Magpie

In imp - dry, warm, golden and citrus-y, but with a hint of pleasant spice tickling in the afterscent. On - very, very faint. Barely-there, but warm and sweet and dry. Kind of foody. I seem to get on tenuously pretty well with golden amber. It becomes kind of spicily sweet. This reminds me a bit of how Mr Jacquel ends up on me, but less herbal. In fact, I think I compared this to it in my review of Mr Jacquel and decided that the Lion is rather more citrusy. This is definitely not a strong scent: I can barely smell it, and it's quite a bare scent, like down to basics, but is lovely. This is kind of a skin-like scent, but sweet and incensey. I could wear this and nothing else. Not that it's particularly sexy, just that it doesn't smell self-consciously 'perfumey' and smells as I could imagine someone's skin smelling (probably a guy - OMG, I want that guy!) It does drift up around me as I sit, however, so though I can't smell it terribly well close-up it hasn't faded beyond recognition. Soooo warm though, like sun-warmed sand as you sink your toes into it. Lovely for the current cold, dark weather in my bit of Blighty. Completely a keeper. Weirdly, despite the fact that it isn't very 'me', it often comes to the forefront of my mind when deciding what perfume to wear. If I use up the imp, I might even splash on a bottle at some point, though it'll be about halfway up my 'need bottles of' list.

In imp: a deep, earthy smell with geranium on top and a whisper of a lighter flower. On another sniff, it is a little soapy. On wet: Yeah, soapy. Floral soapy. Nice, but it doesn't have the earth note that I liked in the imp. It reminds me vaguely of some shampoo or other, but I can't remember which. As it dries, the earthy smell starts to come out. It isn't the dry, dusty scent of Graveyard Dirt (or as it smelled to me in the one-note) but it is the scent of rich, black earth, slightly damp, with rotting vegetation and moss and that lovely warmth of sun-warmed wet earth. There's still a whisper of florals, but it is only on one wrist (the left) weirdly! This is a problem I have with relative frequency: sometimes scents polarise so much they smell completely different! I do like this, though. When I originally tried this, it smelled like some unidentified lynx deodorant on me, and there is still a touch of that overtone, but it isn't nearly as pronounced as I thought. I found Graveyard Earth (which admittedly I only smelled on someone else) a little too earthy for me, which was presumably the point, so I like that Deep in Earth is a more mediated version. It has that lovely clean, rough, slightly-tickling-your-nose smell of damp earth. Fantastic! How do the Lab manage to encapsulate wet earth in a bottle? Later: It doesn't seem to have much throw, but then that might be a good thing as I'm not sure I want everyone to be sniffing and going "Uh...wet earth?" but it lasts a decent amount of time, though it fades quite a lot.

In the imp: This is fresh, zingy and citronous (which may possibly be a word). I expected this to be a very clear-cut scent, with each note sharply identifiable, but it blends beautifully, even in the imp. On: About the same for the first hour of wearing it as it is in the imp - almost a light floral, but with definite musk and lemon. This changes over time to a more grown-up, rough scent, reminding me a little of a Sephora perfume my friend has, but simpler and not as cloying as I occasionally find that. It's got enough of a zing to keep it interesting, and I could swear I smelled lime in it (I love lime!). However, at that point, it was a little sharper and more sour than I would have liked. Definitely a keeper, though. My hormones are a little weird at the moment and I think the change occurred when I was walking back from town after an extremely stressful JSA interview. So maybe it was the stress made it turn sour! But I like very much. I wore this to a Cthulhu-esque game and felt it was appropriate for that particular setting (though I was playing an army guy, so not terribly appropriate for the character!). The green tea balances out the citrus in a way I didn't expect, so it is a surprisingly not-astringent scent (which I was worried about it being). I think this is a scent for when I want to feel completely clean and fresh. If that doesn't sound too weird... Also, my boyfriend confirmed that this smells fabulous on me, remarking on it several times. In terms of lasting power, conrary to what a few other people in this thread have found, I put it on at 3:15 roughly and then wore it to walk into town, sit in a hot room in my coat, walk back from town very stressed, then go to a game. It was only when I got home at eleven that I could definitely no longer smell it. So good staying power, but it disappears completely at the end, which is nice as I often worry about scents that have rubbed off on my clothing interfering with my scent du jour! I can't really comment on throw as I was, per usual, wearing a polo-neck long-sleeved jumper, but I could definitely smell it in a pleasant, subtle way all the time I was in town. I don't know whether others could too, but if they could, I hope they liked it!

