fairnymph

In the bottle: Light honey coloured oil. Herbal, fresh, a little salty. Quite soft though - not harsh or astringent at all. The frankincense is very mild, and just sort of hazes the blend. Wet: Soapier (wah, ambergris) but also 'cleaner' as a result. The herbs are brighter, almost sharp but not quite. The basil takes the fore, with sage noticeable but not standing out as much. Dry: Soapier and sharper, sigh - but also brighter and more clearly masculine. The sage has amped to be on par with the basil. The frankincense has come out more, adding a sweet incense note. Summary: Soapy ambergris over freshly crushed basil and sage with faint sweet frankincense providing some incensey warmth. Oddly cool and warm at once. Masculine. Low throw. I didn't expect this to work for me, and I was right.

The greatest of all Aztec cities, and capital of their empire. Amber, hyssop, coriander, epazote, Mexican sage, prickly pear and Mexican tulip poppy. In the bottle: Honey coloured oil. Sweet, slightly fruity, floral and herbal. Prickly pear for sure, and a touch of warmth from amber. Wet: Much the same, perhaps a bit spicier - coriander, yup - it gives it a citrusy-herbal-kick. The amber and prickly pear combo is sticky, syrupy sweet. The herbs are light, the poppy is maybe a bit smoky as well as heady. Dry: Still quite sweet, but spicier, almost foody combined with the candyish prickly pear. It's also quite smoky and hot; the amber really provides warmth and is only a touch powdery. Later: Sweetness fades, amber gets a bit more powdery, floral amps back up again. Only minor morphing, overall, though. Summary: Fruity, syrupy prickly pear and sweet, mildly powdery amber with spicy coriander and heady, smoky poppy over faint herbs. Hot, spicy, rich. Great throw, good lasting power. Unisex to feminine. Very FITTING and well blended, but too sweet and warm and spicy for me.

In the bottle: Light golden brown oil. Dark, dusty, herbal. Very mildly sweet and fruity, but barely so. Fig if I strain, and definitely some herbs. I suspect vetiver. Wet: Very faint, and almost soapy in its herbalness. Sweetness gone. A bit of currant, that tell-tale sharpness that's almost uriney. The fig smells more leafy. The date is dry, shriveled, not chewy or candied. Dry: All fruit and sweet notes fade completely, minus some soapy currant. Vetiver and herbs give this a smoky, earthy feel - indeed 'gritty'. Summary: Soapy-currant, herbal dust and dirty, woody vetiver - the primary note by far, even though it's still quite light. Extremely faint in throw overall. Unisex to masculine. I did not like this one at all and it utterly failed to deliver the fruit I was hoping for. It reminds me mostly of something like Brimstone.

In the bottle: Nearly colourless pale yellow. At first, SUPER sweet, caramel-molasses, followed by floral honey and almost citrusy fresh sugar cane. A faint touch of grounding, woody oak. Wet: Still bit too dark-heavy on the very sweet molasses note, but the other notes are more apparent, The honey is definitely vying for second place, and is a VERY true honey note, golden and rich. Sugar cane is very light, giving an almost aquatic freshness, and the oak is a dry, rustic hint. Dry: That molasses has faded even more, and the honey has amped further - it's almost single note! It's definitely the strongest and most realistic honey I've yet smelled. It's like I'm DIPPED in honey. There's a fresh-herbal and slightly floral tone to it as well, a cleanness that is in part from the sugar cane I think. The oak is even lighter now, a faint woodiness. Later: Some earthy patchouli has emerged and is mingling with the oak to produce a very woody feel. Still, this is quite sweet.THe honey has faded, and a brown-sugar note seems to have replaced the caramel-molasses, and the sugar cane holds as fresh note. Summary: Sweet, grainy brown sugar and woody oak with lighter notes of true, golden honey, earthy patchouli, and faint whisps of herbal-fresh sugar cane and caramel-molasses. Quite a morpher, and fairly unisex - especially the mostly woody drydown. Good throw, decent lasting power. It's just a bit too sugary for me, and the honey fades, which is such a shame as I loved the honey note in the initial dry stage.

