Gwydion

In bottle: Sharp ivy and musk, with something dark I can’t identify. Wet: This suggests something large and malevolent crashing through jungle, so I’m definitely thinking it fills the concept well. The reptile musk is weird and compelling. The whole thing smooths out as it warms, but goes weirdly citrusey. Dry: Weirdly spicey, but also powdery and a little rank. I think ythis musk and my naturally musky skin are having a throw down.

A traditional Medieval perfume that never existed: balm, benzoin, damask rose, gumdragon, lignum aloes, orange water, ambergris, and vegetal musk. In bottle: This has two notes I amp and twist, so I’m not skin testing. It’s rose, balm and aloe dominant, with the effect of rose scented sun tan lotion which is weird, but interesting. This is not my thing, but I can see it being an unusual summer scent on the right woman.

In bottle: Yummy, yummy woods and gum with a pleasant sassafras chaser. Wet: delightfully complex. Still wood dominant, but now the sunflower and creepers come out. The comfrey adds a little homeiness to it. I’m falling in love with each sniff. It’s vaguely, gently, aquatic. Dry: Not as impressive, but still lovely and wood dominant.

In bottle: so much mint. I’m not good with mint, so there will be no skin test. This is making me a little queasy and is reminding me of dental polish. Violet seems second strongest. I can’t sniff long enough safely to give a coherent set of impressions beyond that. It is definitely menacing.

In bottle: I’m surprise this doesn’t have tonka, as I’d have sworn it did from the scent. The wood in this is making me think of palm wood rather than say, oak. The tobacco stroke is second strongest after the wood. The cologne and the ozoney note are understated, but interesting. Wet: The neon is a touch stronger, and the whole blend goes sweeter.. but it’s still wood and tobacco dominant. Dry: Mostly a faint cologne wit an even fainter ozone edge.

In bottle: The sage and thistle blend very well with thie unusual florals. As I’m unfamiliar with two of the florals, I’m not going to be alble to discuss this in as educated way as I normally would. Suffice to say the floral blend is bright and complex, but simultaneously gentle. Wet: on my skin, the sunflower really stands out. The sage and thistles are nearly lost. It’s still quite interesting, but the effect is rather different. Dry: Fast fading to a soft, bright floral.

In bottle: Rich tobacco and incense blend, sweetened by rose and anchored with wood. I’m not good with rose, so I’m not skin testing, but this is quite lovely.

In bottle: Pretty much as described, incense, amber, and resins with the rest understated. It smells like velvet feels. It’s rich, heady, complex and womanly. Wet: The opium really comes out, and the plum warms. It’s not as smooth as in the bottle. It’s still complex with a lot of incense/resin, but the tar is so dominant it complexity changes the character of the thing. Given time, the incense strikes back. Dry: lots of sandalwood, with a softening by resins. It’s really quite lovely and androgynous and has lots of throw.

In bottle: This is lovely and heady. I’m guessing dragon’s blood and spices. Wet: Very floral on top of the dragon’s blood. It’s a really pleasant, purple sort of floral and goes well with the dragon’s blood. Dry: Sweet almost vanilla like dragon’s blood with a touch of florals.

In bottle: I love the metal here. It’s reminiscent of the iron in iron phoenix. It’s rather delicate, but it adds body and sweetness to the ozone and cologne. The effect is a little like machinery and butter cream icing. Wet: The iron strengthens. This feels like it could be one of the more masculine steamworks blends. I’m liking what the iron does with the cologne, so rich and evocative. The electrical/ozoney thing goes rather pale green, like Herbert West. The effect is pleasantly Victorian mad sciencey geeky. Dry: It goes a touch powdery, but the cologne is still pleasant and still in that Herbert west vein.

In bottle: Mmmmm… All the elements are beautifully balanced here. I want to bath my head in a vat of this. Sage and amber turn out to be brilliant together and leather and clove are so right. It’s all just lovely. Wet: a touch more gritty. The amber strengthens, as does the leather. Sage holds firm, so the clove seems a little too faint. It’s still quite lovely though. Dry: it goes dry and soft, wittled down to amber with a touch of leather.

In bottle: As promised. Lots of leather, with cologne and a hint of gun powder. Wet: softens a touch on the skin. The leather backs down enough to let more cologne through. It’s a pleasant masculine scent, but there’s not much to distinguish it from many other similar men’s leather/cologne combination scents already in the catalog. Dry: vaguely leathery aftershave.

In bottle: Surprisingly wet. I love the spiciness of this blend. The resins are rich and complex, the herbs, smooth and well chosen to compliment the resins. It smells expensive, if that makes sense. Wet: Omnomnom. Add my naturally musky skin and this goes overtly sexy, transforming from the more rarefied affect in the bottle. This is a strange mix of sensuality and aestheticism, scholarship and desire. I’m loving it. The resins are so full bodied they are practically fruit. It morphs in fascinating ways, different aspects coming to the fore, one sniff and it’s sweet and dry, the next a wicked dark, the next the fruity spicy mix. I think I’m in love. Dry: It get’s even spicier as the more delicate elements burn off. It’s a touch more woody, but retains the complex spicy resin feel I’m really enjoying.

