fairestrocza

Note: This is an aged (reportedly ~2yrs old) bottle of Green Tree Viper, purchased from a forumite. In the Bottle: a rich scent; the mint is definitely present, but not sharp or intense; the scent definitely draws me in Wet on Skin: deliciously minty and snakey While Drying: at this stage it feels slightly disjointed, but still delicious… slinky, slithery, and slightly fuzzy. After a Little While: The mint is restrained, but still bright enough to lift up the snake oil; I keep thinking I might be able to pick out the bergamot, but it is subtle here. I can't smell the green tea directly, but I can believe it is in here adding some subtle nuance to the blend. By the time it dries, this whole scent pulls together beautifully, and a vanilla undertone emerges. Yum. Later: Mmmm, spicey vanilla, with a touch of zing. The zing slowly fades away, as does the scent in general. There is a brief period of the not-so-nice musky phase that SO gives me, but it is brief enough that I didn't notice the first time I played with GTV. The lingering scent is nice, but has low throw. I may need to slather this in the future like I did the first time I played with GTV. Final Thoughts: I only tried Snake Oil by itself once before gifting my imp to an out of town friend, so it is hard to do a direct comparison, but I don't remember being overly excited by SO ('nice, but it's no Vixen'), whereas I find GTV enchanting. Green Tree Viper earns a 4/5 on my skin.

In the Decant: warm, fresh floral - no snow or chilliness Wet on Skin: fresh, slightly damp narcissus - as if it were lightly misted and sitting in a florist's cooler While Drying: the narcissus is warming up and starting to develop a sugary note After a Little While: sugary, in the High-Strung-Daisies way, though not quite as intense Later: juicy floral with a touch of sugar Final Thoughts: When the yules came up, I really wanted to try this one, but I was afraid it would be too floral. I finally tracked down a decant out of fear that I might be missing out on something amazing. I am definitely glad I got to try this, but I still feel that Snow-Flakes was what I was expecting this to smell like, and I will be happier with my bottles of Snow-Flakes. The First Soft Snow earns a 3.5/5 on my skin. ETA: Retested this imp today. It started with the ozone snow note (my nose is much better educated than when I first reviewed this). The narcissus is more bitter than I remember, and dried down to a scent that was more juicy/fruity than floral. This faded fairly quickly, leaving a bare hint of that High-Strung-Daisies scent that I noticed originally.

In the Imp: cologne Wet on Skin: Masculine cologne, a bit sharp in the nose. I reapplied with a bit more oil, and I think the cologne impression is coming from the sage, or a combination of the sage and lavender. With heavier application, I can actually pick out the lavender and sage as individual notes. (I prefer it with the heavier application). While Drying: I am starting to pick up some vanilla and a touch of carnation. After a Little While: The sharpness of the sage/lavender seems a bit at odds with the creaminess of the carnation/vanilla. The cedar and leather are well hidden. This seems to have pretty low throw, or my skin is just eating it. There is a vague touch of soapiness, but not enough to ruin the blend for me. I will definitely have to test this one out on The Boy. Later: Ahh… Now I am picking up the sweet-spiciness of the carnation mingling with the dry-spiciness of the cedar, with an undercurrant of vanilla. This dries down to a nice scent, but I have to huff my wrists to get it. Final Thoughts: This strikes me as one of those cosy-by-the-fire scents. It is warm and comforting, but I think it would be better on The Boy, with me sniffing it while snuggled into his arms. (I eventually did try it on The Boy... it is up there with Dorian and Blue Moon for delicious-on-The-Boy smells). The Bow & Crown of Conquest earns a 3.5/5 for the beginning stages and a 4/5 for the final dry down.

In the Imp: ugh Wet on Skin: oh god what have I done? While Drying: I should have known better After a Little While: vetiver drowning violets in a sea of doom Later: apparently Vetiver offered Violet some cookies, because Violet has gone to the dark side. Final Thoughts: I can handle vetiver when it is well integrated (read: well hidden) in a blend. This is not such a blend. Vetiver is not my friend. I like violet - not all the time, but it the right blend it works for me. This is not such a blend. I blame Vetiver for corrupting poor Violet. Saturnalia earns a 1/5 on my skin.

