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imaginepageant

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Everything posted by imaginepageant

  1. imaginepageant

    Boomslang

    In the Vial: Oh, yes. Yes, yes, YES! This is orgasmic. Snake Oil and smooth, sweet chocolate, just slightly woodsy, with something my mind is perceiving as black musk, but must just be a trick played by combination of notes. It's thick, heavy, sweet, sexy, languorous, and utterly indulgent. Wet: The Snake Oil and cocoa really battle it out on my skin, while the other notes cautiously take a step back. Something oh so slightly bright and sharp makes an appearance, making me think of vetiver, but which I know isn't vetiver because I hate vetiver but I still love this. All in all, it's definitely becoming something more lively than that languorous scent it was originally. Dry: The cocoa appears to have won the fight for about five minutes or so... and then Snake Oil delivers an unexpected roundhouse kick to cocoa's face. Strangely, the throw is still rather chocolately, while up-close it's all Snake Oil. I'm getting a bit of a black licorice note, which my mind is definitely connecting to Snake Oil, despite not usually thinking it smells like black licorice... so maybe it's one of Snake Oil's mystery notes being brought out by the other notes? The dryness of the teakwood is also coming out more and giving the blend a warm, cozy feel. An Hour Later: It's gotten rather faint for a Snake Oil blend; they usually stay strong on me for hours. It's a softer, smoother Snake Oil with just a hint of cocoa and teakwood left. Reminiscent of Black Temple Burlesque Troup and WILF. Overall: Love love loved it in the imp, but it morphs a little too much on my skin. Going to give it a few wears before deciding whether to order a bottle once the Carnaval comes back to town.
  2. imaginepageant

    Autumn Scents - recommend the ones you love

    Count me in as one whose never gotten pumpkin from Samhain! Samhain is definitely my favorite autumn blend, and really the only one I need. But I love Verdandi to bits, too, and it's the perfect scent of an apple orchard in autumn. I can't believe it doesn't get more love than it does!
  3. imaginepageant

    Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?

    Wow, I don't find Tattered Lace to be similar to White Rabbit in the least. Tattered Lace smells lovely to my nose, while White Rabbit almost makes me gag. It always amazes me how differently we all interpret the same scent! My boyfriend smells something different than I do in every single blend I've gotten him to sniff... boggles my mind every time.
  4. imaginepageant

    Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?

    Just got a decant of Tattered Lace, and as soon as I opened it, I went, "DORIAN?!" Haven't tried it on yet, it's very similar to Dorian in the imp. Maybe more feminine. Will be interesting to see if/how it morphs on my skin. It's probably safe to call Dorian a decent GC substitute for it, though.
  5. imaginepageant

    Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?

    Trying Old Demons of the First Class today, and it strikes me as very similar to Smut and The Elephantine Colossus... sexy, sweet, smooth red musk with a little extra something you can't quite put your finger on. Very nice. I think it'd be a great GC stand-in for any of the red musk-heavy LEs.
  6. I was hoping for chocolate mint from How Doth, but instead I got chocolate pistachio - which I turned out to adore anyway, so it worked out in the end. Nothing I've tried has struck me as similar, but I will recommend WILF: Warm fur coupled with red and black musk, vanilla bean, patchouli, champaca flower, juniper berry, chocolate peppermint, frangipani, browned sandalwood, ferntop ash resin, and massoia bark. Again, a mix of chocolate and mint that just doesn't translate as chocolate and mint to my nose. Now, this is a rather woodsy blend, but if you enjoy Snake Oil, I'd say give it a try.
  7. In the imp, Interfector was almost identical to The Antikythera Mechanism, with the latter being a bit more herbal and astringent. However, on my skin, they both went in slightly different directions - The Antikythera Mechanism was gorgeous woodsy tobacco, where Interfector went somewhat foody. I prefer The Antikythera Mechanism myself, and I definitely say it's a better choice for guys than Interfector (unless you are a big foody lover). However! I recently tried Atlas, and it's definitely in the same family, but by far my favorite. The funny thing is, it's sweet and foody, but in a much nicer way than Interfector. I'd say it's closer to The Antikythera Mechanism as it has more similar notes (oak bark, hinoki wood). But, it's probably more of a feminine blend considering how sweet it is. I'd still say The Antikythera Mechanism would win for guys, but I'd absolutely suggest trying Atlas if you can before Metamorphosis comes down. No experience with Carceri d'Invenzione.
  8. imaginepageant

