Emera

IN THE VIAL: Bright, green, tropical, sweet-sharp (but not too sweet or too sharp), like a sweet aquatic. Faint, lightly creamy shea in the distance. Reminds me of Mythos Mixtures Encantado, or a greener version of Blooddrop Au Bout Du Monde. ON SKIN: Lovely. Fresh, bright, cool, tropical. Leafy and cleanly lush, pretty gender-neutral, don’t really get the shea. Smiling and secretive. LATER: Wood notes frequently disagree with me, and this is no exception. I lose all the pretty tropical greens, and end up with an evil spruce note that starts out vaguely burnt-rubbery, and ends up like pencil shavings. (Think I've also smelled it before in Velvet.) Boo. Or maybe it’s a pencil-scented eraser. School supplies, anyway. Low throw, short wearlength. I’m sad it didn’t stay as it smelled in the bottle, but I’m not sure if I would have kept it anyway, since I do already have several things quite like it.

IN THE IMP: Warm, smooth almond milk followed by the buttery coconut, which is a very odd counterpoint to the light tartness of the almond. The almond becomes a little high-pitched, which I hope won’t happen on skin. ON SKIN: A golden combination of sweet almond milk and coconut, which is definitely nutty and toasted, not fresh. The earthy fig becomes more evident, but remains in the background. The almond/coconut combination oddly reminds me of Love’s Philosophy, which very faintly like coconut macaroons to me, but the subtle fig gives it much greater depth and maturity. LATER: This goes through many stages! For a while it moves into a sort of deep, fruity-creamy stage much like Yerevan, with the fig really emerging. The final-final drydown is a lightly spicy, musky fig (and fig leaf?) – lovely. Unusual, yummy, and wearable. SUMMARY: Light, smooth almond milk and nutty coconut grounded by earthy, musky fig. Warm and sweet, not quite foody, not quite fruity. Good throw, short wearlength (~3 hours).

IN THE IMP: Sweet moonflower; creamy, honey-like beeswax; fresh white rose. Sweet, smooth, bright, a bit perfume-y, perhaps from the ozone and/or rose. ON SKIN: Deliciously sweet, golden, and creamy, thanks to the beeswax (and possibly the amber), but not overwhelmingly so, as the moonflower adds floral freshness. In general, beautifully blended; all of the smooth, glowing elements go together so well. It actually reminds me quite a bit of how Selkie smells on me – I think the beeswax is acting like the "honey-touched grass" in Selkie – but a touch headier, and as mentioned above, the sharp ozone definitely adds a perfume-y edge. As a side note, something in it is burning my skin almost imperceptibly, but I can't guess what it would be. LATER: This is very, very pretty! Unfortunately, the throw is pretty low, but the blend is lovely throughout, with minimal morphing after application. And this definitely has the same honey/beeswax note as Selkie – yay! SUMMARY: Creamy, near-foody beeswax and amber with soft white rose and hints of fresh moonflower and ozone. Very young, sweet, feminine, and warm, extremely well-blended. Low to moderate throw, medium wearlength.

IN THE IMP: Dark, gritty cocoa, followed by biting lavender. The dark cocoa absolute separates out very visibly from the rest of the oil, which is a pretty amber shade. ON SKIN: The cocoa becomes more of a dark chocolate on my skin – which is a nice surprise, since ACTUAL dark chocolate notes go to plastic on me. Perhaps it's the influence of the French vanilla? Up close, the blend is still pleasingly harsh and masculine, and I can detect the woody-dirty vetiver, but the throw is a lovely dark chocolate. Still later, I'm starting to get the fresh clary sage over the vetiver. This appears to be exceedingly complex and morph-inclined, never staying the same from minute to minute. The lavender eventually begins to burn off, leaving the blend much less sharp and masculine, while the cocoa continues to persist. LATER: Warm, dry cocoa and a touch of fresh lavender – again, much less bold and masculine than originally. SUMMARY: Dark cocoa over a succession of all of the other listed notes. On me, it morphs from a strong, sharp masculine blend to a sweetly warm and unisex one. Moderately strong throw, medium wearlength.

