SophieCedar

Wet: Uhm.. dry old spice mens deodorant. Dryodwn: same! I like the mental picture of Scarecrow more.

Wet: huckleberry for sure.. red currant: check, no neroli here. It's VERY fruity and wet. almost like a blackberry and gooseberry were combined. Drydown: The neroli had a really strange entrance.. it decided to smell like wet sneakers for a second (!).. shaking that visual, it does return to a nice huckleberry, currant mix w/ the sharpness of a dry neroli underneath. Nice but not something I'll run toward. It'll go in my bpal roulette box: old projector slides box, so all tags facing down in the slots. I have to randomly pick a few, not knowing what they are, and wear them that day.. forces me out of sticking w/ old favs every day.

Wet: civet is strong heavy and mixed with the opium, quite sharp. The red egyptian musk is more my speed but it's having trouble overpowering the twining civet and opium. Very intoxicating. It carries it's own overpowering atmosphere instead of morphing to adjust to the wearer... appropriate.. Drydown: mostly sharp opium on me. the red from the musk and the opium overshadows the whole mix. interesting but it will be rare that I'll run to grab this one.

Ok, there were a few elements that I was unfamiliar with so I looked them up: massoia bark (coconutty and warming) and ambrette seed (musk seed from a hibiscus plant). Wet: meaty strong lovely. the benzoin is sweet & awesome. Indian musk (seems to be mixed with sandalwood .perfect for me.) and massoia bark being dryly coconutty ..are nice & heavy. I love this one. It's the perfect combination that I've returned to since I was a teen. The bergamont is slight and offers a barely noticeable citrus floral brightness. I can't really smell the fir? oh well! Drydown: dreamy. the same. getting a bottle.

Wet: oooh. a scent made with people like me in mind! Deep dark fresh figs and sweet moist dirt with a touch of patchouli. Spectral mushroom caps in the background. "Pig" being in the name threw me off a bit. Didn't expect this to smell sexy. Drydown: the same but slightly muted. This will be great to wear today considering the weather: heavy rain and low 50's. The moisture from the rain and living on the oceanfront should amp this nicely!

Ok so impolight's review had me in a good way. Anyways.. Wet: sweet sticky sickly candy smell. Like fun dip or a big sucker pop. The blood orange and raspberry are too strong together for my taste. I was hoping the dryer tarter neroli would pull forth more or that this would have a greener or wine-like edge. I think I'd enjoy this a touch more if clary sage and maybe sandalwood or myrrh was added to it? This could be better for mixing than straight. Drydown: raspberry is still kicking! the neroli is slightly more prominent. I think blood orange was the culprit.. I like this phase more because the wine-like edge is showing now.

Wet: definitely pick up on the oakmoss, cypress, and something sharply citrusy.. is that the fragonia? Digression: Ok... so I looked up fragonia to see what this mystery element is about.. I guess it's the only essential oil to be trademarked, by a french Dr that found it to have anti-inflammatory balancing effects. Fragonia is apparently something newer to the market from western Australia (ooh exotic! thanks Beth!) and has a perfect chemical ratio 1:1:1 for balancing and lighter than eucalyptus but still refreshing. THAT'S what I'm smelling! ah HA!! anyways... Drydown: The tobacco is prominent for a moment then slinks back behind everyone else.. strange! This balances out to something familiar that I can't place my finger on. Definitely something atmoshpheric. The leaves, galbanum, patchouli, and black musk comes out more and the oakmoss stays around (nice! that's my favorite!)

The velvet flower. A lush, thick, luxuriant bloom, bold and red. Wet: smells like the red velvet note of any red velvet cupcakes smell! I like this better though. Cocoa, a red flower that's not rose, cherry and myrrh? Maybe there's a musk in here too. Awesome. Drydown: cocoa, cherry, and warm fuzzy something... amber and myrrh? Whatever it is, it's really nice and as the description says, luxuriant.

Definitely ladylike! Wet: slippery honey musk and gentle green tea leaf. Glad this isn't just "green tea" which is normally too strong for me. The leaf version is fresh and earthy. Blackberry leaf is the same: meaty blackberry with a green leaf note. Vanilla bean is there but hiding behind the honey musk. Drydown: soft vanilla bean and the fae spices. Mellowed warm honey. This doesn't have a strong direct throw but I smell it as I'm moving around? Odd! Very lovely.

Wet: warm citrus and amber. Feel like I'm basking in the sun on a perfect day. The jasmine provides a stirring sexy touch and the orris a light lucidity. I like this more than I thought I would! Drydown: odd.. but having read the other reviews, expected. The amber is the one sticking around! The gilded citrus continues to amp it like a well kept, slow burning fire. The jasmine mellowed into the mix. I would compare it to a nice mulled drink or stew that warms the cockles simply by the memory of it's soothing and comforting effects. Awesome.

Ooh oh oh I love this one! Wet: thick sweet dark pine. Smells like the forests outside my house. The ambergris and black musk come out quickly. Aromatic, sweet, dreamy and dark as all get out. Drydown: only gets more beautiful. The juniper adds a nice herbal sharp, almost like an earthen mimosa, top note. My head is floating away from my body. *sigh*.. I just wish the musk had a little more staying power. Otherwise it's perfect!

Wet: foggy aquatic musk, green apple, and mint. There's vodka in this for sure. Bizarre! Drydown: the iris and ambrette come out and as intended by Beth, confuse the mix instead of beautifying it. I wouldn't say it's uglified, but definitely confusing. I think if I smelled this after Schrodinger's Cat, I'd be in a strange state for most of the day. I know Maine is weird.. I didn't mean literally.

