tinyvulture

In the imp, it's buttery and lemony. On my skin, it's like burnt toast plus fruit...currants, maybe. A very close cousin to Eat Me, except it's buttery crisp toast instead of buttery vanilla cake. I'm not a fan of Eat Me, nor this one, unfortunately.

Kind of a jumble of notes hitting my nose...green apple (the apple blossom, I guess), dry pencil shavings (the sandalwood), and florals. I can identify the lily of the valley, which I love in some other blends, but it's soapy here. I'm not sure if I'm smelling the hibiscus syriacus or not...it's just kind of a generic soapy, powdery floral with slices of apple. Not my thing.

Green, fragrant fir needles, and cones, with a strong lashing of ozone. This may be one of the few times ozone works with my chemistry! A very clean scent...like how you walk into a forest and take a deep breath, and the air feels fresh and clean, compared to in the city. I'm actually not noticing anything icy or cold. This reminds me of Talvikuu sans the frosty, slushy notes. As a fan of all "in the woods" blends, this is a keeper.

At first there's a sharp, bitter bite, which surprises me, since orange blossom is such a cheerful note...bright and sweet. Once the oil has a minute to calm down on my skin, it's much better. The orange blossom mixes intriguingly with the champaca and sandalwood. Reminds me of Indian incense. Relaxing, could wear to meditate or do yoga.

This is beautiful. Reminds me of a commercial perfume I used to wear - Sensi by Georgio Armani. I don't smell the rose at all. Instead, I get a mixed floral bouquet, softened with powdery musk and sweetened with vanilla. I wish I could identify more individual floral notes. Suffice to say, I love it.

Cinnamon and clove, a touch of root beer/cola, plus something medicinal/herbal. Cinnamon's blended evenly with the other notes; I wouldn't describe this as a foody blend. Weirdly, it makes me think of getting a massage! Perhaps I had a similar massage oil once upon a time. Doesn't scream "bring on the sexytimes!" but it's definitely extremely relaxing.

I'm having trouble picking out individual notes. All I'm getting is cheap, fruity-floral soap. Old-ladyish, not for me.

I get sweet, spicy gingerbread, plus candied fruits. Reading over the description, I'm not picking up any chocolate or mint. It's Gingerbread Poppet + fruitcake. I may try this in an oil warmer -- it would be a nice room scent.

I'm not sure I can pinpoint oudh when I'm smelling it. I understand it's also known as agarwood, and there's nothing particularly "woodsy" about this blend, for me at least, so I'm not sure what I'm looking for there. What I do get is full-bodied, sweet vanilla, plus warm, resinous amber. There is a distinct marshmallowy quality, as Lycanthrope said. Unlike the other Phoenixes I tested from this set (Tacitus and Herodotus), Hesiod has very little throw and fades rather quickly. Nice while it lasts though.

I just tested Tacitus' Phoenix before this one, and I love how they are both deep, complex resinous blends, yet totally different. Tacitus is all frankincense on me, while Herodotus here is a sweet mixture of myrrh and copal. I swear I'm noticing something tropical-fruity in the background, as well. The frankincense is noticeably absent. This is a warm, welcoming scent. Great throw, great staying power, and it gets sweeter over time.

Frankincense is the dominant note for me (Or is it olibanum? I thought they were the same thing), with the warmth of ambrette seed, and a touch of that "Coca-cola" scent that I sometimes get from resinous blends. I wasn't smelling the orange peel and clove at first, but I notice them after a few minutes when the frankincense mellows slightly. Reminiscent of an orange-clove soap I have (Lush, I think.) I'd love a candle with this scent, and it's quite pretty and comforting as a perfume oil as well. ETA Good staying power!

For DDLR, maybe Bliss layered with Chimera, for that sweet cinnamon aspect.

The oleander is actually the dominant note. I've not smelled oleander before, but I'd describe it as floral/herbal. It's definitely a floral, but it has soapy and medicinal qualities. It isn't my favorite, and I'd prefer it if the honey note was stronger.

I'm not sure what daphne flower smells like. Here we have the lab's gorgeous, golden honey note, plus a floral note that I'd describe as similar to a soft, warm, powdery white or pink rose, but a little sweeter and fruitier than a rose. It's absolutely lovely.

