donnatron

Imp: Patchouli and a lustrous, almost singing hint of copal (Copal!!!). Wet: Strong patchouli and oakmoss. The more delicate notes have been lost. Dry: Dirty, dirty patchouli. It's blended with the oakmoss to just be... really dirty. I like it. I like a good, dirty patchouli but this is beyond my usual comprehension of dirty patchouli. I can smell a faint floral to this--must be the heliotrope. My beloved copal has hit the ground running and never looked back. Throw: Moderate. Overall: A must try for any patchouli lover. I'm glad to have tried it and will probably use the imp up but have found other patchoulis that vibe with my aesthetic better. It does live up to it's desciption--mostly it's very base and earthy but there are glints of something deeper to this.

Hi isentropic! There's a thread in the faq that might be able to help you out. If you have an older imp hopefully your bottle will eventually age into the same gloriousness--I have the same problem with Serpent's Kiss

Bottle: The intriguing honey musk from Lady Una with some sharp pomegranate and bergamot. Wet: The cocoa bean is the predominant note--it's very earthy and sensual. I think I catch a hint of the fig. The pomegranate goes a bit sharp and the honey musk all but disappears. Also getting a very clear lemon note. It's very well balanced--a lot of super sweet ingredients tempered by some lovely tart fruit and some earthiness from the cocoa bean. Dry: The notes are there. I can very distinctly smell the pomegranate and the lemon and the honey musk and the tonka. However, the general impression I get from it is... uh... cuddles. This is the sort of scent I'd like to be wearing while snuggling up with someone dear to me in front of the bay window while watching a thunderstorm. It's a very mood specific scent (no it's not. I wore it today to go for a random drive with a friend who is special but not someone I cuddle with. However, my platonic ideal for the scent is the previous scene described). It's very warm, fruity, a little flirty and very, very cute. I love the lemon in this. I'm not really a big lemon fan but it so perfectly tempers the rest of this scent and really offsets how wonderful each note is. The cocoa also adds an almost dirt like base to this that makes it so interesting. An intriguing and wonderful blend. Throw: Good. Overall: I love Freak Show. I really, really hope that CN gets resurrected as Carnaval Diabolique rolls out of town because this is definitely the sort of scent I would love to be able to stock up on.

Imp: Tea rose and greenery. Wet: Sharp greenery and slightly sour rose. Dry: I'm not a fan. There's something in this giving it a very sharp, biting edge and I can definitely smell that when I lean in to sniff. The rose is not one that really agrees with my skin and it smells kind of flat on my chemistry. The more I sniff it the less I like it. Throw: Average. Overall: Not my style. It's not really jibing with my chemistry. Sad, because it's a wicked awesome perfume name.

The scent of loss, love and the echo of time without end: sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves. Imp: Oh muguet. I can smell you coming from a mile away. Wet: A festival of lilies. And a faint touch of chamomile. Dry: There is a weird, sweet, heavy scent to this. It smells sort of like... bananas. Very ripe bananas. I think it might be the calla lily but I'm not sure. Otherwise it's just kind of a generic white floral scent. The banana scent is just weird and waxy. There's a slight green note in this (the leaves?) that keeps it from being a total cloying flop but it's certainly not one of my favourites. Throw: Mild. Overall: It's okay. Doesn't play the best with my skin but I can definitely see how it can be pretty.

Reviewing for scent purposes. Have an imp. That would be a lousy bath now, wouldn't it Imp: Warm red musk and a bright fruity note. Wet: This initially goes very sweet and almost foody on me. The red musk starts to assert itself and I can start to smell the currant. Dry: I definitely get the Mme. Moriarty comparisons but on my skin this smells more like Eat Me. The currants are the dominant note but they're tempered by all these heavy, sultry, kind of creamy ingredients and I definitely get an Eat Me vibe. It's sexier, definitely. Thick red musk, a bit of patchouli and then the entwined currant and pomegranate. This smells luscious. Throw: I could easily see wearing this as perfume itself. Overall: Hot damn! This is awesome!

