Lamia

[crebbsgirl]

Deadly elegance: pale orchid, vanilla amber, black currant, white peach, champaca, coconut, Arabian myrrh, Burmese vetiver, and oude.

Smoky peach on me. This was a little sharp when I first applied it, but mellowed considerably as it wore. The coconut didn't make an obvious appearance, but the peach did. Sweet and deep, but I wouldn't call this blend dark. It softens a little during wear, but it fades incredibly quickly. The myrrh and oude help to smooth this out, and there is a definite floral presence, but it's indiscriminate on my skin. Edited June 12, 2010 by crebbsgirl

[strahlend]

I'm getting a lot of coconut and what feels like an oddly synthetic sweetness - perhaps the orchid with the vanilla. Although I do enjoy many coconut blends and I don't say this lightly, this ends up smelling a lot like suntan lotion to me.

[devilot]

Lamia

In the vial: Definitely get something reminiscent of vanilla and orchid, but also something fruity. In the vial, my nose can't pick out any specific fruit.

 

Wet: Still creamy, fruit isn't as noticeable, except coconut has ramped up. And now the grounding earthy notes are much more noticeable (the vetiver and ode).

 

Drydown: Powdery coconut. Ooooh, a lot like LUSH's hair conditioner, Coolaulin, which has primary notes of vetiver and coconut.

 

Verdict: Not a bottle purchase for me, but I'd love to swap for a low-level partial or a decant. It's pretty! BIG THANK YOU to the C2E2 sniff circle started by GypsyRoseRed!

 

ETA: The peach really comes out later. It's nice, but it's so similar to Tamora or whatever peachy GC.

[HappyLoveJoy]

This is almost a dead ringer for Jungle Conditioner by LUSH on me. Lamia is sooooo much better, however! I get no peach and no black currant whatsoever. All the other notes combine to give me a green coconut scent that is more heavy with vetiver than anything else. It's not sweet or fruity at all to me, but dry like a white-smoke made from vanilla, champaca and coconut with a little kick of something mildly spicy like powdered white pepper. This is slightly earthy without being dirty or soil-like and of all the oils I own, there is nothing like Lamia in my collection. I love it!

[MCS4096]

I figured I'd get a decant of this since the forum buzz about it seemed to be pretty high. Unfortunately for me I don't really like this at all. It goes on as a synthetic sickly sweet cacophony of notes and drys down into a boring blah smell. I get a lot of peach throughout, which is hit or miss with me. Really the only description that fits for me is cacophonous.

[theseagrows]

wow, what a beautiful scent. i love all the notes in this, except i was iffy on the peach, because i am generally not a fruity-loving person. the peach seems to come to the front, and i like it less, because it overpowers, but then it moves to the back, and i :love!: this. it smells a lot like incense to me, i definitely get the coconut, amber and oude coming out the most. i just wish the orchid was a bit more obvious. i think i may need a bottle of this though...it is so warm and pretty.

 

[NightsMistress]

On application, Lamia was all coconut on me - I felt like I had just dunked my hand into sunscreen! As it dries, it shifts and allows the peach and florals to come out, so if you're a fan of these notes, definitely look into getting hold of a decant to get a feel for it. Unfortunately on me, I'm very particular about my florals and coconut and peach are not for me!

 

But definitely, if you like those notes, consider getting hold of a decant of Lamia. You may find your new love!

[filigree_shadow]

I should have really liked this. All those notes sound awesome. I was looking forward to it like you wouldn't believe.

But what happened when it touched my skin? An artificial, weird, plastic-y coconut smell.

I am not happy about this at all. I can't really even smell anything else in it because I can't get past that weird fake coconut part.

 

Dammit. Stupid skin. I want the kind of skin chemistry where this smells glorious and I can wear ones like O. But no, that's not what I have.

[bonny]

i'm a bit confused because i can't smell this at all. a very faint sweetness coming from the bottle if i practically stick my nose in it, but after slathering it on an arm- nothing. at all.

