Gwydion

Rogue is my absolute favorite of the RPGs, though I am also fond of fighter.

ooh fun. Ned Stark: Highwayman Catelyn: Whoso List to Hunt Jon Snow: The Black Rider Arya: Anne Bonny Sansa: The Lady of Shalott Joffrey: Whitechapel Cersei: Hunger Jaime: The Bow & Crown of Conquest Tyrion: Perversion or Wilde Littlefinger: Envy The Spider: Viola Drogo: Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn Danaerys: Dragon's Milk Viserys: Wrath, or The Sea Foams Blood Now all I want to do is curl up and read... Oh! These are perfect picks Seconded

In bottle: Coconut rum with a lovely soft baked goods thing going on underneath. I usually don’t do so well with the coconut note, but I do love the rum note and the rum note loves my skin, so I’m fascinated to see how this works out. Wet: Still coconut rum dominant, but now the baked goods part makes it move, along with something that does suggest snow. The coconut goes a little tonka bean. There is also a hint of something I suspect of being pineapple, but I couldn’t swear to it in court. The result is sort of like a Jamacian beach themed party in dead of winter if that makes sense. I like it, but as the other elements move into the spotlight, the rum gets a little overwhelmed. It’s still there, but not as powerfully as I would like, but that’s okay. It is certainly interesting and thisis the best coconut has ever smelled on me by yards. Dry: And now there is spice, likely clove with cinnamon and/or nutmeg. The coconut is still going strong. The rum is present, but still not showing to best effect. This is still the best coconut has ever worked on me.

In bottle: Very boozy raspberry over the particular sugar in icing note that doesn’t work well on me. Wet: The raspberry accord settles down on the skin and isn’t boozy at all. The sugar note that is problematic resolves into a soft cookie undercoat, that works surprisingly well on me. Dry: I actually like this best on the dry down as the balance shifts to turn the raspberry into a fruity accent on a gentle, but heavenly cookie canvas

In bottle: I will not skin test given how my skin responds to rose. This is a very fresh smelling white rose dominant blend. The lily is second strongest, but all elements are distinct, yet play together well. It’s a lovely white flower blend, well designed.

In bottle: Yummy in a very masculine, piney cologne sort of way. Wet: Still pine dominant, with a touch of citrus, clove, and I’m guessing a bit of musk. I’m betting the citrus is something like orange rind as it’s tart and not amping the way an ordinary orange note would. It’s either that or one of the less common tart citrus family members. It is ridiculously sexy on me, despite a hint of something a little peculiar, incensey, and mavericky compared to the dominant notes, possibly myrrh, perfect for the concept. There is a hint of something sweet, ginger maybe? I can’t tell. With wear, what I thought was pine is more like cedar, and the whole blend warms, softens, and smoothes out. Dry: Musky men’s cologne. High quality musky men’s cologne. Not as stunning as in the earlier stages, but still excellent.

In bottle: Yep, that’s the lab’s gingerbread note, smoothed and sweetened by honey. Exactly as expected. Wet; the spices really explode on the skin, with the ginger strongly dominant among the spices. Meanwhile the cake bits of the gingerbread form a faction with the honey, which also makes a surge to dominance as it warms. It’s lovely and because of the grouping, a distinct variation on the gingerbread theme. If this came in bottles, I’d be hunting one. Dry: Very honey, and specifically like the concentrated honey pollen one can buy at a lot of farmer’s markets. It’s a delicious and unusual honey effect. The remnants of the gingerbread get together and haunt the background. This is the most interesting of the honey blends in a catalog with a plethera of glorious and unusual honey blends. Seriously, if this came in a bottle, I’d be hunting one, and I only regret my test sample is so small. If you like honey blends, this is a note not to be missed

In bottle: Richly and complexly floral. I don’t know the scent of bleeding hearts, so I can’t tell you how close this is, but it’s certainly unusual and lovely. If you like hyacinths and lilies, you very well might like this, as it has a similar feel, though is different than both. Wet: slightly lress lush, and is now making me think a little of hibiscus, though it’s still more like the love child of hyacinths and lilies. I’m not big on florals on my skin, but I would love to have this in a window box and even my skin chemistry can’t ruin it, so I’m sure it would be glorious on someone with copecetic skin. Dry: Significantly less fun as it separates out, and I start picking up the underlying medium. It’s still interesting, but less naturalistic.

Very floral, but in a good way. Magnolia and jasmine go very well with the honey musk. The musk, tobacco, and vanillas combine to create a sensual decadence that complements the theme beautifully. The moss is soft compared to the dominant notes, but just assertive enough to give it edge. I'm not big on florals, but I will be happy to use this.