Light gold oil. Dark, dry, slightly dusty and rather bitter and sharp wood, and lots and lots of it, with tons of the sweet, cloying heavy fruity fig note from Carnal, and a very faint dusting - very faint - of unsweetened cocoa. Rather manly. Softer - less darkly and sharply and wholly woody, but also less of the cloying fig - still plenty of fig but it's more like dried fig now, much less heavily sweet. And I get more cocoa, and it's very lovely and true, though still very light. Overall this scent is even more dry and tending towards dusty on my skin, and it reminds me greatly of Gomorrah, but with loads of CEDAR. That wood is amping up again, making this scent drier and dustier and sharper, yep, it's the CEDAR OF DOOM. The fig has sweetened back up a little more, but the cocoa is holding, is still present. I'd definitely say this feels shadowy and wooded; it also feels really tropical to me for some reason - some black coconut in here, me thinks - I think it reminds me of another scent that is tropical, in addition to being very much like Gomorrah. Maybe Bat of Good Death? More and more dusty and sharp and now a little...spicy? Black pepper? Most of the fig and thus sweetness has faded away, and likewise for the lovely cocoa note - this is all dusty, dusty, very dry and dark, tropical-feeling coconutty CEDAR with that hint of stale incensey, peppery spice. Very masculine, with strong throw and good longevity. Not for me.

In the bottle: Pale yellow oil. Super sweet, slightly alcoholic, extremely foody irish coffee and caramel. Wet: Even more caramely, less coffee-ish. A tiny hint of woody oak and amazingly, a dusty note - it almost makes me want to sneeze. Dry: The caramel remains, but fades a bit or the coffee amps - in any case, the coffee note is now just as powerful as the caramel. The oak has amped, but is still an undertone. Dustiness is light. Later: The caramel is definitely fading so that the coffee becomes the strongest note; the oak too amps and makes this overall less sweet and more masculine. Dusty note holds. Summary: Sweet, caramel-laced coffee over deep, rounded, woody oaky, with a hint of nose-tickling dustiness. Unisex to masculine, imo, though possibly too sweet for a man. Great throw and lasting power. Definitely WAY too sweet and foody for me.

Sniffed in imp: Dark peach-amber coloured oil. Spicy - cinnamon and cardamon at least, I'd guess.. Sweet from the rum, a little salty (as in Mary Read). A bit of traditional floral cologne/perfume, some faint dark woods. But mostly this is spicy-foody. For men who like sweet scents, I think this would work well, but it's pretty unisex. Sadly, too sweet and spicy for me.

In the bottle: Piney, citrusy, resiny. Slightly sweet, quite herbal, a bit incensey. Fresh, but a little foody from the lemon and caramel-like beeswax. Wet: Herbal-citrus-resin. Quite lemony. The benzoin and balsam mingle to provide a piney-fresh and yet slightly smoky and deep note. The sage is bright, and rather astringently herbal, as is the sharp resin of the mastic. Very herbal on the whole, more than I can pinpoint. Dry: Saffron and frankincense provide warmth, spiciness, and the latter a bit of heavy sweetness, on top of the light caramel-honey of the beeswax. The mastic is a bit spicy, too. Overall, this becomes hotter, more smoky as it dries, especially as the lemon balm and brighter herbal notes fade. Later: It really reminds me tremendously of burning copal at this point; it's heavy on the resins and incense. Still a bit of greenery from the sage and balsam, but otherwise, all the fresh notes and citrus are completely gone, and this is resin, smoke, incense. The beeswax has lost all caramel sweetness and is faint honeyed wax. Summary: Hot, smoky, piney resins and incense, touched with true beeswax, spicy saffron and medicinal herbs. It reminds me quite a bit of Xiuhtecuhtli in the drydown. It does have a bit of a 'tang' to it though, which conveys the 'smoking engine' feel the name of this blend suggests. Masculine. Decent throw, good lasting power. Definitely one of the better beeswax blends (beeswax often is simply SUPER SWEET CARAMEL on me), but this is not my style - too smoky and masculine.

