claudia6913

In the bottle: This is a sort of musky, slightly woodsy vanilla. Wet on skin: There is a sweetness that wafts around the musky woody scent. For some reason this now smells like old lipstick - that plasticy scent. Drydown: An odd woody/plastic mesh. Dry: Smells like old lipstick. Overall: I know there is a "scent" in there - that's it's not really old lipstick I'm smelling, but just the way these are blended, that's what it reminds me of. I think maybe the bourbon vanilla has gone a bit weird on me. Same thing happens with Sachs. I'll stick this in the age pile with Sachs and hope the bourbon vanilla rounds out to a non-plastic scent. I think it's a combo of the cardamom + the plastic vanilla that is giving off the old lipstick feel.

In the bottle: Sweet strawberries with a hint of vanilla and cream. Wet on skin: Strawberries, pears, and cheesecake, just as promised. Yum! Drydown: The fruits meld until it's just a sweet fruit scent layered on top of a crust-less cheesecake. Dry: This doesn't morph much at all. The vanilla is somewhat overpowered by the cheesecake and sweet fruits, but it wafts up occasionally. Overall: This is a very foody blend and very true to the description. The sweetness of the fruits is a little overwhelming. Hopefully some aging will calm it down a bit.

First of all, I barely put a dab on the back of my hand and its throw was tremendous. This is certainly not a blend to slather. However, this reminded me, very immediately, of an incense my ex-husband would burn on a near constant basis. It wasn't bad, but it definitely had a headshop feel to it. But, because of the negative association with the scent, I was immediately put off by it. Eventually it calmed down, and became a softer, sweeter, slightly Blood-like scent. Dry, it's a bit lighter than the GC blend Blood. I actually really like this dry. Though I'm not sure I want to be reminded of my ex-husband for 15-20 minutes every time I put this on until it dries.

In the bottle: Sweet, soft, and feminine. Wet on skin: Still very soft - hints of almost white florals and soft musk. A hint of sweetness lingering in the background. Drydown: This almost goes to baby powder on my skin. It's walking that fine line. Perhaps the white amber? Dry: It's getting a deepness to it now that wasn't there before - something lurking in the shadows. Overall: Very girly, but sweetly dark. I like it and am glad I lucked across a bottle.

I am not really a foodie person, though I do enjoy sweet scents. Initially this is pure cake with creamy vanilla-like frosting. It actually reminds me a lot of Eat Me in the beginning, however, as it dries the foodie part sort of goes to the background so that the Snake Oil, Dorian, and Doc Constantine are wafting on a hint of delicious cake.

In the bottle: Sweet woodsy smell, sort of greenish. Wet on skin: I'm getting a woody vanilla scent, but it's so light that at first I wasn't sure I was smelling anything at all. This actually reminds me of a little fudge shop in the hippie town near me. Love the fudge, but it doesn't have a candy smell - it smells exactly like Banshee Beat. Drydown: This doesn't morph much, but it is slowly getting stronger. This is not the usual patchouli scent. It is different. The hemp is very strong, and under it all is a hint of vanilla. Dry: A very woody scent with a hint of vanilla under it all. Overall: This doesn't morph at all on me. And honestly, I'm not enjoying this scent. It's okay, but not something I'd ever see myself reaching for.

This is a much deeper scent than I thought it would be. It's sweetly musky and a bit dry. It reminds me of a stick incense I had. I can smell the berries, but this dry musk is very much overpowering the rest of the blend. It's not a bad scent, but just my little imp will be more than enough of it I think.

In the bottle: Leather and balsams. The balsams are screaming out of the bottle. Wet on skin: Balsams. Very light, barely there balsams. Drydown: Um ... I know there's something there on my skin - but I can barely smell it. Dry: Balsams and a weird leather scent. Not a pleasant leather. Overall: This reminds me of the Haunted Cave I went to last year for some reason. It's a slightly musty and moldy smell. I kind of wish I'd gotten the "dusty" part and not the "unearthed" part.

In the bottle: I'm not sure how to describe this as I can't pick out individual notes very well, but this is a sweet scent rounded out with fruits - but not fresh fruits, they've been mulled a little or cooked giving it a slightly alcoholic scent. Wet on skin: It doesn't morph upon touching my skin. Still a sort of fermented multi-fruit wine scent with a hint of cool breezes and a touch of smoke. Drydown: Still not morphing, and I'm not amping the balsam fir like I feared. It's such a complex scent and if I knew what all the notes smelled like individually, I'm sure I could pick them out. Dry: Warm, comforting, sweet, slightly smoky. It's like sitting in front of a small fire on a cool night complete with roasted fruits and sweet wine. Overall: I like this much more than I thought I would. I'm glad I splurged and got a half bottle. The throw is pretty good.

