funkmoppet

Lab frimp! Sniffing this imp, its cedar so earthy I get a real dirt note. This makes me very excited! There's a sweetness there as well, and when it hits the skin, there's the vanilla. I had wanted to try this one, and it's everything I'd hoped for! Drying down, it's blissful cedar and vanilla on me, neither one overpowering the other. This is the sort of cedar I love - kinda dusty, antique and not a show-pony. The vanilla is like the vanilla in Snake Oil - it's sexy. The "dirt" edge to the cedar fades quickly, but it's still there very faintly underneath. Not much sassafras on me, which might have been fun, but the cedar and vanilla duet is so perfect that I don't miss it. Love it, love it, love it. I'm going to want a bottle, definitely!

Frimp from the lab. Oh boy. Jasmine. I can barely smell anything else in this but jasmine, wet and dry. And I'm not a fan of jasmine unless it's in someone's garden. Sticking it out to see what it does after a while, and it goes to a soft, powdery less-aggressive jasmine with magnolia. This is the kind of floral I just don't like, so it's coming off. Swapsies.

Big thanks to djnevermore for the sniffie! I have no idea which year this one is. Sniffing the imp - sweet milky coconut. A tap on the skin and this is sweet and girly. It's very light, with something floral which threatens to fight with my skin chemistry, but doesn't quite turn. It doesn't quite NOT turn, either. I can't put my finger on what it is, but not having ever tried a BPAL milk note before, I suspect it might be that. The coconut is holding it all steady, and I can see why this is popular. It's very happy, sweet and pretty. However, it's not for me. I don't dislike it, but it's not a "me" scent at all. I am, however, very happy I got to try it!

Oh, I knew I'd love this. I adore pine, adore the colder season blends - and I'm thrilled to get the chance to try this. Wet, this is a sweet, delicious blast of pine. Utterly GLORIOUS pine - this is sweet and real and unlike any of the pine notes in other blends I've tried (which I also love, but this..). I'm not familiar enough with the snow/slush notes to be able to pick any out, but what does happen when it dries is the berries. They're tart and they just warm the whole blend up, taking on a spicier edge the longer it's on the skin. It goes so gracefully from cold outdoor pine to warmed indoor berries and spice, the pine always lingering. So much love for this. It pretty much does everything I LOVE about the colder season blends. Completely comforting. I'll be treasuring this half imp.

Holy candy Jesus that's some cocoa! Yep, it's all cocoa wet, with a sharp woodiness underneath. Almost makes me reel. Punchy, loud cocoa - I'm not a big foodie fan, so at this stage I'm a little wary. I need chocolate to...do something else for me to really like it. But the dry down makes it worthwhile. The creamy, vanilla-touched note comes out and tempers the cocoa and after a while, it all mellows into a lovely lightly-whipped chocolate cream that's got enough of a perfumey feel to make me enjoy it. Really lovely! Not sure yet if it's going to tempt me into buying a bottle - I'll see how this decant goes.

Oh, a wonderful frimp from the awesome djnevermore! I'd been so scared to try Snake Oil, fearing the crushing disappointment of my skin chemistry rejecting it (too many "baby powder" reviews for me not to be nervous). But I knew I had to. It's Snake Oil. Oh MY FUCKING GOD this is divine. I have no idea how old/new this imp is. The oil is so thick, like runny caramel. Sweet, lazy vanilla oozing with spicy, smutty warmth. I am *willing* my skin not to reject this, because it is SO good. As it dries, it takes on a slightly smoky edge - like lying in a dimly lit boudoir strewn with cushions and naked manflesh, high on some nameless aphrodisiac. And best of all - NO SIGN OF DOOM POWDER! I am ELATED! It's been on for a while now, and it's just awesome. Oh yes. I am feeling this one in the pants. Bottles will be purchased.

