ralenth

Warm and resinous orange blossom, with a tinge of sweetness from the vanilla. It gets spicier as it dries down. It's sultry and delicious.

White chocolate and strawberry. This smells exactly like fresh, plump strawberries with a thin shell of creamy white chocolate. Beth is a genius.

Spilled the bottle, so an unintentional test. It's spicy and warm, but not overwhelmingly rose. I still get a little of that greenness that I get with roses, but it's very nice. Layering with the White Rose makes the fir really pop. Masterfully blended. It figures I'd spill the first roses to work for me.

Bottle: Sweet and spicy, but with some oomph behind it. Melainis got back! Wet: Sexy, sexy woods. Drydown: More of the spiciness comes to the fore. As it dries, the scent deepens into a warmer, seductive smoldering scent. Overall: Melainis certainly seduced me. I was afraid of caramel, but I don't get any foodiness here. I could feasibly use a bottle or two all by myself.

Bottle: Plummy wine with something deeper swirling behind it. Wet: Odd. I really can't pin anything down, in spite of the fact that I know what the notes are. Drydown: I get a bit of a hollow dark note, which isn't what I was expecting from my bottle sniff. As it continues to dry, I get occasional snatches of incense that peek from around the corner and then run off. Tag? But I want to sniff! Dry: It is very faintly smelling of the champaca now, with a tinge of plummy grapeness (not quite plum nor grape alone). This blend is certainly a complex one and I will have to age it to see what happens. I'm intrigued, if nothing else.

NB: Rose and I are not friends. We're just not, no matter how hard I try to love her in any guise, she gives me the cold, green, thorny shoulder. Bottle: Eustephanos smells warm and lovely in the bottle. Frankincense and myrrh set my resin loving heart aflutter. Wet: Warm resiny floral. Could this be the one? Drydown: Rose rears her vicious thorny head. The scent begins to go green on my skin. Dry: Yep. Sharp prickly green. Done in again. Overall: Eustephanos is gorgeous in the bottle. Anyone who can actually wear rose oils (sadly, not me), should give her a call. I'm sure you two will have a lovely evening together.

Bottle: Sweet, a little pungent, no idea what this would smell like on my skin. Wet: Tobacco flower swirled in coconut. Mmm... Drydown: The tobacoo flower steps back a bit. It's hard to pick out individual notes now: still getting a tinge of sweet coconut, but overall it is warm and glowing. Dry: Sexy, sophisticated clean scent. Dia remains warm and just a little bit sweet. It has quite a bit of depth to it, which surprised me for some strange reason. Overall: I think this one may be a bottle hoarding scent for me.

Bottle: Creamy greens. Wet: Green, but not grassy. Very soft and clean. Drydown: Alternates between that soft, creamy green and a spikyness. Not sure what's coming to the fore here, but it's interesting. Dry: Little bit pungent still over the original soft scent that I liked so much. Overall: I'm not getting any sage, which is a real shame. It's green, and interesting, but I'm not sure if I'd wear this much at all.

Wet: Purely minty. Drydown: As it dries, a creamy sweetess mutes the mint a little. Dry: Creamy mint, not as in your face as at first. Overall: This is quite lovely and refreshing. I'm sad I don't have more of it, though I don't know how much I would wear it. It's a really cheery scent.

Imp: Caramel swirled in musk Wet: Mint. Wow, mint. Candy cane orgies, anyone? Drydown: Musk swirled caramel comes to the fore with mint chiming in. Dry: Maple? Minty Maple? With a side of musk? Where'd that come from? Mint comes back to dominate... Overall: Intriguing, to say the least, but I doubt this demon would seduce me.

Imp: Warm spicy cocoa, can't wait to dive in! Wet: Smells like I rolled in chocolate. Mmm... Drydown: Did I say chocolate? It quickly becomes woody, I can see how some people said pencil shavings, it's not quite sandalwood though. Hrm. Dry: Vaguely woody, but not sure what it smells like. Myrrh peeks in a little bit, but not enough to save this from the swaps pile. Overall: Amazing off my skin. Not so great on. Perhaps a locket scent?

