hkhm

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.

bottle: wow! coconut, cranberry, bright musk! gorgeous!

 

wet: this almost has a medicinal scent while it's wet, not unpleasant but it reminds me greatly of the chewable vitamin c tablets i was always forced to consume as a child... might be the cranberry.

 

dry: this dries much more floral than i was expecting. the medicinal scent is gone but the florals are pretty dominant. will break this out again in the summer to see what i think then.

bottle: fruity musk.

 

wet: this is a very nice tangerine musk scent, makes me feel glowy and warm.

 

dry: this dries to softly sweet tangerines and faint musk. very, very pretty.

bottle: ginger and lemon with tea.

 

wet: very gingery and lemony. not bad but very strong.

 

dry: as this dries, it becomes a very nice tea with ginger and lemon scent. smells warm and summery.

bottle: musk and sandalwood with a touch of leather.

 

wet: very leathery. this scent is an instant blast to my childhood, an intricately worked leather purse i was given when i was five... this smells exactly like the day i received it, the leather of the purse and my mother's perfume. wow.

 

dry: faint leather, warm sandalwood, whiffs of clove and an undertone of musk. simply beautiful.

bottle: very flowery peach. yummy.

 

wet: very gardenia, almost overpowering, but the peach and currant keep it on track.

 

dry: oh, this is incredible once dry. the gardenia tones way down and balances with the peach beautifully!

bottle: soft, fruity teak. this is delicate and pretty.

 

wet: i'm not usually a honeysuckle fan but this is incredible! the plum and lemongrass give this a zesty sweetness, add that to the more syrupy sweetness of the honeysuckle and the warmth of both the frankincense and teak... gorgeous.

 

dry: i'd say this is a bit more teak-y once dry, the sweetness is definitely the backnote. it's a dusty, delicate scent as it dries.

bottle: sweet sugar and violet!

 

wet: the sweetness is so delicate, not as sugary as the previous sugar moon.this is an elegant dark blend, floral without being overpowering.

 

dry: i'm not sure precisely what violet musk is but this reminds me of a fainter version of la befana once dry, it's like a more delicate version of the parma violet. love it!

bottle: lots of cardamom and patchouli! yummy!

 

wet: wow. leather and patchouli with a gorgeous topnote of cardamom. lovely! this does seem more spicy than the original but i still love it.

 

dry: yummy, spicy, leathery patchouli. can't wit until my husband gets home so i can slather this all over him!

2011 version.

 

bottle: amber, coconut, caramel... yummy.

 

wet: as was the case when i bought previous versions of this scent, the opium is a bit sharp for the first little while, the amber and coconut and touches of caramel take the backseat. but i know that in a few months, the opium will tame and this will smooth into the most lovely scent.

 

dry: even though i know this gets even better with age, it's still incredible fresh. silky amber and coconut, sticky caramel, sharp currant and opium... still sits firmly in my top ten favorites.

bottle: at first sniff, this smells extraordinarily similar to diary of a lovestruck teenage cannibal... just without all the fruit.

 

wet: this does the same creamy smooth thing that diary of a lovestruck teenage cannibal does, but with the clove in place of fruit it becomes a more mature scent.

 

dry: creamy, honeyed ginger and spicy clove. this has become an instant favorite and i suspect i will be buying at least one more bottle.

bottle: mango! just juicy, sweet, sticky mango.

 

wet: mango with gorgeous red musk, a topnote of something that smells more like tomato leaf and the faint earthy sweetness of fig lingering beneath. this is incredible.

 

dry: i can't even express how much i love this scent. it's fresh and crisp while being sensual and sweet.

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.

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.

imp: jasmine and soft musk.

 

wet: the white musk is pretty prominent, but the jasmine is starting to amp a bit too much for me.

 

dry: the jasmine does tame a bit once this dries. it's mostly musk with soft hints of iris.

imp: rose and jasmine. sigh.

 

wet: horribly soapy rose and jasmine.

 

dry: soapy rose, strong jasmine.

imp: herbal and orange. very pretty.

 

wet: this is pretty sharp once applied, the rosemary is a piercing screech and the orange is a citrus howl.

 

dry: the orange is less sharp but the rosemary and rose are battling it out.

imp: honeyed myrrh.

 

wet: gorgeous honeyed myrrh and florals... and i normally loathe florals.

 

dry: as this dries, the honey sweetness fades while the resiny floral scent stays put.

imp: lots of lily.

 

wet: wow, i can really smell the frankincense! lots of floral too but i'm surprised by the strength of the frankincense.

 

dry: creamy frankincense and sandalwood with a faint floral back.

imp: sort of a woodsy rose.

 

wet: this is one of the sourest rose scents i've ever tried. but i expected it so i'm not too disappointed...

 

dry: unfortunately, as almost all rose scents seem to do, this dries soapy-sour on my skin. darn.