Sheila

This was a giftimp from the lab (but it was on my wish list, so I would have gotten it eventually). Thanks lab! Unfortunately, on me, this turns into a generic floral. I can smell a bit of the jasmine and some of the moss underneath the "flower" scent, but that's about it. I wish I got more incense or herbs. It's nice, but not memorable. I'm gonna swap it--hopefully others will have better skin chemistry and truly enjoy this.

This smells exactly like the description: milky blossoms with cream. It's definitely a floral scent, but the creamy notes keep it from being too flowery. The lunar oils are definitely there, and they are indeed "crystalline" and "bright" (I think this is where some people get "mint" from--the sharp brightness of these oils). This is very soft and...well, chaste. It doesn't last long on me but is very pretty while it's around. It reminds me of babies, and it's very feminine.

The male Snake Oil. At first, it's sharp pine and juniper. Then it dries down into...Snake Oil (spiced vanilla). However, that sharp note never fades, keeping this lovely but not too sweet--definitely masculine. It's very nice.

The Unicorn, Neo-Tokyo, and Amsterdam were all very light on me (in other words, gone in an hour). However, they're all quite "perfumey" and might cause a reaction. Dana O'Shee, if applied lightly, can be very soft. And I second Sudha Segara.

I got almost all patchouli from Vixen, just to warn you....

OT, but I know Skindazzles (www.skindazzles.com) has a jasmine vanilla scent that's lovely; not sure if she has it in scrubs or just lotion....

Unfortunately, I too got pure maple syrup from this scent. It's not for me, though I'm glad I got a chance to try this. Off to swaps.

This is a lovely "skin" scent for me--soft and gentle. When wet, this smells like peaches. Then it dries down to an indescribably soft, warm scent. I can't recognize any individual notes, just a general sense of quiet. This is a pensive scent. I'd like a big bottle for days when I don't want to wear a strong scent that others can smell.

I'm not sure what I can add that hasn't already been said. I love Morocco. It reminds me of a sweet, faintly spicy cake. It's very warm and soothing, with the added carnation and cassia to give the blend a bit of spice. It's very smooth and well-blended. It's a comforting scent for me--like being in a warm kitchen at Christmas.

This is a sweet and soft gardenia blend--the best gardenia blend I've tried (I think it's the vanilla that's sweetening this up). Unfortunately, as I've lately discovered, my skin amps up gardenia until it becomes overwhelming. I don't get any jasmine or rose from this. Off to swaps for this one--but you'll like it if you like sweet gardenia blends.

I love Skuld! It reminds me of a combination of O and Bewitched. Yes, I know that sounds odd, so let me explain--it has the sweet honey of O combined with the candyish fruit of Bewitched (I, too, get a grape scent from this. I think it's the ylang ylang that's making me smell fruit). Anyway, this has a musky drydown and is soft, sweet, and lovely. To the big-bottle list it goes.

First, I didn't know what a fougere was, so I looked it up: Fougere is the French word for Fern. Although ferns have no noticeable scent, the name depicts a fresh, erotic, woodland scent. They generally have a herbal, lavender, mossy scent These perfumes are a mainly in the masculine family. I ordered a bottle of this unsniffed based on all the great reviews, and I'm not sorry. On me, Dorian is all vanilla musk. I get no lemon, fougere, or tea. It's lovely, soft, and feminine. I only wish it lasted longer! Layer this with Snow White for the ultimate creamy-vanilla scent. ETA: Now that my bottle's aged a bit, I get a touch of the lemon and sugar others have mentioned. Just a touch though--it adds a bit of a sharp bite to the vanilla musk. If possible, it's even better now.

At first, wet, I thought this was going to be too sweet: I got a blast of fruit and was worried. Then the scent mellows into a red, spicy scent. It's like dragon's blood and amber with an added berry--spicy, slightly fruity, and very sexy. Those "traditional lunar oils" are there in the background, too. I love it! I hope this comes back...

Dragon's Milk or Dragon's Heart work for me.

On me, Pride is all roses. It's a very lovely, old-fashioned, "true" rose scent. I can't smell the narcissus. This scent really captures a feeling of confidence. ETA: Oh, and this was a giftimp from the lab. Thanks much--glad I got to try it.

Note: I got an imp in a swap, and I think it's a very old imp--it has dark-colored sediment on the sides of the vial. Lilith starts out very sweet--I didn't know the notes when I put it on so my first thought was, "Oh no--LOTUS!" But then it calmed down into a sweet wine and myrrh scent. After it dried, it became dust and roses, with something sinister and dark in the background. I like it, but it's a bit dry on me--I usually wear warmer scents. I think I'll keep the imp around for when I'm feeling darker.

This is indeed bright and white. On me it's a blast of something sharp and citrussy (almost lemon--enough to burn my nose), then it dries down to a light, bright musk. I like the drydown, but this fades very quickly on me (it was gone in an hour). I'm glad I got to try the King, but I think I'm going to swap him.

Indeed, Hell's Belle is soooo magnolia I almost passed out. Black Dahlia is nice too. I didn't get any magnolia--just pear--from La Belle au Bois Dormant.

I expected to like this: I like roses, amber, and musk. But this just smelled like overpowering and dark rose incense to me. It was very strong and had great throw and lasting power. It reminded me of Rakshasa (though I'm not sure why--the strong rose, I guess). Not for me--off to swaps.

The description of this scent is dead-on: it's earthy and swollen, all right! I don't like patchouli, so I didn't expect much from this giftimp. And, indeed, it smells like patchouli and apricot (in other words, a dirty apricot). It's not to my taste, but if you like patchouli you'll probably love this: it's definitely unique. It has great lasting power, too. ETA: oh, and the drydown was very sophisticated. Off to swaps!

This was a giftimp from the lab. Thanks--I'm glad I got to try it! I love myrrh and copal, but I don't like cinnamon. This started off as pure cinnamon, but the sweet, slightly-floral drydown was lovely. If you like cinnamon I think you'll like this. It's not for me though; off to swaps.

I expected to love this: I love opium, lily of the valley, mandarin, and vanilla. I've tried this several times, always thinking "This time I'll love it!" But all I get from this is a faint musty-dry scent, like old linens left too long in a closet. (This is how I expected Antique Lace to smell.) Stoopid skin chemistry! At the very end of dry-down I get a touch of mandarin, but nothing else. I suspect the red sandalwood is taking over and smelling musty on me. I wish I could smell the notes in this one--I wanted to love it. Off to swaps it goes.

I put this on this morning without knowing its notes, and a few hours later kept thinking, "What smells like jasmine?" Well, it's me! This is mostly jasmine on my skin (I amp it up), and is slightly musty / dry. It's slightly sweetened by the myrrh (but not very much). It's OK, but I prefer The Caterpillar for my jasmine blend, so off to swaps this goes.

Bastet, to me, started with that cherry-almond note, though it didn't last long. (It faded into a gentle, incensey spice. Lovely!) I'm not a huge almond fan, though, so maybe others will have better suggestions.

Dirty was a giftimp from the lab (though it was on my wishlist and I would have gotten around to it eventually). Thanks lab! This is a lovely, light, floral-linen scent. It really captures the scent of laundry drying outside (in a sweet meadow, filled with grass and flowers). It also reminds me a bit of floral-scented dryer sheets, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It's light and doesn't last very long, unfortunately. This would be perfect for someone who wants a clean or delicate scent. I like it, and may buy a big bottle when the imp is gone. ETA: Oh, this would be so lovely as a room scent (in a burner) or--even better--as a linen spray!