    Looking for any Harry Potter scent recommendations

    That cracked me up, too, especially in comparison to how many there are for Harry himself - and that there were none for Ron until I brought it up a few weeks ago! I was a bit saddened to find there weren't many suggestions for Dumbledore, who is my favorite character. No. 93 Engine is, so far, my favorite blend for him, but I'd love to try more. Anyone have any other ideas for Dumbledore? ETA: I love that Aureus was recommended for him, too, because it's such a sexy scent to me, and I've always said that I would be all over a younger Dumbledore, despite his proclivities.
  9. imaginepageant

    Looking for any Harry Potter scent recommendations

    All right, here we go! Every blend suggested for every aspect of Harry Potter, up until this post... plus some of my own I've just thrown in now. GENERAL MISCELLANEOUS Anathema (Death Eaters) Arcana Asphodel Bewitched Black Forest Blue Moon Boomslang Dormouse, The Dragon's Blood Dragon's Hide Feeding the Dead (Deathday party) Ghost, The Hecate Hellcat Incantation Jack Jack Jester (Weasley's Wizard Wheezes) Les Fleurs du Mal London Magus Mandrake Mania Midnight Mass Miskatonic University Obsidian Widow, The Ouija Penny Dreadful Poisoned Apple Pumpkin Queen Punkie Night Red Lantern Red Queen, The Selkie Serpent's Kiss Serpents With Glittering Eyes and Forky Tongues (Parseltongue) Snake Charmer (Parselmouths) Snake Oil Theodosius, the Legerdemain Thirteen '07 Troll Unicorn, The Yew Trees Yvaine POTIONS Apothecary, The Belladonna Bezoar Black Hellebore Boomslang Mandrake Wolfsbane MAGICAL ITEMS Archangel Winter (The Mirror of Erised) Godfather Death (The Deathly Hallows) Great Sword of War, The (The sword of Gryffindor) Hand of Glory House of Mirrors (The Mirror of Erised) Lady of Shalott, The (The Mirror of Erised) Lights of Men's Lives, The (The Deathly Hallows) Phoenix Steamworks (Golden Snitch) Sea of Glass (The Mirror of Erised) Shrunken Heads Spirits of the Dead (The veil) Thy Godfather's Present (The Deathly Hallows) Veil (The veil, the invisibility cloak) Veils of Mist (The veil, the invisibility cloak) White Light (Pensieve memories, the Deluminator) MAGICAL CREATURES Bony Moon (Thestrals) Brown Jenkins (Mrs. Norris) Buggre Alle this Bible, The (Mrs. Norris) Cheshire Cat (Crookshanks) Chimera Coiled Serpent, The (Nagini) Crossroads (Mrs. Norris) Cthulhu (The giant squid) Faiza, the Black Mamba (Nagini) Fang (The Two-Headed Goat) Gunpowder (Thestrals) Hellcat (Crookshanks, Mrs. Norris) Humbug (Mrs. Norris) Ivanushka (Crookshanks) Obsidian Widow, The (Mrs. Norris) Red Phoenix (Fawkes) Sarah (Inferi) Seance (Mrs. Norris) Shroud (Thestrals) Smiling Spider, The (Aragog) Squirting Cucumber (Bubotubers) Sunbird (Fawkes) Zombi (Inferi) MAGICAL RACES Bakeneko (Animagus) Danse Macabre (Dementors) Elf (House-elves) Goblin (Goblins) Greed (Goblins) Lycaon (Animagus) Oblivion (dementors) Robin Goodfellow (Centaurs) Selkie (Animagus) Shroud (Dementors) Szepasszony (Veela) Tanuki (Animagus) White Rabbit (House-elves) PLACES HOGWARTS Apothecary, The (Potions class, Snape's storage room, Dumbledore's office) Carfax Abbey (The library) Hell-Gate of Ireland, The (Battle of Hogwarts) Lurid Library, The (The library) Miskatonic University No. 93 Engine (Dumbledore's office) Phoenix Steamworks (Potions class) Pumpkin Patch blends (Hagrid's pumpkin patch) Queen Alice (The Great Hall) Second of Three Spirits (The Great Hall) Tintagel (The Great Hall) Trick or Treat (The Great Hall) Undertow (The lake) HOGSMEADE Grog (Butterbeer) Hellcat (Butterbeer) La Befana (Honeydukes) Miskatonic University (The Three Broomsticks) Schrodinger's Cat (Honeydukes) Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener (Butterbeer) THE BURROW Lawn Gnome Witch's Garden, The 12 GRIMMAULD PLACE Chilling Cellar, The Forbidding Foyer, The Horreur