fireflower

In the decant: Spicy gingerbread, all the way. First applied: Still spicy gingerbread, but there's something creamy underneath. Drydown: Much like a quality gingerbread candle. Will possibly use this in an oil burner. Verdict: Still deciding whether I want to keep this or not. It would be very comforting to burn around Xmas to get in the mood, but I still have to think it over.

In the imp: I smell dark chocolate and cream! Like dark hot chocolate. Yuuum. First Applied: Very deep. Dark, dark chocolate, with some cinnamon underneath. I'm craving sweets. Drydown: Didn't really morph, stayed the same, much to my delight! Verdict: Keeping my imp and burning this in my room when I want to feel relaxed and comforted. I wouldn't wear it on myself for fear of being asked if I just downed hot chocolate, but I definitely enjoy the smell. It didn't turn fake. Someone mentioned that their grandpa used to make hot chocolate with dark chocolate and cream.. and that's just what this smells like. But then you'd put a cinnamon stick in your mug.

In the decant: Egg nog, definitely! True representation of egg nog! Maybe a very teensy weensy bit of the brandy underneath, but mostly just lovely Egg Nog! First Applied: Spicey, creamy egg nog, yesyesyes. Drydown: Oh nooo. It's going powdery, and a touch bit like Play Doh. The nogginess is still there.. but something about it is making it turn into Egg Nog Play Doh. Verdict: Not sure whether I'm keeping the decant or not. I would love to burn it to see what it would be like, but I do have a whole collection of oils to burn already, so I'm going to have to think this through.

In bottle: Mmmm... milky, sweet, sugary. Smells a bit like coffee when you've poured a ton of cream and sugar in it. First applied: Still very sweet, but now there's a note grounding it that's slightly incensey, smokey, deep and heady. On the top it's sweet, sugary, and slightly florally and fruity. Underneath it's still got something smokey going on. I think it's the mixture of the clove, aloeswood, sandalwood, cedar and spikenard that's underneath this, and I smell mostly the almond milk, cashew, rice flower, and perhaps the raisins on the top. Drydown: It's sort of unusual, and there's a note in there threatening to throw the blend off-balance, but if I ignore that, it's soo pretty. I'm hoping whatever it is will go away! I really love the rest of it. And now after it's been on for a bit longer, it's starting to smell oh-so-slightly soapy on me. Not typical soap, a very pretty soap.. but soap and not oil. Hard to explain. Verdict: I will be using the rest of my decant in a scent locket once I get one, for sure. I don't think it merits a big bottle because there's that one blasted note that I don't smell in the bottle or when it's first applied.

In bottle: Verrrry ozoney, very aquatic. Reminds me of Sea of Glass. Very clean. I'm getting more hot, mid-summer than I am winter. First Applied: Exactly what it is in the bottle. I don't really get any other note but ozone. Drydown: This doesn't morph much, so it's stayed that crystalline, ozoney fragrance. Verdict: Oddly, I think this would be good for a day spent at the beach or by the pool, or just generally in a hot climate. I don't get winter from this at all. It's okay, but between my decant of this and imp of Sea of Glass, I don't really need a bottle.

Hmmm.. the frimp of Mouse's Long and Sad Tale I just got from the lab smells nothing like the imp I ordered a few months ago. I kinda like the new one better, though I do like both. The new one smells like it has more sweet pea in it or something.. it's more perfumey than creamy like my old one was.

Funnily enough, I expected Pumpkin III to smell how Pumpkin V smells and vice versa. Pumpkin V is very sweet but light and gentle. I smell the bourbon vanilla the most with a nice wiff of buttery, only very slightly spicy pumpkin underneath. I'm not catching the ginger so much. I can sort of smell the blood orange, but it is way, way in the back. I mostly just get bourbon vanilla and pumpkin, though, and it is lovely. I'm glad I was successful with picking this one out.

Ohhh, this is so pretty. I can't even give it a proper review like I normally would because I'm too into the scent more than writing about it. I keep sniffing it. It's floral without being too strong or headache-inducing, and it's being grounded by the amber. I can actually smell the breezes the description speaks of bringing the scent of all the flowers to my nose. And I'm picturing waterfalls. I really do like this. And what's awesome is that it was a frimp from the lab with my order I just got today, and I don't even have it on my ginormous wishlist! If it wasn't for the lab, I might not have discovered this. I'm thinkin' this is big bottle worthy.

The Hamptons strikes me as incredibly pink and young. I really liked that one.

Baneberry, Bordello, Bewitched, Lady Macbeth and Yvaine all strike me as purple. Yvaine is especially beautiful.