I once had a similar reaction to a retail exclusive oil called "Autumn" (which lists "Dry leaves, osmanthus, sandalwood, and rose absolute" as components). My lungs tightened up, sneezing, watery eyes, the whole deal. I'm guessing it was something in the "dry leaves" note, which I assume is an accord made up of several notes, but I'm not sure. I've never had a reaction like that to any other oil, though, and scents like October, Elegy IX and other dry-leaves scents are favorites - and so are some others that contain sandalwood, osmanthus or rose. E-mailing might be worth a shot, but I didn't because I figured if the culprit was one of many components that make up a particular note, it wouldn't be helpful anyway, unless the Lab started listing every single component they use to make a certain note (e.g., more specific than just "dry leaves" or "bark"). I doubt it's possible to do that, for one because that encourages manufacturers to copy-cat the blends. So I guess for those of us with seasonal allergies who like essential oil fragrances, it happens that once in a while we encounter an oil that makes us wheeze - lol. Like I said it's just been one blend so far for me, so...knock wood. But yes, it happens. I react like that to the masoia component, which is luckily rare. Good luck to both of you.

Add my vote too.

Yes. i do not think there's a set time, but some of them come down fast. you caqn always find buyers or swappers in the secondary market for forum only scents if it doesn'rt work out. Mine swapped out in days of posting on my list. If you have the cash, go for it.

I bet kumiho would be good layered with one of the vanilla+ mints, like green tea viper. I don't do most mints, so I'm not the best judge, but kumiho is one of the loveliest teas in the catalog and the scent mixer in my brain thinks it'd go well with, say aged green tea viper.

In bottle: Mmmm…. Leaves. Lots and lots of freshly fallen leaves bruised underfoot. The hint of sap is an excellent complement to the dominent scent, and the understated atmospherics work. Wet: The leaves are still strongest, but the ozone and smoke ramp up a bit as it warms. It really does capture an October storm knocking leaves from the trees. I’ve been disappointed by a lot of Autumnals, but not this one. Dry: Alas, the bright beauty of the leaves goes flat and breaks down the way many leaf notes do, leaving the pieces to mingle with ozone tailings. I have still not found the perfect October scent to my great sorrow.

In bottle: It is a particularly strong version of the lab’s marshmallow scent with a hint of toasting. If you liked other marshmallow scents, you will like this one, but if, say, Marshmallow poof wasn’t your thing, you will absolutely hate this. I like the marshmallow note, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s all good. Wet: Not quite as strong on my skin, alas. It’s still fairly pure marshmallow with a slightly toastier feel than in other scents. Yum. Dry: Breaks down a bit on the dry down into components, but they still play well together, so it’s all good.

In bottle: The bourbon vanilla goes beautifully with the blonde wood. The linen is understated, but pleasant. The pumpkin rind is a touch problematic, but I have a history of trouble with pumpkin notes. It’s interesting, but I can’t tell if I like it. Wet: It starts out as in the bottle, but the rind quickly ramps up, which is a problem, as the stronger it is, the more my brain breaks it down into parts. It also does a little rotten. It’s heartbreaking as I think I’d love this otherwise. Dry: Most of the rind burns off and it’s this gorgeous heady blonde wood note, with touches of linen and the faintest kiss of bourbon vanilla. I think this one would be good to age. If it smelled like the dry down the whole way down, I’d be all over this.

In bottle: The description is pretty apt. It is an apple scent with the fizzy note I remember from the champagne series. The citrus gives it a pleasant tang. The spices are well blended with the rest of the notes, and the brown sugar and butterscotch liquor are a soft warm rumble in the background. If this were potable, I would so drink it. Wet: Not quite right on my skin. I often misparse fizz, and apparently, I’m amping the brown sugar, which throws the beautiful design out of balance. Then the cinnamon starts amping like wow, just as the brown sugar starts breaking down a little, and the apple starts to get lost under the cinnamon’s assault. I’m glad I got to smell it, but I’m just as glad I don’t own a bottle, as my skin chemistry turns the sense of the scent into nonsense. Heartbreaking as it is a very lovely design in the bottle. Dry: It comes out the other end absolutely lovely and better than in the bottle. With wear, the apple and brown sugar twine around eachother, all cosy and beautiful. The tart of the zest and the warmth of the orange still provide depth and zing on the way out. The spices, rearrange back into a more balanced blend, and the butterscotch liquor does the magic many hard liquors do with my skin. The fizz burns away entirely. The result is all warm and cozy. I’d be in love if it smelled tlike the dry down the whole time, but my skin chemistry makes that impossible.

