Tulliver

This is another one I ordered on my first ever "update", and it's the one I was most excited about since the notes ALL struck just the right note with me. In the bottle: I can definitely smell the rose, cherry and fig with possibly a hint of the blackcurrant as well. This all bodes well, although there is something of a back-scent that seems a little alcoholic, which actually jars just a bit with the rest of it. Hmmm. Wet on my skin - my heart sank. Something in this is being VERY soapy on me, and not in a good way at all. I don't know what it is. I also still have the alcohol-like scent which is now unpleasant when combined with the soap. I suspect it's the cherry that's to blame since I get this when I first wear Phantom Calliope as well. Hmmm. Dry - THAT'S better. After around 15 minutes, both the soap and the alcohol are gone, to be replaced by a lovely rose scent (naturally since I have long known that I amp rose). But alongside that the cherry and fig are really rounding it all off. I don't THINK I get the honey, but the blackcurrant is providing a lovely, grounding, darker scent, and I THINK I get the carnation. Whatever it is, I'm liking it very much. This blend hasn't turned out to be my favourite of the Hallowe'en releases that I ordered (I expected it to be my favourite by FAR) and, initially, on trying it, my heart did sink somewhat - not least because I have another bottle on its way to me from an eBay auction. However, I'm now really glad I do have more coming to me. This really is lovely. Not an every day or every evening scent, but certainly lovely enough to be glad I'll have a goodly supply.

Oh wow. There are VERY few blends where, if patchouli is present, it doesn't make itself known to me. Samhain, however, seems to be one of them. Now, I love patchouli of any kind, so this might actually bother me. But it doesn't. Because there's SO much more to Samhain than just the patchouli, or lack of, and I'm SO glad that I still have time to get myself another bottle or two of this before it goes away. In the bottle it's a lovely earthy scent. I think I actually DO get the patchouli here, but only just. I definitely get the fir needles and a wonderful sweetness along with... I'd say it was menthol. It's not, but it's along those lines. Is that the mullein? I don't THINK so, but I can't imagine what else it might be. On the skin - Smoky, again with the menthol-like smell. It's strong but far from overpowering. In fact it's quite quite wonderful. Oddly... I think the clove is partly responsible for it maybe. I don't know what pumpkin smells like since I am possibly the only person in the world who's never been close enough to one to find out, and I've certainly never tasted one, but there's something there that just makes me think that must be it. Dried down - This is WONDERFUL. Never mind ordering a bottle or two, I'm getting a few. The leaves and the wood and the smoke and the apples (and still the mentholy scent which is actually gorgeous in combination with the rest). This IS Samhain - this is a walk in the woods with the dogs, kicking through leaves before going home to spiced drinks, carved - well, okay, pumpkins (although turnips are more traditional in England) - and games of duck- and bob-apple in front of the fire. All that's missing are the roasting chestnuts! I got this because I just wanted to see what the lab did with a concept such as Samhain, having only been involved in BPAL for about four weeks. Then I was highly frustrated when all my packages in transit were delayed by the post strike over here which went on longer in my part of the UK than in any other. This... is perfect. I'll be wearing this a LOT in the upcoming weeks Thank you, Beth, for bottling such wonderful images and memories.

I got this as a frimp from the wonderful - and scarily psychic - Wren08. I'm actually in the act of getting my Carnival Diabolique wishlist together since I'm determined to concentrate on that next year. This is on my list, but it's been moved up towards the top. In the vial I couldn't actually smell much but I THINK I finally realised what people mean by "aquatic" or "ozone". Fresh on though, it was a totally different matter. I SWEAR I can smell even the oil that's used to keep Kataniya's clockwork components lubricated. And it's hot AND cold. I CAN smell the spark that gives her life. It's hard to explain, but it's there. The florals are lovely, but they're definitely no more than the merest hint of softness. This is NOT a soft, girly scent. This has strength and attitude and a harsh element which is only slightly rounded by the florals. It's most definitely a unisex blend. This is SO different to a lot of the stuff I've smelled so far, but it's definitely a GOOD different. I love this. I haven't tried it out in public yet, but I know this will get comments and I really don't care whether they're good or bad. I've oooooohed, ummmmmed and aaaaaaahed over SO many blends since finally succumbing to the BPAL Siren song back in August, and there are blends I prefer in general, but this one actually has me excited! This one I GET. And I loveloveLOVE it.

