Limited Edition -- 2009 Anniversary Scents
At first, this starts out as a bright, light citrus, made sweet by rose. Alas, in the end, it morphs into generic cologne. Not much throw, but it lasts a long time...I just don't fancy smelling like generic cologne. Into the trade box with you!
Category: Excolo
In the imp, it's pretty light and unobtrusive...but once you lift that wand up and expose it to the air, it reaches out and latches onto your senses. It has a very sweet, almost candy-like scent to it, yet there's also an herbal touch to it.
As it goes on, it morphs rather dramatically again. To be quite honest, my first thought as it touched my skin was, "Oh god...it's mummy parts and wet jackal butt." Not exactly the most charming scent...and yet it seemed so appropriate, somehow, to the theme of this particular god...and don't worry, it gets better.
The scent becomes dry -- still pungeant, but there is a sandy sort of air to it. The incense and herbs are quite fragrant and there is the sweetness of the balsam all around the edges. This scent has a pretty healthy throw -- the first day I wore it I may as well have worn a sign that said "HEY, COME MEET ANUBIS!"
As time passes, the scent retains these same qualities, just with gradually-decreasing strength. The sweet tones are at times reminiscent of sacrificial wine, left in a bowl on an altar all day long.
Now, when I say that those rather unflattering components are appropriate, I mean that it really does conjure up funerary rites, an ancient temple, bandages scented with myrrh and packed with spices. It is *very* evocative.
I'm reluctant to set this scent aside, but ultimately I don't think it's for me. I would highly recommend it to any Egyptophiles, however, or to anyone who likes to conjure up a little sweet, dry decay now and then. And I definitely give it kudos for its strength and longevity.
What I liked: It's an incense scent with throw. And really, if I were to somehow meet this god, this is what he would smell like.
What I didn't like: Something is just off, and I don't know what it is! I'm really conflicted about it...I hate the thought of actually getting rid of it. It's not a bad scent by any means, it's just...not perfect for me, somehow.
Category: Limited Editions
Sort of funny...I got an imp of this in a swap from one person, and then a bottle in another swap, and for a while I thought I might have been lucky enough to have both versions of Libra, since they smelled so different!
In the bottle, it's a very sweet scent...fruit scents dominate, with florals sitting very humbly in the background. For a while I thought it was very sweet apple I might be smelling, but research revealed that the bottle is the 2007 version. So, I get to smell the sweet cherry and currant and plum, and it's suuuuuper nice there.
On my skin (and in the imp), however, things switch places. The fruit quickly retreats, and rose shoulders its way forward, with carnation acting as its adoring sidekick.
Thankfully, this version of rose isn't the kind that turns into MUA HA HA DIE on me, but it's still Rose Liek Whoa. It comes juuuust short of getting crazy a lot of the time...which, come to think of it, describes me rather well, too.
While not the sweet light fruity blend that I think I would have adored, this is still a pretty scent...not one for every day wear, but definitely one worth hanging onto and breaking out when I feel like basking in the wonderfulness that is Libra. (And we are quite wonderful, yes. *preen*)
A light, bright, cheerful peach scent. It actually reminded me a bit of Aglaia, only without the deep musk and amber notes that made it a little overpowering and cloying. This scent hugs the skin, doesn't give much throw, and seems to wear off fairly quickly, which is diappointing, but it's definitely a charming scent while it lasts.
A retail exclusive from Dark Delicacies
Definitely very fruity...it doesn't *quite* speak grapefruit to me...there's a spicy sort of side to it, like ginger, and a definite ultra-sweet syrupy gooeyness to it, too. It's a weird scent. It's also rather 'young' smelling, like the sort of perfume that would permeate some kind of glittery lip gloss geared toward teens. But, it was appropriate that this was released as part of a summer blockbuster series, because its light, sweet absurdity is perfect for hot, bright, sunny weather...or evoking that sort of atmosphere, should one need it.
Category: Picnic in Arkham
In the imp: HELLO I WILL BE YOUR CARAMEL SMELL FOR THE DAY
Wet: Still very strongly of caramel, mixed with chocolate...it was almost too overpowering, making me feel as if I had glutted myself on forbidden Halloween candy and eaten myself sick.
Dry: It morphs from the crazy 'wtf?'-inducing candy smell to something...else. I'm wanting to say 'musky', but I don't think that's the right word. Yet it doesn't smell like straight incense, or straight florals. To accurately describe it eludes me...but this is not to say that it is unpleasant, now. In fact, it's a really lovely odor.
