splendidissima

This is probably one of the more unusual scents I've tried...

Wet, it's a delicious orange-honey-slightly-rose scent, more fruity than floral. Dry, it becomes more balanced between fruit-floral-something unidentifiable...actually, there's something in here that reminds me of Schrodinger's Cat. Almost citrus-soapy, but not quite. Huh. No patchouli or sandalwood, really, unless that's contributing to the unidentifiable vaguely Irish Spring edge.

Then, as someone upthread mentioned, it disappears almost entirely, to the point where I couldn't even find it on my arm.

Then it comes back, phoenix-style, and is now a sweet, resiny, slightly powdery (darn amber), slightly spicy rose. Interesting. I'm not normally a huge rose fan, but this is pretty.

Overall, while not my absolute favorite (I prefer more fruit than floral), this is interesting, surprisingly light, kind of a mature (not old-lady, just competent and professional) rose. I'll wear it for job interviews or academic conferences and such.

Boyfriend verdict: "Meh. Too floral."

Spooky Resurrected, 2009:

 

over an hour's time, this was the sequence:

sunblock, sunblock, sunblock and mint, sunblock and more mint....delicious mint cookies! Like the candy cane cookies with peppermint extract that my family makes.

 

I am not sure how I feel about this scent. It ends up in a lovely place, but it goes through some less-than-lovely ways of getting there...

This was lovely in the imp and on me for about 30 seconds, sweet and spicy, and then...baby powder. Pleasant, sweet baby powder, but still. Not for me.

Got to test sprocket21's decant at our holiday party, which was great, as I was wanting to try this one. I'm usually quite fond of fruit scents and sweet scents, so I figured I'd probably like it.

 

I liked it for about two seconds, and then the booze ate the jelly and poured itself all over everything else on that wrist. Way deep down, I get wafts of a lovely red currant juicy fruit, but the port part was just too strong on me. Tragic.

Very similar to Fearful Pleasure, but creamier, where FP is a little sharper and smokier. Lambs-Wool walks the edge of air-freshener/candle territory on me (that was the boyfriend's verdict, too) but I've realized that either it's just on the yummy side of that edge, or it's just so good that I don't care. I'm using this up faster than any other 'Weenie decant, and I think I'm just finding reasons to keep sniffing it ("does it really smell like air freshener?...no, I love it!...oh, wait, it does a little...no, I must have more!"). At this rate I'll have to give in and buy a bottle.

 

Overall: sweet apples with a creamy edge, and a heck of a lot of spice--cinnamon and nutmeg at the front.

Well, this is just all kinds of awesome. I am so glad I have a bottle.

 

In aforementioned bottle: green apples! caramel! a touch of sharpness from the coconut rum! this smells like Halloween to me: candy, bobbing for apples, fall sweetness and crunch.

 

Wet: same as the bottle. Oh Creepy how I love you.

 

Dry: more butterscotch coming out, less rum. Green apples drenched in warm butterscotch and caramel. (The caramel/butterscotch is definitely warm and melty here.) Not really getting the coconut rum anymore, so it feels a little less sharp and a little more cozy. Mmm.

 

Throw: fairly strong, and it lasts for a long time--I kept catching random whiffs of it all day, and it made me smile.

In the bottle: holy sweet corn, Batman. Real corn, too. Like...like creamed corn with sugar. Wow.

 

Wet: more sugar, less corn. Probably a good thing, because while the corn smell is certainly unique, I don't know that I'd want to walk around smelling like it.

 

Dry: snickerdoodles? Yup. Another vote for the cookie camp. Maple syrup, cinnamon, sugar, and spice. (The boyfriend response: "maple sugar oatmeal cookies?!" followed by "...you shouldn't wear this, unless you're making cookies, because that's just mean.")

Initially, pumpkin with mango and brown sugar. Pretty, though I was hoping for a brighter scent.

 

Dry, I can see why people are getting maple syrup/pancake associations. Usually fruit and pumpkin are good notes on me; perhaps it's some combination of the myrrh and coconut that's giving it the maple-y scent.

 

The boyfriend verdict: "Maple and brown sugar....hey! you smell like Life cereal!"

 

I'm not sure I personally mind the brown-sugar aspect, but now that I'm thinking that I smell like cereal, I may have to wear this when the boyfriend is not around, or try it in the oil burner to see if I can find more fruitiness.

