Dominique

Gack! I don’t much like patchouli, so I didn’t have high hopes for Urd (it was a frimp), but on me it smells like cheap incense with a light spray of nail polish remover. There’s patchouli, with . . . something else, but seeing as I cannot stand Urd, I’ll be scrubbing it off before I have a chance to smell more.

Wet on skin – much like wet in bottle, which is to say, pepperpepperpepper. If I brave the pepper, I can smell a hint of the cinnamon and what might be the dragon’s blood, but the pepper rules supreme. After ten minutes or so, the dragon’s blood has appeared, but the pepper isn’t going anywhere. Further dry-down brings the dragon’s blood out more, but the pepper holds this scent in a death-grip. I loved Gluttony dearly, and hoped that the next Deadly Sin I got would be similarly delightful, but all I can say in Wrath’s defense is that the oil itself is a beautiful red-pink. A pity I can’t stand the smell of it. I wanted a warm-cinnamon, but Wrath is anything but cuddly and the cinnamon appears to be hiding in fear or shame.

Woah. Patchouli, with a strong wood note. Imagine being smacked in the nose with a very large stick of incense and you’ll get the general idea. Some wiki-digging reveals that benzoin comes from trees, which would explain the woody note. There’s a vague warmth that might be the coconut, but it’s pretty thoroughly strangled by the patchouli. (First Vixen and now Goblin – I’m beginning to believe that my skin amps patchouli, or that I was born to be a hippy. I don’t much approve, either way.) Patchouli isn’t my thing, the coconut never really appeared, and I have more woody-scents than I need, thanks to Samhain misbehaving. In short, Goblin bites, and not in a good way.

There's almond. It's . . . not trying to kill me and this is a very pleasant change from usual. I smell almond, though it's not the primary note. There's a kind of incense that's likely the myrrh. I'm not certain what the saffron would smell like, but the amber and musk give Bastet a nice roundness. I don't smell the lotus much, but it might come out to play later on, when it dries more. Considering how badly almond usually sits on my skin, Bastet is well-behaved. It's not going to steal a place on my favorite's list, but I don't have the mad urge to run over to a sink and start scrubbing.

Lemme establish this. I am going to like Pancake Breakfast. Going to. I couldn’t like Blood Kiss, but I will like PB, damnit. In the bottle, it smells like . . . well, concentrated breakfast. Vanilla, butter, warm spices, sugar – it’s the square root of pancakes. On my skin, it gets this slightly wonky note. I’m not certain what it is, but I’m blaming the goats. I’m –going- to like this, for no other reason than I like the name. Even if I have to cut it or layer it with Bah! or Pumpkin V ’09, I’m going to enjoy my breakfast, odd-smelling goat butter or no. Failing that, I'll put it in a clocket and call it good. Odd (and hopefully quick-fading) goat-wonkiness aside, breakfast is good.

I'm . . . . confused. I don't know what this scent it. It says Delight on the imp, with the description of "Frangipani, with rose, tuberose, and jasmine", but I don't know what to make of it. There's a floral note in there that's almost certainly the rose and jasmine and an unburned-incense-stick scent that might be the frangipani. The scent seems reasonably stable on my skin (or it might be that I can't decypher what I'm smelling, so noting a change is a little difficult.) Not at all a bad scent, but not one I'm likely to wear.

I'm getting a lot of florals. Pleasant well-balanced...and floral. Unfortunately, I can't give a more detailed review than that, as I wear florals so seldom that the depth of my insight is limited to 'Huh. I don't smell any rose...' If florals are your thing, then I'd recommend Eos whole-heartedly. As florals -aren't- really my thing, I see this imp lasting a very long time, though it might get some use in layering. As a bonus, it seems to have decent last and throw, and shows no sign of degenerating down to powder, which is always a plus.

I grabbed the imp more or less at random, acting on guilt. (I have a Large Pile of untested and unloved imps, so maybe I should sample them, rather than wearing my favorites again. And again. And...yeah. So - Hollywood Babylon. I've had it on for maybe 4-5 minutes now and I can't say I'm impressed. Amber, check. Hints of strawberry and vanilla? Check. The same wonky scent that made Thorns and Blood Kiss so utterly unwearable? Yep, that too. And it really confuses me. If the unwearable-ness was limited to Hollywood and Blood Kiss, I'd say that cherries hate me, and avoid perfumes that have them - but Blood is fine, if unremarkable on me, Vice is lovely and the Red Queen, for all that it's not my shtick, behaves on my skin. So, it's not the cherry, and nothing in Hollywood's description mentions vetiver (the other note that hates me with a passion), and I have no idea why it smells wrong on me. That said, Hollywood Babylon has decent throw and doesn't appear to be going anywhere, now that I've had it on for about 45 minutes, give or take.

