dreadeddragon

In the bottle: Irish Spring soap. With glycerin bubbles on top. First on: Spices, dragon's blood, citrus soap. It's on the last of a deep inhale that I smell the spice part, and I don't get it long enough yet to identify it, but the soap scent has calmed down a lot. Drydown: Back to the soap. Overall: I jsut don't see this being the emperor. But then maybe if it didn't go all soapy on me it would have been fitting.

In the bottle: Berries and herbs. Similar in feel to Glasgow, but yet completely different. I don't get the huge rush of rose everyone else does. First on: Now I get the rose. With some berries. It's a refreshing rose though, not sticky or sour like most rose blends go on me. Drydown: Moslty rose, but there's something else in there I can't decipher. Some greenery o something. Overall: It's very much the empress. Womanly and bold, yet soft and tender.

In the bottle: This reminds me of a day at the pool. There's a soft tropic breeze that hints of a hot day and coconut suntan lotion, and then the chlorine smell of pool. Odd. First on: The chlorine is gone (yay) and has been replaced with mint mint mint! This is almost what I expected Lick It to smell like (I havne't tried it yet) in that it's a very soft sweet mint. I'm usually not a fan of mint, but this is divine. Drydown: It still has that sweet mint to it, but I also get just a hint of floral. It's definitely weakened, and not nearly as trong as I'd like after an hour, but it's still there and still very nice. Overall: It has presence and mystery, like the high prestess should. I like it.

In the bottle: Herbs and a medicinal twinge, but it's not too earthy. It's still a bit mysterious. First on: Lavender, but there's something that makes it deeper. A hint of earthyness, a hint of air. I really can't pinpoint the exact oils in this one. Drydown: I get sweet earth now. Sadly, like with the fool, I can barely smell this one a mere hour later. Overall: again, I'm disappointed with the staying power of this. The magician is one of my favorite cards and this scent was absolutely perfect, if it lasted longer.

In the bottle: Grapefruit? Some tangy citrus, maybe some ozone, and a very small amount of a light mint. First on: I'm definitely getting grapefruit, maybe some fresh lemon as well. I can smell the pennyroyal more as well now. Drydown: I can barely smell it at all, and what I do get is a clean, citrusy sweetness, like a very very light lemon vanilla. Overall: At first, I would have said it was perfect to describe the fool. But it faded so fast, and I generally view the fool as blindsighted and therefore stubborn.

In the bottle: Spices. Mmmm... and jasmine. Please don't get too sweet on me. First on: Floral, soap, and spice. Not bad, but barely detectable. This could go either way. Drydown: I can't find it. I can tell that there's somehting on my arm, but I can't tell what it is or where exactly it was applied. It's a faint jasmine, nothing more. Damn you jasmine! It's not cloying jasmine, which is nice, but I jsut don't do florals anymore.

In the bottle: Of course dragon's blood is the most prominant. Next I smell the leather, but the smoke quickly overpowers it. First on: Smoke! And leather, but a worn leather. Not the dominatrix leather in Loviatar, which is the only other leather blend I've tried so far. This is the worn leather of an old Western saddle (with the salty note added in there), or a worn in leather jacket like the one Indiana Jones wears. And there's a hint of dragon's blood in the background, but not much. Drydown: Ok, now I'm getting more of a dark Italian leather. Weird. Either way, the dragon's blood is now gone completely. I can only wear Loviatar when I mix it with Snake Oil, and that's still on the very rare occasion. Leather jsut isn't for me.

In the bottle: This is Lady Macbeth without the wine. All berries and pear, but not too fruity or sweet. First on: Ok, it's not Lady M. Now it's mostly florals and pear. If it stays like this, I might like it. The pear is the pear in a Juicy Pear flavored Jelly Belly. Exactly. Drydown: It's turned into a light floral/fruity blend. Unfortunately, the pear note has diminished to where it's now a perfect blend. For me, there's nothing that makes it stick out from other things, so I don't think it's for me, but it is a very lovely blend.

In the bottle: I got this one because I love oakmoss. It smells like Cool Water for men. Seriously. It reminds me of my high school boyfriend, which I can't decide if that's good or bad. First on: Ok, the potent-ness has worn down a bit, and it's not as cologne smelling as it was in the bottle. It still has that Cool Water scent to it, but I can tell that it will most likely start to fade and change into something else. Drydown: Yup. It still has a base of that same scent, but it's got more of an aquatic tang to it now. It's a really great scent, and I imagine it'd be great on a guy. Unfortunately, it reminds me of the ex, and I think there's too many bad memories there to want to be reminded of him anymore.

