tacey

Well, I was nervous about the pine note, but everyone glowed so much about the golden light I couldn't resist. Sadly, all I ever got from this one was fresh, sticky, pine sap. There was a moment of amber where the pine trees were glowing, but even that was a brief flash. Otherwise, the pine sap dried a bit by the end and was less sticky. Sorry -- I'm sure it worked better on other people...

Wow, violets and vetiver? I'll have to take Beth's word for it, since I've never smelled either. This started off really nice and intense -- unfamiliar, but attractive. Strongly wafting as I wore it, and lasted much better than anything else I've worn this week. However, the more I sniff this, the more disturbing it becomes. I can see why reviewers above me consider this a masculine scent. There a harshness to it, something...I want to say it's a "mean" scent. Not for me, but fascinating, nonetheless. ETA 10/21/2009: I tried a frimp of this today, just to see if my perception had changed. While I've learned to recognize violets now , I still can't wear this one. It's intense, but it still suggests something unpleasant to me.

Rather to my surprise, I liked this one. A clean, lemon & tea combination. Unfortunately, it only lasted a couple of hours on me, so I won't be wearing it often. I'll have to check out some other tea blends, though, because this was quite nice even though I don't generally care for the 'light and clean' approach. My husband found the name disturbing... and I'm really not sure the scent relates to the concept of Embalming to me, either...

So disappointing. All I got out of Dorian was a sweet vanilla. So sweet that I had to take it off after half an hour or so. I will pass this one along...

Much as I was prepared to love this blend, I've become convinced that I cannot wear Dragon's Blood. It completely took over the blend, indistinguishable from any other DB-containing scent I've tried. Despite my love for amber, this was pure red DB. Over-ripe, over-sweet, over-strong. Too bad.

My first impression of Bastet is that she has the sharp claws of every cat, hiding under that so-soft amber. This scent changes fast -- I got almond, maybe saffron, a hint of some flower, and amber. I'll need to try it again to really make up my mind -- but whether I like her or not, this lady is unique, and she's not waiting for my decision -- she's got things to do!

First, a bit of explanation: this was a frimp from the Lab -- I have no trouble sleeping and no interest in dreams. My experience is of a scent I hoped to sleep in, just for the pleasure of sleeping in scent. I tried this imp twice, and if I didn't know better, I'd swear it was two different oils. One night it was lavender, with something behind that I had trouble placing -- a kitchen herb, definitely, but nothing I considered seemed quite right. Looking at some other reviews, I'm still not sure, but it wasn't rosemary. Maybe basil, but I think it must have been a combination. Definitely lemon zest, as well (not lemon verbena, just straight lemon oil). Very pleasant, not quite sweet. The second attempt (I was hoping to identify those herbs!), was a disaster. Stronger lavender, but with overly sweet, way-past-their-prime vegetables on top. So I still can't tell you what's in here, except for it being kitchen-related. ETA: forgot to mention the lemon

Ummmm...ya'll are going to think I'm crazy. Snake Oil smells exactly like Tanin'iver! I think I must amp Dragon's Blood to the point that nothing else comes thru. It does start out with a really nice sweet vanilla and spice. Faded fast with a lingering of pepper. Just don't mind me -- I'll leave this up so I don't forget the insanity that is my chemistry, but I don't think this review will have much to do with you, dear reader.

Pretty! Light amber/vanilla to start, with the sandalwood coming out a bit later. Maybe a bit of sweet pea with the amber, I'm not quite sure. Very light, and fades quickly. I was disappointed at the wear-length at first, but now I've started wearing it to sleep in, and it works out very nicely. Good one! And, no, it's not sad in the least!

I can't wear Dragon's Blood. I get pure lilac out of this one after about 10 minutes. Now, the pre-lilac phase was beautiful -- all sandalwoods, which I love. But...no. The lilac ate every bit of it.

Dark and juicy! I'm not familiar with lotus, so I can't say how much it's normal lotus and how much it's black lotus, but it's quite intense. Surprisingly, it fades faster than average.

