TUM

Wet: Grape candy! There's a bit of a dry herbal note to it as well.

Drydown: the grape smells like bubblegum. The herbal note, whatever it could have been, has almost gone, but there's a tinge of it left that's keeping the grape note from being too overwhelming. It's almost got a wine-like quality to it at this point, but it's subdued.

This is an odd blend! It's not sweet, but it's not purely herbal either. I'm just confused. This is one I'd get if I were to use it with ritual connotations rather than to wear as perfume.

AGLAEA

Wet: Fruity fruit fruit. Very candy-like pear.

Drydown: This is still very sweet. The wine/pear & floral notes are almost penicillin-tangy on me, but not too tart and not too sickly, sticky sweet. As it dries, more of the floral notes come in and make it even more tolerable, which is odd since floral blends usually turn me off. It's just so cute! Not something I could see wearing, but totally something I'd pass off to my 15 year-old neice.

SLOTH

Wet: Super heavy, thick vetiver

Drydown: the myrrh appears, and brings with it a bit of a spicy punch. the myrrh is also intensely heavy, and adds a slightly bitter quality to the blend. This is heavy & dark, definitely embodies the qualities of sloth. It does soften quite a bit as it dries, and isn't as toxic smelling as you'd think (for those anti-vetiver people in the crowd). It's nice if you like darker, resin-based blends.

BLUEBEARD

Wet: Violet, just a hint of vetiver and a tiny wisp of lavender

Drydown: surprisingly, the vetiver has been overpowered by the violet! I love violet so much, but it tends to not stand out so much against heavier notes, so this is a nice surprise! It's much softer & prettier than I thought it would be. It is much sweeter than you'd expect for a scent named after a mean jerkyface.

If you like Ultraviolet or The Raven, you'll really love this one too.

GAUEKO

Wet: funky, damp lavender.

Drydown: whoa! the lavender is still there, but it's blended into a smokey, hazy aura of wonderful aroma that I just want to get lost in (sorry for ending a sentence with a preposition; Gaueko made me do it!). I guess it's the nag champa that's the main note that I'm picking out, and the lavender adds a curious sweetness to it, which I am in total love with. I think I may need a bottle of this!

HELLFIRE

Wet: Sweet, gooey pipe tobacco

Dry: The tobacco note becomes sweeter & nicer & a bit drier as it sits on the skin. There's also just a faint aroma of hot, sweet leather, which I totally love in almost every blend. It's a total guy smell, but I think that's part of the appeal. I just want to snuggle with it.

UTRENNYAYA

Wet: soft pretty floral mixed with mint

Drydown: the mint loses most of its power pretty quickly, but the floral notes are there to pick up the slack. there's just a touch of rose, which isn't overwhelming, and an overall soft, pretty, and cool & glittering. Very nice.

REGAN

Wet: soft, floral vanilla

Drydown: soft, rich, vanilla with just a bare hint of a floral note. It's not necessarily a foody vanilla, more of a true vanilla scent overlaid with a light, sweet floral.

already own 5mL

KYOTO

Wet: sweet, soft anise

Drydown: the cherry blossom is pretty faint, and is overall it's like a softer version of Kabuki, which is a blend I love to wear. The combination of the anise + cherry blossom produces a soft pink, but slightly metallic smelling combination. It's really pretty, but I prefer the heavier in-your-face cherry note in Kabuki.

BAYOU

Wet: wet, heavy, sweet floral notes... magnolia? a bit ozoney/aquatic

Drydown: the floral notes fade away, and this starts to smell more and more aquatic as it dries. Not a category I favor; it smells a little too artificially "fresh" to me, and a bit sharp. It's not bad if you like ozone-fresh-aquatic blends, but I typically can't wear them, and this is no exception.

Winners of this batch: Gaueko & Bluebeard!