In bottle: I have had mostly bad luck with pumpkin, but gave it a test anyway because I’d never seen a meringue note, and I’m curious like that. The pumpkin note is the pumpkin note, particularly bright and strong in this setting. You pretty much have to love pumpkin for this to work for you, as it is so intense. The rest of the notes form two camps. The stronger camp is made up of vanilla fluff, amber, meringue, and what I’m guessing is the taire. (It looks to be a sort of gardenia, and that would account for the very soft, white floral impression). The other team is the fruit and honey. I do think the idea of putting a bright fruity spin on the pumpkin and all those light fluffy fragrances in team 2 is unusual and inspired. The problem is, I nearly always respond badly to the pumpkin note, and it is intense enough here, that skin testing is unwise. I do think it suits it’s concept, and for someone good with pumpkin fragrance, this would be a good addition to their collection.

In bottle: the carnation and orange blossom are strongly dominant. The patchouli and ambergris give it an earthy, slightly disreputable anchor. Not my thing, and given the notes best not to skin test.

Second. I know there are quite a few bergamot scents in the catalog, but I'm blanking on it tonight. I just had a thought: Boo! is still in the halloweeniies. you could try purchasing some and layering with a rtea base you like. This year's version is less whipped cream and more butter than the '09, but it might still work.

In bottle: They are not kidding about the patchouli. It’s a nice patchouli, but very strong. I do like what the vanilla and tobacco do with the patchouli, but I think I’d prefer a more balanced blend of elements. The cocoa is barely detectable. Wet: better on the skin, though still rather more patchouli than I’d choose for myself. The tobacco makes its move as it warms, and the cocoa starts to come out. The cocoa is deep, dark, and powdery, and is clever with this particular patchouli. I am not sure it’s going to work, but it certainly is interesting. Dry: I think this is officially way too much patchouli. I do think the tobacco and vanilla are lovely, even after the cocoa burns off, but the patchouli over balances everything and is just too chemical on my skin. It’s a shame.

In bottle: A quite striking and complex lily dominant floral. The mandarin blends well with the flowers and gives a lovely tang. The pepper gives it an edge, the musk is soft and blends well with the florals It is a pale green and white sort of scent, very well designed. I very much like it, but my skin does terrible things to citrus, so I’m skipping the skin test.

In bottle: Fascinating. I can think of no scent in the catalog even vaguely like this one. Google tells me helichrysum is a kind of sunflower, which makes sense, given the scent of the oil. The helichrysum and lime are strong and go together beautifully. I’d put bergamot second and a strong support for the dominant notes. The cedar does not smell like the standard note, though it’s interesting and woody. The dragon’s blood is soft and acting as a sort of glue to tie the notes together. This is very weird, but in an utterly fascinating way. Wet: It’s a touch ashy on my skin. It is also sweeter and higher pitched. I’m clearly not the ideal host. The bergamot has clearly made it’s move here and is forming a team with the sunflower and dragon’s blood. There is nothing wrong with that, but the tartness of the lime was much of what made this so compelling in the bottle and it’s softness on my skin really changes the balance. As it warms, the cedarwood strengthens and ends up the strongest note about ten minutes in. The cedarwood is beautiful, by the way. I’m terribly sad about how this one wears as ultimately, it’s just not quite right on my skin. I blame my peculiar skin chemistry and not the scent design. Dry: in order from strongest to softest: cedarwood, sunflower, bergamot, with the others just barely present.

In bottle: Not what I was expecting. The wildflowers turn out to not be a good mix for me and the cotton candy smells slightly chemical and plays badly with the pine needles. I’d call the cotton candy dominant. I think I’m going to be glad this was just a decant and not a bottle. Wet: It’s still not right, but in a different, even harder to define way. I’m suspecting the cotton candy accord broke down and mated in chaotic ways with the pine needles and various wild flowers. If I concentrate it, I can almost reassemble it, but it’s hard. The wild flowers are dominent. The core of the cotton candy that didn’t melt into other things is about tied with the pine/cotton candy hybrid that my nose is mis-parsing for strongest scents, though some of the wildflower hybrids are trying hard. As it wears a while, most of the cotton candy reassembles and actually does some interesting things with the wildflowers. This stage is much prettier than in bottle or after initial application. It’s still doing something peculiar with my skin chemistry that is similar to the peculiar thing my skin does with icing notes, so I’m guessing it has something to do with a particular sugar element. It is very delicate and floral at this stage, and increasingly pretty. Someone with different skin chemistry or a less peculiar way of breaking down scents could be wonderful in this. Dry: Generically pretty wildflowers with a touch of icing.

In bottle: Much sweeter and juicier than I’d have expected. The ivy is dominent, but it’s a richer, wetter, livelier ivy than I was imagining. The sandalwood is soft and sweeter than I’d expected when combined with the ivy, and in this case, suggests dust as much as incense. Wet: The ivy is still dominant, but not as strongly as the skin warms up the sandalwood. I’m really liking this particular ivy. It’s beautiful and unusual, much warmer than I expected. Dry: A little odd on thedrydown, but still pleasant. Slightly dusty ivy