martiangurll

In the bottle: I smell florals soft, wistful florals with woods beneath and herbal/green smell.

Wet/on the wrist Soft, white florals, not too overpowering, wood supporting, and green, fresh herbal scent well blended. I thought this was sandalwood initially but on consulting the notes, discovered it was cedar, and I just love the wooded base !

Drydown: This one morphs only a little, . It did go thru a "lemon power" phase, that someone else mentioned, which had me worried, as I really liked it initially. Fortunately this did not last long and the light, sweet florals returned with the base wood an astringent green herbal note, I am wondering if its the tea note that makes it somewhat astringent, but this green note really make this blend a standout for me. I guess I need to add "tea" to my list of favorite notes, as many of my faves have tea in the blend .

Throw : Mild. Scent does not last nearly as long as I would like. Next time I will try it in my hair as this seems to help extend the length of sniffability.

Overall Impression: Very feminine without being too girley and very natural smelling with the cedar wood base. I don't think this would work for a male. Thus far, this is my favorite Illyria scent, although I must say they are all working pretty well for me, with few exceptions. I am enjoying the masculine scents as well as the feme ones. Chic and sexy without brazeness. (I think understated sexy is the word I am looking for) Will be hoarded!

In the imp: Smells like fresh cut grass, crushed green stems, wet with dew

Wet: Smells like ocean spray over greenery in a moist tropical forest, maybe a hint of sweet wine

Drydown: Grassy edge calms down, smells like tropical grasses with the ocean salt air. This may be the perfect ocean scent, smells like salty sea with fresh green stems in the background. Not boozey at all. There is a sweetness to this, not food like or candy sweet, more the freshness of cut grass with light (VERY light) florals. Not spicey at all.

Throw: fair

Lasts about 4 hours for me, more if I layer it in my hair longer

General Impression: Lovely, natural and fresh, could be unisex. I like this year-round, especially when I get to missing the smell of the ocean (I am majorly landlocked now, and miss the ocean where I used to live, sight, sound and scent!)

In the imp: Wet and peachy, smells like fresh fruit with a touch of vanilla.

Wet phase, top notes: Vanilla peaches, with a hint of floral--maybe the peach blossom. I am not sure what heliotrope or peach blossom smells like, but they compliment the peach and vanilla well.

Drydown: Amber and vanilla with a touch of peach, not candy or synthetic smelling at all. After about 3o minutes the sandalwood becomes more apparent with the sweet amber which thankfully doesn't go powdery on me, as it is wont to do with some other blends.

Impression: I will horde imps and try to score a big bottle or partial to store the imps I have. Feminine and flirty without being sexpot or too girly-sweet. This should be great for summer, although I would describe it as a warm scent, the peach and vanilla with summer florals go best in the summertime for me. Although I can't promise I won't wear it in the winter when I am missing that summer feeling.

Anyone know if the Steamworks scents or the Doc Constantine's are available as imps?

Imagine mulling a cucumber in a glass with sprigs of mint. Sprinkle some peppercorns on it--white or pink pepper. Now add some cold water and spritz it on your skin! Thats Tulzscha.

I don't usually go for cold, aquatic, clean or fresh or mint for that matter. But this is the exception that defies the rule. This is my holy grail mint scent.

At me, this had an ozoney aquatic tang a la Irish Spring. Now, I get almost an incensey base to it - warm and strange.

 

This is definitely a masculine scent on me. Unfortunately, the husband is not into the ozones, so I know this isn't one that would appeal to him.

 

Dark murky seas that you don't know what is lurking in them? Oh yes.

 

I think I'm just going to stay a landlubber though.

Agreeing with the above, especially the Irish Spring part. I so wanted to get salty seaspray from this. And I do like ozone, but I wonder if its possible to amp Ozone? This blend stayed the same on my skin throughout the six hours or so it was with me--straight ozone with a slight aquatic twist. I did not get salt or florals or incense. It wasn't quite soapy, but clean aquatic with MAJOR OZONE. I am wondering if it was just THAT TIME OF THE MONTH. Well, I will try it again and I hope I get storm clouds over the ocean--which is what I was hoping for instead of ozoney aquatic. I can definitely see the cheap cologne comparison also--which annoys me since I had to sell a kidney to get my partial bottle of this.

Well, I will try again at another time of the month, and report back if I get something different. If not, I guess this is going to swap pile. Darn you Kingsport--I wanted to love you. I guess Thalassa will have to do until I find my stormy ocean scent.

Any thoughts about a replacement for Cheshire Moon when I run out? I get mostly cake and cream, plus orange sauce.

I was thinking Hunger plus Cockaigne and a little Milk Moon? What else could I use for the cream note?

The Emathides.

 

I got my imp, tried it, and went !Purple!

 

It smelled like a color, not like anything else. Literally, the only word I can use to describe it is purple - and when I ran in to have my boyfriend sniff my wrist, even he agreed.

Definitely agreeing with Emathides, Morgause, Bewitched, Purple Phoenix of course.