This is very lovely indeed, if a little short-lived on me, sadly. I never get the cucumber scent once the oil has left the imp and got onto my skin. But the peony and sweet-pea are wonderful! The moss comes through very slowly as it dries, so the overall effect is a sweet, feminine floral that never goes off into the realms of saccharine-sweetness since it stays grounded by the moss. For such a delicate scent, and with such a short skin-life, it has an incredible throw while it does last. It's really extremely lovely. Definite whites and pale greens. Beautiful Annabel Lee indeed.

Oooh... very cherry indeed in the bottle, but I can smell the verbena in the background, too. On the skin wet - SOMUCHCHERRY! I like this, but I'm not sure if I like it in a perfume. It'd be a lovely room scent, though from what I'm getting so far. Drydown - Oooh. wow... still cherry, but it's died back a little and is letting the verbena back through along with something that... >.< is a teeny bit soapy. Let's hope this vanishes fairly soon. After an hour - The Soap has gone. The predominant scents here are definitely the cherry and verbena. This is another one of the oddities where the resident patchouli doesn't take over as it's often likely to do with me. Don't get me wrong, I DO like patchouli, of all varieties, a great deal. But it's nice to have the other scents be maintained instead. This is a very odd scent. It really doesn't smell at all as I expected although I'm not completely sure what I expected. I don't dislike it, and I will wear it, but not regularly. I still think this will be used as a room scent.

In the bottle, this is an almost insanely sweet caramel foody scent that actually made me recoil at first. Ehe. I am not a foody. I bought this to try and convince me otherwise. First impressions are NOT necessarily favourable. On the skin wet, it doesn't take long at all for this to calm down considerably. I still get the caramel scent, but others are coming up to beat it into submission now and it's all to the good, especially since this throw almost seems to be bouncing off the walls and straight back at me. Dry, it gets a bit more of its Subtle on - not that it really had any beforehand so it's not before time. The caramel is now more civilised and almost deliciously creamy since the vanilla is working it's Good Stuff. I can also get the cherries now, and oh GOD, the chocolate... 2 hours later - this is still there but has died back a fair bit. I ALMOST didn't test this once I'd sniffed it in the bottle. It was only because I'd bought the bottle that I persevered. The verdict? I'm still most definitely NOT a foodie - but there's always an exception to the rule. I like this a GREAT deal and can easily see me wearing it semi-regularly. It's lovely! *loves on the Groundhog*

Like Usamimi said, this isn't just the rose, this is the the entire rose garden. How stunningly beautiful, simple, noble and adult. There is nothing of the rosebud about this. However neither is there anything of the over-opened bloom at the end of its life. I have the '05 version of it which is, apparently, slightly different from the '04. This is a perfect rose - and it couldn't be anything BUT red, from the scent - complete with stem, leaves, dew and perhaps just one or two thorns. It's that simple, that complex and that utterly perfect. There is no sweetness to it. There is just "rose". I'm at a loss for a great deal of coherent comment about it actually, but I think that just says a lot about its impact on me. I shall be wearing this a great deal.

I have no idea what's in this. None whatsoever. Florals? Definitely. Spices? I'm almost certain. Fruits? Definitely maybe if you're looking at the berries/plums types of fruit. Aquatics? I have no idea what they're even supposed to smell like, but okay. I can see where it comes in, I think. Musk? Possibly, but I'm more inclined towards a light vanilla, I think. Basically, I have no idea. But this blend as a whole just mixes perfectly and smells absolutely gorgeous on me. The throw is more than adequate, and it lasts. Oh MY, it lasts. I could still smell it eight hours later, which delights me beyond words. It's all pinks and whites in my head, which is perfect in relation to the story of the dancing lady. It also has darker red/purple elements too, though, which makes it such an opulant lush experience. I love it. I can say nothing negative about it whatsoever. I took a chance and got a bottle of this when I had the opportunity. I thought that, even if it didn't like me I'd easily be able to swap it for something else. Needless to say I'm keeping the bottle. *snuggles it*

Ooooh, this is my Mina. This is MY Mina. I find it very hard to be totally coherent about this one because it's just SO perfect. I wanted to love this, I was prepared for heartbreak, but she surpassed all my hopes in one glorious burst of smoky hyacinth. It's bright, it's light, it's a VERY proper Victorian lady with the ever-present STUNNING hyacinth backed up by the merest hint of tea rose and very faint blackcurrant. But there IS that delicious wanton undertone to her which works so very very well. In fact I'd had the scent on for a while and a friend asked what it was. So I told her and she had a closer sniff and picked out the smoky "undertow" to it, which I actually couldn't smell at the time. It's beautiful. Utterly and totally beautiful. My ambition in life now - well, one of them ehehehe - is to gather just as much of this to me as I possibly can.