Our Nightmarebane. Named after the Baku, benevolent Japanese spirits that eat nightmares. In Japanese tradition, nightmares are gifts from malevolent spirits; when you wake up from one, you may call, "Baku, please eat my dreams!", and if you are virtuous and merciful in spirit, the Baku will devour the evil, transforming it into a blessing of good fortune. In the bottle: Eucalyptus and anise. I loathe anise. It smells like absinthe. I havne't tried BPAL's absinthe, but this smells like the bottle sitting on my shelf. Bleh. First on: Yup. Absinthe. It's not too strong, so if I had a nightmare, I'm sure I could use it. Luckily, I havne't had a real nightmare in about 7 years, so I won't have to use it all that often. I'll have to get BPAL's Absinthe now jsut to see how much it's different. Drydown: Now it's a bit soapy, and I can only smell it if I search through the soap and look for what I know it to smell like. I guess it doesn't have to last long though, jsut enough to fall back asleep. I'm definitely keeping it because it has a purpose, but I hope I don't need it. Hehe

In the bottle: Bubblegum. Is there lotus in this? Or is it just the berries? Poop. I was hoping for more of a spicy carnation scent. First on: Ok, no lotus that I can smell now. It's mostly berries with a hint of the carnation. I can detect a small amount of musk as well. I like it. It's light, yet devious. Drydown: Most of the berries have gone, leaving the carnation, amber & musk. I like it much better now, though I don't know how often I'd remember to put oil on 2 hours before I want to smell good. It's definitely a keeper though.

In the bottle: Clove, cinnamon, incense, a hint of orange, but it's a cinnamon orange. First on: Cinnamon, cloves, and a bit of soap? I think that's the citrus probably lightening on me. In general, I hate anything orange scented except for mandarin, but I'm loving this so far. Drydown: Wow, a scent that cinnamon doesn't burn out on me with. I've still got cinnamon, clove, and a bit of that orangy scent. It doesn't change much, but in the few hours it's been on, it's still jsut as strong. *drool*

In the bottle: Cinnamon, honey, pepper, and a hint of clove & musk First on: Mostly cinnamon, the honey isn't really distinguishable as honey, but it adds a sweetness to the cinnamon that's not too cloying. Pepper is also there, and just a hint of clove. The musk gives it an animalistic touch wihtout screaming "Hi! I'm musk!" Drydown: Mostly musk and cinnamon, with clove, then honey. Several hours later: Now the musk is the most prominant, with honey and clove. I loooove cinnamon, but it tends to fade after a few hours. Pepper is usually gone on me within the first hour. This is lovely, and may constitute a big bottle at some point.

In the bottle: Cinnamon and medicinal smelling herbs First on: The herbs are a weird combination. Like a wet earthy type of thing, without being heavy. The cinnamon is the prominant scent, truly smelling like a salamander. A fire creature that lives on the wet earth. Drydown: It's not changed too much from above, only that the cinnamon has calmed down and, much like all the other elementals except for Gnome, I almost have to search for it on my skin. I've never had that with cinnamon, so I wondr what else is in it.

In the bottle: Light citrus and lavender First on: I have to search for it, it's a very light scent. Very airy and dreamlike. I can see where it might turn soapy (please no) later on. Drydown: I even put more on after writing the above, and I still can't find it very easily. It's a clean scent, that's all I can tell. It does fit the description of a sylph, as it seems to be there, yet not. Much as a sylph exists, but has no soul.

In the bottle: A lot of vetiver, and maybe something slightly mint like in the background. This is water? First on: Ok, now it's very aquatic. It's like a salty, swampy marsh. That hint of minty is still there, but it's barely detectable, and the vetiver scent has almost gone away, making me think maybe it wasn't vetiver, but the combination of things made it smell like that when wet.It's a very calming blend. Maybe some lavender in there. Drydown: It's been jsut over an hour, and I can barely find the scent. Now I think that vetiver has come back, but jsut slightly to hide everything. I can tell I'm wearing somehting, but it's too faint to describe or tell what composes it. It does have an odd combination of scents, at the same time having a damp, dark, almost mildew type scent, and yet smelling almost like dryer linen. Odd.

In the bottle: Citrus, floral, and a hint of cinnamon First on: Fairly the same, only it's more clove than cinnamon. The citrus is light, yet bitter. Almost like bergamot, but it's not as heavy. The florals are light as well, not too strong, which means it's not a rose or a jasmine. It's a nice light fragrance deepened with the clove. Drydown: Mostly clove, with some of the florals. The citrus is gone. This is a gorgeous scent, regardless of it's magickal properties. I got this bottle for quantum spice, but I'm definitely getting one of my own.

In the bottle: Eucalyptus and a damp earth scent. It's not ehat I would have expected from an earth elemental blend. First on: Almost a smokey earth, damp and wet. The eucalyptus is there, but barely. Drydown: It's the same, but there's one more thing to it. Almost a touch of musk or (gag) civet. It's not strong, but if I stick my nose to my skin, I can almost smell it. It's mostly a patchouli scent now, with a soapy overtone. It won't be a main scent for me, but I'll use it when I need to ground myself.

