zankoku_zen

In the Bottle: Smells like pomegranates! Mmmm... pom juice! On Skin: Still pommy although I can smell some of the alcohol. This is very juicy. Very citrusy too. On Drydown: The food ripens a bit. This scent is very fresh. Very cool. Verdict: I like the cool citrus feel I get from this scent. Not that it smells anything like Baobhan Sith but it makes a good replacement in the cool citrus category.

In the bottle: I can't quite place this. Something sweet and yet floral. I think I smell some of the pomegranate. On Skin: I smell something kinda sharp but tasty. On Drydown: It has a clean smell to it. I can catch whiff of the peach. It's very comforting. Verdict: Keeping the imp. Dunno if I'm ordering more but since I got it from a swap. I will totally use most of it up.

I would have never thought of ordering this. It is a gift from the lab. In the bottle: Smells like strawberries and chocolate. On Skin: Smells a bit like root beer. I can still smell the strawberries. I can smell something floral too. Wow... I'm really digging this scent. I mean, I want to take a bite out of myself. Its making me feel sexy and flirty. On Drydown: Lovely. Absolutely lovely. I need more of this. This is such a comforting scent. Verdict: I love this. How did Beth know? Is she a psychic? She must be! Wow. I would have never thought to try this and yet it works so well on me. This is definitely on the "must order more" list.

In the Bottle: Smells floral and a bit mossy. On Skin: Smells very clean. Like clean linen. I can smell some of the jasmine right now. This is a very delicate scent. But underneath I can still catch whiffs of Egyptian incense. Lovely contrast. On Drydown: Still clean. Still pretty. Still delicate. Verdict: I'm keeping this scent. Oddly enough, this sort of smells like how I wanted the White Rabbit to smell. Chalk it up to body chemisty.

In the bottle: Floral. I can smell the lilies. On Skin: Lilies! And something else that is sweet. God, this is a gorgeous floral scent. On Drydown: I think I'm smelling some of the plum. This scent has turned much sweeter. I can still smell the lilies. Verdict: I'm kinda torn on this one. I have two other scents that are lily smells that I also like, one of which I completely adore. This one is nice too. Hmm... I'll keep this one for now.

Preconceived notions: I ordered this before I found out how much lotus and I don't get along. I love grapefruit so its a grapefruit vs lotus going on here. In the Bottle: Smells fresh and minty. Not unlike Scope actually... On Skin: It smells minty and fresh still. I can smell the grapefruit. Its very fizzy, which I am assuming is the white champagne notes. I can smell something underlying it all though. On Drydown: WAHOO! I'm not getting a huge bubblegummy smell from this. The lotus adds a hint of sweetness to the tartness of the grapefruit. Usually by now, all I can smell is lotus when I've tried it other blends. However, after about 20 minutes, all I can smell is the lotus. Nuts. Verdict: This is a really interesting scent. I'm glad that the lotus didn't predominate. I wish the fizzyness would have lasted longer. I wish the grapefruit lasted longer. At the beginning, its not so bad. But *sigh* lotus and I continue to fight and I lose. Off to swap this goes.

In the Bottle: Smells floral. And a bit salty. Why am I thinking of soy sauce? On Skin: I can smell the lilac and the lavender. This is very floral. Still has that salty tinge to it. I am starting to get a hint of the sandalwood. There is also a bitter note to it that my nose isn't digging. On Drydown: I can smell some of the violet now. But I still get that bitter note. I've noticed it in other imps I've tried and I wonder if its either the orris or the gardenia. Verdict: I wanted to like this one. Bah. Off to the swap pile it goes.

In the Bottle: Smells very sweet. Like a melon. On Skin: Still very sweet. Now that I place it, it actually smells more like apricots on my skin. I think its the combination of honey and vanilla. On Drydown: Still sweet. I can smell something else though - perhaps the linen, perhaps the pepper, perhaps the ginger. Verdict: Still too sweet for my taste. Off to the swap pile. And I had such high hopes for this one too. Ah well, my body chemistry simply doesn't like it.

In the Bottle: Incensey. I can smell the patchouli. On Skin: I can smell the carnation and a light tinge or iris. Its very dark green in my mind, like a mysterious forest. The patchouli is still prevalent. On drydown: The floral notes have gone away. Now it smells almost strictly of patchoulie. Nuts. Verdict: Ordinarily, I don't like patchouli. I like this one though. But it still isn't me, so off to swap it will go. ETA: I tried this again, almost two years after I tried it originally. Now that I have more BPAL under my belt, I do have to praise this scent. It's complex and heady, and something I don't think as a newbie I could altogether appreciate. I got more of the jasmine and orange blossom on this scent, esp. when wet and not so much patchouli. It was incensey and spicy. I might have to retry it again tomorrow just to double check.