Personally, I realized that the candy-like smell actually smelt a lot like the very dregs of burnt-out incense...I am wanting to say myrrh, simply because that's what I've burnt in my house before, and the 'memory' of smell that I have is from that. (And wouldn't myrrh be appropriate, in this case?) Once I realized this, I saw the perfume from an entirely different perspective -- that of smelling an area where a ritual took place, long after the fact, with just enough sweet, seductive malevolence to draw one's attention and keep it.
Verdict: It's a very interesting scent, which I find works on several different levels (especially since the obnoxious caramelness has toned down quite a bit in subsequent days of testing). I don't know if it demands bottle status in my collection, but the imp is definitely worth hanging on to.
What I liked: The caramel was okay, once it calmed the hell down. I like the ultimate end result. It seemed to have a little more throw than what I've been wearing lately, which was nice.
What I didn't like: Getting to that beautiful end result is a bit uncomfortable.
I will simply have to compare this to other 'incense' scents to see if I like anything better. It's not bad by any means, it just may be one of those scents that I'd only wear once in a while.
Category: Limited Editions -- Halloween 2008 -- Sleepy Hollow
I get a LOT of maple and oats out of this, with little side-hints of carrot. It's a delicious, pleasant, warm, comforting scent, but unfortunately the throw is minimal -- if there's musk, I really can't detect any -- and staying power is so-so. I will treasure what's left of my imp, but I don't feel that I need any more than that.
Category: Picnic In Arkham
In the imp: Wow. It really does smell like an old person's house. Like...cleanser and very artificial air fresheners trying to cover...something gross. Eeek.
This scent morphs quite a bit. When first applied, the florals are predominant, in an almost sickly-sweet way, though having them in open air on the skin does wonders for the geriatric-home smell. Then, there's pine, trees, woodsy scents...perhaps the moss as well. Definitely a sense of earth and loam and undergrowth there.
When dry...it actually smells a lot as if you'd come to a halt on a forest path, and were scenting the trees and ferns around you. I'm not familiar with Eastern US trees, but there's definitely a pine smell like Douglas Fir, cedar, redwoods...that's what it reminds me of.
I don't believe it's for me (and it didn't last long on me at any rate), but if you like nature scents perhaps you should give this a try.
I rather like the way that it morphs around, as it's an interesting phenomena. However, the florals are just too...artificial-seeming, to me. I compare them to something like Aeval or even Amsterdam, and they just don't stack up.
Category -- Bewitching Brews -- The Conjure Bag
This is a bright, intriguing blend that, yes, is full of courage and hope. Like many of my favorite plant scents, this one seems to come from the roots and stems and leaves of plants, rather than all the pretty frou-frou petaled parts. It's like sunlight and glowing sap. Really nice.
Category -- Bewitching Brews
I do smell coconut and orris. It's nice, but even with the musk, it's just so darned meek that I really can't put it on my list of keepers. Light throw, average longevity.
Category: Mad Tea Party
This smells like sweet, sticky, golden fruit preserves, seasoned with lots of ginger and perhaps a bit of cinnamon as well. Quite lovely! I think it lasted quite a while, as well.
This is a gorgeous floral blend -- like a big bouquet of freshly-cut flowers, all mingling together. I like my florals on the fresh, light, 'green' side, and would recommend this to others who are of the same mind.
Category: Wanderlust -- The Phantom Isles
Hmm, this is interesting. It smells like hot, smooth, black stones, with a hint of smokey charcoal (like that found in Brimstone)...and yet there's also an aquatic side to it as well, as if those stones make up the beach on a lonely island, or perhaps they're part of some natural jungle hot-springs spa. Some nice imagery there, if not as vivid as many others enjoy through this scent. This scent sticks close to the skin, and wears off after a few hours.
Category: Rappacini's Garden
Like many of the Garden scents, I find this one a very green, viney sort of scent. Up close on my skin, there's a more pungeant, earthy scent -- I can see where some people were getting the 'burnt tires' vibe! This doesn't have very much throw; it hugs my skin throughout the day. I actually sort of wanted to like this simply because so many people seem not to. It's decent, but not awesome enough for me to need to keep.
Limited Edition -- Halloween 2009 -- The Literary Vampires
At first whiff, it is a wet, resinous patchouli salted with clove and dragon's blood. There is even a slight sort of currant smell, that makes it almost pulpy for a second. Very lovely. This wears off in a flash, and is strong on clove. As dominant as this combination of scents sounds, it really doesn't express itself very much on me...it's more of an intimate scent to be experienced in furtive huffs. This is another one that I will probably end up trading away eventually, albeit very reluctantly.
Limited Edition -- Halloween 2009
Pretty much just black cherry candy, here. And that's while it lasts, which isn't terribly long...then it just dissipates to nothing.
Category: Discontinued Scents
I pretty much get patchouli from this, with a bit of lavender around the edges. Unfortunately, it didn't get any more complex than that on me. Will pass it on to someone else who can appreciate it more.