Yum. I'd been looking for peaches and while I didn't expect Aglaea to be particularly peachy, I am happily surprised. Its not a foody peach. With the musks and amber, it's more of a mulled peach wine than a fresh-picked and still fuzzy peach. That said, the bright peach note dies down pretty fast as does Aglaea as a whole. It's only been a few minutes and I have to get my nose right against my wrist to smell anything. Maybe my skin just dissipates the stuff, or maybe it's just a very gentle scent. In any case, while it's there, Aglaea is lovely.

In the bottle and on my skin for the first few hours, Samhain is a little bit like a carpentry shop gone bad. I can't pick out any of the notes but cedar, but good lord, are they strong. It's . . . the olfactory version of being whapped with a 2x4. If I put it on when I go to bed, it'll have faded down to some truly wicked-lovely musks, but I seldom wear it, just because the ZOMGwood top note is so powerful and so long lasting. Until hour four or five, I don't get any of the other listed notes, though layering Samhain with Lambs-Wool, Fearful Pleasure or Pumpkin V '09 makes it more wearable.

I've found that some perfumes are immediately noticeable - the sniffie equivalent of a punch to the nose. Tamamo-no-Mae is not one of these scents, and in a way, that makes her so much sexier. It's possible to imagine someone actually smelling like this, though a fortunate coincidence of shampoo, detergent and body chemistry. Wet, the tea leaf and ginger are predominate, like a much, much gentler version of Kumiho. On my skin, the ginger isn't quite so noticeable. It's still a green-stroked, vaguely citrus scent, but a good deal more complex. The bottom note is floral, probably the rice and black locust flowers. As it dries down, the florals come out to play, though the green hints never really go away. The skin musk manages to be both subtle and constantly present, adding a suggestive hint to an already lovely scent. I got my hands on a 5 ml bottle and I'll be trolling Ebay, looking for more. I like Tamamon-no-mae.

I was less than impressed with Jack. As everyone has already pointed out, it smells like a pat of butter fresh from the microwave, which, alas, was not what I had in mind. Pumpkin V '09 (pumpkin, chocolate, coffee bean, vanilla bean, and hazelnut) smells like pumpkin-chai-happiness on me. I got my hands on Pumpkin Queen (Egyptian Amber, red ginger, orange peel, mandarin, cardamom, fig leaf and warm pumpkin) not too long ago, and while it does have a buttery top-note, that fades pretty quickly on me. It's not remotely as foody as Pumpkin V '09, though that might be a plus or a minus, depending on your preferences.

Fearful Pleasure and Lambs-Wool are both very cider-apple-ish on me. The description for Pomona - Azaroles, nuts, and apple blossoms with red apple pulp, mulberry, blackberry, and pomegranate juice - sound very appley, but I haven't sniffed or worn it, and I can't confirm anything. As far as a spiced apple goes - I'd recommend Fearful Pleasure, or, failing that, the Apple-Scent-Of-Your-Choice, layered with either Bengal, Plunder, Saw-Scaled Viper or Chimera. EDIT - I tested Fearful Pleasure and Lambs-Wool at the same time and I'm horribly ashamed to admit that I can barely tell the difference. FP has a stronger throw and after an hour or two, the spices in it are stronger, but for the first hour or so, there's only minimal difference between the two. Granted, it could be my skin chemistry, or my inability to distinguish between the more subtle notes, but I couldn't really tell the difference. (Not that that's a bad thing - it's a very nice scent.)

Bengal, on me at least, smells like an over-sexed cinnamon roll. That's a very good thing, but not really chai-like. Plunder (again, on me) gets this wonky tobacco note that neatly removes any chai associations. Pumpkin V, of all things, smells like pumpkin chai on me. Your mileage may vary, as always, but I'm very, very fond of Pumpkin V.

I'm leery of almond, so it took about, oh, 8 months before I got around to trying it. It's not that bad on my skin, to my distinct surprise. Very faint shades of Gluttony, which I didn't remotely suspect. It's got an edge which I think is some kind of herbal or green note, likely the fig leaf, the almond gives it a roundness and there's a complexity that I'm chalking up to the myrrh and musk. All in all much more pleasant than I was expecting. I don't think I'll be wearing it regularly (I have too much BPAL for 'kinda not bad' scents to get much skin-time), but it's no longer in the Utterly Untouchable pile.