Imp: Dry cedar and sandalwood. Very faint frankincense. Wet: So much cedar. The sandalwood is aiding and abetting. Dry: So it may just be because I'm taken in by the name, but I really like this scent. It's certainly not an every day sort of scent but there's something very dry and regal about it. It smells like annointing oils. The cedar dominates and kind of takes away from my enjoyment but the sandalwood and frankincense are present enough for me to know I'm not wearing straight up cedar oil. I have no idea what galangal smells like and I don't smell that weird body odour funk I get from high john. It's very woodsy, very dry. Throw: Strong. Overall: I think I actually don't like it but I love the word "Magus" enough that I'm pretending I do. Keep the imp, don't bother with a bottle.

Imp: Dry, papery incense. Wet: Kind of lemony. Disappears on my skin. Dry: Ooooh. I have been sitting on this imp (not literally because I wrote that, thought about it and then was a little repulsed) for a year or so and have always been like, "Eh... do I even LIKE it?" Yes. Yes I do. It is the perfect blend for smelling like I spend a lot of time being mysterious and esoteric and doing wicked things without smelling like I have doused myself in the contents of a headshop. It's a light, dry resinous/incense-y blend and I dig it. Skin close, very mild and very, very dangerous. Throw: Mild. Overall: I don't even need to use the imp up to want a bottle. Damn. And we're so close to the carnival packing up and leaving town!

Imp: Tobacco! Tobacco and booze! I'll take "Things that seem to go together naturally" for $100, Alex. Wet: Smells like "Nomad" by Crabtree and Evelyn down to the alcohol cloud you'd get when you sprayed it. Dry: Something about this goes wonky on my skin. It smells like watery molasses. Definitely burned sugar and... running water. Running tap water, however. Not a running spring. The more I sniff it the more I'm like, "Why the hell do I keep smelling this?" Throw: Mercifully mild. Overall: Not a fan. If you don't amp sweetness I think it's probably magnificent but it's just not working on my skin today.

Imp: Pine pitch! Pine pitch! OH MAN!!!! I LOVE PINE PITCH! Wet: A little less pine pitch a little more cranberry. Still delightfully piney. Dry: Uh... weird. This turns itself into a lovely blend of pine pitch and cotton candy. I think it's the blackberry/cranberry combo causing this. I'm not sure if I like this. On the one hand it's super interesting and pine is something that I have slowly learned is an amazing note on my skin. On the other hand, has anyone in the world ever said, "Man, you know what smells amazing? Pine trees and cotton candy... TOGETHER!!!"? I think more testing is in order. Throw: Moderate. Overall: Will have to use up the imp for scientific cryptoscentology purposes. I think I like it. On the other hand I just think it's super weird. But I am super weird so maybe it's just a sign that I should quit my life and become a cryptozoologist? Dunno. Just know that one imp may not be enough. This may be the sort of scent I wind up wearing just so I can smell how weird it is.

Imp: Leather and running water. Wet: Leather. A sort of dry, warm leather jacket sort of scent. The water scent lingers. Dry: This is kind of bizarre. I was out with a few friends on Friday evening and it was raining. I shared my umbrella with a friend who didn't have one. He was wearing a leather jacket. This smells exactly like walking with him in the rain. A strong leather scent, a touch of smoke and then a faint, misty scent in the background. So weird. Throw: Mild. Overall: Having just experience C. Auguste Dupin I have to admit that I think De Sade is a bit of a wussy leather in comparison to that LEATHER OF ALL LEATHERS!!! scent. But it's nice, kind of strangely evocative and I think it will be useful for layering. Definitely an interesting experience.

Imp: White rum. SRSLY. Wet: OMGSOMUCHRESIN!!! I put this on without looking at the notes and thought it was frankincense but I was mistaken. This is copal. A bright, distinct copal over a lush floral and with a touch of dry, tonka sweetness. I can sort of smell some of the lily but none of the florals are particularly strong. Dry: This is glorious. Soft, smoky, sweet resins kept damp and humid by luscious flowers. The heliotrope sort of rises to the surface and adds a brilliant yellow floral to the overall scent. It's a surprisingly sexy scent considering the ingredients. Smells like I have been marinating in amazing incense. Throw: Strong. Overall: I love it. I don't know if it's just because nothing has really grabbed me lately or that I'm deeply in love but this is not just going into the "Tried and Reviewed" bin. It is getting used up.