In the bottle: Creamy vanilla. The cream is very strong in the bottle. Wet on skin: This is very, very faint on my skin. What little I can smell is creamy vanilla. Drydown: There's a hint of the saffron as this dries, but still very faint. Dry: I'm kind of upset by how faint this scent is. I can smell the potential for a wonderful scent, but I have to bury my nose to get anything. Overall: This is a very creamy vanilla with a hint of root-beer-ish saffron. However, it's so faint. This bottle is already almost 2 yrs old, so I can't imagine it would get stronger with more age to it.

Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood. This is an aged bottle - new to me. In the bottle: Sweet amber with a hint of florals. Wet on skin: I can smell all the parts of this scent - it's very soft and sweet. Drydown: The sweet pea comes out a bit more - and I have a tendency to amp it. However, it's not overpowering. Dry: The sandalwood creates a wonderful base for the vanilla, amber, and sweet pea to rest upon. Overall: This is a soft, sweet blend and I love it.

In the bottle: A bit musky and soft ... if soft could have a scent. Wet on skin: I can definitely smell the "toasted" part of the sandalwood as well as a hint of the bourbon and the carnation. Drydown: The woods come out more now as does the bay. I'm not getting much clove at all in this yet. I think adding that scent would heighten this a bit and give it some depth. Hopefully once it's dry that bit will come out more. Dry: Lots of wood and the toasted scent is fairly strong still as is the bourbon. The carnation is sitting pretty far in the back, and I'm not getting much of the vanilla part of the bourbon. I think the bay is giving it a bit of an herbal smell. Still no clove. Overall: Not really a favorite of mine, but I bought it for sentimental reasons as it's my daughter's birth moon.

In the imp: Sweet and light, somewhat floral. I like it. Wet on skin: Nice, light, sweet florals with a hint of grass beneath them. Drydown: There is just a sprinkling of candies, lightly sweet beneath the florals and grass. Not really getting incense. Dry: This is a soft, sweet, glitering scent. Very feminine, very nice. Overall: I like this much more than I thought I would. It was a lovely frimp from a swap and now I really want a bottle.

In the bottle: The patchouli, clove, and sandalwood are most apparent (that and I'm not sure what galbanum smells like - it could be there too). It's deep, a bit exotic, and very masculine. Wet on skin: The patchouli, clove, and vanilla-infused sandalwood are still very apparent. The leather is making its way to the forefront as well. Drydown: For some reason this brings to mind Indiana Jones. It's something I'd imagine him wearing. I can see that scene in the desert where he gets a plane ride from a "friend" for one reason or another. (Don't remember which movie - shame on me!) Dry: It smells divine - masculine and strong. The throw is pretty good. There's only a slight metallic tang from the iron filings. The leather pops out more, but it's like it's soaked up the scent of the sandalwood, patchouli, and clove - so it's more like you're smelling a fragrant piece of leather. Overall: I love this blend - and so glad to have them both. I really want to layer the Male and Female scent. I also really want to grab my BF and put this on him - but he doesn't wear scents.

In the imp: Citrus rum. Not bad, but definitely in your face about it. Wet on skin: The orange and pineapple seem to be having a boxing match with the rum coming between them. Neither wants to give up dominance. Dry: The passion fruit gives this a tart edge and the pineapple won and is drinking the rum while the orange sits off to the sidelines trying to become invisible. Overall: Not something I'd reach for.

In the imp: A nice fruity, juicy scent Wet on skin: Fresh, red, juicy fruits with the barest hint of liquor under it all. I expect an umbrella to be poking out of the imp. Dry: The liquor comes out a bit more, and the fruit isn't as sweet as it was, but it's still there, still red, and still drinkable. Overall: I really like the freshness of this scent. It's fun, kind of cool, and even something I want to drink!

In the bottle: This is a spicy/sweet scent that reminds me of Pumpkin Latte without the coffee. Wet on skin: Spicy, a little sweet, and just the barest hint of pumpkin. Drydown: I can smell the cinnamon. It's strong and kind of stinging my nose as I sniff it. Dry: I'm not getting any real candy-like sweetness or blackberry juice out of this. Mostly just cinnamon and some pumpkin - but it reminds me strongly of Pumpkin Latte without the coffee. Overall: Not a favorite of mine, for sure.

In the bottle: Fresh, crisp, just sliced, juicy, red apple. Wet on skin: Fresh apple cider with a bit of the pulp in it, the bottle so thick it's like apple sauce. Delicious! Drydown: I can smell the pile of discarded apple skins sitting next to the cutting table as I sniff the cider just starting to ferment. It kind of still smells like apple juice, but it's starting to take on that slight cider edge. Dry: Not a hint of cranberry, oddly enough, unless it's giving just the barest hint of tartness to the blend. This is just pure apples, in every incarnation - fresh, sauced, and cider. Overall: Perfect apple blend - even better than Lambs-Wool. Punkie Night would be the beginning of the apple picking and cider season, whereas Lambs-Wool would be the end of the season and even into winter.

