hkhm

I am the ancient apple-queen. As once I was so am I now -- For evermore a hope unseen Betwixt the blossom and the bough. Ah, where's the river's hidden gold! And where's the windy grave of Troy? Yet come I as I came of old, From out the heart of summer's joy. The Roman festival for Pomona, Goddess of fruit, orchards, and gardens, was celebrated on November 1. On this day, the stores amassed during summer were opened for winter. Azaroles, nuts, and apple blossoms with red apple pulp, mulberry, blackberry, and pomegranate juice. bottle: very warm and lightly fruity. apple with a nice whiff of berries and nuts. wet: this has a very slight boozy feel when applied but it's mostly a fresh apple and warm, roasted nut scent. the berries are indistinct but i can smell them. dry: this dries to wonderful rich red apples and very faint nuts and berries.

Plum blossom, vanilla sandalwood, nutmeg, and wild rice. bottle: this is very, very sweet plum blossom. wet: this is all plum blossom heaven with a nice swirl of that vanilla sandalwood. there is a hint of spice which might be the nutmeg (though it doesn't really smell nutmeg-ish). dry: the plum blossom fades but the lovely vanilla sandalwood scent remains. along with whatever that nice spicy hint is. heady and beautiful.

The observer's space within a partial eclipse. Rich purple musk, moonflower, red sandalwood, black amber, oakmoss, copal, lavender, neroli, tobacco, and pomegranate. bottle: this smells herby, lavender and oakmoss. wet: lovely. the sandalwood amber and musk warm the herby oakmoss scent. dry: this dries to an ambery oakmoss with a hint of sweetness. keeper.

Kindness begets kindness. Holy hyssop, red apple, massoia bark, and pomegranate with eight different types of honey that represent the sweetness of life and new beginnings. bottle: very sweet, rich honey with a hint of fruit and hyssop. wet: this is very sweet. it's a fruity honey scent without being specifically fruity and the honey (for once!) is behaving on my skin, not going too sweet or weird. dry: getting a lot more hyssop as this dries, very sweet hyssop over golden honey and light, sweet fruit. gorgeous!

SNAP-DRAGON-FLY `Look on the branch above your head,' said the Gnat, `and there you'll find a Snap-Dragon-fly. Its body is made of plum-pudding, its wings of holly-leaves, and its head is a raisin burning in brandy.' `And what does it live on?' `Frumenty and mince pie,' the Gnat replied; `and it makes its nest in a Christmas box.' Plum pudding, holly, and brandy-soaked raisin with frumenty, mince pie, and a hint of suet. imp: very softly plummy. wet: very plummy and spicy-sweet! there is a hint of pastry as well. dry: this smells almost exactly like mince pie with plums mixed in once dry. i think i will be needing a bottle.

A month of bounty, when the fish are plentiful and the corn grows high. This is the scent of breezes passing over the Great Lakes, mingling gently with traditional lunar herbs. Sandy shores and sweet fresh water, lichen, green algae, and whitestem pondweed, with benzoin, cyclamen, moonlit musk, cucumber, blue poppy, and agave. bottle: a very, very sweet green scent. this is much more fresh water feeling than aquatic. probably the cucumber. wet: this reminds me a bit of both green phoenix and garden path with chickens. it has that same sweet, grassy scent. dry: the grassy feel/scent fades quickly but the overall green feel remains. a surprisingly long weartime on my skin.

Spiced Satsuma orange, tangerine, rich amber, black licorice, teak, cinnamon, and vetiver. bottle: spicy orange and light smoke. wet: rich, ambery orange. the spices are very tame, making this seem like a nice spiced chai with orange. the vetiver is pretty light on my skin. dry: the orange fades a bit but the spicy amber scent endures for a while. very nice.

Rice powder, osmanthus, rose geranium, magnolia, khus, and chestnut. bottle: a light, sweet soft nut scent. wet: i get no rose geranium or magnolia strangely. what i do get is a warm, sweet nut scent with a teesny touch of osmanthus. dry: this fades to something soft and sweet, almost powdery sweet, and dry. not exactly nutty any longer, it is still warm and rich.