In imp: Sugary rose sweets. I'm not optimistic. On: Sugary, quite light rose. Reasonably fresh, but not nearly as much as The Rose. As this warms up, it gets freshers, but is still quite a sweet rose scent. Oop, there's the Dragon's Blood. Slightly soapy. There's an almost fruity undertone. As it dries, Blood Rose fades prettily. It's barely there now, but that might just be nose getting a bit overly used to it. OMGOMGOMG exactly as promised, warm dark red rose, with a hint of wine. So gorgeous. After about a quarter of an hour post drydown, the sweet velvety resin is coming out as well, though the wine's disappeared a bit. It reminds me vaguely of some kind of sweet still, but is beautiful all the same. I also found that Blood Rose had the same, erm, effect as the one quinkel mentioned. It wasn't strong on me and faded pretty quickly, but was pretty while it lasted. Probably not a bottle, but a keeper for occasional wear. ADDED May 18: In imp: Fruity, full-bodied rose-dragon's blood. Yummy, a bit overly sweet, almost cloying. On: Delicious. Close to the skin and quite wonderful. Sweet, fruity, not too sweet. I can definitely smell the rose in there, and it's not the candy-like rose that rose often turns into. It isn't as much of a fruity scent as it was in the imp, and less lush and ripe, but a bewitching, ethereal scent that is just delicious.

In the imp, this is pure cinnamon bark. On, it doesn't really change except to be a deliciously edible bright spicy scent. All the notes are in evidence, but the cinnamon bark is at the forefront, with the ginger and cloves weaving round it and the pepper piquing it to a lovely tickly heat. This is a dry hot scent, so hot it almost makes me sneeze, and wonderfully dusty/sandy. Exotic and evocative, and very, very yummy! The honey makes it very slightly sweet and a little more foody in the imp than on, and thinking about MsBraz' comparison, I do think Baklava about hits the target in the imp and on the fade. It's rather too fiery for that on the drydown, though. I love this soooooo much - just the thing to make me feel exotic and cheerful and invigorated. I originally wore this as a way of bracing myself for going out when I didn't really feel up to it emotionally, and as soon as I put it on, I squared my shoulders and felt more able to face the world. Gingerbread Poppet wraps round me comfortably like a warm, fuzzy blanket: Bengal zings me into action and makes me want to go out there and face the world head on. I think this might be a 5-ml at some point. I can't really report on throw as I was wearing a polo neck, but it lasted for around six hours to some extent, though the initial zinginess went pretty quickly.

In Imp: Plummy, dahling! It's...well, as one early reviewer put it, 'dusty', but also the bloody, wine plum in Blood Countess (which I adore). On me: Ooh, wine. Plum wine, if that makes sense. It's gone really dark and spicy. OMG, mulled plum wine! This is amazingly beautiful. I now feel really bad that during the imp doling out, I ended up with this one despite the fact that two of us wanted it. I shall be spreading the Bandersnatch love (make of that what you will!). It's low and musky and almost animal-like on me, whereas in the imp, it's more distant and reserved. Yummy yumm yumm. This might actually go on my ever-increasing 5ml wishlist, depending on how it goes through the day. I think I can smell cinnamon in it, but it's dark and blends beautifully...or maybe it's cloves. Certainly, there's something so damn spicy it spikes the plums with loveliness. I don't get much in the way of florals when it's actually on me, which is actually fine by me, because this is delicious and evil (or evilly delicious). Almost incensey as well. In terms of throw, this might have a pretty massive one, and I put on my usual 'generous' amount (as opposed to my 'oh god, oh god, what if I don't like it?' amount ). Now I feel vaguely self-conscious as I'm sitting in my parents' living room which my dad regularly walks through mumbling, and they don't know about my BPAL addiction (they wouldn't approve). But I love this so much it doesn't matter.