Sniffed in imp: Root beer coloured. Sweet, dark, smoky. Sparkling, root beer like (crazy!). Foody. Also quite woody and herbal. Unisex.

Sniffed in imp: Honey coloured. Slightly spicy carnation and sweet, heavy, powdery amber. Rich, golden, cloying. A dusty, slightly bitter herbal undertone.

Dark cola-root beer reddish-brownish colour oil. Sweet, DIRTY (as in, lots of soil, the slighly sweet kind), rooty, a little mentholic-medicinal in a darkly herbal way. A bit gritty - definitely that sort of vetiver. Some benzaldehyde (fake cherry/almond extract). Strange, and not reminiscent of either rum or bay. Sweeter and much heavier on the benzaldehyde; this reminds me of herbal medicinal extracts meets fake cherry cough syrup. Quite bitter, still loads of soil and dirty, harsh vetiver, and I think the rooty note is patchouli. This is everything I don't want in a perfume, either on myself or a man. VERY STRONG and awful throw! The benzaldehyde dies down a bit, but the dirty and rooty notes amp if anything, and this becomes harsher and more bitter and almost dark-evil-minty as it dries. It is making me quite ill, so off to the sink. Of course...it refuses to come off.

My favourite Stargazer lily scent is definitely Victoria (Stardust) because it's a very gentle and fairly simple blend which allows the inherently mild lily to shine without being overwhelmed by too many other notes, or bully notes. I think you would be able to pick it out at this point from Victoria. SL is one of my favourite notes (oh, to try the single note in any amount....*sigh*). In response to some other suggestions: Kindly Moon - I don't get much SL in this, really none at all in fact, as the far more potent florals in the blend totally overshadow it, at least on my skin. Grandmother of Ghosts - This would be my second favourite SL blend, again because the other notes are gentle enough to let it play on the skin. Still, it doesn't shine as brightly as in Victoria. Berenice - My third favourite SL blend. The lily here is nearly as strong as in Victoria and this blend reminds me a fair bit of Victoria as a result. I think I like GoG as an overall scent more, though of all these I have only a bottle of Victoria. Tiger Lily - I do think there is some SL in this and it's one of the better lily blends on my skin (as many go to COMPLETE powder), but I still found it a bit too powdery for my liking. Still, it had that honeyed (if not a bit too sweet in this blend), citrusy-freshness that recalls SL to an extent, so worth a try. Black Lily - One of my all time absolute favourite scents (top 10, far above Victoria) - it's absolutely stunning! However, I don't get the least bit of SL in it. But it's a truly gorgeous scent and if you like slightly sweet, extremely virginal-pure-bright, feminine deep musky florals, I think you'd like it too. Cobra Lily - I don't get an SL in this at all. Juliet - Has a lovely SL note but this is a very complex floral blend and it's very seamless, so the SL doesn't stand out. Gorgeous though! Very similar feel to Black Lily. Ophelia - Starts out very nice on me, but goes to utter powdery soap. And another idea: The Phantom Wooer - Lovely and fairly distinct SL note here. A very ghostly and light floral blend.

In the bottle: Salt, ocean water, leather, musk. Fresh, masculine, cologney. Wet: Extremely salty leather, seaweed. Like a leather bag that's been soaked in seawater and aged. And then some musk, mingling sweetly with the leather. Dry: Hello, sarsaparilla and patchouli! I'm not generally a fan of sarsaparilla, but I like it here. It's a little sweet and herbal, and balances out the EXTREME SALT nicely. The patchouli is pretty strong, verging on dirty. Later: The sarsaparilla and musk and leather really amp, making this increasingly sweet. Summary: The sweetness fades a bit, and this is salty, salty ocean, seaweed, aged leather, sweet musk and earthy patchouli. It's clean but never goes soapy. Highly evocative and would be delicious on a man; a fresh masculine scent. Decent throw, great lasting power.