IN THE IMP: Dark, slightly spicy rose and a background of smoke, possibly some fresh lilac. ON SKIN: Rose – dark and velvety, but with a definite spicy edge to it, and the smoke underneath. I was craving something strong, so this is making me rather happy, heh. I think the spiciness is actually the absinthe – while I don't get the anise element that I expected, it's sharp and almost woody, reminding me rather of lavender. It's a rough, dark kind of scent, almost harsh. Not my usual kind of thing, and I really don't know when I'd actually wear it, but I'm really enjoying it nonetheless. The sharpness of the absinthe keeps it from being overly heady. LATER: Goes to simply dried, spicy rose. SUMMARY: Dark, spicy, dry rose over a hint of harsh absinthe and smoke. Moderate to strong throw, long wearlength.

IN THE IMP: Fresh chrysanthemum, dusty tea leaf, and a touch of sweet, tart berry. ON SKIN: Fresh, sweet, girly, delicate. As in the imp, though the tea (I think black) is coming out more strongly and warmly. No white musk, which generally hates me, yay! Smells like warm tea with a bit of brown sugar and cream, and berries with a touch of fresh floral on the side. Surprisingly foodie on me, but very light and gentle. LATER: Quickly loses freshness and turns into slightly murky, spicy berry. No buy for this one. Dies within an hour and a half. Waaaah. It was so pretty, and the only blend in which I ever got tea.

IN THE IMP: Pungent, very heady jasmine and sandalwood are the idenitifiable top notes to me, but are no doubt backed by the other two florals, with which I'm not as familiar. Honey, vanilla, and cinnamon are not evident. ON SKIN: First on, warm and resinous, a gently golden-spicy scent with a definite perfume-y kick from the sandalwood. In about 10 minutes, it evens out to soft, heady, and fresh white florals with the wood underneath, and a pleasingly sweet, light touch of cinnamon. The blend is slow-drying and lies surprisingly close to the skin. Womanly and sensual, but the florals are rather cool and spring-y in feel, in contrast to the very warm first impression. All of the floral notes seem to blend very well, since I can't make out jasmine individually – the florals actually make me think most of honeysuckle, which is bizarre, given that no BPAL honeysuckle note has ever worked on me, and it's not listed anyway. Still no honey or vanilla, smoky or otherwise, sadly, since they were the big draw for me. LATER: As before, though the sandalwood and cinnamon occasionally shift to take precedence. Overall, a well-blended scent, but far too mature and heady for me. SUMMARY: Fresh, heady, springlike white florals over incensey sandalwood and a touch of cinnamon spice. Feminine and sensual. Medium-strong throw.

IN THE IMP: JASMINE. Followed by woody, cool lavender. No honeysuckle, as usual for me. ON SKIN: Fresh, astringent lavender – smells more like the stalks than the foliage or blossoms to me – over the heavier jasmine. Still no honeysuckle, but it's surprisingly calming and refreshing, despite the jasmine. I wouldn't say that it's very pleasing, but it's not actively displeasing, either. This is going to be one of those blends that wibbles in and out of my "keep" box for a while without ever claiming a place there for certain. Hmm. Strong throw. LATER: Jasmine becomes the dominant note, but manages not to be the headache-causing sort of blazing floral that it often is. This is more of a warm, shimmery yellow floral – still very potent, but not at all piercing, with the soft edge of lavender somewhere in the background to keep it fresh. A very summer evening-y scent, indeed.

White grapefruit and fresh, gentle spices and woods. Clean, sweet, astringent. On skin, it took on a touch of soft vanilla, but the citrus and dry, astringent scents are by far dominant. Light and pleasant.

All I got was violet and plasticky vanilla. Strangely metallic in feel. Not cooperative with me, clearly!

Desserty booze + sweet almond essence. No nut or cream that I could pick up on, so it didn't have much depth to it, mostly the boozy-tart fumes.

(Just a quick sniff) Fresh gingerbread! Shocking. This is definitely a warm, moist gingerbread, not, say, a gingersnap. Yummy.

