JenM

In the imp: very subtle. An unidentifiable, almost sour tang with a rose aftershock. On the wrist: Okay, I’m being suggestible, but the not-quite-sour-or-overblown scent I’m getting is like undead roses. Rose petals dying on a mossy bank. On drydown, it resolves itself into a full red rose, well past bud, but lovely nonetheless. An hour later it has faded, but there’s still a hint. Two hours later, it’s gone. Not enough last to keep, alas.

In the imp: Oh, pure chocolate without the slightly burnt smell of Gluttony. I want to eat the imp. On the wrist: It’s a perfume. It’s chocolate. It’s a perfume that’s chocolate, with elements of both at once. Oh, my poor brain is so confused. On drydown: Almost a watery note behind the chocolate and indefinable thing that is telling me “this is a perfume” without smelling perfume-y. Still really nice. An hour: Gone. I’m almost relieved, as this imp is mostky gone and I would have had to mug people for an LE scent. Still, wow for making my brain work!

In the imp: slightly burnt dark chocolate On the wrist: Ah, the burnt note is hazelnuts. This makes me want to eat my wrist. But anything that gives me an appetite is good these days. I wore this to the lawyers by dint of spilling it on me just before leaving. IT lasted at least three hours, and the homeliness of it I think helped me not to break down. I really want to keep this. But when the hell am I going to want to smell like chocolate? Still, won’t swap unless bribed.

In the imp: leafy and green, with a hint of I think it’s eucalyptus by the way it hits my sinuses and nose. On the wrist: yes, leafy eucalyptus. And a hint of pine as well. Or possibly cedar, now it’s drying down. Oh, it smells lovely, but it ‘s beginning to burn. Must wash it off. Damnation. Swaps.

In the imp: violet and tonka On the wrist: (left) spices starting to come out. Right is staying the same lovely floral. An hour: wrists have swapped over now. Left wrist just violets, right wrist is spicy. Verdict: lovely little scent. There was a slight incident in that I spilled Gluttony over myself whilst testing the Sybaris. The two scents do not blend at all. A Word to the wise 7/10

In the imp: the echo of lilac, with ylang ylang and sandalwood On the wrist: As with all sandalwood blends, the sandalwood amps immediately. I can also smell violet, and the throw is entirely floral. On drydown, I’m getting what I think is the gardenia. It has a sourish smell to it, as if it’s causing the lilacs to wilt and wither. After half an hour, that seems to have stopped. My right wrist has eaten the scent almost completely. I don’t understand how the two wrists are so different, when I put the same amount on both. The left wrist is still tangy, but it’s got a lovely floral waft. The violets are just about drowned out, but I find that whilst eating them, too: if you eat violets at the same time as roses (or any other edible flower), they get drowned out.

In the imp: apparently honeysuckle and jasmine combine to form rose. Coz I smell roses. Sweet tea roses. On the wrist: well, initially there’s a hell of a throw. On the right wrist, it’s all spices. On the left wrist, the lemon starts to come through, with a hint of what smells like nutmeg. On drydown, the honeysuckle really starts to come out on the left wrist. An hour and a bit: very similar to Nyx and Euphrosyne . The honeysuckle and jasmine blend to an indistinguishable whole. On the left wrist, the spices have faded. On the right, they still dominate. Conclusion: Nice, but not distinct enough from other scents to warrant keeping.

In the imp: cakes and cider. On the wrist: it’s syrupy, with something green in it. Reading the lab description, the syrup is treacle. There’s a tang of something I can’t quite smell but that feels like citrus. On drydown, the treacle is still the strongest smell, and it’s very similar to the three white cakes from Eat Me. There’s a lightness behind it which smells like some sort of leaf. A sort of green earth. No florals. The wine is starting to come out now, but it’s sort of turning sour on my skin. Or maybe it’s supposed to be sour. I’m teetotal. I don’t do alcoholic-type stuff. Two hours later: I’m getting amber and cider, and that’s all. It’s a very strong amber as well. 6/10; not long enough lasting for a 7.

In the imp: musty lemon On the wrist: lemon made musty by I think patchouli. And by musty, I almost mean moldy. On drydown: musty lemon spiderwebs and patchouli. I’m sorry, it has to come off.

In the imp: sheer almond essence. On the wrist: there’s something behind the almond trying to get out, but the almond is masking it. On the right wrist, there’s a hint of cinnamon. On drydown, the incense comes out a bit on the left wrist. On the right, the patchouli is making an unwelcome appearance. Not itching, but I may have to wash it off. Left wrist, one hour: the lilies are making a bid to overcome the patchouli. There’s a drop of what might be fig. Right wrist: patchouli and incense. This is not a blend my right wrist likes. Conclusion: If I wore it on the left side of my body only, this would be an exotic, verging on sexy scent. Alas, I am a woman of two halves.

In the imp: a dark, damp night-time floral. With maybe a hint of tonka or vanilla. On thewrist: oh, it smells orange. As in the colour, not the fruit. The vanilla is a little woodier, and the florals have been mostly eaten. There’s a hint of sugar in it, blended in, like dark cookie dough. On drydown the vanilla has gone all ambery, and it’s like sugared dark fruits behind it. Maybe with a hint of some blossom. I do not get gardenia, or jasmine, or anything else the reviews suggest, at all. After a couple of hours, it’s mostly the same, an ambery tonka-y foody scent, fading with a hint of flowers and fruit.