Sympathetique HOUSES GRYFFINDOR Great Sword of War, The Lion, The Tintagel HUFFLEPUFF Badger Determination Enraged Groundhog Musk Lawn Gnome Milk Moon Pumpkin I '08 Sundew RAVENCLAW Clio Crow Moon Dee Raven, The Raven Moon SLYTHERIN Bow & Crown of Conquest, The Coiled Serpent, The Les Infortunes de la Vertu Serpent's Kiss Snake Oil CHARACTERS ABERFORTH DUMBLEDORE Nonae Caprotina Two-Headed Goat, The ALBUS DUMBLEDORE Aureus Mr. Nancy No. 93 Engine Odin ALECTO CARROW Alecto Bloodlust Nemesis The Coiled Serpent BARTY CROUCH, JR. Antony BELLATRIX LESTRANGE Bewitched Black Annis Black Tower Blood Countess Bloodlust Bloody Sword, The Death on a Pale Horse Destroying Angel Fallen Faustus Giallo Harlot Hecate Hell's Belle Incantation Khandita Les Fleurs du Mal Lilith Malediction Mania Medea Nahemoth Oblivion Raven, The Scales of Deprivation, The Snake Charmer Tell-Tale Heart, The Ultraviolet DAPHNE GREENGRASS Bewitched DOLORES UMBRIDGE Jailbait London Sticky Pillowcase DRACO MALFOY Dorian Whitechapel FENRIR GREYBACK Iago Loup Garou Lycaon FRED & GEORGE WEASLEY Jester Tweedledee & Tweedledum GINNY WEASLEY Desdemona Hermia Maiden Ophelia Pepper Witch's Garden, The GODRIC GRYFFINDOR Great Sword of War, The Soldier, The HARRY POTTER Blinding Glory of Love Bonfire Night Snake Charmer Tristran HELENA RAVENCLAW Helena Phantom Queen Nyx Persephone HELGA HUFFLEPUFF Cordelia Eos Katharina HERMIONE GRANGER Arcana Brisingamen Clio Defututa Eve Harvest Moon '05 L'Ecole des Filles Leo 2007 Licwiglunga Little Sparrow, The Liz Miskatonic University Ochosi Queen Alice Sagittarius 2007 Saint-Germain The Ghost JAMES POTTER Wolf's Heart KATIE BELL Bewitched Squirting Cucumber LILY POTTER Black Lily Blinding Glory of Love Cordelia Tiger Lily Yemaya LUCIUS MALFOY Dorian Ice Prince Lear Les Infortunes de la Vertu Nero Whitechapel LUNA LOVEGOOD Absinthe Alice Antique Lace Black Opal Budding Moon Chesire Moon Eve Fae Hairy Toad Lily Iambe Joyful Moon Kindly Moon Lady on the Grey, The Luna Negra Lurid Maiden Moon Rose Ouija Raven Moon Singing Moon Strawberry Moon '09 White Moon MILLICENT BULSTRODE De Sade Dragon's Hide Hellfire Quincy Morris MINERVA MCGONAGALL Arcana Arkham Bewitched Carlin Glasgow Red Queen, The Selkie The School-House Vinland MOLLY WEASLEY Antique Lace Arcana Cockaigne Dana O' Shee Drink Me Jack Knave of Hearts, The Lion, The London March Hare Milk Moon White Rabbit MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER Centzon Totochtin Fairy Wine Greed NARCISSA MALFOY Le Serpent qui Danse Marquise de Merteuil NYMPHADORA TONKS Amsterdam Arcana Bewitched Boomslang Coyote Croquet Dana O' Shee Dragon's Milk Eos Phatasm Pumpkin Queen Punkie Night Swank Tweedledee PEEVES Imp PETER PETTIGREW Envy POPPY POMFREY Candy Butcher, The REMUS LUPIN Aziraphale Fenris Wolf Lycaon WILF Wolfsbane RON WEASLEY A Howl in the Darkness Bogle Gelt Glasgow The Lion The Ring Tin Phoenix White Light ROWENA RAVENCLAW Aeval Clio Host of the Air, The Raven, The Sea of Glass RUBEUS HAGRID Bonfire Night Doc Constantine Dragon's Hide Dragon's Musk SALAZAR SLYTHERIN Hades Pride Scales of Deprivation, The Serpent's Kiss SEVERUS SNAPE Apothecary, The Asphodel Aziraphale Bat Black Annis Black Tower, The Casanova Chant d'Automne Contract of Theophilius of Adana, The Dee Doc Constantine Dracul Hellfire Hexennact Horreur Sympathetique Ichabod Crane Laudanum Les Infortunes de la Vertu Malediction November Old Moon Perversion Robotic Scarab, The Saturnalia Severin Shivering Boy, The Sin There's a Certain Slant of Light Winter of our Discontent, The SIRIUS BLACK Crowley Dracul Magus SYBILL TRELAWNEY Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller TEDDY LUPIN Werepuppy TOM RIDDLE A Countenance Foreboding Evil Whitechapel VIKTOR KRUM Lurid VOLDEMORT Bloodlust Bluebeard Bow & Crown of Conquest, The Darkness Fallen Faustus Malediction Malice Wrath
  10. imaginepageant

