aidenraine

I could smell this one from afar immediately after applying it to my wrist- apple juice. It was fresh apple juice right away. As I leaned in for a smell I got sweet berries and honey, and the apple seemed to fade into the background.

There is SO much going on in this blend. I am smelling the sweet and the musky and the boozy all at once.

It finally just settled down, after a few minutes, into cherry throat losange. Very medicinal, in a red sort of way. It's really spot on for the smell of... being sick, for me. Red cough syrup, and the aforementioned drops. It's actually making me a bit nauseaous. I always gagged on that syrup.

I think it's the alcohol mixed with the sickly sweet cherry scent that did it. Garhghghghgg!

After time, the berries replace the generic "red' aroma... slightly. It never loses it's cough syrup feel on me.

At first I smell orange rind and berries, very sweet on me. A sweet orange lies below it.

As it dries it becomes a bitter orange, definitely the scent of the rind. It's dark and dusky, which I imagine is the patchouli. It's an aroma that I'm not sure I love, but I definitely like.

I imagine it'd make a really interesting room scent, one with more depth than your average fruit blend.

I love patchouli, so I had high hopes for this blend.

Unfortunately, I am getting my beloved patchouli but oh, no, it's dirt! It's the dirt of Graveyard Dirt come to poke me again. Aieeeee I hate the smell of dirt, especially paired with wooden notes. (I got this as part of a decant set, but I might have curiously ordered a bottle anyway, despite knowing I didn't like some of the notes. Does that make me a BPAL ho' ?)

I am getting a sweet note underneath the aforementioned dirt, which is probably the orchid coming out. I'm not actually sure I can place what cypress smells like off the top of my head.

Goodness this is a strange scent. I wonder if you hadn't told me to expect dirt, if I would have... it gets so sweet so quickly on my skin. The sweet is tackling the dirty and subduing it... but the result still isn't good on my skin.

The end result, over time, is actually cherry cola mixed with dirt. Very.... eccentric.

This story scared me as a junior high student. My English teacher would play a recording of it to us on Halloween. 3 years in a row.

The Pit & The Pendulum is my favorite Poe story, so I HAD to try the blend named for it. I actually pictured something a bit like damp basement but I'm glad it doesn't smell like that!

A very dry, smokey incense. This smells like incense and wood burning simultaneously. It is definitely very close to Cathedral. I get a very faint sense of something like balsam, or perhaps it's frankincense.

I do know it's familar!

I imagine this would be a great blend to use for meditation and yoga. It has that ritualistic vibe to it.

On my skin it becomes a sweet incense after a while.

Berenice is really strong on my skin. It immediately radiates clean laundry all over the place. The smell of this is truly that of.. well, dryer sheets. Most perfumes with ozone in them do this on me, so I'm curious if the linen aroma is represented by ozone.

I can certainly smell the white musk too. The amber and lily are virtually non-existent, sadly. I love amber.

As time passes this takes on the aroma of a hotel soap I tried once. It was iris scented. I'd forgotten about it, but alas, it's not something I enjoyed particularly much.

Immediately upon opening this I stopped and went... Ok, what Lush product does this smell like? It was spot-on for something.

A minute later it hit me that this is a good ringer for the Summer Blues bath bomb! At least... at first.

It's very fresh and clean smelling, with a touch of orange/citrus. It's an invigorating smell, one that would be well suited to a home/room fragrence. I may have to poach it to use in my car aromatherapy diffuser.

The more this sits on my skin, the more I get bergamot. I like it. It now reminds me of an orange/ginger body spray that my husband uses.

Very fresh and clean. A comfort smell for me.

I want to load up on this so that my home (and car, as I mentioned) always smell of it. May have to get a bottle for that reason.

Really like this.

This Vortex is really strong. It slaps me upside the head immediately with a full-on-lemon assault. I can't decide whether it smells more like lemon-honey throat losanges or Froot Loops.