I like ginger and I like all things citrus and I don't have much of an opinion on patchouli -how could I go wrong? In the bottle it smelled like, well concentrated hippie. In the clocket? Concentrated hippie. I don't mind incense-type scents (and some of them I actively enjoy), but I was hoping more for 'spring in a orange grove' than 'sundown on Venice beach.' If patchouli does it for you, then Vixen would be great, but I didn't get so much as a whiff of the orange blossom or ginger, which was something of a disappointment.

I got a clocket the other day, so I'm reviewing this based on how it's sitting on my skin and how it behaves in the locket. Wet in the bottle, it's very sweet, though thankfully without the lunatic butter note that pumpkin seems to bring with it. I can pick out pumpkin, hazelnut and coffee, and a spice-note that reminds me of nutmeg. On my skin, it pretends to be Gluttony for a bit before settling down to a kind of warm, spiced pumpkin chai. In the locket, it skips the Gluttony-phase and dries down to pumpkin chai almost immediately (and seems to last a good deal longer). Seeing as this is the cinnamon-spice perfume that I've been trying to find for a while (and that Pumpkin Queen is not, sadly), I'll probably get several more bottles of this, if the rate I'm going through it is any indication. Yum!

All hail the vampire enablement! I've heard of Three Witches (and was bummed when I found it wasn't GC), though Smiling Spider is new to me entirely. I'd be more than willing to trade or pay to get my hands on Three Witches, though. Are you aware of good swap site or...? (I haven't done this before, so I'm not certain how it works.)

Apple and pensarepink mentioned Deep In Earth, and I have to mention it again, on the grounds that it smells like, well, dirt. Ideal for seducing a gardener, but as my tastes run toward musks and spices, I, uh, didn't get much use out of it. I can't imagine something smelling -more- like dirt, though.

In the vial: The oil is a pale yellow, almost clear. Cinnamon bark, not the hot-candy cinnamon, is the dominant note (thankfully, as that’s exactly what I was hoping for.) There’s a kind of warm roundness to it that I’m chalking up to some interplay between the myrrh and honeysuckle. That said, I don’t notice the honeysuckle itself, and I have no idea what copal smells like, so it’s more than possible that I’m wrong. Still, it’s a cinnamon-y, pleasant scent, though not as much a cinnamon-roll smell as Bengal is. On me (dry): (Applied to inner wrists.) Still with the cinnamon, and there’s a base note that, as it’s neither myrrh nor honeysuckle, I think is copal. Not quite what I’m after, but the scent it still settling. After a while: Cinnamon continues to be the top note. The copal is behaving, thankfully, and the honeysuckle is no where to be found. Verdict: The copal is vaguely annoying, as it’s a little closer to vetiver than I’d like. That said, I’d cheerfully commit atrocities for a cinnamon-based perfume, so Chimera will likely become a favorite. Mmmmm, cinnamon.

In the vial: The bottle it tinted, so I can’t tell the exact color of the oil. It’s very pale, though, almost transparent. In the bottle, the scent is bright and faintly green, like fresh spices, rather than dried ones. It might be the herbs, it might be the flowers, I couldn’t say. There’s a faint tinge of citrus – maybe lemon, maybe grapefruit, but not orange or tangerine. Doesn’t smell much like lime, either. I’m smelling a few light florals, but nothing I recognize. They’re not my strong suit, so I could simply be missing them. On me: (Applied to inner wrists.) Wet on my skin, the green scent is much stronger. It’s not a cut-grass scent, but it’s a bright herbal note. Dry, the herbal note is still there. It’s not a harsh smell – it’s clear, perfumey and pleasant. The floral is faint, but still there. I don’t smell the citrus any more, which is a bummer. After a while: It’s been several hours and I’ve washed my hands once or twice. June Gloom is still present, though very gentle. It’s faded enough that picking out individual notes is difficult. Guessing, based on the description of the perfume, I’d say that there’s the ghosts of some of the herbs and a floral or two still hanging around – pleasant and gentle. Verdict: I wanted more of a monsoon than a string rain, but June Gloom is bright, fluttery scent and I’m happy to have it. It’s a good summer perfume.

Hmmmm.....anyone have any ideas what Hotel California by the Eagles would smell like? Because if there is a song that I want to wear on my skin, it's that one.