'Tis the voice of the sluggard; I heard him complain, "You have waked me too soon, I must slumber again." As the door on its hinges, so he on his bed, Turns his sides and his shoulders and his heavy head. "A little more sleep, and a little more slumber;" Thus he wastes half his days, and his hours without number, And when he gets up, he sits folding his hands, Or walks about sauntering, or trifling he stands. I pass'd by his garden, and saw the wild brier, The thorn and the thistle grow broader and higher; The clothes that hang on him are turning to rags; And his money still wastes till he starves or he begs. I made him a visit, still hoping to find That he took better care for improving his mind: He told me his dreams, talked of eating and drinking; But scarce reads his Bible, and never loves thinking. Said I then to my heart, "Here's a lesson for me," This man's but a picture of what I might be: But thanks to my friends for their care in my breeding, Who taught me betimes to love working and reading. Pious frankincense, angelic gardenia, unsoiled pear, and staunch ho wood conflict with prickly, overgrown thistle, idle labdanum, and lethargic lavender. Parodied in 'Tis the Voice of the Lobster. imp: soft, sweet gardenia and pear. there's a nice soft woodsy scent as well. wet: as usual, gardenia flares up strong and sweet. but it tames pretty quickly and makes this a very strong gardenia pear scent. i can also get a whiff of the lavender every once in a while. it's like that last part of the scent that leaves my nose, the scent of sun-warmed lavender in the distance. dry: this is almost like flower candy once dry. the gardenia has dried to something candy sweet (i suspect the pear played a role) and the woods are more noticable (though very subdued). still that faint waft of lavender in the background. nicer than expected.

Vanilla-infused amber, leather, beeswax, cyclamen, oakmoss, peru balsam, orange blossom, red ginger, tonka, opoponax, myrrh, and black pepper. bottle: whoa! fiery! i get the ginger and amber most prominently. wet: there is so much going on in this scent, it's difficult to pinpoint notes. i can really smell the ginger and orange blossom above the amber but i keep getting faint hints of leather and beeswax. the overall feeling of this scent is jagged and bright. dry: this dries to a potent amber and spice scent, it's not quite as gingery once dry, more spicy and smooth with wafts of the opoponax, myrrh & black pepper. amazing.

Vanilla, red ginger, oakmoss, palm date, and oud. bottle: i'm getting vanilla, ginger and date. this is pleasantly sweet-smelling. wet: what a change. now i'm getting ginger and moss with a tiny smidgen of the oud. dry: the ginger fades a bit while the moss stays a bit more constant. the vanilla also re-appears to make this a little more creamy sweet on the drydown.

Coconut, white amber, hazelnut, and anise. bottle: coconut & hazelnut. wet: beautiful. a sweet blend of coconut and hazelnut touched with a tiny hint of anise. the amber is just tying the whole thing together and just sings on my skin. dry: as this dries, the notes blend perfectly. it's a smooth, lightly-nutty blend that i will wear all spring.

Soft moss, vanilla musk, and cherry blossom. bottle: i'm getting mostly cherry blossom on first sniff. the moss is more of an afterthought here. wet: very nice. the moss is much stronger once applied, mixing beautifully with the cherry blossom. i'm not getting anything in the way of vanilla musk though. dry: this dries to a soft moss and very light floral scent. it is less cherry blossom-ish than, say, hanami but still very nice.

TEATIME IN ROSWELL Weather balloon? No. An alien autopsy, A cover story. In July of 1947, the US Air Force recovered the crash debris of multiple alien spacecrafts from a ranch close to Roswell, NM. Several aliens survived, but many perished. Both the living and the dead extraterrestrials were transported, in secret, to Hangar 18 at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, along with the flying saucer wreckage. The US government performed a quick, efficient cover-up: witnesses were silenced, and a press release was issued the next day claiming that the fallen craft was a weather balloon. Aliens at high tea: Earl Grey, biscuits, Battenberg cake, and strangely-glowing cucumber sandwiches. bottle: very sweet (yet light) cucumber, tea and faint cake. wet: yummy! a nice cucumber cake scent. very light and fresh. the tea is somewhat faint but i catch pleasant wafts of it now and again. dry: i get a more bread-y (i suppose "biscuit-y") scent as this dries, less cake-y sweet. the cucumber is very soft. lovely.

