Seismogenic

This was sitting on my imp wishlist for a while, until septima_pica kindly sent some my way! I was intrigued by it mostly for the charred wood and grasses aspect, and also for curiosity about how some of the other concepts in the poem and description could be characterized in scent. At the time, I didn't realize that white sandalwood triggers my allergies liek woah, but I'm already medicated for other allergens, so there's no reason not to give this a try anyway.

In the imp: Somewhere between sweet and sour, with a little dust thrown in. I can't ID actual notes yet.

Wet on skin: I can tell there's white sandalwood in here because my nose is tingly, but I'm not sneezing or wheezing, at least! Overall, it's something vaguely sweet over a bit of leather, wine, and things that smell dusty and charred.

Drydown: Freshly dry, I'm starting to feel a little allergic. Curse you, white sandalwood! That said, this is still a dusty and vaguely charred scent over a bit of wine and leather and perhaps something metallic. At one hour in, the separate notes are melding together a little better, though this is unfortunately happening in a rather cologney way.

Five hours later: Still quite present! The white sandalwood's not bothering me anymore, at least, but the whole thing still smells pretty cologney. The wine stands out a little, I guess, but I get much less of an impression of individual notes now than I did early on. This also means less of an impression of dusty and charred and desolate.

End of the day: A little bit of the sour wine note is left, as well as something that smells like what would happen if you powdered cologne and spread the dust around.

Overall: Ah well. Even despite the white sandalwood factor (which did not twig my allergies all that hard in this one, but then again, I was medicated), this did not work as well as I'd hoped it would. The combination of identifiable (and distinct but intangible) notes in the earliest stages of wear was really interesting and fit the description, but this was a case when eventual homogeneous blending turned out to be a bad thing. It wasn't that it ended up smelling like nasty cologne. It was just too...I don't know, basic? Generic? Standard? I can't come up with the right word, I guess, but on me, it didn't dry into something that makes BPAL so distinct from commercial perfumeries. Of course, I've tried plenty of other BPALs and know that there are really light years between them, but Black Tower alone didn't give me that. Plus, yeah, white sandalwood. I really really wish that it dried to something as evocative as it was when wet, or as evocative as so many other reviews in this thread call it.

You know why I wore this one today? Because Obama's inauguration was electrifying! Har har, I funnee. Seriously, though, the mint and moss combination appealed to me about this one, and I also like the idea that there are scents based on physics things. I am such a nerd. Thanks to my Halloween Switch Witch for sending me this imp! It looks like it's an aged one, too, based on the fact that the label has a different BPAL logo than the one that comes on current imps.

In the imp: Cool and minty. Mostly spearmint, I think.

Wet on skin: Still minty, maybe slightly watery now. There's also a hint of something vaguely dusty under that more liquid layer.

Drydown: Freshly dry, it's minty and dusty-mossy now. Whatever was giving me the impression of water has since disappeared. At one hour in, it's slightly minty moss, more like frost than electricity, sharp and dusty-sweet at once.

Five hours later: The scent is not particularly strong now, but it's definitely still there. It's mostly moss, slightly sweetened by what I assume is the ambergris, with the slightest overtone of mint left.

End of the day: Sweetened dusty moss, about the same intensity as at the five hour mark, though without any mint left.

Overall: I was worried that this was going to disappear on me super quick because that's happened with some other scents with mint, but that didn't happen here. The mint held on pretty long, and the base of sweet moss that was left after the mint evaporated was also really nice. I don't think that leftover scent reminds me of anything remotely electric, but I think it's rather calming, and I like it a lot. I'm keeping this one!

What a fascinating character on which to base a scent! This was another Lab frimp, and while it was one I'd stopped to look at on the website, I hadn't wishlisted it or anything because I was worried the five roses and the jasmine would stomp the vanilla, fig, tonka, mahogany, and coffee out of the picture. I'm hoping that initial worry is wrong.

In the imp: Jasmine, with something faintly dark and bitter underneath it.

Wet on skin; Jasmine and a touch of vanilla, with something faintly dark and bitter underneath it.

Drydown: Freshly dry, jasmine is absolutely the main thing going on here. The amorphous bitterish thing has turned more woodsy, so I'm assuming it's the mahogany. The touch of vanilla from before has disappeared, and I'm getting nothing even remotely rosy, figgy, or coffeelike. One hour later, it's still heavy emphasis on the jasmine, with a slightly woodsy base.

