cranberry

Part of the unreleased sniffing circle…

 

In the imp: It smells very foody, mainly almond & marzipan.

 

On the skin: It changes almost immediately from an almondy foody smell to an orange foody smell. As it dries, spices emerge and it reminds me a bit of homemade quick type Russian tea (tang, cinnamon, nutmeg, lipton tea mix). It remains a spicy orange smell.

 

It fades fairly quickly on me. Overall, I have to say that I like the drydown a lot more than the opening. I love Russian tea....glad that I got a chance to try this.

Part of the Unreleased sniffing circle...

 

In the Imp: light, clean, fresh, lemony

 

On the Skin, Initial impression: On the skin, it's as in the imp - lovely, lemony fresh, light smelling. Very clean smelling and crisp. When I first put it on, I thought that I got whiffs of something wild and grassy, but that could have been suggestion...

Dry: As it dries, a piney, juniper scent emerges. It also changes into more of an herbal, green scent instead of citrusy, as would be expected by the emergence of evergreen.

 

Overall: It's a nice scent, but not really what I would ever reach for and it has no lasting power on me at all. After about a ½ hr, it’s gone. But, I'm glad that I got an opportunity to try it.

I'm testing this as part of the Unreleased Sniffing Circle.

 

Initally on the skin and in the imp, I get a strong minty smell. Maybe spearmint or wintermint. It’s very cooling and refreshing.

 

As it wears, I do get a touch of soap underneath the mint, but it is very light. As far as components go, I would have to say mint, maybe a touch of sugar. This would make a fantastic lotion for hot weather (note - I want to make lotion of all minty scents so there you go). It seems to stay pretty true, not morphing a lot. But, it also disappears pretty quickly on me too.

 

Overall, I like it, but if it were released I’m not sure if I’d buy a bottle, or not. I’ve got mint scents already and they don’t speak to me like the woods or resins do.

I’m trying this through the Unreleased Sniffing Circle.

 

In the Imp: lavender, maybe a touch of eucalyptus. It’s a coolish smelling oil to me.

 

On the Skin, Initial Impression: oh yes, it’s lavender all right. At first it’s pretty sharp, but it softens pretty quickly. It gets slightly powdery on me as it dries but also a bit sweeter.

 

After about 20 minutes: Lavender and violets. It gets much softer on me the longer I wear it. I find this oil very cooling and think it would be great in hot weather. I have to say though that it fades pretty quickly on me.

Overall: Nice, I like it. It is a very soothing scent yet also refreshing. Unfortunately, it disappears pretty quick. But, the oil is very well suited to its name.

I love amber. Well certain kinds anyway. The Lion is an excellent strong amber with spice (I think it's cardamom - just lightly there). Sin is a resiny, warm, spicy scent. Very nice. Coyote is another good, almost pure amber scent with a touch of grass and leather. Yummy. Snake Charmer is also a good amber scent but with lots of other scents in there too - it's strong on the vanilla. It's also an LE and may be difficult to find. Verdandi on me is green apples and amber (very very nice), and Succor is amber and olives (interesting but also very soothing). I love love love amber. I can't wait to see the other recommendations people have for you.

snake charmer & sin. always good response, esp. from snake charmer.

 

plus, when I wear them I feel sexier and more delicous. smelling great plus feeling fabulous is a deadly combination!

 

and yes, I have to agree, Spanked is VERY VERY sexy!

This is the 2nd batch of the Chaos II decant circle organized by OW. It's long since left my hands but it's just taken me a long time to get this posted.

 

Again, in no particular order...

 

DCLI

Initial impression: Pink! Strawberry! Sweetness! After about 5 seconds on my skin, it deepens and I get red fruit, berries. It gets spicy but remains fruity/berryish. Maybe a touch of cinnamon/cassia in there to spice it up. Great drydown! This is another goodie! (andrabell's review)

 

CDXVI

Fruity, slightly floral. I have a hard time identifying notes in this one. Not really my style but nice. I just can’t describe the notes in this one. (sarada's review)

 

CCCLXXXVIII

Reminds me quite a bit of Queen of Clubs upon first application, loam, earth, fig.

