but I'm worried it'll turn out that the first bottle was the batch variant and the backup bottles are the more common default.

A frimp! I've been curious about this one for a while but never got around to buying an imp, so yay freebie! In the imp and on me, wet: This is reminding me of something from my childhood but I cannot for the life of me recall what it is. I wish I could say that's a good thing, but this is a sickly, plastic sweetness so far. On me, dry: As this dries, I think the childhood smell I'm recalling is, like . . . old, chewed-up bubble gum smushed up under somebody's desk, paired with recently-dried root beer or black licorice, none of which is doing my stomach any favours. A warmer, dustier scent starts to rise up over this, which I can't identify, but whatever that scent is isn't really me, either. Verdict: Bleh. Sending you off to someone whose nose and stomach will appreciate you, little friend.

This was a frimp. From reading the notes, I don't think I'd have ordered this myself as it has a few notes that don't tend to agree with me, but I'll try any frimp for science! In the imp: It's . . . interesting. I can smell the mint and orange blossom and I like those, but they're buried under the tobacco, black musk and bitter clove, which I am less enthusiastic about. All together, they kind of remind me of the breath of a heavy smoker who's just downed a can of cola. On me, wet: Whuf. The notes in this I actually like fade to the background as the more bitter notes begin to amp. This is a heavy scent on me so far, and I'm not liking it. It's a bit headache-inducing. On me, dry: The lighter notes start to come back after it dries down, and it returns to being a scent I would dub "interesting", but still a little nauseating for me, and therefore not something I would want to wear. Verdict: I wish I could wear a lot of the scents that people consider to be "sexy" around these parts, but to me they're always just too heavy and do terrible things to my head and stomach. To swaps with you!

I received this as a frimp, alongside a backup frimp of Good. This is the first RPG series scent I've received since my first imp of Good, so I'll be testing this separately as well as layered with Good. In the imp: Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this, since I'm more of a sweet scent fan, but I'm rather enjoying these first sniffs! To me, it almost smells like a green apple that's been dipped in wasabi. I know that's weird, since apple isn't listed among the notes. On me, wet: Ooooh, there's a real greenness to this. The apple-like scent is still there, but the cedar/pine of the mastic is really blooming. Usually I find woody scents a little too bitter, but this is sweet, fresh, and frankly gorgeous. On me, dry: This gets more woody as it dries, and the wasabi gives it just enough zing to stay interesting. This is a great, clean-smelling, gender-neutral scent! Chaotic Good (layered): I was worried that Good might overwhelm the freshness of this scent with too much sticky sweetness, but these layer very well (as, I figure, they were exactly meant to). Good actually brought back the a bit of the appley scent that had been fading as Chaotic on its own dried. Verdict: I adore this! And it makes a really lovely pair with Good. This is a definite keeper, with maybe a bottle in the future.

I was intrigued by the RPG series, and this one sounded like one of the prettiest options, so I went with it as my first introduction to this series. I bought this back in June of this year, but just realized I never posted the review I wrote for it! In the imp: I think I'm mostly getting the musk, and maybe some acacia. It's oddly metallic to my nose. On me, wet: As soon as it hits my skin I can smell a bit of the sweeter notes. The honey for sure, but I think the sugar cane is adding a bit of a lighter, cooler sweetness to offset the heavier/warmer honey. On me, dry: This gets powdery, but in a good way that makes it smell kind of refreshing. I can see how the RPG scents are meant to be layered, though: there's something about this that feels a little incomplete on its own. Verdict: This is a nice scent, but not a standout. I'll keep it around for now so I can layer/experiment with other scents in the RPG series down the road, but it's not something I think I'd wear much on its own, except maybe around the house if I'm in the mood for something uncomplicated, light, and pretty. A few months later: I ended up getting a frimp of Chaotic, and the two layer gorgeously. I'd buy a bottle of this just to match with the bottle of Chaotic I want.