 

eta: i must revise! i tried this straight out of the mailbox and maybe it seperated or something, but i tried it after rolling it around and letting it cool down and now it's a lovely, very soft, coconut-tinged peach with a light grounding of vetiver. after a few hours there's just a bit of the orchid. this is EXACTLY what i wanted common jezebel to be. i will now stop staring mopily at my decant of C. jezebel:wub:

Edited July 7, 2010 by bonny

[bluerose]

In the bottle: A deliciously fruity musk.

 

On the skin: The vetiver, myrrh, and ode comes out. It almost drowns out the fruitiness - making it darker. The end result is a dark fruity scent (predominantly coconut).

[lunaticana]

peachy

but very dark. I might like this for a special occasion or something..

[hereunto]

Imp: The scent changes on each sniff - whiffs of peach, then currant, then honeysuckle, then vetiver. I'm guessing this one is going to be a morpher.

 

Skin: Sweet and fruity, and very very juicy. It kind of makes e want to gnaw my arm. I can't hep feeling like I've smelled this before though. Wish I could place it. And despite my guess that it would morph, it pretty much stays true to it's original application. Thank goodness too, since vetiver can be hit or miss with my allergies. Not me but again, glad I got to try it.

[wl552]

This has been on my wishlist for quite some time, so I was thrilled to get a lab imp of it in my Twitter contest goodie bag.

 

I was sooooo hoping the coconut would play nice just this one time. All the other notes looked so good, but curse ye coconut.

 

I feel badly about reviewing this as I amp coconut every single time.

 

The one positive I can say about Lamia on my skin (it smells lovely in the vial) is that the coconut doesn't go rancid on me this time... it mostly smells like cheap coconut sun-bathing oil. I wanted this to work on me, but it just isn't to be.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is a lovely dark peach, that is ruined for me by the coconut, which is unfortunately going to plastic on me.

 

SAAD.

[milo]

At first, this is a fruity coconut. The fruit really reminds me of juicy fruit gum, and the blend when wet, is quite reminiscent of Tiki Princess. It has the same coconut, I think. Dry, the coconut fades somewhat, and the florals come out. Still a bit of coconut vibe, but it's making the blend more dusty than sweet. This blend really isn't wowing me at all, the florals are kind of fake and blah, and there is a vague 'pickle' note. A bit of sourness, so to speak. Another bullett dodged!

[whisperstilled]

In imp: Music to my nose after the last imp I opened, which was the disgusting Rat Speakers. Sweet, complex, and sexy. What a surprise! I think I recall Beth saying this one was her favorite out of the Neverwheres. Orchid, one of my favorite florals, soars strong here. I'm reminded of Black Butterfly Moon without the dirty quality that scent has. Coconut is there for sure, sweet and milky. I get almost no vetiver, my death note, thank goodness!

 

Wet: Sexy as hell. This is a real vixen scent, dark and dangerous and sweet. The Lamia means business. I didn't recognize the peach at first, but after checking the notes I can identify it as the fruit that is sweetening up the coconut. This scent is definitely something special.

 

Dry: I'm amping the coconut, which is beautiful, and the orchid and vanilla. I could not love this sexy, slinky scent more. My grand slam out of the Neverwheres I've tried so far. 5/5

[DraloreShimare]

In the vial – Coconut and vanilla, with a very faint floral scent.

On the skin – The florals come more to the front, there’s a very faint undercurrent of fruit which I take to be peach and the black currant.

Dry - …Musky florals that stick around.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Vetiver and coconut with a bit of fruitiness. It’s very rich and deep, but a little sweet as well.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells of earthy coconut with a nutty overlay and a hint of sweet peach at the very top.

 

After a little while: This scent is a bit cloying on me. It’s sweet, syrupy peach over earthy coconut and resins. The florals kind of flit about, blending with the peach.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is very interesting and complex, with the peach and florals above and the coconut, vetiver and myrrh below. It blends into something almost creamy and fruity, but earthy and dark.

[lizardqueen]

This is sophisticated and soft on me. In the first hour after application, I get a good dose of coconut, but on me it's not the fake suntan oil coconut, it's just a nice, smooth coconut. The vetiver lurks in the background, and riding on top of that is a mix of the rest of the fruits and florals, which to my nose came out as a sort of lovely light wine scent.