Damn – this is really similar to QoC! I think that it’s more floral though. (Shollin's review)

 

VIII

This reminds of another Chaos in this batch. There could be a touch of sassfrass in here. Maybe a touch of mint or pennyroyal. Some kinda floral, maybe gardenia? This is a strong, bracing scent. (OriginalWacky's review)

 

XXV

One of my contributions to the circle – My first review

 

2nd review: this seems to have mellowed a bit since I first reviewed it. Its softer now and the vicks cherry cough drop accord is not nearly as present as it was a few months ago. (sarada's review)

 

L

Initially, this oil is light, herbal, with maybe a touch of lemon. Light, springy florals. It is very very fresh smelling. There’s something minty about this blend, it comes out as it dries. During the drydown, it remains a light, fresh blend, the mint gives it a bit of kick. Very nice! (sarada's review)

DXLVIII

Wow this is really different! Strong smelling, a bit medicinal. It’s a light blue colored oil – very pretty color! Minty, and quite herbal. I smell lavendar. It’s very fresh and energizing. It makes my wrist tingle. Long lasting and it remains herbal as it wears. (sarada's review)

 

CCCLXX

A bit aquatic, light, floral, maybe pear? These are notes that I’m not too familiar with – light, clean smelling, this would be easy to wear to the office. There could be some oakmoss in here. (sarada's review)

 

CXCIII

In the bag – smelled a bit like sassfrass. On the skin: Minty, - I think spearmint. Nice. (sarada's review)

 

 

Closing thoughts - this was an olfactory rollercoaster and good learning experience to get to test all these difference scents. Decant circles are sooo fun!

In the Imp: dry bubblegum-type scent. Its an orangy-red color which makes me think that there's dragon's blood in here.

On the Skin: Thank god, the bubblegum note vanishes once I put it on. Instead, I get an almost ylang-ylang scent plus cinnamon and an underlying note of musk or civet. I don't think it's jasmine as jasmine hates me, and this is pretty good so far. It's warm, spicy, and very sexy. When I first applied it the other day, immediately out of the shower, I had a wee bit of a reaction to it - my skin turned red where it was applied.

As it Dries: Vanilla comes out, wow - this reminds me a LOT of Dragon's Milk. This is just fabulous! There's definitely both dragon's blood and vanilla in here. It has an underlying musky edge to it. The cinnamon mellows out a lot and there's also a touch of incense here.

 

Overall Impression: Warm, spicy, sexy, sultry scent. I don't know that it works for it's intended purpose but it certainly makes me feel sexier, so from that alone it's being effective. I think it's fabulous! I have to get a bottle with my next order. Yum!

 

edited for spelling

I tend to gravitate towards traditionally masculine or unisex scents - incense, leather, musk, resins, wood all speak to me! I too used to wear just straight sandalwood or even vetivert oil, both considered quite traditionally masculine. King of Clubs, Tezcatlipoca, Coyote, Dee, Torture King are all among my favorite scents. I say wear what you like and what moves you, and don't limit yourself to what is considered traditionally masculine or feminine!

I have to break up the Chaos II circle reviews into two sets. Damn - there are lots of oils and thanks to OriginalWacky for organizing this!

 

In no particular order...

CCCXC

It reminds me very much of Sugar Skull 2005 but a bit fruitier. Stays pretty true, sweet, sugary, slightly fruity. In the vial it’s more fruity but then sweetens up and carmalizes as it melds with the skin. Delicious! And long lasting too. Great Chaos blend!

OriginalWacky's review , sarada's review

 

XXXVII

Green, fresh, slightly floral. When I first smelled it, it reminded me of fresh green moist moss, slightly sweet. As it wears on, it sweetens up considerably and delicate white florals come out. Very nice….innocent, sweet, young come to mind.

OriginalWacky's review

 

CXX

In the vial, slightly herbal, but then it sweetens upon the skin and florals come out. I think that roses are back there among the flowers and there’s a hint of sassfrass.

OriginalWacky's review, sarada's review , roesmoker's review

 

D

In the vial, predominately lavendar. Bluish, greenish, light almost robin egg colored oil – beautiful! As it dries, this remains strongly lavendar but it’s tempered by something else. It gets fruity as it wears, so maybe lotus? Good combination.

OriginalWacky's review , sarada's review

 

CCCXVII

In the imp – mint. On the skin: Minty! Is that spearmint? Edible smelling – makes me want to eat it up (doesn’t help that I haven’t had lunch yet). Sort of spicy, maybe a hint of cinnamon back there. Fantastic!! There may be a hint of cucumber back there. Great drydown, the cinnamon mellows out a bit but the oil remains spicy, minty, creamy. Very nice!

