zankoku_zen
-
Content Count
17,001 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by zankoku_zen
-
-
I wore Baobhan Sith. Because it's grapefruit love and it makes me feel great. It's feminine and citrusy without being in your face.
-
In the imp: lavender and slightly minty.
On Skin: Lavender and mint! Glee!
(I bet the minty smell comes from the pennyroyal).On Drydown: *POOF* Gone. Boooooooooo.
Verdict: It was nice while it lasted. I will edit this later with what I get from the boy. But on me, my skin chemistry drinks it all in... and leaves me with nothing. Nothing.
ETA: The boy smells like an "Andes Mint". Tasty. He isn't so into the bottle love... but he definitely enjoys the smell. Although now he's hungry for chocolate...
-
Finally! I've been wanting to try this one for a while. It is the lab's signature scent...
In the imp: Almonds and cherries.
On Skin: Again, almonds and cherries. The cherries make it very sweet. It kind of reminds me of Jergen's cherry almond body lotion. There is a hint of a powdery floral.
On Drydown: I get a faint whiff of garlic.
Where did the lovely cherry go??!?!?After about 30 mins, I get the almonds and cherries again. Yeah!
There is a "glassy" sort of vibe to it, like in House of Mirrors... and I can definitely see myself preening in front of a mirror. Verdict: I like this scent. I'm not sure about the immediate drydown. Maybe it's just skin chemistry going wonky for a bit. Thankfully it doesn't last long. I'm not sure this is bottle-love. But it's still love. Oh yes. Mmm... cherries.
-
I have to admit to not being a fan of any of the notes present... but I still had to try it!
In the imp: Smokey, a sweet cherry like whiff.
On Skin: Anise, although it smells a bit like licorice, and a bitter leather smell.
On Drydown: Still get a bitter leather smell... with a sweet cherry undertone.
Verdict: Very masculine. But I know just from sniffing it that this isn't the kind of scent that the boy fancies. I'm not entirely sure which version this is. I'll be passing this along...
-
In the imp: It has the same buttery note as Jack!
On Skin: Spicy cake! Oooh! Tasty!
On Drydown: Still spicy cake with a hint of sweetness. There is a sweet anise sort of smell to it. I also get a slightly boozy note which keeps this from dipping straight into generic spice cake.
Actually, the smell reminds me alot to a Peruvian dessert called "picarones" which are little fried doughnuts (although the dough is made with sweet potato, corn starch and anise... and I don't know what the other ingredients may be!) that are served with generous helpings of fruit syrup. (The syrup is generally made from fruit and fruit peels, water, sugar and just you boil it... and boil it... and boil it... until you have syrup!)
Verdict: This is a highly nostalgic smell to me. It is eating sweets in the park with my cousin. It's barbeques and laughter with family. This has definitely some anise in it. It's lovely and the more I wear it, the more I think I'll keep it. I was ambivalent at first because it is so foody but it is so evocative that I just can't bear part with it.
Thank you Lab for this! Although the effect was unintentional, it's made me think of home and the nostalgia and trips down memory lane are priceless.
-
In the imp: Spicy and sharp, with a smoky edge to it.
On Skin: Spicy floral, which from the smell of it, is the black narcissus.... since it doesn't smell like orange blossoms!
After about ten minutes, I get hints of vanilla.
On Drydown: This is still spicy, although not quite as aggressive a scent as when I first put it on. I still get whiffs of the smokiness.
Verdict: Right off the bat, this isn't for me. Too spicy and smoky for my taste. On the other hand, I think it might be very aptly named. There is something very sensual about this blend.
-
-
I love aquatics and this was one Voodoo scent I wanted to love.
In the imp: Green aquatic
On Skin: Very green, very sharp aquatic
Drydown: Still very aquatic but I get a very aromatic floral out of it that makes me think "peony" or something along those lines.
After a while, it smells very clean and soapy.
Verdict: It actually reminds me to a soap that used to be made in Peru. I remember it because it was the kind that we used in the beach and I remember lathering up with it. I like aquatics but I can't take the soapy quality. Boo.
-
-
In the imp: Very hard to describe. Sharp, slightly green herbal, a bit woody and something fruity sweet.
On Skin: I get a very sharp herbal top note, which I think is from the lavender, and there is a polished wood smell underneath. I smell something kind of floral, which after reading the description would have to be the rose/rosewood but it's not a feminine smell but rather very robust and masculine.
On Drydown: Still has a sharp green edge to it. Smoky almost. Very warm.