I confess, the reviews of this one had me worried. I'm another who read the notes and thought this might be a second Mme. Reports of "floral" made me nervous... But...I DO believe that my usually temperamental skin chemistry is working goddamn wonders here! Who knew!? Sniffing the bottle, there's a definite ylang ylang floral blast. Beautiful, but definitely all floral. Said florals play on my skin in a very pretty way. No dreaded cloying floral here, so at this early stage I'm prepared to love this just for being a floral I like. Then it dries down and the magic happens! Hello my beloved red musk! Oh, it's a sexy blast coming up from under that floral disguise and suddenly it's womanly in a very good way. And now I've got that plum. It's not syrupy plum, it's fresh, ripe plum giving the red musk a marvelous hand. The beeswax also comes through, giving a fresh sunny wave underneath. I am adoring this!! No, it's not Mme, it's it's own unique style of sexy. Lighter and breezier, but still giving a wicked smile. It's an outwardly beautiful grown-up blend with secrets and mischief. Love it. Thank you, skin chemistry - I almost forgive you for ruining Doc Constantine.

I confess, I've not read Stardust - so this is all just purely purchased for the blend, in my ongoing search for perfect boy-blends. Wet from the bottle and onto my skin, this is all heady woods. It's making me think this is a bit like Dee's younger brother - both bookworms. Both loitering around library desks. It's masculine without screaming MANLY! As it dries, in comes the white sandalwood to lighten everything up and give the masculine woods a lovely soft edge. Wafts of other notes come in fleetingly, but they're all in the background. Not getting any patchouli or mint, which I was hoping for, but not overly disappointed by their absence. This is very evocative and I rather adore it! It's a masculine blend that starts off with a bit of bluster, but betrays the softer boy at its core. Wonderful!

It was cucumber that sold this one for me (and it was the only resin-free blend from the Red Moon update. *heh*). Wet in the bottle it's sweet cucumber and night-flowers. How can this NOT work - Beth's ethereal florals are just beautiful, and as far as florals go, it's the one floral family I adore! On the skin I can definitely see where the Blue Moon comparisons are coming from, it's got that haunting, night-time quality. However, there's a...green tinge to this, as opposed to the very blue nature of Blue Moon. And drying down, I know why - there's the irish moss, playing so beautifully in the background and just anchoring all the floating breeze-like florals with a hint of earthy warmth. The cucumber keeps it all moist, but is backing off as the floral and moss comes forward. This is a warmer, less complex blend than Blue Moon. It's perfectly fitting for a mild moonlit night in the warmer months. Really, this is just gorgeous. Another ethereal floral to keep me very happy, and a wonderful addition to an update that was very limited for my resin-intolerant skin. Thank you, Beth, for including this one! Edited for spellinz.

A sniffie frimped via lovely Ebay seller, and... Oh fookin' 'ell this is FANTASTIC. Touches the skin with a tangy cidery wave with a party of spices, and underneath there's this most DELICIOUS deep pumpkin. And dry - it's the same! This barely morphs at all, and just stays wonderous the whole way. *huffs desperately at skin* If ONLY I could score a bottle of this. Instead I shall just hope like mad that a new pumpkin patch will emerge for this year's halloween update. Bloody magnificent.

Silly question - whassa gumby? I have an Aussie boss, and I overheard him use the expression once, but was too new at the time to ask and haven't had the opportunity since... Oop - I'm using colloquialisms again. A gumby is a sort of all-purpose term used for describing someone as clumsy or dense. EDIT: And on topic - I freakin' love the new lunacy labels!

It's entirely possible that I'm going quite mad, but I slathered on Queen Mab before bed last night and it struck me as similar to Cancer 2007. On me, it's a very similar sweet, watery floral, but with musky sexiness instead of the cloying sweet-pea I got from C'07.