It is.. very yellow. Somewhat like Lush's Back for Breakfast, which I also thought was a bit overly simple and brash. The more this sits on my arm, the more it's all... Froot Loops. Sugar and weird citrus flavoring.

As far as a meditation blend, well, I do a lot of yoga and try to meditate when possible. This is a better scent for me trying to get work done/ be productive than sit still. It's very stimulating.

I do really like lemon but this particular blend is just a bit much on my skin. It's not a good working oil on my body.

If my third eye is ever stuffed up, this'll work like a charm!

I am immediately hit with the sharp smell of eucalyptus. It reminds me a bit of when I'm sick and soak in tubs of aromatatic salts.

There's something herby under here, very medicinal. I get the smell of green Nyquil too. It's a stimulating blend, but one whose smell I don't find pleasant. I'm not sure how this would fare as a meditation blend, but it seems to make me sneeze so I am thinking .. not so good.

The more this sits on my skin the more it smells like erasers and cleaning product.

I do get an appealing sort of fennel aroma from it too (reminds me a bit of India Bouquet).

Hmmm to be honest, I like to meditate with spicy, musky scents and while I don't know what's in here or what benefits it may have for chakra opening, I don't think it works for me.

Oh sweet lord. Ok, I tried this a week ago, but I still remember the drama It was... strong. It made me nauseus. I had to wash it off pretty quickly.

Wet on my wrist I got the components in a pretty straightforward way. Poof, there was a strong aroma of rose and then a boozy cognac. The cognac was pretty spot on.

However, this somehow managed to smell like Flinstones chewable vitamins on my arm after a minute. God, I hated those things. I'm not sure how roses and booze made that same smell, but it was kinda fruit+ that added iron.

Perverse, indeed.

I fear this imp.

Wow, strong!

From a distance this made me hungry, because I could smell something peppery, and it reminded me of warm mashed potatoes.

Close up, I get something green and wet, a leafy, heavy plant. I do get "roots" from this, grounding, a sense of connectedness to the earth. It's very strong, and very musky. I actually find it a bit too heavy for something like meditation- it's strong enough to be distracting.

There is definitely something like spice in here. I want to say ginger, but I usually like ginger (well, in blends like G.Poppet and Shub, so a sweetened ginger.)

There is something in the mix that reminds me of the smoked-meats smell of vetiver. Clary sage in here too?

I think a lot of people would find this very useful for meditation. It's just too masculine for me. It is, however, really warming. It made my whole body temperature feel like it climbed a degree or two.

Manipura is a cherry red oil that looks a bit like the syrup used in fountain sodas.

This is an interesting chakra and I would love to harness some of the positive elements of working with it.

Immediately on my skin I smell new sneakers. It smells like shoe store, like fresh rubber. I kind of like the smell, because it reminds me of back-to-school shopping as a kid. I always loved getting new shoes. There is definitely a strong herby component to this that I can't quite place. It's very familar too... perhaps a touch of something cherry under here (dragon's blood?)

As it sits this develops a greater "spicy" presence. It's reassuring and comforting, like ginger tea. It calms the senses and I imagine would be great for an upset tummy.

The note that reminds me of dragon's blood is what's keeping me from enjoying this as a perfume. It remains to be seen whether this will be helpful with chakra meditation, but I'm not sure I enjoy the smell enough to get into the right mindset.

Nobody has reviewed this in a while, so what the heck. Just to let the world know imps are still hopping around out in the world.

My first impression is "oh, pine!"

It really smells like the sort of cleaning product used to polish wood. You know what it reminds me of? Have you ever taken a tour of an historic house? (Especially a colonial-era house). There's antique furniture in the rooms, the ceilings are low, the house is dim..

it smells like that. Lemon, mixed with a dry wood and the pine smell. There's that "pencil shavings" aroma. It's a pleasant smell, but not necessarily one I'd wear as a perfume.

I almost think "Pile-Sol", but it's better than that.

It reminds me of the way dust particles look in a sunbeam, in a room with a lot of wooden furniture.

