Nyneveh

I couldn't go to Comic Con and SGL went so quickly on the site I thought I was SOL- until the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund released the rest of the supply. I am a HUGE Neil Gaiman fan, so I had no problem buying the signed set. In the bottle: tart, crisp apple. 100% apple. Wet on skin: Apple with a faint floral note. I usually hate florals but fortunately I really like this. Drydown: the apple fades away into a cool/floral blend, staying soft and close to the skin. This scent, for me, does not last. We're talking like, 20 min to near-total fadeout(although I always apply just whatever has wet the rim of the bottle for first impressions, in case I don't like it or if it is something my skin amps). It is still there if I huff and hoover my wrist- a tiny winter bloom half-crusted with snow. Delicate, feminine, and cold. Although the lack of strength with my chemistry does bum me out, I am madly in love with this smell, because it IS the story. I can just imagine Beth propping a copy of the MS over her magic cauldron while she worked. When I read "sexy vampire apples" I was expecting something more obvious and dirty, like Poisoned Apple, and this is so much more refined. In short- Neil and Beth are two masters of their respective fields, and this collaboration is the proof in the pudding.

In the Imp: Tangy, sweet, slightly aquatic floral, exceedingly well blended. Wet on skin: A sweet but not cloying floral. Not noxious or overwhelming as some florals are on me (see: jasmine). Almost fruity, slightly spicy. Drydown: This is where Christmas Rose wins my heart for good. As times goes on, CR becomes more and more incense-y on my skin. Normally, incense notes smell like angry ashtray on me, but this is perfect, sexy and mysterious. Exactly what I was trying for with Cathedral and whatnot. I love all the phases, but the drydown is a real knockout for me. What a pleasant surprise!

in the bottle I can hardly smell it: sweet baby powder? On the skin: smells like baby powder and vanilla, definitely can smell the sandalwood too and woosh it vanished- reapplying…oh god this is yummy, I can smell the carnation and spice now, tempered by something warm and sweet, must be the musk, which usually doesn't work on me, but is really really fantastic. It is reminding me of old friends from high school who wore Vanilla Fields and Love's Baby Soft....but this is the adult, grown up version of that (and I wrote this in my excel sheet before I went to the thread and saw lady_pandora's post above me- uncanny!). I would take half a star off for weakness, but I can't- it's Just That Good. I want a big bottle of it to bathe in. It smells like curling up in the sunshine in a comfy spot with a favorite book. It smells like casual, innocent sexiness. It smells like a kitchen where honeyed sweet-breads are being baked by someone you love. If you can't tell, I am head over heels for Morocco. Magnificent.

In the imp: very fruity, sweet and tropical, with an ever-so-slight muskiness. On the skin: Wet in bottle: this is the banana boat- in a good way- like green banana, fresh and sweet, not saccarine spotty brown banana. I am not a big banana person, I only like them if they still have a hint of green on them. That's what this smells like, underripe banana, so fortunately for me, I like it. In addition to the underripe banana note there is a light pink-white floral in there softening things up and the slightest touch of wood. Aha, wiki'd Narra and it's red sandalwood. The nose knows! The narra gets stronger on drydown, but I've yet to meet a wood I didn't like. I also wiki'd Sampaguita and it's a breed of jasmine. Ordinarily jasmine and my skin chem don't get along, but this is not heady at all, quite subtle in fact. Manila will be a fab summer scent, I think I'll be saving this imp until then and so I can pretend I am on a tropical island and not in the middle of the desert.

Wet: Buttered pumpkin to my nose. "It's CANDY CORN," screams the bf, who lurves candy corn. I think that's the sweet peach talking to him. Drydown: Butter. Baked butter pumpkin. Did I just fall into a Yankee Candle store? Tragically, my skin has absorbed anything remotely hinting of clove. I bought this hoping it would curb my desire to try all the fall 07 goodies before they are gone. But overall, Jack is a little too foody for me. (Sorry wallet, get ready to take another hit). I do think it will make a wonderful room scent, and I may wear it a few more times just for the bf. If you're really into foody smells, Jack is nice. It just isn't as complex (read: spicy) on me as I was hoping it would be.

My first review! This was a frimp, lucky me! Wet in bottle and on skin: sweet fruits, ripe juicy plum and pomegranate tempered by soft amber. Drydown: fades quickly turning into sweet powdered sugar. Unbearably delicious. Hints of ripe fruit. Crystaline and delicate. Ghostly hints of spice coming in during the drydown. Amber mellows and becomes a little more pronounced. I only wish this were bolder. I want to douse my pillowcase in it, so that I smell it in my dreams. After about 10 minutes the bf suddenly can smell me- he thinks I smell "so fresh and so clean"- he even hums a few bars. I think I smell sweet rather than fresh- I want to eat my own amber-honey-candy-plum arm. This scent is an absolute stunner. Verdict: So glad I accidentally splashed this one on my skin. It's perfect for my chemistry, and bottle worthy, for sure. ETA: the bf suddenly added loudly "Smells good! I like!" And he's playing WoW- which means paying attention to what I'm doing is nothing short of miraculous.