In the Bottle: Green. Like sharp little plants. On Skin: Still sharp. Still very green. I can smell something floral underneath. It's very herbal. On Drydown: The sharpness remains, and now its a soft herbal scent. For odd reasons, it makes me think of sauteed mushrooms. Verdict: It's a very interesting scent but its not me. I'm not really into the herbal scents. Plus it makes me really really hungry. Off to the swap pile! ETA: Tried this again, and it struck me as smelling very similar to Sta. Eularia des Riu.

In the Bottle: I smell something fresh, and a little floral and a little sharp. Makes me think of children's cologne On Skin: There's something very herbal and sweet, it smells like sage. I can also smell hints of mint. There's also something almost citrusy. On Drydown: This such a complex scent. I keep sniffing it trying to decide if I like it enough or if I dislike it enough. I smell something floral and I think its the geranium because it doesn't smell like lavender, its floral with a trace of bitterness. In the end, this is a very clean scent for me, however there is a lingering soapy kinda whiff. Yes, it does kind of smell like... Irish Soap... Verdict: The mint is very present in this scent which leads to a very refreshing smell. Underneath the florals are really pretty. But it smells like an old lady perfume before turning into Irish soap. Off to the swap!

this was a gift from witch's dagger. thank you! The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, an icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger. In the Bottle: Something floral, and yet something that smells like a vegetable. Like celery. On Skin: Something overpoweringly bitter. Perhaps the Ginger? I smell whiffs of the gardenia. On Drydown: I can still smell the bitterness overlayed with the floral. It just doesn't work for me. Verdict: This combination and I don't get along. *sigh* I'll put it up for swap.

In the Bottle: Smells floral and watery On Skin: Ewww. This smells like nail polish remover. There is a definite sharpness to it. I think what isn't working with my body chemistry is the lotus. On Drydown: The nail polish remover smell doesn't really go away. It smells very green right now with a faint floral sometimes though. Verdict: In the end, I can't hack the first 10 minutes of strong nail polish remover smell on my skin. Lotus and I just can't get along. This imp is better off with someone else.

In the Bottle: It smells watermelony. On Skin: It smells very fresh, but still like a watermelon. I think that's the peony. I can smell a bit of the tea. On Drydown: I can't place what exactly it smells like. It doesn't smell like a watermelon anymore but it is a sweet floral. Very sweet. On Verdict: I like it but I don't think I could wear it often. I would have to be in a particular mood to want to wear this. But its still a very lovely scent. I'll keep the imp.

In the Bottle: I smell the honey and the carnation On Skin: There is a milky scent to it, I can still smell the honey. There is something more floral about it now, and I can catch whiffs of rose to it. On Drydown: There is a sweetness to this and almost a powdery quality to it but it makes me think of a young girl. A young girl like when she's seven or eight which is age that Alice is in my mind. Verdict: I think this scent perfect encapsulates Alice from the Lewis Carroll books. This is a floral that isn't quite a floral and yet is so lovely. I can see myself ordering more of this.

In the Bottle: Smells citrusy. I can smell the sharp tang of grapefruit. On Skin: I smell the grapefruit and something slightly bitter, which is probably the ginger. After a while, there is something floral which I'm assuming is the apple blossom. This is a very refreshing, very cool scent. I think its perfect for summer. On Drydown: It fades a bit from my skin but I can still smell the whiffs of freshness. It warms up a bit and the ginger seems to be a bit of a spicyness. Verdict: This is lovely. I love it. Its citrusy with a teeny bit of floral and its perfect for feeling 'cool' in the summer. It feels delicate without being girly I can feel myself going on an acquisition binge for this. Like 'sell my soul and/or first born for a 5ml'

In Bottle: Smells fresh, a bit lemony but with a sweetness to it. On Skin: Very lemony at the beginning, almost a bit like Lemon Pledge. But soon I get a whiff of something floral. It's very light and airy though. On Drydown: The scent deepens, and I can smell some of the neroli and sandalwood underneath of it. Still lemony though. Verdict: This is a lovely scent but I don't get a strong impression from it. I'll probably end up swapping this one.

In the Bottle: Smells like blackberries. But it also reminds me of cherry cough syrup. On Skin: Very sharp, there is a freshness to it. The blackberries are still there, but it still has that faint smell of cherry cough syrup. On Drydown: I can still smell the hint of berries on it and something kinda floral, which I am assuming is the heather. Verdict: Not really me. This is going to swap.