ETA - My imp says "Van SAN Retour", so I am not sure what the proper name is. Sans, as in the French word for "without" seems more correct.

I am reviewing this not because any more needs to be said about the scent, but because I am truly wearing this to get myself out of a funk. I want to see if it'll help.

Hmmm strawberry bubblegum... not the way to improve my mood, sadly. I gravitate towards spicy scents for that. We'll see if it works anyway. It is awfully strong- I put a dab on my wrist and can smell it with my hands far away from my head.

It's very strange though... after a while when I lean in towards my wrist I actually find myself giggling a bit. Placebo affect maybe, but it surprised me how much more optimistic I was suddenly feeling. I really do hate smells like this.

It's freaking me out...

I did just laugh in my office and that's uncommon. Considering that my preconceptions were that this was going right to the swap pile, I am impressed.

Hours later it's still strong, and sniffing it makes me smile before I even realize I am doing it. I just took a whiff and ... then noticed I was grinning. So odd, and interesting.

Ok, so I expected this to be synthetic chocolate crap.

However, I am ...er... on the rag right now so I also expected to secretly drink the whole thing down.

*Cough*

It's... delicious. I can't imagine wearing this straight, it must be layered with other things. It's definitely rich, gooey chocolate and nothing else. I'm not sure I really want to smell like that.

I need to go acquire a real brownie now. This stuff IS naughty.

At first I get a strong wave of leather and cinnamon. It's overwhelming at first in a bad way- like De Sade with a bit of sweetness.

Just as I am about to head to wash this off it softens and becomes somewhat like a Christmas ribbon candy. It's very spicy somehow, much more remincient of Three Witches now. I smelled the patchouli at first, but now it's all sweetness and yule desert. The bourbon smells more like the brandy used in some holiday goods.

This winds up being very comforting. At first it IS about a hard spank, but there's a lovely after glow.

A really lovely pale scent when it's fresh out of the bottle. It definitely seems to capture the idea of "lunar". I can smell the white ginger and the plum blossom pretty strongly, and it reminds me of a plum tea I have (and love).

There is definitely something tea-like about this.

It actually reminds me a bit of Harvest Moon '05- the way you could smell the plum/fruitiness in that, but it was musky too.

As this dries it becomes more deeply gorgeous. I started off thinking this was going to get swapped (I am not big on light/floral/fruity so much as I am spicy/incensey/musky.) I am finding that I love it.

The drydown really is amazing . This truly is the most wondrous spring scent I have ever tried. (Can I babble anymore? I just love it when I am surprised.)

My husband said it smelled like "bathroom air freshner". Hmph. He's definitely wrong, and possibly could have just said that to see my reaction.

I could see wearing this in the autumn as well. Or drinking it

Ok, I am testing this scent right before going into a public speaking scenario (in....10 minutes. I am waiting here with my laptop.) Public speaking is my biggest fear.

I smell musky cherries at first, with something herbal in the background. It is a bit medicinal, and reminds me of Lush's Chai shower gel.

I keep pressing my nose to my wrist- hopefully that'll be enough to get me through this next hour.

C'mon strength and bravery!

**

Well, I didn't have a panic attack even in the face of a really bad situation that came up. I just applied more and inhaled deeply, because I am feeling so tired and tense.

The herbiness is really strong at first.

I'm not sure if it's really working or if it's a placebo effect :>

Hmmmm I smell orange cream and woodsy goodness all at once when it's wet on my wrist. I faintly smell the patchouli and a touch of lavender. It's mostly orange but the other elements are waving around behind it.

As it dries, the orange settles in the background a bit.

It also soaks into my skin really quickly and gets somewhat herby-smelling.

A nice smell that would make a great before-bed pulse-point anointer.

It's just a little too faint for it to climb to the top of my list.

When this is wet on my arm the lemon absolutely dominates. It is sheer, loud, brash LEMON DROP!

I am waiting to see if anything else emerges. Something under the lemon is very soapy. It's like a lemon dish detergent I have. Maybe a bit "Cascade".