I've been looking forward to this one for a while. I love Viola as a character and when I played her in an amateur production, I just kept on finding new things to love, so I hope the lab have not done her justice exactly but at least made a scent that likes me (though of course the lab always make beautiful scents!) In imp: Roses, carnation and lilies. A lovely floral blend. On: ooh, this is like The Lady of Shallott meets Her Voice. So, two of my favourite floral blends in one! The sandalwood and spices haven't really come out yet. It's gone more creamy after about a few minutes, and closer to the skin, which is nice as I don't like it when florals go "Hi there!" to everyone in a five-mile radius. May I note that, for once, a rose scent has not gone to candied roses on me. This is landmark and something I was terrified would happen with Viola, as I really want this to work. Mostly, all I can smell is rose and lily, but there is a sort of non-floral sweetness underneath that might be the myrrh or the mandarin. Actually, this just keeps getting creamier. Mmmmm. I am soooo pleased this works well on me. Luckily it isn't causing a headache either, but only time will tell on that one. Lovely! Over the course of a day: Yum yum yum. Srsly. Creamy, spicy rosy sweetness that sticks close to me but I occasionally get delicious whiffs of. The rose stays beautiful and the scent is just lovely. It doesn't have much throw and fades after a decent period of time, but is yummy in the extreme. I did end up the day with a headache, but I think that was unconnected to the scent. I would probably say that I’d imagine Viola as a bit spicier, possibly even a bit fruitier too (maybe some peach?) but this is gorgeous and I shall be wearing often.

In bottle: Sweeter and creamier than it was in the decant I tried (one sniff of which made me want a big old bottle of this gentleman). It really reminds me really strongly of something, like something from my childhood, but I don't know what. Still, warm and sweet and wooly! On: Mmm, foody and creamy, but in a kind of yellow, candle-lit way. God, what does that remind me of? Something I didn't realise was that muguet was another name for Lily-of-the-Valley, but I can't really pick that out in the way I usually can with floral scents containing it (my grandmother loved Lily-of-the-Valley and wore it all the time). Oh! I know! Ichabod Crane (and this is going to sound weird) reminds me of a Barbour jacket. Like, the waxed sweet smell of a Barbour jacket, without the usual undertone of ick I get from them. It's also a bit like the absolutely amazing sweet smell of the reeds we used at an Egyptian evening I went to at which we made funerary boats out of dried reeds. That's...odd! But my weird scent associations aside, this is really comforting and warm. It has a real personality disparate from any other scent that I've tried. I'm definitely glad I bought this! It's like wool and tea and cream and beeswax. Actually, no, this is like White Rabbit only with a bit more of a definite scent. Num num num num. A keeper for definite, and everything I'd hoped for from Mr Crane.

(Edited for version) 2008 version In bottle: Resiny and fruity, rich apples and berries. On: Slightly sharper, almost like the sharpness of pear drops, but still delicious. Oh dear, as it dries, this has gone to smell like shoe polish on me. Phew - it has gone back to being resiny and yummy, buy sadly a little subdued. This kind of varies between being a little too resiny - i.e. rather like pear drops or a nicer nail polish remover - and a slightly sharper version of the scent in the bottle, very appley. Like the other Halloweenie scents I've tried, this will bear further testing. I very much hope my skin chemistry is a bit up and down at this point, as it's so close to working right, but like Fearful Pleasure, stops just short. In terms of throw, this seems to have a medium to long throw. I suspect it might also last quite a long time as well. This was always potentially going to be a dodgy one on me, but overall I quite like it. Perhaps it will age well.

