krysaia

In the vial: Honeyed amber, with just a hint of vanilla Wet: This starts off as mostly very sweet honey, with the amber and vanilla lurking beneath. Amber steps up to the plate rather quickly, though, and balances out the honey within ten minutes. Dry: A warm, mellow honey with a vaguely spicy note underneath. I can't clearly pick out the amber or vanilla anymore, but thankfully there's something rounding the honey out and keeping it from being too cloying. O has decent throw and about average staying power on me, but this actually isn't saying much (my skin often sucks up scents within a couple of hours). Verdict: I wanted to like this more than I do. I don't actually hate it - it IS fairly pretty - but I definitely don't love it, either. And it's not at all remarkable on me. I'll probably keep the imp, but I won't bother with a bottle.

Here's a clearer picture of the Snow, Glass, Apples bottle: And yes, in the signed set, only the book is signed.

In the vial: Warm spiced musk. Wet: I get almost all spices, with a hint of carnation. I can't pick out the musk clearly, but there's definitely something mellowing the spices out. Dry: I tested this a couple of times and got different results each time. The first time it was more musk than anything else, but there was lovely spice just underneath, along with an interesting sort of vanilla note. The last time I tested it, it was more spice than anything, but it was nice and rounded and quite mellow. I'm not entirely sure whether the difference is due to aging or to hormones, though. In any case, I get fairly light throw once this is dry. Verdict: Although it's been changing a bit on me, I've liked how it smells each time, so I'm definitely keeping the imp. I think I'll love this once it's aged a bit longer, but I'll see how that goes.

In the vial: Mostly ginger - I can't really detect the tea. Wet: All ginger, all the time. I like ginger, but this may be a bit much for me, and I'm not sure I really want to smell like it. Dry: This fades relatively quickly, but before it goes away, it smells very much like lemon cleaner. Of course, the cleaner stage is when I get the strongest throw. Figures! Verdict: I think I would've liked this a lot better if the tea note had been stronger - maybe it would've mellowed the ginger out a bit. As it is, this doesn't work on me at all. I'm pretty iffy on the initial ginger stage, and I'm definitely not a fan of smelling like Pledge.

Created to represent the essence of Bram Stoker’s tragic heroine, Lucy Westenra. Seductive, wanton and deadly, but underscored with a soft, wistful innocense. The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices. In the vial: Very lightly spiced rose. Pretty! Wet: It's nice and rosy for the first few seconds, but the rose quickly gives way to the spices. Dry: The spices almost completely disappear. I'm left with vaguely rosy soap after thirty minutes, and pure soap within an hour. I get pretty good throw, but I kind of wish I didn't. Verdict: I wish my skin liked this scent, because I enjoyed this in the vial and I can tell it would smell lovely on the right person. Sadly, it's too soapy for me. I don't mind the smell, but I have a perfectly good bar of soap in my bathroom. So, this one's off to the swap pile.

This one definitely changes on me depending on hormones, so keeping that in mind... In the vial: Whoa, hello, floral assault! Mostly overpowering lilies, though granted, I'm not that familiar with stephanotis and that might be why I can't pick it out on its own. The cherry must have run away in fear of the lilies, because it's nowhere to be smelled. Wet: At all times the lily tones down on me immediately. The lily doesn't disappear, though - it just shares center stage with another floral when it comes out to play. These notes are always very prominent on me, but sometimes they're vaguely powdery. Depending on where I am in my cycle, the cherry's either extremely faint or missing altogether. I'm getting great throw from this. Dry: Something pulls the floral down just a teensy tiny bit - must be the cherry, though I can never really pick it out clearly. Queen of Hearts has great throw while it lasts, but it fades fairly fast on me at all times. During my period it turns into pure floral soap before disappearing. Verdict: This is really pretty despite the powdery tendencies, but it's a little too overbearing in the vial and when first applied. The flowers make themselves known in a furiously passionate way before getting distracted and wandering off. I dislike this behavior in both people and perfume, so this one's not for me.

In the vial: This smells delicious! Light and fruity, with just a hint of orange blossom. Wet: Mostly a soft and warm and light musk, though the apricot is still detectable. The orange blossom is MIA. Dry: The musk tones down and the apricot comes out. So it turns out to be a beautifully balanced blend of apricot and musk - it's a warm, round, fruity scent, with a teasing hint of sweetness. Verdict: I like this a lot, and I think it's a perfect scent for spring and summer. However, it's just a bit too light, and it doesn't last very long on me, so I have to reapply fairly frequently. I'll definitely keep the imp, but I'm not sure about getting a bottle yet.

In the vial: Figs and wood and dirt. Overall, it's a bit more earthy than I was expecting. Wet: It starts off with mostly wood and roots, with a tantalizing hint of fig. The woody notes quickly give way, though, and the fig becomes the prominent note, with something green just beneath it. Dry: Fig is still the dominant note. It's a smooth and rich fig, though, with an unexpected roundness and depth. There's obviously more to it just beneath the surface; this fig is clearly not all it seems. But the underlying green and earthy notes are pretty subtle. They add complexity without drawing attention away from the fig. Verdict: I love this on me! I seriously can't stop sniffing my wrists when I wear it, even though I get decent throw and thus don't actually need to keep my nose pressed to my skin. I definitely need to buy a bottle.