Must also nominate The Witch Queen--purple incense/smokey goodness! (no one else had mentioned her) Bluebeard also seems purple to me.

FOr lighter purple, I 'll second Ultraviolet and Faith

For a clear, purple sky--how about Urania (how I love thee!) and The Unicorn!

My favorite Lavenders are Marie (unless you amp the rose) and Bluebeard. YUM

Mi-Go brain. Pink Pepper is great on the dry down, if you can make it past the fruity florish at the beginning...

The perfect HONEY blend. Without any fruits or flowers. I know I will never get single note honey without selling a first born, so I guess I will just have to wish...

No one has mentioned Hone Mone, which is white chocolatey apricots and figs to me with dollops of honey.

I also second (third, forth, fifth, whatever!) Titania, Tamora, Fae, Marquise de Mertuile and Thalia. YUM

Grand Guignol smells like apricot brandy--if you don't mind smelling like a wino.

A little Aries in the diffuser is quite stimulating, I find...

Nominating Cheshire Moon for creamy goodness. It smells like Tres Leches cake to me. Dragon's milk is wonderful if you don't mind the DBR mixed in it. I have never had the privilege of smelling the original Milk Moon, but the newer one (in 2007) is creamy with fruit.

Drink me is delightfully creamy.

Love's Philosophy is creamy and foody.

None are really pure cream on me.

Obatala has been compared to a coconut smoothie--creamy coconut. Nice throw too.

Well, that's my short list.

I would like to nominate The House. Its one of the retail only E.A. Poe scents. Its zombie with the soil at little bit damper and some wilting roses thrown in. But only if you don't amp roses!

I am also seconding Nocnitsa, its wonderfully earthy and so is Death Cap (more dusky) and Destroying Angel (smells like the dirt on mushrooms)

I just got a sniffy of Door 13 and it smells like dirt with rocks--but good luck getting that one. You should be able to score an imp of the House with some luck, though.

This has such a rich, warm scent! There's a deep, almost chocolatey sweetness in the background that makes the very prominent jasmine take on a different character than it usually has - its deeper and doesn't tickle my nose like usual. The jasmine burned off within an hour and now it's all honey and fig and apricot. I love this!

What she said! I concur with this review. I was expecting all honey and jazmin, like flying fox, but I was pleasantly suprised. The jazmin behaves itself and I get mostly honey and jazmin notes initially but when it dries the honey, fruit and nuts (I could not pick out individual notes) smelled like white-chocolate covered fruits--the apricot stands out most for me, but fig is nicely rounding out the fruit stuff. I usually don't go much for fruit scents but I make an exception for fig and apricots. I thought I was the only one smelling chocolate in this, but scanning through the reviews, I guess my nose is not as wonky as it seems. Luckily the almond also behaves, I thought that would be a deal-breaker, but it wasn't. The jaz and the almond behave so this is a great HONEY and FIG scent.

YUMMY

Me happy

I agree with the Garden Path with Chickens recommendation, and I don't think you will get anything closer. I have never smelled an oil that compares with fresh cilantro (not corriander!). But after reading this thread, I am craving some Baja Fresh! Darn you people!

No one has mentioned Thalassa. I get a nice, balmly ocean scent from her that isn't too "aquatic" and more salty.

Okay, here are some foresty suggestions, some are seconding (thirding, fourthing, etc.) suggestions above:

Loup Garou

Jersey Devil

Oborot

Carpathian Mts.

Talvikuu

all evergreen forests

Aureus

Yggdrasil

Cordelia

Oberon

Caterpillar

Lear

Deciduous forests

and

Roux-ga-Roux

Swampy forest

The Rat King

Mossy forest

hope this helps...

If you can get an imp of it, Kharujajo smells like Indian temples to me. Although, I must say as a caveat, I have never been to India.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, and defiant of any rational explanation, Bakeneko to me smells like falling in love. Perhaps I have just been bewitched in the past by one of those capricious little kitties...

Bengal (although a Wanderlust and referring to place, rather than animal) is my 'tiger scent'. (I was born in the year of the Tiger) And that scent has your smooth and spicy for sure. Bastet is one of my very favorite of all GC scents, but it's more 'here kitteh, kitteh' to me that 'raaawr - I'm a tiger'. However, I'm personally not much for aquatic scents except for a few that are more floral aquatic rather than foresty. Perhaps you could layer a couple of scents together to acheive the desired effect you're looking for?

 

Your request also reminded me of one of my very favorite versions of the Temperance card. So I thought I would share that wonderful image with you.

Definitely Bengal! All tiger and no Lions. Sol invictus smells tigery to me too.

Anyone besides me get tea from Tamamo-no-mae? I get a beautiful tea plus ginger and citrus. Try it

Aries!!!!

Although I don't think anyone's reviewed it, Obatala sounds like all coconut, all the time. Shea, milk, and water don't sound like they'd do much more than add a creamy, refreshing quality to the coconut scent... mmmm.

Totally seconding the above. Obatala is like a yummy tropical coconut smoothie and it LAAAAAASTS!