I ordered both this and Valuable, Powerful, Deserving as my first-ever Lilith order. I've been on rather a "pale vanilla floral" kick ever since Zorya P came into my life, so when I read the notes for Cemetery Creep I thought maybe this might fill that craving nicely. In the bottle: Hmmm! Yep, definitely in a similar family to Zorya P. In fact, on comparison, I'm kind of surprised to come to the conclusion that Zorya P is actually a heavier scent than this. This may be because there's a lot less vanilla, and more floral to Cemetery Creep. The sweetness of it definitely still hints at the vanilla blossom being there, though. I'd also say Cemetery Creep is a teensy bit greener than Zorya P. On me, wet: The floral gets even stronger and I think a bit of the white musk has come forward, too. On me, dry: Any hint of vanilla blossom has pretty much disappeared. Disappointing (I'm a vanilla fan), but not unpleasant. I do keep going back for more sniffs, so it certainly isn't all bad! It makes my skin smell very clean without being outright soapy. Verdict: This scent can definitely evoke the idea of fresh flowers strewn over bone and marble as ghosts trail about, but is also gentle and floral enough to be completely inoffensive to those with less morbid sensibilities. I don't love this like I love Zorya P, but it's a clean and pleasant scent. For anyone who likes a pale, ethereal fragrance but found Zorya a little too foodie or overly sweet, you may find Cemetery Creep is more what you're after. Throw hovers close to the skin, but not so low that you have to mash your nose up to your wrist or anything. It's at a decent level for you to enjoy the scent without bothering anyone around you. And honestly, even if it was stronger, it likely wouldn't bother anyone. It's very much a "freshly showered skin" scent, at least on me. I'm thinking I might gift this to a friend of mine since I think she would appreciate it more than I do, but I'm glad I got to try it.

I ordered both this and Cemetery Creep as my first-ever Lilith order. I loved the story behind this scent, but also . . . I love orange. I love vanilla. I want to smell like a creamsicle. This sounded like it might possibly let me do that. In the bottle: It's no creamsicle so far, but it is an interesting scent. I definitely get hints of the orange blossom and the vanilla in the vanilla oudh. I think the amber is the strongest scent, though. I have a hard time smelling amber for whatever reason, but this one's coming through fairly strong. On me, wet and dry: At first the orange almost disappears and this is primarily golden amber, but over time the orange blossom returns and, possibly in combination with the vanilla oudh (which I think is too subtle to stand on its own but manages to add weight to the orange blossom) adds a little more sweetness and complexity. I feel like there's actually a strange similarity between this and Cemetery Creep. Valuable, Powerful, Deserving has more gravitas and is more golden, but I'm wearing one on each wrist and it feels like they could be siblings. Their throw is about equal: close to the skin but still strong enough to enjoy. VPD is possibly a touch stronger than CC. Verdict: It's not the foodie scent I was hoping for, but it's got a nice, brassy sweetness to it and is pretty well blended. If you like Cemetery Creep, you may also enjoy this as a slightly bolder and more complex alternative.

This came as a frimp a couple orders ago, and I'm just getting a chance to try it out now. In the imp: Mmmm, that's a nice, tart, juicy apple smell. I can see why little Snow gave in to temptation in spite of the Dwarves' Stranger Danger talk. On me, wet: Still a lovely apple, but I think the florals are starting to work their way in. On me, dry: The florals give this a certain powderiness that kind of make me think of tart candies. There's definitely also a certain dark element there that keeps it nice and interesting. But on the whole it's a very light and spring-y scent. I really like it! Verdict: Not sure yet whether I want a big bottle or not, but this is a definite keeper! . . . Actually, yeah, this will probably be a bottle.

A frimp originally claimed by my friend, but given to me after a couple of tests left her underwhelmed. In the imp: Sweet with a little spice. Kind of reminds me of O, but stronger and spicier. On me, wet: The same as in the imp, but a little warmer. On me, dry: Loses all its sweetness pretty quickly, and the spice that remains is on the savoury-but-bland side. Verdict: I think my skin eats honey, and the honey in this one dragged everything else into oblivion with it. o.O The scent left behind is just kind of boring to me. Wondering if this is similar to what made my friend pass this one on. I think I'll swap this to someone it wants to be with more.

This was a frimp. Reading the description, this sounds exciting and complex (and possibly yummy!) In the imp: . . . Bubble gum. This is bubble gum. Old-fashioned gumball from a 25-cent machine. Not unpleasant, but not what I was expecting from the notes list. o.O On me, wet: Starts to become a little more complex as the notes pull apart on my skin. I'm picking up the chili powder, banana, apple, and a liiiitle of the coconut I think. Maybe some pomegranate. Still mostly bubble gum, though. On me, dry: Okay, it's mostly not-bubble gum now. It's smelling like some other candy I had in childhood, but I can't put a name to it. Apple's pretty strong in this but the chili pepper and coconut ground it nicely to keep it from screaming. This is a fascinating blend, actually. Dry, later: Mostly chili pepper now, with coconut keeping it from being TOO spicy. Sexy! I like! Verdict: I'm not sure it's a *me* scent, but it's a fun one. I'll keep the imp.