Unexpectedly, I don't care for this rose. It's the first one I can call a powdery rose -- very soft and dry. Definitely mostly rose with random whiffs of wisteria and occasional lilac.

Rose scent, primarily, but with an amber glow. Nice, discreet rose. Hard to be excited about it, but this is the first rose I don't feel a little self-conscious wearing to the office.

I'm liking Dee -- not so masculine as I had feared. More gender-neutral. Very soft scent of incense and what appears to be rosewood -- almost a sweetened wood. My first experience with roesewood, but I like very much. I never detect leather, so it appearing to be missing is probably just me. Really pretty as it wafts by my nose, sitting still.

Well, this didn't quite work on me. It's an aquatic -- which to me is a rather vague smell anyway -- with a touch of something that might be the vodka. In short, it was boring. Better luck for someone else!

Oooooo! This is a fun one -- peach wine! Luscious and pretty! Maybe a bit pretty-pretty for me to regularly wear, but great in her own fun way.

Oh, Inez, I knew I'd love you! The only Grindhouse lady I've tried so far, Inez is the most wonderful amber/vanilla gorgeousness. Too sweet for just a moment at application, I think she'll settle down nicely with a bit of time. And maybe I'll pick up those woods next time... ETA: Nov 3, 2008. Sadly, I think I will have to let Inez go. That's a gorgeous amber, but the vanilla hasn't put in a second appearance, and I've never yet caught any of the other notes, unless it was carnation for a moment. Nice, but not amazing. I need to swap her for something I'll really love...

This Lion comes in extra-sweet, goes to a lovely glowing amber and maybe a hint of dry grasses, and vanishes into the sun. Pretty, but very short wear-length for me.

How, how, how does this not smell floral? Not that I'm complaining -- I just don't understand how these notes can smell like this! Grandmother of Ghosts has piqued my interest in the more 'manic' scents -- because this is fascinating. There's a touch of pepper, and a big boquet of flowers that combine to be...I don't know, but it's quite non-floral. Very nice, and quite baffling! I suppose it's really just a complex floral that my in-experienced nose can break apart...but the effect is not at all what I'd expected from the notes.

Ohhhhhh! Intrigue has the green/brown date palm note that i liked in Havana, but without the tobacco that went so nasty on me! It started out invitingly of date palm, and the sweetness of the fig gradually increased, never quite taking over. I could imaging the fig being my co-conspirator, whispering intensely to me in the shadow of the palms. The cocoa was subtle, but present, especially later in the day as the fig finished explaining the plan to me. ETA: Well, I don't quite know why, but I've been wearing or thinking about wearing this blend for a solid week! It's just beautiful, and the cocoa comes through differently every time. I'm thinking about a bottle of this one. It's dark and luscious and beautiful and elegant. So perfect!

The monstrous Chimera is a sweet, slightly floral, cinnamon? Okay...I'm surprised, but it's a great scent. Not foody at all -- just yummy.

I love the Kubla Khan poem, so I didn't even pretend that wasn't why I bought the perfume blend. Like the inspiration, the blend is intoxicating and complex and I love it. I can pick out the jasmine (but a restrained, polite jasmine ), vanilla made a brief appearance, a bit of smoke, subtle tobacco later in the day, and so much more that I couldn't pull apart. As long as the tobacco doesn't get carried away later in the wear time, this is beautiful.

Machu Picchu -- if this scent is what the place is like, I need to visit! Short wearlength, but I didn't care, it was so nice. Orchids, amber, and ozone for a perfect vision of a cloud forest. Perfect.

Hurricane so reminds me of something, and I just can't place what! It's definitely a wet wood smell, and it lasted without changing all day (unusual for me). I can't say it's a scent I care for, but it's exactly what it's trying for, and well worth a sniff.

Fallen is another complex, evocative blend that I'll never do justice to. I found a surprisingly strong floral at the beginning, lasting at least half an hour. Then it started to open up and let the other notes come to the foreground, while the florals (lily or orchid, I thought) moved far back. The final blend was very nice, with nothing overwhelming the rest. Not sure about that initial blast of floral, though.