OriginalWacky's review, sarada's review, Imbrium's review

 

LXXVII

Reminds me of Blood Moon, musky, with cinnamon or cassia. But I think a bit sweeter than Blood Moon. I think there’s red sandalwood in there. There could be just a touch of sassfrass in there but just a drop. It adds just a bit more spicy warmth. I don’t want to try any more oils, just bask in the spicy goodness of this on my wrist…

 

This is one of my favorite chaos theories out there – this is amazing!

OriginalWacky's review, sarada's review, yeahbutnobut'S review, sihaya09's review, lachodia's review, olympia301's review, shelldoo's review

CCLIX

Gardenia I think and maybe a touch of mint. As I wear it the gardenia (?) fades and melds into the background. It becomes kinda fruity, I have a hard time describing these kindof scents. If I had to do a description, I would say some kind of white or tropical flowers and something fruity, so maybe there’s lotus in here too.

OriginalWacky's review , sarada's review

 

more to come....weeee - this is fun!

Another spot on scent - it smells exactly like the description, as least as far as I can tell. I don't think I've ever smelled/tried chestnuts, so there is a bit of imagination there. But back to the oil, it smells warm, slightly nutty, and pretty sweet - predominantly brown sugar and none of the honey on me (thank goodness as I do bad things to honey). There's hints of the pipe smoke, but the sweet nuttiness rules this blend on me. Theres a hint of pine and it all melds together into this incredibly evocative scent - sitting in a cozy room, fire burning, brings to mind libraries with leather books (even tho I don't get any leather from this scent). Very nice.

oh, and it lasts and lasts and lasts!

In the bottle - strong, sweet, edible goodness. Mainly cheesecake.

 

On the Skin - initial - sweet cheesecake, but then it morphs pretty quick and I get plastic. It's similar to the initial note I get in Midway (I get plastic there too) but much much sweeter. It's a very strong scent and the throw is tremendous.

 

After about 20 minutes or so - the plastic note burns off and I get edible goodness, the tanginess of cheesecake, maybe a touch of crust.

 

Overall - I didn't think that it could be done but Beth did a hell of a job capturing these scents. It's pretty phenomenal really. The beginning and ending are great, but the getting there is not good. Is it a keeper? I'm not sure, but it does have some yummy phases.

wow - the new labels are so great - thanks for posting those!

Pink Phoenix - In the bottle this is a very sweet scent. I can really smell the strawberry and vanilla. The honey comb, sweet pea and pear take a bit of a back seat but add to the overall sweetness.

 

On me, it starts out pretty sweet, but then a ways through it morphs on me. I almost smell chocolate (I know, my skin is weird). It's the honeycomb making itself known and taking over. Unfortunately, this is what I was afraid of. Honey and I do not get along but I wanted to give it a shot because, after all, it is an anniversary scent! I have a tendency to amp honey big time, but not always in a good way. As it wears on, it becomes almost musky on me, but there are still remnants of sweetness underneath. I don't really get any florals, just musky chocolate honey, and a touch of sugary sweetness.

 

I'm going to give it some time and try it again in a few weeks, see if something is different. It's a really happy, cheery scent in the bottle, if only it stayed that way on me. Fingers crossed...

Midnight Mass is simply a beautiful, rich, deep, warm incense. It's gorgeous. In the bottle and when it first hits my skin that is.

 

It's been a while since I've smelled the incense in church but I can imagine this oil captures it perfectly. I have to agree, it is definitely sweeter and warmer than Cathedral (which I love).

 

But, as it develops on my skin it does something unfortunate. I don't even know how to describe it but it's not good. I thought it was a fluke but it's done it just about every time I've worn it. So. I don't know what the offending note is, but it doesn't work for me and I'm going to have to bid MM farewell. I'm envious of those of you on which Midnight Mass remains the same; I thought I had found my HG of incense scents but tis not to be. Yeah, I was never really the religious type anyway.

Herr Drosselmeyer - another spot on scent.

 

In the bottle: It's all pipe tobacco. Deep, rich. I get the bitter note of the tobacco here more than any other time. And maybe a slight tang of leather.

