galahad

In The Bottle Golden apples. Gorgeous. Where Poisoned Apple was red apples these are definitely golden apples On Application Holy Mother of God, this is amazing. The oak bark gives these apples a mustiness which is so evocative. Dry Down To me this is apples drying and wrinkling in the sun - nothing twilight about it, perhaps a promise of the end of the day. There is very little sweetness to this, only juicy and slightly tart apples. This does go a bit plastic -y at the end of the drydown but still a lovely summer/autumn scent. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Fresh with a touch of melon sweetness but with a bitter afterthought On Application Definitely sea air with just a hint of saltiness Dry Down Wow, this does warm and sweeten up more as it dries down but the briney quality increases. Definitely has a cool and damp feel to it. I have just noticed that I have used both warm and cool to describe this and that is entirely accurate - it's a warm, leather-clad pirate body in cool, misty sea air. Great scent. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Air freshener On Application Oh god no Dry Down Wash off Rating (0-5) 0

In The Bottle Orchid, rosewood and a hint of juniper On Application Ugh! Juniper and sandalwood with the strong orchid. Dry Down In the initial stages this tones down and blends nicely to give a spicey scent which is really quite nice. I can still pick the juniper through it all and an after-image of lilac. Becomes really smooth and the musk sweetens up the blend to take the astringency away. This goes through quite a strong rose stage which I find disturbing but it doesn't last long. Lovely and worth retrying. Has made me want to try some lilac blends. Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Amaretto, indeed. On Application Really sweet with the fruit amping initially. Nice so far Dry Down Thank goodness for the black currant which keeps this scent on the good side of sickly sweet. The amaretto moves to the back to allow the juicy plum and currant to shine in the first stages of drydown. There is a slight sourness from the wine which, combined with the tart currants, gives this scent a maturity which is nice. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Lime and fruits On Application Yum , the grapefruit really features on initial application (another of my favourite oils) but it is a sweet grapefruit. Dry Down I swear I can smell the nectarine, all juicy and ripe. Thnankfully the rose is behaving itself. There emerges a sweetish muskiness (must be the hedgehog musk!). This is a really languid and deep scent without being cloying. Absolute heaven and I wouldn't class the overall effect foody at all. This actually smells more tea-like than some of the tea blends. Doesn't last long but reapplication is no chore. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Vanilla and leather with something herby and spicey On Application This immediately puts out sage and vanilla with a little kick of lavender. Very nice. Dry Down Wow. The leather and musk with the spicey carnation make an awesome combination in the initial drydown stages. The sage gives a sweaty muskiness. Very, very manly. The term "sultry" has been used in some of the reviews and I concur. Sex in a bottle! Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Almond - bitter and strong On Application As above Dry Down I get a bit of anise coming through as it dries down. I am not liking so far. Turns to more cherry than almond further into the drydown but this is definitely not me. Rating (0-5) 1

In The Bottle Just a faint whiff of orange On Application Orange and then the narcissus blasts out. Yum Dry Down I was so looking forward to trying my first narcissus blend and this is showing such promise. This becomes a smokey narcissus with an incense edge 5 minutes into the drydown - very spicey. This started off bright and pretty and has dried down to a dark, spicey and incensey scent. Beautiful but not sure if bottle-worthy. I will have to retry. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle I get vanilla in the bottle with a dry kick On Application Beeswax and musky vanilla. I am going to love this! Dry Down The woods start to emerge giving this a slightly more resinous and dry feeling. This smells like our local museum....creepy. I get occasional kicks of black pepper (black pepper is one of my favourite oils). I have been trying to pin something down in this and have just got the incense and charred wood. Sarada mentioned the smell of birthday cake candles that have been just blown out. I think that is a great image which works for this scent. I adore this already. Rating (0-5) 5

In The Bottle Very floral but definitely tropical flowers On Application Jasmine first off Dry Down Once this starts to dry down the jasmine behaves itself and it becomes quite soft and lovely. There is definitely a beachy scent here for me. This reminds me too much of sunscreen once it has dried down completely. Not for me. Rating (0-5) 2

In The Bottle Violet and vetiver. This is the first violet scent I have tried so I have high hopes that violet works on my skin. On Application Initial application was quite strong violet - yay - but the vetiver is attempting to take over. Dry Down This has incredible throw and is absolutely lovely. Darker than I originally expected, I smell the violet quite strongly and the lavender gives a sharper edge. There is almost an anise scent in the initial drydown stages. There is nothing gentle or soft about this scent, as you'd expect from the concept, but I really love it even if it may be a touch too floral for me. I will need to try again but at this stage this may be a big bottle order for me. Rating (0-5) 4

