Brianne

Just a quickie review from me! Ravenous is exactly what it says it is - patchouli and orange blossom. At first, it goes on as down and dirty patchouli. Patchouli haters would cringe at this in it's wet stage lol (I actually quite like it). But it quickly settles into a soft, feminine and powdery orange blossom. The end result is a strangely girlish perfume - makes me think of something that would be worn by a young woman (mid to late teens) due to the soft candyish orange note.

In the vial: Red wine On me: red wine is so hit and miss with me. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's just AWFUL. It can go very bitter on me, and this is one of those cases unfortunately. Behind it, is a sort of honey sweet incense which is very nice. It actually kills the red wine after a while and I'm left with a soft, sweet incense smell. Simple and lovely. Final note: Despite the rocky start, I think I might have to get a bottle of this!

Crisp, clean, green, wet and cool. A little grassy, a little cucumbery. Makes me think of cutting up salad greens in the kitchen LOVE it.

In the bottle: Sweet/grassy/herbal? On me: I immediately do not know how to describe this. It's kind of mossy, but in a sweet, fruity/floral setting. It definitely has an herbal vibe to it. It has a sort of odd grassy note to it that is a little... spicy, for lack of a better word. Like vetiver only - it's not vetiver and doesn't smell like vetiver (if that makes sense at all). Then a sort of aquatic/salty note creeps in. Doesn't take over, just sort of gives you an herbal/grassy/water vibe. Final note: Despite the fact that I cannot describe this, I do really like it. It's not a love, but it's an unsual scent that actually makes me think of Autumn a bit (a season I adore). Definitely keeping it around.

In the bottle: Black currant! On me: Goes on fruity and sweet, a very purpley berry smell. Before long, the lavender kicks in and the combination of the herbal with the fruit immediately makes me think of two blends that have a similar effect: Cheshire Cat and 13 (Oct 06 version). It's really nice actually, I love both of the aforementioned blends, so it's only natural I think that I like this one too. The sweet berry is toned down by the herbal lavender but they both work hand in hand, rather than drowning one another out completely. Kind of a contrasty scent. Final note: I almost skipped this one - I went back and forth on it many times because of some of the notes but I am so glad I finally got it. It's a beautiful scent and if you like Cheshire Cat, you'll probably like this too!

In the vial: Very ferny On me: I have a sort of curse with Virgo scents. They tend to not be my "thing", despite the fact that I'm as Virgo as any Virgo could be. Let's see if this is any different! It goes on VERY green and earthy. Not in a piney/foresty way though - actually, it makes me think of tropical mosses and ferns. Green but in a humid/moist way. There is something sort of perfumey behind that that is hard to describe as well. I get the honeysuckle but it's fairly mellow in this, and adds just a touch of sweet floral behind those earthy greens. It does eventually become a more subtle, slightly spicey green scent with a hint of sweetness. Hard to describe, but a little incensey without merging outside of the earthy/green area. I like this phase of it a lot more than the beginning (though the wet stage DID have a kind of unusual carrot kind of sweetness that was nice). I'm just not sure how I feel about this! I don't hate it, but I don't know if I love it. One moment I'll smell it and think, "Naw, that's not for me" and then another moment I'll think, "Wait, that's actually quite nice". So... very much a toss up for me. Guess I'll have to sit on this one for a while and try it again later!

In the vial: opium On me: Someone compared this to bandaids - I agree with that lol. Something about opium smells like bandaids on me, and it just comes off as sort of funky and odd on my skin. The only exception to that is with Red Lantern. This is a really heady floral with a strange note in it. Final note: My chemistry just doesn't get along with opium, so if you have the same problem you are probably not going to like it in this one either lol.

