Acushla

This one doesn't morph too much for me from bottle to skin; I pretty much get that grape candy scent several people have mentioned here all the way through, but it reminds me of kudzu and wisteria blossoms, so I actually kind of like it. Definitely not something I would choose for myself at a store, but it does give me a nice boost of "courage and steadfastness" so I've kept it around for job interviews and situations when I'm feeling down and it seems to do the trick. I'll at least get another imp of this once mine is empty since I don't use it as an everyday scent.

Out of the vial: I get the impression of walking into an old lady's room in an abandoned house that's been shut up for a while. Rose (I guess that's the "eddy of hothouse flowers and swamp blooms" but it just smells like rose to me) competing half-and-half with something sour like rotting wood, which I assume is the evergreen and cypress. Similar to Ouija but more... acrid, I guess you could say. Ouija may be dusty but nobody's lived in the Bayou for quite some time and the trees don't let in much light. Upon application: most of the acridness disappears (thank goodness) and I initially get a very soapy floral smell which isn't unpleasant. After a few minutes the aquatic notes come to the front with just a hint of the woods lurking behind, and unfortunately it's a little headachey as aquatics tend to go on me. Overall this starts out as something I'm not terribly fond of and morphs into something that really doesn't agree with me, so I don't think I'll be holding on to this one.

Out of the vial: I'm mainly getting a vaguely orangey smell (must be the teas) and I think I can recognize Peony hiding in the background. Upon application: There comes Peony to the forefront now, with the citrus following shortly behind. A very bright, clean scent but not perfumey or sharp. Medium throw. If this scent were a color it would start out pink swirled with yellow and then morph into a sort of violet as the citrusy teas back down and it gets a bit more sweetish. Someone's put jam on the Dormouse's nose and he's gone back to sleep. Not how sure I fond I am of the drydown (it does get rather sweet) but I'll keep the little Dormouse around for at least one more cup of tea.

Out of the vial: very fresh white floral; I'm not only getting the cool white blooms but the just-cut green stems as well. Normally I get knocked in the face sniffing straight out of the imp, but not so with Maiden. Upon application: Rose is my notorious enemy but I think the Carnation is balancing it out because it's not overwhelming everything else like usual. I'm not getting the "clovey" Carnation note that many people have commented on and that I disliked so much in Queen Gertrude. My skin seems to amp citrus scents and the white tea is having a field day, standing strong in the background to give it a little citrusy kick. Definitely a very "young" scent without being juvenile. Overall I LOVE Maiden and I think it's perfect for an everyday scent. It's a pity that the throw is so light, though, and my skin seems to have eaten it after about an hour or so. It's definitely worth slathering on multiple times though, and I may have to get a bottle of this.

Out of the vial this is a very clean purple-blue floral, almost soapy but not in the headache-inducing way that most soapy scents are for me. Upon application this turns into a mixture of Bath & Body Work's "Moonlight Path" and dryer sheets. I can't stand MP but since it's just a faint whiff and not completely overwhelming, I'm sticking this one out. Drydown is an almost totally dryer sheet/laundry detergent-type smell on me, but it's not unpleasant. Medium throw but disappears after a few hours. Overall I'm fairly pleased with Harlot's House and I'll keep the imp around.

I've always liked Hermia; I played her when our 7th grade English class read Midsummer an now I'm glad to say I like her perfume as well. Out of the bottle: Bubblegum? The pink, round bubblegum that comes in the red and blue wrappers. Oh dear. Upon application: Thankfully bubblegum goes away and there's a nice creaminess up front, which goes away in a few seconds. I can't pick out any individual notes (my nose isn't trained enough yet ^_~) but the overall effect is very sweet and a little bit powdery, but not in a bad way. Overall I find this scent very warm and comforting, and I think Hermia's going to stick around with me for a while.

Out of the bottle: very fruity. I'm getting a sort of sticky medicinal smell, like children's chewable grape Tylenol. Not so pleasant. It even feels a bit sticky going on. Upon application: Blast of pineapple to the face! I can tell there are other things behind it but they're indistinct; it's not totally pineapple but that's mostly what I'm getting. There's also a lot of that pomegranate I recognize from Swank. Lots of throw. Not smelling any chili pepper at all. Drydown: about 2 hours later it's softened up a lot and the pineapple isn't so overwhelming anymore. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about these sweet scents, but I'll keep Shango around for another test run at least. If nothing else, he seems to be quite the mood booster!