In the bottle: Black tea, bergamot. Leather? Bizarre. A hint of nose tingle. Wet: Citrusy tea and leather. This totally smells like how I thought Manhattan would smell. Dry: Oooh there's the wasabi, but it's very light, just a tingle. There is a touch of honey sweetness too, but it's very faint. Later: That citrusy note is amping, as is the honey, making this tarter and sweeter all at once. The tea has turned a bit piney. Summary: Tea and sweet leather, touched by citrus and with a mild kick. No detectable honey or wasabi as notes on drydrown. Very smooth and slick. Unisex. Low throw, great lasting power.

In the bottle: Herbal-woodsy. Lavender, thyme, patchouli. Touch of fresh, citrusy bergamot. Wet: Super clean and fresh. Cologney. Really delicious. It's hard for me to pinpoint stuff now because it all melds together so beautifully. Definitely masculine. Dry: Would be good for men who like clean, traditional scents. But it's not boring or generic; it's very complex and there's woody depth and a touch of sweetness below the clean pool of masculine. freshness. Later: Musk, patchouli and moss emerge. The bergamot in this holds really nicely, as does the thyme. The lavender mellows much like in Yvaine, and the tonka sweetens the mix over time. Jasmine makes this a bit soapy-heady, but not unpleasantly. Summary: This reminds me of my dad; something he wore. A traditional yet far from boring man's cologne. Brisk and soapy-clean; herbal, woodsy, slightly floral and slightly sweet. Excellent throw and lasting power. On me the jasmine goes a bit TOO soapy as it is wont to do, but when I wash it off this lovely moss/patchouli blend remains for HOURS - it recalls 51's drydown. This is much too masculine for my personal tastes. I'd love it on a man though! It's really interesting reading all these reviews and seeing other people making the father connection - it's weird because it DOES small very paternal to me but ALSO sexy which is a little strange. I do think it smells like CK One though I couldn't place it till I read someone's post.

In the bottle: Super sweet, a little tart, and very fruity. Almost bubblegum/candyish. As if you took every flavour of lifesaver (even the tropical and berry variants) and crushed them all up together. Wet: Green apple hits first as it did in the bottle, with strawberry and raspberry next, and then melon, citrus, currants, and black cherry. Still tooth-achingly candyish. Dry: This has morphed nicely. It's less sweet, though I still find the aforementioned berry notes a bit artificial. Some delicious musk has emerged, as well as the lunar oils, which both provide depth. Summary: I love the musk and lunar oils and woody notes combined with fruit, but this is a touch too sticky-sweet and artificial on me, especially when the tarter notes fade. I also have other fruit scents I prefer. Moderate throw, fades rapidly.

In the bottle: Copal, plumeria, orange. Sweet, floral, resiny and a little smoky. Wet: Smokier. Incense. Copal also much stronger, almost sharply so. Plumeria and other flowers below, and last a tiny touch of orange. Dry: A very 'hot' scent and a little humid too - totally tropical. The same as wet, though the incense has taken on a spicy note. Later: All the orange and most of the plumeria dissipates, taking much of the sweetness away. It becomes a bit darker and more masculine as a result. Summary: Smoky, spicy incense and resiny copal over a bouquet of mixed florals. Steamy! Great throw and lasting power. Not my style, but highly recommended for copal lovers (and I'd probably love this as a room scent).

In the bottle: Very pale yellow oil. Floral soap. Maybe some orchid, but primarily soap. Wet: More floral, less soapy, but still very clean. Fainter. A bit cologney. Maybe a tiny bit of extremely light grapefruit. Dry: Slow to dry. Yeah, this is slightly soapy cologne. It's fresh and clean but extremely generic. It's a bit more floral than traditional 'male' perfume, but not by much. Summary: Light, slightly soapy, white-floral cologne with a bit of heady orchid. Just slightly over the edge into masculine. I never got any citrus or rose. Low throw. I was so disappointed by this one.