In bottle: This reminds me of some kind of fruity fizzy drink, like Lilt or Fanta. It's sweet and slightly spicy, with a frisson of bubbles. On: This kind of reminds me quite a lot of the Lynx deoderant my bf wears. I can smell an almost pine scent distantly now, underscored by a fiery scent, what I assume to be the sassafras beer (I've never smelled sassafras). It does seem to be settling down a bit into a warm spicy apple scent. Oh dear, it smells rather like thin fruit juice now, with a hint of smoke underneath. It's gone to almost smelling a little plasticky. The closest I can describe is some orange powdered squash someone brought for a LARP event I went to, in a little foil packet, which made the most disgustingly weak squash I've tasted. It isn't as bad as that, but still is kind of a weak orange. Gah!! That was a weird moment - I just finished describing how it was all weak orange squash and then sniffed my wrist and suddenly, there was the smoky and woody notes I'd been missing, and the rich cider, though it's all quite weak still. But very nice...this one might take some more testing. Um, also bizarre...it smells different on one wrist to the other. On my left wrist, it's a slightly smokier orange - on my right, it's a handsome woody apply resiny smoke. On my neck, it smells different again! They're all lovely, but I like the right wrist scent best. I've had a similar experience with Jack, which smelled like pumpkin on my neck and gingerbread on my wrists, with very little indication that they were the same scent. Very pretty, if I can get it to work on me! I very much hope that testing this another time will yield more definite results. Over time, this becomes a soft skin-scent of sweet, orangey cider with a woody undertone, but for some reason on me has little throw.

In imp: OK, I can't smell cinnamon, frankincense or violet in this. It's just kind of woody weird. On wet: Mmmm, violet but with an almost foody note in it. Kind of reminds me of a hippy headshop. Drying: This is a slightly cinnamonny violet soap with a touch of grainy incense that grates at the back of the throat. Dry: This has dried to be a slightly darker, more complex scent, but still dominated by violet. Basically, I wore this about all day and man, does it last. It's kind of a dark violet with a hint of spiciness or foodiness, which isn't what I was hoping for but is pretty damn nice as a violet scent, of which I have none. Certainly, it's likely to be the violet scent I'm most likely to accept, as I'm really not a fan of the whole candied violets smell, delicious as they are. It actually fits with the theme of the scent strangely well, though I wouldn't call this a masculine scent at all. Megalomania? Perhaps. Self-gratification? Definitely! I was hoping for a scent dominated by frankincense and cinnamon (which would be wonderful for me!) but it's a good strong scent. Not a regular, but I probably won't be swapping it unless I can give it a very good home. Of course, according to some, this may be very different on a man, so I might try and bribe the bf into trying a girly flowery scent.

OK...here goes with Iago. I ordered this expecting it not to work. I just really, really wanted to smell it, and hoped desperately. I don't own any scents with vetiver in, and don't like hugely dark scents, so this is an experiment. In the imp, as with every other time today I've sniffed it, it smells flat and woody, nothing like leather, so I guess it must be vetiver. It's kind of sandalwoody for some reason, I'm not quite sure why. On: Oh, there's the leather! The woody, vetiver smell is fading with a kind of enticing, musky deliciousness. It does kind of smell like leather, but proper used, old leather, not sweet leather and not that kind of waxed leather in most leather jackets. Sadly, it's not really me, but it might appeal when I'm feeling naughty or smell good on the bf. Some experimentation later: This works significantly better on the bf. He really really likes the scent of it (even on me, and I disliked it on me!) and it goes to a lighter leather on him, not as dark but sexier. Yummy, and sexy, just not for my skin!

I originally hoped this would arrive before my job interview last Friday - it actually arrived the day after (international post - go figure!) but I had a tough day today (including a lack of response from said interview indicating that I didn't get the job) so I figured I'd try it on. In the imp: Yup, Dragon's Blood. It's less sweet than the Dragon's Blood blends I've tried previously, which risk being cloying, and grounded by something, possibly the cloves detected by other reviewers, though I can't say I've had that experience. It's also softer so it isn't right out there like the Bloody Sword. It's vibrant and yet calming, plus I love Dragon's Blood, so that's a good start. On: The same, really. It's very pleasant, a nice grounded Dragon's Blood scent that feels warm and delicious. I kept smelling my perfume and going "Huh! That's nice!" I can't really speak for it as a voodoo blend, as the fact that it was associated so much with Dragon's Blood in my mind took away any potential strengthening effect it might have. In addition, I've been a bit of an emotional wreck today, full of fear and worry, and I didn't find it particularly comforting, but I wasn't really expecting to. I suspect that, for me, a 'strong' blend would be more fierce and with a bit of a bite, but this is a very nice blend. It's kind of warm and snuggly instead. I'll probably wear it quite a lot, and I'm certainly keeping it, but I can't speak for its attributed properties!