 

On the skin: It sweetens up considerably, but still remains cherry pipe tobacco. I get hints of leather but that could be the tobacco. The woods remain hidden but this is a very deep, rich scent. Perhaps the woods add some of the depth. It's a very strong scent and all you need is just a touch. For some reason it reminds me a wee bit of Miskatonic University. It's a deep rich scent like MiskU, I don't get coffee per say, but there's a similar feeling to it - they are both deep, rich, sweet scents, and to me bringing to mind dark, polished wood, leather chairs, hard bound books. Crackle of the fire in the background...

 

Herr Drosselmeyer lasts a long time and remains pretty true. As with the woods, the linen remains hidden. And just to reiterate, this is all about the pipe tobacco!

 

Overall impression: I like it! Not sure if I'll need another bottle but it's just perfect for those times when I want to feel all warm and cozy. It is a pretty manly scent, but a woman could get away with it I have no doubt.

they're fantastic! ivyandpeony - thanks so much for posting this!!

I like decanting a bit into 5/8 or 1/3 dram containers and carrying those around with me. I used to carry around bottles and rollerballs, but I've had leakyness problems with rollerballs. I've had some problems with carrying imps around (issues with the top) so I really like the X dram containers as the tops screw on and are very secure. I don't worry at all about leaking, can carry around a whole mess of scents in a little container, and each contains only about an imp or two, so I can feel free to gift them away or if something happens it's not like I'm risking a whole bottle.

Jacob's Ladder was the first oil I reached for when I picked up my box today. It's taken me a while to get my mind around it other than to be able to say, "wow, I really really like this and want more..."

In the Bottle:When I first opened the bottle, I really didn't smell much at all. To me, in the bottle, it's a very faint, but beautiful scent - warm, ambery. But a light amber.

 

On the Skin: When I first put it on, it remained very faint. But it immediately reminded of the Lion, not quite as spicy, but it's the same amber. A soft, glowing, warm amber. This is the amber I love - some ambers tend to go powdery on me, but this stays true.

 

The longer I wear it, it seems to get deeper, richer. I can really smell the tonka - it adds depth, richness and makes me think of sex for some reason. It doesn't have the spiciness of the Lion, nor the grassy musk in Coyote, but Jacob's Ladder is in my mind in this class of scents, but more feminine than either. Its almost like take those scents, mix them up, throw in a dash of Black Opal, and now you've got Jabob's Ladder. When I wore it earlier, I almost got an incense like vibe during the drydown but I'm not getting it here. Because it's a rather light scent on me, I can see that addition bottles are in order.

 

Overall impression: Just amazing. I....need...more.

rewil - thanks for posting! I love nuclear winter - that's fantstic!! and I can't wait to see gingerbread poppet!

Alone has bit me - twice. The first time, I thought oh, it's too close to the shower, so I didn't give it any mind. But it left big red marks whereever I used it. Big, sore red marks. I swapped for a bottles after falling in love with the imp, and I picked it up yesterday at lunchtime. I put some more on - the same thing! so I"m going to have to go back and reread this thread, and get experimental with jojoba oil. Such a beautiful scent. *sigh* I still have hope...

many thanks to OriginalWacky for the imp - I'm so glad to be able to try this!

 

I see what all the rejoicing is about since it's been brought back - Antique Lace is simply beautiful. Warm, soft, sweet vanilla. I get a bit of musk but the vanilla predominates. I never knew I was a vanilla fan before I found BPAL. Yes, it is very similar to Morocco and Black Opal. For some reason it reminds me of powdered sugar or creamy vanilla frosting. Yum!

I've been wearing this combination all day - Snake Oil, Dana O'Shee, dab of Aureus. It's beautful! O doesn't work for me - the honey, but Dana is great. My POLT vial is almost gone, but I swear this is pretty close. Not sure if its the EDT or EDP (proly EDT) but the layering smells great! I'm tempted to try a mixing experiment...

how about Dana O'Shee, Snake Oil and the slightest dab of Aureus. Aureus to provide that touch of wood that's otherwise missing and tone down the sweetness just a notch.

I have to agree that this is a very seasonal scent. Just perfect for the colder times of year when you feel like reaching for a thick wool sweater, burrowing down into a dark brown leather chair. Mission style. And, of course, drinking a big warm cuppa coffee laced with sweet cream and a touch of booze.

 

When I put this on, initially, I get a touch of coconut (?) but that quickly changes into warm rich Irish cream coffee. So deliciously edible. That scent stays pretty true for the life of the scent on me, I don't really get wood, dusty papers, or tobacco. It's a strong scent and I reach for when I need to be inspired. Yum!