Gah, I usually love lemon. Not sure what about this is bothering me. It's more synthetic than I usually encounter is all.

I do... no, nevermind. It's still just lemon.

*taps fingers and whistles*

There are so many other ingredients that I like in here, I wish I could smell them!

There is a slight queasy aroma in here for me as time passes, like a honey almost. It reminds me of being sick. This one definitely not for me.

Well I ordered this on a lark. The notes, I thought, would be much too sweet for this spice and musk lovin' girl.

I am pleasantly surprised. This is the smell of happiness and definitely of spring. When the weather gets warmer I'll have to break this out daily until I drain the imp and maybe even get a bottle.

This is sweet, but not too fruity. It's fresh and really lacking in any serious honey overtones, thank god. I don't even really smell ylang ylang, I kind of just smell everything together. It's NICE! I feel like snuggling myself.

As I coat my arm in more of this I'm thinking "ahhh the ylang ylang is there when it's fresh, but not as it dries."

Something here really reminds me of the spa I go to... which doesn't help any of you get a sense of it though. I think there might just be a touch of floral and hair product in there, but really, it doesn't make the scent bad.

Wet on my skin this has a very dusty quality to it - like leather and sandalwood. It sweetens a bit as it dries but leaves my nose with a bit of a hangover when I pull away from smelling it. I can very faintly smell the tartness of lime.

(I do love lime.)

Actually, I love most of the ingredients.

Somehow together they're not jumping out at me though. I like this blend, but I don't love it... yet. I do kind of wish I had a sachel of it to scent my dresser drawers though.

There's something in here reminding me of generic soap and it could be the geranium, which tends to do that.

It does seem a little faint on my skin.

It eventually just becomes sweet and pleasant. I like the way it smells on my skin after a long time.

I am a-feared. There's almost nothing in this that I like the sound of.

On my skin it first smells sweet and almost like polished wood! I feel as though I am transported to an historic house, one I have toured through. How odd, but a strong-place association.

Something like lemon tea, too.

And also something like the inside of a Lush store.

How weird. It's that powdery smell, like a Lush bath bomb. There's a Lush product that is almost exactly like this and I can't figure out what, but it makes me happy. I am so perplexed.

What an unexpected blend. The lemon is almost too much, but if it backed off just a bit I'd adore this one. As it is I am quite fond.

The ingredients list made me really eager to try it, so here I am. Looks like I wasn't alone :>

This is a gorgeous smell, like vibrant orange mixed with a root beer barrel. I can't stop sniffing my wrist. I am delectable now, and I feel a peace washing over me. What an amazing comfort smell. It's slightly spicy and I want to hoard bottles of it like mad!

Thankfully this doesn't change much, but sits on my wrist in it's slightly spicy, mandarin state for a while. I still do get root beer barrel and a touch of spice. Something in here reminds me of Chinese herb-store too, but not in the way that usually makes me gag. No tea rising up yet.

This smells likme something I would love to drink- when I mix cocoa with chili powder and vanilla.

I am impressed- scents of this type, like 13 and Decadence usually smell fake on me, and somewhat gross. This is yummy.

This blend sounded absolutely delicious so I had to try it.

When it's wet it's very floral. I don't smell the vanilla or the apple but I do smell everything else. It's very perfumey.

I think the iris is definitely dominant. I also smell something akin to jasmine, which I know isn't in here so it's a bit mysterious.

I want to write more about this one, but it's a pretty generic floral on me, unfortunately.

I was really curious how these scents would smell together and at first I get a strong whiff of cedar. When I pull back from this scent it leaves a lingering, slightly burn in my nose. As I lean back in the sweetness hits me first.

Really, this almost smells like warm cotton laundry, fresh out of the dryer. It has a very "dryer sheets" smell to me. How disappointing.

This is definitely a smell that I catch as I move away from my wrist, not as I'm there sniffing. When I lean in close I don't feel like I pick up on much of anything!

The cedar is definitely still there. And there it stays.