In the bottle: Holy sweet butter-cream Batman! Heavy on the butter. Wet on skin: Pink! Sweet pink icing! On some type of cake, perhaps sitting next to a bowl of room-temperature butter. Seriously. Butter. Just plain 'ole butter. Maybe dyed pink. Drydown: Um, where'd it go? I see the slightly oily spot on my arm. I know where I put it ... but I sniff and nothing. O.o Dry: Not much point, there's no scent there. Overall: I'm ... surprised. I've only had one other scent completely disappear on me, and I think that was Pain. I don't know really what to do... hmm.

This is for the 2010 version. In the bottle: Sweet spicy goodness. Wet on skin: I think I really prefer fresh Samhain to aged. It's a bit rougher around the edges, but the spices aren't trying to overpower each other yet. They are softer and sort of wafting in and out. Drydown: I was hoping for more apple in this year's version, but while I can smell a bit of it, I'm not getting a lot. Mostly just the spices and a tad bit of smoke. Dry: Not as strong as last year's version, a little different, but without testing side by side, I can't be sure. Will update later for side-test.

In the bottle: This is a sweet aquatic, which seems odd, but smells pretty good. Wet on skin: Still a sweet aquatic. The olive pops out a little bit, as does the moss, but it's mostly just a sweet aquatic. Drydown: You can sort of smell a little of the decaying vegetation around the water, but it's not as gross as it sounds. Of course, I like the smell of compost piles, so I may be a bit weird. Now, I lived in South Carolina, and there was Spanish moss everywhere on every tree and I don't remember it really smelling "pine-ish", but this Spanish moss seems to. Not a lot, but a little. Perhaps New Orleans Spanish moss smells different. Dry: Nice sweet aquatic. For as few notes as are listed, this smells much more in depth. Overall: A nice aquatic, but not sure how often I will be reaching for it, but I'll probably keep it around. After letting this sit overnight, it's still a sweet aquatic - a little too sweet for me.

In the bottle: This is coffee bean single note in the bottle - pre-chopped. Wet on skin: The coffee is beginning to be blended, but it is still strong and in your face. I'm not a coffee lover by any stretch of the imagination, but I am hoping for a nicely blended latte which I think smell good. Drydown: It's like I'm standing in a coffee shop smelling them blend my drink ... slowly. I've now smelled the milk and sugar added. Cinnamon is slowly making its way in. I still don't smell any pumpkin, or anything overly sweet. Dry: Finally the coffee seems to be taking a supporting role. Nutmeg has been added to the mix finally, but again, no pumpkin. Overall: For me, it takes too long for the coffee to calm down. I really am not a coffee lover and even 15-20 minutes of coffee in my face is enough to turn me off. I will let it rest and retest later, but I don't think I'll be hanging on to this for long.

In the bottle: This has almost a potpourri scent, kind of like one with leaves and odd dry flowers. Wet on skin: The sap comes out and I'm kind of afraid because it's a pine sap, and not like maple or some other deciduous tree. I amp conifers (and apparently their sap) to high heaven - so much so it takes over the blend. Hopefully this doesn't happen. Drydown: It's pine sap single note on my skin. There's a little bit of leaves, I think, it's hard to smell around the sap. Dry: A little of the smoke comes out, but it's still mostly pine sap. Overall: I'm going to let this sit and see if the sap calms down a bit. If it doesn't, I might have to part with this blend as even aged pine-like scents overwhelm me.

In the bottle: This reminds me strongly of Cthulhu. A sort of dark aquatic. Wet on skin: This definitely smells like a pond on a cool autumn afternoon with the wind blowing. I'm unfamiliar with most of the notes, so I can't quite pick out which is which. Drydown: The aquatic scent is still the most prominent, but as this starts to dry, it gets deeper and now I can smell more than just the pond and the cool breeze starts blowing the scent of the woods surrounding it. Dry: There almost seems to be a bit of a smoke scent to this, like someone is burning leaves and brush in the distance and the wind is blowing it over the water. Overall: I'm not sure if I like it or not. I prefer Cthulhu as my go-to aquatic scent, but I'm curious how Wild Swans will age. I can sort of smell the potential in this blend. After letting this sit a day, it's gotten a lot rounder and much better. It's like sitting at a fishing pond with the cool autumn air, a small campfire with wood you found burning behind you, the wind blowing over the pond, and just a comfortable soft aquatic scent. I think I like this much more than I did before.

Brisingamen is close =) It looks like that turned to cleaning solution on me when I reviewed an imp back in July. I might track down another imp (since I frimped it away) in case my chemistry has changed since I had my baby. Thanks!