Gwydion

In bottle: Surprisingly sweet. The tonka, benzion, nutmeg combination is lovely. The sandalwood gives gentle support. Wet: There’s a touch more sandalwood on the skin. This blend is really about the benzoin. It is not as strong on my skin as in the bottle and is less unusual. I’m a touch disappointed. Dry: More sandalwood than when first applied. It’s a pleasant incense blend, but nothing stunning.

In bottle: Richly masculine. Cedar is strongest with the saffron underneath. Really, the current is serving to smooth and slightly sweeten as opposed to acting on it’s own. Wet: Ooooo! Sexy. It’s sweeter on the skin. The current is a touch more assertive, though the cedar stays dominant. I’m loving the saffron in this. It’s more androgynous on the skin. I’m liking the spicy sweet edge to this delicious cedar blend. Dry: The blend goes more masculine. The black current comes out a bit more with wear, but it’s really all about the cedar.

In bottle: Yep, those are yew trees and tart berries. Wet: The wood really comes out on the skin. The berries are not entirely ideal. There is something a little odd underneath and not entirely pleasant, like the strong soap my grandfather used to combat poison ivy oil. I thought I would love this from the bottle scent, but I really, really don’t. Dry: The nasty edge is like a cat scratch. It’s the icky thing and powdry blandness left. It’s painfully disappointing.

In bottle: fascinating. Pineapple is on top, but it’s rich and wet with all the other fruit, the pepper lending it edge. Wet: I smell like a smoothie, a tasty tasty smoothy. The sugar cane really smoothes this out. I’m not entirely sure about the coconut, but I never am. Dry: Pepper and coconut cookie. Not bad.

In bottle: this is full of death notes, so I’m not skin testing. The charred vetiver and tonka are strongest here. This gives the impression of a scorched devastated landscape with creepy musk. Not my thing, but as charred scents go, it’s kind of cool.

In bottle: This seems well blended, The skin musk, myrh, and ylang ylang mix beautifully, with the ylang ylang strongest. Wet: My skin morphs this in weird ways. The ylang ylang starts way too strong, then gives way to the skin musk, which in turn flares out in favour of the myrrh. Given time it does settle make into a balance similar to in the bottle, though softer, and reminding me vaguely of jackfruit. It’s a little odd on me, but ultimately okay.

In bottle: surprisingly sharp and viscous. I’m liking the dark green of the funereal boughs balancing the gentler florals. Wet: My skin ate this. As in, I applied it and it disappeared. No green boughs, just a tiny hint of floral. It’s quite sad as I genuinely liked it in the bottle. Dry: There is a lingering floral mix in the area I skin tested, but it’s too weak to say anything intelligent about.

In bottle: Rose dominant, though one does get heather and a hint of blackberry. I see no point in skin testing as the in bottle scent suggests it won’t work on me. It is a delicate floral blend, springlikre and breezy.

In bottle: This is candy smelling. I’m thinking fruit taffy maybe. There’s something darker underneath, I’m having trouble identifying through all that candy. Wet: there’s more complexity under the surface. The fruit candy stays dominant, and I’d say the fruit is stronger than it was even. Now there’s something softer almost green and vaguely floral. It improves as it warms. I’m having trouble identifying the other foody note as the whole effect is more than a little overwhelming. I thought I wasn’t going to like this when I first opened the bottle, but it’s just fascinating once the candy backs off. There’s some cool gardeny things going on with errant crushed bits of foliage and something I suspect of being watermelon. Not fake watermelon, but juicy and a little delicate like the actual fruit. It’s strong and different and hard to place because the variety of things going on is confusing. Dry: It’s vaguely cakelike with that maybe watermelon thing going on and something almost metallic. It’s stays strong a long time.

In bottle: Wood dominant with a strong oakmoss note and the pepper adding piquancy. It’s rather masculine. There’s a hint of honey and rice flower giving it something sweet underneath. It’s a lovely mix, rich and complex. Wet: The sweetness strengthens and the wood scent is wonderfully rich. There is a surprising green note among the darker elements, which I’m guessing is more rice flower. It grows more lovely and complex as it warms. I’m really happy with this. Dry: This tuned out really well and pleasantly androgynous. I’m really liking the honey in this and the way it floats the remains of the other elements.

In bottle: Mmmmm…. The chocolate supports the rich cognac and whiskey scents beautifully. The cognac is slightly dominant. The sweetness in this is from the liquor rather than the chocolate. The balance is lovely. Wet: Whiskey is strongest on the skin and the balance tips way over to the boozey side. Don’t where this while driving. As it warms, the chocolate starts to strike back rebalancing it so it’s like the bottle, but sweeter. Dry: It ends up back at a slightly gentler version of the original balance in the bottle. I’m in love.