Five hours later: At the four hour mark, the jasmine seemed to suddenly drop out, leaving something vanilla-rose-woodsy, which was actually quite nice. This barely lasted, though, and everything except some dusty wood was gone by five hours.

End of the day: Entirely gone.

Overall: Sigh. Jasmine, why must you do that? What happened at the four hour mark leads me to believe there was something pretty awesome underneath all that jasmine, but I barely got to notice it, and I am not overly fond of the smell of jasmine on its own. (Jasmine tea is another story, but jasmine that hides all the coffee? Fail.) I'll be swapping this one, methinks.

Another Lab frimp! The fact that "Flowers" is part of the name means I probably wouldn't have ever thought to try this one on my own, but here we go anyway.

In the imp: Another white floral! I can't pick out anything individually yet. I'm usually kind of bad at that, when it comes to white florals.

Wet on skin: Floral soap. Uh oh.

Drydown: Freshly dry, it's strong floral soap. My nose is getting tingly. At an hour later, it's still floral soap (I think the rose is becoming a little more distinct in there), but it's much weaker.

Five hours later: Pretty much gone.

End of the day: Completely gone.

Overall: So, you know the part in the poem where the Reaper shows up and takes the flowers away, right? Well, this Reaper is clearly pretty darn OCD. He might have put them there to begin with, but then they got out of control and weeds started growing and dirt got out of line, and the Reaper was all, "AHH! Heaven's gardens need to be neater than this! Let's start over!" So he hauled out the soap and got rid of the wayward flowers really really quickly and efficiently.

Or at least that's what happened on my skin.

Lab frimp! I figured it would be appropriate to test one of the Ars Moriendi on the anniversary of an earthquake (Northridge, 17 January 1994) that killed 57 people.

In the imp: Dark dusty green and florals.

Wet on skin: Something about this smells heavy. It's not a particularly thick scent, but it just smells as if it has weight to it. It is mostly green, a little tree-ish and a little herby, but there's something slightly floral-sweet behind it.

Drydown: Freshly dry, the dusky greenness is still the most prominent thing, though whatever flower it is in there has sweetened it up a little further. This brand of green still falls squarely between evergreen and deciduous, blended perfectly enough that I can't pick out individual plants.

Five hours later: While the scent on the whole still falls into the category of dusky green, the sweet note in the background has become more and more prominent. Oddly, it's starting to seem a little musky, even though musk is not listed as a note.

End of the day: The weird musky-sweet note is still quite prominent, though the green has gone.

Overall: In the earlier stages of wear, this is quite a beautiful scent. It implies something dramatic, tragedy on a wide scale, something like the whole family occupying a large ornate Victorian house suddenly has to be buried on the grounds, for some undisclosed reason. The heaviness I mentioned at the beginning is like the weight of foliage under darkness, not an actual thickness of scent. It really works. But as wear progresses, I'm really not sure how I feel about the increasingly sweet note. I wish the heavy boughs lasted longer. I also wish I'd gotten a little of the smoke some other people mention!

I've had good luck with the Steamworks scents so far, and since I'd heard only the best things about this one, I decided to give it a sniff at Will Call, where I found it immediately impworthy. I'm coming into this review with high expectations, but also plenty of evidence that those expectations will be met!

In the imp: Warm beeswax with a vaguely lemony resinous tang.

Wet on skin: The beeswax is still the dominant note, sort of binding together everything else. The lemony aspect is fading, but something herbier is starting to come out.

Drydown: Freshly dry is about the same as wet, though with even less lemony and more herbs. The scent has definitely grown stronger in the drying process. At one hour in, it has strengthened even further and melded into a wonderful warm beeswax-resin-herb thing that, even though there isn't any actual metallic note listed, smells like gleaming gold or brass looks.

Five hours later: About the same balance as at the one hour mark, and not even that much fainter.

End of the day: The resins and herbs have disappeared, but there's still a good showing of warm beeswax left.

Overall: I totally understand why No. 93 Engine is so popular! It is a gorgeous scent, positively luminescent. I stand by what I said about how it smells how gleaming brass or gold looks. The beeswax blends everything together smoothly, though the resinous and herby aspects do stand out enough to keep this from being straight beeswax. It also has good throw (as far as I could tell), extremely long wearlength, and did I mention that it smells amazing? Definitely a keeper! No question.