Hail to thee, O Nile! Who manifests thyself over this land, and comes to give life to Egypt! Come and prosper! Come and prosper! O Nile, come and prosper! O you who make men to live through his flocks and his flocks through his orchards! Come and prosper, come, O Nile, come and prosper! Akhet: the advent of the rising of the Nile floods -- the heart of the fertility and prosperity of Egypt. As Sirius climbs the horizon, Hapi begins to collect the tears of Isis, causing the waters of the Nile to rise. As the flood ebbed, the waters left a rich, black silt that was integral to the fecundity of the land. Sweet, black silt mingled with holy myrrh, melilot, hyssop, spikenard, balsam, cedar, and a hint of melting snow from the Abyssinian hills. bottle: very sweet, moist dirt. wet: i get a bit of myrrh as this warms on my skin, myrrh over dirt is lovely and warm. there are some sharp florals in the background, but they do rather enhance this scent. the snow must be the watery, moist feel of this blend. dry: this is the most beautiful dirt scent. not as dusty and dry as zombi, or simple dirt like graveyard dirt. the flowers are a lovely soft backdrop once dry.

Apple blossom, champaca, fir needle, cistus, myrrh, Peru balsam, and Tan Xiang. bottle: mostly champaca with a touch of myrrh and a bit of sweet apple blossom. wet: there is a rich, creamy woody/piney note with the champaca now, the apple blossom has vanished though. dry: the apple blossom has resurfaced! this has a rich woody feel with the sweet softness of light flowers. this is a beautiful early spring scent.

Mandarin, black tea, yuzu, tuberose, labdanum, tonka, neroli, ambergris, and lime peel. bottle: i get mostly tea and citrus. it's most likely the yuzu. wet: this is heavy on the citrus and neroli, it's now more lime than yuzu and i'm getting a pleasant whiff of tonka. dry: this dries to a mix of the different citrus scents and a light tea scent.

i got this as a freebie with my latest ebay winnings from the lab. it's a light fruit and spice scent with touches of greenery. it's hard to tell precisely as i keep making little clouds and then walking through them trying to get impressions. it's a very nice room scent, not overpowering or cloying.

bottle: this has a deep aroma, almost like a musk with an undertone of something fruity. wet: something lightly spicy is warming here, like a softly spicy flower, sort of the way voodoo lily or cobra lily smell like a spicy florals without smelling like lily at all (on me at least). dry: this sticks very close to the skin, very little throw, but stays a good while. this has a lightly spicy floral musk scent, absolutely lovely (especially considering i don't care much for florals!).

bottle: glorious, beautiful dirt. wet: rich, loamy dirt. very mush like graveyard dirt but rounder somehow. this is wet and rich, very nice. dry: this is straight dirt. the drydown is almost identical to graveyard dirt on me.

wow! this is incredible! leathery leather and gorgeous tobacco. not getting any booze to speak of but i don't care! this is perfect as-is! i'm spritzing this around my place next time i hold a red dead redemption lan party!

bottle: lemony tea, very fresh and clean. wet: very, very, very lemony. brisk, crisp and clean. dry: instead of tea with a twist of lemon, this is lemon with a twist of tea. luckily, i like lemon.

bottle: i can catch hints of patchouli with an herby sweetness. wet: this is a very sweet, very soft patchouli. it's not terribly strong but patchouli lovers (like myself) will like it. dry: this has a clean, herbal scent over patchouli and amber. incredibly gorgeous.

bottle: creamy pecan with spicy bergamot. wet: this is far nuttier once applied, lots of pecan, hazelnut and tonka. the clove is a delicious backnote. dry: this stays pretty true to the wet phase as it dries.

bottle: vanilla musk. perfect. wet: this is such a delicate musk, such gentle vanilla, such dainty sandalwood... very feminine. dry: as this dried i finally get hints of rice wine, very faintly though. this is a very soft sandalwood musk with only the barest touch of vanilla. to me this gives the feel of clean, cool skin perhaps touched by the sunlight of a late spring morning.