Some really unpleasantly strong jasmine and sharp, fake mint. Really, really unpleasant. Honestly. It smells like a Port-a-Potty. Sigh.

Rich pastry, golden amber, beeswax, and a touch of tart pomegranate. Yep, very glowy and warm!

Heady, tropical osmanthus, which reminds me a bit of plumeria, I think? Plus a touch of honeylike musk, which reminds me of Lady Una. Sweet, warm, golden, very feminine.

Cinnamon, clove, and pininess. Like a sweet Christmas potpourri – no vanilla at all for me.

IN THE IMP: Cucumber, melon, possibly citrus. Fresh, clean, soft, sweet. Not soapy, but not really remarkable, either. ON SKIN: As in the imp. A green, clear kind of scent, verging on aquatic – it has the same clarity and sweetness as moonflower, to me, but I don't think there's actually any moonflower in it? I can imagine this being a shower gel really easily. LATER: Stays true throughout wear. Overall, it's pleasant, but not remarkable, and I'm not sure that it's worth keeping. Medium throw, short wearlength (about two hours). SUMMARY: Cucumber-melony sweet aquatic.

IN THE IMP: Much like Dian's Bud – fresh cucumber melony, plus the sweet, unobtrusive violet and a sharper, herbal – almost resinous – note. Presumably the mint, but it smells nothing like mint to me. In fact, it smells like… ON SKIN: JUNIPER. What the…? In about 10 minutes, the mint goes entirely junipery on me, which means that anything else present in the blend has been devoured. Alas. Had to wash it off.

One of several generous frimps from a recent decant circle order that I placed... IN THE IMP: Pungent, juicy lemon, possibly white grapefruit, a touch of ginger. ON SKIN: The lemon is the most true-to-life lemon I've ever smelt – I can imagine the feel of biting into a slice so clearly while smelling it. No tea, as usual (alas), nor any fig that I can pick out, but there's plenty of other Green Stuff there to make up for it: grass, sage, probably lavender, crumbly-spicy mosses… Ginger is no longer terribly evident. This is beautifully well-blended, making it difficult to sort out the general bouquet of dry herbs and spices at the bottom of it. This is the first herbal/fresh scent that I've actually found weirdly, uh, yummy – I think it's because the others that I've tried, including Envy, Shanghai, and Embalming Fluid, don't have much in the way of grounding notes, while Apothecary has much more body to it, thanks to the spices. It makes me want to eat sorbet or ginger snaps, preferably both. LATER: The same as above; herbal/fresh scents rarely morph on me. Pure, comforting, and refreshing. Love love love. SUMMARY: Fresh lemon, grass, and green herbs over delicate, dry spices and mosses. It smells absolutely like an apothecary's shop. Medium-strong throw.

IN THE IMP: Golden (not creamy) vanilla, fresh-perfumy sandalwood, and possibly a touch of sweet pea. Girly but very perfumy. ON SKIN: The throw is primarily vanilla, then the sandalwood, with the amber(s) (I couldn't really distinguish two) lying closer to the skin as a grounding note. The sandalwood and amber make it too perfumy for me, while the vanilla is the same cloying one as in Antique Lace. Nicely blended, but overpoweringly sweet – this is not at all the delicate blend that I expected. To make a very kooky and sleep-deprivation-inspired comparison, this is like getting hit in the face by your old-fashioned aunt, assuming your aunt was a vanilla-drenched brick of amber. I had to wash it off after half an hour, needless to say. SUMMARY: Syrupy golden vanilla, sandalwood, and underlying amber. Perfumy, sweet, feminine, strong throw.

