zankoku_zen

Oh lord, this smells like a carny! Seriously... this has to be the best small town encapsulate of a carnival ever. I definitely get the corn booze (it actually smells more like beer) and then the explosion of sweetness from cotton candy and the marshmallow + smokiness (probably from the tobacco) and something slightly waxy. To my husband the waxiness makes this smell like a candle. To me, it lends a certain 'incensey'/'burning' vibe to it. Erm... yeah. Woo for summer small town carnivals?

This sums up Eanach for me. Wet....it smells like a spicy aquatic..with a hint of frankincense. Dry this smells like a man that may have just washed himself in the fresh waters of the Eanach....delicious...but I have my Water Phoenix to suit my aquatics needs. Triple agreed! It smells like a manly aquatic cologne. Manly in that this is a guy, a la Hugh Jackman, that has gone for a swim in a cool loch, and now smells fantastic.

Woof. This is rosey lilies and a hint of dirt. The lilies give the rose this soapy edge and it ends up smelling like an amped up Penny Dreadful on me.

Oh god, the civet + rose combination is not working for me. The civet smells like cat pee, esp. on wet and as it dries I get more of the rose, but because of the patchouli it smells like a dirty, peed upon rose. UGH.

This one definitely had a strong sage and incense vibe to it on wet. As it has dried, the sage has gone away and I get more of a musty, white floral + spice cabinet. I definitely think it has ginger. This one smells medicinal, slightly floral, slightly spicy. I can definitely see this one having a purpose.

Spicy dragon's blood. Meh.

This one is a nice, sweet masculine blend. Sexy, dusty, older English gentleman type. Off to slather on mr. zeezee! ETA: The prototype of this strikes me as slightly grittier and smokier. Definitely some smoke (vetiver?), frankincense, and I'm thinking green musk.

This really is like Dark Chocolate Cherry meets Midnight Kiss. Or for me, it's more like Dark Chocolate Cherry + Plunder. The cocoa is nice and dusty, and you can smell the spices like in Plunder. Very tasty, but I think the cherry is a bit too much for me!

Ah Motley, what a disappointment you are! Really, the mushroom is come and gone... and the intersection of the currants and rhubarb leaves me something sickly sweet and fake. In fact, it sort of smells like a port-a-potty freshner. You know, that weird sweet smell that is supposed to mask all the other odors, but doesn't? Yeah... that one. Damn you skin chemistry. Damn you.

Hmmm. This one is an odd one. It's got this green, fresh floral aspect and underneath, this smoky, gritty base. It's like it tries to reel you in with the nice springiness of it and then hits you with the smoky core.

2009 version. This one reminds me more to the 2005 version - definitely lighter, springier. I get the lemon and the rosemary, and something sweet (perhaps a touch of honey?). As it dries, it becomes this nice lemony floral potpourri. I have to say that out of 2005, 2007 and 2009, 2009 has to be my favorite.

I agree with cinderfallen --- I get a high, chalky sweetness, and some very very dirty patchouli base. Like sweets and dirt. Not for me.

Oh sad. On wet, I really got the tangerine, but it's dried to a rose with a hint of wheat blend. Erm... Yeah. Not my cup of tea.

This one is a pale white floral - I definitely get hints of honeysuckle and something else. On wet, it definitely had a bit of an 'artic' vibe to it. More like the smell I'd associate with the Great White North. Fresh, feminine. I can see a young girl wearing this.

I get a very golden resin blend from this. Sort of like Leo 2007 --- musky amber, woods and florals.

This one is a nice, hot ozone and wood blend. It's kinda masculine on me, despite the white floral edge it has. On wet, it had a more 'green grass' aspect to it that definitely morphed to 'hot fire air'. Fun, but not my kinda of blend.

Okay, so this was way more spicy on wet. It kinda reminded me to a floral sort of Plunder. As it dries, it's more of a fig/creamy almond. Uhh... Damn. After about two hours, the almond kinda smells like plastic. Which I've had problems with in Snow White. Phooey.

I find this to be more a masculine sort of blend. I get a chypre with musk. Fairly unisex, veering into the masculine. I get touches of ginger and lavender.

I got no apple... just ash. A lot of ash. On the drydown, it just smelled like a smoldering wood pile.

This is a very clean, very white floral sort of blend. I got the lemon blossom, and something that smelled faintly of apples. It was very airy and very refreshing. I can see this going 'cleanser/linen sheets' on people though. But if it works for you, it's a nice, light refreshing blend.

I think Bon Vivant gives you a stronger strawberry than Mania or Maenad, in my opinion. There isn't much in GCs for strawberry blends. I think it's because the strawberry E/O or F/O isn't that common.

This one is a lavender and narcissus blend. It's soft, pretty, white floral with a hint of melon, if you ask me. I think the melon note might be the violet. Pretty.

Fixed Earth: the essence of possession. Rose, daisy, apple blossom, violet, poppy, columbine, thyme, and mint. I am enjoying this more than I thought. The rose is not all that prevalent in this blend. It's a soft, aquatic sort of floral. It goes a bit soapy on the drydown, but I am pleased that the rose didn't dominate this blend.

Ah... Mystery. You smell like lavender soap and something else. Definitely soap. Definitely lavender. Definitely not that mysterious.

Oh man, this was an almost unbearably sweet plum with musky undertones. Sad to say that both King of Diamonds and King of Spades ended up being way femme.... more than I expected. I am beginning to think I am not a fan of plum.