In Bottle: White flowers. Do I really need more at this point? On Skin: More white flowers but there is an underlying bitterness to it. The bitterness quickly takes over and it smells like raw hide. After fifteen - Where did the flowers go?!?!? It smells like a cross between a dead flower and something peppery and wet leather. I think its the cyclamen that just doesn't agree with me. On Drydown: It smells flowery and nice again. With a trace of the bitterness. I catch whiffs of it now and then. I get a sort of cleanness but its tainted. It actually kinda smells like laundry now. Verdict: Poo. It doesn't agree with me at the beginning. I don't think its quite worth it to be severely repelled by myself for a few minutes until it calms down. And I do like the smell of clean laundry. Lovely scent at the end but I have less problematic ones. Will ponder decision to keep but will probably end up swapping.

In bottle: I can smell the sandalwood and something that smells like bergamot, which I am going to assume is the lemongrass On Skin: Smells strongly of lemongrass. It's very refreshing. There is something sweet to it, although I can't distinguish if it's jasmine or rose. On Drydown: I'm getting a very healthy vibe. Like I should be doing yoga. Some of the sharpness of the lemongrass fades and I get the warmer scent of sandalwood. Now the cedarwood is peaking. There's a tone of spiciness to this. Verdict: Can a scent be energizing? Because I think I just got a charge from this! I'm usually not a patchouli or sandalwood sort of girl, but this has pleasantly surprised me. More importantly, this does convey a feeling of wholeness. Wow. The scent description is totally on. I might have to order more of this. I just feel... whole. Words utterly fail me.

In Bottle: Sharp and smells like cologne. I think the lemon gives it sharpness. On Skin: Smells like white flowers. Very calming and beautiful. I can smell some of the lemon. It has a fresh undertone to it for me. On Drydown: It fades quite a bit on my skin after fifteen minutes, so this would be a scent to slather on. It is very peaceful and radiant. After three hours, you can really smell the sandalwood underneath. Verdict: Another very lovely scent. Very floral. It makes me think delicate and goodly without being sanctimonious. On second thought, its very pretty but I'm not sure I can deal with the sandalwood undertone. Probably goes to swap. ETA: After trying it again, I realise that the sandalwood is very prominent on my skin. Crud.

In bottle: Violet tinged, but deeper and more aggressive than Ultraviolet. On Skin: I can smell the violet first, and some other floral. There is something very purple about this scent at the moment. Starting to smell some of the incense now. On Drydown: Getting some of the earthiness. This is a very powerful scent. I'm getting a bit of a dark woman, powerful and sure of herself. It smells floral and then gives way to the incense. I get a different 'power' vibe than when I smell Goneril. It isn't so much that she is treacherous and conniving, but rather that the notions of right/wrong just don't mean anything to her. Verdict: I'm going to keep her for now. She is an interesting lady and definitely something else.

On Bottle: Smells very floral. I can smell the lilac On Skin: Lilies, roses and lilacs. This smells like a stronger version of Juliet. But with more oomph to it. On Drydown: The scent seems very gentle. There's a faint wiff of baby powder to it. I have the vision of a woman who hides herself, not realizing how lovely she is. Verdict: This scent is warmer and more gentle than Juliet although there are some notable similarities. It's a bit more refined. Probably not order more, but I will keep the imp.

In bottle: Citrusy and floral. Crossing my fingers against the anti-lotus vibe. On Skin: Over-ripe fruit. On Drydown: Bubblegum?!?! I'm going to have to side with the people that aren't keen on lotus. Or rather, it isn't keen on me. It smells like a weird combination of over-ripe fruit and too sweet bublegum. Verdict: This so doesn't work for me. To the swap pile!

In bottle: Smells very light, playful and floral. I agree with the description of youth. It's very light hearted On Skin: I can smell the lilies and the honeysuckle the most. After a while, it becomes a very 'clean' smell, but I have a bias to like those. There is a mild 'green' note at the end, but again, I'm not adverse to it. On Drydown: Very floral, the lilies are still there. I haven't smelt the pear at all. But I do have the impression when I smell it of a young girl, carefree and innocent, full of dreams and high hopes. Someone that is waiting to fall in love. Verdict: I like this scent. Right off the bat my nose went "oooh!" and on my skin, it went 'oooh' as well. It doesn't have the power that Goneril has and both are very lily scents on my skin. This one is more innocent and clean. Not to say that there isn't an intensity in this scent.