(Disclaimer: My bottle just arrived a short time ago, but I was too excited to wait and let it settle before trying it on...) In the Bottle: mainly chocolate Wet on Skin: chocolate with something aggressive While Drying: I just got bitch-slapped by Cthulhu… Do Elder Gods use litter boxes? The Boy swears it just smells like dark chocolate, but I'm getting a bit of ammonia. After a Little While: Thank goodness, someone cleaned out the Elder Goddies Box. Ahh, and there's the water note… the same one from Pool of Tears, I think… And now the incense is starting to emerge. How does incense smoke rise through water?! Later: The chocolate is pretty tame, mingling well with the incense note, over a watery background. The Boy says "It's the sweetness of the swamp, without the nastiness of the swamp." It seems to be fading fairly quickly, or at least the throw has decreased and it is now sticking close to my skin… I'll have to try it again after it has had a chance to settle from shipping and see if anything changes. Final Thoughts: I was worried about the listed notes, but Cthulhu's Love Juice called to me anyway… This is a lot lighter and more wearable than I thought it would be. I think we have a win! The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love earns a 3.5/5 on my skin. ETA: Do you think we can convince Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman to write a movie script for Cthulhu in Love? Maybe we should send them a bottle of this oil for inspiration.

In the Imp: definitely spicy Wet on Skin: heavy, a bit perfumey behind the spicy incense While Drying: gets sucked into my skin and dries quite quickly; a bit of soapiness toward the end After a Little While: I can pull out the scent of the carnation, but I have to work for it. I can definitely smell the cassia and other spices. There is also a touch of sweetness. Later: This fades fairly quickly, but the skin-close scent retains the spicy-sweetness of carnation, which I love. Final Thoughts: like, but not love; final scent is nice, but too weak, and the earlier major-spice phase is a touch too much for me (burns the nose a bit) Morocco earns a 3.5/5... maybe a 4/5.

In the Imp: red patchouli and incense or maybe the cinnamon leaf? This smells fantastic in the imp. Wet on Skin: almond, fig While Drying: reminds me a bit of Hunger, but with a touch of florals, especially in elbows After a Little While: Where did the incense and patchouli go? At least the almond is behaving - no plastic. Bergamot is coming through, but I had to do a sniff comparison with a straight bergamot EO to be sure - it blends in. Starting to pick up a bit of cinnamon again close to the skin. Morphtacular! Getting hints of other notes, but they come and go so quickly. Later: slightly soapy in elbows, almost gone on wrists. Kinda like a fireworks finale - lots of pomp, then *poof* it is gone - only a very faint, but pleasant, lingering scent remains. Final Thoughts: This was a fun scent experience, and one I might want to play around with again in the future. I love the smell in the imp. I think I'll have to pick up an imp of my own, but no need for a bottle. Uruk earns a 3.5/5 on my skin. ETA: Tried this one again today (Sept 2)... Wet, it was all almond. Very quick fade. Dry, there is a lingering, very faint, spiciness, and a lot of sour lily. Bleh. I preferred this scent when it was lab-fresh.

In the Imp: VETIVER Wet on Skin: Vetiver While Drying: vetiver with a hint of something else - cedar? After a Little While: reminds me of Troll, with the heavy vetiver, and the sightly off woodsy note Later: starts to calm down after a bit, but this is just NOT my kind of scent. Never really get the cinnamon or the patchouli… just Vetiver, with a hint of cedar. Final Thoughts: I can almost see how something in this scent category has the potential to be fantastic, but I just don't enjoy that heavy-handed vetiver. I prefer the piney variety of forest scents. Umbra earns a 2/5 on my skin.

In the Imp: smells like the wrong end of a troll… vetiver, vetiver, vetiver, and some faint evergreen Wet on Skin: woody, faint evergreen, and definitely vetiver; The Boy says "old swamp" While Drying: eucalyptus or something similar with the sinus-opening effect, wood like the decaying part of a tree lying across a trail in the woods after your boot crushes it After a Little While: for a while there is a scent I associate with the burning of green vegetation, or maybe a campfire with not-quite-dried-out logs, then doused with water Later: good scent on The Boy; on me, some of the more disturbing aspects die down, and it becomes a bit sweeter Final Thoughts: proof that everything should be skin-tested (in the imp, this was *vile* originally), though I like this better on others than on me, and would probably prefer that others not wear it often either; a small amount goes a long way - I barely dabbed it on due to the strength of the smell in the imp. I should note that I have had a few other people sniff this, and each time I open the imp, the vetiver seems to have tamed a bit more... so I might be able to try this again in, oh, 2 or 3 years. Troll earns a 2/5 on my skin.