In the imp: Hmmm.. very dry and herbally yet creamy at the same time. Does that make any sense? I smell the ginger and the milk. Or that might be the ambrosia. Or both. Wet: The ginger is on the forefront with the sweeter aspects underneath it. The ginger really wants to take over the spotlight, but I wish it would let the honey, milk and ambrosia share it. It's a very clean and dry scent. Dry: This reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on. Like something I've smelled before, but not an oil or perfume I've smelled before. The ginger is completely taking over. I don't smell much of the other notes anymore. Verdict: A little bit too dry and too much ginger for me. I'll probably end up experimenting with it like I do with all of the imps I didn't like (meaning, mix it with other stuff to see what happens) but I wont be using my imp straight up, sadly.

In the imp: Hmmm.. smells sharp and herbally. I think what I smell is the rose and carnation. I'm not sure what the lab's milk and honey notes smell like just yet, but I'm not really getting any of that. Wet: I smell mostly rose and carnation still. I thought the milk and honey would kick in to round this one out, but they're missing in action. I just smell rose and carnation. I think I amp rose like nobody's business. Dry: Still very rosy, unfortunately. I can detect a very, very light creaminess underneath this, but it's not enough to beat the rose into submission. Verdict: Sadly, not the Mad Tea Party scent for me. It might dry down to be a little less strong on the rose like some other rose scents I've tried have done, but 'tis not big bottle worthy. But that's okay, since my wishlist is ginormous as it is!

In the imp: Creamy orange with an undertone of fig. First applied: Little been more sharper orange with an undertone of fig. Mandarin and fig are two of my favorite notes, so this has been good so far. Drydown: Very orangey. Trying to be creamy with the help of the fig, but threatening to go citrus cleaning pads on me. Please don't, Carnal. Verdict: I like this, but I'm not crazy about it. I don't think this is big bottle worthy. Mainly because I already have Tweedledee, which is very citrusy, and am getting Moxie, which has been my favorite mandarin scent I've tried so far. I'll definitely use my imp, but no big bottle for me.

In the imp: I smell fizziness and plum and amaretto. Very creamy, light and fruity. Wet: The fizzy aspect fades. It's still very creamy. Definitely the amaretto. I smell a nice mixture of fruits.. the plum and the currants. Not getting the wine anymore. Drydown: Very light. My nose needs to be next to my wrist to smell it. But what I smell is very beautiful. It's creamy dark purple fruits. No fizzy wine aspect here. Just very sweet, warm, and comforting. I really like this. Verdict: I really like this. I've been trying so many spicey, herbally and foody imps lately that this one was a nice surprise. Still debating over whether it's big bottle worthy since it's so light on me.

This is really a very delicate and pretty fruity floral. Thankfully I don't smell the attar of rose very much, but every other note is present. The black musk is underneath it and keeping the oil something I would want to wear on my skin rather than something I would rather burn, like The Hanging Gardens turned out to be. This doesn't turn to a commercial shampoo smell like some of the other florals I've tried, either. I like it and would probably steal my mom's bottle for formal occasions.

In the bottle: Smells like smoke with flowers underneath. Wet: Very smokey and dark, but with a little bit of bright color peeping through. Just like a black opal. Drydown: Just like how it smells when wet. Very smokey. It almost wants to have a burnt plastic smell, but it's not quite there yet. I really hope it doesn't go there, because what's underneath is so pretty. Verdict: I so like what's underneath this, but part of it smells like something burning. It's nice, but I fear it might turn bad on me. Perhaps I need to wait for a few hours to see what happens.

In the bottle: Definitely smell the grapefruit and white tea. I don't know what apple blossom smells like, but I do know what ginger smells like and I can't say I'm getting that much. Wet: Light, clean and fresh. I smell the white tea above all else. Drydown: Very bright and pretty. It's a more complex fresh and clean scent, not your run-of-the-mill kind. Verdict: I was at Nail Polish, etc. today and this is one of the 3 bottles I bought, so needless to say I really like it.

In the bottle: Hmmm... smells like orange cake. Ridiculously yummy orange cake. I wish I could eat this. First applied: Juicy, drippy orange lollipops. I want to lick my wrist. Mmmm. Dried: Tweedledee, you are so orangey. I don't smell really any of the other notes. Orange blossom doesn't smell like oranges, so it's got to be the kumquat. Verdict: The smell of oranges is one of my favorite smells. But I don't know if I want to personally smell like an orange, except perhaps when I'm by myself, as a scent that's strictly for me to enjoy. I think I'm going to mix this with Tweedledum to see how it smells.