In bottle: The chocolate is fairly strong in this one with the rum a close second. I’m really liking the way the cardamom and ginger play with the other elements. The coconut is very subdued, which is all to the good as I have mixed experiences with coconut. Wet: More rum and coconut on the skin, but not outrageously so. This really smells like goat cheese. The spices stay strong, pleasantly so. I’m not sure about this one. I’m finding the goat cheese turns it a little sour, though I love the basic elements. Dry: the sourness disappears. It turns into a lovely spice dominant chocolate.

In bottle: I’m loving the green tea in this, which is dominant. The chocolate and hint of citrus make a good support for the tea scent. Wet: the tea stays dominant. It grows more citrus on my skin. The chocolate is nearly gone. Dry: This really softens fast into a well-balanced chocolate tea combo. I rather wish it was longer lasting and stronger.

In bottle: Wow! No! This smells strange and gnarled. It’s clearly too intense to put on my skin. It’s light green and herbal. The scent is clean complete with some cleaning products. Anything that sets off this many alarm bells likely either has an allergen or is likely to overload, me so I can’t be even close to objective in assessing how a person with normal sensory wiring might respond.

In bottle: Mostly almond Wet: Almond cake with something rich and familiar underneath, possibly cedar. I’m getting more musk as it warms. Dry: The almond disappears entirely, leaving lots of… I’m guessing skin musk and something vaguely floral and very powdery.

Definitely rule out cinnamon, but I get the almond reaction too, luckily only to the aged oils. (I'm assuming evaporation ups the concentration.)

In bottle: They are not kidding about the blackberry. It is surprisingly sharp and fresh. I’m liking the way the milk is blending with the berries, ozone, and wax. It’s a rich fruity blend elevated by the candles and wind. Wet: The milk and snow are stronger on the skin. The blackberry/candle combination stays dominant, but the whole thing balances and warms as it wears. It definitely gives the effect of candles and snow, though I’m not sure how to explain that, the warm quality of the light and the chill of the snowscape really come through simultaneously. Dry: Fades rather fast. The blackberry/milk stays dominant on the way out.

In bottle: pleasantly masculine. The safe/cedar/lavander/vanilla combination is lovely together. The other elements are understated. Wet: My skin eats it rather, which is a shame. Leather and musk come out more and do sexy things with the lavender. The leather grows more dominant with wear. Dry: vast fading to a pleasant gentlemanly cologne.

I agree on the U. It's all about the balsam.

In bottle: The balsams are complex and sharp. The blend underneath is rich and multifaceted. This is weirdly green and bright. The vanilla and leather are subsumed under the balsam but still present. Wet: Gentler on the skin, but still balsam heavy and complex. I’m really liking this and I can’t think of anything else like it. It’s androgynous and scintillating. Dry: It sharpens again, and ends up mostly balsam.

I don't know about job interviews, but I wore shanghai tunnel to my hearing and won. For things like bureaucracy I try to go with soft scents with few potential allergens and less aggressive throw.

In bottle: Pretty much as expected. The honey amplifies the sweetness of the vanilla. Basically, this is a sweeter snake oil. Wet: Much as in bottle. It’s more delicate and sweeter smelling. The honey takes a lot of the edge off the snake oil’s harsher elements, so it smells more like the aged version than the fresh. As it warms, the honey differentiates a bit, creating a richer effect. Dry: OMG! The honey really enhances the tree oil and vanilla. The result is surprisingly complex and exciting. If you like snake oil, you’ll love this!

I found it! Ingamnok Jewlers smells like Indian temple incense with stone and silver! It's Lupercalia,, so if you are still looking, move quickly.

In bottle: Mmmm… heavanly. The wood and leather are beautifully blended and quite strong. I’m guessing the oil is that soft thing that helps the scents smooth into each other. I’m in love already. Wet: It is sweeter than I expected, and the leather has a citrus edge to it. I can’t stop sniffing this. As is warms, the oil and wood reasert, but it stays sweet rough new cured leather dominant. Dry: The citrus effect calms down along with the leather generally, allowing the leather/oil to balance ouyt nicely. I’m really pleased with this one. It laasts at least twelve hours.

In bottle: It is gentler than expected and full of eastern incense. I’m really liking the stone note here, and while the silver is not really silver, it’s close. Wet: Richer on my skin. The stone and silver now overwhelm the incense, which is still present, but more delicate. It’s a gentle, androgynous scent, very pleasant. Dry: The strong nag champa element reasserts, and it grows less gentle. This is fine with me as I’m a real nag champa fan. The silver, of which this seems to be a part along with some other temple, lasts fairly well, though that cold stone note burns away. I’m well pleased as I’ve not seen a nag champa cologne this excellent, ever.