A homey, unpretentious blend of almonds and fresh apples. In the background, warm musk...something herbal (hawthorn?)...and after a few minutes, a gentle wafting of potpourri spices. Not in a harsh "craft store smell" kind of way...it mixes nicely with the other notes. Sadly absent are the smoke and patchouli. I still like this blend quite a lot. The nuts and apples definitely give it an autumnal quality so it lives up to its name.

Predominantly apples, nicely balanced with the scent of graveyard dirt. As a fan of foody scents, I've collected my share of cinnamon-spiced baked apple blends, but I really love this clean, crisp, fresh apple note as well. I'm not noticing the lab's "autumn leaves" note; it must be hidden underneath all the apples and dirt. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy a fruit/dirt combination, because a little dirt goes a long way, for me. But All Hallow's Apple smells very autumnal, reminds me of going apple-picking at an orchard. Perfect for the season, and I'm glad I got my hands on a bottle.

I can rarely tell from the description whether or not I'll like a floral blend, but I got a decant of Le Revenant based on the previous reviews. So glad I did! Just like a big, fresh bouquet of white flowers...mostly gardenia, I think. No cognac...where are you, cognac? A happy, romantic blend. A bottle is in order. Oh how I would love single notes of narcissus, muguet, ambrette, davana...so I know just what I'm smelling (and loving!)

I was so curious to find out what this one smells like! And now that I know, I'm quite pleased with it. To me, it's very similar to one of my all-time favorite Halloweenies, Autumn in Meditation. I get that same scent of a candle flame being extinguished (waxy and smoky), plus clean ozone. Noctiphobia is a little sweeter than AiM...is that sweet lavender I'm smelling? For me, AiM has always evoked a stormy fall day, cozy indoors with candles burning and a good book (the perfect fall day.) Noctiphobia evokes that same image, but at night.

Hay...the same vaguely soapy, sweet hay note from Needle in a Haystack or Hay Moon. Plus lemon. Lots of lemon. At first application, the strong lemony vibe threatens to give me a headache, but I hope it will calm down if I ride it out for a minutes (because I ended up really liking those other hay blends.) A few minutes later...it's still hay and lemon. Off to swaps.

Very strong throw...a mixture of patchouli and dirt and...cumin! Never have I tried a blend with such a strong cumin note. Although cumin immediately makes me think of Tex-Mex, I am putting that association aside because there's something really likable about this scent. It's outdoorsy, makes me think about gardening or camping. Funny enough, it smells exactly the same on my husband as it does on me. We both like this dirty little monkey!

On me, this is more foody pumpkin than fresh pumpkin...buttery, cinnamony, sweet. The beeswax is only slightly noticeable since my skin amps pumpkin. I was hoping for that scent of freshly-cut-into pumpkin rind. This is more like a pumpkin pie-scented candle. I think it will be a lovely room scent, but probably not something I'd wear.

Pumpkin, with honey and maple syrup and a light dusting of cinnamon. It's not a boozy scent on me at all. More like pumpkin cookies. Actually, this is random, but do you know Quaker Oh's cereal? It kind of smells like a pumpkinny version of that. Like pumpkin + honey + cereal grains. A super-sweet, foody scent that I wear frequently because I love it, I keep going back for more.

I'm not familiar with this story, but I wanted this scent for its notes. There's a gentle rose, and the lab's gorgeous plum note (like Bordello, but softer here), and then some other florals (not sure what jonquil smells like but I guess this is it). I don't notice any incense. A beautiful, feminine bouquet. It turns out, rose and plum are lovely together.

I'm always intrigued by the smoky, charred blends - Brimstone, Agnes Nutter, Bonfire Night - but they're always too much for me. I think I can pull off Rumpelstilzchen, though. I love the way this scent wafts up to my nose and smells slightly different with every inhalation. Sometimes I get all firewood and ash, sometimes it's smoky patchouli, sometimes more of a chai scent from the cardamom. The vetiver is only slightly noticeable, not overpowering as it tends to be on me. So I'm quite pleased with this blend! Finally, a smoky scent for me.

The lab's "autumn leaves" note takes center stage here, with pine and sweet maple in supporting roles. I don't really get "cold, moist breezes." More like hanging out in the autumn woods on a chilly, yet sunny afternoon. There's a happiness to this blend. Fall in all its glory. Similar to Samhain or Falling Leaf Moon. Not super strong, but I like it a lot.