oakmoss

In the vial, strong cough syrup cherry lollipop gooey red scent, but I bravely put it on anyway, and on dry-down there was a bit of wood warmth. Alas, that changed quickly to almondish, which I can't stand, and then here come the cherries again. It's a cherry/almond party and it doesn't seem to want to wash off either. *sigh* This is my first imp that I know for sure will go for a swap to someone it works on.

I didn't like this one much at first sniff -- too generic-flowery, just sort of "perfume" smell. Upon warming on my skin, it rapidly began to metamorphose. First the incense coming forward, then violets and purple fruitiness, but dark, like a dream of a rich black plum. And then the incense again . . . This is not an innocent floral, and it doesn't seem like "The Mists of Avalon" Morgause to me, but rather "The Once and Future King" Morgause: the Queen of Air and Darkness. She puts this scent on and lazily smells her own wrist again and again, looking into the mirror by candlelight, brushing out her midnight-black hair. . . . . . Morgause is casting her spell. . . I’m ensorcelled. . .

At first sniff, yummy chocolate overpowered everything else, but on my skin, the chocolate became the background note, and myrrh came to the fore. The overall impression was something velvety indeed.... dark, soft, rich, luxurious. Not "foody" at all. This is one that is going on my 5ml list.

A quiet scent, soft, calm and enigmatic. A perfume of mystery, of whispers, and of secrets behind secrets. White sandalwood, lilac, gardenia, violet, orris, lavender and ylang ylang. On first impression, the violet and iris scents were the strongest, quite delicious, really, with a vaguely nostalgic kind of feeling, like a memory I couldn't quite grasp. With an hour or so, unfortunately, it turned very soapy... not *bad* really, but sort of like those little free white soaps in hotel rooms. I'm not getting a "veil" feeling from this at all.... it feels like a young scent to me, like something a maiden would wear -- maybe the veil is bridal?

First sniff: Very delicate, fresh, watery and a bit sweet, but sweet like pink grapefruit, not floral. On my skin: So light and delicate, I have to check a few times to make sure I’m even wearing it. Slightly sharp grapefruit smell quickly shifts to something less definable . . . the scent of freshness and clarity, not stormy, but what the storm blows into being, a sense of alertness, aliveness, awareness. Later: This is getting stronger as my skin warms it, and I’m glad I didn’t go put on more. Is the storm building? Maybe that freshening breeze was only the beginning. . . On me, this is definitely an Air scent, not a Water scent. I think I wanted it to be more ocean and less mist, more rain and less ozone. There is a tension in this scent, like waiting for something to happen. And I can’t really decide if that’s a good thing or not. As Willy Wonka says: “The suspense is terrible. . . I hope it lasts.” Final analysis: This turned all sharp-perfumey on me -- I think it's going in the swap pile.

First sniff: On opening the imp (and of course spilling it in the process) the main impression is of strong neroli, that swoony-sweet orange blossom scent of my wanton youth, ahhhhh… Very flowery, but not headache-inducing, even spilled over my fingers in a closed car. Dry-down: Neroli giving way to a more powdery floral scent, with a hint of something more peppery, like carnation. Less overwhelmingly sweet, more sophisticated. Warmer, spicier, darker… An hour later, over lunch: This scent does not go well with onion rings. Two hours: I like this, can’t stop smelling my skin, and the scent is different each time, less floral, more spice and incense. So happy I’ve decided to try perfumes again after so many years. Went back and read the description to see if my guesses were correct (this was a freebie imp) … yes, neroli, carnation and ….patchouli! That’s the dark warmth I’m smelling. Definitely something I could wear again.