tazjia

Okay, I feel like I've missed something (like, not read closely enough!) but have you tracked down Midnight on the Midway? There's some floral in there as well, but it's definitely sugared incense.

My husband and I both bought bottles of this, and we were both very excited when they arrived. The next morning, Mr. Taz walked into the room and I said "mmmmm.... you smell good. What snake?" (The snakes from CD are in regular rotation around here.) He gave me an odd look and said "what do you *think* I'd be wearing today?" Now, here's the odd part: up close (while I totally understand the TKO comparisons!) it's all Dorian to me. From two feet away, it's Snake Oil with a bit of something else. Wet on my skin, Dorian with something odd -- the fennel? I like it, and I'm interested to see how it ages. 4/5, with definite possibilities of an upgrade in points after a couple of months.

I will start by saying that honey is a deal-breaker note for me, and pine is usually not a good thing. Also, patchouli and I have a fitful, on-again/off-again relationship. When I first put this on, the pine pitch and honey were both very present, but somehow balanced each other out. Ten minutes later, I left my study and got a waft of something seriously yummy... and then realized it was still the Illustrated Woman! On drydown, not only can I *not* stop sniffing my hand, but I'm finding it has serious throw. I agree with the earlier comparison to Black Lace -- the tobacco and vanilla feel very similar to me. I think I get even more vanilla, though, and the honey/pine pitch combo is adding a sweetness that's not in Black Lace. Definitely need at least one bottle, possibly three.

Last wedding I went to, I wore Hope and Faith, mixed. It was a weather-related choice (both are light on me, and it was 100F) but I suppose the names are also fitting!

Oh, my. Sapphics is one of the sexiest scents I've smelled. The oakmoss is one of the stronger notes for me, and immediately reminded both me and my husband of Roux Ga Roux. (Must go check if that's the same listed note!) Next up seems to be the grey amber, and then the tonka. Overall, this is something I would happily roll around in for days. I think it might smell better on him, but... well, I'm fine with that, too.

This is tricky... we're going out to a nice restaurant, so I can't be too perfumed. Smut leapt (leaped?) to mind as my first choice, maybe because I've been reading about it in the update thread lately. Bon Vivant is totally appropriate, inurbanus... and that gave me pause. I need to think of something that encapsulates my wishes for the upcoming year, I suppose... which keeps Smut in the running and probably puts "Hope" on the list. Until seeing this thread, I didn't realize what a choice I had in front of me!

Sugar Skull may well be my perfect soap. I should start by noting that I have an impaired sniffer, when it comes to the soaps... many of them smell unscented to me. Sugar Skull is not one of those: I can smell it as soon as I step in the bathroom and it's fantastic in the shower. I get great scented lather, and it makes me happy. The scrubbiness is also excellent. My skin is dry and pretty sensitive, so I always use lotion post-shower. I've not tried SS without lotion afterwards, but this does seem to be one of the better soaps for my skin (not just BPAL, but any brand). I'm trying like hell to stop myself from buying 10 bars of this. I so wish it wasn't LE!!

In bottle: Strikes me as very well-blended. I'm having problems picking out any individual notes. Wet, on skin: LEMON! Lots and lots of lemon candy. I like lemon, but this was not what I was expecting. (In the bottle, I get no lemon at all.) I get a bare hint of vanilla and what must be the tuberose... but mostly just lemon. Dry: Over the course of the day, I fell in love with this scent. The lemon fades quite a bit (although it's always there) and other notes come out. A smoky/incense feeling takes over about 2 hours in, and hangs around for a very long time. I've just added a few drops to some unscented lotion for my evening out, and I'll be interested to see how that affects the scent-morphing. I bought a bottle of this from forums without having sniffed it... I will probably need another bottle.

Aside from Somnus and Temple of Dreams - both of which I've been using to help me sleep - Paris is very soothing to me. If you like lavender, you might want to check that one out.

In bottle: definitely booze and sugar. Wet, on skin: Okay... well, the instant this touched my skin I knew I was going to need a bottle. It's sort of like alcohol and molasses, with some vanilla added in? Come to think of it, while it's wet it reminds me of (don't laugh) the fruitcake batter my mother makes... granted, that's heavy on rum in particular and booze in general, but I only ever liked the batter, not the finished cake. So, it's definitely brown sugar and alcohol, to me. Dry: This stays forever. I wore it out last night and kept getting whiffs of it in a *very* crowded bar... it's just lovely. The sugar comes out more for me as it dries down, but it's a sexy, dark, almost burnt sugar. Love this. I did run to the computer and order a bottle when my imp came, and it's my first full lab-purchased bottle. Totally worth it.

In imp: Beautiful. Lightly fruity, little or no musk. Wet, on skin: My first thought was "Coconut? Where's that coming from?" It smells like a very light version of suntan lotion. Dry: I get nice, light apricot with odd spikes of that same coconut scent. I've just read through several pages of reviews and not seen anyone else getting this... perhaps I am crazed. Overall: Will try again another day - maybe even another imp? - because, but for the coconut spikes, I like the scent.

In imp and wet on skin: vanilla, definitely, with a hint of floral and something else (maybe the linen?) Dry: I smell like the beginnings of chocolate chip cookie dough... or maybe cookie dough ice cream? No chocolate notes, but the scent you get after mixing the sugar+butter+vanilla. It's a good smell, though not at all what I was expecting from the description. Later: I don't get the florals, ever, but this is never sickly-sweet on me, and it also never turns into baby powder like some other vanillas do. It's a deep, rich vanilla, and I rather like it!

This is my first review, and I'm posting because the scent is too good to ignore, for me. I've been taking notes as I put things on, just for my horrible memory. In the bottle: Really, really sweet. Some myrrh, maybe? It smells good, but I'm not sure how it will react with my skin and heat. Wet on skin: Much like the smell in the bottle, but very faint. I can barely smell it, on me. About 1 hour later: Picking up on some kind of rose, but the whole thing is still very subtle. 3 hours in: Finally! I'm getting a much stronger wine-and-roses scent, but not the kind of powdery rose that I hate. This is sexy-slightly-sweet-rose (almost a candied rose?) and I can't stop sniffing my wrist.