In the Decant: Peppermint! Wet on Skin: Peppermint candy While Drying: heady peppermint that opens the sinuses; the wrists are starting to develop a softer note After a Little While: I was having a hard time placing that softer note. At first, it seemed like maybe the candycane fell on the carpet and got a bit dusty. Now, however, it smells like walking through the large animal enclosures at the State Fair - a slightly musty hay smell, with just a touch of peppermint in the background. Later: The barnyard smell keeps growing, and the peppermint keeps shrinking. My skin is tingling where I applied the oil. It seems that this one does not like me at all. The tingling is turning into burning… time to take this off and find a new home for the decant. (I scrubbed my arms and managed to get rid of the part making my skin burn, but the Barnyard decided to stick around. *sigh*) Final Thoughts: Mint usually does good things on my skin. This is apparently an exception to the rule. I'd be half-tempted to keep this around for scent-memory evocation, but in the imp I just get peppermint, and I don't really want to smell like a barn. Weird. After writing my notes in my spreadsheet, I looked through the other reviews. I am relieved to see that others have noticed the musky smell, and it is not just some bizarre personal reaction to peppermint! Time to go experiment with more musks and see if I amp them all this crazily. Lick It Til It's Sticky earns a 1.5/5 for scent, and a 0/5 for skin reaction. ETA: I told a friend about my experiences with this scent, and she has been referring to it as "Santa's Reindeer Enclosure."

In the Bottle: cocoa and a bit of coffee Wet on Skin: cocoa - starts out a bit like a scratch-n-sniff sticker While Drying: cocoa predominates, but the coffee and brown sugar are there too… no cinnamon After a Little While: changes from a powdery chocolate to a dregs-of-mocha chocolate; there is an almost-boozy aspect to the cocoa Later: lovely delicate chocolate scent, fairly subtle in this late stage Final Thoughts: Mmmm… sipping my coffee, this scent wafts up, and almost makes me think I am drinking a mocha. I should try layering this with Raven Moon. This is a fantastic comfort scent. I had been debating for weeks, and finally ordered a bottle unsniffed. Good call. El Dia de los Reyes 2009 earns a 4/5 on my skin.

In the Imp: thick and syrupy; a heavy orange blossom of the candied variety Wet on Skin: dusty and sweet While Drying: orange blossom sweetness is starting to tone down; less aggressive than it is in the imp; a touch of floral-sweetness is starting to emerge, and the vanilla is beginning to come through After a Little While: away from my arms I am sensing a… Rootbeer? Saspirilla? Cream Soda? vibe, probably from the vanilla - I like it; up close, I can smell the narcissus Later: predominantly spicy vanilla with a hint of narcissus every now and then; orange blossom is detectable up close; lovely scent, even hours later (gets fainter with time, but lasts at least 9 hrs) Final Thoughts: I should do a side-to-side comparison of Hunger and Vixen and Dracul; In the imp, I thought this was going to be terrible, but it gets better with dry down; similar effect to Vixen, but a bit more delicate. In general, I think I prefer the earthiness of Vixen, but this might be good when Vixen is Too Much for an occasion. Hunger earns a 4.5/5 on my skin. ETA: I tried Hunger again today (Aug 31)... Wet, there is an initial blast of what has to be vetiver (I am decidedly not a fan of vetiver), but it fortunately calms down after a few minutes. The orange blossom note is much nicer with a bit of age - no longer the almost sickeningly sweet candied variety, but the more mature, lovely variety. A dark, sweet, spicy blend. It may not graduate to my bottle wish list, but the imp will stay in my favorites box.

In the Imp: flowery, sweet, soapy Wet on Skin: not bad for a floral While Drying: fairly delicate, though I can smell it wafting up to my nose After a Little While: Starting to deepen; rose and lilac is an interesting combo; not sure what wisteria smells like… heading toward Rose dominance. Later: takes a few hours to die down to an acceptable level Final Thoughts: May be too heady/floral for my tastes. At least it doesn't go soapy once it is on the skin. Les Fleurs du Mal earns a 3/5 on my skin.

In the Imp: patchouli with orange blossom Wet on Skin: smells a lot like Vixen, but without the vanilla While Drying: gritty After a Little While: a bit of a sour note (ambergris?), not really getting carnation, maybe getting a bit of orange blossom (sweet variety, not vanilla variety) Later: just faint patchouli - boring after having experienced Vixen Final Thoughts: I love carnation and I love orange blossom. I was hoping they would both come out to play, but no such luck. I was also hoping the orange blossom would head in the vanilla direction instead of the super sweet direction. Still a nice blend, but not what I was hoping for. Masquerade earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