After about an hour or so, the sharpness has receded and I can clearly smell the rose now. And it's not feminine. It's a very deep, green rose with something warm and spicy and woody in the background.
Verdict: This is a very regal scent. Very masculine on me. It doesn't have a lot of throw... since it disappears after like an hour and a half.
And yes, the King of Hearts does come to mind. A beautiful blend. Now, I'm gonna go swab the boy with it....
-
In the imp: Green, earthy and figgy
On Skin: The fig is quite strong at the beginning but I smell something that can only be described as "dirt".
After a few minutes, the dirt smells more like patchouli.
On Drydown: The patchouli, with a hint of fig, last for a good hour or so. After that, the patchouli seems to recede a bit and I get strong whiffs of either vanilla or honey that lend a very creamy texture to the blend.
Verdict: This is a wonderfully complex scent but it's not the kind of scent I normally wear or am attracted to. It's very earthy, a little too much for me. But it's pretty. Real pretty.
-
In the imp: Red musk and grapefruit.
On skin: The grapefruit is pretty distinctive and the red musk is very, very present.
On Drydown: I get more of the strawberry feel. The grapefruit is pretty much gone. It's like a sweeter version of Lust and a less-sweet version of Hollywood Babylon.
Verdict: This doesn't have the "deviousness" of Hollywood Babylon... Nor the staying power. On the other hand, I enjoy the sweetness more than in Lust. It's a very pretty, very girly scent. I think that if you wanted Hollywood Babylon to like you, and it didn't... you should definitely give this a shot.
And so far, my skin loves red musk.... but it didn't in Madame Moriarty (the one exception so far... *sniff sniff*
-
Much mad mad love to mariboquet for the opportunity to try this lovely scent out.
In the bottle: Distinctly floral but I can't pick any of the notes out.
On Skin: Floral with a peppery undertone which upon looking at the notes now it's quite possibly the sandalwood.
ETA: Yup, it's definitely the sandalwood. On my second try I noticed this alot more.
On Drydown: Still white florals. The peppery hint recedes.
ETA: I do want to add that it's unlike any other floral I've tried. Something very subdued and pretty, without bringing to mind floral explosion. It's not aggressive, it's more like there, wafting close to the skin. I don't get alot of the fruits from this... more I think of the moonflower.
It pretty much fades after about an hour and a half.
Impressions: It is a very quiet scent, without being overtly melancholic. More like a pensive kind of quiet. It's not what I would call soothing or comforting, but rather thoughtful.
ETA: Perhaps because it's a rainy day, I feel that this is an extremely evocative scent. Silence is not the uncomfortable silence... it's more of the stillness of silence. Or the sound of silence. I once, in a forest, did hear the sound of silence - there was no wind, no leaves rustling, no insects, no birds, only my very own soft breathing and it was a bit... disconcerting. It reminds me of that day.
Verdict: It's a wonderful thing that Beth and the Lab has been able to encapsulate a painting in a smell. I really enjoy it from an aesthetic aspect... but I'm not sure that scent-wise I'm utterly in love with it. I'll probably have to try it again.
ETA: Tried again. From an actual scent standpoint, this isn't something I would wear often. But I do want to stress that is a very lovely scent... just not for me (the sandalwood dominates a tad much at the beginning). On the other hand, I think this is a fabulous accomplishment by the lab.
On the other hand, it has made me want all the other Salon scents SO much more.
-
Silk Road and Scarecrow.
I know my bunkmate, Serrated_Angel, really liked Scarecrow!
-
It's quite hard to find scents that are close to fae or have that vibe.anyone has recomendations?
Well... what kind of vibe does Fae have for you? What are some of the more dominant smells on your skin?
Are you looking for more peach recommendations? Or fruity florals?
I'd like to help, but I'd like a few more details so that I don't recommend something you might dislike.
-
This was a really woody blend from the beginning. Mostly got the teak and oak and then it started to mellow out to a rosey wood floral.
It ends up being a very nice sophisticated floral. The rosewood is rosey enough without being overtly powerful. There is a certain darkness to the scent, or perhaps spooky is a better description?
Quite interesting... but I'm not sure that it's for me...
-
This is a very silvery white floral. I mostly smell whiffs of the moonflower and the jasmine.
And then it disappears.
*POOF*
Like after five minutes.
There is a slight floral smell, quite pleasant, attached to the skin but I have to inhale deeply... like I'm running out of oxygen.
Nuts. This had started out so promising...
-
In the imp, it smells like a dark cranberry.
