maika

In the decant, white tea and mandarin. Very nice.

Wet, still tea and mandarin. And while I don't normally like citrus scents, the tea and citrus complement each other beautifully.

Dry, this fades and disappears incredibly quickly...I *think* I'm getting a hint of rose and violet...but that's with my nose touching my wrist, and me breathing in as hard as I can...which is a shame, because it was so pretty to start off with. I will give it another try, perhaps applying a bit more, but I fear it may wind up in my swaps pile.

In the imp, yup, it's leather...very raw, and very...ummm...well used. Nothing polished and pretty about this scent.

Wet, oh my...yes it's leather...with a hint of something else. I'm not quite sure what, but maybe it will make it's presence known on the drydown.

Dry, I've worked out what the extra note is...it's smoke! This is VERY interesting, but definitely a masculine smell...not to worry though, I think I know who needs to have it...

In the imp, sticky sweet, with a hint of toffee.

Wet, this is VERY syrupy, with a hint of something else...but what? That shall remain to be seen, I guess...it's not fruity, more like a spicy something, but nothing I can fully identify right now.

Dry, I smell maple syrup. While I appreciate the job that was done on this, it's really not me...I need me some dark and spicy goodness to go with my sweet, and I just can't find it here.

In the imp, I smell wool! And tea! And cream! But no dust...but that's okay.

Wet, this is creamy, spicy tea (the pepper coming out?) It must be, because it's similar to chai, but not anywhere near as complex. It's still yummy though. I might just be needing some more, I think.

Dry, I'm not getting much beeswax, maybe a faint echo of just blown out candle, and no real floral from the muguet...but that's okay, because what I'm left with something that is warm and comforting and just plain gorgeous. Will be ordering post haste!

In the imp, being totally true to nature, is VERY fruity.

Wet, the fruit notes totally disappear...it becomes a very smoky, woody scent. Much more suited to a man, I think. It reminds me of my father, actually...maybe I'll pass it on to him. Well, I would, except I don't think he's prepared to smell of anything other than Brut 33 (ick)

Dry, it doesn't change much from it's wet scent, although I do get a VERY faint hint of apple...it's not going to my Dad after all, but I think I know just who to pass it on to, it's just a shame he's too far away for me to smell it on him...

In the imp, sweet, floral and...dark. No other way to describe it. Totally intriguing, and going to make it's way to my wrist very soon!

Wet, still very floral, but that's to be expected. There's nothing sweet and innocent about this floral though...it's deep and lush and fresh - there's a tiny hint of fresh greenery underneath it. There's also an incense note floating around in here too. This is beautiful!!! If it dries down as well as it appears to be promising to, it's definitely going to make it's way to my big bottle list.

Dry, the floral is still in place, along with the incense...and while the green hint has disappated, there is a musky undertone that has blended it all together beautiful. Definitely going to be on the big bottle list.

In the imp, this is incredibly fruity, but not incredibly sweet...which meshes nicely with the cranberry thing.

Wet, I can smell the ginger way back in the background...but this is a fresh raw ginger rather than a baking style ginger...so while it still has a hint of sweetness, which tempers it, I don't smell like I've been baking.

Dry, I like this enough to keep the imp, but it's not entirely me. I can smell most of the notes, but on me they don't seem to blend well, which is a shame. But all that said, I just know that there will be times that this is all I'm going to want to wear, hence the keeping.

I have my sister's (very over the top) wedding next weekend.

I'm tossing up whether it's worth me breaking out my VERY precious imp of Venom...or hitting up the Bloodlust, because I have to see and make nice with someone who I really don't want to see...the plus side of Bloodlust is that it apparently smells much better on me than I *think* it does.

In the imp, cream, and a sweet note of...something.

Wet, soft floral. Very pretty. The foodiness imparted by the cream in the imp is totally gone.

Dry, this is all white floral, with a slightly sweet, musky undertone to it, and an even fainter hint of cream. Just gorgeous, and I'm so glad that the sniffy I got still has enough for me to wear it properly a few more times...now to find the right occasion.