In the bottle: A little nutty/woodsy On me: Goes on with a definite fruit note and cocoa (the chocolate notes in BPAL always smell really DRY to me) with something woodsy behind it. There some faint spice here, nothing too obvious though and a little bit of a floral feeling too. It's sweet but not in a dessert kind of way, just vaguely so. I was really expecting more clove and honey I think, but neither notes are very present here. Final note: It's as complex as the other Thirteen's, but I find that this is my least favorite of them. It just doesn't "grab me" like the others do, though I DO like it (I love the 13 blends quite a lot so being my least favorite certainly doesn't mean I don't like it). I'll definitely wear it anyways, though I wish it had been a little more clovey

In the vial: dirty, and not in a good way On me: I usually don't mind vetiver but it is just too much in this blend. It has a burnt, dirty unpleasant smell. Final note: I just don't care for this at all.

A sinfully playful lust blend. Inspires sexual spontaneity, a little bit of kinkiness, and new and inventive ways to get dirty. In the vial: teh stink On me: No wonder, there is jasmine here. So stinky on me. And overwhelming. Final note: Voodoo oils just have this general smell on me all the time, I don't know what it is but they usually just don't work for me. :/

In the vial: incense On me: There is a slight incense quality to this but mostly it is clean and powdery smelling. Sort of soapy and very gender neutral. It's one of those scents like Mr Ibis that I think anyone could wear for something non offensive and simple. Final note: Not bad, not great to me either though. I'm not that into such neutral scents but I could see this being really popular with some.

In the vial: Grass On me: Nope, wait that's cucumber. That's about all I get for this scent - it's pleasant and very green but not very complex. Final note: It's nice, has a soothing vibe to it, but I think my imp is enough for me. It is a lot more what I expected Blue Moon to be like I think.

In the vial: Soft, sweet On me: Goes on like fruit candy - sugary sweet and fruity but not too powerful. It's very soft and girly - pleasant but nothing really stands out in particular. The incense notes give it a sort of golden feel. Final note: Very nice, I like it a lot. I will definitely get a bottle of this at some point

In the vial: Sort of vaguely floral On me: It's a really pleasant, soft floral I think - nothing overbearing and in combination with the herbal scent it seems soothing and gentle. It has a mild sweetness to it also - a musky sort of sweetness. This is a really "every day" kind of scent in my opinion - it's not particularly strong and the balance of floral and herbal creates a scent that really could work for just about anything. Final note: I like Allison Gross - it's very nice, quite pretty. It really doesn't last on me though, it disappears in about 10 minutes so I think the imp is just enough for me

In the vial: sharp and earthy On me: Very deep patchouli with sharp ylang ylang and a little musk. I would have preferred if this had been a little more musky, as it is - it's a little too sharp for me to wear that often. Final note: Not a bad scent, it's nice enough for me to keep the imp, though it's not something I need a bottle of.

In the vial: vanilla On me: Everyone seems to be getting such different things out of this blend. I'm almost afraid I don't REALLY have Love Me, because I'm getting vanilla and a light floral. It's very warm and sweet, and quite pleasant. Reminds me somewhat of Vixen. Final note: Very nice!

In the vial: fruity floral On me: I don't recognize the smell of orchid, it's not a note that I'm very familiar with, so when I smelled this I can only ASSUME that it's orchid. It's sort of bright and fruity with a touch of floral and a little green. A sharp fruit scent, and I just can't put my finger on it. Final note: Hard to describe otherwise, it's just a vaguely fruit floral with a touch of green. I don't know how this compares to orchid as a single note. It's pleasant, and makes me think of scents like Juliet. I don't think I'd reach for it often though.

In the vial: stinky On me: Smells godawful on me when it goes on. Like stinky gym socks. I cannot guess what note is doing that, as I usually have this problem with a scent now and then and there isn't a common listed note (I've gotten this smell with Kathmandu as well). It's like jasmine mated with myrrh and had a terribly stinky child. No offense meant to Beth, it just happens sometimes. Final note: This never gets better on me, it's just awful. I'm certain it's a chemistry thing though.