    Looking for any Harry Potter scent recommendations

    I actually went through this entire thread a couple of weeks ago and put every blend suggested for every aspect of Harry Potter into a spreadsheet... I've been meaning to organize it and post it here but I just haven't had time. (New house, lots of cleaning and painting, sigh.) I'll try to get that up soon for you! In the meantime, I have to suggest No. 93 Engine - to me, the scent of Dumbledore's office. It's so warm and comforting, which immediately makes me think of Dumbledore, plus the steampunk aspect reminds me of all the little gadgets and gizmos he always had scattered around. If your friend is a Dumbledore fan (like I am!), I'd definitely say get some No. 93 Engine for her.
  11. imaginepageant

    Tiki Princess

    In the Vial: Reminds me of Obatala right off the bat - milky coconut with a hint of something fresh and floral, and almost fruity. I wasn't expecting a milk note, and since milk notes absolutely do not work for me, I'm a little disappointed to find one here. Wet: The florals really start to come out on my skin, backed by the coconut to keep it smelling tropical. Thankfully, the phantom milk note seems to have receeded. The description calls this cold, but it's warm to my nose. Dry: Eh. More floral than coconutty now. Still tropical. It's pretty, but it smells a bit plasticky, I'm guessing from whatever created the phantom milk note. An Hour Later: Pretty much the same, maybe a little sweeter. It's gotten fairly faint, too. Overall: Too much floral and not enough coconut for me. I believe I shall be swapping the princess away. ETA: Oh oh oh, reading the above reviewer's mention of pineapple made me realize what this smells like - Glade's Hawaiian Breeze air freshener, which has always smelled a little fakey to me.
  12. imaginepageant

    Bones Trombone

    In the Vial: Kind of like Zombie Apocalypse, but with blueberry and lemon instead of strawberry. It's sweet yet a little tart, cakey, and delicious. The hemlock is just barely noticeable, giving it a fresh, herbal quality. Even so, it's definitely foody. Wet: The lemon takes over as soon as the oil hits my skin, though the overall sweetness is still there. It's reminding me of Dorian. After a minute, the hemlock starts to get stronger, which is what I was afraid of. BUT! Then the blueberry and pie crust come back, toning down the hemlock and bringing the foodiness back. Dry: The lemon is still the dominant note, and then the sweet foodiness. The throw is very marshmallow, but up close it's all lemon. An Hour Later: Oh what the hell? On my arm, it's turned into sickly, plasticky sweetness that is pretty gross. On my chest, it's held up much better, still primarily Dorianesque lemon and vanilla, with a hint of blueberry. As time goes on past the hour, the blueberry picks up steam... but it's kind of a fake blueberry, like scratch-n-sniff sticker blueberry. Overall: I'm not happy with what this turns into on my arm, or that it's such a close cousin to Dorian elsewhere. I was really hoping for blueberry and marshmallow and pie crust (always my favorite part of any pie), but I got mainly lemon instead, and then fake blueberry. Sadface.
  13. imaginepageant