I'll throw my thoughts in here since I'm someone with temperamental skin chemistry (sorry, I went way over the asked for six because I didn't read the OP properly, and I go a little crazy for lists): I'd go for a nice cross-section. DORIAN Absolutely. He's a crowd pleaser, and one of Beth's most spectacular vanilla blends. Antique Lace is also a winner, but Dorian has that unisex appeal. BENGAL Great example of the sweet category. Honey and cinnamon, and delicious without screaming "foodie!" Also a nice intro into the spicy-foodie LE's, without being hard to come by. MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY Even if they're not a fan, this one is such a spectacular non-perfume example. If they love coffee, it'll be heaven! BLACK TOWER A nice unisex-bordering-on-masculine blend, with kind leather and woods. Another alternative is Penny Dreadful. ROBIN GOODFELLOW He didn't work on me after the dry down, but he's forest-blend perfection prior to that, and I seem to be in the unfortunate minority with him going to powder. So I'd say he's a safe and awesome choice for a fantastic forest scent. Black Forest might be too pine-heavy for some - though if the newbie loves pine, it's a good one! Or Coyote if musk is a preference. FENRIS WOLF Again, he didn't work on me, but he's awfully sexy when wet. Great boy blend, and if the newbie can wear resins, he's a good choice. Dee is another - and a good substitute for the resin-impaired like me. MOON ROSE A light, really beautiful ethereal floral. Proves that Beth can do "mist". Also covers rose, without being all rose. BLOOD AMBER Great introduction to Dragon's Blood, which then opens the door to AD if it works on their skin. Also, it's a lovely amber - and miraculously worked on me! TEMPEST I haven't tried this one yet, but I love me some ozone, and Kumari Kandam is probably a little too dark and mingled with woods for a first go. Those who've tried more ozone blends would be better off suggesting one here than I am at this stage. Tempest seems to be reviewed as a kind ozone. WHITE RABBIT Not a favourite of mine, but a popular blend, and a good example of a tea blend. It's also a kind blend. Missing from this list because of my lack of experience with them: A berry blend. (I adore Glasgow, but it's not sweet on me, and I think it might be more for lovers of heather) A pretty floral. (I don't care for them myself, so I'm not much use suggesting them. Leanan Sidhe, perhaps.) A patchouli blend. (My favourite so far is Mme. So I don't have an impable GC suggestion.) A dirt blend. (I'm still looking for one I like - but Zombi, perhaps.) A lemon blend. (not a lemon fan, so I've got nothin'.)

This makes me smile, laugh and feel a little sad all at once. Why? Because it reminds me SO much of a smell that will always remind me of old men, dressed up in their best. Aging friends. This is a PERFECT replica of classic, old cologne from decades ago. The very kind that's still worn by old blokes, who still sweep their now thinning hair back into the same wave and side part they've worn since their young days. It's like stepping into an RSL club. Pure nostalgia. And nostalgia makes me smile, laugh, and feel sad - all at once. This is just so wonderful. Not something I want to personally smell like, but absolutely something I want to be able to smell. Because it's just SO evocative. Wonderful, Beth. Just wonderful.

Lab frimp! Wet on the skin? Oooooh-ho yeeeeeaaahh. LOVE. Yummy tobacco and rum and all manly and makin' me wanna do impolite things to the boy. Dry down? Getting floral. Don't get floral. Go back to being man sex! Then it just...goes. Away. Way away. Well THAT was lousy sex, Mr Domingo!

Lab frimp! LOTUS!!! I'm sorry...lotus does not hide on me. Lotus barrels full-tilt out of the bushes, tackles me, and noogies me within an inch of my life. Anything else in this blend doesn't stand a chance. Cannot do lotus. Amps up to crazy-sweet on me. It's one note that earns blends a big red cross for me. Have to get this off - I'm developing cavities just from the throw.

Frimp from the Lab! When wet on the skin, this is fantastic for a dark, mad god. It is larger than life, and full of swirling resin, vetiver and heavy musk. No tangerine, which is kind of surprising given my skin's tendency to amp the sweeter citrus notes. But the vetiver IS amping. The musk is drowned out. In fact the vetiver amps a bit too much, like Highwayman. Dry, I'm not loving this. The vetiver is still dominant and I KNOW my skin's going to reject the resin in this one. So alas, I'm off to wash this off before it does.

Wow, wet this is amazing! Sweet in the imp, then up comes the fantastic herbal and resin wave. The dry down is lovely! Sniffs of evergreen and a warm, wonderful woody note. This is oh-so evocative of the sun. Strong, warming, bright and so pleasing! I'm absolutely loving it. But resin. Yeah, that's right skin, I did say resin. Are you going to...? Yes. Yes you are. Oookay. Doom powder.