Hmm...I have to agree with the person who mentioned the feel of Huesos de Santos--some combination of the cake + incense, perhaps. But no orange here, though perhaps some extra nuttiness. It's very foody and quite interesting, but I already have a bottle of Huesos, which I slightly prefer.

 

Throw is strong at first, but fades fast on me.

First application: Light, sweet, vanilla cream.

 

Two hours later: This has colonized everything else on that arm! (I was also testing one of the Pumpkins and Pomona today). My entire arm, however, now smells like sweet cream. If you like sweet, sugar-cream scents, you will love and adore this. I will probably use up this imp, but not sure if I want an entire bottle of sweet cream...

 

Lots of throw and very long-lasting, too!

I tested this at a meet n' sniff without knowing the notes, and my first reaction was, "gingery pumpkin! delicious!"

 

I would never in a million years have guessed that this was a woods-and-ivy pumpkin scent, and I'm glad I tried it without knowing, because that's not the kind of thing I'd normally pick up. On me, it's almost all that ginger-pumpkin scent, almost sparkly (yes, really! I don't know what my skin is doing here...). After about an hour, I do catch a hint of something cool and green in the background, which I'm guessing, now that I've figured out the notes, is the ivy. But it's still mostly a bright ginger-pumpkin on me, with the ivy keeping it just on the right side of candy-sweetness.

 

Just amazing, and wonderfully evocative of Halloween fun--pumpkin-picking, autumn air, and scurrying past that creepy-looking and possibly haunted house at the end of the block...

On first application, floral-fruit, light and slightly sweet and pretty. After a while, though, the fruit fades out, and I'm left with a honey-musk scent, with just a touch of floral, probably rose, and if I sniff really hard, a whisper of peach. I want to like this, but I'm not sure I like the final stage as much as I hoped to.

Apple cider! With spices! Very similar to Punkie Night on me, actually, but with an added smoky-woodsy quality that makes me think of Halloween and fall nights. I don't really get the orange peel note from this (too bad; I like orange notes), but this is a great cider scent regardless. Throw is very strong, too; it overwhelmed the other scents I had been testing. Very nice!

Apples, cranberries, and bright spiced cider! Very warm and fairly tart. I really like this, but it's definitely a cold-weather scent, and it's very strong on me, so I have to apply sparingly. Very similar to Fearful Pleasure, minus a touch of smoke and plus the tartness of the cranberries.

Sharp, tart blueberries--the gin is definitely there, giving it a hint of juniper, but the whole thing is melding pretty well. Lots of throw. I wish there were a few more blueberries and a touch less gin--then I would absolutely love it. Makes a good summer scent, though--bright and fizzy.

 

The boyfriend: "Smells like...potpourri. Or Christmas. And pine cones."

 

Overall, creamy pumpkin spice cake in a bottle.

 

Oddly, this scent morphs a lot on me--maybe that's because it just arrived in the mail and needs time to settle down, but in one sniff the caramel will pop out and yell "Sugar!!" at me, in the next sniff the pumpkin will be stronger, and then it'll send me a waft of creaminess, just to make sure I haven't forgotten that there's cream in here. I don't especially mind smelling all the notes--my arm smells wonderfully foody and I want to bake something before I try to drink the bottle--but perhaps they'll blend better after it sits for a while. The one note I have not noticed (so far--it could be lying in wait for my next sniff) is the pomegranate, which makes me a little sad because I like pomegranate, but then again I'm not quite sure how it'll work in this creamy-spicy mix anyway.

 

This is a very sweet, foody, and cozy scent, with a hint of autumn from the pumpkin spice--will be perfect when fall weather starts.

Orange. Creamsicle.

 

It does get a little less sweet after some time on my skin, and the orange zest and anise win out over the cake by a nose, but are still delicious. This was very strong on first application, but faded down to a haze of orange cream next to my skin--the throw isn't overwhelming, but the scent itself does linger, which is good. I like this one a lot, and am happy to have it.

A freebie! The description sounds intriguing...let's see.

 

On me, this is dry, dusty desert air, with some lingering florals--perhaps the ghosts of the fallen empire's gardens? It is a very classic "perfumey" type of scent, which is not really me, but for someone who likes light sophisticated florals, this would be great. Lasts for a while, but hangs out close to the skin--again, a very subtle blend. This stayed pretty much the same over time; never quite got the incense that some others seem to have found.