Wet: vanilla infused sandalwood: check. blood musk: check. antiqued patchouli: check check. lavender: check. vetivert: check. beyond that it's a little fuzzy. There is a dryness that many others mentioned. I think this is because of the lavender and sandalwood mixing with the vetivert. Drydown: uh oh.. I need to try this again later. It smells like cow patties on me. I think my sense of smell is messed up.

Wet: custard thick cake with a hint of orange in the background. I can smell something a little sharp..not in a bad way. Maybe the flowers and anise in the background but not obvious at all. Drydown: ahhh there it is. This is the sister to Dia de los Muertos. Sweeter and more orangey. the flowers bloom and the sweet spice similar stevia is coming out from the anise. Very nice!

Wet: this isn't exactly dark and brooding... the eucalyptus and bergamont make this a pretty bouncy.. too bad. I was hoping for an amplification of a dark stormy sea because this is the THICKEST fog I've seen on the Maine coast in a while! But then again.. let's look at the description. It's accurate. But anyways..It's aquatic, salty, citrusy, and a touch astringent from the eucalyptus, the ambergris gives it a powdery softness too. Drydown: More ambergris! This becomes something I would enjoy wearing, more and more. Reminds me a bit of that Gaultier perfume that comes in the sailor torso bottle. Bright, aquatic, bouncy, fresh.

Wet: nose away from my arm it smells like coco puffs! Up close, coco-puffs sopping in black musk instead of milk with a dirty man watching me while he smokes a pipe. This is turning into a bizarre dream. Drydown: Went through a pure coco puffs stage, but settled nicely as the tobacco absolute and black musk takes more of a hold. There's a fresh plant smell in the background that I contribute to the tobacco.. but wait, they said cacao so that could me in husk cocoa.. anyways. It's not just all chocolate and smutty musk. yay!

Wet: red amber, the "scorched" musk, vetivert, and tonka are what I can smell first. Carnation comes out quickly. It's creamy, not sharp. Ooh I like unwholesome! Hahahah! Drydown: this continues to get creamier and the amber becomes more prominent. It's now a smoky amber, tonka, carnation and orris mix with a touch of charred vetivert in the background. Either my nose adjusts to this quickly or it fades fast. Either way, this is a short ride.

Hags smell better than I thought they would. I guess old age won't be so bad. Wet: the black musk is awesome..meaty sweet currant, and rum are there too. My skin decided to turn this to mostly musk and rum with a bit of currant to the point that it smells very much like a drunken Eat Me. (!!) I think the galangal and bay leaf, and bourbon vetivert actually just ground the whole mix (well the bourbon is making it a dreamy soporific cocktail..). I feel like I'm getting drunk at a holiday dinner. Drydown: same! And it's bpal lab ordering day.. what luck! Totally getting a bottle.

Wet: Egyptian musk, African musk, and papyrus, which smells similar to palm + grass to me. This is musky and meaty with a green wet note. Drydown: holy morphing! This continues to get greener and more watery. I can barely smell the vanilla flower however the aloe takes over big time. Anyone wishing for a green clean natural smell (aka something similar to the feel of a green tea) should try this.

Got this as a frimp from the lab. I would never order tea rose on my own. Wet: sweet wet violet. Not the green kind, just the lab's violet note. There's the tea from tea rose coming through but the actual rose note sticks in the background. Drydown: the violet burns off almost completely. The rose element comes out more, soft and sweet, that kills the sharpness of the tea part.. Maybe it's my chemistry, but there's a milky sweet touch to this. Maybe it warms after mixing with skin for a while? Not as bad as I would have expected however still tea rose and violet.. my 2 most dreaded notes.

Wet: Crunch Berries!! 100%. I never thought this would translate to one of my favorite childhood junkfood cereals. I was testing this along with Halloween New Orleans and Huesos de Santo the other night. Husband said I smelled like potpourri mixed with candy, mixed with vomit then turned on the air filter...thanks fun-sponge. Drydown: anyways.. this still smells exactly like crunch berries, just creamier, like I added whole milk. So weird that I'll keep it around.

When first applied it's incredibly sharp, green, and acrid. The honeysuckle and star jasmine clash when 1st warmed, but quickly let go of each other. It becomes a very harmonious scent. Oakmoss & musk come out with soft powdery orris behind it. This makes it more palatable and meaty. The impression is very soft green. Not very aquatic, but soft green and earthy with flashes of emerald green, aqua, and yellow. The throw is very low: that's my only complaint. But then again, I can't ask the ingredients to do something chemically impossible on human skin.. That would only happen if they were synthetic (none of us want that anyways!)

Wet: mostly tea (green or is it just the green grass note?), moss and green grass. Drydown: still green grass but herbs start to appear as well. the fig and ginger are exactly as stated: just a drop. It warms and rounds it slightly. This is the perfect opposite of all the sticky sweet, boozy, and dirty musk imps I've been ordering until now. This is clean, earthy, and relaxing. Color impression is light brown and wet emerald green.

Wet: peach blossom, palmarosa, and wisteria are strongest. I can also smell rice flour. I can't believe it's dominating the attar of rose! This is creamy and fruity with elegant florals underneath. Drydown: Peach blossom obscured the black musk, which is usually only notable in the wet phase and burns off quickly. This stays as a creamy floral peach. Similar to La Vague however the floral combination makes this brighter and more sparkly. My skin amps anything peach, so I'm interested to see how it fares on others. Fades quickly unfortunately. But, considering the notes, I didn't expect it to hang around very long.

Wet: definitely with others that say they smelled cassia. This is pretty much all strong cassia and a touch of musk on me. Completely unexpected and a little bummed out. Further into wet, rose or lily and either fir or cedar too. Drydown: still a decent amount of cassia and warm resiny incense. Better. It's mellowed but hasn't provided the anticipated results that I had in mind when I ordered it.