Amoraexcena

Hmm my review is quite different from everyone else....I don't know if it's skin chemistry, ageing, or batch variation but...

Bottle: tootsie rolls, nutmeg, allspice, and a touch of sandalwood. Strong.

Wet on skin: the spices take over, with a slightly herbaceous background and just a hint of cacao and honeysuckle. Kind of cloying....

Drydown: Allspice and tootsie rolls. I’ll pass.

Bottle: deliciously mouthwatering candied violets.

Wet on Skin: powdered violets and spun cotton candy. I really understand now the comparison to Pink Sugar. It’s a slightly more adult version of that popular Aquolina confection.

Drydown: it’s so nice and smooth and creamy and yummy.

Imp: a dark, think oil that smells quite intense. The patchouli is so strong... it seems tinged with eucalyptus and spicey ginger.

Wet on Skin: it’s staying quite true. It’s a warm, heavy patchouli scent still although the musty orange blossom is peeking out now.

Drydown: it’s sweeter but otherwise no morphing. Great throw. Best stage of this blend, it’s a warm sweet glow now. It’s tingling on my wrist though...

Imp: phew, that’s a lot of spice- saffron and others. It somehow reminds me of allspice.

Wet on Skin: licorice... and spices. Some amber is showing up too, and something sweet- almond?

Drydown: Still a lot of heavy spices. I have a feeling it will age really well so I’ll keep the imp for a while I guess. Quite a bit later into drydown it turns sweeter, quite similar to Al-Azif.

Imp: strangely, I'm getting peony. Mowed grass dotted with peony.

Wet on Skin: something herbaceous is showing up, as well as CUCUMBER! Very juicy and fresh, perfect for a nice clear sunny summer day. I'm still somehow getting peony...???

Drydown: it's all settled down into a nice big english cucumber dark green and thick with juice.

Imp: a nice resin and a whiff of jasmine.

Wet on Skin: Incense smoke fog, a thick sweet resin sweetened with honey, rosewood I think grounding it. Jasmine flowering around happily.

Drydown: This oil reminds me of O in that it takes forever to dry. My skin's amping the jasmine and the sweetness. It's a really pretty floral at this point, what I imagine a spiced jasmine nectar to smell like.

ressurected version. I must say, I LOVE this label, the colours are even prettier than the original imo<3

Bottle: I'm getting patchouli, okou (Japanese funeral incense sticks!) and tobacco smoke. I believe patchouli is used in most(?) incense so that makes sense. This is going to age well. A touch of vanilla, a drop of cognac and musk grounding it all.

Wet on skin: It's getting smoother and creamier! Lots of throw at this stage. A dark but sweet, edgy but soft, complex and intriguing scent.

Drydown: Oh my god. It's quite possibly the One I've been looking for. A close, beautiful, comforting sweet bourbon vanilla and musk balanced with solemn okou, tobacco. It's not very alcohol-like, it's really very little cognac. The scent of a black-laced Victorian funeral dress. I was going to keep two bottles of this and sell a third but I have a feeling I'll be hoarding all three. It's WONDERFUL.

Imp: first impression, the vag*** of a sexy lady that only eats honeyed pineapple.

Wet on Skin: sweet sex. This oil isn't eaten up by my skin instantaneously like most others, it stays wet. I frankly want to use this as lube for sex on an event night like Vday or xmas eve. The amber threatens to turn to powder but it doesn't! yay!!!

Drydown: This oil takes about an hour to soak in. It blends well with my skin chemistry though, it's probably the best honey scent I've found yet. I definitely want to try aging this imp, and will order a bottle in the near future...

Imp: bubbling spring water, delicate rose and lavender water (one more flower scent in there I can't pick out- lily or maybe cherry blossom?), fresh-squeezed splash of lemon, a squirt of lime.

Wet on Skin: the citrus amps a little, as well as something slightly spicey- maybe the floral I couldn't feel out was carnation? but still predominantly watery and definitely relaxing (even though I'm always stressed trying to pick out notes!). It's strangely energizing too though. Like a draught of cool water when you're parched.

Drydown: this is absorbed into my skin SO fast. Good throw. Definitely keeping the imp, though something is curdling it a bit into soap- it's probably lily of the valley.

Imp: Blooming lilac and gardenia. Maybe jasmine, but I think it's maybe several florals making up something reminiscent. I really want to say lotus too, because "Has" (or "Hasu")= lotus, "No Hanna" means "___'s flower" in Japanese (a translation that makes more sense would be, "the lotus flower".) Something making everything a touch green and juicy, probably pear. I like it a lot! I'm having a lot of luck with BPAL florals, even though I tend to veer away from them in commercial perfumes.