In the imp: cedar and general woodiness.

Wet: mostly wood, but with a hint of something darker and dustier that might be the sassafras. This does smell exactly like you would expect the Old West to smell (well, a romanticized Old West, not the version with horses and sweaty people and poor hygiene).

Dry: after about an hour, the vanilla starts to peek out and sweeten things up, but it can never quite overcome the weight of the woods, and I mostly still get the dusty, wooden-buildings-in-the-sun feel from the cedar-balsam-sassafras mix. Incredibly evocative scent, but not, alas, for me.

This is lovely, perhaps my favorite of the new Mad Tea Party scents (though the boyfriend calls it "too perfume-y").

 

In the imp: purple fruits, most notably plum, I think, and spices, with a touch of florals.

Wet: the florals come out a bit more and mingle really well with the fruit, creating a nicely balanced fruity-floral. Reminds me of Witch Queen or Morgause, actually, with a little less incense and more spicy bite. And this makes me happy, because I like both.

Dry: the lily continues to get stronger, more in the foreground, but it plays nicely with the plum and isn't overpowering. The spices give it a constant complex warmth. This has great throw--the boyfriend noticed it when he walked into the room--and lasts for quite a while on my skin.

 

Verdict: I'd contemplate a bottle of this, though maybe not immediately--I already have Witch Queen, but could use a less expensive version for daily wear.

Sweet, very sweet, like sugared flowers--and it does remind me of Hope and Faith! A very pink scent to my nose, bright and happy--might be a little young for me for daily wear, but something I'd put on if I'm feeling girly and wearing a pink dress. Not as much pink pepper as I wanted, actually; I like pepper blends, and here it's kind of overwhelmed by the sweetness.

 

So far all the new Tea Party scents have been just fabulous, though my wallet might disagree.

I was hoping for more of the tropical fruits, but on me, Machu Picchu turns into a big bloom of tropical flowers, shining with a bit of humidity to give it an aquatic edge. It's not a bad scent, but I'm not a huge floral fan, and for some reason they dominate here, along with that hint of wetness. Fans of rainforest-y, tropical, flowery scents will love this--I may pass mine on to my mom, who will appreciate it more.

First impressions: cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon. Strong and spicy. Maybe some ginger in there too. I usually like ginger and pepper, though honey notes sometimes go powdery on me. This does not seem to be a problem, however, as all I can smell is spicy cinnamon.

 

After about 30 minutes: the cinnamon has calmed down and some sweetness is coming out. Spiced honey, now, sweeter and more what I wanted in terms of balance. Dry, this scent makes me think of spice tea with honey, alongside cinnamon toast, as someone mentioned up-thread.

 

Verdict: the final stage is very nice, but it takes a while to settle down, so I'm not sure it's bottle-worthy.

In the bottle: pie filling. Sweet berry pie, which I love.

On me: the heavy sweet fruit lightens up quite a lot, probably the summer musk coming out. Still delicious--perhaps even better, because while I like the bottle scent, it might be too overpowering to wear. The dry-on-skin version is paler, more golden, and not quite as sweet, but very berry-scented still. My skin, however, appears to just eat this--after an hour or so I have to put my nose next to my arm to smell anything. I'm hoping this is a time-of-the-month skin chemistry thing, because Berry Moon is lovely and I want to smell it!

Verdict: glad I got a bottle, though I'm afraid of using it up too fast...

I've been on a Halloweenies kick lately. I think my subconscious is hoping that if I pretend hard enough, we'll skip over the triple-digit summer heat and go straight to fall. It hasn't worked yet, but one never knows.

 

Needle in a Haystack...well, first of all, my skin just eats this. Within ten minutes I had to reapply so I could review. That being said...sunny hay dominates, but the pumpkin sits behind it, like...well, like a pumpkin in a haystack in the sunshine. A fresher, outdoors-y pumpkin, though, not the cooked pumpkin that many of the Pumpkin Patch seem to feature. Never any metal, but that might be because it disappears so fast. I really like this, as it brings back fabulous memories of going to the pumpkin patch when we were kids, going on hayrides through the rows of pumpkins, climbing on stacked hay bales while trying to hold the pumpkins we'd picked out...I just wish that it would stick around longer on my skin.