Good call! Asphodel is the best true lilac I have smelled, but unfortunately it went too soapy on me. I can't help you with vanilla or foody stuff (they hate me), but *I* think the ultimate rosy-rose is Peacock Queen 2007. It's the purest of them all! I want a honey epitome! It sounds like other than jasmine not hating you, we have very very similar skin chemistry (have I found a skin chem twin?!?), because that's how those all went on me (minus jasmine), though I differ a bit in taste. Chiroptera - was way herbal, not very floral - could barely detect the honeysuckle The Ecstasy of True Love - strong awesome honeysuckle at first, but faded rapidly and turned into patchouli-frankencense Euterpe - was so dusty-powdery in the imp I didn't test on my skin, but sniffed I did not detect any honeysuckle Her Voice - honeysuckle totally overpowered by other notes Hony Mone - very faint honeysuckle, but I expect you would love this if jasmine behaves on you and liked Litha Pollution - not listed, but the davana has a strong honeysuckle type feel to me, this is a bit sharp of a blend though - verging on masculine Virgo 2007 - goes through some horrible sharp astringent stages but the drydown is a soft green honeysuckle, so if you can handle the earlier stages, def worth trying Juliet (GC) - gorgeous honeysuckle note in this, though it's not super distinct, but merged very harmoniously with the other sweet and floral notes - but stays true, does not fade! Squirting Cucumber (GC) - I get a lovely honeysuckle note here, complemented by mild honeydew and cucumber - very fresh, and the honeysuckles is never overpowered - probably my fave HS blend! Sundew (GC) - I get a bit of light honeysuckle in this, a nice bright-creamy floral blend, light and feminine Beltane 2006 - I totally get honeysuckle from it, though it's such a complex blend that it doesn't MAJORLY stand out, despite being distinct Chuparosa (GC) - definitely has some honeysuckle, but also jasmine and cinnamon, so bad for me, but probably good for you if you liked Eos and Chimera Shanghai (GC) - there is honeysuckle in this? REALLY? where (extremely faint)??? also, horrible lasting power. so sad!

In the bottle: Very pale gold oil. Sweet and floral. Rose! Honey! Delicately sweet vanilla flower, a bit of resiny benzoin and a bite of powdery iris. Wet: More herbal, less sweet. Rose really the strongest, vanilla flower is lovely too though - both extremely refined and feminine. The benzoin really grounds this. I'm not getting any tonka or plum, and the iris is so far faint enough to be tolerable. Sadly, the peony is also faint. Dry: Really not morphing much! The honeyed rose here reminds me of Kali, and the vanilla flower of Harikata...but it's gotten a bit sweeter, perhaps TOO sweet, and the rose is a bully as often on my skin. That iris nags away in the background, like an unpleasant hangnail. Later: It's still very sweet and rosy but going a bit powdery - the damned iris, I presume. However, I think the plum has finally emerged - it's super ripe and deep and sweet. And peony has blossomed a bit more. Summary: Very sweet, slightly powdery, herbal-resiny and fruity floral. In order of potency, rose and honey first, then vanilla flower and benzoin, then delicate peony and rich sticky plum, and lastly some powdery iris. I never get any distinct tonka. Good throw and lasting power. Quite nice, but a bit too sweet, and I have other blends with these notes I prefer.

In the bottle: Dark amber oil. Dark and dirty patchouli, sharp narcissus, smoky dry sandalwood. Hints of sweet musk and heady champaca, but not enough to redeem the over smoky dark heaviness. Dry The fruity-sweet plum and lovely rich champaca flower come out on my skin, and the musk amps sexily. The patchouli softens a bit, but is still too dirty-rooty. The sharpness of the narcisuss and the burnt dusty sandalwood are unbearable, though. Nicer than I would have imagined, but not my style. Well blended nonetheless.

In the bottle: Light gold oil. Herbal, woody, with heady floral iris, citrusy verbena, and sharp-soapy grey amber. Wet: I really dislike grey amber, it's very dusty and powdery-sharp. The davana here is very light, adding mostly only a faint sweetness. Verbena is also exceptionally mild. Benzoin gives this a nice green resiny depth. Iris is heady and soapy. Dry: Slightly sweet iris + grey amber powdery SOAP, reall awfully strong and sickening and like ancient ladies dipped in talcum powder and then in floral soap and...omg, sink. Way more floral; definitely some violet as others have noted, and sadly the powdery kind on me. Thankfully only moderate throw, but damn stuff won't wash off.