    Honey and Beeswax scents

    So I finally got my imp of The Lights of Men's Lives. Haven't done a full review yet, because I'm a bit worried that there were other factors messing with the scent (it was just delivered that day and hadn't had a chance to sit yet, I was wearing four other oils on other parts of my arms) so I'm going to try it again in a week or so. But, based on my initial test... can't say I'm too happy with it. It's nice in the imp and just-on, but it got cloyingly sweet, and almost plasticky, in the drydown. I love the way No. 93 Engine dries down to a soft, smoky beeswax and was hoping I'd get that, but quicker, with The Lights of Men's Lives, but alas, it may not be meant to be!
  14. imaginepageant

    Loosening of the Obi

    In the Vial: Soft, sweet, fresh, and clean. There's something vaguely fruity about this, which I'm assuming is the rice wine. This is a surprisingly young and innocent scent for a Luper! Wet: That fruitiness really flares up once its on my skin. After a few seconds, the white musk starts coming out... and then the sandalwood, giving all those light, sweet notes a solid backing. It starts to smell very lotiony as it dries down. Dry: Yep, very lotiony. I can still pick out each of the notes, but the vanilla has ebbed somewhat, so it's less sweet than before. An Hour Later: Oh, ick. I do not like this at all. Very lotiony and perfumey. Pretty much all of the sweetness is gone, and it's left with an almost sour edge. I blame the rice wine; it's the only note I'm not familiar with... though the white musk may be partially at fault here, too. Overall: I can see how some might like this, but it is not my style at all. It's way too girly and perfumey for me.
  15. imaginepageant

    Ranger

    In the Vial: This is standing in the middle of a forest on a chilly day in early autumn, wearing a well-worn leather jacket. I'm surprised at how strong that image is in my head when I smell Ranger. I'm obviously getting the wood notes, though the pine is definitely trumping the others, and the bucksin accord. I'm also smelling some kind of metallic note in here somehow. This is extremely masculine, even for me - a chick who prefers wearing masculine scents over feminine ones. Wet: Warms up right away, but then that phantom metallic note comes back and frosts it over again. After a few minutes, though, the warmth comes back, and it's a woodsy warmth, like you've gotten back to your cabin in the forest and have started up the old woodstove. I'm thinking that could be the hay giving me that impression. I must say, I'm liking this a lot more than I thought I would have, given that I typically dislike evergreens and leather usually amps on me. They're both really nice in this blend. Dry: A bit more warm and toasty. And the other wood notes seem to be coming out more; the pine is still very noticeable, but there's more of a general woodsiness around the pine instead of it just being SUPER PINE! The leather is still there, too, playing nicely with everything else. An Hour Later: Hasn't changed much, but there is a bit of spiciness to it now, which is really nice. Reminds me of the spicy wood of Port Royal, but without the sweetness. Overall: Color me shocked! I like a blend with pine and leather in it! However, this isn't something I would wear on a regular basis, seeing as Port Royal has a similar feel to how Ranger ends up, and I much prefer it to Ranger. This will be going to a new home.
  16. imaginepageant