Imp: Rose and... honey? The honey note from Jezebel and Skuld that I just do not like. Wet: Sour rose. Dry: Marginally less sour rose. Still sour. Still rosy. Not really working on my chemistry. It smells a bit like I just went running while wearing rose perfume. Rose perfume and skin still wet with sweat. Throw: Mild. Overall: Not a rose for me, sadly. Tea rose is hit and miss anyway and there are many lovely roses out there that like me back as well. This turned out a little too sour and musty for my taste.

Imp: Eh? No distinct notes. Just dust. Wet: PETITGRAIN! WHY DO YOU TORMENT ME SO??? I don't particularly care for petitgrain and for some reason it has decided to torment me for this preference. This scent is all petitgrain all the time. Tiny touch of my beloved patchouli. Dry: Petitgrain over benzoin. Weird. A touch medicinal. Not particularly my favourite and I'm really stunned that I simply cannot smell the rose in this. It winds up smelling like the sort of thing I would buy at a health food store to restore happiness or set the mood for seduction. Basically, it smells like a medicinal aromatherapy blend and I am not a fan. Throw: Mild. Overall: Eh. Not a fan. Can see how it works but it's just not doing it for me.

Imp: Salt, rose and a light amber. Wet: OHMYGOD! Amber! I never smell amber on my skin until a half hour or so after application! Dry: This is super pretty. Warm, dusky rose and amber over a base of something a little bracing. A touch of pepper. Definitely warm. It reminds me a lot of Hymn to Proserpine--maybe the same amber? Skin close, a little sexy. Throw: Mild. Overall: Like it. Not my holy grail rose or amber scent but enough to keep me interested. Will use up the imp and think more about this situation.

Imp: Deep, dark, weird rose. Wet: This is so intriguing. I don't even really know how to describe the scent of Othello but it's just so... magnetic. Definitely some rose but a bunch of other elements and ingredients. I'm testing a few different rose blends out and my nose keeps coming back to this one. Dry: Okay, definitely getting that drier sheet thing everyone else gets. However, these are the most fuckin' A drier sheets known to mankind. Sort of a clean, borderline laundry sort of scent tempered with a bit of rose. Very pretty and elegant and definitely something I am fond of smelling like. Throw: Good. Overall: Rose is a favourite of mine but so often it smells heavy or simply heady. Othello is a great way to incorporate a fresh and clean rose scent into my rotation without sacrificing any of my favourite ingredients. LOVE this. It reminds me of a floral version of Pirate Moon.

Imp: JUNIPER! Oh how sharp and dominating you are, sir. Wet: More juniper. Backed by a bit of cypress. Maybe some rose? I so want to smell some chamomile but apparently the universe has determined that I can't. Dry: Rome is a really interesting warm, sweet rose tempered by a bit of a sinus clearing juniper/cypress blend. It's actually very gorgeous and unusual. Love the warm rose against my skin with the really sharp, biting aspect from the juniper. It's not overly complex but it's definitely interesting and I dig that. Throw: Mild. Overall: I really like this. Will ruminate on the imp and determine whether I think it is bottle worthy or not. Although it's a classical formula I would definitely classify this as distinctive and a great option for people looking for an unusual rose scent.

Imp: Salt and melons. Heh. Melons. I'm twelve. Wet: More melons. Sot, cool aquatics. Very blue in scent. Dry: Soft and pwdery. Aquatics have taken over. Sort of a weird drier sheet smell. Melon scented drier sheets. Throw: Strong. Overall: Not a lot to say about this one. Aquatics need to be grounded by pretty strong components in order to prevent a scent from going apeshit aquatic on my skin and Selkie is no exception. Will be wearing this imp on blindingly hot summer days.