Cardinal air: the essence of balance. Rose, black cherry, carnation, fig, honey, plum, and black currant. In the bottle: Rich black cherries, with a hint of the black currant and carnation, I think it is. Not cough syrup-like. I can smell only a hint of the rose underneath. First applied: This completely switched from being a lot of cherries with a little bit of rose to being a lot of rose with a little bit of cherries. I still smell the carnation and black currant underneath a little bit. This is how I expected Persephone to smell, so I'm pleased. The only complaint is that I wish the rose would just calm down a little bit and leave room for the other excellent notes. Drydown: Rose, but with the other notes in there to hold it back from being too obscene. It's a very pretty floral, and I've come to find that I'm really not as into florals as I thought I was, so that's saying something. A few hours later: The rose is a lot tamer. It's much more subdued by far. I like this a lot after it's completely dried down and absorbed. Yay for liking my zodiac oil! I was hoping it would happen. It's not an every day scent, but I do think when I get a scent locket, I will use Libra in it.

Thanks to everyone who replied for your help! I ordered a bottle of Pumpkin III and Pumpkin V a few days ago. I might try to find a decant of Pumpkin I because while I'm intrigued by the grapeyness/candy-like quality lots of people say it has, it also sort of worries me. But we shall see.

In the Imp: Holy pinetrees, Batman. I feel like I'm out in a huge field, looking to buy a Christmas tree. Applied: At work, when we get stuff made out of wood (I work at a gift store) they coat it in this chemical that I cannot name that makes me and another girl that works there not want to touch the stuff. She actually can't go near it without cringing. That stuff is what Nero smells like. It's like the smell of the Christmas gifts you buy at a store that when you bring them home, they still smell like the store. =\ Drydown: Still smells like pine. But for those who really love the smell of pine trees and Christmas stores, they might like this. It's not for me. Verdict: 3/10. Might burn this for a few minutes around Christmas to get in the spirit, but wouldn't use it on me.

In the imp: Smells very deep and spicy. I think I smell patchouli, which is a note I don't like. It's not bad, though. I'm enjoying its richness. I think the vanilla has tempered it. First Applied: Hmmm.. this smell reminds me of my brother, actually. My brother who wears Drakkar Noir and chews tobacco, lol. This is how he smells. Not really a bad thing, I just don't want to smell like my brother. I think I might enjoy this more if it wasn't for him, haha. Drydown: Hmm.. I want to like it, but it's slightly too strong for me. And again, there's the part about it reminding me of my brother. Verdict: I can understand why it's popular, but I've tried other oils that I've liked better. I will keep my imp to let it age, like others have recommended. I'm interested to see how it smells then. I give it a 7/10.

In the imp: Huh? I'm smelling very rich, very creamy, very thick creme brulee. Just incredibly, incredibly sweet and foody. *is confuzzled because no one else said this* First applied: Okay, now it doesn't smell like that at all. Strange. Now it smells like lemons. Actually, kind of like a lemon tart instead of creme brulee now. That's probably the grapefruit. I can't really effectively identify any other notes. Drydown: It's pretty and light, though tottering on the edge of becoming Lemon Pledge-like. Verdict: A little bit later, and it smells like lemon mirengue pie to me. It turned into meringue pie instead of tarts because the sourness faded away into a powder. It's all right, but not my cup of tea. It's just odd how much this morphed on my skin.

In the imp: Very strong floral. I'm recalling the scent of my grandmother's bathroom. Oh no. =\ First applied: Very strong florals. I can't detect any flower in particular, and I've never smelled a pansy before so I don't have anything to go by. =\ I swear I can smell rose, though, and lilies. It also reminds me of the cotton blossom candles we have at work. It really just smells like a huge flower garden in the summer. Like the breeze in the garden is carrying it all to my nose. Drydown: Powdery, and still reminds me of my grandmother's bathroom. Verdict: Those who appreciate floral scents will adore this, I think, but it's not for me. 5/10

In the imp: Hmmm.. this is reminding me of the Dove conditioner I'm currently using... I went to go compare the two and there really is quite a likeness. Not a bad thing, though, it's a pretty scent. First applied: Still smells like a very rich hair conditioner. I'm smelling the spring flowers over everything else, with a touch of grass. Not getting much of the berries at all, which was what I was really looking forward to. Ah well. Dry down: Hmm, the strength of this one has died down. I don't smell that strong, slightly cloying component that makes it smell like conditioner anymore. I like it a lot better this way. It's delicate and pretty. Verdict: 7/10. Will use all of the imp, but wont be getting a bottle.