In the bottle: My immediate though was that it smells *just* like a Lush store - possibly because of the honey.

Wet: The lilies come out to play...the honey is still there, but takes a backseat.

Drydown: The honey leaves, and I'm left with lilies, but they seem darker...something more reminiscent of a funeral - but it's not a bad thing.

All up, I'm glad I scored a full bottle, because it appears to like my skin an awful lot

In the imp, sweet peas, and not too much else.

Wet, the sweet pea is still there, but what has to be the waterlily comes out too...it's sweet, and definitely aquatic...but that could just be my head trying to make sense of the notes

Dry, I have a feeling this is not going to work...it's sweet floral in a this-smells-like-fabric-softener kind of way...not promising. My fingers are crossed that this is just a temporary blip. Further drydown has let the fabric softener thing go away, but the whole of the scent is nearly gone too...it's lasted me less than an hour and is gone...so while this is pretty, I don't think it's going to work for me. Off to swaps.

In the imp, this is all about the jasmine and the ylang ylang. This can only be a good thing!

Wet, this has gone very sweet. The plum, I presume. It's not quite what I expected, but it's not unpleasant. There's also another note peeking round the side...something greenish. One of the lilies, I think. It's helping ground it though, which is good, because sweet fruity scents don't work for me.

Dry, this is good...it's still mostly about the jasmine and the ylang ylang, but the other notes are making their presence felt enough that it's intriguing. Light, yet complex...and while heavily floral, it isn't making me want to wash it off. I think I'm going to be needing some more of this.

In the imp, musk (obviously) but an incense musk. Very interesting.

Wet, I realise where I'm getting the incense note from...all my favourite incense scents are all here - rose, jasmine, myrrh - which to my nose is always smoky in it's own right anyway. This is amazing...

Dry, this is ridiculously sexy - but that's not really a surprise, is it? This is gorgeous, so many gorgeous elements, and none of them are doing weird things on me. I'm definitely going to be needing LOTS of this. And I know just the person to wear it with, too...

The only downside is that it seems to disappear very quickly (like an hour)...but I love this enough that I must have it, even if I have to keep applying it...after all, I don't necessarily want it for an every day perfume.

In the imp, I smell mandarin, but it's only just there. and yet, it's still the note I first identify. On second sniff though, it's all about the amber.

Wet, now it's citrus! But I like this citrus, when citrus normally makes me go meh. This has potential. Maybe the amber has something to do with it, because it's sweetened and being very firmly held in check rather than it going all sharp on me. Oh! The jasmine is here too...and it's being held in place too...which is not a bad thing. I love jasmine, but I also love the chance to be able to appreciate it in a blend, without it amping all over the place as it is wont to do.

Dry, I'm getting lots of sweet, powdery amber - but it's not going old lady on me, so that's always an advantage. I can finally smell the orris now, it's darkening everything just enough to make me go mmmmm...and of course, I smell my jasmine. Definitely a keeper = even if the citrus appears to have disappeared altogether.

In the imp, citrus with a soft herbal undertone

Wet, straight out sweet citrus. More like a mandarin then anything else

Dry, a little hint of jasmine and herb has appeared...but it's too citrus still for it to be totally successful for me. On the plus side, I think this is the only jasmine containing fragrance that I've tried recently that hasn't left me with amped to the extreme jasmine overpowering everything else.

In the imp, assuming banana leaves smell the same as bananas (and there is no reason to suspect they don't) the n that's all I smell...sweet, ripe bananas to be precise.

Wet, the banana note is still obvious, but is joined by florals, and some very fresh green notes. This is smelling very close to how it's described - bring on the jungle!

Dry, it went all lush foresty for a while, but now it's kinda very sweet florals, and not doing it for me. I do think it would make a wonderful room fragrance though!

In the imp, black currant and rose, with a little hint of violet.