I had to try this, no question, because I adore Keats. When I saw that this was in the Halloweenies, I ordered a bottle unsniffed, and just really hoped it was nice. Luckily, I wasn't disappointed! In the bottle: warm, intoxicatingly delicious dried apples, slightly smokey and woody. On wet: Foody, with a strange freshness underneath. Occasionally a slightly more foody and less sweet appley note peeks out. In fact, this does not smell like the description to me (in a good way!). By that, I mean that I was slightly sad that the notes described were so at odds with the mental image I got when I read Keats' poem for the first time. Not at all - this is precisely the smell of golden, lazy autumn afternoons, with the sun spilling across bushels of apples and sweet grains! To me, this is the smell of harvest and plenty in a dusty storeroom smelling of its contents, with occasional peeks of late flowers. It embodies my favourite image from the poem: "Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store? Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind..." The poppy is wonderful, lazy and sweet, blending with the apples in a way that isn't too sweet, but makes me rather sleepy! There is still an undercurrent of freshness that breezes beneath the warm loveliness, just the breath of a slightly chill autumnal wind that speaks of winter's approach. The sweet foody nutmeat and apples still peek through occasionally, but this is like a swirling mileau of scents that aren't ever the same. I haven't detected a hint of mist except for that brief cool breeze underneath, but this is such a warm scent it doesn't need anything else to make me happy! This is definitely a scent for August/September, when the late afternoon sun is almost palpable. Amazing. I love this so very much: I hope it doesn't run out too quickly! It really doesn't have much throw, and fades a little over a couple of hours, but loses none of its heady scent.

In the imp: Spicy and herbal, kind of bittersweet, though that isn't quite the word for it, since it definitely isn't 'sweet'. Melancholy and a taste of mortality. I can definitely smell the patchouli, but I'm not sure if that's what's providing the piquing kind of spiciness. It seems to work fairly well with the other scents. A golden scent, but darkly so, not fresh or bright but old and burnished. Very medicinal-smelling. On: I'm a bit worried this will turn into a pharmacy-smell, which ruined Temple Viper for me (this may, looking at the ingredients, be the hyssop, which is common to both). At first: yup, pharmacy. It smells like the pharmacy opposite the hospital in my home town in Kent. Then: Oooooh, amber. Ohmigod, this is amber in The Lion, distant and dry as sand. The herbs still peek out a little, but not nearly as persistently. I must get out The Lion to compare. This seems a little more herbal. On comparison: The Lion is more citrusy and vibrant, whereas what is on my wrist is much more muted and strangely comforting. While in the imp, Mr. Jacquel felt decidedly dangerous, but on my wrists drying he seems much more like "Well, this is for your own good". And despite the fact that the medicine is horrid and you don't want to take it, you trust him so implicitly that it must be good for you. It's not a scent with huge throw, this one. It's close to my skin. I can't smell it much at all now, but I suspect that's sensory exhaustion rather than anything else. The spices and the dark amber are warm and earthy and almost woody, like the whispering scent of an old temple in a hot desert climate. If I had to describe this scent visually...it would be a dark brown shadow on a golden-brown stone wall, weathered by time. I know that's odd, but...well, it seems to suit somehow. Like others on this thread, I definitely get cardamom from it, but it sneaks in subtly and softly that I didn't realise until someone said it. Hell, yes. I love this. It has the amber note of The Lion, but muted and warmer, not so citrusy and strident. I'll probably not wear it all that often, but it's like curling up in a warm brown blanket in my favourite armchair. Have I mentioned recently how much I love the lab?