This oil seems to already be having an effect on me, even before I've sniffed it. I decided it was time to try this one today, and immediately considered wearing something a little nicer than I usually do. I mean, who in Paris walks around in jeans and a schlumpy t-shirt? Would an oil called Paris even let me get away with a hoodie that says San Francisco? I then considered that I'm being really silly, but I compromised with it and am wearing a polo rather than a t-shirt.

In the imp: Very sweet, but with an edge that falls somewhere between perfumey and chemical. Hm.

Wet on skin: That weird edge seems to be mellowing out a little when this hits my skin, which is a good thing, but it's not entirely gone. I'm assuming the intense sweetness is the lotus, and it's definitely the most prominent thing here, though there are spices supporting it from below.

Drydown: Freshly dry, the sweet lotus is still absolutely in charge, though the spicier notes are starting to hold their own. However, the balance that they're in, at least right now, strikes me as distinctly Yankee Candle-like. At one hour in, it's definitely still in incredibly sweet candle territory. I'm half expecting it to push over the sweetness barrier into French bakery territory.

Five hours later: Incredibly sweet lotus is still the main thing going on, though the whole scent is fainter now. There's more lavender now than there was before, but it's definitely only a secondary note.

End of the day: Gone.

Overall: I've never been to Paris (or to anywhere in France, for that matter), so I have no real impressions of the place, olfactory or otherwise. That said, I don't think I'd expect Paris' characterization in scent to be so incredibly sweet as this oil went on me. I'd probably expect something drier or haughtier, and that might be what happens if the lavender actually shows up in this blend like it should. It certainly didn't on me, though, and while I'm generally good with reasonably sweet things, Paris was a little over the top for me. Maybe it didn't deem the polo shirt good enough and aimed to snub!

Another Lab frimp! I admit to being very unfamiliar with Lovecraft, and to thinking of DC Comics' Arkham Asylum rather than of fictional New England university towns when I hear the name of this one, but I guess it works either way. I am, after all, a university student who's pretty much crazy!

In the imp: Sharply green and floral. Kind of reminds me of what the yard in Virginia smelled like immediately after mowing the lawn in April, except Arkham's not making me sneeze.

Wet on skin: The green becomes darker and deeper, and the flowers blend in more with the overall forest impression.

Drydown: Freshly dry is pretty much the same as wet - a shadowy flowering forest dripping with rain. By one hour in, it's still a dark forest with rampant wildflowers, but the rain or dew has pretty much dried up.

Five hours later: Almost gone already, as it's been since around the two hour mark. What is left is sort of dusty green; no more flowers.

End of the day: Entirely gone.

Overall: This is an extremely East Coast scent, to the point where it's making me nostalgic for the insanely overgrown and unkempt Virginia backyard that was my turf when I was little. This really smells like that yard on an April night after a good hard rain, with water and shadows clinging to every plant that is beyond the help of a lawnmower. I was going to remark that Arkham has the benefit over my parents' yard in that it does not have mosquitoes, but then I remembered that it does have Elder Gods, so yeah. Maybe not the best tradeoff. But yes, good scent! Me like! I just wish it lasted a little longer.

Huzzah for Wanderlust frimps! I'd somehow managed to totally overlook this one in past skims through that section, but now it is here! I figure it's a good one for today, since we're in single digit humidity here, and humidity is listed as a key trait.

In the imp: That's humidity all right! Wet foliage, with a sweetness that falls somewhere between floral and fruity.

Wet on skin: Still very humid, though now I get more of the foliage and forestyness, with maybe a little less overt fruitiness. I've never been to an actual rainforest, but this is pretty much how I'd imagine one would smell.

Drydown: Freshly dry, more actual wood is coming out in comparison to the foliage and fruit, but those other notes are still there. An hour later, the southern California air seems to have taken some of the humidity out of the scent, though it's still bright, warm, slightly fruity woods.

Five hours later: It's fainter, but it's still warm sweet wood. The sweetness has a fruity character, but it's more subtle; no banana peels to the face here.

End of the day: There's still a little bit of the sweet wood smell left.

Overall: I was initially worried that this was going to turn into all fruit and flowers and nothing else, but my fears were unfounded. Manila is a warm and humid outdoor smell, like fruit hidden among lots and lots of leafy trees. Though the foliage in the rainforest is surely very thick, there's still something distinctly warm and sunny about this oil. It's summery, but not aggressively so; it seems like the kind of scent you'd consider wearing in the winter to remind yourself of summer. I'll be holding on to this one!