Awww, no. The burst of moss under the florals when wet is fleeting. Drying down, the florals are really amping up and I'm not getting anything else. And the florals are really WAYYYYY too floral for me. Skin won't play nicely with Crossroads.

Okay skin chemistry...what are you up to? On a whim, I fished this imp out of the swap box and decided to test it after all. Coyote's amber works on me, so I thought I might at least get a little sniff of what this one's supposed to be before my temperamental coating rebels. Dragons blood and amber. Should be instant doom-powder on me. WTHOLYF no powder!!?? It's been on all afternoon! Oh. My. God. How is it possible that this works on me!? Wow. NOW I can really appreciate DB. It is sweet - I always get that at the start of blends with DB. But the amber in this is gentle and lends it's WONDERFUL sultry edge, calming the blood down and making this absolutely delightful! It's shyly sexy, and definitely yummy. I'm floored. And I like!

I got an imp of this purely for my work, as the description sounded rather fetching. And fetching it is. This is hands-down a beautiful, rather haunting floral. The description is spot on. It goes onto the skin with a sigh, and sort of floats about like a whisper. I do like rose, and this is rose is practically ghostly. The moonflower is gentle and blends seemlessly with her rosey sister. It's very evocative of a cool night, walking out into a moonlit garden and catching a whiff of something pale and lovely on the crisp breeze. For me, this more effectively evokes a fairy queen than Leanan Sidhe did. I knew this wouldn't be a scent I'd choose to wear often, as it really is too pretty for me. But this absolutely works for the purpose I intended it for - and I'll be using it for writing/drawing scenes that call for atmosphere like this. It's perfectly, beautifully, ethereal.

Frimp from the Lab. I would never have sought this one out, but I'm happy to try it! This doesn't morph at all from wet to dry on me. It's almost a vetiver and dirt mix, though woodier and dryer than vetiver would be. It smells like ginseng root. While it's definitely not something I'd ever want to wear, it's a pretty darn perfect interpretation of mandrake. Smells exactly like a weird root yanked out of the ground.

Starts off woody, musky and wonderful when wet. Drying down, the strong woods back off, letting the musk and amber play off each other. This is just so soft and wonderful! After an hour on my skin, this is a very gentle, oh-so dusty musk. I can't believe it - the amber is actually behaving on me! While I'm somewhat suspicious of my skin, this is the second time I've tested Coyote, and both times it's been the same musky result. Colour me shocked, delighted, and quite possibly on for a bottle of this yummy blend when the imp runs out! *Pets the coyote* EDIT: Screw the "quite possibly on for a bottle" nonsense - I am DEFINITELY getting me a bottle of this. I have, since this review, fallen utterly in love with Coyote, and it's my most-reached-for bedtime scent. It's also Boy approved. Adore it.

Lab frimp, and one I was considering, but in no rush to try. Jasmine, like sweet-pea, is not a favourite scent of mine. Way to girly and sweet. Night blooming Jasmine, however, seems a lot kinder and lighter. This is pure floral, no questions. Pretty, but not one I'd really reach for. Drying down it becomes a little more interesting - the floral becomes more ethereal and the white musk and moss are more noticable, giving it a little more depth. I'm definitely liking it more here. And then something (possibly the moss, possibly one of the floral notes) goes a bit wrong on me. Now it's a bit like suntan lotion, and neither pretty nor ethereal. To the bathroom basin I go! Sorry Nuit. Buh-bye!

Okay, my skin is officially whack today. Or the "volcanic gas" note in this is some kind of resin that my temperamental outer layer is miraculously prepared to accommodate. Wonderful start wet. Green, woody and sharp. That masculine edge that I love. Drying down, it was threatening to go to doom-powder. It began to get that dusty, floral warning smell, and I almost washed it off...except then it went away. Whuh? The musk pushes through, and some of the flowers. It's light and gentle and very languid. I may well return to edit this if it finally does succumb to the resin, but so far so good. If it holds, I'll hang onto this imp. The musk is good. ETA: Ooookay, now it's going into a completely new "toilet cleaner" territory. Bleh. Away with ye, imp!