A lovely ginger scent. It's rich and full, but with a bite. I can hardly smell the orange blossom - in fact it smells more like a kind of baked ginger. It is lovely and deep, and definitely sexy, though my kind of sexy usually involves more florals and vanilla. It doesn't change much, just stays pretty and warm. I love ginger as a scent, and this is beautiful, but it really doesn't speak to me. I think a ginger that is blended with florals or other foody scents more would suit me better, but it's just my personal preferences getting in the way of this one. I think I will keep this as a nice dispassionate sexy sophisticated scent.

In the imp: this first struck me as just blaring "berry!!!" in a Boots bubblebath kind of monotone. I thought I'd try it and see if it picked up, though I was severely doubtful. On: At first it was very berry still, but even in the early stages, it was becoming delightfully complex. After a few minutes, it became a womanly fruity scent, lighter than the imperial reds and purples of Blood Countess, but full and juicy. Over time, the fruit settles and is tempered by the tea. I don't smell much in the way of florals, so I think the chrysanthemum and jasmine are getting a little lost in the exotic, warm scent. Daiyu seems to be very much berry-dominated on me, but judging by the responses on this forum, she also seems to work very differently on different people, so don't let the florals scare you.

This is a pretty, light, understated floral, very sweet, perky and gentle. It is also another casualty in my constant quest to find a rose scent that doesn't become candy on me, because tea rose is fairly candy-like to start off with. Out of all the rose scents that have become almost sickly sweet on me, however, this is my favourite. The vanilla musk is a lovely addition that deepens the scent a little and the lily is absolutely beautiful on the few occasions it peeked out. It is lovely, light and not too obvious, and it pretty much lasted most of the day for me. I'm not sure that Victoria Forester is not a bit more sophisticated (or likes to think she is) than this scent suggests, but it is a sweet little thing and will probably remain in my box.

I love aquatic scents, so this was always going to be one of the attractions of the Grindhouse for me. Interestingly, it doesn't smell that aquatic on me at first, though in the imp it was a sweet aquatic that seriously reminded me of melon. Now that it's on and drying a bit, it smells like babywipes. Cytherea initially smelled like Crowley-scented talcum powder on me (though it improved) and this smells inoffensively and prettily of handwipes or mild soap. Gradually it's drying even soapier, though the orris is making it powdery, so Parthenope is vaguely soapy, powdery jasmine for me. Sadly, this lady doesn't seem to be working with my skin, which is a pity because I loved the idea of her and her initial scent. She's pretty enough but doesn't seem to want to live up to her original promise.

In imp: Sweet, smoky, floral. Very pretty, but it doesn't stand out particularly. On: It dries to a powdery sweet floral. It's rather nice, as the vanilla definitely plays a subtle part, and I can get the pleasant violet/iris note other people here have remarked on, though it is soft and dry. Over time, the sandalwood sharpens it almost imperceptibly and it becomes a little more definite as a scent, but still very close to the skin. In fact, after a couple of hours it seems to have got a bit stronger and more defined, and beautiful. Over all: I like this a great deal; it is possibly the most 'me' of any of the Grindhouse Ladies that I have tried and the one I have most considered getting a bottle of. It doesn't have very much throw at all, but it's damned sexy. It's the most personality-filled of the Ladies I've tried yet. Cytherea is sweet and lovely, smiling like an angel as she does indespicable things which to her aren't wrong at all. Her scent is warm and skin-close, and smells very natural, not obviously 'perfume-y'.

