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Wet: sharp incense

On skin: blast of rosey incense

Half-hour later: strong rose incense with a base of sweet dragon's blood (Ron Burgundy says it "stings the nostrils")

In conclusion: I love rosey incense blends, like Parlement of Foules and Saint Foutin. This has a nice base with the daemonorops, but do I need another rosey incense blend? Pretty nevertheless.

Wet: light cocoa

On skin: sweetened tequila

Half-hour later: darker and spicier, spiced maple syrup?

In conclusion: this is an interesting one, like Mictecacihuatl (a big favorite from Halloween '08) without the light tobacco. Unfortunately my skin is burning a bit so it cannot be a bottle order, which is a shame.

In bottle: fresh greenery, like A Blade of Grass

On skin: watery, clean and green

Half-hour later: more dust and a bit of sea air from June Gloom '09

In conclusion: no men's cologne here, just a combination of a couple of "fresh" elements I like. I've been landlocked for years and really miss salty sea air. This one is beautiful, refreshing and simple.

In bottle: sour cherry

On skin: slightly sweeter cherry, not as sour

Half-hour later: softened nicely with some creamy coconut, but needs to waft -- up close is chemical astringent (amaretto?)

In conclusion: I enjoy the boozy Halloween blends released every year -- Spooky, Creepy and now Ghoulish. This one seems to last all day too. Delicious!

In bottle: lemon drops

On skin: tart lemon candy

Half-hour later: honey has appeared, but this isn't the aggressive O-type honey, this is sweet and lighter

In conclusion: this was like candied lemon with a little bit of light honey. I love the sweet honey blends and this one's delicious.

Wet: sweet menthol

On skin: lots of smoky wood with a bit of sweetened tobacco

Half-hour later: clean foamy soap. Whuck?

In conclusion: the soapy ending was totally out of left field, but wasn't soap made out of ashes in ye olden times? So that makes a weird bit of sense. A foreboding description, but not as dark as I feared.

In bottle: strawberry Bubble Yum

On skin: sticky sweet syrup

Half-hour later: a fizzy, hazy, dusty floral with some spun sugar

In conclusion: this blend is perky and refreshing. Great for the August doldrums.

In imp: sour wine

On skin: sangria

Half-hour later: fruity wine and a bit of spice

In conclusion: I wasn't fortunate enough to try Gluhwein, but this is what I imagine it to smell like. Slightly spiced wine and not so boozy. I'd buy a bottle of this if it were available.

In bottle: whiskey

On skin: a smack of Dead Man's Hand leather, then a bourbon sour

Half-hour later: sweetened leather with a bit of woody dust from the tobacco

In conclusion: leather is the strongest note in this one, slightly sweetened with the booze. Pretty faint too, which is probably a good thing. I shouldn't stroll around work smelling like I got a jump on happy hour. A subtle, enjoyable leather blend.

In bottle: sugared booze

On skin: lots of sweet tropical flowers with a watery coconut base

Half-hour later: less sugar from the flowers, with nicely sweetened coconut behaving in the background

In conclusion: I really like that this is more floral than coconut. Coconut is one of those elusive notes that I think I'll love (even suntan oil scents) but what I buy never jibes with what I imagine I want. Like Obatala, which ends up either plastic or sour. This, however, is light and pretty. I need to slather this one though.

In bottle: dark cherry juice

On skin: cherries and musk, yum yum

Half-hour later: still musky and sweet

In conclusion: instead of being a sugar blast with the cherry and booze, this is like oozing jelly deliciousness. The musk keeps it dark and anchored, and no plastic devolution like Suck It. Delicious!

In bottle: sharp musk

On skin: still lots of sharp musk, like fresh Black Lace -- o pointy musk, o pointy pointy...

Half-hour later: mellowed out quite a bit with some curling smoke

In conclusion: if you walked into a gothy club wearing Black Lace, this is what you smell like upon exiting. BL plus the fancy cigarettes and sweet cologne of someone you'd been sitting next to. I hope this becomes smoother and creamier as it ages, just like Black Lace does!

Yay, fun freebie!

Before I sprayed, it smelled like black licorice. After spraying it's more minty, but now I'm thinking it's geranium, like in the Stress Relief Elixir. Really refreshing!