Some answers, and a question, should anyone still frequent this thread. As I'm not particularly familiar with men's scents, I don't know how useful these recommendations will be, but I'll give it a shot. For Rorschach, I'd go with De Sade, possibly layered with Deep In Earth. Leather whips and mud - might fit him. De Sade - From Sin & Salvation: The essence of pleasure heightened by pain: the raw scent of leather. Deep in Earth - From Ars Moriendi: Rose geranium, Spanish moss, Irish yew, and graveyard dirt. For Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, in honor of the 'slightly crazed' aspect, I'd go with Cathode as (on me, at least) it was a lunatic mint-ozone. For his name alone, I have to recommend the scent Arkham. Cathode - From Bewitching Brews: A negatively charged scent. Ambergris, Spanish Moss, oakmoss and three electric mints. Arkham - From A Picnic In Arkham - A shadowy, unapproachable forest of maple, birch, dogwood, cypress and pine softened by a garland of New England wildflowers: bergamot, columbine, rue anemone, blue violet, creeping phlox, bloodroot, toadflax, and pixie moss. For Kirk Langstrom, the description reminded me of Wings of Azrael, but that scent might not be the one you're after. For something a little heavier on the 'mad scientist' vibe, I'd go with Galvantic Goggles or Smokestack. Wings of Azrael - From Ars Moriendi: Warm myrrh swirled with a bittersweet blend of violet, Lily of the Valley, juniper, cypess and cajeput. Galvantic Goggles - From Steamworks: Metallic notes with Indian musk, tobacco flower, and African balsam. Smokestack -From Steamworks - Creosote, coal, and industrial waste. --------------------------- I've played a vampiric character for a few years now, and in the role-play, they have been described as smelling like cinnamon (or melange, if you're familiar with Dune). Does anyone know of a sexy-spicy scent with an emphasis on cinnamon or cloves, or something just generally autumn/Halloweenie? The closest I've found so far is Bengal, and any recommendations would be appreciated.

In the vial: It’s hard to judge the color through the dark brown of the bottle, but it seems to be a lighter, clearer tint. The myrrh and smoke are immediately evident, while the cinnamon is fainter. The combination of scents is similar to sandalwood at times. It’s a dark, full scent. On me: Applied to inner wrists. Wet, it’s very similar to the smell in the bottle – dark, thick, heavily incensed smoke. There’s an edge of myrrh to it that makes me smile. If it stays as it is when fresh, I wouldn’t be able to handle it – it’s too strong. It mellows slowly over time, thankfully. After a while: It’s been about 5 hours since I applied it, and I can still smell it if I hold my wrist up. There’s very little smoke or cinnamon left – what remains is a soft myrrh. At this stage, it’s a very gentle scent, and for all that I rarely wear myrrh, it sits well on my skin. I’d prefer if it was the cinnamon that lasted, but I can’t have everything. Verdict: Priala is a smooth, strong scent. I like the Phoenix imagery, and enjoy the scent, but I don’t like it enough to wear it regularly. If you’re a fan of myrrh, in particular, I’d recommend the scent. If resins don’t sit well on you, I’d give it a pass. Even so, there’s something to be said for the embrace of the Phoenix. (I’ve found that getting the perfume on a cottonball or rag, then tucking that into a clothes drawer is a very nice way of wearing the scent without having to deal with the overpowering strength of Priala.)

In the vial: The oil is a pale orange with a distinct yellow tinge. The initial note is a kind of spiced floral. I don’t recognize the distinct scents themselves. On second sniff, there’s a warmth that’s probably the amber. The floral is definitely present, but it’s darker, more complex note than the roses and lilies I’m used to. On me (dry): (Applied to inner wrists.) There’s an odd note that might be the berries reacting unhappily to my skin, or it might be the spices. It’s vaguely-plasticy, but not seriously offensive. After a few minutes, either the weird note has faded, or I’ve gotten used to it. The remaining scent is a spiced amber, with a vague note that might be a floral. After a while: It’s been maybe two hours and I’ve had to wash my hands a few times. As a result, the smell is almost entirely gone. There’s a vague spicy-sweetness, but other than that, I can barely tell I was wearing anything. Florcene’s abrupt disappearance probably has a good deal more to do with my hand-scrubbing, rather than the throw of the perfume. Even so, I can’t really say what it smells like after a few hours. Verdict: Because the scent was so faint, I’ll have to try Florence at least once more before I have a definitive opinion. It didn’t seem like a bad scent, wonky skin-chemistry and abrupt disappearance or no.