Invidiana

Very rose-y, and while there I'll stress there is no BPAL that ventures into old-lady rose territory, it's just too strong a rose for me, like sticking my nose directly in a bouquet of them. Too bad because I love black cats, ah well *sigh*

Of all the fabled seven deadly sins, I'd say that if there was one I could identify with the most, it'd definitely be wrath, and Wrath is definitely a fitting scent for me, too (greed isn't that far off, either...have you seen the bottles on my bookshelf?) I don't know, I'm not feeling Languor...a little too much of a green floral for me...I would have wanted a darker opium den scent because I'm just personally attracted to darker stuff. As it dries down it starts to get the "cat pee" effect on my skin ...so Languor doesn't agree with my personality or my body chemistry. Oh well. I'm not too lazy to seek out stuff that does

First of all, I love the story Rappaccini's Garden by Nathaniel Hawthorne, so I have to try all the scents in this series at one time or another. I'm also a huge fan of Remus Lupin and cried when Voldemort finally took him down This is a dry, smoky and sinister wood...definitely smells like something that would be poisonous, something in the garden told you not to touch but you did anyway. I can definitely detect plenty clove in here, and I both amp and love clove. If Lupin was real and smelled like this I'd be all over him

I actually have reverse ego problems--often not enough confidence--so I think I could use a dose of Pride. This really does bring to mind rabitdhauteur a la The Devil Wears Prada...not an in-your-face rose like I feared, but not a "me" scent either. Maybe the scent that will help give me a confidence boost is out there by a different name *sigh*

I think we could all use some sort of horn of plenty in this recession I'm detecting red fruits, a hint of wood and smoke...it really does bring an actual cornucopia filled with apples, cherries, berries and pomegranates sitting in front of a warm fireplace. It gets even more fruity-berry delicious as it dries down and still retains a nice warm base of wood and smoke...this is the number what imp that's convinced me I need a bottle?

I don't live too far from Manhattan, so I definitely had to try this imp when I got it, because I wanted to see if it had anything at all in common with my personal impression of that part of New York. It's not really me; a very bubbly white-tea-and-grapefruit scent that I can definitely see Carrie Bradshaw types wearing, but on the whole I generally gravitate towards darker, more sinister stuff. The amber does come out more on the drydown, but I would have loved the leather and amber notes to really be dominant.

Juicy and delicious--what is this stuff? It reminds me of those giant cinnamon gummy bears that stick to your teeth like Jujubes, seriously, on me it smells exactly like them I have heard that cinnamon helps spark male arousal, so I"ll have to test that out for myself...

Hecate is one of my favorite ancient Greek deities, and I was crossing my fingers for this one...it didn't disappoint! This reminds me of these chewy Italian almond cookies my aunt used to bring over when I was a kid, and I nearly ate the entire box. However, it isn't all innocent dessert foodiness, as much as I love dessert scents--there's the deep, dark, rich play of amber and musk in there, making it into a deliciously sweet darkness...another to add to my GC wishlist!

This is diabolically delicious. The name "Blood Kiss" alone had me dying to try this, and I forget which kind swapper stuck this imp in the package but I'm very grateful! I'm definitely getting monious shadows of sweet, earthy, murky clove entwined with vetiver, the sweetness of the vanilla and cherries, the irresistable warmth and tangibility of skin musk...it gets even better as it dries down, with the rich golden honey making itself known and the vanilla amping more...bloody, earthy, decadent and feral--definitely another "me" scent I'm adding to my GC bottle list!

I'm from New Jersey, and I've been hearing this legend all my life. I was a little bit worried about the tomato leaf, but it doesn't show up on me at all. What I get is dark, juicy reddish-purplish berries with a pine forest background. It's positively gorgeous and very much a "holiday" scent too, and I'm a huge sucker for holiday scents. Lucky I have many imps of this, and definitely getting a bottle after they're finished!

YUM This is my favorite of the '05 pumpkins, though all of them are lovely, but it's the dessert foodie in me speaking here. It's exactly what it says--classic spicy mulled cider mixed with warm buttery pumpkin. Two favorite autumn treats rolled into one! This has inspired me to seek out a recipe for apple-pumpkin cider to see if it really is possible...

This is a dusky and deliciously woody pumpkin, like a pumpkin pie sitting in the corner of a log cabin in the woods, complete with an ashy fireplace. The galangal adds this lovely creepy-forest feeling to it, kind of like Hansel and Gretel stumbling upon a house made out of pumpkin sweets instead of gingerbread in the forest. The tangle of woods is really at the forefront here, with the pumpkin adding just a hint of sweet spiciness in the background. A great mysterious autumn scent for sure!