This was frimped to me in my most recent order. In the imp: Kinda smells like a musky lemonade. On me, wet: I think some of the florals are popping into the mix now, but still kinda smells like an artisanal lemonade: something you might order at a hipstery juice bar. I get kinda thirsty when I sniff this. So far I want to drink it, but I'm not sure I want to wear it. On me, dry: The scent gets sweeter and thickens as it dries. Now instead of artisanal lemonade, it's the artisanal hard candies they sell with the artisanal lemonade. Verdict: I don't dislike this, but I don't think it's for me. It's a fairly fresh, unisex scent and I think it would really suit some people, but I don't think I'm one of them. This is another scent I'm dithering between swapping or keeping just for occasional sniffs.

A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh. Another frimp! While I like the name and theme, I'm not so sure about the notes. This could be a big no for me. In the imp and on me, wet: . . . Kind of syrupy. Sweeter than I was expecting, actually! There's definitely a smokiness to it as well, but we'll see how it plays as it dries. On me, dry: "Dance" is an appropriate descriptor for what this scent does. Sometimes it's sweet, sometimes it's bitter or sour. Sometimes it's smoky, sometimes it's fresh and airy. Sometimes it's a wet and musty smell, and sometimes it's dry and dusty. Every change just seems one step over from the previous sniff: related, but different each time. It doesn't seem to last very long on me, though, and it dies down to just kind of a faint powder. Perfumed ashes in the wind. Verdict: I don't exactly *like* this scent, but I find it really interesting. It absolutely reflects the idea of Lady Death in many forms. Part of me wants to swap it away to someone who'll appreciate it more than I do, but part of me wants to keep it just because of the experience it creates. Might keep it for now to see how or if it grows on me.

This was a frimp. Didn't know about it before receiving it but the notes sound nice. So far I've liked floral vanillas :3 In the imp: . . . Not actually getting any vanilla. this is a very bright and somewhat sharp floral to my nose. A strong scent, but one I'm not so sure I care for. On me, wet: The strength dies down but so far it smells kinda grimy on me. :\ On me, dry: The griminess mostly goes away (pops back up here and there but mostly gets out of the way), and it's a fresh, gentle, but somewhat boring floral. Kind of reminds me of Febreze, actually. Verdict: Ehhhh. I don't hate this, but I don't think I like it enough to keep. Passing it on to someone who will appreciate it more.

I got this one as a frimp . . . twice! The first frimp ended up being claimed by my friend who went in on the order with me. Then by the time the second one showed up, my friend gave the first one back to me saying she wasn't as into it anymore. Hoping I'll like this enough to justify owning two! I LOVE it in the imp, but have yet to test it on myself (will do so below). A little nervous about how the red patchouli will act as I've not had much luck with patchouli in the past, but all I can smell in the imp is a sweet, sweet citrus, so we'll see! In the imp: Seriously, this smells like the most luscious lemon meringue pie. Or some other really gourmet pastry with citrus filling. I'm surprised that this is patchouli and orange blossom, and not some full on citrus fruit with vanilla or honey or something. On me, wet: Now smells more like a really high quality orange candy. Om nom nom! On me, dry: I get little whiffs of the patchouli here and there but it's kept well in check by the lovely (and strong!) orange blossom and stays, on the whole, pretty true to how it smells in the imp. Mostly I think the patchouli just does the job of giving weight to the orange blossom, allowing it to have a deeper sweetness. Some might actually find this cloyingly sweet, but I have a hardcore sweet tooth, so for me this just smells yummy! Verdict: Holy crap, a patchouli scent I can actually wear! This miiiight become a full bottle purchase. I'm a bit concerned that if I wear it out in public, other people might find it a little too sickly-sticky-sweet and be put off. It does get more spicy over time though, so I may be able to get away with it. For now I'll enjoy my two frimps, and see whether I'm ready to commit to a full bottle a little further down the line.

A frimp from the lab, and one of my favourite Greek goddesses. In the imp: Not sure how I feel about this. It's very fresh and juicy, but there's something sharp about it to my nose. On me, wet: The tartness is amplified a bit, but at the same time it's not as much of a shock to the nose as in the imp (granted, it may just be that I'm acclimating to it). As it starts to dry the pomegranate's sweeter side comes forward and the scent gets warmer and juicier. On me, dry: Rose and pomegranate balance each other nicely in this scent. The pomegranate is a little heavier and juicier on my skin, while the rose brings a lightness and freshness to it to keep it pretty without being cloying. This is a rare scent for me where the rose doesn't dominate: the two notes are well blended and cooperate fantastically, so I don't get "grandma's perfume" from it. It's girlish for me. Verdict: I like it! I don't feel the immediate need to jump on a bottle, but I'll keep the imp around for days when I want a "juicy" scent that doesn't have the darker notes of Bewitched.