Lovelylovelylovely. This started off in the bottle and wet on my skin as almost completely pure rosemary. Such a lovely scent and always puts me in a Shakespeare frame of mind. However, this is Poe so... On dry down, the jasmine and lily scents come through beautifully, while the rosemary never actually leaves but just frames the other two. There is an EVER so subtle musk scent which gets slightly stronger as time goes on but it's never overpowering. I can't quite get the poppy - at least I don't think so, and I get no mossy scent from it either which in a way is a shame, but what I DO get is quite lovely enough that it doesn't matter too much. It's a light scent on me. I've noticed one or two mention its heaviness, but I get none of that at all. All I know is, two hours later, I cannot stop smelling my wrist. The throw's not major on this, but the scent sticks in close to the skin and lasts beautifully. I love this blend. That is all.

This does not like me. This does not like me at all. I was a little hesitant to try it, to be honest, because of the milk, but I thought "nothing ventured, nothing gained". And I do like the other ingredients. But the milk with the grape... not good on my skin. *shudders* It smells sickly and even the honey and fig and other notes of Glory can't fight their way through enough to save it. Ah well, off to swaps with it, I think.

This was my first ever venture into the grown-up world of 5ml bottles, courtesy of Nomie. In the bottle: This is a wonderful blend of florals. The lilac and honeysuckle are definitely noticeable along with a hint of the lily. No rose yet, which is strange since I can generally pick it out very quickly. It's a strong but not overpowering scent. On the skin: Wet - Beautiful. Strikingly floral, although I'm finding it difficult to pick out individual notes, even knowing what's in here. It's just all swirly and lovely and floral. I don't get the vanilla yet, though the florals DO have a very slight creamy hint to them which could be that. It also has a really good throw from my wrist (at keyboard height) to my nose. Dry - Ooooh... florals. MAD florals. Not over-sweet though, which is lovely and somewhat surprising given the presence of the vanilla. I think I have the rose. I definitely have the honeysuckle and amber. The rest is just an incredibly lovely blend. I hope this one has some staying power. After 1 hour: Beautiful creamy floral. The vanilla and amber are doing their work now and are the strongest notes with the florals just taking the edge off them a little. It's not possible to pick out separate florals at this stage. They've blended incredibly well into a gloriously-scented bouquet. This is fairly faint on the skin, but has a wonderful throw. I can smell it pretty much all the time. After 3 hours: Still definitely there but naturally faded now. In fact, I could be imagining it, but I think it still has a throw. It's like a creamy vanilla with just a hint of "more" at the edges. It's a lovely scent on its own and this could just have made it into my top 10 so far. Scent: Wet - 3.5/5, Dry - 4/5 Durability: 4/5 I'm delighted that my first foray into 5ml bottles got me such a truly lovely scent. This WILL be used and loved.

Oh my. Oooooooooh my. Hmmmm. Depraved. Right. *shakes self* In the Vial: Sweetened patchouli. I already have great hopes for this one since I adore patchouli and it's most definitely loud and proud here. On the skin: Wet - Patchouli explosion! This is heady and heavenly. I'm seduced already. And yet I've sampled many scents with patchouli in over the past couple of weeks. I need more. Dry - And THERE is my "more". The apricot's risen to straddle the patchouli and it matches MAGNIFICENTLY! I'd never have thought it. These two scents are so incredibly good together. After 1 hour: It's fading already. Bah. And yet, I have a feeling that some things are going to be FAR more important than how long it lasts on my skin. The incredible, superb scent for one. After 3 hours: It's all but gone, sadly. And yet, not sadly, since it just means I'll need to reapply more often or wear it in a scent locket. Problem? WHAT problem? This and Umbra are my "manleh" scents of choice. Scores: Scent: Wet - 3/5, Dry 4.5/5 Durability: 1.5-2/5 Bottle? Ooooh, I think I must. Several.

I'm beginning to realise that, while certain notes work on me, they work less well when combined with certain others. Two of those scents are patchouli and vetiver, both of which I ADORE, but generally not together, I've worked out in the past couple of weeks. Umbra though... Umbra is different. Not at first. When it's wet on the skin I get that sense of almost revulsion from it as the patchouli and vetiver stamp all over everything else in a fight for dominance. But... oh my. Then it dries down. And it all goes wonderful. Cinnamon is another scent that is generally very strong on me, but it's VERY faint here, probably beaten into submission by the patchouli and vetiver. But these two also now blend gorgeously together. I think the cedarwood must be acting as some sort of glue and dampener on them. This is lovely. Very earthy, VERY masculine and extremely sexy. This is going on my "Upgrade, plz!" pile.