    WILF

    In the Bottle: This literally just came out of my mailbox, but I've been waiting two months for this and I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER! In the bottle, it's... Snake Oil. I even got my bottle of Snake Oil out to compare, and yep, almost identical. WHAT?! However, after comparing, I can pick out a bit of the black musk and chocolate in WILF. Wet: Still very Snake Oil, but thankfully the other notes are coming out to play much more on my skin. The black musk gets stronger, and then so does the chocolate, and... now it's Black Temple Burlesque Troupe. Which I'm fine with, because I love it but don't have a bottle of it. The Coyote-esque warm fur is now fluffing up and making it smell half cuddly and comforting and half rip-his-clothes-off sexy. And there are the woods. And... OH! Is that the peppermint, finally? You know, it was probably the peppermint that made me think Snake Oil in the first place, but it wasn't really noticeable on its own; it is now. Dry: I am happy to report WILF is no longer anything like Snake Oil, but it is still reminding me a lot of Black Temple Burlesque Troupe. The black musk is still dominant, followed by the warm fur, woods, and peppermint, with just a hint of chocolate and patchouli. The vanilla has ebbed somewhat, so it's less sweet than before, and it's not foody at all. This is perfect, exactly what I wanted from this blend. An Hour Later: I kept getting whiffs of Snake Oil from the throw the whole time, but up close it's still more Black Temple Burlesque Troupe. However, it really is its own thing now. Black musk and sandalwood, primarily, though the vanilla has come back (it's usually the longest-lasting note on me). It's lost most of the warm fur, chocolate, and pepermint. Overall, it's got a nice, toasted feel to it. Overall: I'm hoping that the similarity to Snake Oil will fade with some aging. Don't get me wrong, Snake Oil is one of my favorite oils, but I wanted something different from WILF. I so want this to be that beautiful middle stage of warm fur and woods and sexiness! Either way, I can definitely see myself getting good use out of this, and I can't wait to try it on the boyfriend, too.
  17. imaginepageant

    International Shipping Info+Questions

    My May 18 order arrived today, so it wasn't lost in the black hole of Canada Post after all. Beevee, I hope yours gets there soon!
  18. imaginepageant

    International Shipping Info+Questions

    Same here. I placed the order on May 18, got my CNS on June 14, and am still waiting for it. I actually received my June 16 order today (CNS'd on July 1, post-lockout) - which makes me really scared for the May 18 order. If I don't see it by the end of this week I will probably contact Canada Post and yell at them ask them to investigate. ETA, mine was unfortunately not a small order; it was a $113 order with stuff for both myself and a friend. So I'm seriously nervous about losing it.
  19. imaginepageant

    Gnome

    In the Vial: My first thought was: Coke! But upon further contemplation, I think it's more Ginger Ale. This is a bright, fizzy, yummy scent - so not what I'd imagine a gnome would smell like! It's a little lemony, a little woodsy, and a little smoky, but the dominant note is by far the ginger. Wet: The balsam pops out right away, followed by the sarsparilla, bringing down the yumminess of the scent and making it more earthy. And... soapy. Yup, I'm getting the Irish Spring smell, too. Dry: Almost all soapy balsam now, with a hint of ginger. Quite disappointing. An Hour Later: On my hand, straight-up rancid butter. On my wrist, completely gone... but up until the point it disappeared, it kept the soapy balsam smell. Overall: Clearly not for me, but I did get this one for the boyfriend, and not myself, so I'm not too disappointed. Hoping it works better on him! ETA: It was indeed better on him, and didn't go soapy at all. We layered Gnome with Fighter, and happily Gnome's bubbly ginger wasn't drowned out by Fighter's leather. In fact, the ginger actually grew in strength as the night went on; he started to smell truly fantastic about an hour in. Success!
  20. imaginepageant

    Aeronwen

    In the Vial: Sharp, smoky myrrh pops out right away, followed by a very resinous amber, the warm and woodsy redwood, and the fruit and spice notes. Not sure I'm getting the black musk - I can't pick it out specifically, but it's probably there in the background. Wet: Wow, everything kind of mellows out and melts into a general soft, sweet scent. It's a little woodsy, and the orange is giving it a bright edge (though it's not an in-your-face orange). After a minute or so, I start to get the amber again, and it's staying mainly resinous, but it is going slightly powdery. Dry: The sweetness is pretty much gone, but otherwise it's the same: a slightly woodsy, slightly resinous orange. An Hour Later: Bad me: I forgot to come back to finish the review after the hour. All I can say now is that it was still very orange. Overall: I wasn't happy with the end result; I'm starting to think citrus notes just aren't for me. I'm glad I didn't spring for a bottle of this unsniffed based on the notes, and my decant will be rehomed.
  21. imaginepageant

    Honey and Beeswax scents

    Same here! Tobacco is one of my favorite BPAL notes. I don't particularly like the smell of cigarette smoke (though it does depend on the brand), but I quite like the smell of a freshly-opened pack of cigarettes, when it's straight-up tobacco instead of burning tobacco and a zillion other chemicals. And I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. Have you tried The Antikythera Mechanism? It's got the strongest tobacco note out of the tobacco blends I've tried so far.
  22. imaginepageant

