Gwydion

I'm looking for Aswang. It's a Prototype. I tried unreleased and Retail exclusives, but no luck. Also, One top Tie, Two to Win, from the dogs playing poker series? Also, the Prototype PX72? This is so much harder without a search function. (Yes, I know there's a search button, but no matter how one searches for any topic, it doesn't ever find anything.) as far as I can tell, the prototype stuff is all unfindable, so I'm guessing uit's put somewhere so clever and obvious I haven't a hope of finding it.

In bottle: Surprisingly butter scotch. Very much a cookie scent, sugary, and fresh baked smelling. Wet: definitely butterscotch. I’m surprised, but happy. It goes more sugar cookie with wear. It is more complex than I expected also. The vanilla starts edging toward whipped cream. I can really smell the foundation dough in there, but the scotch/vanilla is strongest. Dry: yup. Those are sugar cookies. It’s delicate and vanilla dominant and very, very cookie.

In bottle: Sweet and light green. It does smell like high end herbal soap. The blood deepens it and turns it a touch resiny floral. The ashes are soft and gentle. This is a lot more feminine than I was imagining, Wet: This is appealing in many of the ways embalming fluid is. It curls up into a pleasant floral with a just washed effect. Dry: Fryer sheets.

In bottle: The rose and incense are inextricably bond together here. It’s simulteniously churchlike and a touch corrupt. I think the wine is corrupting the rose directly.. I’m not skin testing due to rose content.

I second Jolly Roger

In bottle: Complex and interesting. The florals are almost foody in affectwith the chamomile and smoke woven all through. It makes me think of sweet cakes. Weirdly, I think that’s the beeswax playing with the flowers. They are different flowers, but it also reminds me of Dia de les muertos. Wet: Less foody. The apple blossoms and beeswax come into their own when warmed. I’m not a floral person, but I can wear this. I think it works because the florals are not classic florals. Dry: Wood shavings with a halo of vaguely floral sweetness. Not as exciting as I’d hoped, alas.

In bottle: Mmmmm…. Tobacco flower and honey. Wet: A touch sweeter and greener on the skin. It’s a lovely contrast between the smooth sweet and the slightly pungent plants. Slightly smokey. Dry: Sweet dry tobacconist shop. It’s gentle, yet masculine. I’m thrilled.

In bottle: I’m already worrying this isn’t going to work. The ozone is doing that carbonated drink thing I have bad luck with. It’s a lovely snow note like Death of a Gravedigger, the one that reads almost light citrus. The fir is understated. It’s lovely, but a touch pedestrian. Wet: It’s a lot better on the skin. I do like that snow note and the fir is stronger and twines with the snow in a lovely way. I’m still picking up a touch of that worrisome carbonation in the upper register, but it’s faint enough to ignore. It’s to the slightly feminine side of androgynous. Dry: fir dominant, reminding me of shavings, the lingering snow note and the carbonation is back in force. It’s a peculiarity of how I parse scent, so likely wouldn’t effect most people, but I know I’ll have trouble when it ages, so I’m glad this is just and imp.

In bottle: he anise is lovely with the cherry blossom, though a little over powering. The cherry blossoms smell as if they’ve already fallen and have started to brown around the edges. The effect is almost boozy. Wet: The cherry blossoms wrestle the anise to a standstill, neither quite getting the upper hand. The sandalwood really comes out as it warms, grounding and balancing the blend. This is incredibly well blended. I normally can’t handle anything cherry but this is nice. Dry: The sandalwood eventually beats the blossoms and anise into submission, but they leave it with a richness and a spiciness sandalwood alone can’t carry.

In bottle: Yep, that’s horse chestnut. It smells like the park of my childhood. Pungent woods and nuts, made sweeter with a bit of honey. Wet: Mmmmm… This is exactly as I was hoping it would be Sweetened nuts, wood, a bit of delicate blossom. Pennsylvania woodsy park. Dry: more delicate and drier, but still utterly lovely.