I first read of Anne Bonny's exploits - albeit a slightly sanitised version - when I was about 7 years old. I've loved her ever since, so this one was definitely always going to be on my first ever order even if it hadn't been recommended to me. In the vial: Yes, yes and yes. All three main notes can be detected, definitely distinct but they're still beautifully blended together and there's no sense of a struggle for dominance by any of them. On the skin: Wet - These truly do mix together fantastically. All three can definitely be picked out, but I need to concentrate to detect each one separate from the others. It's a swirl where you can just pick out little bits of individual scents amidst the general glorious grouping. Dry - Ah, now. The patchouli is starting to come slightly the fore as patchouli often seems to like to do on me, but the frankincense is definitely present not far behind. The sandalwood seems to be holding them together, restraining the patchouli slightly while shoring up the frankincense, which I don't normally get this early on. Gorgeous. After 1 hour: Still a good blend of all three ingredients although softened now. The throw still reaches me without having to lift my arm all the way to my nose. This is a lovely scent. Definite creaky timbers here, but with a sweetness running through it which is definitely softening. After 3 hours: Quite faded. It's now time to refresh it. Mainly patchouli now, with just the hint of the sweetness of frankincense like an echo. I don't think the sandalwood has survived this far, but it's difficult to say since it's just slightly too faint to tell for sure. Scores! Scent: Wet - 3/5, Dry - 3/5 Durability: 3.5/5 Bottle? Oh yes. I can see me reaching for this one more regularly than not. It's a wonderful daytime scent that still wouldn't be completely out of place of an evening, given the setting.

This was a frimp from the Lab with my first imp order. I was delighted to get it since "Dragon's Blood" meant absolutely nothing to me beforehand. Anyway... In the vial: Strong smell in the vial. Hard to detect separate scents, but I think I got the Dragon's Blood and the myrrh. Myrrh because I know it. Dragon's blood because I've never smelled it before, and that's EXACTLY what I'm smelling now. On the skin: Wet - Yes, I think it's the dragon's blood I can smell. Cinnamon too so that'll be the cassia, and a hint of myrrh. This is lovely rich scent. I like it. I like it very much so far. Dry - Oh, the cinnamon's getting stronger, and I'm loving the scent of the dragon's blood. And I smell fruit - the pomegranate and some residue from the dragon's blood perhaps. No musk or patchouli yet, which is odd since both of those tend to make their presence known VERY quickly on me. But then it's a complex blend. And there's cinnamon, which also tends to shout loudly whenever it meets my skin. VERY enjoyable so far. 1 hour later: This has faded a LOT. All I have now is a faint scent of cinnamon. It might just be strong enough to still be there in two hours, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had completely gone. I'm finding this happens with a few of the scents. I have a feeling my acid perspiration might be to blame. Bah. 3 hours later: All that's left now is a faint-but-still-JUST-detectable scent of cinnamon. It would seem that I amp cinnamon even more than I do rose, since the cinnamon tends to kill just about anything else in its proximity stone dead. At least the roses have the manners to step back a bit and let the other stuff through eventually *grins* So, scores... or Tully Tallies, is that's not TOO daft. Actually, it is. Let's stick with scores *lol* Scent: Wet - 3.5/5, Dry - 3.5/5 Durability: 1.5/5 Bottle? Possibly, but I'd need to wear it in a locket for it to really last. It's more than agreeable enough to do that, though.

Oh, this is a strange little bunny. I've tried it three or four times now, and every single time it's been completely different on me. The only thing that doesn't change is how it is in the vial, and that's heavy and almostsoverynearlybutnotquite oppressive. It's dark, it's bitter, it's almost off-putting On the skin - well I simply can't say WHAT it's like except to say that it does odd little - and NOT so little - morphing tricks with my skin each time I wear it. What I CAN say is that each time, the almost off-putting element of it vanishes within a moment or two of applying. This, in any of its incarnations, is a scent I would enjoy wearing. For instance, the first time I tried it it was all patchouli, a goodly bit of myrrh, hardly any ylang ylang and no clove whasoever. Now, though, it's myrrh and ylang ylang. And last time I tried it, the clove scent was delightful. So it's hard to say. All I WILL say is that if you find you don't like it the first time round, give it a day or two - it doesn't need any longer than that - and try it again. You may well be surprised.