Imp: Thin and a bit astringent. Not a lot of really identifiable scent other than a general musk. Wet: A cloying vinegar smell sort of comes wafting up from my skin and I am NERVOUS. Dry: Really lovely. This dries down to a strange, sweet, almost floral musk. Very dark and skin close, almost feral but sort of reigned in and a little refined. Definitely one of those scents that almost smells more like I naturally smell this good rather than like perfume on my skin. Overall: I like. I always forget I have Ivanushka on hand and it satsifies a very strange musk craving. Definitely a good one if you like sweet, animalistic musks but want a bit of a more refined take on it.

Imp: Eh. Sort of high pitched. White florals. Wet: Again, high pitched, some white florals. Evolving resin note. White musk? Dry: This is pretty. Bright florals over a warm, creamy resinous base and then a sort of bright, astringent scent that reminds me of... white tea? Very layered. Definitely getting a tea vibe. It reminds me of Earl Grey Cream tea but with a different floral (lily?) swapped in for the bergamot. Throw: Mild. Overall: It's nice. Inoffensive, not one that I'm necessarily married to. Will use up the imp but won't be killing myself to find any more.

Imp: Lemon candies and opium. Wet: Lemon drops! The martinis I refuse to drink because every time I am near one it inevitably winds up knocked over in my lap. Definitely a hint of booziness here. Dry: Nice. Sharp, sweet, candied lemons over a darker, more sinister base. Still, it is very light and the lemon throws the most. I Can smell a sort of resinous base under the lemon but only if I'm diligently sniffing. Throw: Mild. Overall: This is a great oil to kick the carnival off with. It's light and fun with a really strange base. Sort of the first step in a very long and weird journey.

Imp: Dirt. Lots of wet, mossy dirt. Wet: No more dirt. Only rose here. A very nice, powdery tea rose. I can smell a very, very faint hint of the dirt in the background. Dry: This winds up being a pleasant combo of rose and dirt. A bit metallic but overall a sort of interesting, offbeat rose scent. The dirt and moss add some needed depth to the rose and make this a bit more debauched than a straight up tea rose would be. Throw: Average. Overall: I like it okay. It's calmed down since I first received the imp--it was All Rose All The Time. Now I like the balance and can see wanting to smell like this every once in awhile but not enough to justify a bottle.

Queen has been garnering me a lot of comments lately. It's like an earthy, vetiver/honey combo with a bit of spicy pine. A nice blend between sweet and savoury.

Bottle: Sweet cherries and almonds over... something else. Wet: Chocolate covered cherries! This is making me kind of hungry for chocolate of which I sadly have none. Also reminds me a bit of a really dark, red, lustrous wine. Like a barolo or really good vintage merlot. Dry: Chocolate, cherries, dried wine and velvet. Sounds crazy? It kind of is. Is it delicious, however? Yes. Yes it is. This is very warm and lustrous and sexy and perfect. God only knows what is actually in this blend but I think it's one of those GC Favourites I always forget is a GC Favourite. It's such a brilliant blend. Throw: Good. Overall: Every time I put this on I remember that I flove it and it is amazing. No idea what's in this, why it works, and honestly I don't particularly care. This is a winner and that's all that matters to me.

Bottle: Weird and amber-y. Wet: It just smells like blue flowers. I think it's the osmanthus doing it's thing. Osmanthus and I have a weird relationship. Dry: I actually really like Dreamland and wear it a lot. I don't quite know why because I'm really bad at explaining why I like it. It's sort of just a mild, skin warm floral scent. Not as amped up and weird as some commercial perfumes and also a little sexy from the skin musk. Light, pretty, a touch of white floral and just... nice. I like it because it's nice. It's actually not my favourite scent but it's easy and I like that. At the same time it's one of my holy grail scents mostly because... it's nice and easy to wear. So it kind of becomes a winner because it's neutral without being generic. Yeah. Throw: Mild. Overall: So... yeah. I really like it because I don't have to think too much about why I really like it. I think it's kind of weird too.