In the vial: What else? Dragon's Blood resin On me: As always, the dragon's blood smells like lilacs to me and it tends to take over scents so that any other notes are very secondary. This is no different. It's like lilacs with a hint of sandalwood and a little breath of iris. Final note: I like this well enough - it's not as dry as I was expecting, it's actually like a lush floral - it makes me think of the Spring!

In the bottle: Umm...buttercream frosting? lol On me: It smells like frosting in the bottle, but once it hits my skin I can tell it's the Egyptian amber, which has always smelled sweet and foody on me. It has an almost almond oil like smell to it in that regard. The frankincense adds an incensey quality to this but without being overwhelming. I don't typically care for that note, but in this blend it works well and remains subtle. Chamomile and saffron add some depth to this too, even though they are not terribly apparent in this blend. Final note: This is really sexy in my opinion - it's very smooth and incensey without being too much so. Subtly sweet and deep.

In the bottle: gorgeous red musk On me: Oh yeah, I love this one. I adore red musk, and that's because it's one of those notes that just always smell great on me. This is fantastic. It's smooth, warm, has a slight sweet quality which in itself is sort of herbal and sort of floral. Hard to pin this fragrance down, it's pretty complex, and the result is a beautiful scent. The amber is really nice here, and the dragon's blood resin is adding a little huskiness and a little floral to it also. Final note: Lovelovelove

In the bottle: That is the sharpest, dryest ginger I've ever smelled On me: The intial blast of ginger has me afraid, because it's really unpleasant to my nose. Too sharp, too dry, kind of funky actually. As someone else said already, it just has a really sort of bitter/funky tone to it. And it's odd, because I love every single note in this blend (well, I don't love ginger, but I don't mind it either). The result is a warm, fiery and deep scent but I'm just really thrown by that undertone. Thankfully, that funky tone tones down a little bit after a while, and what I'm left with is much better than what it started as. It's smooth and warm, musky, deep and earthy - and a tiny little hint of sweetness from that honeysuckle. Final note: If you just get past that initial stage, it turns out a lot better and certainly more wearable. If I had judged this scent from it it's initial stage, I would be selling my bottle. But now that I've let it sit on me, I am definitely keeping my bottle, it's very nice!

In the bottle: Sweet condensed milk and cigars On me: Smells STRONGLY of cigars on me - I mean like someone just opened a fresh package and rubbed them all over my arm. It's backed by a thick sweetness, which I believe is the condensed milk. I am ever thankful that note did not turn out like Beth's other milk notes (Milk Moon for instance, in which the milk smells like baby spit up). Then it turns sharply into a mossy/mildew smell. Very strange, this scent is definitely exactly what it says it is. Final note: In the drydown, this is very much a cigar smell - it's sweet and sort of "sticky" and thick smelling. It's actually what I was expecting from the Dogs Playing Poker series. It's very compelling and I find myself sort of compulsively sniffing this one. Wonderful!

In the vial: sweet and sugary On me: The first thing I smell is a very sweet pear - it's not tart and fruity, but more candy like. This is really mellow and yet sweet at the same time, and has a very "girly" appeal to it. I feel like I'm wearing something totally different because the scent on me is sugary and smooth and sweet - with no herbal or lettuce note. In fact, it reminds me of Xanthe in the way it is sort of girly and sugary smelling. Final note: I really love this a lot more than I expected. Now I have to get my hands on a bottle!

In the vial: Soft honey On me: I'm having a hard time getting ahold of the notes in this one. It's got a sort of herbal quality to it, but with a soft honey note and a sort of aquatic note also. It's a strange combo - not in a bad way, it just makes it difficult for me to determine whether or not I like this. After a while, I do get a soft melon - but it's very soft and quite secondary to the aqautic note. In the end, the honey note pretty well disappears and it's mostly aqautic in the drydown. Final note: This is one of those rare scents where I just cannot decide if I like it or not. It's a nice aquatic, and the soft melon note is nice also.