This was originally an imp ordered by a friend of mine that, in the end, she decided wasn't what she'd hoped it would be, so she said I could add it to my swap pile. Before I do that, though, I wanted to give it a try. It's not really something I would normally think to order for myself (oh no, patchouli is one of the notes . . . ), but you never know you'll like something until you try it! In the imp: Immediate first sniff reaction is "WHUF, WINE." I'm not a drinker and wine in particular tends to give me a bit of a headache. However, after the first sniff I start getting some of the florals, which are nice. On me, wet: Boozy. Headachey. But then nice flowers. But then wine again. On me, dry: Roses floating in wine. . . . Aaaand something sour. Yecch. I like rose but there are other rose scents that don't make my head hurt. Verdict: Not for me. To swaps you go!

A frimp from the lab. I'm wary of scents with patchouli in it, but I will try it for science! In the imp: Smoky. I'm reminded of Sin, but this has a little more depth. On me, wet: . . . Sin with cola? o.O I'm not familiar enough with myrrh, red musk, or ylang ylang to know which of these scents is reading as "cola" to my unsophisticated palate (or if it's the combination of the three, or if I just have weird skin chemistry), but that's what this smells like to me. Interesting, but not exactly sexy. On me, dry: Yep. If Sin smells like "me after I've been hanging out in a heavy smoker's house for a while," Lust is "me after I've been hanging out in a heavy smoker's house for a while and they gave me some soda." Verdict: A little nicer than Sin, but still not for me. This is a swapper. Will probably remain open to other scents with some of Lust's non-patchouli notes in it, though.

When I first told my mom about my new BPAL hobby (lol) she mentioned an essential oil she used to wear as a young girl that smelled like strawberries. She said she loved it, but that in later years she could never find another perfume that smelled like it. Two weeks later, Eat The Strawberries was added to the collection. I had to know. In the bottle: The first time I opened the bottle after receiving the order, I was immediately impressed. Speaking as someone who has been enjoying freshly picked, locally grown strawberries for the better part of a month now? This smelled like freshly picked strawberries! I gave my mom a sniff of this, too, and she says it does smell pretty close to what she remembers of her old favourite strawberry scent. I didn't get a chance to try it on my skin until a couple weeks after that, though, and now I'm finding it smells just a little more candyish. I was holding the bottle in my hand for a bit of a long period beforehand, though, so I'm wondering if it was affected by my body heat. On me, wet and dry: It seems to waver back and forth between smelling like real strawberries (to the point where I could swear I can even smell the leaves and seeds and dirt from where it came from) and smelling like strawberry candy. Either way, though, it's very nice! Verdict: My mom's birthday is in a couple weeks, so I ended up ordering a second bottle for her. I actually don't see me wearing this a whole lot just because it's not really a "me" scent, but I still love it and am so glad to have a bottle around to enjoy sniffing during the months when strawberries are no longer in season.

Since I got a moon-themed scent via Zorya Polunochnaya, I figured I'd pair it with a sun-themed scent, and this one sounded nice. I usually love anything with orange or orange blossom in it, and am generally pleased by amber and honey scents when I can smell them (sometimes my nose seems to have some trouble picking up these notes). In the bottle: A bit citrusy, but with something . . . earthier? There's also something my nose is picking up as just sort of a static, like I get in the bottle with Lab Rat. Difficult to figure this one out, as it's also not a strong scent. On me, wet: Essentially the same as above, but stronger. Well blended! On me, dry: Once it's settled into my skin it warms up, and it becomes a little easier to discern distinct notes. Within the first couple of minutes I occasionally catch whiffs of something almost animalistic, like fur and hide, underneath the sweet sparkle of the combined orange blossom and amber, and the smoother sweetness of the honey. But as time wears on this settles down and the earthy/savoury scent is more clearly the saffron. I don't know much about oudh so I don't know how it's playing into the scent. Dry, later: The saffron becomes the dominant note in the end. The orange blossom, amber, and honey are still present in roughly that order of strength, but all three combined are just a faint whisper behind the saffron. Kind of disappointed, actually: I was hoping the saffron would just be an accent note to help ground the sweeter scents, rather than being the savoury main course. I pretty much just smell like some kind of soup. Verdict: This isn't a scent I'd wear, but I don't dislike it. I could see using it to set a mood while writing or doing a ritual. It's definitely a unique sort of blend compared to my other bottles. It does have a "sun" theme to it, but it's not quite what I thought it'd be. I think I was hoping for something more like an orangey O or a heavier/more androgynous Hell's Belle. It might still be that for someone else, but I guess my skin wants to highlight the saffron, which . . . mehhh. Do not dislike, do not love. Still glad I tried it, but may end up swapping. Might try it as a room oil first, though.