In bottle: Sweet and woody. In reminds me of broken green wood barnches. It’s quite pleasant and light. Wet: I’m thinking the green wood note must be the privet and sap together. It’s more complex on the skin. I’m getting more sawdust and cured wood with shellac now. It really lovely, a sort of symphony of woods. Dry: It goes vaguely floral, but stays unusual, light, and woody.

In bottle: it’s pleasantly sharp and very dark green. It may have vetiver, I’m not sure. There’s a smokiness to the earthiness. Wet; That’s not good. It smells like burning brush. Ick. Dry: Scortched Vetiver.In bottle: it’s pleasantly sharp and very dark green. It may have vetiver, I’m not sure. There’s a smokiness to the earthiness. Wet; That’s not good. It smells like burning brush. Ick. Dry: Scortched Vetiver.

In bottle: Rose and pomogranate mostly. The other notes are detectible and well blended, but the rose/pomogranate is very dominiant. I won’t skin test as I do terrible things to roses.

The End of All Things: empty white musk and mint seeped with solemn lavender, doleful patchouli and vetiver, scythe-sharp yuzu and lime, with geranium bourbon, white sandalwood and calla lily. In bottle: Lime, lily, and lavender on top, with a bone dry untertow that cuts like a scythe. I’m not liking the vetiver in this, but I never do. This has two notes I can’t wear, so I’m not skin testing.

In bottle: Complex and elegant. Honey and musk dominant with a beautiful spicey fruit body. The cherry and spiced wine thing is quite lovely. The whiole thing is sweet and rich and heady. There are at least three notes I can’t wear on there, so I won’t be skin testing.

In bottle: Raspberry on top, but all elements well blended. Wet: There’s an artificial edge to it that is unfortunate. The cordial comes out a little more, but it stays raspberry dominant. I’m glad I didn’t order a bottle as it gets more artificial smelling as it warms. I’m pretty sure the raspberry note is the issue, as I’ve loved the apricot and white chocolate separately in other blends. Dry: Ah, there’s the apricot. The raspberry degrades into a vague chemical mush and the white chocolate is a ghost of itself.

Red leather, red moss, and balsam. In bottle: yummy. Leather with sharp moss and balsam edge. It’s very Earthy and outdoorsey. Wet: Still leather dominant, but the moss is edging up over the balsam. I’m loving this. Dry: Cool soft leather, with a hint of balsam.

In bottle: Obviously it’s amber dominant. Thanks to the other elements, the effect is rather like Amber chewing gum with a touch of frankinsense. The effect is a touch odd, but not unpleasantly so. Wet: The heliotrope is a touch dissonant, but the overall effect is luscious. It’s still Amber chewing gum, but the other elements are more distinct, particularly verbena. Dry: mostly Amber. I’d think there was a touch of sandalwood in this, if I didn’t know better.

In bottle: Complex and floral, with a pleasing evergreen edge. It’s very sharp and pure smelling. Wet: The Cedar and other evergreen woodsy notes are on top, with the florals creating a gentle halo. This is that rare rose scent I might actually be able to wear. Or not. I’m guessing it’s the vervain that’s going ugly, as it’s the one I don’t know. It’s suddenly have and wrong in a way I’m having trouble finding words for, which is sad, as I can smell the things that were working so beautifully through what isn’t. Dry: Light an green with that delicate floral halo. The vervain backs down a bit, but still sets my teeth on edge. I think we’ll file this under “doesn’t quite work, but close, so close.”

In bottle: Mmmm..Rich and sweet. The tobacco and booze on top of the laudanum which gives it a sort of kinky dental office vibe. I’d swear there was a touch of chocolate in this. Wet: My skin loves the darker liqueurs and this is no exception. It’s gentler ion the skin, but really lovely, dark, rich, and naught. I wish I had a bottle of this. Dry: A little weird, but still interesting. It makes me think of the aftermath of the party the scent was having in the wet phase.

In bottle: Sharp, sharp as rat teeth. The patchouli and fig leaf do interesting things together. The sage gives it a wild edge that I didn’t expect. Leather is understated. It really does fit the brown fur concept it’s aiming for. Wt: Sandalwood and leather are much stronger on the skin. It’s complex and intriguingly strange. I’m not sure I like this patchouli. The sage and lemongrass mate and make a light outdoors sort of effect. Dry: The leather, sandalwood, and patchouli are strongest. I’m not sure this is a good thing. It retains a fig leaf sharpness. It’s still complex, but it may simply be too heavy for my skin chemistry. I’ll need to play with it some more, I think.

In bottle: Very aftershavey. The mood is quite dark. I do get the sense of stone under shadow, though the stone is nearly overwhelmed. Wet: I love the stone note in this. It comes out with some warming, though the after shave scent of the Darkness stay’s dominant. It is strangely green. It lightens and sweetens with wear. Dry: This goes delicate as the Darkness fades to a softer scent, shadowing the cool stone underbelly. Interesting in an understated way.