Wet, sugar cane, and a woody note...hello there, mahogany

Dry - smoky, sultry and sophisticated...and morphy like whoa! This is some good, good stuff!!!

In the imp, cinnamon and cloves...but mellow spice, like they've been cooked, rather than raw.

Wet, very similar to wet, but the pepper is creeping out to make it all seem warmer somehow. I smell like I've been baking!

Dry, no real surprises. It hasn't really changed much. It is lovely, but too foody for me to want to wear it regularly. Off to swaps, I think.

In the imp, red wine, and lots of it. Oh...and on second sniff, the myrrh becomes obvious. This is going to be interesting.

Wet, musk and myrrh...this is intense, and given the two given notes, very incense-y. But, I like intense, so this is still VERY promising.

Dry, this is amazing. The myrrh is most obvious, but I can smell all the other notes around it as well, so nothing is overpowering anything else...and it seems to constantly alter, one minute the wine is most obvious, the next the rose...but again, no note is becoming overpowering. Another addition to my top ten, I think.

In the imp, tobacco, and a hint of pine.

Wet, gorgeous, gorgeous smoky vanilla, with maybe a little trickle of honey. And, of course, the skin musk...can I bathe in this? Because I want to smell like this all over.

Dry, it's smoky, and spicy...and there's an undertone of leather in there too. This is gorgeous!!! Ultra-feminine, without being the slightest bit girly...will pull this out for days I need to be the boss!...and well, I could see myself pulling this out for no other reason than that it smells incredible.

In the bottle, I smell berries, with just a hint of cardamom peeking through

Wet, the berry note is still there, but is less obvious. It's more obvious that this has snake oil in it now, but I'm also getting hints of neroli as well. This is gorgeous, I'm so glad I took a chance and bought a bottle.

Dry...this is beautiful. It's not overtly obvious that it's a Snake Oil variant, yet it has enough of its notes coming through that it's obvious...and I know that makes no sense at all, but it's what my nose is telling me. Ultimately, this is deep and rich and gorgeous...and if I can bear to put it away to age, I think it could only get better than it already is.

In the imp, this mostly smells of honey, but honey with a kick. This is good...

Wet, the cedar predominates, but I can sense the myrrh there as well

Dry, the amber and musk are vaguely there...I don't get any carnation...but the resiny, incense-y thing that this turns into is beautiful. All that said, I'm not entirely sure I could wear this too often, but I'm keeping my imp, and am contemplating another bottle.

In the imp, obviously this is lily...but this is a totally different lily than that in something like Tiger Lily...this truly lives up to it's name.

Wet, this is deep and rich. It is quite cold, which suggests shadow to me...it's more complex than just the lily flower though, I'm getting a sense of leaves, and even a hint of earth.

As it's drying, I'm losing the greenery and earth, but the floral note is deepening. This? Is stunning. I usually associate lilies with funerals, but this is not at all funereal...and yet, it seems almost melancholy...but mine is not to question these things, it is, instead to adore them, and order me a whole lot more pronto!

In the imp, jasmine...and I adore jasmine. There's also a very resinous note, which is obviously the myrrh...on third sniff, I can just make out the rose as well.

Wet, this is rose...but a deep rose, like the deepest, reddest possible rose. The jasmine is there too. This is gorgeous.

Dry, this is to die for. Rich and floral, with the bite of the myrrh to pull it all together, and make it more than just a random floral...all these ingredients blend together so beautifully, and now I smell amazing. Will definitely be needing more of this.

In the imp, all I can smell is the red wine.

Wet, something almost spicy...the sandalwood, I think. And the ivy is there too. This so far is very promising.

Dry, the ozone is obvious, and the leather is creeping in underneath. This is amazing! It's haunting, and it's as sad as the description suggests...but it's totally compelling. Ultimately, while it says it's gender neutral, on me it's quite masculine - leather, wine, etc...but it's not so full-on that I don't want to wear it. It's definitely got the potential to grow on me.