Smells very similar to a lot of the florals I've tried that just don't work for me at all. I think it's the lilac that really doesn't agree with me, plus rose and I haven't gotten along very well in the past for the most part. Pretty much stayed the same from the imp to my skin, though it did of course soften a bit towards the end. I wanted to love this one from the description, but it looks like it's bound for the swap pile.

Out of the bottle: Very perfumey, in a department-store kind of way. There's that sharp headacheyness lurking in the background that I know will come out if I sniff too much. Upon application: This turns very "old" on me. It's comforting in the sense that it smells like something my mom would wear, but I'm afraid it's just too strong for my taste. Off into the swap pile.

There's a note in here that's been bothering me in Veil and Eternal as well, and I'm almost positive it's the violet. The drydown is nice (a little faint, but my skin just seems to eat perfume/I build up a scent tolerance quickly) but I just can't handle the violets. They have this sort of odd, generic bubble bath scent on me that isn't so pleasant. I wish I didn't have to say goodbye to these, but off to the swap pile they go. I'm glad I did try them though, because now at least I'm learning which scents I can wear and which I can't!

Out of the bottle: very dark and rich but there's a cleanness there as well. I can tell this one is quite complex and I'm really loving it. Upon application: changes a lot in a fairly short amount of time! It starts out with just a dash of something sweetish at the back and then I get a patchouli scent fading in (my untrained nose can't pick out which scent might be at work here, but it smells like straight-up patchouli to me.) Normally I can't stand patchouli but there's something else tempering it and I actually quite like it. Drydown: this quiets down after about half an hour and I really have to stick my wrist in my face to sniff; after an hour it's even more subtle. It's been about 6 or so hours now and I'm starting to get that dreaded perfumey-headachey note that I hate so much (might that be the ambergris?) but it's not terrible. Overall: sadly this basenote really isn't my favorite, but I have a feeling I'll be keeping the imp around at least.

Out of the bottle: sharp, clean, and subtle. Doesn't knock me down right out of the gate like most perfumes. Upon application: I'm still getting that nice clean scent but there's something on top of it that smells like... celery? Oh dear. Drydown: no more celery but it is very perfumey (and thus headache-inducing.) Not loving it. I really wanted to love this scent after hearing so many great things about it, but I'm afraid it just doesn't work on me.

Out of the bottle: at first sniff I really loved it, this definitely is a very golden scent. But the second time there was something odd that shouted at me; maybe my nose was just overpowered from sniffing too much. Upon application: floral and very warm, just gold everywhere. I probably would have been fine if it had stayed like that but the drydown made it very perfumey and strong, which gave me a headache. I'm willing to try it again but I'm afraid the results will be the same.

Out of the bottle: I'm getting a somewhat fruity smell I can't place, possibly cherry, with this creamy/powdery softness around it like a cherry in a bowl of milk. Upon application: the florals really kick in and become an almost spicy powder. Drydown: still quite powdery and (to my nose) old-fashioned, like something Alice Liddell might have worn. It's very sweet on me, which I'm not fond of. Towards the end it picks up that subtle spiciness again and smells sort of homey and comfortable. Overall I'm not so sure how I feel about this one. I'd like to give it another go but I think the sweetness is just too much for me, and it might be a bit too "old"-smelling.

Out of the bottle: Toothpaste! Or mouthwash, something very minty and alcoholic. Upon application: Mouthwash fades (thank goodness) and I get a very dry scent, like preserved flower petals kept in an old wooden chest (I'm seeing a dark, dusty room with somewhat threadbare carpets and old lace curtains.) If I sniff too much there's a faint pickly note somewhere under there, must be one of the woods. Drying: The woods take a back seat and the flowers move to the front, becoming very soft and creamy at the end. Overall I like this scent but it's basically gone after about an hour. So far I'm planning on keeping it around though.