In the Imp: slightly astringent, woody (cypress?) Wet on Skin: bright and wispy While Drying: well integrated; I think I can pick out the frankencense and cypress, with a slight sharpness (but not really scent) that I am attributing to lavender; as this dries, it starts to develop more complexity. A hint of sweet fig (or is it the tamarind?) peeks out. It starts to feel more grounded (patchouli?). I think I can sense the oakmoss in the background, tying a few notes together, but not excessively prominent. After a Little While: woodsy, with an almost citrus aspect (though I think that may be the frankencense combining with another note, maybe fig and/or tamarind); the vetiver appears to be behaving itself; something reminds me a bit of the brightness of Hemlock (is there hyssop in that?) Later: the scent is well integrated again, bright with a touch of sweetness; it is still reminding me of the feeling of Hemlock, but with a softer quality Final Thoughts: The imp I tried was fairly old (not sure exactly how old). I am curious how this smells fresh from the lab. It appears to age well. This would be a good alternative to Hemlock when Hemlock would be too obtrusive (could be too sweet if I'm not in the right mood). Nephilim earns a 4/5 on my skin.

In the Imp: sugared lavender Wet on Skin: lavender, less sweet than in the imp While Drying: a softer lavender than some of the other blends I have tried; no spice yet, but I think I can sense what must be the lotus; The Boy says: "it has a very nice high note, and a very nice low note - together they are interesting!" After a Little While: low throw; fairly delicate, not much spice coming through - I wonder if that aspect will amplify with age? Later: not very long lasting; fairly demure Final Thoughts: Another entry in my Quest for the Perfect Lavender... This one is not bad, but is lacking a little omph. I wonder if aging will amplify the spice? I think I'll put this one away and try it again in a few months. Paris earns a 3.5/5... maybe a 4/5 on my skin.

In the Bottle: Soft lavender and foody vanilla Wet on Skin: similar to bottle While Drying: lavender sinks into the vanilla After a Little While: a warm, comforting scent; wasn't super impressed the first time I tried it, but it is growing on me; it is soft and soothing, with just a touch of the vanilla-cream-soda thing I sometimes get with vanilla Later: In the morning: the lavender fades, but the foody aspect lingers on my skin Final Thoughts: I bought this for a friend who is both a fan of MMA (and thus *had* to have a bottle called TKO) and an insomniac. I took a decant for myself as part of my ongoing Quest for the Perfect Lavender. This one is definitely worth exploring more, and will go into regular bedtime rotation with Baku TKO earns a 4/5 on my skin.

In the Imp: very sweet orange (like the jelly inside chocolate orange sticks) Wet on Skin: Initial blast of candied orange, then it starts getting good While Drying: almost foody sweet; The Boy says 'cinnamon' but I don’t get any of that After a Little While: more incensey than the wet phase, almost gritty (this must be where The Boy is getting the cinnamon) Later: the patchouli and the orange blossom are pulling together, but now the scent is sticking close to the skin Final Thoughts: I'll have to try more blends with red patchouli - it seems a bit harsh, but has potential; I was hoping the orange blossom would head toward the same vanilla scent that it brought out in Vixen, but this orange blossom is more candy and fruit. Ravenous earns a 4/5 on my skin.

In the Bottle: boozy Wet on Skin: peppermint schnapps, maybe a hint of cocoa While Drying: oooo nice, peppermint, buttered rum in the background, something else that I cant place After a Little While: it IS spooky! Later: the peppermint dies down and the butter rum comes out a bit more, barest hint of coconut Final Thoughts: The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Each element is distinguishable at some point (except the vanilla… but I think that is just adding a bit of softness to the whole) but the effect is almost more foggy than foody - it really is spooky! Spooky: Resurrected earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

In the Imp: sweet, orange blossom, a hint of chocolate Wet on Skin: mainly orange blossom, a hint of cherry White Drying: a little less sweet, still mainly orange blossom, with a hint of … lavender?! After a Little While: The odd lavender note went away… still a touch too sweet (is this the cherry?)… a hint of dusty spice comes and goes in the background - I believe that is the chocolate… still predominantly orange blossom Later: this keeps getting better and better; sweetness has died down to an acceptable level; light, bright, sweet orange blossom Final Thoughts: I wasn't sure how I felt about this… then realized I was sniffing my wrists constantly. This doesn't have any of the vanilla that sometimes appears with orange blossom on my skin, but still lovely. Vice earns a 4/5 on my skin.