In the bottle: Dark straw coloured oil. Sweet foody butter, spicy ginger and cardamom, orange, a bit of herbal depth. Warm and golden and good enough to eat. Wet: Buttery spice, less sweet, but still very foody. Ginger is the strongest; cardamom is faint, and I'm pretty sure there is cinnamon in here, maybe even clove. A toasty hot scent. Orange lighter, but still present; mingled with the spices it makes me think of mulled cider. Dry: Strong hot spice. Amazingly, the amber doesn't really go powdery (it's just sort of warm and golden), and the butter fades to mild, barely foody sweetness, but this is just SO spicy-hot with ginger and cinnamon and a wee bit of cardamom, no orange at all. Strong throw, difficult to wash off. Yeah wayyyyyyy too spicy and foody.

In the bottle: Medium amber coloured oil. Verbena, white musk, lavender, and coconut. Hints of smoke and fruit. Fresh, clean, exotic, and pretty unisex. Wet: Coconut and lavender amp to be on par with those first two notes in the wet stage, and I'm getting a little of that deep earthy fig. It's a tad sweeter, but still not what I'd call sweet; it's just more rounded with fruit and grounded by herb. Dry: Okay, the verbena has amped, or the other notes have faded, because it's totally in command right now, even though the 3 other power notes are holding strong below it, vying for a somewhat distant 3-way tied second place. Plum, where are you? There's a bit more fig, but that faint suggestion of smoky vetiver never progressed further, and to me it sort of seems merged with the coconut, which is definitely dark and not foody. Later: Ahh, finally, about an hour later, the verbena has blended with the other strong notes, almost but not quite seamlessly. It's still quite a citrusy and fresh blend, but a much smoother one now. Vetiver, too, has appeared, adding a lovely light smoky earthiness that blends with the rich, slightly sweet fig. A tiny, tiny glimmer of almost grapey-plum flits through; sort of tart yet very ripe, I guess that's the 'wild' part - it's almost a bit herbal and blends with the lavender. Lots of matched pairs here, like a complex but well executed courtly dance. Summary: The vetiver and tartly fruity wild plum take over after a few hours, bizarrely, though the former never becomes unpleasant, just stays darkly earthy and bit smoky-spicy, but not acrid or overwhelming. Some bright musk, herbal lavender, smooth coconut, deep fig and a faint touch of lemony verbena do remain though, making this very well-balanced, if not an incredible morpher. Sexy, dark, and very unisex. Brilliant balancing of notes and layers of complexity. Decent throw but rather poor lasting power. I like the mid stage best, but I enjoyed all the stages; they intrigued me. I don't quite think this is *me*, but I like smelling it. It could be ravishing on the right person, so I think I'll hang onto it for people in my life who could pull this off just right.

In the bottle: Pale honey coloured oil. Cherry (not blossom, but almost-candylike, quite sweet and a bit artificial benzaldehyde-y), ozone, light metal - the sort of metal from Mechanical Phoenix. Silvertone, clean. A strange mix, like flashing neon lights - appropriate! Wet: Still very fruity-candy fake cherry, but less sweet. More metallic, almost cologney, but not quite. Light and airy, and the green, aquatic bamboo is emerging, as well as a hint of actual blossoms. Much less jarring and more complex, but still fundamentally paradoxical. Dry: Wow, so much nicer! The cherry is still very fruity-sweet and definitely hot pink, but no longer artificial. The cherry blossom has massively amped, but somehow the candy of the cherry, the cool, fresh greenness of the bamboo and the brightness of the metal keep it from being too heady. Later: Oh, some delicious musk has emerged, and the bamboo has gone deliciously mossy-woody. The cherry is light fruit, no longer candy-sweet, but very natural. Likewise the cherry blossom has faded, though not quite as much; but it's light and feminine. Metal distant, ozone gone. Summary: Musk, oakmoss/patchouli (some sort of earthy woodsy thing!) and green-aquatic bamboo over full bloom cherry blossoms, light fruity cherry and a fainty airy metallic tang. Morphs and blends into a modern, innocent-yet-sexy feminine scent. Decent throw, good lasting power. I really want a bottle of this! *sigh*