In bottle: significantly sweeter and more floral than expected. The tea is quite strong and it’s very grassy. Think drinking tea in fields of lavander. I’m really not getting much in the way of leather. Wet: still very outdoorsy and floral. The tea warms up and I’m really getting the amber now. It’s all very bright and august afternoon. Dry: the amber stays strong, mingling beautifully with the lavender. This stays a bright, pleasing late summer sort of scent. It’s not what I was expecting, but it is quite interesting and relatively versatile.

In bottle: Complex temple incense. Is that nag champa, and cool stonework as promised. Wet: Not quite as lovely on the skin, but still interesting as the warmth brings out the stone. As it warms out, it settles into a good balance, similar to Inganok Jewler. Dry: it’s gentler than Inganok and has less throw at all stages. It ends with a softer version of the temple incense with the stone mostly faded out. It’s good, but not great.

In bottle: Pleasantly herbal sharp well blended with the spiciness of carnation. The frankincense is very understated. The heliotrope brightens without overwhelming the core effect. This is very well designed. Wet: Entirely different. My skin seems to be eating a lot of the herbs. The result is some serious frankincense with a muddy floral/herbal effect that my skin manages to edge towards carpentry shavings for no obvious reason. I can catch te heliotrope flailing for breath above the mess my skin chemistry makes of this. I honestly think this is my skin chemistry and it should be utterly beautiful on a woman. Dry: Angelica and Frankincense dominent, but working better than when wet.

In bottles: This is utterly delicious. I love the sharp crisp citrus, like grapefruit but sweeter and juicier. It’s pleasantly tart and summery, with a hint of cherry blossom and a soft tea note. Wet: The citrus is softer, and the tea soft and earthy underneath. The cherry blossom is very understated. This is genuinely lovely. Given my history of amping citrus and cherry this shouldn’t work, but it does. Dry: Sweet, fruity tea. Seriously, this isn’t my style, yet I love it.

In bottle: Sweet rich incense over ancient library. There is a touch of decay. One can almost hear the rustle of bone dry skin over delicate parchment. This too beautifully captures its concept. Wet: The wax comes out a little more, warming the whole thing. It’s quite delicate and lovely, the soft library scents support the sweet complexity of the incense. The candles make the whole thing strangely welcoming. Dry: It goes a little strange. There is a sense of moldering and imminent storm. It trails off, its sentences fading even as I try to track what it really smells like.

In bottle: Sharp, strong, a tad smoky. The frankincense is quite strong with the woods providing lots of support. The tobacco is present but more retired. I have no clue what bunn is, but I’m guessing it’s that fascinating pungent thing, hinting at malevolence. It fits it’s description well, I think. The frankincense has teeth and the bunn suggests something old and dangerous. It is a masculine scent, definitely more cologne than perfume in affect. Wet: My skin eats it, rather to my surprise. It’s delicate cologne with a wood base and the bite of frankincense, and a hint of something sweet and dry. Wait a bit and the tobacco/bun slinks out of hiding, doing some quite lovely things with the wood. As it continues to warm, the elements recover and embolden. It’s more balanced on my skin and vaguely aquatic, though in a way that’s hard to define. It is tamer now, a drawing room tiger rather than a hunter in dark alleys. The frankincense nibbles sensually rather than bites hard. The incense and wood hints at the Crowley crowd rather than sudden death. Dry: Glorious. It’s this pleasingly androgynous blend of the elements. The bunn and wood and frankincense and tobacco all slur together into something uniquely lovely, with a healthy throw. I think this is my favorite frankincense blend. It can be an awkward scent, and doesn’t always play well with others, but here it has the perfect playmates. I’m wondering if one of the woods is cedar as this is reminding me vaguely of tombstone.

In bottle: A pale, light green scent with a hint of citrus. It’s sharp and crystalline, a very good combination to evoke the concept. I am not so good at picking out white florals as I’m not that interested in them. Lily? Snow drops? Lily of the valley? It’s a little like embalming fluid and a little like lightening or tempest. There’s ozone and flowers mixed in with the green and the citrus. Wet: I’m not getting the lime anymore, but instead am getting something mostly ozoney and glasslike with a touch of green and white flowers. My natural musk makes it rather more earthy than I was expecting. It’s a lovely little thing either way. Dry: floral ozone. Nice enough. Definitely in the same family with lightening and Tempest.