    Snowblind

    In the Vial: Vanilla and mint! And in a fairly equal ratio. However, the vanilla isn't your standard vanilla - there's something milky about it, and it's very foody, like sugar cookies or something. Wet: The mint really comes out on my skin, almost completely taking over the vanilla at first, but easing off after a minute or so. The vanilla is warm and toasty enough to keep the mint from being really cold, and because of that, this smells a lot like how Tombstone does on me. Dry: They're on even ground again now, but the vanilla still has that strange milky, plasticky thing going on. I'm not liking that. An Hour Later: All plasticky vanilla, no mint. Wah! Overall: Snowblind has been one of my grail blends for awhile, since I love vanilla and mint together, and I was so excited to finally try it. Unfortunately, this particular vanilla just doesn't seem to work with me. I am a very sad panda right now. (I should add: after about another hour, the vanilla loses the plasticky feel and is much, much nicer. But there's still no mint at that point, so it's still a fail.)
  23. imaginepageant

    The Elephantine Colossus

    In the Vial: I should start off my saying that when my boyfriend sniffed this in the imp, he made a horrified face and told me to get it away from him. I, on the other hand, quite like it in the imp! The red musk is strong, rich, and sultry, with a hint of the pipeweed smoke behind it. Those boardwalk sweets are right there, too, and someone must've been eating popcorn on that boardwalk. It's kind of like Midway, Shill, and Smut all mixed together. Wet: The red musk gets sharper and redder, like the red musk in Dragon's Heart. And the whole thing gets kind of earthy, and really warm. The other notes are still hanging out... except that the root beer is still extremely faint. Truly smells like walking through a seaside carnival in the early evening. Dry: I'm starting to catch the Snake Oil that others mention. The red musk is still going strong, but the foody notes have sadly faded quite a bit. There's still a saltiness to it, though, and not a popcorn saltiness, or even a sea spray saltiness... it's more like a meaty vetiver saltiness. What. An Hour Later: Mainly red musk... but the Butter Note of Doom (which may or may not actually be a butter note, I still haven't figured it out) is starting to turn rancid on me. Overall: After it started going bad, I put some on my collarbone and cleavage to test its mileage there. And happily, it didn't go bad, nor did it fade as much as it had on my hand. However, it's pretty much just red musk; it loses most, if not all, of the smoke and candy and popcorn. Disappointing. I really loved this in the just-on stage, it was the perfect summer night at a carnival scent. Not sure what the fate of this decant will be yet.
  24. imaginepageant

    The Black Temple Burlesque Troupe

    In the Vial: A dark, almost boozy chocolate - like those booze-filled chocolates you can buy in gift packs around Christmas. The black musk smells more like red musk to me, though it's probably just the sweetness of the cacao that's tricking my nose into thinking that. The tobacco is the least noticeable note, but it's definitely there, smooth and smoky. This is delectable. Wet: The cacao mellows out quite a bit, letting the black musk come to the foreground. It still smells like red musk, but it's getting darker and grittier, at least. The tobacco's just hanging on. And there's something a little sharp and cold about this, like there's a hint of menthol or something. Dry: Huh. Is there any anise in this? Because I'm smelling anise. Otherwise, the black musk actually smells like black musk now, very dark and earthy. The cacao is pretty much gone. And the tobacco is mostly just a vague smoky presence now. An Hour Later: More like three hours later, oops. It smells like a cigar, and luckily I happen to love the smell of cigars! It's sweet, smooth, smoky, and warm. Obviously, the tobacco has become the dominant note... but it's still different from most tobacco notes I've smelled. It's sweeter. I suppose that's thanks to the cacao - which doesn't smell like chocolate in the least anymore. Overall: It started off nice, and ended up even nicer! I could do without that phantom anise note, but it wears off quickly enough. I'll absolutely be using up my decant, and if I ever have an opportunity to get a bottle, I can't see myself passing it up.
  25. imaginepageant

    International Shipping Info+Questions

    I received two CNSes for orders last week, so they are definitely shipping Canadian orders now!
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