This is one of the scenes that really stuck out in my memory from reading the book years ago. It was just a really nice, peaceful scene. It sounded like it would be a win for me as a scent, too, so I decided to snap one up as a blind bottle purchase while it's still available, since it seems like a pretty popular one. In the bottle: This is lovely. Something about it is triggering a scent memory for me that feels like it dates back to my early childhood, but I don't know exactly what that memory is; just that it's peaceful and comforting. Someone above mentioned vanilla dryer sheets and yeah, I can see that (and maybe that's partly what I'm remembering? Clean blankets?). But I feel there's a bit more complexity to it than that alone. On me, wet: Mostly the same, but sweeter and warmer. The vanilla becomes a little more dominant. I think it's possibly lost a little of its strength as a whole, though. It's pretty strong in the bottle, but fainter on my skin so far. Not as faint as some other scents I've tried, however. I don't have to press my nose right up to my skin to smell it, which is good! On me, dry: This scent doesn't morph too much. It just stays a sweet and lovely floral vanilla, or a very, very delicate vanilla cookie. I wish it was stronger but the faintness does add to its ethereal effect, and it's still strong enough that I can wave my wrist in front of my nose at random points and get a good "Mmmm!" out of it. Verdict: Oh, I hope this never goes out of stock. I'll have to use this one very sparingly because I never want to run out of it. <3

I think I'm on a quest for the perfect orangey scent, and this one sounded yummy. In the imp: Earthy orange. Very strongly orange (not even orange blossom but full on orange), but the vanilla acts as a grounding element. On me, wet: This goes full creamsicle on me! Mmmm! On me, dry: . . . Turns more floral orange. The orange blossom becomes its true self and the narcissus amps up and sort of takes over. I miss the creamsicle, but this is still nice. Good throw, too! Verdict: Not likely to go big bottle on this, but I'll enjoy the imp! (and seek out a creamsicle scent! Hee.)

This was a frimp included in my second order. I ended up trying this twice: in the first attempt, I was ready to send it to the swap pile because I just . . . couldn't smell it. Below is the record of me giving it a second chance about a week later. In the imp and on me, wet: Much like with O, I can barely smell this. When I can pick anything up, it's kind of nice? This is a very timid lion! On me, dry: Kitty's getting a little braver now, and I actually do quite like it. This is a nice, fresh scent, like a breeze blowing through a lion's mane. It IS a golden scent, but I'm picking up kind of green notes, too. I don't know exactly what this is reminding me of, (some kind of cleaning product? Not necessarily a bad thing!) but I like it. Not quite the scent I was expecting from the name, but pleasing. Verdict: The second go round has saved The Lion from the swap pile. I plan to keep the imp and will probably take it out on occasion. It's not likely to be a scent I'd wear out of the house, but more something to enjoy quietly while relaxing in a sunbeam by the window.

Was sad to see the big bottles are listed as out of stock, but discovered that I could still purchase an imp! Yay! In the imp: The same dusty kind of chocolate I picked up on in Vice, but with a bit more creamy sweetness in the background. Actually, on further sniffing, it's reminding me of Cocoa Puffs. On me, wet: Cocoa Puffs, or Nesquik. Definitely a chocolate cereal. Reminding me of my childhood. On me, dry: Gets creamier as it dries, but also loses a lot of strength (Boooo!). Still, it's a comforting scent to press up to my nose . . . when I can smell it. Verdict: Was hoping for something a little creamier and a lot stronger, but this is still enjoyable. I'll definitely keep the imp, but for the moment I'm not feeling like I'll need a big bottle any time soon.

This was a frimp, but one that I'd been thinking about getting for myself down the line, so yay! In the imp: Oh, I like this very much. It's vanilla, but not a thick, syrupy vanilla or a creamy vanilla. It's a cool, light vanilla. Almost makes me think of a vanilla popsicle. On me, wet: It warms up a little on me, but stays mostly the same so far. Light and sweet. On me, dry: The vanilla steps back a little and it smells more woody for a bit, but then the vanilla returns, a little richer and creamier, and still well balanced by the other notes. Oh, I love this! Verdict: This will be a big bottle for me. It's a snuggly scent, and a pretty happy one for me in spite of its name. It reminds me of being a kid and having little summertime adventures exploring old neighbourhood sheds with friends, then running off to buy ice cream when we heard the cart's bells tinkling down the street.