In the imp: jasmine and some other floral I can’t determine. What it Says: White tea, cherry blossom, wisteria, star jasmine, and teak. On the wrist: On the wrist, the teak comes out, drying the florals. Then the tea kicks in. It’s more of a succession of notes on me than a blend. Alas, as with so many subtle scents and my chemistry, it’s faded to the faintest whiff of tea inside of an hour. And I put it on quite thickly.

In the imp: wine and burnt offerings On the wrist: I get the wine and the wood. On drydown, the tea comes through, but none of the florals. Maybe a little edge of cherry blossom. Ooh, now the wood is getting all ozone-y. Fades to wine and... oh, weird. Almost cherry lollipop. Interesting, but not a keeper.

In the imp: cypress and resin and something sweet. On the wrist: there’s a delicate note that teases and floats just out of reach. A hollowness sort of protects it from my questing nose. I’m guessing this is the snow note. There’s a sweetness there, too, that I can’t account for. An hour: smells like spring sap; a very gentle scent. Morphs into flowers in spring snow, under a graveyard tree. Two hours: still there, but faint. I may swap this, if presented with something I’m really looking for. But I may not.

Nefertiti In the imp: I can smell the iris. The sandalwood floats in the background and then wham! It's there in my nostrils. On the wrist: the sandalwood and olibanum come to the fore. I get a whiff of herbiness. On drydown, it goes a bit generic, no real single note to speak of, and nothing to distinguish it, and fades to a myrrhy powder within an hour and a half.

In the imp: spring-like and aquatic at the same time. On the wrist: I’ve read the description, and don’t know where I’m getting aquatic, but that’s one of the main notes I smell. Can smell the green, and a hint of the wood, but it’s definitely by water. A bit later: Now I’m getting wood, and it’s coniferous, but it’s soft and I *still* get aquatic notes! This is really odd. It’s water, too, not just rain in a forest. And now it’s fading. I am heartened by reading other reviews that also mention wateriness. It’s a very, very pleasant scent, but it’s got no last to it, alas.

In the imp: subtle, green and floral, with a tang. On the wrist: Green and slightly bitter, with rose floating over the top. Good throw from the florals, with the herbs only coming through close up. After an hour, the herbs have faded completely, leaving the very pleasant floral. Something’s supporting the rose and keeping it from going powdery, which is a good thing. Three hours: gone but for the faintest whiff of summer flowers. May keep, may swap.

In the imp: a richness of rose. On the wrist: I’ve been afraid to try this for fear I wouldn’t like it, that the rose would go powdery. But initially it doesn’t, anyway, and the wealth of rose wafts in a very pleasing fashion. Half an hour: has morphed into an incredible, non-foody sweetness. By sweetness I do not mean sugar, just—maybe it’s the grass heightening the blooms. Okay, it’s a few hours. I learned once more that after cooking garlic does not come off my skin, but that smelling of roses and garlic is strangely pleasant. Maybe I should write to Beth… Roses still lasting, still sweet, and still not powder. I’m so very, very happy! NOT FOR SWAPS, DO YOU HEAR ME? MINE!!!!

In the imp: a spicy, cypressy twang. On the wrist: Still cypresssy, with a hint of warmth or spice behind it. I generally love the conifer scents... Unfortunately, within an hour and a half it’s faded almost completely.

Wicked In the imp: a peppery, almost resiny floral. On the wrist: it says myrrh, but I’m getting pepper. I can smell the rose, but the two combine warmly to overpower the jasmine. Ten minutes: the rose and the myrrh (it’s settled now) combine to make a slightly sour or pungent note. I’m not sure I like it. 1 hour: It’s a rose that’s slightly past best, overblown and still clinging to its petals. Still lasting after three hours, but it loses its definition.

In the imp: light lemon blossom and maybe something aquatic? On the wrist: very lemony, and what I though was an aquatic is tea. A very subtle scent. Very crisp, though, if you can be crisp and subtle at the same time. Alas. Gone within an hour. Which is a shame, because it was nice and fresh and uplifting.

In the imp: wood and incense, with a hint of leather. On the wrist: a very masculine smell, with a woman hiding behind curtains. Oh, very strongly woody, and dark, like a library. But not burnt, like the library at Mortlake  It reminds me of Wolfsbane, a bit. An hour later: it had throw, but it faded very quickly. Only a woody, booky waft left. Several hours and a wash later. Still present, slightly, but not enough to have an effect. Swaps. But not because I don’t like it. I just don’t like it *enough*.

Deep herbs and apple with black amber. In the imp: apply herbs, with a slight soap afterwhiff. On the wrist: Very apple-y, with herbs wafting through. And maybe some moss? *checks description* Got distracted. Three hours later: Still there! And the scents that do that are few and far between. It swaps between and herby apple and a sort of generic. It either blends or it doesn’t, varying on whiff. It’s a bit odd, but very pleasant.

In the imp: lemon and a twist of a different citrus. On the wrist: very lemony, verging on—I hate to say it—lemon Pledge. There is a warmth behind it, though. Oh, it fades so quickly! Now it’s the faintest whiff of verbena through a cloud. An hour in: Just starting to get something that could be grapefruit. Only with dedicated sniffing, though. And maybe a hint of musk, but it’s not “chilling,” it’s warm. Oh, for a skin chemistry that’s not wacked out on pharmaceuticals!

In the imp: thick amber oil. Sugar and berries. On the wrist: herbs come through the berries. Darker, richer than in the imp. I think I can pick up the redcurrant, but the effect is very different than in Jester. There’s a slightly sour note which may be the wine. Half an hour: It may be supposed to be wine, but I get slightly sour winegums. Still the sweetness echoing behind it, but it’s being outmatched. An hour: Yup. Winegums.