I do like that patchouli. This is saying something, since I'm used to suffering exposure to it via people who seem to bathe in that instead of hot water and soap. Usually, it tends to crawl up into my sinuses, summon little knife-wielding dervishes, and then dance back and forth up and down my nose. Normally, only pollen does that.
There are other incense-like scents in the GC that work better on me than this did, so I'm not too sad about it.
Category: Diabolus
In the imp: Strongly sweet and fruity.
Wet: Hellooooo Raspberry! It was incredibly strong and sweet, and, oddly enough made me think of 'generic candle smell'...that scent that most candles seem to have to me. I guess I've hung around a lot of berry-scented candles.
Dry: This was the part that has changed the most. I wore this every day for over a week, just because I *wanted* to try to like this scent, or at least give it a fair shake. Initially, it dried as pure raspberry -- sickly sweet and very 'childish', in that I felt like I was about 15 years too old to be wearing this scent. As the days passed, however, I noticed that there was more of a mingling of orange with the raspberry...that was actually a *lot* more pleasing to me. And today, I've noticed that the scent has grown sweeter still, like faint cherries, but unlike the raspberry, it isn't annoying.
Verdict: This scent just isn't for me. It's certainly not bad, and I would advise anyone who is initially put-off by it to give it a chance over time, particularly if you otherwise enjoy cherry-like scents. But there are other scents that I like a lot better.
I'll quit beating this dead horse (or imp) and put it away; perhaps I will think of someone else who would give it the love it deserves.
What I liked: The orange (when it briefly showed itself).
What I didn't like: The raspberry. Just too sickly-sweet for me.
Also, my skin just seems to eat up fruity scents. Waaah! So sad.
Category: Ars Moriendi
At first sniff, it's very green and a bit herbal; I definitely get the funeral boughs, as well as the dried stems of leftover, long-dead bouquets.
As it warms up, it does get a little bit sweeter, and more floral, in a very subtle way.
It has very little throw, and average staying power. If you enjoy piney scents, I'd say to give this a try.
There's a lot of white chocolate here, and after a few moments the violet peeks out. It's really lovely at first, but wears off all too quickly. Ah well.
Limited Edition -- Anniversary Scents
To me, this is a smokey scent -- like smokey musk. There is a bit of herbalness...the sweet basil lurking just beneath -- but for the most part I seem to get black pepper, smoke, and dust, and if the dragon's blood is there it's acting like incense for once, instead of being ultra-sweet as it usually manifests for me. This is a manly scent, but one that I don't mind wearing...I think I can decently rock it. Smoke, stone, and iron -- very fitting for this phoenix!
Category: Limited Editions -- The Salon -- April Fools
This...smells so familiar. And delicious. I think...I think it might be reminding me of that one magical time when I was wearing Fearful Pleasure, and it had that woody sarsparilla smell with just a hint of vanilla beans and other stuff...so hey, if cigars, coffee, and Irish creme is what makes it smell like that, FINE! There is definitely a smooth, woody tone pervading the sweetness throughout. As one reviewer noted, it does smell more like the mess left in the room afterward, as opposed to the actual doggy poker party itself...but that's fine by me. I think I need a bottle now.
Category: Excolo
For the most part, I don't get any sweetness from this, certainly not in a juicy cherry way like others have mentioned -- it's just spicy and warm. Granted, it's a pungeance that does have a bit of moistness to it, like rosemary oil, or when you crush sage leaves between your fingers...hmm, and I guess I can smell the plum, lurking around in the background there. So I guess there *is* a bit of sweetness there, but overall, to me, it's all herbs and drying fruit and a hint of incense.
Category: Bewitching Brews
In the imp: Patchouli and incense.
Wet: I'm thinking I detect mostly sandlewood -- it has a much lighter air to it than I thought it would. This scent never gets heavy or thick, like I'd thought that it would. The other notes are there on the edges and the overall fragrance is very nice.
Dry: As it dries, I would swear that it gets a bit of a gritty, smokey tone to it, like gunpowder. It's not bad by any means, though...it rather intrigues me. The scent is never overpowering, but it's pretty tenacious; I could smell it faintly on myself all day.
Verdict: I don't really need a bottle of it, but I'm also quite reluctant to get rid of my imp...so I'll hang onto it for a bit. This is another popular scent that I can admire, but not necessarily claim for my own. I'm intensely thankful that the patchouli behaved itself, as I figured if any blend was going to go all militant, obnoxious patchouli on me, this would be it.
What I liked: That cordite smell. Was kinda cool. Also, I'm slowly building trust for patchouli again.
Nothing that I didn't like, especially.