I never tried to memorize the poem Jabberwocky, so I suppose I'm excused from shame over only remembering word for word the part about the frumious Bandersnatch. I will not shun it this time, though!

In the imp: Dark tangy musky plum.

Wet on skin: The plum immediately fades quite a bit, leaving more of a sweet-spicy musky smell. I think I can recognize carnation in there, but I'm not quite sure.

Drydown: Freshly dry is pretty much the same as wet, though maybe with even less plum. At one hour in, the scent has grown quite faint, and what's left seems to be a combination of musk and carnation. Granted, I don't know if I'd recognize chrysanthemum, but I don't thiiink there's anything else in there. The plum has completely disappeared.

Five hours later: Very slightly musky, but that's it.

End of the day: Completely gone.

Overall: I did not shun the Frumious Bandersnatch, but it sure shunned me! Between this one and Prunella, I realize that plum lasts all of a second on my skin, before disappearing forever. Epic fail! The flowers - though they were good, spicy flowers - in this one didn't last terribly much longer, and even the musk here didn't stick around as long as some musks do on me. I had high hopes for the Bandersnatch based on the smell in the imp, but it just wasn't meant to be.

This is another story I'd never heard of before the Märchen update went live, and I thank the Lab for frimping me this as a means of getting more familiar with the tale!

In the imp: Wet flower petals. Which immediately made my nose tingle. Please, sneeze, do not be indicative of this entire wearing experience!

Wet on skin: The wet flower petals description remains apt. They're still tingling my nose, though I'm not sneezing more.

Drydown: Freshly dry is much the same as wet, though even less nose-tingling. Funny thing is that the water is coming out more fresh than salty on me, but that may still change with time. An hour later, it's already almost indistinguishable.

Five hours later: Completely gone.

End of the day: So completely gone that I considered using that wrist real estate at Will Call. I decided not to, but the fact remains that no smell is left.

Overall: Sneezing is never a good thing, nor is disappearing. That and the fact that I got mostly flowers and no fir means that this one pretty much strikes out for me. It's not at all that I dislike the scent - it just plain doesn't work for me, on several levels.

I was actually kind of surprised that the Lab frimped me a Märchen scent so soon after they were released, but I also think that's pretty cool. I'd never heard the story of Prunella before that particular update went live, and I haven't tried any blends with plum before, so this should be interesting.

In the imp: Sweet and plummy, with maybe the slightest bit of something herbal.

Wet on skin: Whatever it was that was herbal - possibly wildflowers? - immediately becomes more prominent, and the plum immediately dims relative to it.

Drydown: Freshly dry, the cream is starting to come into play, mellowing out the plum and the herbal-flowers. Oddly, though, it manages to smell a little creamy and a little dusty at the same time. An hour later, it's starting to get a little bit funky - dry and slightly sour. Considering the plum almost disappeared a while ago and the flowers/herbs are still distinct, I'm going to blame the cream.

Five hours later: The plum is long gone. There's still the herbal thing, and the slightly sour funky thing - wildflowers and cream respectively, I assume.

End of the day: Something slightly sour is left.

Overall: I'm starting to suspect that cream is a death note for me, considering that White Rabbit and Ichabod Crane went seriously funky, and now Prunella also went weird, though to a much lesser degree. That aside, I was bummed that the plum disappeared within seconds, since that's totally what characterized the scent in the imp. The vaguely dusty herby wildflowers could have been in any number of others.

Music, revelry, happiness? Sage, ginger, amber? Count me in on this! Mag Mell was sitting there on my imp wishlist for a while, and then my wonderful Halloween Switch Witch sent me a decant. Thank you, Witch!

In the imp: Sweet, dewy, and golden-green.

Wet on skin: The dewy grass in here is dead on. I'm getting a little bit of the verbena, though knowing my chemistry, that part won't last. Sage and ginger aren't coming out yet.

Drydown: Freshly dry, the wet grass is still most prominent, and the amber's coming out a bit now. The verbena has, true to form, faded, but there still isn't that much in the way of ginger or sage. An hour later, though, the ginger and sage have arrived, and are blending nicely with the amber and grass.

Five hours later: The dew has evaporated and the grass has dried up. What's left is something warm and dusty, that's identifiable as containing ginger, sage, and amber if I think about it, but it still blends very nicely into a smell that's all its own.

End of the day: Slightly dusty-ambery.