In the vial: GORGEOUS! Fruity and floral and dark and heavy. I have plums and berries. I have violet and gardenia. I have opium lurking in the background. Lush, rich and corrupt. This better live up to its promise. On the skin: Wet - Ahhhhh... magnificent. Just as I said, fruity and floral and dark and heavy. And WHAT a throw when wet. Don't let me down now! I have the highest of hopes for this. Dry: Lilac. BEAUTIFUL lilac. But so subtle. The fruits can be smelled, too. And the gardenias and opium are ever-present, slightly further back than the other scents, but still there. After 1 hour: It's almost gone. All that's left is the faintest hint of floral berries. That's a crime. Such an incredibly beautiful scent... After 3 hours: This one has broken my heart. I love it. I adore it with every fibre of my being, but it just has no staying power on my skin. I can see a LOT of money being spent on 5ml bottles of this. It's just too exquisite for me to give up on. Another one for the scent locket, I feel (when that arrives). Scent: Wet - 4.5/5, Dry - 4.5/5 Durability: 0.5/5 Bottle? With most scents this short-lived there'd be no chance. But this is special. I have to have it. So yes.

I wanted to like this. I wanted to LOVE this. In the vial: Mildew! Dear lord, this is liquid mildew! That's really NOT a good thing at all. On the skin: Wet - Still mildew. That sort of takes over really. It's SUCH a strong smell that I really can't get anything else at all. It actually makes me physically recoil. Dry: Mildew could be receding, but it's still there. A lot. The scent that's coming through alongside it... smells a bit sickly sweet. Not sure if I like it but, in fairness, I'm still in a bit of shock, heee. After 1 hour: I still can't get past the mildew smell. It's faded slightly (in general), but still strong enough after an hour. The background perfume has a slight menthol quality to it - this scent could contain vetivert, perhaps. That usually works on me, but not always and, if it IS vetivert, then not here. I can't say I'm fond of it. Intrigued maybe, but not fond. After 3 hours: The scent is still there (why can't Blood Countess or Darkness last this long on my skin???), and I must say the mildew has gone. I don't DISLIKE the perfumey scent that's left behind, but it's really nothing even remotely special. Maybe a little citrusy in a washroom soap way? So, like I say, I wanted to like this for all reasons spine-tingly, Goth-horror-y, Victoriana-y and everything else related-y. However... Scent: Wet - 0/5, Dry - 0.5/5 Durability - 3/5 Bottle? Noooooooooooooooooooo. Not for me. I won't even be keeping the vial.

Okay. I added this to my first order since its title is the same as something I'm cowriting with a friend and it's something we both have great hopes for. ANYWAY! In the Vial: Frankincense seems to dominate in the vial, but myrrh is in no way absent. I like incense smells... I like this. On the skin: Wet - Pleasant. VERY slight hint of bitterness, but not badly so. It works well and the two main components are blending like they were born to it. Dry: NICE blend. Very nice. The sweetness of the frankincense stays at the back of the nose for just a brief second but neither scent is really dominant over the other. This is just like a really delightful swirl where you get hits of one and then the other but they share the attention. After 1 hour: Still very nice. Frankincense is now very much the main note, myrrh acting as the "support" as it were. It works extremely well. A little faded, but not much. After 3 hours: Given that a lot of the other blends I've tried so far have faded on me sometime between 2 and 3 hours, this is still surprisingly strong. Naturally it's not "freshly applied"-strong, but it's a GOOD scent after three hours and still clearly frankincense, although I think the myrrh's receded now. Never mind. I'm delighted that it's still so very "THERE". Scores! Scent: Wet - 2.5/5, Dry - 3/5 Durability: 4/5 Bottle? Very possibly