 

After about an hour, I was still getting whiffs of the above from where I applied the scent on my neck, but on my wrists it's just about gone. However, if I put my nose close to my wrists I get a nice, soft vanilla peach scent. Makes me want to experiment with place of application, with slathering, with trying it in a scent locket.

 

Overall verdict: definitely a keeper!

[obsidienne]

I had very high hopes for this. The notes list, excepting for one thing, looked so enchanting and made of win. Unfortunately for me, that one note of doom, vetiver, ruins the day yet again. I think that I can smell a beautiful and incredibly light tropical scent, but leapfrogging over it and then stabbing me in my nose is vetiver. Why oh why can I not get the nice vetiver that others do?

 

This scent is incredibly faint to me, as well. I truly wish I could review this better, but I can't because the vetiver is all like, "HAI! It's me! Over here! Slicing your nostrils to smithereens! A-ha ha ha ha ha HA HA HA HAAAAAAA *hack hack*!"

 

I'm sure there is more to Lamia.

 

I just can't get at it. DRR.

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Peach, coconut, and what might be the scaaaary vetiver

 

Wet: Vanilla amber and coconut

 

Drydown: I guess I'm another one who gets a lot of vanilla and coconut

 

Overall: And it's barely there, now. Huh. It's still nice, don't get me wrong. But it's not at all what I was expecting. I'll hang on to it for a little while and give it another try, but not sure it's here to stay.

[grrrlennyl]

Lamia

 

On: This has a lot going on on me. Definitely peach and coconut with myrrh, but with a lot of other notes hanging around.

1 hour in: This smells burnt on me. Sweet, but with a burnt edge. Like marshmallows that have been singed over an open flame, but without the gooey sweet smell to make it worth it.

2 hours in: Still about the same, but a bit sweeter and with a powdery feel.

2.5 hours in: I really don't like this. Still kinda burnt, but with some lush flowers and sweetness, maybe with a touch of incense and wood.

Overall: This just isn't for me.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: vanilla amber and arabian musk with a bit of coconut and peach. There's an incensey oude and champaca note too. This is much lighter than expected. I was hoping for something that could rival romanti.goth in strength. I can tell orchid's there but it's obscured by the ignition and evaporation of the sweet and musk notes.

Drydown: the peach gets a little cloying then disappears, vanilla amber is slight. No currant or vetivert notable throughout the whole experience. The orchid leaves a slightly sour tinge and is left twined with the peach and coconut, but not in a good way. This is only if you're really paying attention... the whole mix is so light on my skin that I can barely tell I have perfume on. Kinda a bummer.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Dry coconut with dark, syrupy fruit.

 

On skin: Lamia is a fascinating and somewhat unsettling juxtaposition between dry and dusty, and sweet and slightly juicy. Coconut is the dominant base note, contributing a dry yet intense sweetness. When wet I can detect the juicy, almost syrupy currant and peach; after drydown, darker, dry and dusty notes begin to emerge -- it's quite complex but I can faintly pick out champaca, myrrh and vetiver, and maybe vanilla amber is contributing. Beneath all this is coconut, and indeed I find its sweetness a bit too overwhelming in this context. A full-bodied, dark feminine scent, balanced and well-blended, yet somehow manages to be unsettling. Colour impression is pure white slowly being overwhelmed by dark crimson and black-purple.

 

Verdict: I have a hard time describing Lamia -- she is very complex, simultaneously enticing and menacing. I haven't read Neverwhere, but I think this scent does work for the character. I'm still not sure what to think about this blend. Will have to keep testing to see if it grows on me.

[cuervosueno]

This starts out with coconut...not the suntan oil variety, but dried coconut meat with the husk still attached. Dry and not too sweet. I also get a light floral there, which is probably the orchid. Not much of anything else, but this is still appealing, and reminds me of one of the opal scents, though right now I'm not remembering which one (one has coconut, though, so it would be that one. Black opal?) I don't get vetiver at all. There is a faintly woody note that could be oude, and something faintly vanilla-esque which i guess is the vanilla amber. I like peach as a scent but don't it.

 

Overall this is nice, pretty, a dry and sophisticated coconut scent. I'm not crazy about coconut scents though, and when I want one I usually go for Obatala, so this isn't a keeper.