Overall: Mag Mell is really beautiful. I'd classify it as another grassland scent; it starts as the plains in spring, with fresh dewy grass, then dries out to warm golden spiced early summer. This is another one that, like Coyote, reminds me of the Carrizo Plain in particular, which is one of my favorite places. This is definitely more of Carrizo in March or April, though, whereas Coyote is June or July. It is a happymaking scent, which it should be, considering its inspiration. This is a decant that will surely get used!

This was another Lab frimp, and a well-chosen one at that. I'm intrigued by the Steamworks line in general (and by steampunk in general, though I've never really dabbled), but have thus far only tried one other scent from it. And now the decision has been made for me with regards to trying another one. Woo!

In the imp: Very soft and subtle. No note smacks me in the nose. There's something vaguely aquatic/misty and something a little sweet.

Wet on skin: Okay, there's ozone in here! The vaguely misty note is also still there, and the slight sweetness now seems distinctly floral, though not overwhelmingly so. This is not a bouquet stuffed in someone's face.

Drydown: Freshly dry, the misty ozoney part of this blend is by far the most prominent thing. Florals are there, but intangible, kind of like they're actually made of the mist. At one hour in, anything vaguely floral has become part of the whole misty feel.

Five hours later: Mostly the same blend of notes as at the one hour mark, only fainter.

End of the day: A little bit of ozone is left.

Overall: This scent fits its name absolutely perfectly. Throughout the writing of this review, I kept wanting to use the word "ethereal" for the scent, but I refrained because it seemed redundant with the scent's name itself. I realized, though, that there is no better word for this, and if the smell is ethereal, than the thing producing the smell must be Ether itself. Though the scent is misty-vapory, it still seems like it's something just thick enough to be tangible, to be shaped and do strange vaguely magical things. In that way, it totally works with the steampunk idea of ether. It also strongly reminds me of fog, which may be less magical, but still works in weird ways sometimes. I also like how the white florals in here work as part of the tangible mistiness, rather than standing out as white flowers specifically. These are white flowers I can get away with, I think, and I imagine this will be a good scent for summer, when it's stupidly hot outside.

I really wish there were such a scent, though. I figure it would have juniper, white sage, pinon, and a hint of rain.

I would totally wear that.

Awh man, I do love the desert.

I'll second the recommendation for Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone on the Winter Solstice. It's definitely evocative of SoCal rain to me.

Also, Moon of Small Spirits is a bit like a winter grassland, though it's more frosty than outright wet. Someone in the review thread even compared it to Coyote in winter.

So, I just realized the error of my ways in doing a board search for the review thread for this one. Hahah. Anyhoo, it was one of the many frimps that I received at the December Will Call. Thank you, Lab!

In the imp: Tangy and fruity. The peach is definitely the most prominent note right now, though it's backed up by something darker.

Wet on skin: The peach is still the main note, but immediately, dirtier things come out - namely, the patchouli. Not so much on the amber or musk yet.

Drydown: Freshly dry, it's still a dirty peach. The patchouli keeps it from being too sticky-sweet, though it doesn't dim the warmth at all. An hour later, the patchouli is more on equal footing with the peach; both are the dominant notes, and I'm still not getting much of either musk or amber.

Five hours later: It's only now, when the patchouli in particular has faded and the peach is softer as well, that I'm getting anything ambery or musky.

End of the day: A faint whiff of musk and a hint of peach.

Overall: Peachouli! Har har. Seriously, I like the way this smells. The "devilishly playful" description seems apt; the peach is sort of like something cute and playful causing all sorts of trouble in the dirt. My overall impression, though, is that the peach also makes it fairly feminine, even with all the other notes in there. So while I really like the way it smells, it doesn't strike me as very me.

I was initially hesitant when given the option to try this at a MnS, because I knew full well that it was OMGRARE and that I'd probably never sniff it again. I gave in to the fact that it smelled awesome in the bottle, though. And fast forwarding a few months, Persephone76, who suggested I try in the first place, brought a decant to Will Call! Thank you so much! It was unexpected awesome on her part, and I hope I can enact that kind of awesome back, or on someone else, at some point.

In the imp: Cold snowy woods with the lightest touch of something fruit-sweet.

Wet on skin: The evergreen smell is amazingly fresh, almost like the snow and ice notes are preserving the needles from drying out. The sweet note has faded a little, or maybe blended into the ice and tree.