In The Bottle Very viscous. I don't get much vanilla in the bottle On Application Incense and strong vanilla. Not as sweet as I thought it would be, which is a good thing. Dry Down Warm smokey vanilla. Looks to be a staple in my collection. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Lavender, pretty much straight up. On Application Lavender amd moss. A little disturbing Dry Down This dries down beautifully. It has morphed from the lavender with the herby mossiness to a sweet and spicy, almost non-floral scent (courtesy of the carnation and amber). Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle This is quite herbal in the bottle. On Application Initially lavender and melissa. Soon after, I can pick the Ylang Ylang. Becomes very floral in the initial stages of the drydown. Dry Down This is a very complex scent. I am so glad this has got the tobacco and woods to hold back the florals. It becomes quite nice about 20 minutes in but is reminding me of air freshener. It's such a shame that this doesn't work on me. I was really intrigued by the notes. Rating (0-5) 1

In The Bottle OMG! Gorgeous. I can't pick any particular notes. Smooth and charming. On Application Very much a gentleman's cologne. Stunning. Warm and round bit fairly light. Dry Down I was trying to figure out what was familiar about this and have just realised it smelled like a shaving foam I used to use and loved. Surprisingly, I can't pick out the lavender until much later (my skin sucks up lavender pretty much immediately). I am so in love with this one. Big bottle for sure. Rating (0-5) 5 Edt: The final drydown has the mildewed raincoat note that is mentioned in one of the Neil Gaiman scents. Very comforting and lovely.

In The Bottle Sharp and astringent. On Application Definitely salty marine air. This is really sharp and tangy. Dry Down This does sweeten up and round out more as it dries down. What I really like about it is the saltiness stays around for quite a while. I am going to try ths on a warm day. I suspect this will be a keeper. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Lightly resinous fir and damp cold air. Nice. On Application As above but with more power and i can pick up quite a bit of the damp earth scent. This is lovely. Dry Down I find green scents difficult but I am loving this. Very fresh without blasting the sinuses. This has attempted to turn to a berry scent at several stages but gets pulled back to the piney fir. Finally the berry scent wins. Shame Rating (0-5) 2.5

In The Bottle Pine! On Application Pine with a smokey background Dry Down 5 minutes into the drydown I can definitely detect ginger which is making this more bearable. Actually quite nice when it has completely dried down but not for me. Rating (0-5) 1.5

In The Bottle Broken and crushed green stems. Airy and sappy. Interesting. On Application Astringent, airy and wet. Dry Down Ah this becomes a little spicy with a touch of the floral note coming through. I would class this as an aquatic scent at this point. I get quite a bit of hemlock in this, which I like. 20 minutes in I get a slight beery note reminiscent of Roadhouse but with Peony. Odd. I like it and I am not overly fond of florals and I don't really get the teas. Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Berry and sage in the bottle gives a surprisingly refreshing scent. On Application As above but a little warmer. Dry Down I really like this. The sage gives this a green edge and the musk which appears as it warms starts to sweeten up the mix. This is berries in the wild, growing amongst weeds and ferns. The green tea isn't really evident until about 10 minutes in and lends a green airiness. This is lovely and not too cloying. Oh.....20 minutes later this is becoming darker. I guess the musks are kicking in. A bottle for sure. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Light musk with a tinge of vanilla. On Application Hmm....quite foody at first. Vanilla and what smells like berry. Kind of smells like a sweeter Eat Me. No tea...drat. Dry Down I still get the berry and vanilla but the muskiness of the tea is coming through. Much better after it has been on a while. Good throw and great lasting power. Rating (0-5) 4.5

Rose geranium, Spanish moss, Irish yew, and graveyard dirt. In The Bottle Dirt. I love it. Can smell the rose geranium vaguely. I really dislike rose scents. On Application Rose geranium, first up. Darn. The dirt is still there but definitely less pronounced than in the bottle. I think it really does stay true to the concept though. Dry Down The moss starts to rein in the rose fairly quickly, thankfully. The rose comes in and out. I will have to try this a few times as i love the dirt however I don't really rate this against Jazz Funeral Rating (0-5) 3.5

In The Bottle Fragrantly herbal. It took a while to cach the scent in the bottle. On Application A hint of lemon over a strong balm of Gilead prescence. I can also detect the sage. Dry Down This is the first scent I have tried with beeswax and I am suprised it is really detectable. I like! I am really glad the lemon from the lemon balm isn't too overpowering. Lemon has to be my least favourite note. This is quite a crisp fragrance with some warmth in the background (saffron, frankincense and benzoin). This gets sharper and drier as it wears. I would classify this as a unisex scent. I like this very much. Rating (0-5) 4.5

In The Bottle Sweet musk with the vetiver giving a slight sour undertone On Application A very sweet powdery scent. Smells moist and cologny Dry Down 5 mins into the drydown there is a rich herby scent coming to the foreground underpinned by the leather as the skins warms it up. He musk still dominates. I want to say this a generic scent but it's not....quite. I am undecided if I like this. It might be a bit powdery. 10 minutes in, I have decided I do like Iago. Everything blends together to give a smooth, sweet musky scent. Rating (0-5) 3.5