Wet on Skin: Something slightly green-herbaceous peeks in, but it's not turning me off like it usually does. It's like the whiff of the stem as you snip that cutting from the lilac bush (tree? the lilac in my garden looks like a tree..)

Drydown: I'm going to keep the two frimps I got of this for sure, and will probably get a bottle sometime. It's a walk through the most fragrant treasured blossoms of a seasoned and reputable gardener. A faint breath of freshly turned loam grounding the big bouquet you've just accumulated. A lovely floral.

In Vial: The colour and scent of vanilla-infused honey with just a hint of spice.

Wet on Skin: The myrrh is definitely stepping it up and the amber starts to glow. Definitely a gourmand scent. To me, it's the lovechild of Haloes and O. Haloes is a more solemn, revered kind of cathedral-glow-incense, and O (on me) is sweet, lightly sex-kissed nectar.

Drydown: Lots of depth, lots of throw. A definite warning to slatherers, DON'T. This is what I hoped Brisingamen to be!!!

Imp: fresh, light dewy peony.

Wet on Skin: The aqua note comes out, as do the grass. Crushing deep grasses dotted with peony with a bright gurgling stream nearby. It reminds me slightly of Chance by Chanel.

Drydown: it dries fast, stays close to the skin. I can see the tulips now, still in the process of blooming, just going from green pods to yellow blossoms. Definitely a springtime scent.

Imp: Very medicinal-herbaceous....probably the myrtle.

Wet on Skin: ok... the ambers are showing up, more gold than green. Quite powdery-perfumey. Not really my style.

Drydown: Glittering gold antique necklace set with thousands of amber gems in flower patterns, but best adorned on an old venerable queen than a young ‘un like me. The florals almost bloom- but are overpowered by everything else, a hint of carnation and no apple blossom.

Imp: yay! I so wanted to love this. Juicy, lovely rose and a hint of the same pomegranate from FoP.

Wet on Skin: Staying true, with a touch more depth and smoothness. The rose has bloomed but the pomegranate is there in the background. Pretty Persephone in a pale pink toga, celebrating sunlight and flowers outside of the Underworld. Delicious and divine, my favourite Excolo yet.

Drydown: The rose amps on my skin, I’ll definitely layer this with FoP and/or scent locket it. It has decent throw, below average staying power. Such a daytime date scent. Bottle please! This imp is going to disappear fast!

In Imp: warm spices and musk, oh it's beautiful already....

Wet on Skin: I want to say tonka, but I'm suspecting it's the spices+sandalwood that's creating that lovely, glowing gold spicy-vanilla-wood scent. A welcome stroll through an exotic town in Morocco, with the sun warming my skin, with smiling street vendors offering their sweet-smelling wares.

Drydown: Not a morpher for me, it's staying quite true. There is barely any floral for me, just a hint of carnation that blends itself so well with the Arabian spices. Gorgeous!

I can't believe how similar Victoria and Valentino's Rock and Rose Couture are. Victoria is slighter smoother on the skin (no alcohol, naturally ). I first opened my bottle and got a sense of deja-vu, and smelled through my mother's and my commercial perfume collections.

I love the bottle of Rock and Rose Couture! Victoria is nicer as a scent and more portable, I'll get a lot of wear from it I'm sure!

In the Imp: the sweet tang of whiskey predominates, with a hint of espresso. From the name, my imagination had inferred a more unisex scent, but I feel this is quite foody-feminine.

Wet on Skin: it's definitely sweeter than I was expecting. The Irish coffee definitely has a big load of whipped cream and sprinkled with brown sugar, to the point where even the coffee is obscured!

Drydown: oh hello again my lovely coffee. It mellows to a "library" scent now, and it's very nice. It feels "old" somehow- like a perfectly aged vintage whiskey. I'll get a bottle when my imp runs out, a good studying scent.

In Bottle: sweeeet, cream cheesy buttery cake. The scent of a childs dream of a birthday party.

Wet on Skin: More complexity shows up, with the spices from SO coming through. Makes me wonder how well this will age...mmm.

Drydown: Good throw! It wafts in warm clouds of fresh baked, mildly spiced, homemade velvet cake with decadent frosting, with tea in beautiful Victorian cups and saucers.

It has very good staying power. I slept with it on and I can still smell it! (10 hours)

Edit to add: this scent always makes me think of little Lilith with her cake, surrounded on her birthday by people who love her -Beth (represented by the S.Oil), her "Dorian Grey" Ted, the "Doc" Brian Constantine.