Drydown: Freshly dry is much the same as wet. The throw seems pretty good so far. At one hour in, the specific evergreen scent is melding a little more into the snow notes, and it's getting a little sweeter again.

Five hours later: Still going strong! It's as if the snow keeps falling on those trees, because the evergreens are still in there, but the snow's presence is dominant over them now. The sweet note is still there, but subtle. I want to say that the kind of sweet is the berry specifically, but it's subtle enough that it's hard to tell.

End of the day: There's still a little sweet snow lingering on my wrists.

Overall: This is a beautiful scent, and I totally understand why it's so popular and so coveted. This is winter at its snowiest, but also most peaceful, rather like a fairy-tale-perfect night before Christmas with snow and pine and stars. The snow in this smells so real that I believe in the cold, even though it's definitely not cold out where I live, but the other notes keep the cold from being overwhelming or threatening. Like others in this thread have said, this is the comforting part of winter. If anything, it's a way I can get all the best parts of winter here in Riverside without actually having to be cold. I'm extremely glad to have this decant, and extremely grateful to Persephone76 for sending it. Thank you again!

Like everyone else, I didn't see this coming at Will Call. When they handed me the little green bag, I assumed that was the toy drive scent, but then when I was also handed Eggnog Latte, all I could do was grin. Thank you, Lab, for your awesome generosity! I'm also curious how many notes I might be able to recognize or not, considering none were listed.

In the bottle: There's definitely evergreen in there, and some sort of sweeter fruit. It smells vaguely red, like it could be cherry, but at the same time, the juicy note isn't as syrupy as cherries are. Could possibly be something like plum or maybe pear, since it sure isn't apple or orange or any other berry. There are also spices in there. It's darkish, but a warm and comforting kind of dark.

Wet on skin: Evergreen is still there, though it's in the background - kind of like how the Christmas tree occupies the backdrop in a room, I guess! I'm pretty sure there really is cherry in there, though it could be mixed with other juices as well. The spices mix nicely into the juice.

Drydown: Freshly dry is pretty much the same as wet, though stronger. I didn't put on much at all, but I'm getting some intense throw! I suppose this makes sense, since Christmas doesn't seem capable of only occupying small spaces. It sprawls everywhere! At one hour in, the scent is still quite strong. The evergreen has blended more into the fruity spicy part - though I can still tell it's its own note - and I miiight be getting something slightly boozy out of this now.

Five hours later: It's still pretty strong, though less overtly fruity now; the fruit is still there, but the spices have come more to the front. It's still a little bit alcoholic, and the Christmas tree is also holding on well.

End of the day: Still there, and still pretty strong! It's about the same balance between fruit, tree, and spice that it was at the five hour mark. I'd leave it on overnight to see if it lasts into the morning, but I have to get up super early to catch a plane, so I'm showering tonight.

Overall: You know what I think this is? Mixed fruit, spices, and some booze equals wassail! Now, I've never had wassail nor smelled it, but I got to wondering about mulled winter drinks almost immediately after trying this on, so I looked up wassail, and the ingredients in it match the impression I get from this oil. It's still dark, but warm and cozy, like sitting inside on a winter night with horrid weather and the only light being from candles and the fireplace, but that makes the tree look more magical, and the wassail is warming enough to make up for the lack of light. So yes, a very wonderfully cozy winter scent, and I like it a whole lot. I am glad to have it - it's another scent that evokes a sort of season we just plain don't get in SoCal. Thank you, Beth and Labbies, for this Will Call gift!

This scent makes me happy even before I sniffed it - I love that it represents such generosity on the part of the Lab and the Lab's customers. Yay toy drive! I'm wearing it today partly because I am excited, but also because I'm hoping the smell of caffeinated beverages and sugar will make me more awake for my 8 AM math final.

In the bottle: This is a dead ringer. I could be holding a Starbucks cup under my nose right now - except this might be better than Starbucks. Now I want coffee.

Wet on skin: Still a dead ringer! It's more coffee then nog, though the nog makes the coffee sweet and creamy. I so want coffee now.

Drydown: Freshly dry, it's not morphing at all. It manages to still smell liquid, even though it's definitely dry. At one hour in, it's much the same - completely utterly accurate. Srsly guys, I want coffee so bad. But it is math test time instead.

Five hours later: Still going strong with the accurate sweet noggy coffee! And you know what? I AM GOING TO GET COFFEE NOW. Also, pancakes. Yes.