In bottle: Anise dominant, but the blend is complex and surprising, each element distinct and working to create a light bright, quirky scent. Wet: The neroli and violet leaf strengthen a bit and the anise calms a bit. It’s like that picture that’s a vase or kiss depending on how one focuses one’s eyes. The same elements rearanging to make a different picture. I was not expecting to be able to wear this when I swapped for it, but was intrigued by the whiff I got in a meet ‘n sniff, so I got it specifically for sniffing. It turns out to do surprisingly, unpredictably well on my skin. The vanilla and anise remind me vaguely of my great aunt’s christmas cookies, the peony is pleasantly brash, the cherry blossom is delicately sweet, the neroli and violet leaf ground and connect. It’s delightful and strange when you add in my skin chemistry. My skin rater eats it. Even as I typed this review, it’s being swallowed. Still, I’m happy with it, especially as I was expecting very little. Dry: Mostly vanilla, with a hint of the other elements.

MR. CROUP 2010 (C2E2): In bottle: This is likely way too strong for me, but I knew that when I agreed to the swap. This is musky aftershave. I like the dryness of the tonka and porcelain. The geranium is understated, but lightens the feel of the blend subtly. Wet: The geranium is stronger on my skin, moving this almost into the realm of florals, but the musk/tonka/porcelain manage to drag it back from the brink. This is beautifully balanced. On someone who doesn’t have musky skin, this would be menacing and sexy all at once, but my skin ids naturally musky, so while the tiny test amount is fine, I can tell it would simply be too much in the normal quantity one applies for normal wear. This is not the blend’s fault at all, and it’s heartbreakingly interesting to my nose, especially given the way the porcelain evolves within the blend as it warms. Dry: Mostly musk, with a touch of the other elements.

Alas, that doesn't work for me.

In bottle: Grapefruit dominant. It is very sharp and strong. With the lime, the citrus element in this may simply be too much, but we’ll see. I’m liking the ginger and apricot here. Wet: A bit more boozy on my skin. The pomegranate helps the grapefruit back down and gives it a better rounded effect. I’m really liking it all of a sudden. I think it’s the play between the ginger, apricot, pomegranate, and rum. It’s warm, sweet, soft, and bright. The citrus is definitely contributing to the sunny feel in a good way without overwhelming the more delicate elements. I was not impressed in the bottle, but it’s delightful on my skin. It manages to feel like a light wood or incense, without actually containing any. Who knew these elements would add up to something so much more than the component parts? Dry: Less spectacular on the dry down, but still pleasant. It’s now apricot dominant, with ginger, citrus, and rum. It’s still summery and breezy, though more delicate.

In bottle: They are not kidding about the banana. It’s pretty overwhelming. Wet: Still strongly banana dominant, but I’m getting the grenadine and rum now. The coconut is extremely faint. It’s very summery and upbeat. Dry: The drydown is a bit troublesome. It’s a touch too sweet and the banana breaks down a bit. My natural musk overwhelms the more delicate elements and the result is bland and just subtly not quite right. It needs more testing, but I’m not sanguine.

In bottle: The blackberry brandy is delicious and strong, the ruim and the black tea really fill it out and make it warm. The ouzo gives it an extra sting.Wet: this is so boozy I’d be worried about wearing it when driving for fear of giving the wrong impression. The blackberry is still strongest, but less stand out here. It’s also a touch less realistic. I like the tea/rum combination still, and wish it were the dominant effect here, but it’s not a bad blend as a group. Dry: This is lovely on the dry down. The blackberry turns into a delicate fruit aura infused with rum and tea. My skin historically loves the rum dry down and this is no different. It’s a lovely, fruity, androgynous blend, with a lot of potential for versatility. I’m happy.

In bottle: This is a lovely floral, violet dominant, with the mint, lilac, and ylang ylang wreathing it. It is very purple and youthful. I can’t wear mint, so I’m not skin testing, but it’s beautifuly blended and well designed for it’s concept.

In bottle: This is pretty much all notes of death, so I’m not skin testing. It smells much a one would expect from the description. The orris makes the roses smell a touch decayed. The coconut is light, the musks a touch stronger. It’s not even close to my sort of thing and I really don’t much like it.