In bottle: baby oil

On skin: soft, light honey with a zing of citrus

Half-hour later: sweet and creamy citrus

In conclusion: this has such an innocent vibe, regardless of the label art. I walked by the Lush store at the mall going to/from lunch today (wish I wasn't with my boss, and could shop for a moment!) and this smells like the hazy aura in front of the store, the mishmash aroma of all the clean, natural, fun products. Delicious!

In bottle: dark pungent musk

On skin: lots of musk, mrowr!

Half-hour later: mellowed with some dusty champaca and myrrh

In conclusion: all the ingredients sounded great, except I was a bit squeamish of the ambergris and star anise. This ends up a sultry combo of dusky musk, like a barely lightened version of Smut.

Wet: peppy minty cocoa

On skin: lots of chocolate and mint, creamy melted ice cream

Half-hour later: the creamy sweetness has mellowed, but the combo of chocolate and cedar is smelling funky

In conclusion: I liked the beginning, but the end result was too discordant. I think it's the cedar, it just won't play nice on my skin.

In bottle: sweetened leather

On skin: classic Dead Man's Hand leather with a citrussy *zing*

Half-hour later: delicious slightly-sweet leather, something I want to gnaw on

In conclusion: I ordered hoping this leather wasn't too gentrified, like the slick leather in DeSade. This is the rustic leather note that I love and is for some reason so calming and comfortable, plus a bit of sweetness from the olive oil and barely any wood to be found. Love it!

In bottle: medicinal antiseptic

On skin: dusty wood, like a stable

Half-hour later: no change, still lots of dust and wood

In conclusion: this was really feral on me, woof! I was hoping for something mellower. I'm also all "where's the cognac?" like when I get home from work and demand vodka. We'll see if this one calms down from its testosterone rampage eventually.

In bottle: dark cocoa with booze

On skin: flash of acetone, then a slightly bitter chocolate cordial

Half-hour later: still a fancy cordial, sweet and oozing

In conclusion: no overt booze, so people shouldn't be wondering if I've been drinking at work. This is a luscious candy scent, but not so sweet that it gives me a headache.

On skin: pink roses

Half-hour later: dusty-resiny rose with a honey-sweet background

In conclusion: this is like a sweetened Parlement of Foules, which was all resins and roses. I like the extra sweetness (from both the beeswax and the wine) but it seems duplicative to PoF. A mellow, pretty blend.

In bottle: red vinegar

On skin: delicious red wine with an oaken waft

Half-hour later: the red wine is struggling to appear amidst wood and some coffee grounds

In conclusion: this is like a Fortunato and Chapel combo -- the beginning is Fortunato, intriguing red wine, but the end is definitely the Chapel, the red wine is in the background of something dark 'n' gloomy. Long lasting too, another interesting blend.

In bottle: bitter honey

On skin: creamy O honey with some medicinal resins

Half-hour later: not much morph, lots of O with a touch of Snake Oil

In conclusion: I love love love O, but I'm not the biggest fan of straight-up, fresh Snake Oil -- the resins are so bitter and medicinal. However, aged Snake Oil is some good stuff and I'm sure this blend will just get better and better as the Snake Oil matures. Delicious!

In bottle: dark plum

On skin: lots of sweet dark fruit with a bit of earthiness from the patchouli and sandalwood

Half-hour later: dark and moody, but still nicely sweetened with fruit

In conclusion: my skin is notorious for turning what might be borderline masculine scents into aftershavey cologne, but this one is great. Dark and sweet and luscious, along the lines of Hellion and Crypt Queen.

In bottle: candied fruit

On skin: fizzy fruity booze, like pink champagne

Half-hour later: vanilla and mellow sandalwood warming under bright pink fruit

In conclusion: this is delicious, like a sweeter Monster Bait: Underpants. I have a decant of the Sweet Pea single note and it's a bright citrussy floral, not too strong or cloying. Sparkly and bouncy.

In bottle: green menthol

On skin: tangy green things

Half-hour later: the plum has appeared, purple and sweet. Plum is never a bad thing

In conclusion: I was afraid this would be too aftershavey green or Christmas Tree on me, but this is more like the Natural Outdoors. Definitely green, but a little bit sweet and a little bit dusty.