End of the day: It's still there! I've had this on for more than twelve hours! And it really hasn't morphed much in this time, either. It's fainter, but the balance is pretty much the same - there might be more of the spice part of the nog now, but there's still plenty of creamy sweet coffee all around.

Overall: Love. This is totally a dead ringer for its namesake, and that namesake is such a wonderful-smelling happymaking thing. I'm happy to have it! Though I may have to be cautious with wearing it, since I suspect it might make me crave the genuine drinkable article every time I wear it!

When this one was posted, it read like a list of notes I know I like the smell of (plus some that I don't know what they smell like, and one I have no clue what it is or how to pronounce it). It sounded awesome from the site alone, and a brief test at last month's Will Call confirmed its awesomeness. I am so glad that it is mine now, for the more extended wearing and reviewing!

In the bottle: Frosted herbs and grasses with a hint of tea. Dry, mostly, but there is sweetness back there.

Wet on skin: The snow note is prominent, but it's not as if there are several feet of snow on everything. It's really as if the grasses and greenery are frosted over so you can still see the color beneath the ice. The grass is definitely under there, as is the swamp tea (at least, I assume that's what smells like tea). Smells like there's some soft dirt on this forest floor, too.

Drydown: Freshly dry is much the same as wet, though the wild grasses (and perhaps the green parts of the other plants) are, if anything, a little more prominent. The pine and the sage are also making themselves more apparent right now. The flowers and berries are adding a little subtle sweetness, but I wouldn't call this a floral at all. At one hour in, it's much the same as freshly dry, though perhaps a little less snowy. The throw is pretty good.

Five hours later: Still going strong, and at pretty much the same combination of notes that's been there since it dried. The snow is gone, but it's still winter.

End of the day: A faint whiff of sweet dry herbs.

Overall: I still love this. A lot. It's absolutely a winter scent, but it's different from the stereotypical evergreens and red berries and mulling spices kind of winter. This is a very wild and natural scent - it has the evergreens, but they're just part of the entire forest, which also is inhabited by annual plants, in the process of fading or drying out when the winter hits. As I said before, the snow note in this blend is more like everything is coated with translucent frost than a thick layer of snow, but the disappearance of this note later on doesn't warm things up. It's just a different stage of winter. The smell of Moon of Small Spirits creates a very specific kind of landscape in my mind, and I think it's wonderful. I'm very glad to have a bottle!

This was a frimp in my Election Day order, and it's honestly one I'd entirely overlooked until it showed up. I think it's really awesome that this is the recreation of a historical blend, so I'm looking forward to seeing how well this works.

In the imp: Mostly grape, with some rosemary, something citrus, and maybe a bit of herbal mint.

Wet on skin: Still very grape, with sharpness that's probably the citrus. Rosemary's still there, but the mint is hiding again. I have to admit it's borderline grape allergy medicine, but the rosemary's what keeps it out of that territory.

Drydown: Freshly dry, it's still mostly grape. True to form, the citrus is backing out pretty quickly. There's still some edge from the rosemary, but it's no longer enough to hold the grape back from allergy medicine land. Eek! There's definitely no rose yet, also. An hour later, we're still in Dimetapp Land, though more softly. Sigh.

Five hours later: It's not unlike Cairo now, which is a very welcome change. I rather like this stage. Shame it's so faint, and that it takes this long to get to this point.

End of the day: Gone.

Overall: I have to wonder if my impression of this would be very different if I hadn't needed to take that crappy grape allergy medicine pretty much daily for years when I was little. That grape is super fake and chemically, but despite the fact that Bess' grape smells much more like real grapes, I can't help but be reminded. The herbal edge from the rosemary and mint is far from a chemical edge, but the hardness it adds to the grape can't help but make it medicinal in my mind. I'm really disappointed; I really wanted to like this one! Curse you, Dimetapp, for ruining grape!

Certain software in my lab has been evil lately. It only works when things are not urgent, and goes all error message when the work is due by the end of the week. It keeps coming up with. I am starting to feel remorseless raging fury at it, with two days left before my presentation and another two after that before the big conference. Just because it knows it's the best software for this application doesn't mean it's allowed days off! If this interferes, vengeance shall be had, and it shall be inescapable, for the computer on which it is installed is parked on my desk.

Er, yes. I'm annoyed with the computer, so I'm gonna test Nemesis today.