The latest in a long line of descriptions, my review seems to be a reiteraton of previous ones, but I don't get huge amounts in the way of florals after the initial sniff, and it is one I could wear. In the imp: This is a lovely sharply floral aquatic. When I first smelled it, I thought 'bath salts', but it's more like a bubble bath or something. It's a melancholy salty aquatic, very much the sea and not the water-lily river of The Lady of Shalott. It does feel very blue in scent, like one of those over-saturated pictures of the sea on a really beautiful day, where the sea is deep blue, 'as the prettiest cornflower and as clear as glass' as in 'The Little Mermaid'. On, it seems to soften a bit and become a bit powdery. It's weirdly lovely, but less sweet as well. The ozone note seems to come out more strongly. Beyond the initial softening, it doesn't morph much and seems to have a decent throw. The b/f said it smelled like gorse bushes, which is a little random, but I don't get much sense of that myself. I mostly wore this today to help with the blue-sea-and-beach tone of something I'm writing, which it does perfectly, though for it to be really perfect for my story it should have a dash of sand and salty beach grass! On its own terms, it is very pretty, though probably not one I'll wear regularly.

OK, when I first smelled this in the imp, it was 'Miskatonic University's sweeter, naughtier, less coffee-addicted sister'. It still gives me that impression, but it seems to oscillate between caramel with a slightly sharp scent like sandalwood (Miskatonic University's tendencies for me), honey apple blossom loveliness and verging on the slightly soapy. Weirdly enough, Miskatonic University goes to caramel on me, and Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht seems to morph vaguely in the direction of irish coffee! I like this, though it isn't as creamy-candy-sweet as I expected. I don't have Miskatonic University here to compare, but the nice thing about this is that it doesn't have the flat yucky sandalwood tendency that Miskatonic University (among others) has. Mm, rather like, though it strikes me as too like Miskatonic U to really make me sit up in my seat. Warms up beautifully, and is quite subtle and close to the skin on me.

Abosolutely freaking beautiful! This is a lovely warm incensy cedar, like the inside of a cedar chest. So homely and comforting, and for some reason brought back a flood of nostalgia for me, despite the fact that I don't think I've ever owned any kind of cedar furniture. The patchouli is lovely and soft and blends with the wood gorgeously. Incredibly evocative. Sri-Lanka is weirdly green and fresh somehow, changing between sharp greenery and gorgeous wood. The sandalwood unfortunately seems to be my enemy again, but luckily this blend seems to be bewitching enough to not let it turn into horrible flat yuckiness. The cedar keeps it beautifully spiced up.

I wrote down my first impressions of this several hours ago, just upon sniffing it in the imp: Gorgeous and subtle, sweet and slightly foody, but vaguely spicy at the same time. Definitely incense, but rich and dark in the background. Can definitely smell the orange, but only very subtly. Like a light incense hanging in the air. Light and fresh. When I smelled it again and tried it on, I wondered if this was the same scent. I, for instance, didn't note how green it was as a scent, but a lovely, almost aquatic green. I don't quite understand where all the 'spicy' and 'incensy' undertones are. This is extremely beautiful, a fresher and more mysterious green scent than any I've smelled (except Destroying Angel, but this smells less like cucumber). I am just puzzled by my first impressions! It doesn't seem to correspond huge amounts to the description either. I tried smelling some coffee beans and now I can kind of smell the spicy/incensy overtones from before, but they're like a whisper or the barest adornment, a diaphonous veil over skin. This scent seems to exhaust my nose really quickly, leaving just 'green'. In short: incredibly lovely, mysterious and baffling. I must devote more time to Aeronwen and see how she turns out.

This is delicious. I mean, I smell entirely and delectably edible. I was a little wary of 13, due to its slightly eclectic collection of ingredients and my unfortunate incompatability with the lab's chocolate scents. I shouldn't have worried - this is beautiful, a cocoa-y blend of spicy chocolate with sweet, almost fruity notes. The chocolate is restrained enough to make it sophisticated (as opposed to the nutella tones of Bliss for me). I can definitely smell the nutmeg, reminding me of spicy hot chocolate or warm Christmassy goodness. I have to steer well clear of most sandalwood if it isn't seriously tempered by something else, but in this case it hardly ever rears its scented head. 13 becomes softer chocolate over time, more fragrant, sweeter and fruitier. The sandalwood and allspice start to come out. Mmm apple, nice fresh apple. Occasionally it almost smells burnt. A lovely, warm gingery cocoa, spicy and vaguely fruity. Yum. I keep smelling 13 like a warm cocoa aura. 13 is definitely not an unlucky number in this case!