In Imp: expensive cacao.

Wet on Skin: Dark chocolate truffles dusted with cacao.

Drydown: Oh wow. VERY realistic milk chocolate. Not much throw but delicious!

FoP '07

In Bottle: YUM. Tart, bittersweet, delicious blood red pomegranate seeds and dripping crushed juices. No wonder Persephone couldn’t resist.
Wet on Skin: More depth, even better. A hint of spice and a touch of the dangerous black fumes of the underworld. Dark, almost murky but still amazingly yummy and sexy without being overly foody or simple.
Drydown: only minimal morphing, pretty true pomegranate throughout with that hint of underworldly darkness. Throw- not enough! Slatherable. Lasting power is pretty decent.

FoP '09
In Bottle: Slighter more fresher and crisper fruit. Bright ruby pomegranate.
Wet on Skin: Yup, the spice/smoke is still there. Almost no variation from the '07, YAY!
Drydown: This is probably my favourite fruity scent ever. Now the big question- do I need ANOTHER backup bottle of this before the Yules go down?? ...Most likely.

Like many, I also detected Roses WTF from this. Upon deeply huffing my wrist, however, I can figure out that it's just the way that the almond is interacting with the other components...it's almost like there's almond and orange extract, or orange rind, in with a caramely pastry of some sort. From a distance, that distinction blurs and becomes a rose-like scent. I actually love the way that this scent works, and therefore bought a bottle of it.

^ this! I definitely agree with the almond+orange rind= somehow, rose. A very sweet, caramelized rose. and cherries...

Bottle: Caramel almond fudge and marachino cherries, oh dear- too sweet.

Wet on skin: Ok, slightly more sugary-pastry. That same "powdered sugar" note is coming out a bit along with the caramel.

Drydown: dead-on description on my skin. Like Argentwolf says, something in the croquembouche and the almonds play together to make a scent almost like powdery, spicy, sugary rose (if you're looking for a juicy sugared rose scent, I would go to Hope instead though). Does croquembouche have orange rinds and cloves in it? Bite Me reminds me a bit of these as well:

In the Imp: pretty heady iris, slightly sweetened.

Wet on skin: oh. oh wow. classy, a bit understated but definitely sexy. The iris really blossoms on my skin. The hazelnut is pretty faint, and the coconut's definitely held back by the musk. Thank god, not a foody scent! (I have too many of those already). Also not really aquatic yay. Reminds me a bit of a refreshing floral water toner though.

Dry on skin: the coconut steps up a little- or maybe the iris backs down a bit, so they're almost on par. The hazelnut also contributes a bit more of a sweet nutty-ness to this at this stage. The white musk loves me and I love it It really blends itself with the coconut, making this nothing like pina coladas or suntan lotion. It's a fluid, relaxing, yet high-class scent. I'm lounging around, doing homework in sweats and I don't feel worthy of Black Pearl at the moment It's warm, inviting but proper. I'd wear this drinking champagne in a cozy cashmere wrap with nice gold jewellery, hosting a small Christmas party.

Definitely going to get a bottle of this sometime.

2006 version. (quite aged now)

In Bottle: Whoa. Butterscotch rum (more sugar than alcohol) and caramel. A slight tartness that's the apple, but it's really smothered in sweetness at this point. A faint touch of spice- probably cinnamon.

Wet on Skin: a tad more apple if you sniff really close and hard. Definitely a Sweet, capital S scent. Maybe my skin's eating all the fruit...the foodiness is definitely making my mouth water, but I'm not sure I want to smell like this. I'd definitely use this for scenting candles if I knew it was 100% safe.

Dry on Skin: a bit more rummy, but otherwise pretty consistent. Sadly... no coconut in any stage for me. Little morphing, quite a bit of throw. Lasting power, I'd say average~low- which is a good thing if you don't want olfactory cavities

Bottle: concentrated honey and spice beeswax candle.

Wet on skin: a fancy, sugary, olive-oily donut in a fancy cafe with honey&spice beezwax candles and exotic tea.

Dry on skin: amber, honey and olive oil. Still lots of spice. I'm not sure if it's really for me and I have a whole bottle.... swap, anyone?

Bottle: SWEET. Artificial pink buttercream.

Wet on skin: vanilla cupcake and pink buttercream.

Drydown: smooth vanilla cupcake, strawberry pink buttercream, a hint of caramel. Yummy! A keeper! Something to dab on when you're on a diet but need some sugar, it'll take care of the craving for you :3