In the imp: Dry, cutting, and herbal, but still slightly sweet. Definitely getting the ginger already, and I think that other thing is the cypress.

Wet on skin: There's the patchouli. I couldn't smell it in the imp! The possibly-cypress has diminished, though there's still plenty of ginger. I think the sweetness is from fig rather than tonka, but I can't tell yet. No roses yet.

Drydown: Freshly dry, patchouli has calmed down, and cypress is back. It's not quite as sweet now, though I can still detect the fig in the background. Still no tonka or rose, and I haven't a clue what cyclamen smells like. At an hour in, this is definitely one of those scents that has a different smell depending on how close you are to it. On my wrist, it's still dry and herbal, with the cypress in charge, some ginger, and maybe some patchouli. Further away, there's rose and fig and perhaps also tonka; much sweeter, in general.

Five hours layer: The sweet layer has pretty much dissipated, and what's left is something very dry, herbal, and perhaps even properly dusty very close to my wrist.

End of the day: Gone.

Overall: I have to admit, I'm rather indifferent to this one! At no time was it unpleasant, nor was it run-of-the-mill in any form. I'm just not particularly excited by it, but neither am I turned off by it at all. I always think it's cool when scents work in layers, as they do in this one. And hey, the computer problem got fixed, so the threat of justice aspect seems to work!

I just got the name of my Switch Witchee! I am feeling all grinny and mischievous as I plot things to send and riddles that don't make me to obvious of a giftgiver, but leave hints at the same time. This seems like a perfect situation for smelling like Cheshire Cat!

In the imp: Tangy citrus on top of thick juicy currant jelly. There's also something vaguely tealike, which I assume is the chamomile.

Wet on skin: The grapefruit immediately tones down, though the currant stays strong, and the chamomile is also still there. The sweetness of the musk is also coming into play now.

Drydown: Freshly dry, this reminds me of sweet fruit/herbal tea, and that's a good thing! The citrus and the current are blending together nicely with the chamomile. and the musk is still staying underneath. I'm not getting any of the other flowers yet. An hour later, it's a curranty chamomiley tea-ish thing with musk warming up below it. The grapefruit is gone, and the whole scent is already fainter.

Five hours later: Pretty much gone, except for the littlest bit of musk that only seems to be there if I'm not thinking about it. It's been pretty gone for over an hour, too.

End of the day: Gonegonegone.

Overall: You'd think I'd get the idea by now that the vast majority of citrus/fruit scents do not last on me! (Well, Fearful Pleasure lasted, and the currant in Frederic lasted, but...) As with many of those other scents, I really like the way this smells when it's freshly dry - it's very cheerful, and perhaps even a little smug at the same time. I just wish it didn't go poof so quickly, though I suppose going poof is fitting of the Cheshire Cat.

I received this as a frimp in a decant circle order, and it definitely seems to have been chosen carefully! Earthy, check. Foresty, check. Possibly resiny, check. I wasn't familiar with the poem, but I went and looked it up, and I liked it as well. I'm much more familiar with German romanticism than with American, but all the nature themes hold across national boundaries, which makes the text, and the scent, appeal to me in concept.

In the imp: Dark and resinously piney.

Wet on skin: Pine sap and fresh needles, totally natural, no hint of cleaning fluid. The oil is fairly dark colored, even on my wrists.

Drydown: More strong fresh pine resin and needles. This is a very fresh evergreen, or a whole forest of them. I'm not really getting any of the other notes yet. By one hour, the other notes have tamed the pine significantly, though it is still prominent in the mix with juniper and musk.

Five hours later: The scent is still obvious on my wrists, though the pine has further faded in favor of the musk, which has sweetened the whole blend considerably. The juniper has once again disappeared, after its brief appearance at the one hour mark.

End of the day: All the foresty smells are gone, but some sweet musk remains

Overall: I really like this one. In the earlier stages, it's like walking into a forest full of huge evergreens on an overcast or dark day, intensely enclosing, but not in a particularly threatening way. As it dries down, it blends into something that is still dark and enclosing, still natural even while no longer smelling like any one natural thing. It's a sort of comforting darkness, which fits the poem in my mind - coming back to the Earth itself after death is a nice thought, rather than a depressing one. The Earth cycles and regenerates, after all! I don't know if there was supposed to be an actual dirt note in there or not, but I have no objection that there wasn't. I'll definitely be keeping this imp, though I don't think it'll get wear on days with temperatures higher than 60.