In the Bottle: smooth, soft, herbal; ever so slightly cologney Wet on Skin: slightly reminiscent of The Black Tower, though I am not sure what is making the link in my brain; something smells familiar, but I can't quite place it (maybe the sage or the chamomile? hmm) - all the notes are blending together; on The Boy, this phase has a slight lemony quality that my skin did not pick up, and maybe a slight hint of pine While Drying: this is unique and intriguing; I wish my nose was more familiar with some of these notes so I could better separate out what I am smelling After a Little While: that ever so slight cologne aspect has dissipated; I would still characterize this as an predominantly an herbal blend, with a touch of woods and a touch of musk… I can believe there are flowers in here, but they are unobtrusive… I'm not picking up any star anise, juniper or pine… 'Delicate Woods' seems to be an apt descriptor; on The Boy: um, WOW. It is turning a bit muskier on him, in a very very good way. He says it reminds him of the damp understory of the woods. Later: softer and more subtle than earlier phases; ethereal; The Boy went through a brief soapy phase, but then it evened out. Much less throw than there was initially. Final Thoughts: I'm not sure exactly what it was that made me decide to order this, but I am glad I did. This works well on me, and has some amazing phases on The Boy. Blue Moon 2009: Brian's Interpretation earns a 3.5/5 to 4/5. ETA: I let my best friend wear this to the opera last week... at the end of the evening, she told me she was going to have to thug me in the parking lot and steal my bottle. Fortunately I was able to pick up a bottle for her through forum Sales. Tonight, she let another friend of ours try it out, and he insists that he needs a bottle too. I'm perfectly fine with that - I love exploring the nuances that each of us brings out in this blend.

In the Decant: a bit soapy, a bit dryer sheet Wet on Skin: A bit of dryer sheet, slightly soapy, with a bit of delicate sweetness beneath it all While Drying: a freshness that might be mint, but is being overwhelmed by the soapy dryer sheet After a Little While: a vague hint of soft mint, over the good parts of Snow White; a bit of a watery green note Later: The final dry down is fantastic - a creamy sweetness with a touch of mint and a vague hint of flowers. Hypothermia is somewhat like Snow White, but without the disgusting note of Doom and Plastic. Final Thoughts: The longer this is on, the better it gets. I think I will need a bottle. I wish I had a Venn Diagram showing how all the Yule scents relate. This one would overlap with Snowball Fracas and Snow White, but Hypothermia works better than either of those. Hypothermia earns a 4/5 on my skin.

In the Decant: wintermint gum and a watery/juicy floral note Wet on Skin: sweet, spicy, minty, floral - first impression sweet, a little spicy, then the mint comes through, with a hint of floral beneath (seems like a bulb plant) While Drying: This is in some respects how I thought The First Soft Snow would be… I didn't order that one because I was afraid it would be too floral… maybe it is more accurate to say this is how I hoped TFSS would be, and I am glad I got Snow-Flakes instead. After a Little While: this warms up and sweetens on my skin...mint is bright but not abrasive - makes it feel chilly, but not cold... sparkling… floral is fresh and a lovely complement Later: smooth, a little bit sweet, but not in a foody sense… can't really be characterized as minty or floral now, just a beautiful, well integrated scent Final Thoughts: I like all phases of this one (including the lingering scent on coat cuffs later). It is long lasting but not overwhelming. This scent grows on me more and more each time I wear it. I will be ordering 2 bottles for sure. Snow-Flakes 2009 earns a 4.5/5 on my skin. Update: It looks like my next order will have several bottles of Snow-Flakes! I let some friends test it from my decant, and a few fell in love. One says it smells like fog. A male friend is also ordering a bottle after testing mine. We were out running errands, and I got a burst of happiness every time I passed through a space he had recently occupied as I could smell the lingering traces of Snow-Flakes!

In the Imp: cologne in a nice way Wet on Skin: leather, smoke, modeling clay; elbows get cologne, followed by smoke and wood While Drying: wrists - modeling clay (the grey, 'do not eat,' kind, not play-doh); elbows - wood and clay with something kinda sparkling; I actually like the clay scent After a Little While: very evocative; clay dies down to the old-bone image; makes me think of pre-dusk grey with mist or fog; wrists starting to pick up a woody note, elbows developing something fresh and green Later: starting to pick up an aquatic note on wrists Final Thoughts: Definitely unusual. I will probably not wear this often, but will definitely keep the imp around for those days when I want something Different. My friend sums up this scent as "arts & crafts time in Spring." The Black Tower earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

In the Imp: a bit sharp, almost tart Wet on Skin: dusty in a woody sort of way, maybe a bit soapy (oakmoss) While Drying: hints of juniper berry After a Little While: almost lemony, a bit tart, still a bit soapy in early drydown; a touch cloying Later: light patchouli with something warmer (myrrh?); My friend says "sexy musk" Final Thoughts: My friend seemed quite fond of this scent, with the caveat that there have been better scents on me; I like the late stage, but I'm not a huge fan of the earlier stages. Omen earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.