Bottled gloom; the essence of oblivion. Blackest opium and narcissus deepened by myrrh. In the Vial: I smell myrrh. I think that's ALL I smell. It's certainly all I'm certain of. There's a sweetness that's not the myrrh, but it's definitely not floral either. Perhaps it's the opium, I wouldn't know. It's lovely, though. And a slight smokiness to it, too. On the skin: Wet - Oh, nice! Understated and elegant. Definitely have the myrrh scent. I'm still not sure on the others, but the sweetness is definitely there. Dry: Hmmm. Fades as it dries. I'm hoping the myrrh might be able to turn it round like it seems to have done with other scents for me. Ironic as it may seem, I am thinking this would be a perfect scent for funerals, but not in any morbid way. It has an elegance as I've already said, but it doesn't leap out and grab you. It's far too well behaved for that. SOMBRE! That's the word I was looking for. Sombre, but not in a bad way. I do like this scent a great deal. After 1 hour: I am distraught! This stunningly beautiful, highly evocative scent does not seem to have any staying power. I keep thinking I'm getting wafts of it, and perhaps I am and I just can't pick it up from my skin. I hope so anyway. But it's so gorgeous. The narcissus is perfect. The myrrh is wonderful and what MUST be the opium might very well become an addiction. After 3 hours: It simply didn't last. It was all but gone by the time the two hour mark came round, which is upsetting. However, it's a scent I simply have to have in my collection, always. It's that beautiful, and I don't mind that I'll have to replace it fairly frequently. Then again, what are perfume lockets for? *grin* BUT! My scoring system. Scent: Wet - 2/5, Dry - 4.5/5 Durability: 1/5 Bottle? Oh yes. ALWAYS!

In the Vial: I got mainly myrrh and rose with a very slight hint of the ylang ylang in the background. No musk though, which I thought was odd since I tend to pick up on musk fairly quickly. But then I've discovered recently that my skin REALLY loves to amp rose. On the skin, wet: Fresh on the skin and it's ROSE!!!!! with myrrh and ylangylang waving on from the background. I did mention how I amp rose, didn't I? Not that I mind over much since it's a scent I do love. Dry: The rose has receded a little and let the myrrh and ylang ylang through now, which is wonderful since they work incredibly well together. I still get no musk though, which is honestly very very odd. I don't amp musk so much, but I do seem to retain it along with a couple of other scents. Its abscence is somewhat intriguing. After 1 hour: It's faded a little bit, but not too much. The myrrh seems to have receded slightly and the main notes now are the attar of rose and the ylang ylang. I THINK I'm now finally getting a little of the musk through, too. This... is utterly beautiful. After 3 hours: I can still smell this without moving my arm up to my face. I keep getting the most glorious wafts of it while I type. I still can't get a lot of musk here, but I'm guessing that's why it's lasting so long. The musk is anchoring it to me somehow. What I can smell is gorgeous. Attar of rose and ylang ylang. You know, I haven't tested that many scents at all, but the way I feel about this one, I may just be very lucky and have found "MY" scent. I adore this. I have nothing negative to say about it whatsoever. In fact, I could STILL smell it, although barely, fifteen hours after applying it. I like MANY of the scents I've tried, but this one is in a class of its own. It's utterly perfect for me and I can't recommend it enough.

Ahhh, thank you. I knew I'd have been asking a stupid question. And I DID read that when I first joined, but I read so much that it had completely fled my mind. Thanks for your VERY patient reply.

I've just received my first imps order from the lab, so I'm feeling fairly squeeful and simply bemoaning the lack of enough flesh to test them all at once! However, one of the free imps I got with my order was for Ra. So I tried to find it on here and also on the Lab's site, just to see what was said and, hopefully, to get reviews. But it didn't show up, either here or at the Lab. I used the search function both times. Can anyone shed any more light on it for me? Sorry if this is a stupid question and the answer is stunningly simple. In mitigation I'm still fairly shiny new.

In the vial the rose scent was actually overpowered by the frankincense. I didn't mind TOO much since I'm a fan of incense-y scents anyway, since I use a lot of it at home and have done for years. On the skin - wet: WOW! The minute it touched my skin the rose scent just exploded out of it. I mean it was EVERYWHERE. I only put a teeny bit on my forearm to test it, but it was almost engulfing. And it was incredibly beautiful. After 10 minutes - Somebody earlier mentioned Rose Turkish Delight, and I have that. It's not bad - but if it stays like this, then it's not a scent I'd wear to go out. Definite room scent material though. It is very lovely. After 30 minutes - Oh... now the frankincense is coming back and the rose is receding just a little bit. Oh now... this IS special, and in a very good way indeed. After 2 hours - This is a stayer. In every sense of the word. It stays on my skin, it stays in the room, and it DEFINITELY stays on my order list, just upgraded to 5ml. This is STUNNINGLY beautiful. It will be an excellent pacifying scent - I suffer from chronic anxiety depression. It's just SO soothing and I think it could also become an invaluable aid to meditation and/or just "quiet" times.