Bourbon vanilla, red musk, galbanum, ambergris, sweet clove, petitgrain, and golden amber. Unabashedly sexy and unbridled, just like passion should be Sensual red musk takes the forefront with a supporting splash of intoxicating vanilla booze, deep sticky resins, earthy and sweet clove...what's not to love? Irresistable for an insatiable scent-ual appetite

This is one that ends up being one fierce and deliciously feral scent It starts out as what I'd call a diabolical Christmas tree; I had to wait for it to dry down to really get the full spectrum of this complex blend. The evergreen forest is still there (with the juniper berry realy adding a nice touch), but it's been challenged by musky and bloody (dragon's blood, which turns into this delicious dark bloody berry on me) overtones that are just blatantly and unapolagetically sexy. It's also strong enough that just a couple dabs will bring out the werewolf in you. I've developed an unquenchable lust for this that only grows the more I keep smelling it

Not "bitter" in the literal sense but rather evocative of the feeling of bitterness, this is a tart and shadowy scent which brings to mind the sting of jealousy when everyone else but me seems to have a date on Valentine's day. The blackberry makes itself prominent on the bed of florals--this is not a super-sweet blackberry but again, a mostly tart one with a hint of sweetness that is proabably contributed to in some part by the florals. I love how the vetiver and sage darken this blend and the tonka adds a bit of sexiness. This is bitterness I don't mind wallowing in

I was a little nervous about the honeysuckle in this (go here to see why), but it far exceeded all my expectations. The honeysuckle is really a background note, slightly discernible but not in-your-face. What really takes the stage in this are the rich golden honeys and the delicious earthy sweetness of the fig. There's a little more honeysuckle when this is wet, but as it dries down the honeys and fig become more and more prominent until it makes me think of some sort of honeyed fig concotion I really wish I could have a bite of right about now. I'll be honeymooning with this!

Oh yes...this scent is just so evil ...seriously, that was the first thing that came to mind, "essence of evil"! Deep dark woods sweetened slightly by wild berries with a bite of tart pomegranate are shrouded in a hazy, bewitching smoke of patchouli, and I think it's the pepper that, along with the pomegranate, gives this one some extra "zing". Definitely seeking out more to fill my partial bottle!

Wow, just....wow. I need to be alone with this. To me it's coming out as sweet caramelized figs with ooey gooey burnt-sugar syrup (guess that's what "candy charcoal" tastes like). If you love burnt sugar as much as I do, you HAVE to try this. As for the fig impression, though figs aren't listed in the notes the reference to "holiday sweets" probably does include them because dried figs are holiday sweets over in Greece, where my family is from, so I'm pretty sure they also are in Italy next door. Maybe the candy charcoal really is made of burnt sugar, because burnt-sugar candy is popular in Greece as well and I have a feeling the Italians are equally fond of it. I know there are people terrified of violet out there, but it's not particularly noticeable. There's just the barest hint of evergreen and smoke in the background. Absolutely gorgeous--hunting down more!

Very icy at first sniff, but as it dries down all the lovely wintry notes come shining through Jolasveinar smells like snow-laden pines and candied orange peels with just a slight hint of buttery pastry aroma wafting from someone's window. I was a bit worried about the dirt note, but I'm not getting anything screaming "dirt" at all; it probably blends too well with the pine to be noticeable. I have no idea where my impression of candied orange peels comes from, but that might be the florals tricking my nose.

Wow. Just...wow. I was actually able to take the quiz long after the Inquisition went down, and cute little goblin said I was Autumny...was he ever right! I need to be alone with this *deeeep sniff*. It's just this gorgeous spiced honeyed fig with a beautiful smoky, earthy support base and just a breath of cool autumn wind. If I could bathe in this bottle, I would!

This really is a Victorian Halloween! Don't be scared off by the rose; it isn't a jarring front-and-center or old-lady rose, just a whisper in the background; it's really the red sandalwood (love!) and gorgeous rosewood. It's a sexy, feminine pumpkin that makes me think of those antique Halloween cards with girls in frilly dresses holding grinning Jack-O-Lanterns and "Halloween" still spelled "Hallowe'en". Beautiful and antique without being dated!

First of all, the howling goblin on the label just makes me laugh, because you'd think goblins had the power to break others' hearts rather than suffer from one themselves, oh the irony I love the combination lavender and sensual woods with the smoke in this! Forget agony, it's really more like the intoxication of sitting in front of a crackling fire during a February thunderstrom with gorgeous polished bookcases brimming with books and a bowl fo lavender potpourri on the coffee table. I keep sniffing it to unravel the delicious mystery

Ghostly, exotic and mysterious, Clarimonde is definitely a "come-hither" scent. The skin musk makes it very alluring and touchable, and neither the roses nor the Oriental perfume are overpowering but rather meld harmoniously into the background. Great for a date with a sexy stranger

Delicious and complex Not exactly foody, but delicious nevertheless. I definitely get the warm base of dry leaves and incense; a whiff of exotic florals and the sweetness of the candies--maybe there's a tinge of chocolate there, I can't be exactly sure, but there's definitely redcurrant and what seems to be candied orange peel, both of which I love.

The bountiful, bright and vivacious prelude to the Harvest. A horde of wet, ripe fruits: green apple, apricot, blackberry, black cherry, black and red currants, cantaloupe, English pear, guava, lemon and lime, orange, mandarin orange, kiwi and mango, passion fruit, papaya, Georgia peach, raspberry, plum, tangerine, pomegranate and strawberry over a luminous blend of lunar oils. I wanted to love this so badly...and in the bottle it was all ripe oozing reddish-purplish fruits, but unfortunately on me it goes mostly cantaloupe, and the mango isn't helping. I have the type of skin that amps sweet stuff, and since cantaloupe and honeydew are the two most sugary-smelling fruits in there, you can kind of guess the rest. *sigh*