I was generously gifted an imp by FallDaze in my PIF package. imp: smoky, masculine, with some oomph (could it be vetiver?) wet: mmm, creosote smoke (reminds me of childhood bonfires in the desert) drydown: As it dries, it becomes vaguely metallic, but not overly so. The dominant notes are that delicious creosote and vetiver, but oddly clean green (though deep green). Manly green. overall: I would definitely wear this. I could even see myself owning a bottle.

I was generously decanted a partial in a Pay It Forward swap by triptyenchanted because she saw clove on my favorite notes list. Imp: Warm, spicy delicious cloviness. Wet: Deep musk swirled in patchouli with peeps of clove. Drydown: As it dries, this spider certainly has me smiling. The clove becomes more dominant, reminiscent of clove cigarettes, as others have said. Dry: Mmm, yes. It's like holiday goodness, but without all that nasty fruit. Or like smoking cloves without inhaling fiberglass. Either way, triptyenchanted was right. It is the ultimate clove scent. The throw is pretty good on my skin. I think I may need a bottle. Until then, I will savor my precious sniffie. Thank you!

Wet: Mmm... smoky leather. Drydown: As it dries, the smokiness becomes more pronounced. Dry: Delicious smoky leather. Overall: De Sade clings closely to the skin. While the scent is utterly masculine, it is incredibly sexy on my skin. I'd expect nothing less from the Marquis. This scent is like pure pheromones. Mmm... I need a bottle.

Imp: Faintly spicy and musky. Wet: Lemons and oranges, kind of a surprise. Drydown: Lemon Pledge... ick. Dry: Lemon Pledge and baby powder, with occasional flashes of spiciness. Overall: The Baron clearly does not love me. Off to the swaps!

Wet: Smoky and masculine: Drydown: All smoke still... Dry: Smoke with traces of leaves underfoot. October is like smoldering coals with a few leaves dropped in... Overall: Not for me. I like the concept and could see it as a room scent, but I'm going to have to put this one up for swaps.

Wet: Lightly green and aquatic. Drydown: Cinnamon lightly infuses the scent. Verdandi seems like Autumn-lite, over a still pond. Dry: Cinnamon with a faint tinge of baked apples. Overall: Verdandi certainly wasn't what I expected. I loved the wet and drydown stages, but I think this one isn't for me, sadly.

Wet: Jasmine and iris dominate aggressively (as they tend to do on my skin). Drydown: Urania is still all high notes, but mellows somewhat from the initial floral attack. Dry: Florals, accented by white musk. Overall: Sophisticated and elegant, Urania is a Muse that can move in higher circles. I think that I will love my imp dearly if not purchase a bottle.

Wet: Lemony baked goods. Drydown: The oven heats up and Shub becomes a spicy cinnamon/ginger. Dry: I smell like I have been rolling around in really sharp gingersnaps. Overall: OMG, I must own a bottle. Like yesterday!

Wet: Bright, white floral. Drydown: The jasmine in Eos is definitely center stage. The other notes nicely complement without distinguishing themselves. Dry: Eos becomes a little less jasmine heavy. Overall: Bright and feminine. I think Eos is much more suited to springtime. I like her, but I am going to have to hide her away until a more appropriate season.

Citrusy, followed by a vanilla-y musk. Theodosius is an olfactory delight. I would think dear Theo is a unisex scent, but he is just a touch on the masculine side. Nevertheless, I adore him.

In the imp: Fruity with undertones of musk. Wet: Grape? A bit of sweetness. Drydown: The grape aroma lessens and the muskiness comes into play. Dry: Candied florals, with a touch of grape and traces of musk. Overall: I'm not sure if this is really me, but I do like it.

In the imp: Sweet roses. Mmm, I hope this one works on me. Wet: Roses bolstered by ylang ylang. This is shockingly sweet. Wow. Drydown: Silentium Amoris begins to get a little sharp, which is a problem I often have with rose blends. It begins to powder out a bit as well, which makes for an interesting combination. Dry: It's both prickly green and powdery. The ylang ylang really shines through, but my skin amps it like whoa. It's unusual and pretty, but I don't think I'll have to track this one down.

I call it that too!

Wet: Honey and lemon with a splash of tea. Drydown: As it dries, Shanghai becomes lightly floral on my skin. It blends rather nicely with honeyed lemony tea scent. Dry: Very lemony. It's light and crisp and would make a perfect springtime scent. Overall: Shanghai would be a great every day scent during the warmer part of the year.