2005 version I can't seem to find a review I did on the 2004 version (maybe I forgot) but I was not a fan. Then I realized I had Beltane and needed Samhain. Now Beth jsut needs to re-do Lughnasadh and come out with Imbolc. In the bottle: This is completely different from what I remember. It's mostly apples, but not a cider apple. There's some definite spices going on, clove, all over some lovely woods. Dear lord, if it smells like this on, I might need more bottles! First on: The pumpkin is coming out more, which tends to smell a bit off on me. I can't tell if I like me with pumpkin or not, but it goes all buttery. I think that's why I thought this was too foody last time. The allspice, mullein, clove, nutmeg and apple have again created the apple cider scent once it hits the skin, but so far the woods and fir have kept it from becoming too foody on me. We'll see once it's been on for an hour. Drydown: Now it's back to the original smell from the bottle. Ripe apple juice, with the spices in the background. It somehow doesn't sit on me as well as I'd hoped, but it isn't that cider-y scent that I remember so strongly from last year. It's much less food-y, and more the things Samhain was about, not what Halloween has become.

2005 version In the bottle: It's like Trick or Treat without the corn. Pure carmalized sugar. First on: It's just a burnt sugar (that between caramel and sugar stage), but it's not overly sweet. I don't really like sweets too much, and I definitely am not too fond of smelling like them, but this somehow smells just like sugar without being too sticky sweet for me. I imagine it would be good to wear on a cold, crisp day. Drydown: Still exactly the same. It's rather potent too, like the Trick or Treat was. I think this might be a nice room oil, but I'm not sure if I want to wear it. I'll have to try it by itself one day.

In the bottle: Smokey and acrid, which is probably the "boozy swoon", and a hint of musk. I like. First on: The smoke is a pure smoke, not scented with any particular wood. It's just a bit hazy on the top of a scent I can't quite describe. I can point out the scents, but it doesn't describe how they all come together and the overall effect. It's definitely just the smell of autumn with a hint of booze, sugar, and smoke. Lovely. Drydown: I think this is my favorite of the Halloween scents this year, though I haven't tried on the Pumpkin Patch yet. It's a very slinky smokey thing, with that little twinge of sweetness. It's a very light scent, but I want to keep sniffing myself.

2005 version In the bottle: Florals, leaves, and something rather strong and punget, but not in a bad way. I was afraid of this because I don't like tobacco or chocolate, but I see no hint of them yet. First on: Mmmm... This is making me think of gathering up large armfuls of colored leaves and playing in them. It's now a dry scent, still florals and leaves mostly, but the tobacco is coming out I think and it really blends nicely. I think I can smell a bit of cactus as well. I cactus. Drydown: Yup, I can smell the tobacco, but it works here. No hint of chocolate, which I'm rather pleased about. It's that autumn scent, with a sort of sugary top note that's somehow not sweet because the tobacco combines with it to make it sort of tart. I can't tell if I like it or not, because it's a cross between a cool autumn day and some soured smell. It reminds me a bit of Hearth 2004 only with the sour note.

2005 version In the bottle: Dried florals. Roses mostly, but some others that I can't distinguish are in there as well. First on: It's what I wanted Black Rose to smell like! Dried, decaying roses but without that rotten sour smell I got from both Black and Blood Rose. I can smell the gardenia when I look for it, it's probably what's keeping the rose from souring on me. There is definitely no buttery note to it, like there seems to have been in last year's version. If I really search, I can smell a bit of myrrh. Drydown: Ok now the rose has soured a bit, to where I almost wondered if it had musk or civet. If I don't try to shove my arm up my nose though I can't smell that scent though. It's mostly gardenia and incense, with some rose & myrrh in the back. It's a very lovely, very sad scent that makes me kind of lonely. I love it, but I need a hug.

In the bottle: Lime, juniper, and a hint of sandalwood First on: All lime, with a touch of heliotrope. It's tingling on me from the juniper though. It's a very bright and happy scent. I feel all bouncy. Drydown: It's faded a lot, but it's mostly sandalwood, with a hint of lime and a bit of juniper. It's not so bouncy anymore, but is the sophisticated sort of thing you want to sniff twice. Not at all what I would have expected from a Leo scent, but a perfect way to describe us.

In the bottle: Woah that's strong! Almost an alcohol (like parfumers alcohol) whiff. Then cinnamon. First on: Cinnamon and green plant. Like oleander branches. Drydown: Oleander and violet. Well I know it can't be oleander since that's rather poisonous, but it really does smell like when I was a kid. We'd strip the branches and weave them into crowns wrapped in flowers. Or bows & arrows. Then we'd wash the hell out of our hands before we could do anything else. I also get a bit of rose. It changes a lot. *want bottle*