IN THE IMP: Rounded, fresh fruits and spicy-fresh florals, especially gardenia. ON SKIN: Creamy, fruity-fresh, tropical – the plumeria has come out to play, though the gardenia is no longer so evident. The initial stages are not at all red/purple in feel as I expected, but golden-white. Definitely heady, but not heavy – spicy, crisp woods keep it cool and give it a dry edge. The fir is particularly evident for me, and is the most successful piny note I've tried so far. While others have typically become overwhelmingly PineSol-ish, the fir here is (to repeat myself) crisp and spicy, and provides a lovely contrast to the smooth, soft fruits and florals. LATER: This has SO many dimensions; it's definitely one of the fullest scents I've tried, as befits its inspiration. It's ultimately very similar in feel to Yerevan, thanks to the plum and rose combination – and the rose does seem dried, rather than fresh, however that works – but Yerevan became very matte and milky on me, like a slightly cloying lotion, while the many notes in this continue to shift precedence, giving the impression of a full, varied orchard and garden whose many blooms and fruits showcase their scents in a shifting evening breeze. An incredibly atmospheric experience, both lush and exuberant. SUMMARY: Deep plum and dry rose backed by creamy, tropical plumeria and spicy fir, over a variable bouquet of sweet, heady fruits and florals. Strong throw, short wearlength.

IN THE IMP: Clean, bold citrus – none listed, I know, but I'm definitely getting something grapefruity – a bit of soap, and clean, sweet florals. Bright, unisex. ON SKIN: Creamy white ginger tempers the citrus. Strong throw. I have to agree here with about 600 other reviews, and say that this is an unabashedly golden scent. Eos was yellow for me, but this is a truly warm, glowing gold. I don't get any herbal, aquatic, or green notes from it, and while I imagine the amber is grounding it, it's not individually discernable. Any soapiness that I encountered in the imp has poofed. LATER: This lasted for all of 45 minutes on me, all of the bright top notes burning off to a low, sweet floral that's barely detectable. It's like getting an altogether too brief jolt of sunshine injected directly into your system. Come back, Mag Mell!! SUMMARY: Warm, golden, citrus + white ginger, refreshing and cheerful. Very strong throw and very short wearlength.

IN THE IMP: Fresh, green-white moonflower, much like Gibbous moon. ON MY SKIN: Quickly takes on fuller, almost fruity tones as the crisp moonflower burns off; it's darker and smokier, yet still soft and playful. I can just imagine a bat zipping back and forth over an overgrown garden. There are definitely some potentially heady florals in here, but everything is well-blended. LATER: I didn't remember that there was musk and amber in this until I read the notes again, but they warm up beautifully within 45 minutes and become the heart of the blend, especially the grey musk. I think it's the nicest musk I've ever smelled: warm and textural, yet not heavy, cloying, or animalic. This is a warm, blooming scent (it almost reminds me of Sugar Moon), and though none of the florals are predominant, they're detectable as a sort of light veil over the musk and amber. This definitely has bottle-buy potential! Love it. Summary: A velvety, soft, and sweet night-time blend. Moderate throw, wearlength of about 4 hours. If this were a color, it would be: Deep, muted violet, like a square of velvet.

The beeswax-less sister of Her Voice. I expected very green and planty, as someone had compared it to Garden Path with Chickens, but on me the dominant note, as in Her Voice, is carnation. It’s a fresh, almost aquatic, but softly sweet floral note that makes it really hard to distinguish any of the other notes, so they turn into a sort of generalized shady-meadowy background. It’s very “English” to me, because it’s so cool and dewy. A very good spring floral without being conventionally floral; I just wish that it was a little more grounded, instead of being all sweet-cool. Summary: Sweet carnation over cool meadow plants.

IN THE IMP: Dark, clean woody-musky, a little planty. ON SKIN: Sweet, darkly smoky, with a little bright and flirty strawberry complementing the raw sugar cane. Darker than what I would usually wear, but that was my intention in trying it – I wanted to find a more sophisticated scent that was still sweet and fun. LATER: Strawberry is the definite top note now, with the smoky notes as a background. This is a sexy geisha strawberry in a black silk kimono, though. Dare I say it… a strawberry tart? *rimshot* None of the florals ever emerged noticeably, but it’s gorgeous and fun nonetheless. (though I wish the burnt sugar had come out!) SUMMARY: Bright strawberry on a dark background of musk and woods. Cute and sexy. Strong throw, short wearlength.