On skin, there is a spicy musky combination that borders on sandalwoody/incensey smell. I get an undercurrent of cranberry, but it's very faint.
For the first hour or so, its very musky/incensey on my skin.
After that, it just seems to fade away. I didn't notice it much.
Verdict: A bit of a disappointment. I was expecting a juicier cranberry. Ah well.
-
Himerus: The God of Sexual Desire, Longing and Yearning; an attendant of Eros and Aphrodite. A passion-rousing blend of juniper, sandalwood, rosewood, red musk, orchid, bergamot and lilac.
Again, I got this for the husband to try out... I just happened to do so as well...
In the imp: Incensey (must be the sandalwood) and a bit floral (lilac perhaps?)
On Skin: For him, it was a generic headshop sort of smell which he didn't enjoy at all. So he nixed it upon contact with skin. On me, it was incensey and floral.
On Drydown: Still incensey and floral. After a few hours, I get more of a rosewoody base and it just turns more sweet and floral.
Verdict: Interesting, but really not for me. I can't deal with the incensey smell for over two hours. It's pretty... just not my style.
Edited to add the description. -
I wanted to get this because I wanted to enable the husband. Up until this scent, he has proven extremely resilient to the addiction.
In the imp: I smell lavender, a hint of bergamot and some flowers.
On Me: I definitely get the floral bouquet out of this with a lingering scent of bergamot. No patchouli (thankfully, since it tends to go nova on me).
On Him: HOLY SMOKES BATMAN! This smells like some sort of fancy schmancy label perfume. And he smells divine!
Drydown on me: I definitely get more of the feminine, androgynous scent going on. Even he is surprised on how different it smells.
Drydown on him: Again, fancy perfumey floral. Very masculine though.
Verdict: A winner on both accounts, really. I enjoy it, although it might be a little too Annie Lennox for me. On him, he loves it. He actually said: "I need a bottle of this stuff. How much is it?"
Oh yes, enabling finally happened. Wilde is a crafty man, he is, seducing both of the sexes.
-
In the bottle: Fresh, aquatic, slight mint and apple.
On Skin: The vodka is the most prominent note along with the apple. I sort of smell like an appletini! Woo.
On Drydown: I get a slight limey scent to the rest of the blend.
After like two hours: I get florals. No more vodka or apple. I get an aquatic sort of floral smell.
Verdict: This doesn't last too long on my skin (maybe a total of three hours) but I do enjoy it. I'm glad I swapped for a bottle! (Much thanks to Arylkin for this!
) -
The Queen has arrived!
In the imp: Pumpkin goodness!
On Skin: Pumpkin and citrus and spices. Woohoo!
On Drydown: It's more pumpkin-lite than say Jack. Also, infinitely less buttery. I get a very similar smell to that of Pumpkin Patch #1.
Verdict: I love Pumpkin scents. Occasionally, Jack can be too buttery for me. I really can't get over how similar PP#1 and PQ are. I might have to make a comparison test to smell the differences! Woohoo!
-
At the beginning, this was a citrusy yellow sort of scent. I do get the sunflower imagery.
After a couple of hours, the citrus smells resides and the floral undertones come out to the fore.
Verdict: This is a happy scent. But the drydown of it is very similar to other white florals I have. It was a very interesting scent though.
-
In the imp: Spicy cranberry.
On Skin: Spicy cranberry still. There is a hint of floral underneath. It almost smells peppery spicy instead of just general spices.
ETA: The second I put this down it smells like someone threw up as everything seems to compete in my skin... and its a BAD competition. Luckily, it's gone after like 10 seconds... and then the spicyness comes through
On Drydown: It becomes a more generic fruity and a little more floral.
Verdict: I'm not entirely sold on Eris yet. I think I'll give her another whirl before I decide.
ETA: Um... yeah. It's a pretty floral after a while but the first 10 seconds were really off-putting.
Desire
in Ars Amatoria
Posted · Report reply
In the imp: Green and herbal. Ergh?
On Skin: Green and herbal still, with a hint of coconut. After about five minutes, I can smell some of the patchouli, because it smells "incensey" to me.
After another few minutes, it smells like suntan lotion to me.
On Drydown: I can finally smell the rose and get vanilla whiffs. However the combination of the other notes plus the patchouli remind me strongly of suntan lotion and the plasticky coconut smell that has.
Verdict: Skin Chemistry knocks Desire out in five minutes cold. The loser: ME. The notes sounded fantastic but my skin has decided that Patchouli puts on big black stomping boots and trashes the rest of the notes. *sigh*